Drums in black and white

September 23, 2005 - I went and looked at the first roll of lomo fisheye I shot, and noticed this one hadn't gotten posted. It's interesting that now I can go back and look at those black and whites and see what sort of lomographic characteristic comes out in them. Not sure if it's interesting enough to load up another roll of black and white. This is the third frame I shot with Bebe.

This is the second, also missed getting posted before, also September 23:

Mitsuwa Japanese grocery store, Edgewater, NJ.

current sounds:
1. State of Confusion (live) (The Kinks)
2. You Almost Feel Sad (J Church)
3. Flute Concerto in D Major (Vivaldi)
4. Sit On My Hands (Frente)
5. Do You Love Me Now? (The Breeders)
6. Pretty Noise (Soundgarden)
7. Give Peace a Chance (John Lennon)
8. After the Gold Rush (Michael Hedges)
9. Assassination on X-mas Eve (Archers of Loaf)
10. Day In, Day Out (Sakura)

Broken snare head

November 19, 2005 - I had this Aquarian Hi-Energy head on my snare for longer than any other type of snare head I've tried. The thing was indestructible. Almost. To its credit, it lasted years. I have photos of this same head from 2001, when I was playing in gigging band in San Francisco. Also, most heads break in the center, where it's struck, and when it breaks, you know it because your stick goes through it, and you go, "uh-oh".

This one broke on the edge, and there was still enough tension along the rest of the rim that it took me a few minutes to realize where it was broken. I noticed something funny about the sound and feel, but I didn't see a break and thought it sounded cool and just kept playing. Talk about reliable. If this thing broke during a gig, it might have even lasted out a set, whereas with other heads, I'd have to change heads, losing a song or two in the process, or would have to borrow a snare from another band. I had no qualms going out and buying the same head.

current soundtrack:
1. Isn't She Lovely? (Phase II Steel Band)
2. San Tropez (Pink Floyd) 3 in a row!
3. The Narrow Way, pt. 1 (Pink Floyd)
4. Dogs (Pink Floyd)
5. Follow You, Follow Me - remixed (Genesis)
6. Uncertain Smile (The The)
7. White Trash Heroes (live) (Archers of Loaf)
8. Sweet Valentine (Princess Princess)
9. Riders On the Storm (The Doors)
10. Blue Rondo a la Turk (Dave Brubeck Quartet)

Two lomos of the same thing

November 13, 2005:


November 16, 2005:

Hudson River from the New York side of the George Washington Bridge.

current soundtrack:
1. Two of Us (alternative version)(The Beatles)
2. Mr. Grieves (The Pixies)
3. Miami Nice (Elastica)
4. Come Together (Michael Hedges)
5. If You Wear that Velvet Dress (U2)
6. Radio Free Europe (R.E.M.)
7. Leif Erikson (Interpol)
8. Imagine (John Lennon)
9. Me and Virgil (Genesis)
10. Untitled and Unsung (Belly)

Finishing off that ride...

November 16, 2005:

Wheel:


Handlebars:


Road:

I was getting comfortable riding and shooting and was cruising along with my hands off the bars.

I'm glad I didn't post these earlier, when I got the film developed and scanned and edited. I did my usual edit of adjusting contrast, brightness, and saturation, blowing them out to some degree, but they just weren't satisfying. After sitting in a folder for a while, I realized it was because I went too far and the shots looked manipulated. Fake. Certain pixel groups were popping out because of the color accents of late Autumn, when most things have turned brown except for a few cheery die-hards. So I toned them down and went for more what the scenes felt like - muted and dreary.

Again, I don't feel I do any manipulations beyond what I would do if I were printing the shots myself in a darkroom. I've never printed color, but I'm pretty sure brightness, contrast, saturation, and hue are within adjustment parameters in a darkroom, and I don't even mess with hue.

current soundtrack: last 10 songs shuffled on iTunes
1. Blade of Grass (Versus)
2. Glitter of Love (Versus)
3. Cello Suite No. 3, II - Allemande (Bach - Yo Yo Ma)
4. Symphony No. 24 in Bb, II - Andante grazioso (Mozart)
5. The Light from a Cake (Camper Van Beethoven)
6. Cocksure Whistler (The Aislers Set)
7. Should I Stay or Should I Go? (The Clash)
8. Oh Lady, Be Good (Ella Fitzgerald)
9. Monty Got a Raw Deal (R.E.M.)
10. Loaded Painted Red (764-HERO)

Autumn ride redux

November 16, 2005 - This was the last ride I took Bebe with me before I realized I was shooting too much of the same thing. Most of the leaves had fallen on this part of the ride, Rte. 9W, making it distinctly more Winter-y.


Through the naked trees is the Palisades Parkway, which in Summer can be heard from Rte. 9W, but not seen.


The return part of the ride on the Hudson River Drive still had leaves, but not so much Autumn colors. More dreary, dried and decaying leaves.


The clearings looking out over the Hudson were more barren.

current soundtrack: last 10 songs shuffled on iTunes
1. The Emperor's New Clothes (Sinéad O'Connor)
2. Macilumah (David Darling & Wulu Bunun)
3. Shrinwrapped (Sleeper)
4. Artificial Man (The Kinks)
5. Dead Man Walking (David Bowie)
6. Only the Fake Survive (Sahara Hotnights)
7. La Menage (Black Sheep)
8. Satellites (764-HERO)
9. Koyal Si Teri Boli ("Beta")
10. One For the Vine (Genesis)

Season check

December 4, 2005 - Shooting outside my window. Winter came early this year. It's not unusual for it to snow this early, but it is unusual for it to stay as long as it did - full coverage for about two weeks in unseasonably cold temperatures until it rained. And the rain didn't even wash it all away, which it should have. Even now there are still isolated mounds of dirty snow on street sides and parking lots, reminiscent of early Spring. But it's not early Spring with warm weather just around the corner, we're just heading into Winter.


December 1, 2005 - A few days before the snow we were in full-on Autumn. That's my high school. Corner of South Woodland and Palisades Avenue.


December 15, 2005 - The day before the big rain was forecast, I went out to shoot some winter and went to the Alpine Lookout off the Palisades Parkway. That road down there is the Hudson River Drive, on which many of my ride lomos were shot. Rte. 9W is up at this altitude, running parallel to the parkway.

current soundtrack:
1. Where Your Eyes Don't Go (They Might Be Giants)
2. Big Brother (live) (David Bowie)
3. Wait (The Beatles)
4. Tired of Waiting for You (The Kinks)
5. Lonely Butterfly (Rebecca) 80s j-pop band
6. Storm the Gates (Enon)
7. Voodoo Child (live) (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble)
8. Little Mascara (The Replacements)
9. Supper's Ready (Genesis)
10. Evidence of Autumn (Genesis)

Reds and Whites

This would be more white if I hadn't boosted the saturation to get the yellow sunlight bouncing off the wall behind me. But I really liked it. And the sun on the house in the background.


East Japanese restaurant in Teaneck, NJ


Inside East.

current soundtrack: last 10 songs shuffled on iTunes
1. Under My Thumb (The Rolling Stones)
2. John I Love You (Sinéad O'Connor)
3. Push Me, Pull Me (Pearl Jam)
4. So Lonely (The Police)
5. In the Future (David Byrne)
6. The Chamber of 32 Doors (live) (Genesis)
7. Play My Music (Exodus Steel Orchestra)
8. Living in Exile (Sleater-Kinney)
9. Tonight (Supergrass)
10. Nightrider (ELO)

the rest of the way up the west side

November 18, 2005 - Riverside Church is a famous ecumenical church, I think. In standing, it's kinda like Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. The Dalai Lama spoke there once, and it's large enough to be seen clearly from New Jersey. I should try going there once before I leave the area. In the foreground is the West Side Highway south, on which many Volvo wagons drive.

Tennis courts in Fort Washington Park. So autumny...

There's no perfect way to the George Washington Bridge from the riverside path on bike. Either you can leave the path completely between 125th-133rd Streets, ride up to Broadway, and continue up on Broadway or backtrack on 134th St. to Riverside Drive. Or you can continue on the paths and walk your bike up the stairs at 168th Street. Or you can continue all the way through Fort Washington Park, past the George Washington Bridge, and return to surface roads at 181st St. and backtrack to the bridge.

The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge:


current soundtrack: last 10 songs shuffled on iTunes
1. Is There Anybody Out There? (Pink Floyd)
2. Dragon (764-HERO)
3. The Good That Won't Come Out (Rilo Kiley)
4. Now/Later/Soon ("A Little Night Music" - Sondheim)
5. Dandelion Heart (Nokko)
6. Shepherd (BBC Nightride 1970) (Genesis)
7. Please Hello ("Pacific Overtures" - Sondheim)
8. Sweet Georgia Brown (Ella Fitzgerald)
9. Door (Shoukichi Kina)
10. Rebel Music (Bob Marley & the Wailers)

Riding up the West Side, continued...

After the detour up to Riverside Park, the path continues along the Hudson.

I stopped for this shot.

I didn't for this:

It may be about 20 blocks of just this path.

current soundtrack: last 10 songs shuffled on iTunes
1. Territorial Pissings (Nirvana)
2. Janie's Got a Gun (Aerosmith)
3. Snowman (XTC)
4. Sugar Mice in the Rain (demo version) (Marillion)
5. Blow Wind Blow (Tom Waits)
6. Lady Stardust (piano version) (David Bowie)
7. Angel Eyes (Sakura)
8. This Is Not (Blonde Redhead)
9, Never Say No ("The Fantasticks")
10. Days (live) (The Kinks)

Riding up the West Side

November 18, 2005 - I often ride back to New Jersey by going up the West Side along the Hudson River because it's out of car traffic and that's amenable to being mentally and physically tired, which I usually am by the time I start heading back.


The path along the Hudson River is hardly seamless. At around 96th Street, there's this bike detour that goes up to the Riverside Park path for about a hundred meters before going back down to the river.


Shared use pathways.

current soundtrack:
1. Rush (Big Audio Dynamite II)
2. In the Sweet Bye and Bye (Rebirth Marching Jazz Band)
3. Fly On A Windshield (live) (Genesis)
4. Manatsu no Kajitsu (Southern All-Stars)
5. Kingdoms (The Pugs)
6. Lions and Tigers (Sleater-Kinney)
7. Just As the Tide Was Flowing (10,000 Maniacs)
8. You've Got a Friend (Carole King)
9. Night of the Living Baseheads (Public Enemy)
10. Cordury (live) (Pearl Jam)

Low light in midtown

Midtown Manhattan is hard to shoot in because of all the buildings. On sunny days, they create unpleasant, harsh shadows, and on cloudy days they block light and make everything dark. In November, by early afternoon, the light is already too low for the lomo fisheye, which is already known for not doing well in low light.


November 18, 2005 - This is after I had picked up my passport, so it was around 2:30. I used flash, which is that white dot. 43rd Street. I was trying to not scare off the pigeons, but come to think of it, that might have made a better shot.


I enhanced the brightness of this shot (and the previous one, come to think of it) to make it look more like what the actual light level looked like. The straight scan was pretty dark. Now what the hell is this thing doing, sitting on a street corner? Does somebody not worry that some punk is gonna walk up and wonder what would happen if that valve got turned?

current soundtrack: last 10 songs shuffled on iTunes
1. Strawberry Fields Forever (take 1) (The Beatles)
2. The World is Full of Angry Young Men (XTC)
3. Barstool (Deadweight)
4. Acrobat (U2)
5. Really Big Nothing (Elvis Costello & the Attractions)
6. Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio, No. 2: Jazzy (Bolling-Rampal)
7. The Lamia (live) (Genesis)
8. I'm Not Like Everybody Else (The Kinks)
9. Tommy the Cat (Primus)
10. Land of Confusion (Genesis - Live at Wembley Stadium, 1987)

Do not enter

November 18, 2005 - Riding down Riverside Drive on the West Side of Manhattan. This is a blocked off entrance to northbound West Side Highway at 79th Street, I think, probably because there's a northbound entrance at 72nd Street and having two entrances so close to each other slows traffic.

Riverside Drive ends at 72nd Street. Bicyclists can either go down to the riverside path, which is safe and pleasant, or turn left a block to Broadway, or go about a half mile to Central Park. I did that since I was going to East 42nd Street to get my passport. Riding on 5th Avenue from 59th to 42nd Streets was nuts. I think riding on the east side is pretty nuts in general, and is to be avoided.

current sounds: last 10 songs shuffled on iTunes
1. Your Next Bold Move (Ani DiFranco)
2. Dodo/Lurker (Genesis)
3. I Don't Wanna Die Anymore (New Radicals)
4. Quadrophenia (The Who)
5. Here Come the People in Grey (The Kinks)
6. Harold the Barrel (Genesis)
7. Dilate (Ani DiFranco)
8. You Really Got Me (The Kinks)
9. You and the Clouds Will Still Be Beautiful (XTC)
10. Monkey Man (The Rolling Stones)

West Side Highway

November 18, 2005 - Rode into Manhattan to pick up my Taiwanese passport. I took Riverside Drive down the west side. This was shot off 165th Street on Riverside Drive.

current sounds: last 10 songs shuffled on iTunes:
1. Look Back in Anger (1988) (David Bowie)
2. Storm the Gates (Enon)
3. Drugs (Talking Heads)
4. All Babies (Sinead O'Connor)
5. Leave it to Rust (Enon)
6. Go West (Liz Phair)
7. Medication (Modest Mouse)
8. School Night (Ani DiFranco)
9. Psycho Killer (live) (Talking Heads)
10. Miss You (The Rolling Stones)

Seems like so long ago

I think I might almost be through the backlog of Autumn color ride lomos. But before that happens, here are two more lomos from the same day, same ride, same idea, and it's just more of why the heck was I shooting the same thing over and over again?


November 8, 2005 - Frame 7


Frame 10

Even the novelty of handlebar point of view shots is wearing thin:


Frame 8

It snowed for the first time last night. I'm not a fan of cold weather, and I absolutely will not go out on my bike if the mercury falls below around the 40 degree mark. I don't even have the clothes for riding in that cold of weather. In no time I'll be missing being able to take these shots.

1. Slowburn (David Bowie)
2. Flipside (The Breeders)
3. Marriage Tree (Throwing Muses)
4. Paperlate (Genesis)
5. Oh! Darling (The Beatles)
6. Dancing Days (Led Zeppelin)
7. Pehla Nasha (Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar) Bollywood
8. Ring! Ring! Ring! (Dreams Come True)
9. Discipline (King Crimson)
10. Maddox Table (10,000 Maniacs)

Nouveau Riche

November 16, 2005 - I stuck Bebe out the window of my room at my parents house for this one. They just completed building the house across the street on the left. The person who lived in the house that used to be there died a couple of years ago. I never met him or knew him, but apparently he was a dentist or something. All last year, I saw his relatives and/or executors coming in and out, and apparently part of what was going on was the sale of the property. During my time at the monastery, the old house came down and construction of this house began.

This architecture can be seen all through this town. They are called "mini mansions", but I prefer calling it "Nouveau Riche" architecture. Opulent monstrosities that would look good on a bigger piece of property, but not on the size of properties that were carved out decades ago, intended for the rising upper middle class in harder, if not hard, economic times. All of the other houses in this shot are the older style. Nice affordable private homes, architecturally practical and boring, but inoffensive, with nice lawns for children to play on.

The trend now is towards this new architecture. As the older generation dies off or moves on, their properties are being sold to these developers who readily tear down what was there to put these up. All the houses look the same, no lawns, unfriendly to children playing outside, but friendly to children watching flat-screen TVs inside and playing video games after school until their dual income parents get home. They all say "we've got money (even though we can't afford a larger property in Alpine a couple towns north)". I prefer the older houses that say "this is a home".

current sounds: last 10 songs shuffled on iTunes:
1. Arbor Day (10,000 Maniacs)
2. Rhinoceros (Smashing Pumpkins)
3. New Genious (Brother) (Gorillaz)
4. Bullpen (The Pugs)
5. She's So Lost (James) (Versus - Drawn and Quartered)
6. Twisted (Everyday Hurts) (Skunk Anansie)
7. Answers (Steve Vai)
8. Sketch Pad with Trumpet and Voice (Peter Gabriel)
9. Action (St. Etienne)
10. Flute Talk (Travis Terry) native American flute

My Space

My desk in my old room at my parents house. But this furniture came after I left, so I never really used it. The computer's mine from San Francisco. This isn't my work station now because I don't get some neighbor's wireless signal from here. And this computer isn't wireless and still has Windows ME, anyway. BLEAH!!


Corkboard right above the desk, and indication of an unhealthy obsession with Audrey Hepburn. But really, I don't. She's just my favorite icon.


What I consider my current workstation in my brother's room, where I can get a wireless signal. Film scanner's on the left. In the background there are several clothes racks of my mother's clothes. After the kids all left, she invaded all our closets, packing them full of clothes. Having run out of closet space, she filled this room with her clothes, many of which still have price tags on them. She might be what Buddhists call "hungry ghosts" - beings with huge stomachs, but teeny, tiny throats. They crave and want, but are never satisfied, and obtaining only feeds their desire for more. She's a classic example, but we all have varying degrees of that in us, so I'm not criticizing her here. With age, she has realized the folly of such vanity, and doesn't go clothes shopping anymore. I see that the behavior still exists, though, in other ways.

The big black shadow on the right hand side is another downside of the fisheye lomo. The shadow is of the lens barrel caused by the flash.

current sounds:
1. Kali Kali Zulfon Ke Phande Nah Dalo (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan)
2. He Knows, You Know (Marillion)
3. Your Own Special Way (Genesis)
4. Where Do the Children Play? (Cat Stevens)
5. Me and My Charms (Kristin Hersh)
6. We've Got a File On You (Blur)
7. Honshirabe (Katsuya Yokoyama) shakuhachi music
8. Sentimental Lady (Duke Ellington)
9. Gepetto (Belly)
10. A Little More Mascara ("La Cage Aux Folles")

Lomo Suburbia

November 6, 2005 - This is the very northern end of Johnson Avenue on the north side of town. It's as big and busy as a residential road gets in this town. It doesn't go anywhere, it just loops around to other roads, comprising what my high school track/cross-country teams called the "Johnson loop". I ride this loop sometimes to extend my rides, and I must say it is easily the most boring portion of any ride I've ever done. The words "soul-sucking suburban wasteland" comes to mind.


November 10, 2005 - This is Cambridge Place, the street I grew up on. I stopped to shoot because the light was so pleasant. The entire street is not a half mile long. This is looking south towards the southern end.

Then I turned around and shot north:

This is the block I grew up on, although you can't see my old house in this shot. If you enlarge it, on the right hand side of the road you can see the sun reflecting off a house. That was our neighbor, our house was the next one down. The fisheye makes it look farther away than it is.

On this stretch of road:
- In Autumn, we raked leaves and piled them on the roadside. Before they got sucked up in trucks, we would play in the leaves, wade through the leaves, take running jumps into the pile of leaves.

- In Winter, snow plows would push snow into huge piles along the side of the road (well, huge for a kid), and after shoveling snow from the driveway, we would play and dig tunnels through the piles until we could feel our socks getting wet. Then we would go into the warmth of the house, leaving our boots and gloves on a mat to let the snow melt off and dry.

They got the mothers worked into a panic
Sledding down hills into oncoming traffic
And parents layered clothes until the children couldn't move
And left them outside until their noses were blue
And I got left there, too
- I Was a Kaleidoscope (Death Cab for Cutie)

- In Summer, we had this game where some kids would ride back and forth along the street, while others standing along the sides would try to skip a frisbee between the wheels of the moving bikes. If the person got hit with a frisbee, too bad. I don't think there was any point to the game.

- In Spring, Daylight Savings brought expansive evenings with glorious twilight sunsets, streetlamps turning on, and catching fireflies with our bare hands.

current sounds (last 10 songs shuffled on iTunes):
1. Dead End Street (live) (The Kinks)
2. Young Americans (David Bowie)
3. Moonchild (Cibo Matto)
4. Stutter Steps (764-HERO)
5. Romance (Ryuichi Sakamoto)
6. The Rhythm Method (drum solo) (Rush)
7. #1 Must Have (Sleater-Kinney)
8. Nothing As It Seems (Pearl Jam)
9. Goodbye Cruel World (live) (Pink Floyd)
10. Low Light (Peter Gabriel)

Hudson River Recreation Area - November 8, 2005

Actually, I don't know if this area has a name, it's after my time.

During a ride, I paused to squeeze this shot off (click to enlarge):


Then looking through my photo archives, I found this similar shot, taken on August 25, 1998:

This was taken when they were still developing it, taken from higher up on the cliffs, probably with a telephoto zoom lens. I have no memory what was there before, but in 1998, I had long no longer considered myself a resident of these parts.

Interesting, huh? I know you want to see that area now closer up.


Voila! This was shot close to where that white van is in the black and white. The previous shots were taken from up those cliffs. I was trying to shoot the Palisades with Autumn colors.


Now this shot was taken near where the previous shot was taken (close to that speck of dust on the black and white). Basically, I turned around, climbed over a wall and down some rocks (with cycling shoes, mind you), and held Bebe right close to the water and shot.

This last shot was taken from the far corner of that piece of land, again trying to shoot Autumn colors on the Palisades:


current sounds:
1. Pastichio Medley (Smashing Pumpkins)
2. Exaltation (Matisyahu) - Hasidic dub reggae, really good.
3. Toco Band (Rising Stars Steel Band)
4. How Could I Ever Know ("Secret Garden")
5. The Little Things You Do Together ("Company" - Sondheim)
6. Gone Hollywood (Supertramp)
7. State of Love and Trust (Pearl Jam)
8. Mediocrity Rules (Le Tigre)
9. Another Satellite (XTC)
10. Time Capsule Medley (Casiopea)

not a ride lomo, but then...

October 24, 2005 - Self-portrait with Takamine #1. Yes, I have two Takamine's. Oy. This one I bought for $500 a long time ago, and it sounds better now than when I got it, so I don't want to let it go. My other Takamine I got for $800 used, and it has a very mellow sound. No one is impressed by how it sounds upon hearing it, but I've grown to love it.

Obligatory ride shots, consecutive frames from November 6:

Frame 3


Frame 4 - there were a lot of riders out that day because it was Sunday and relatively warm. I was trying to get a lomo of other riders, but even when they are close, Bebe makes them tiny.

current sounds:
1. Sunburned (Versus)
2. Two Step (Dave Matthews Band) - I don't care what people say, their first two albums were excellent.
3. Woman On the Bass (Neal and Massy Trinidad All-Stars) - steel orchestra
4. Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too (New Radicals)
5. Hammer To Fall (Queen)
6. Y (Spitz)
7. Mars, the Bringer of War (Holst)
8. Blu-Bop (Bela Fleck & the Flecktones)
9. American Without Tears (Twilight Version) (Elvis Costello & the Attractions)
10. Helpless (live) (Neil Young)

Autumn Colours Lomo Dump

So I've learned my lesson to try to distinguish between subject matter, and know when what I keep shooting is not really different or no improvement on what I've already shot. No more taking Bebe on my default ride to shoot Autumn colors. Once the leaves all fall, maybe I can take Bebe for a different look of the ride, and then only once.

Trees, trees, trees, all from the same ride on November 1st (as always, click to enlarge):





Over the shoulder shot from the same November 1st ride. Just three weeks ago and it looks so warm then! This was a risky shot because it's a fast downhill leading to the Hudson River Boat Basin. What's tricky is that even after taking the shot, it's still dangerous because I still have to hold the camera because it would be more dangerous to put it away, ergo only one hand on a brake. But! When I start down the hill, I don't...no, there's no mitigating it, it's flat out dangerous. Don't try it unless you're trying to prove you're as stupid as me. And wear a helmet unless you're trying to prove you're as stupid as me.

current sounds:
1. Bread and Wine (Peter Gabriel)
2. Symphony No. 40, Mvmt. I (Molto allegro) (Mozart)
3. Houses In Motion (live) (Talking Heads)
4. The Rhythm Method (drum solo) (Rush)
5. The Devil's Workday (Modest Mouse)
6. Pandora's Box (Throwing Muses)
7. Funkin' For Fun (Parliament)
8. Oh, To Be In Love (Kate Bush)
9. Feed the Tree (remix) (Belly)
10. Dirty Day (U2)