Month: November 2004

Spare change for the poor pitiful oligarch…. One of the most creative and just plain fun image mongering tasks I get to work on is illustrating political direct mail. I work only for Democrats, (I find one has to pick a side), so here in Texas my business has been ummmm shrinking. Never the less, there have been many opportunities to skewer the opposition in the past, and some of them are harmless enough to share, like this one.

The name of the band is unimportant, although it was The Point. This shot was taken during the 3 day long celebration of our nation’s 200th anniversary in Gonzales, Texas. The Gonzales picnic was the wildest mass gathering of humans I’ve ever witnessed, contrary to the calmness illustrated here. This shot was taken near dusk on the first day. By the next sunset, the crowd was collectively shooting off barrages of Roman candles wildly at each other…. Anyway, I love this shot. It captures and illustrates the calming and evocative power of music over the multitude

I’ve been asked, many times, when it was that I became aware that I might be a photographer. I guess it was a gradual process that culminated in images like this self portrait in ’70-’71. This was a simple sandwich of slides…the resulting image said more than I knew words ever could. It was exactly how I felt in those wild and wonderful, revolutionary days.

Don’t think he can’t play….all of those hours on the bus have made for a really good player….and don’t take too long when someone asks whose move it is….He’ll say, “well, if no one can remember it must be mine!”….a ploy I’m sure has been pulled on more than one slow-witted fan. I was doing alright until he got two moves in a row….

Okay, okay, I played with it a little in photoshop…but just levels and saturation…..

The former home of the Grand Old Opry, and still a vital and venerable music venue. Lots of great music has resonated from this old building. When I saw the pigeons on the roof, I couldn’t help clapping loudly and then shooting the resulting flurry. Sometimes one has to resort to tricks/techniques to conjure up symbolism….

at the 2002 ACL Fest, Austin Texas. In my book, Robert Randolph is one of the best live music acts you can see. It’s impossible to watch his show without dancing.

Just your basic slow motion explosion, courtesy the Tao.

The morning after I got my D1X, I made this shot. I was hooked. I could never find a film (and this is a challenge, photogs) that could render the blue of Heavenly Blue Morning Glories. Polaroid film came the closest, but no slide film I know could capture that shade of blue. Digital gets close enough, in my book.

Some things never change… Personally, I wish there was no border between the US and Mexico. I think both cultures, countries, and belief systems have much to teach the other. I always get more culture shock returning to the US from Mexico than I do just crossing over.