3/28/11

3/27/11

Walk Around Memorial Park 3/24/11

I've been thinking about my series, Fiction, in recent months. I went on to new projects too soon back in 2007, and now I am returning to this project with new energy.   Everywhere I see pairs.

3/23/11

3/21/11

3/20/11

3/19/11

3/17/11 St. Patrick's Day

3/15/11

Five Everyday Moments from the Happiest Place on Earth

Five Strangely Beautiful Landscapes at the Happiest Place on Earth

Five Rides with Blurry Magic at the Happiest Place on Earth

I've never been a fan of the soft focus image. Of course, there are exceptions, but with regard to my own work, when an image isn't sharp, I usually feel a sense of failure or disappointment. Vacationing with my son earlier this week at Disney World, I surrendered control and photographed whatever whizzed past me on automatic. All the attractions were lit in a super saturated, theatrical manner, and my pictures blurred beautifully. The whole point of this place is fantasy, and reality is less tangible, when it's cloaked in darkness and speed.

Disney is a corporate machine doling out prepackaged fun, and I have many quibbles with this behemoth. However, they do deliver the promised escape, and it's lovely for a few moments.  This first image of an idealized family farm makes me realize how central the idea of a pristine small town is to my sense of identity as an American, even though I have never lived in such a place. Strip malls and suburbs were already the norm when I was born. In my mind there is a thriving town square and little brick bungalow that I will return to one day to live with good hearted people. Why do I  have to go to Disney World and sit in a little boat with other travelers to see this America?  Then the narrative switches to adventure, fairy tales and magical transformation, and I forget about main street and want to see the world, full of technicolor promise, from the safety of my seat on the ride.

Five People I Waited With at the Happiest Place on Earth

There was something about being at Disney World this week that reminded me of the number five - perhaps the patience-shattering waits for rides made me feel like I was trapped in a Soviet-style five year plan. Maybe it was the five minutes of pleasure I was awarded for surviving the queue.  Maybe it was the five day duration of our trip to Florida. Anyway, several suites of five will follow.  Shortly.

3/1/11