Sociology and Jumper Cables

Peace sells, but who's buying?

2010-05-03T15:12:00.002-05:00

So I've been working for the University Avenue Project lately, and for those that don't know about, let me start out by explaining how wicked awesome it is. It takes up six miles of University Ave. in St. Paul. It contains more than 450 photographs all taken by one person. Photographs are beamed out to the avenue via projector every single night until Halloween. It's truly an incredible undertaking. After talking to the site manager, I was told that I might be able to display my photographs on the giants screens as early as June, which made me really excited. It looks like I have some work to do.

As fate would have it, I'm returning to New Orleans on May 16th to continue Two Years and Two Hundred Square Feet, which also gives me just enough to re-edit my book and submit it to the Photography Book Now competition. If I timed it properly, I could advertise my book at the same as the pictures were being beamed out to the avenue. Hopefully it all works out that way. Wish me luck? I'll be blogging from the New Orleans, regardless of the what happens with the book or show, so keep an eye on this blog. As usual, I'll welcome comments, critiques, etc. while I'm down there.

Crimes

2010-01-25T08:50:00.002-06:00

Last night, I had a little taste of irony. While watching the Vikings game (the one where Brett Favre could only throw interceptions and Adrian Peterson couldn't hold on to a ball to save his life), I was urged by the Red Cross to donate to the folks in Haiti. All I could think about was the FEMA trailers that were still parked in front yards and the game unfolding in front of me in the Superdome of all places.

For the last few weeks, I've watched CNN documenting the effort in Haiti and it hasn't been entirely inspiring, but that's to be expected when there are too many cooks in the kitchen. It's like the wild west down there. Everybody answers to nobody. Meanwhile, I've started the countdown until the public grows bored of its new toy and allows the military to bow out gracefully. leaving the job half-done.

And perhaps I'm not giving credit where it's due. While I would love to participate in this lovely morsel of national pride, the proposition of history repeating itself ad nauseam is preventing me. Eventually, children will say, "If we hadn't helped those poor Haitians, they might be in FEMA trailers right now." Ladies and gentlemen, let the double speak begin and enjoy the show.

Currently in heavy rotation:

The XX - Crystalised

The Kills - M.E.X.I.C.O.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Our Time

Moon Safari

2009-12-23T14:25:00.003-06:00

I know I've been neglecting my electronic soapbox of late, but that will soon change. Provided I have an internet connection, I will be blogging from New Orleans sometime in the near future as I continue my project there documenting the remaining FEMA trailers and the families that live in them in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Hopefully with an emphasis on the whole "families that live in them part" this time around. Then, inevitably, I'll have to re-edit Two Years and Two Hundred Square Feet to create an even more comprehensive version. That's alright, though, it will only make the final product better, right? That's what I'm telling myself.

I've also been telling myself that I'll make up at godawful hours of the morning in order to catch the delicious morning light. I still need a bit of convincing. Another thing I've been telling myself is that I'll finally record a proper interview with Chuck. I figure that if the average temperature is 65 degrees during the day, he won't have a million fans running, thus drowning out any sort of intelligible conversation. At least that's what I'm banking on. Also, being that I don't need to worry about any kind of baggage restrictions, I can bring as much recording equipment as I damn well please.

One question I've been asking myself is what I should do about Chuck. It's getting to the point where he almost requires a separate essay. Bottom line: Chuck's story needs to be told somehow, because his story is as tragic as it is universal to New Orleanians. Local man loses everything following hurricane. It's a story that's almost on the verge of being played out, but Chuck is so personable that it absolutely slays you. Figuratively, of course. So is this to become a section in the book or another book entirely? I suppose I'm looking for advice on that.

Another thing I need advice on is showing this work. Do I have enough street cred to show on my own or even with another person? Should I trust my work to convince others that I'm worthy of a gallery show? As you can tell, the gallery world seems like it has a steep learning curve to me.

Currently in heavy rotation:

The Strokes - Take It Or Leave It

The Crystal Method - High Roller

Why? - Eskimo Snow

The one with the revised artist statement.

2009-08-23T12:51:00.003-05:00

Chuck explained to me that he had been living in his trailer with his three-legged dog, Spunk, for going on two years. He’s a marble worker and tiler by trade, offering his services to his neighbors that are getting back on their feet and rebuilding their houses. He has even made a poker table for the governor of Louisiana. His father built the house that sits next to his trailer decades earlier. He had grown up in it, raised his children in it, and couldn’t bear to leave it. He said in passing, “Two years and two hundred square feet…” That’s where this project derives its name.

This essay documents the remaining FEMA trailers and the people that live in them. Since this essay’s infancy, it was always meant to be a sensitive retelling of the state of New Orleans and the under-represented population that occupies FEMA trailers. I never intended for this essay to be a documentation of tragedy, or for my travels to be considered disaster tourism, a practice that I consider ethically ambiguous. Not all stories are happy, but, by the same measure, not all stories are sad. This series of photographs conveys, as truthfully as I can, the stories of the people documented in this visual essay.

This project began, in earnest, in September 2008 when I traveled to New Orleans as part of a photo essay class. The interest in the story began long before that, however. The news networks ran stories about Hurricane Katrina, day and night, for weeks after the storm. I saw stories of volunteers helping to rescue people from their homes in between stories of people looking for their lost family members. I wanted so badly provide some relief for these people. I had grown up with the understanding that I need to think of others before thinking of myself. I was only seventeen at the time and had no way of getting to New Orleans. I would have to wait. When I started college, an opportunity to go to New Orleans finally came. Long after the networks had forgotten Hurricane Katrina, I had the same desire to provide relief to residents of New Orleans, though it would come in the form of photographic essay organized into a book and gallery exhibition.

After having followed the story for years, I was convinced that I knew all that I needed to make a successful photo essay. I quickly found out that my perceptions of the situation at hand were largely incorrect. Talking to residents of New Orleans helped me understand the situation better than any news report ever could. There were more dynamics and facets to all of this than I could have ever realized. Political, social, and economic issues surrounded this hurricane and I realized very early on that this problem stretched far beyond the Bush administration and FEMA. As I learned more and more, I felt like I could empathize with the people I encountered and it made me more confident in my role as a photographer and storyteller. In this way, the project experienced a sort of creative genesis.

I returned to New Orleans in June 2009 to continue what I had started months earlier. The time apart from the project wasn’t detrimental, however. In fact, it helped my project become more focused. During my time away, I grew more mature, more skilled, and more confident about my craft. Lessons learned on the last trip helped me be a more effective photographer by slowing down and being more deliberate, and I believe the new collection of work reflects that. Overall, I am more satisfied, both technically and conceptually, with this body of work than I ever was with the original.

In the same way that the project underwent a creative genesis, this book has evolved significantly from its original published form. As I reflect on it now, the original book was hastily made, so in assembling this second, revised version, the standards I set for myself were much more stringent. Now that I have the experience of presenting this work in the form of a book once, presenting old and new material in the same way is a different experience. Just as my photographic process has changed, the process of presenting this work has also changed. This new book is the logical progression from the original offering.

The number of trailers in New Orleans is quickly dwindling, due to new city ordinances and FEMA policies. Residents of New Orleans, whether they do not have the funds to rebuild, or are still waiting for government assistance to arrive, have a continued need for their FEMA trailers. After more than three years, their plight gets very little media attention aside from specials that run at the end of August and beginning of September for the anniversaries. Families that still live in FEMA trailers are under-represented in New Orleans society, and especially in a national context. Citizens outside of Louisiana are often ill-informed of the current situation. Two Years and Two Hundred Square Feet seeks to inform its audience that residents of New Orleans have a continued need for help and that, three years later, New Orleans is not back on its feet.

This project will continue to evolve until there are no longer any FEMA trailers in New Orleans. Until that happens, I do not consider this to be a comprehensive series documenting the final 2,650 trailers in New Orleans that existed on September 20th, 2008. As of March 29th, 2009, there are only 1,042 FEMA trailers residing in New Orleans. Due to new city ordinances and FEMA policies, trailers are disappearing at a staggering rate. Before long, no FEMA trailers will remain in New Orleans. This issue needs to be documented before the families in need, occupying these FEMA trailers, are swept under the rug and forgotten.

To this day, Chuck is still slowly rebuilding the house that his father built. He is like so many others in New Orleans, doing what they can to make ends meet while trying to get their former lives back. They would rather endure life in a FEMA trailer than leave the city they love so much. I hope that after viewing this body of work, you tell others of the state of New Orleans. Spreading the message will give people like Chuck a voice. Thank you very much and I hope you enjoy.

The one with the artist statement.

2009-08-21T12:51:00.000-05:00

Chuck explained to us that he had been living in his trailer with his three-legged dog, Spunk, for going on two years. He’s a marble worker and tiler by trade, offering his services to his neighbors that are getting back on their feet and rebuilding their houses. He has even made a poker table for the governor of Louisiana. The house that sits next to his trailer had been built by his father decades earlier. He had grown up in it, raised his children in it, and couldn’t bear to leave it. He said in passing, “Two years and two hundred square feet…” That’s where this project derives its name.

This essay documents the remaining FEMA trailers and the people that live in them. Since this essay’s infancy, it was never intended to be a documentation of tragedy, or for my travels to be considered disaster tourism, a practice that I consider ethically ambiguous at best. On the contrary, it is meant to be a sensitive retelling of the state of New Orleans and the under-represented population that occupies FEMA trailers. Not all stories are happy, but, by the same measure, not all stories are sad. This series of photographs conveys, as truthfully as I can, the stories of the people documented in this visual essay.

This project began, in earnest, in September 2008 when I traveled to New Orleans as part of a photo essay class. The interest in the story began long before that, however. The news networks ran stories about Hurricane Katrina, day and night, for weeks after the storm. I saw stories of volunteers helping to rescue people from their homes in between stories of people looking for their lost family members. I wanted so badly provide some relief for these people. I had grown up with the understanding that I need to think of others before thinking of myself. I was only seventeen at the time and had no way of getting to New Orleans. I would have to wait. When I started college, an opportunity to go to New Orleans finally came. Long after the networks had forgotten Hurricane Katrina, I had the same desire to provide relief to residents of New Orleans, though it would come in the form of a photographic essay organized into a book and gallery exhibition.

After having followed the story for years, I was convinced that I knew all that I needed to make a successful photo essay. I quickly found out that my perceptions of the situation at hand were largely incorrect. Talking to residents of New Orleans helped me understand the situation better than any news report ever could. There were more dynamics and facets to all of this than I could have ever realized. Political, social, and economic issues surrounded this hurricane and I realized very early on that this problem stretched far beyond the Bush administration and FEMA. As I learned more and more, I felt like I could empathize with these people instead of insulting them with how little I knew. In this way, the project experienced a sort of creative genesis.

I returned to New Orleans in June 2009 to continue what I had started months earlier. The time apart from the project wasn’t detrimental, however. In fact, it helped my project become more focused. During my time away, I grew more mature, more skilled, and more confident about my craft. Lessons learned on the last trip helped me be a more effective photographer by slowing down and being more deliberate, and I believe the new collection of work reflects that. Overall, I am more satisfied, both technically and conceptually, with this body of work than I ever was with the original.

In the same way that the project underwent a creative genesis, this book has evolved significantly from its original published version. As I reflect on it now, the original book was hastily made and it’s something that I regret. Now that I have the experience of presenting this work in the form of a book once, presenting old and new material in the form of a book is a different experience. Just as my photographic process has changed, the process of presenting this work has also changed. This new book is the logical progression from the original offering.

The number of trailers in New Orleans is quickly dwindling, due to new city ordinances and FEMA policies. Residents of New Orleans, whether they do not have the funds to rebuild, or are still waiting for government assistance to arrive, have a continued need for their FEMA trailers. After more than three years, their plight gets very little media attention aside from specials that run at the end of August and beginning of September for the anniversaries. Families that still live in FEMA trailers are under-represented in New Orleans society, and especially in a national context. Citizens outside of Louisiana are often ill-informed of the current situation. Two Years and Two Hundred Square Feet seeks to inform its audience that residents of New Orleans have a continued need for help and that, three years later, New Orleans is not back on its feet.

This project will continue to evolve until there are no longer and FEMA trailers in New Orleans. Until that happens, I do not consider this to be a comprehensive series documenting the final 2,650 trailers in New Orleans that existed on September 20th, 2008. As of March 29th, 2009, there are only 1,042 FEMA trailers residing in New Orleans. Due to new city ordinances and FEMA policies, trailers are disappearing at a staggering rate. Before long, no FEMA trailers will remain in New Orleans. This issue needs to be documented before the families the families in need that occupy these FEMA trailers are swept under the rug and forgotten.

To this day, Chuck is still slowly rebuilding the house that his father had built. He is like so many others in New Orleans, doing what they can to make ends meet while trying to get their former lives back. They would rather endure life in a FEMA trailer than leave the city they love so much. I hope that after viewing this body of work, you tell others of the state of New Orleans. Spreading the message will give people like Chuck a voice. Thank you very much and I hope you enjoy.

"What's that movie with the Gremlins?"

2009-07-19T10:48:00.005-05:00

There's been a lot of talk about intellectual property and copyright, lately. Following the Pirate Bay judgment, everybody and their mother is laying claim to the restitution money. The problem is that only the four employees working for the Pirate Bay were sued for operating the website and not the company itself, leaving the transgressions of the company entirely out of the judgment. Does this stop people from wanting to reach their hands in the cookie jar? Nope. In fact, the RIAA is laying claim to a quarter of the 3.6 million dollar judgment. I'd like to arbitrarily lay claim to 900 grand, too, but does that mean I'll get it? Hell no, that would be ridiculous.

It's no secret that the excess of the Bush administration is quickly coming to an end and it seems that the entertainment industry is just now realizing it. Bummer, dudes. To drive it home, one of the higher-ups at EMI, one of the four largest recording companies in the world, has recently admitted that the industry is now entirely out of touch reality. How did they find themselves on a ship with no captain? By wiping their asses with every new and innovative distribution method that have been brought forth, including websites like the Pirate Bay. Bummer again, dudes. So now that the industry has to learn how to live within their means and find a way to win over their already very alienated customers, they're liable to do anything they can to make it seem like they aren't greedy bastards. I sense a very elaborate "the music industry loves you" campaign in the very near future. After all, the whole "we're going to sue all of our customers" campaign did not go over so well.

And who would have thought there would be a backlash from that? With all that incredibly bad PR over suing people that didn't even own computers or grandmothers for online piracy, I'd have no idea that people would view the industry in poor taste. And I'm not trying to defend piracy. I'm not. But there are certain business practices that the industry ha taken on that I don't necessarily agree with. Picture this: you get a letter in the mail that says, "Pay us five grand or we'll unleash our incredibly well-paid and effective legal team upon you. Resistance is futile. Have a nice day." How is anybody supposed to compete with that? Even if you've done nothing wrong, you'll spend who knows how much money defending your innocence. Either way, money is going to leave your pocket, and when it does, it's going to go to the music industry. There's very little stopping them from just mailing letters out to everybody in America demanding money.

As a photographer, the proposition of sending e-mails and letters to people demanding money right off the bat is utterly preposterous and threatening to sue in the initial conversation is not a very diplomatic business practice. The extremely reactionary practices of the industry has left a bad taste in a lot of mouths. All it does is send a message that the music industry no longer cares about its customers. Not caring about your customers is not going to make your customers care about you. Not to mention the absolutely abysmal state of Top 40 radio which only leaves me thinking, "Wait, haven't I heard this before?" It is as forgettable as it is unimaginative. So what's the motivation to purchase it? There isn't any.

My suggestion: start making music worth buying or find a different way to survive. Good riddance.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Crystal Castles - Crimewave [Crystal Castles vs. HEALTH]

M83 - We Own The Sky

The AKAs - Every Great Western

Ships in the Night

2009-07-10T12:26:00.003-05:00

I took a little detour to Seattle about eight hours after I landed in Minneapolis from New Orleans. I am back in the motherland now, however.

Now it's time to get down to post-production and battling with InDesign to create this book of mine. One of the questions I've been asking myself is whether to update the original work (this would be my preference) or to let the new series stand on its own. Being that the series as a whole is called Two Years and Two Hundred Square Feet, it would be a little absurd, in my opinion, to have another book bearing the same name. The next question is whether to create a tighter edit of 30 photos or keep the original edit and tack on to it? I'll have to mull that last one over. Meanwhile, I'll be burning my retinas in front of a computer screen.

Currently in heavy rotation:

RJD2 - Ghostwriter

Death From Above 1979 - Luno

Spinnerette - Baptized by Fire

Arby's and COPS.

2009-06-28T20:00:00.009-05:00

The sun is a cruel mistress. We traveled to the Gulf of Mexico and we all got burnt quite badly. Today, I headed out to Holy Cross to snap a few pictures. The following are the results.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

2009-06-26T15:09:00.009-05:00

This morning, we visited a different part of Lakeview, which I had never been to. It reminded me a lot of Holy Cross in the sense that there were a number of abandoned structures, but no longer any FEMA trailers. It leaves you with a false sense of recovery. As we were roving around, I noticed chickens and roosters roaming as they pleased and a gentleman that was mowing his lawn. The only problem was that there was no grass. Just dirt.

Later on, I returned to St. Bernard to recreate some images from the last trip to record the progress that occurs over the span of 9 months. Overall, I think the trip was a success. The resulting images will be better, anyhow. I've become much more judicious in terms of which images are allowed to continue into the winner circle as it were. Images that aren't up to snuff, technically speaking, or can't be fixed using my Photoshop expertise are gotten rid of. This has forced me to become a more technical shooter, which isn't a bad thing.

These last two houses are located in St. Bernard, where I photographed them in September.

The Safety Dance

2009-06-25T21:14:00.010-05:00

This morning, we revisited Tennessee Street. I was able to rephotograph Robert Green's trailers and new home, which should prove to be interesting when compared to the photographs of nine months ago. I was also able to rephotograph Chuck Byrne's trailer. Both areas have chanced an enormous amount since September. Lakeview, more than anything looked so much better and I was starting to wonder if I was in the same place as before. Robert's house is almost done being built and he'll be moving in within the next three weeks and Chuck's house is looking better than ever. New Orleans is definitely making progress, but the end is nowhere in sight.

This is a meter used to measure how much electricity a household is using. Following Hurricane Katrina, they were place on pieces of dimensional lumber and driven into the ground next to the trailers so that its occupants can have power. Lately, as trailer are taken away, outlets are being added to the pole to operate job site tools to refurbish houses.

These last two images are of Chuck Byrne and his house in Lakeview. I photographed him and his house last September.

These last two images are of Robert Green's trailers and his new house, which is being built with the generosity of the Make it Right Foundation. In return for 85% of your Road Home settlement, you can pick out a house. So, if your house cost $300,000 to build and your Road Home check is for $30,000, then you get a $300,000 worth of house for $25,500. Sweet deal, right? I'd say.

Wash the Day

2009-06-24T23:26:00.003-05:00

It seems like everybody around here is a little grumpy today. Everybody wants to get everywhere before we have to be whisked away to our next destination, before our pre-planned activity, followed by a critique. There's a lot of time passing by and not a whole lot of pictures being taken. For my project, specifically, I have very little problem photographing the trailers on the outside. The disconnect begins when I want to get inside the trailers. I'm not going to pound on these peoples' doors at 7:15 in the morning, demanding that they let me invade their privacy. Chances are they're at work, or if they aren't at work, they're probably planning on sleeping.

Another thing is that these peoples' lives don't stop and start at our discretion. I don't imagine they're thinking to themselves, "Those Minnesotans are coming, I better take the week off to better facilitate their shooting schedules." What would we be doing if we weren't on vacation? We'd either be at work, school, or home, taking advantage of what little time we already have with our families.

One thing I've really been struggling with most of all, though, is trying to figure out what my responsibility is to people that are taking this class for the first time. Do I fight tooth and nail to get to where I want, even though I have already recieved a grade for this class? Is it nescessarily ethical for me to edge out other people to get my shots? I woldn't feel right if somebody was short-changed because I absolutely had to take the group off the beaten path and use up all the good sunlight so that I could get a few more shots.

I'm now seriously considering shooting for my public telephones series while I'm down here, too, just so I can have a break from the trailers and all the absurdity surrounding them. At the end of the second day of shooting, I'm already feeling down about the project. This has the makings of a great week.

No pictures tonight. Maybe tomorrow?

It is Tuesday, right?

2009-06-23T17:53:00.009-05:00

After the blur of Monday, I awoke this morning much better rested. Today, we cruised down to the Lower 9th to visit the Holy Cross neighborhood. Things had certainly changed down there, but the changes that occurred were minor. The same buildings are empty as last time, though, with less FEMA trailers. The streets were empty, because nobody in their right mind would be outside at 6:15 in the morning. Disregarding the overwhelming odor of dead fish, our group, tenacious as ever, kept shooting. I shot a few pictures to get myself in the groove again. Later on, we met up with Robert Green, to sit down and talk to him about the current state of the Lower 9th and New Orleans as whole. It was really great to have time allocated to just talk to Robert, because he has a very clear idea of what is occurring in New Orleans and was able to teach more than a thing or two about the current state of New Orleans. So, even though none of even snapped a single frame while we were talking to him, the time was well-spent. Robert is supposed to move into his house "soon." Robert further explained that it depended on the final electrical inspection more than anything else, but that he would be able to make his house a home in the next two or three weeks. Yay, Robert!

Now, for some pictures:

This last trailer, I photographed approximately nine months ago. It's still in the same place, along with the tarp on the roof, torn to shreds. The trailers looks about the same, though. Just like all the other FEMA trailers, it constantly looks dirty, due to a poor paint job, I'm certain. If you look closely, the stains are more like rust or other oxidation than dirt.

All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go.

2009-06-21T14:31:00.005-05:00

Chuck Byrne has invited us to dinner has his sister's house tomorrow night. The menu will include stuffed pork chops and seafood crepes. I'm still waiting to hear back from the leader of Team Coal to see if transportation could be facilitated. He also informed me that over by his brother's place on Wednesday night, there is a bar that offers all the crab you can eat for free. Not sure if there's a drink minimum or not, but I'll have more details later. Anybody game?

Currently in heavy rotation:

The Blend - Sunny Blue [Live, Acoustic]

Alice in Chains - The Killer is Me [Live, Acoustic]

Ben Harper - Like a King / I'll Rise [Live, Acoustic]

lowercase letters.

2009-06-20T11:11:00.013-05:00

I have some photos for all of you.

The Blake Road Corridor series documents the economic divide that exists in the city of Hopkins, specifically along Blake Road, between Highway 7 and Excelsior Boulevard and south of Excelsior, also on Blake Road. The community assessment can be found here (PDF, 828 KB) and the plans for the future of Blake Road is detailed here (PDF, 5.94 MB). Those documents explain the area much better than I can in writing.

North Side:South Side:
Hopkins' Commercial Districts:
The Great Reclamation:Telephone:

"As a matter of fact, I am prepared for the zombie apocalypse."

2009-06-18T23:03:00.002-05:00

In between writing essays comparing and contrasting Sally Mann and Adrian Piper and fending off an army of invading bugs, I have managed to crank out a photograph or two. Don't get too excited, though, you probably won't see them until at least Friday night or early Saturday.

I have decided to continue my series on payphones and my investigation of Hopkins' commercial districts, while also beginning new projects documenting the ways that nature reclaims itself in urban environments and officially starting my project in the Blake Road Corridor. Overall, this process of experimentation has led me to projects that I would have likely never taken on, or I would have executed them in a different way. The thing I find most interesting is how each project has evolved so rapidly. Each progressive review has allowed each project to grow and experience its own genesis in a much shorter span of time than I could have expected.

The Rules:
01. Any project can be killed off at any time for any reason.
02. Any project that is killed off must be replaced with another project.
03. Projects can be added without killing off another project.
04. At any given time, I am not to pursue more than five projects.

As you can see, I haven't abandoned my penchant for rules, but I have become more relaxed about the ways in which the photographs are collected. My only concern is that many of the projects I have chosen to take on are more long term projects that I may not be able to complete within a reasonable amount of time. In time for, say, building a portfolio. Inevitably, I'll find a way to make it all come together.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Interpol - NYC

Matt & Kim - Daylight

TV on the Radio - Wash The Day

Obstacle I

2009-06-13T13:55:00.002-05:00

There has been a lot of work done on the website of late. I've successfully gotten everything to display correctly in Firefox, Safari, Opera, AND Internet Explorer. Yes, even Internet Explorer, the browser that hates displaying websites correctly. Soon enough, I'll have it out in the wild and you all can try and break it.

"No sir, Apple products do not cure Cancer."

2009-06-11T09:39:00.005-05:00

So to demonstrate how valuable having your business name written into the code really is, I will inform you that by putting "Ryan McGoff Photography" into one blog post six times, I have successfully manipulated the search results that Google outputs when you search for "Ryan McGoff Photography." This blog now shows up as the second result without me really having to do much legwork. And here's you thinking this is hard. If I want to also have top results when somebody searches for a popular term like Disney, all I would have to do is insert Disney into the HTML code of the my website a number of times in order to manipulate the search results.

Before long, your images will also show up in search engines, and you'll be well on your way to taking over the world. Sounds pretty great, doesn't it? It is great, so long as you have a website that functions like a dream, which I sincerely hope I do. The mantra I've been going on is keep everything as simple as I can make it. Over-elegance causes causes confusion and frustration. We don't want that and neither do your users. If it can be said using a symbol, then why use words? That's why I have those obnoxiously large arrows flanking each side of the picture area. The arrow pointing left brings you to the previous image, while the arrow pointing to the right brings you to the next image. Could it be simpler? Perhaps, but not by much. The little button in the bottom left (don't look for it, you can't see it yet) that says "Artist Statement" will bring you to the artist statement. Who would have thought of such a thing? I don't see any need for crazy bells and whistles that only prove I can pay a web designer a lot of money.

HTML. It's a wonderful thing. It's been around since the dinosaurs and everything, including phones, can take advantage of it. Phones? Yes, phones. There are 275 million cellphone users in the United States, including 50 million that are internet capable. It's a growing market that, before long, will be as relevant as browsing the internet from a computer. The continuing problem with phones? They don't much like flash websites. Not to mention netbooks, which are also catching on and are increasingly internet cable everywhere in the US with the advent of USB dongles from major wireless telecoms. Do not get caught not catering to this market.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Refused - Tannhauser/Derive

Nirvana - Marigold

Tsunami Bomb - Jigsaw

Cincinnati

2009-06-09T23:58:00.002-05:00

I know a couple of you are in the same boat as me just building your professional website. Once you build it, though, how do you get it to show up as the first result in Google searches? There are a few ways to do it without the viewer of the website even knowing you're doing it.

Alternate text is worth its weight in gold. In building my website, I have inserted "Ryan McGoff Photography" somewhere into the alternate text of every single image on every single page. That way, on any given page, "Ryan McGoff Photography" is written into the code no less than 35 times. Why is this? Web crawlers are very dumb. They're computers, after all. They don't understand the difference between good photos and bad, but what they do understand very well is analyzing HTML code. That alternate text is written write into it. So, if the web crawlers stumble upon your website, they'll think, "Wow, it says Ryan McGoff Photography an awful lot. This should show up as the first result when somebody types in 'Ryan McGoff Photography.'" So, I've got a web page that looks like this:

How many times would you say it says "Ryan McGoff Photography" in the alternate text? If you answered "44 times", then you should probably get a prize of some sort. Here's how it tooks if you look at the HTML code alone. As you can see, it's riddled with "Ryan McGoff Photography."

Another way you can increase the ranking of your website is to connect it to other websites. If your friend posts a link to your website on their blog, that increases your ranking even if nobody visits your site. Hopefully you will get some visits from it, which will further increase your page ranking.

Also, if you have a blog of some sort, that's a great way to increase the size of your scope, which will, you guessed it, increase your ranking, especially if you post pictures from it, which can also harbor your metadata, including your name and your website. Some of the smarter browsers can take advantage of this, so don't discount it.

So, let's review:
- Alternate text is pretty sweet.
- Talk about your friends and have your friends talk about you.
- Have a professional blog.

Winning Days

2009-06-08T18:12:00.003-05:00

I meant to talk about this earlier, but I kept putting it off. FEMA has recently decided to let people buy the trailers they're living in. After removing tens of thousands of trailers already, why the change of heart? It seems odd, but Formaldehyde poisoning finally has a new, low price, ladies and gentlemen. You no longer have to be a chain smoker to enjoy all the benefits of Formaldehyde. What is that new, low price? Are you ready for this? Five bucks or less, ladies and gentlemen, and that's a screamin' deal, let me tell you!

Do you like:
- Nosebleeds?
- Difficulty breathing?
- Peristent headaches?

If you said yes to one or all of those, then I suggest you move on down to New Orleans and buy yourself a genuine FEMA trailer for the bargain price of five dollars...or less! That also happens to be the price of your neighbor's happiness. Imagine how happy your neighbors will be when they find out that trailer is not going to be leaving any time soon. If they didn't love that trailer of your before, they will surely consider it the centerpiece of your fine neighborhood.

Civic officials agree, trailers are a good investment.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Social Distortion - Prison Bound

Dan Deacon - Trippy Green Skull

Ludachrist - How Does It Feel?

Dreaming of the Pretty Things

2009-06-06T20:10:00.001-05:00

One thing I have always wondered is why music is not taught as a part of art history. Is visual art somehow more important than performance art? It should come as no surprise that I think music is an important part of any culture, but I often wonder why very few others share this same view. I'll admit, I consider myself somewhat of a music connoisseur, but I have always felt that way. Also, admittedly, I have committed musical transgressions over the years, for which I am not ashamed. I was young, and not as versed in music as I am now. Nonetheless, why does music get a bad rap?

It seems that every school year, there's always a debate whether or not to keep music programs alive in grade schools, despite the educational benefits that music provides. Is it because quality music has become the domain of the counter-culture? Do we have to take part in an alternative style of living to break free from the blunders of top 40 radio? And that's not to put down top 40 radio, either. I have my fair share of guilty pleasures that fall well within that realm. Justin Timberlake? Yes, please. Be that as it may, I don't think we're going to be looking back at Eminem's Crack a Bottle in 50 years and think, "That was a fine example of popular music that has withstood the test of time."

So, I think that begs the question. Is the reason that music is not as highly honored as an art the result of the rather lackluster art (if that's what I must call it for the sake of argument) that is created in its name? Has too much of a good thing really become too much of a good thing? Have musicians decided that its better to release everything than to focus on the few gems that manifest themselves every now and again? Or is the industry at fault? I'll blame the both of them.

Also on the list of people to blame is Rolling Stone, who hasn't been in touch with reality in years. While Rolling Stone is, admittedly, the most opportunistic victim of the blame game, there are plenty of well-funded publications that I've read over the years and thought, "Do these people really know what the hell they're talking about?" That's not to say that smaller publications shouldn't be on the chopping block, either. Pitchfork, I'm looking at you.

I've never been a particular fan of musicians becoming creative brood mares. If it takes ten years to create your next body of work, then that's how long it takes. Take, for example, Portishead's Third. After eleven years in the making, Portishead created perhaps their best collection of work to date. I appreciate that more than churning out three lackluster albums in the same amount of time. The point is that art takes time and that art shouldn't be confined to arbitrary release schedules.

It is art, though, with its own unique cultural history and historical context. Perhaps I need to wait for recorded music to mature more before it can be considered part of a historical context. Then again, if the Bush administration is already being added to the history books, then I'm not sure what we're waiting for. Maybe I'm just crazy.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Straylight Run - Hands in the Sky [Big Shot]

Baxter - Out of Reach

Helmet - Unsung

The Fat of the Land

2009-06-04T23:56:00.002-05:00

So it's time to spill the beans about the Blake Road Corridor. Before I begin with the statistical information and such, I'd like to take some time to explain the project in a bit more detail.

I first became involved with the Blake Road Corridor when I started working in Hopkins three years ago. The company I work for currently has partnered with civic organizations and the police department. I would always hear sirens going down Excelsior Boulevard toward the corridor. Eventually, I asked the police commissioner why the police cars only went one direction down Excelsior. He explained that the corridor had its share of problems. Just this past April, a Somali man was murdered at the White Castle in Hopkins, located on the North side of the corridor. This was the second murder in a year, the other being a 90-year-old woman murdered in her house. Before that, the city hadn't experienced any homicides in almost a decade.

The Blake Road corridor exists south of Highway 7 and north of Excelsior Boulevard on Blake road. This corridor, about a mile long, makes its home to 1,350 families. These families are mixed in with industrial complexes and retail spaces, which further divide the neighborhoods and further increase the population density. For all these families, there is only one park. On the same road, south of Excelsior Boulevard, are some of the most expensive homes in Minnesota. The houses are more reminiscent of castles than the quaint, single family homes found on the north side of Hopkins or the densely-packed apartments of the corridor.

This document will attempt to investigate what role social and economic class plays on the corridor.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Placebo - Running Up That Hill [Kate Bush cover]

Editors - An End Has A Start

VAUX - Celibate Good Times

Naysayer

2009-06-03T22:13:00.001-05:00

First of all, I need to give big props to Canon's warranty service. I sent in my 5D on Friday and it's already on its way back to me. I can dig that, especially after they told me it would take ten business days. Not only that, they're sending it back to me via next day air service. Good customer service is pretty neato.

Now, I don't want everybody thinking I'm all about name-dropping. In fact, the only dropping around these parts is trees on my house. That's neither here nor there, however. Recently, I've talked about how I've become hyper-critical of my own work. Part of this has to do with me being too eager. I've been accused, on a number of occasions, that I want to accomplish too much too fast. I've never tried to dispute that point, because, quite simply, it's absolutely true. Some projects, I take on without having the proper level of maturity. I've always thought that with age comes understanding. That's not to say that I am unintelligent, it simply means that need to live more of my life before I can fully understand the scope of some of the projects that are floating around in my head. I understand that not everything is like fine wine, though, if the idea bears deep roots, then it will only get better with age. Now, I'm not looking to recreate Uncommon Places or The New West. Those have stood up to history, because the photographic community has acknowledged that they are important documents. So important, in fact, that the photographic community, myself included, has decided that they should become a basis for comparison. A standard, if you will. Of course, I am not so naive that I think photographers, or any artist, for that matter, set out to create a new standard. That new standard, just like the old, is made by acknowledging it as the new standard.

I digress.

The point is that I acknowledge that my best work may not be in the near future. I'm fine with that. The question is: what do we do in the meantime? More importantly, what do we do when our work is rendered obsolete by our own means? Eventually, a day is going to come where we all create something so beautiful that all things before it pale in comparison. Will we know it when it comes or will we be reminded whenever we create new work that it doesn't live up to the previous standard set by ourselves? For the record, I am not asking this because it is a fear that I am harboring, but because I am curious as to how people deal with that. Does anybody remember the Verve before or after they created Bittersweet Symphony? I didn't think so.

I digress.

I've decided to take Becky up on her advice to expand my documentation of the Blake Road Corridor to include areas south of Excelsior Boulevard. I will explain that in further detail in my next post, which will include include an artist of statement of sorts and more of an explanation of where the project is, where I see it going, and how I plan to get there.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Eyedea & Abilities - Exhausted Love

Metric - Collect Call

Bush - Letting the Cables Sleep

Doppleganger.

2009-05-29T23:51:00.006-05:00

So it seems I have an impostor within my ranks. I received a call today, while working, informing me that my artwork was on display at the Starbucks in Plymouth. The only problem is that I never put my artwork on display at the Starbucks in Plymouth. It seems like somebody likes to pass my hard work off as their own. The plot thickens, though, because this person that seems to think that its okay to pass my art off as their own has known me for years. This makes me a bit irritated.

I don't have very much experience in the whole "somebody stole my effing photos" arena, so I'd like to call upon members of the blogosphere to inform me of what they've done in this sort of a situation, or what they would do if such an event occurred. I'd much appreciate any and all advice, because I don't want to go into this situation without having some sort of notion what I should do. Advice like, "you should break this little bastard's knee caps" will be disregarded, however.

What I know I will do, for sure, though, is go to the Starbucks in question and see if I recognize any other work created by myself or others. I'll keep you posted about that as well. In the meantime, I'll be grumping about the whole situation and cursing under my breath.

UPDATE: He is also using my photos on his website. Great. Oh, and on his flickr.

Salad Days

2009-05-28T15:39:00.003-05:00

How do we deal with Katrina fatigue?

If it's a time thing, I can roll with that. Though, I must dutifully inform you that before May 1st, there wasn't much going on in the news world for a long time relating to Hurricane Katrina. There were stories here and there, but most flew under the radar. Even places like NOLA.com have significantly cut back on their coverage since I was there in September. So what gives? Are people still annoyed with the whole thing the news corporations dropped coverage back in 2006? That's over three years ago. How much rest do you need? How fatigued can a person be that they need to get away from something for more than three years?

If it's a relevance thing, then I completely understand. Just please also tell the people that are moving into their cars, unfinished houses, or onto the street that they, too, are irrelevant. Be prepared, however, for them to humbly disagree with you. After all, as they sleep at night, I'm sure they dream of people no longer wanting to help them or tell their story. We should all be so lucky to have our homes destroyed, then have to fight, tooth and nail, to get a shabby trailer to live in for three years while fighting with insurance companies or government entities to secure funds to rebuild our houses. If that's what the American dream is, then tell me where to sign my name. I want a piece of that.

If it's an originality thing, I get it. After all, before the May 1st trailer deadline, there were innumerable documentations of people still living in trailers after three years. I mean, there was the one with... There wasn't. Sure, there is the anomaly of Robert Green. Besides, him, however, there aren't a whole lot of photos floating around of people living in trailers. There was talk of numbers, there was talk of property values, there was talk about deadlines, etc. It was all arbitrary. There were no faces to go with names. There still isn't. Really, I'm just on a crusade for no apparent reason aside from amassing an enormous collection of pictures of trailers. I'm not trying to fool myself here, really it's all quite selfish and has nothing to do with the lack of coverage relating to my story.

All this rant has left me a little fatigued, however. I think I might like to go sleep for three years.
G'night, folks.

Currently in heavy rotation:

William Elliott Whitmore - Does Me No Good

Hyder Ali - Every Now And Then

Rancid - Maxwell Murder

If it's something medical, fix it with chemicals. If it's something physical, blame it on the state.

2009-05-26T09:27:00.001-05:00

Today, while rediscovering The Shins (and speculating when a new album by them may be coming out), my old band mate, whom I had talked about earlier, asked me if I wanted to be in a band again. I thought this odd, because just weeks before, it seemed like we were taking pot shots at each other during an interview. He said he had been practicing of late, which surprised me even more, because during that same interview, he said he hadn't play a guitar in over a year. Apparently, that interview really made him want to be in a band again. Of course, nothing can ever stay the same. Though we are using the same format and the same style, nothing else will remain from before, which I'm perfectly happy about. After all, it has been more than a year and both of us have done a lot of growing up.

I think this will be an interesting adventure. I've been thinking about documenting it somehow, to illustrate this growing process and show how we've become a productive team again. If done correctly, it could really show some of the insecurities that both of us have and perhaps create an illuminating series. Maybe I'll buy five more cameras and set them up on remotes. I'm bound to get something good.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Oakley Hall - Bury Your Burden

Eels - Something is Sacred

The Shins - The Past and Pending

The Lonesome Crowded West

2009-05-25T20:54:00.004-05:00

How do we deal with our critical nature? I often find myself wrangling with this very question when shooting and editing my photos. Granted, I often find myself feeling self-conscious about the photographs that I create, not because I insert myself into the photographs, but because I feel as if I don't (a) live up to my own expectations and (b) because I don't feel as if I am on par, conceptually, with other students. Then, what concepts I do have, I stumble around like bumbling idiot trying to explain how they came to be. I suppose you could liken it to chasing after clouds. To me, it all seems a little absurd. Every time I feel like I've found some sort of higher meaning, I find out that it's just the tip of the iceberg and the real reason is far out of reach. In all honesty, there are entire series that, subconsciously, I know the meaning to, but in my waking life, I haven't the faintest idea. Again, I feel like a bumbling idiot.

So, how do we remedy this? I often find that, in conversation, I am much more effective at deciphering the reasoning behind my photographs. I have pondered the idea of recording myself talk about my work in order to try and find out if I can conjure the proverbial deeper meaning. I think that I may start doing that after each day of shooting in order to help myself understand my own photographs. Ridiculous? Perhaps. Helpful? Hopefully. After all, crazier things have happened.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Moby f/ Sinead O'Connor - Harbour

VAST - Desert Garden

Deftones - Be Quiet and Drive [Acoustic]

Planes Mistaken for Stars

2009-05-23T23:32:00.002-05:00

I feel like it's been forever since I last updated, though I know only a week has passed. A lot has happened, little worth mentioning on a "non-personal" blog, however. I have kept the proverbial creative juices flowing through various media, when has made me especially exhausted, and especially tardy in making my otherwise regular entries. I'm sure you will all find a way to forgive me. Fear not, the obsessive blogging will continue from this day forth.

Now, I promised Becky I would put pictures up quite a while ago, but didn't, because I am a jerkface. Better late than never, though, right? Right. So here goes nothin'.

The first series is a documentation of Hopkins' commercial districts. The second series is a documentation of public telephones.

Speaking American.

2009-05-16T23:32:00.001-05:00

One article on NOLA.com caught my eye today and put me into a contemplative mood. So, the Army Corps of Engineers is assessing whether the levees will hold in the event of a hurricane. If the levees aren't up to snuff, what happens? Will they be rebuild? If so, who pays for it? Personally, I'd much rather everybody lay their cards out on the table and say that they really don't have a commitment to New Orleans instead of acting like they're still fully committed. I often wonder how stupid they think we are. I suppose they want us to leave them the hell alone so they can continue mashing newsprint into the gaps of the levees.

Meanwhile, there isn't an honest civic official in New Orleans, it seems, that could request that everybody get their proverbial shit together. Or perhaps, to provide oversight in some fashion instead of letting everybody run amok. Currently, New Orleans is run like the wild west, so even if city hall and the governor's mansion are fully stocked, they may as well be ceremonial positions (a la the Queen of England) until somebody decides to do something productive instead of standing on the sidelines, whispering, "Golly gee whiz, guys, I think those people want us to do something," to each other. Cue the chorus of laughs.

Now, if you'll allow me, I need to continue grieving over the latest Twins loss at the hands of the Yankees.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Jurassic 5 - Concrete Schoolyard

Does it Offend You, Yeah? - Attack of the 60 Foot Lesbian Octopus

Beastie Boys - Sabotage

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

2009-05-14T23:05:00.003-05:00

Do not underestimate the usefulness of the white pages. They were just recently my saving grace. After giving up on nagging the New York Times reporter, I was thinking to myself, "Well, where else could I find out where these people live?" I figured the phone book would have it, but I was so used to being disappointed, because it seemed like whenever I looked up people in Minneapolis, there seemed to be tons of results displaying the same name at different addresses throughout the metro area. The lesson here: there are a lot of Scandinavians in Minnesota and they all have the same last name. Apparently, in New Orleans, however, nobody has the same surname, because when I looked up the individuals from the article, there was always only one result. Not too difficult to narrow it down from there. Every single time, however, the phone book had the address, but never the phone number. You know what that means? It's letter-writing time. So, tomorrow, I will be purchasing some stamps, writing some letters, and mailing them out in hopes of getting some sort of response.

So, let's review:
Online phone books: good.
Odd spellings of names: very good.
Not having phone numbers available: lame.

Currently in heavy rotation:

The Postal Service - Nothing Better

Portishead - We Carry On

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps

CAPITAL LETTERS.

2009-05-13T18:52:00.004-05:00

In response to American Experience: New Orleans, Cemetery Caretaker

The cemeteries in New Orleans are filled with truly beautiful monuments that celebrate life. Though they are filled with concrete mausoleums, residents of New Orleans treat them as communal gathering places to have picnics. This is because New Orleanian's have a different relationship with death from Americans in other parts of the country. I, personally, believe that residents of New Orleans have the right idea about honoring the lives of their relatives and loved ones. Instead of dwelling on the loss, they celebrate the happiness they gained from their lives. This is why cemeteries are places of happiness for the people of New Orleans.

I suppose maintaining cemeteries is similar to maintaining public parks. Just as there are workers to maintain the parks, there is an equivalent worker to maintain the cemeteries. Also, because the cemeteries bring so much joy to their patrons, they want them to be maintained.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Bad Religion - We're Only Gonna Die

The Slip - Suffocation Keep

Massive Attack - Black Milk

Damage Control

2009-05-12T22:50:00.003-05:00

My former bandmate and I were interviewed today for the first time since we broke up a year ago. It was strange to talk about, because when people make music together, or really any form of art, it's something special. If you take those songs that were created and you play them with a different group of people, it's like you're cheating on your wife or something. My bandmate had told the interviewer that hadn't picked up a guitar in over a year, which he had never told me about before. He said he was looking for the right singer. The whole interview sounded very strange, because it's almost as if we were trying to air out our dirty laundry right then and there. Like we had unresolved issues we needed to work out right that very moment.

This was probably the third time we had talked to each other since we stopped making music together. Each time it's like talking to an ex-girlfriend you still have feelings for. You try and skirt around the issue at hand without really telling them how you feel. During the entire interview, I wanted to just scream, "You were a drug addict!" It's all a little bit absurd. Maybe a lot bit absurd. The point is, when you make art with somebody and that partnership ends, what do you do? Do you reminisce? Is it okay to showcase that work and give acknowledgement to the absent party? Do you shine it on and make one final work of art together and then call it quits, just to have a little bit of closure?

The whole thing reminded me of one of the most heart-breaking documentaries, titled The Refused are Fucking Dead, which chronicled the demise of the band The Refused during their North American tour, which ended in the band breaking up. Throughout the film, the band talks about what caused the band's demise. When they talk about it, they speak as if they knew it was coming. As if The Refused were destined to break up. In between interviews, there was archival footage from the tour, which offered a glimpse of how hopeless the band had become. At the end, after the band had decided to break up, they played one last show in the basement of another band's house. They wanted this to be their final show before they decided to never play again. During the middle of the show, the police came and broke up the show.

Is anything ever entirely resolved after dissolution of a partnership in art?

Currently in heavy rotation:

Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy, Jr.

Pearl Jam - Untitled [Live]

The Faint - Fish in a Womb

Lookout!

2009-05-11T21:38:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow, I will be consulting for a group of folks I've known for a while now. I know them through the non-profit I currently work for and through various poetry slams over the years. I'll be helping them write their business plan and build their website, which I'm pretty jazzed about. The two women I'll be working started out as experience slam poets and musicians, but became disaffected by the exclusive nature of both musicianship and poetry. As a result, they hold impromptu open mics in public areas around Minneapolis, allowing anybody off the street to participate.

I'm not going to name-drop just yet. I can tell you that the first event that they held was a pretty incredible experience and I'd love to see these two young women become successful in doing this. Inevitably, I'll blog about the results of our creative outing later on. Perhaps tomorrow? Perhaps. There may even be a small series hidden in here somewhere. Who can say?

Currently in heavy rotation:

Coldplay - Amsterdam

Bright Eyes - Southern State

Nine Inch Nails - Leaving Hope

This Blog Airs in High Definition, Where Available.

2009-05-09T23:20:00.004-05:00

I was watching a documentary today that I really enjoyed, titled "The Hip Hop Project." It chronicles the work of Art Start's (www.art-start.org) hip hop program, which works to take homeless teens in New York off the street and teach them through art. Minneapolis has a rich history of hip hop and is home to one of the largest independent hip hop labels, Rhymesayers Entertainment. Recently, the non-profit I work for hosted a series of hip hop events, which sought to bring Minneapolis youth into the hip hop scene and teach them how to express themselves through rhythm and poetry, in addition to hosting hip hop events every first Friday of the month. When I was watching the documentary, I could see a lot of parallels between the Art Start program and programs available in Minneapolis offered by Chris Keller (Kristoff Krane, Abzorbr) and Medium Zach (Big Quarters), which I thought was neato and made me a little more proud to represent Minneapolis hip hop.

I've known for a long time that working for a non-profit like Art Start is where I would eventually like to end up on my career path, because I have always believed that art should be accessible to everybody. Art is a nice thing, after all.

So, now that I've been talking about Minneapolis and hip hop and such, I've decided to dedicate today's heavy rotation to my favorite examples of Minneapolis hip hop.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Cecil Otter - Rebel Yellow

P.O.S. - Thatone

Mike Mictlan & Lazerbeak - Prizefight

Salt's Too Sweet

2009-05-07T21:51:00.005-05:00

And so it begins, another round of New Orleans classes. I think we have a good group this time around and I'm excited to see what stories develop. I'm also interested in seeing who will be loyal to Team Champagne and who will be losers.

One thing that interested me was Nick's apprehension to pursue his story about fire stations. The stories are definitely there.
Recovery on hold: FEMA should straighten Grand Isle's fire station problems
Ground breaking this morning for new Delacroix Island fire station
Lower 9th Ward may get new fire station
St. Bernard fire stations reopen
Fire station 36 in New Orleans East is also on the targeted recovery areas
Fire station 18 on Harrison Ave is also on the targeted recovery areas
The list of targeted recovery areas can be found here and here

You might also notice in the targeted recovery areas that a number of theaters are listed, particularly on Canal St. Perhaps somebody is interested in that topic?

I'm sure I'll generate more ideas for everybody to mull over.
For now, I'll be watching When The Levees Broke on OnDemand for the third time this week.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Lazerbeak - Legend Recognize Legend

Tiger Army - Outlaw Heart

The Arcade Fire - Rebellion [Lies]

Ghostwriter

2009-05-06T19:59:00.005-05:00

I've been able to write the entirety of this post during the rain delays during tonight's Twins game versus the Orioles.

There's been a lot of talk lately about who will be come the new director of FEMA. Louisiana senator, David Vitter, has successfully blocked the nomination of Craig Fugate, the former head of Florida's emergency response agency, until he can guarantee FEMA support in New Orleans, a legitimate request...almost. It seems that it takes a major natural disaster to get the state of Louisiana to accept the help that they are given. I say that because Louisiana, especially New Orleans, is resistant to any support in making emergency preparedness plans on the part of FEMA until after Hurricane Katrina, when Governor Blanco hired former FEMA director James Lee Witt to oversee the reconstruction efforts. James Lee Witt, while the director of FEMA, was the same person to inform the city of New Orleans that they were grossly unprepared for a major natural disaster, such as, say, a hurricane.

So, does it really matter who is appointed as a FEMA director when New Orleans has a long track record of not accepting help from FEMA to create emergency management plans? It's easy to understand why FEMA is hesitant to dole out blank checks. Additionally, why does it suddenly matter who is appointed to the role of FEMA director? Nearly four years after Katrina, is New Orleans having a change of heart? Perhaps you should rally for FEMA to be a legitimate department again instead of a bastardized subdivision of the Department of Homeland Security. That, in my opinion, is much more important than holding a new director hostage in return for a big check. I think it's time for Mr. Vitter to give up the ghost and pick his battles more wisely.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Cat Power - Rockets

The Plastic Constellations - Best Things

Defiance, Ohio - Condition 11:11

Rabble, Rabble, Rabble.

2009-05-05T11:51:00.002-05:00

Q. What professional associations are relevant to your subject matter?

A.
American Society of Media Photographers
National Press Photographers Association
Society for Photographic Education (while I'm still in school, at least)
Professional Photographers of America
Editorial Photographers
American Institute of Graphic Arts

Proposed Associations:
Square Format Imaging Association
Professional Trespassers of America

Q. What connects us to our subject matter?

A. I connect with subject matter that I perceive as beautiful. It all begins with that subject that, when I gaze upon it, I think it's something very special, something that is exceptional in some way. Going back to my previous post about the woman at Perkins, it's safe to assume that there is an element of humanity in what I find beautiful. I find myself empathizing with my subject matter more often than photographing it. Sometimes, that means empathizing with a man and his three-legged dog and sometimes that means empathizing with a a pueblo-style building in the middle of a commercial district. I don't find it absurd at all trying to understand the feelings of inanimate objects. We, as humans, build things with certain intentions, whether it be a building, a door knob, a trailer, etc. Perhaps, we intend them to be beautiful, or functional, or a combination of both. I believe that in trying to understand why things are the way they are, I can better understand my subject matter and why I connect with it.

Concrete Schoolyard

2009-05-04T20:52:00.005-05:00

Number of FEMA Trailers by Parish (As of March 29th, 2009)
Jefferson Parish: 73
Orleans Parish: 0
Plaquemines Parish: 424
St. Bernard Parish: 392
St. Charles Parish: 29
St. John the Babtist Parish: 16
St. Tammany Parish: 285
Tangipahoa Parish: 0
Total: 1,042

The trailer population has declined fairly significantly since visiting New Orleans in September and October of 2008. The official count from September 20th, 2008 was 2,650 and since then, that amount has been cut down by more than half. Soe of this has to do with FEMA deadlines and their desire for families that live in trailers to seek "permanent housing" and part of it has to do with new city ordinances that outlaw living in a trailer that is on the same property as a homestead. This accounts for the sharpest decrease in the number of FEMA trailers in Jefferson Parish, where, in September, there was something like 770 trailers.

As Thursday draws near, I'm more and more excited. I've been talking to others in the class, easing their concerns, and helping to mature their ideas. I really can't wait to be down there again. I can already feel Arby's calling my name, though it won't be the same without Keith. I've also been recruiting new members for Team Champagne, being that some of our members will not be joining us this time around. I'll be representing Team Champagne in full force before, during, and after the trip, because Team Champagne is far superior to the likes of Team Coal. So watch out Team Coal, Team Champagne is going to school you guys on what real photographers look like.

Team Champagne for Life.

Currently in heavy rotation:

Modest Mouse - Perfect Disguise [BBC Radio Session]

Kill The Vultures - The Wine Theif

Mel Gibson and the Pants - Stress Fracture

Code-O-Tron

2009-05-03T09:43:00.006-05:00

My website is well on its way to being built, but the only thing that's truly throwing me for a loop is the SimpleViewer gallery. It's supposed to be sandwiched between the navigation at the top and the contact information, etc. at the bottom. As yet, my desires for there to be a gallery on my website are dashed. I'll inevitably fiddle with the code until magically it works or I decide to use something different. I would really rather use the SimpleViewer for now as it's very easy to build and update. It's also very lightweight, which is also in line with the way that the website is built. I want to make sure that no matter the connection, the page will load very quickly. Soon enough, the gallery will be working and the website will be live. Or I'll give up and code it all in HTML, which I really don't like the idea of. I can do it, but it will take me much longer.
I've also been adding my name to all of the alternate text in the HTML code, so as to make my ranking higher when "Ryan McGoff Photography" is searched for on Google when the site goes live.

Currently in heavy rotation:

The Blend - Slo Burn (Acoustic)

Johnny Cash - (Ghost Riders) In The Sky

Simian Mobile Disco - Sleep Deprivation

Re-imagination.

2009-05-02T00:04:00.002-05:00

It was an especially long night at work. On my way home, I decided to stop to get some food. I was seated diagonally from an older couple. The woman looked like an old farm wife and she was one of the most beautiful women I had seen in a long time. Not the kind of beauty you get from good genes or whatever you want to attribute it to, but the kind of beauty you get from living life. The way the light hit her, I thought, was especially wonderful. It was almost cinematic, like it was right out of a 1940's film. I wanted nothing more than to have a camera by my side, so I could invade their lives in order to make a picture. I even considered driving home, grabbing my camera, and driving back, just so I could try and encapsulate all the beauty that existed in that booth. I knew, however, by the time I got back, they would be gone, and with it, the opportunity to make the picture. I reconciled my inability to make the picture by thinking about how happy the whole situation made me. It was truly beautiful and I won't soon forget it.

This Is A Test.

2009-04-30T20:46:00.012-05:00

Here's to hoping this little guy works.

Prepare yourselves. Music will now be a greater part of Sociology and Jumper Cables.
The song has no higher meaning in the context of this blog other than it being rather amazing.

Shark Sandwich

2009-04-28T13:13:00.003-05:00

Q: Why is MediaStorm so damn hard to use?

A: First, go to a casino. Walk around a bit, maybe play some slots, maybe play some poker, maybe not gamble at all. Then, at the end of the night, get to the door nearest to where you parked your car without circling the casino again at least once. Chances are, you won't be able to do it, unless you have an incredible sense of direction. I realize I just compared a website to a casino. In the same way, MediaStorm puts its own little Vegas syndrome on us in order to keep its grips on us for as long as it can. First, we are bombarded with no less than five stories on the same page, activated by simply hovering our mouse over the boxes in which the stories reside. The menu is hidden from view until you realize that clicking the menu button will provide you with a whole host of options. Following the inevitable clickery that occurs after your discovery, you are either brought to a page with a video and a brief description or a page of text that bombards you with further information. All the while, you're wondering, "Where can I get off this ride?" and "When will I have enough information to be satisfied?" It's almost a tease, really.

Vocal Processors are the New Vocoders.

2009-04-24T08:50:00.001-05:00

Every now and then, there's something that completely disarms us. There's always that heady subject that we're convinced is going to end our world as we know it, then somebody comes along and reminds us that we're all fools. In 1992, Dr. Dre released the landmark album, titled "The Chronic", which remains today one of the best selling albums of all time. Dr. Dre and his former group, NWA, are known for being the penultimate gangsta rap group, known for their accounts of the gangsta lifestyle. Though none of them ever had a criminal record beyond basic moving violations, they were considered the most dangerous rap group in America.

Then, one day, a white guy from North Carolina decides to make a cover of the Dr. Dre song "Bitches Ain't Shit", which was one of the finest examples of the gangsta rap style. The cover retains all of the elements of the original song, including all of the the derogatory terms toward women and the gratuitous use of swear words, but also adds guitar choruses, chord organs, lives drums, live bass, etc. The Ben Folds cover takes all the venom out of the original Dr. Dre track and puts in its place legitimate musical production. I will contest that the Ben Folds cover is one of the most brilliant covers I have ever heard. I figured I would share it with you.

Ben Folds - Bitches Ain't Shit (Live)

Many would consider this cover satire and I would agree with them. Some of my favorite photography has involved social commentary in the same way this song does. It reminds us not too take things too seriously. It also reminds us that the taste-makers aren't always the best authority on what art is and should be. There was a time when this song was in vogue. Seventeen years later, it just seems absurd.

I once saw a band play a cover of the song "Gay Bar" by the Electric Six as their final song, before pack their gear up. The cover was pretty good, I'll admit. Then, the next band came to the stage and pointed to the other band and said, "Now we're going to play a proper cover." The first song they played was "Gay Bar", which was better than the previous band's attempt by a long shot. Sometimes, we need to inform others that their attempts are lackluster and unimaginative. Ben Folds informed Dr. Dre that "Bitches Ain't Shit" was exactly that, lackluster and unimaginative and sought to make a better version of the song than had been previously available.

Grower

2009-04-20T10:12:00.003-05:00

Today, I met with the Hennepin County Sheriff and State Farm to put an end to all the drama surrounding my cameras being stolen. After eleven months, it feels so good to have some kind of closure. For a long time, I was constantly reminded of that Memorial Day weekend and I could never find a way to not be sad about it. When I was cleaning out my car almost a month ago to finally sell it, I had to vacuum up the glass that had been broken out. Something about the vacuum running and all the glass reminded me of driving home that night to an empty house with no power. If you've ever driven on the highway in the middle of the night with all the windows down and no radio, it almost seems deafening.

When the cart was wheeled into the room with my old camera bag on it, it was like all those memories faded and I couldn't even remember why I was sad anymore. It was explained to me that my cameras were likely bartered for drugs. That was actually how they were found. The house that they were found in had been raided in an effort to take down one of Minneapolis' most prominent drug dealers. They were found in the attic, safe and sound.

The insurance adjuster didn't know how to handle the situation, because apparently this was the first time camera equipment had ever been recovered while he had been working in the insurance industry. He allowed me to buy back whatever I wanted at a 75% discount. There's something a bit sickening about buying your camera gear back, but I was so happy to be reunited with them that I really couldn't care less. Today, I am happy instead of feeling like there's an eight-hundred-pound gorilla in the room reminding me all the time of that night.

They had found more that just my camera and all I could think about the other people that were going to be blessed with their camera gear again and wonder what those things meant to them. And I would think, "They won't have to despair any longer, they've been found."

The Blissful Beach Scene

2009-04-17T15:05:00.006-05:00

Today, I went to Shelter Studios to interview local photographer, Chris Sheehan. Besides having sweet digs (located at 2112 Broadway in Northeast), he also has a lot of insight and experience to share with photographers that are just starting out in the industry. After the interview, he gave me a tour of his studio, which is pretty sweet. If only we all could have our own coved walls and gigantic scrims. Overall, it was a really great experience and I think I was able to gain a greater understanding of what it takes to survive in this industry. Yay, photography!

I've also been shopping around for new camera insurance as I am not particularly satisfied with my current coverage and after the shenanigans they pulled in the last week, they aren't inspiring a whole lot of trust. The only thing that would make this situation worse is if they spontaneously decided to cancel my policy. Unfortunately, the array of insurance options available in the United States is less than inspiring. Maybe I'll move to the UK, just so I can be treated with respect when I file a claim. I'd even settle for a claim handler that actually does their job.

I couldn't find any of the other videos that I really wanted to show off, but don't let that diminish the important of this one. It's fairly basic, but I sure do love my psychology experiments. This video was made by filming the reactions of couples while listening to the song that is featured. It is, in large part, why I decided to attempt the Lovebirds series to begin with, which is a series that investigates what it means to be in a relationship.

Bright Eyes - First Day of My Life

"Keep The Car Running."

2009-04-14T14:48:00.004-05:00

In the final manifesto made by the Refused when they broke up, they noted that it was more effective to spread the policy of "The Refused Party Program" if the band lived on as five solo projects instead of one project containing five members. Admittedly, I am not a five person band, but the common denominator is that I have been focusing on one project at a time when, really, I should be working on somewhere around five at a time. The problem, I've found, is that when I do one project at a time, each project gains a new, more evolved set of guidelines, which makes for a stark contrast in the treatment of the imagery. This is not mean I am looking for homogeny throughout my imagery. That is certainly not the case. What I am looking for is a way to let all of my ideas grow with me. If I continue this tedious work of doing one thing at a time, I'll have a lot of time on my hands. The simple fact of it is, I won't have the resources (not of the monetary variety) to continue one project all the time. What I will have, however, is enough resources to continue at least one of the five projects all the time. Hopefully, this will prove to be a good idea.

Also, while writing, or, more precisely, rewriting, this post, I was informed by the Hennepin County Sheriff that the cameras that were stolen from me nearly a year ago were recovered in a police raid last week. The insurance company claims that all items recovered from the raid, including items they refuse to pay out for, are theirs to keep. I was less than amused when the Sheriff told me this and told him to not hand anything off to the insurance company until I speak to the insurance adjusters involved face to face. I'm scheduled to meet with the Sheriff and the insurance company on Monday to put an end to this saga. Now all I have to do is reorganize the pile of papers, now more than an inch thick, to wage one last battle against the insurance company. Wish me luck.

Turn Those Clapping Hands into Angry Balled Fists

2009-04-13T12:48:00.001-05:00

In response to "Teaching Photography: Notes Assembled"
Is there a place for zoom lenses in photography, or are they a crutch?
I have a bias against zoom lenses, so it shouldn't come as any surprise that I believe prime lenses are more than adequate in any shooting situation. Zoom lenses are clunky, not particularly sharp, and they're slow. Slow, not only in terms of their maximum aperture, but also in the way that it takes longer for a person to frame up a shot. I have two perfectly functioning legs, which offer adequate zooming functions. As a result of only owning prime lenses, I have been able to act more instinctively with my cameras, which has allowed me to focus on other aspects photograph. Will prime lenses make you an award-winning photographer? No, not by a long shot. It will, however, give you one less thing to worry about. Simplicity is bliss, buy prime lenses.

In response to an interview of Stephen Shore by Tim Davis
Has the rise of print-on-demand services like Blurb diminished the value of the photo book?
Not long ago, it became very cheap to record a broadcast quality album within your own home. This allowed bands that were truly talented to produce and sell their own music. This has led to a very healthy underground music scene throughout the country and has given way to independent labels such as No Idea!, Plan-It-X, Afternoon Records, etc. Unfortunately, it also made it possible for talentless musicians to produce and sell a lot of bad music. The rise of print-on-demand services presents the same problems for photographers. On one hand, it allows talented photographers to make books without having to appeal to publishers like Aperture or Phaidon, which offers photographers a way to spread their creative seed across the land. On the other, it poisons the well with a lot of lackluster art. Which is more important?

Do you agree that photography is a problem-solving device?
We humans are skeptical of just about anything we can't see. Photography has, in many ways, made it possible to create a fairly undeniable way of recording visual information. Of course, we trust that everything depicted in the photographed is as it was when it was recorded and not altered in any way. As a result, anything we see in Time magazine, we interpret as truth, because we trust the photography, but more than that, the integrity of the magazine. So when we see photographs of atrocities thousands of miles away from us plastered across the front page, we have a hard time denying the existence of such things. Photographs also add a level of realism that words cannot properly convey. In this way, photographs are also more efficient. We can learn more in a second of staring at photograph than we can reading the whole article accompanying it. A single photograph can put people in a frenzy and before you know it, people are demanding something (the something is generally not specified or well thought out) be done. In a roundabout way, I do believe that photographs can be problem-solving devices as long as you have somebody competent at the helm.

I Don't Want Solidarity if it Means Holding Hands With You.

2009-04-10T10:31:00.004-05:00

What part does honesty play in our photography? Not honesty in terms of representation, but honesty in terms of emotional reactions. How willing are you connect with your subjects? I can understand apprehension, because, after all, we have to be tough guys and gals and don't really like to "put ourselves out there", or are uncomfortable with the idea. Do we honestly expect to produce the same results as somebody who is really willing to empathize with their subjects? I know that a lot of the shoots that I thought were the most fun were the same shoots where I really got close to my subjects, both in proximity and emotionally.

I posted this video to go along with this text, because I have determined that songs by Tom Gabel are some of the most emotionally packed and passion-filled songs I have ever heard. They transcend the gap between simply singing the lyrics and putting yourself in the same emotional state as the lyrics while singing them. As a result, there is a sense of honesty and vulnerability that is transmitted through the music. As a photographer, I can appreciate this kind of honesty. It skirts the edge of being over the top emotionally and simply telling the truth. Then again, sometimes the truth is emotional.

Tom Gabel - Harsh Realms

"Give Me a Box of Your Finest Chardonnay."

2009-04-08T13:51:00.007-05:00

This song and video, among others has been influential to the way I think about art, in general. The simplicity of it is nothing new. There have been plenty of bands that have consisted only of a drummer and a bassist. The interesting thing is the sound created when the two meet. The sound created by the bass is not as a result of pedals, synthesizers, or other circuit magic. The sound actually comes from the intentional misuse of the amplifier. In the same way, we, as photographers, cross-process film, shoot with expired Polaroids, make double exposures, etc. as part of our creative process. This is also as a result of the intentional misuse of our equipment. The relatively "avant-garde" nature of the creation of the music and the creation of our images can sometimes be off-putting, but the results are no less valuable, if only for the purposes of experimentation.

Death From Above 1979 - Romantic Rights

To Lanterns, Denver, and One Last Lament

2009-03-01T11:53:00.004-06:00

Assuming enough people enroll in the program, I will be in New Orleans, among other far off locales in the months of June and July. If fate takes its place, however, as it has in the last week, and especially in the last eight months, then I may have to sell souls on the side of the road to get to one or all of the desired destinations. Such a proposition is adventurous enough for me, though, and I will take on the task. I'm primed and ready for sleep deprivation, Arby's, and warmer temperatures.

Team Champagne for life.

Part Deux? Yes, please!

2009-02-17T13:05:00.005-06:00

It's looking more and more like I'll be in New Orleans from June 22nd through the 30th with each passing day. This next time, pacing myself, being more deliberate, and editing long beforehand will be a top priority. One thing that won't change, however, is the exhaustive schedule. I still plan to be at every early morning shoot and make blog posts every night. Get ready.

Rainbows for the Colorblind

2008-12-23T09:40:00.002-06:00

I'm relieved that the quarter is finally over. Now we can all rest. Or, at the very least, sleep longer at night. I have many plans for my vacation and hopefully it'll be productive. Depending on the fruits of my productivity, I'll put some more pictures up here. It feels like it's been ages since I put pictures up and I think I may need to change that. Over this next quarter, I've decided I need to focus more on what I want from photography. It's been a very long time since I've really taken some time for what I want. Sure, I shoot photos outside of school, but many of those photos are for other people. It's time, I think, to make some time for myself.

Black Milk

2008-12-15T20:31:00.003-06:00

"When every expression, no matter how radical it is, can be transformed into a commodity and be bought or sold like cheap soda, how is it then possible that you are going to be able to take "art" seriously?"

I will contest until the end of time that my presentation was circling the drain from the very beginning. I was overtired, underprepared, overspastic, looking at the room that, in my opinion, was overfull, which, consequently, made me overworried that I would stumble over my words. Maybe a bit overjaded as well, if we're splitting hairs. It was over soon, however. Maybe too soon, though, to be able to get a decent grade on the whole...event.
Almost immediately afterward, though, was the beginning of the gallery show, which, contrary to the presentation, went very well. I very much enjoyed the pins that were available to purchase. I hustled all of my friends into buying at least one of them, so I figured my contribution was satisfied. Most of the people that I really wanted to show up did so as well as some very unexpected guests that made the night much better. I also got a very cool shirt.

Untitled, 2008

2008-12-10T11:53:00.002-06:00

Last night, while I was talking to a colleague on the phone, I was reminded of a site I used to visit for human interest stories that fell outside the mainstream. Many of the stories are about the prison system or religion in some way, but when I looked through the site again, it became so much more relevant. With stories about the people of the Appalachians that Shelby Lee Adams covered (found here) or Danny Lyon, when he was allowed into the Texas prison system (found here). I found it very interesting, overall, to trawl through the website again and listen to all the old stories again. Some are unsettling, like "The Execution Tapes" while others are very interesting ("My Lobotomy"). They shed light on a part of society that not many people know about. Unfortunately, many of the older programs are in RealAudio format, so you'll need something that can play those files. I would highly recommend against getting RealPlayer as it's clunky, filled with bloat, and will want to take over all of your media needs, which it does not do well. My recommendation is to instead get Real Alternative (found here). All the Sound Portraits are available here.

The update for people that don't drive four blocks to Penco.

2008-12-03T20:09:00.002-06:00

Today, I finally saw the video, which will be at the gallery show, and now I have a vague idea of what all the hub bub was about. Of course, there's some B roll of Keith and I attached at the hip and some intense interrogations about some of our Arby's eating habits. But that's okay, we can take the heat. Nevertheless, the video was well done, though I thought it was pretty funny when Colleen asked what I thought of iMovie. I won't comment on how I truly feel about iMovie, but I will say that there is a reason why I use Premiere Pro.
On a vaguely related note, we finally hung the gallery show today and I must say, it looks delicious. I think I'm most excited to see what Keith's panoramas look like hung up on the wall. He and I were slaving away, trying to come up with a proper mounting solution. I'm not afraid to say that 3/16" Masonite has officially made my list. We did find a solution, though, I think. Let me just say that Gorilla Glue is a truly amazing thing, especially when nobody makes a screw for 3/16" Masonite. I'd be very curious as to how the goodly people of Digigraphics expected us to mount the damn things. Moving on. I'm very excited to see what the final arrangement will be and I hope the show will be to your liking.
And in case you were wondering, Team Champagne will definitely be representing at the gallery opening.
Team Champagne for life.

Jefferson Parish, Lift Your Weary Head

2008-11-28T12:46:00.004-06:00

The number of trailers remaining in New Orleans and surrounding areas is quickly dwindling. According to FEMA, on September 20th, there were still 2650 trailers remaining, with 716 of them residing in Plaquemines Parish. FEMA has made it clear that they desire trailer-dwellers to seek permanent housing since June of 2007. Their optimistic stance, which is, essentially, "They can find their own housing and maybe get government assistance or help from non-profits" does not sit well with me. How, exactly, are they supposed to rely on government assistance when, over three years later, people are still without the necessary funds to rebuild? Funds that they were promised, I might add. In Jefferson Parish, 260 trailer-dwellers filed lawsuits, but now, after so many trailers have been hauled away, only 52 lawsuits remain active. It won't take much longer, at their current pace, to simply "get rid of the problem" all together.
Citing pressure from civic officials, Jefferson Parish has stepped up its efforts to get rid of the remaining trailers and sweep the problems under the rug. It seems that Jefferson Parish's president believes that governments run on hopes and dreams instead of legitimate urban planning. Without informing people where help can be found (as if it exists to begin with), many of these people will find themselves without any sort of housing and no way of acquiring any in the near future. I'm sure, in the eyes of civic leaders, having an increased homeless population will really add to their sense of normalcy that they so desperately desire. Perhaps it's to give peace of mind to those that weren't effected or had the means to rebuild. Perhaps a better use of their time and resources would be to try to get a handle on their incredibly high crime rate or, perhaps, to help businesses rebuild so people have employment. Any of the things I outlined in my last post would also be fine ideas as well. So kudos to you, Jefferson Parish civic officials, you've continued to show us that special interests are more important than human dignity.

One Crime At A Time

2008-11-22T20:01:00.003-06:00

While I acknowledge the efforts being made by the district attorney's office, the inspector general, and the chief of police, we have to understand that the problems of society cannot be solved in a way that people think they can. If there are an increased number of burglaries in a certain area, for example, we may think that stepping up patrols around that area will solve the problem. We'll increase the likelihood of catching the criminal, right? Hypervigilance will not solve crime, nor can hopes and dreams. So what does solve crime? Understanding, intimately, why the problems exist to begin with will allow us to proactively solve the problem. So where do our problems begin? In our economies. Weak economies lead to higher crime rates. Cities that have less unemployment, smaller homeless populations, and fewer abandoned or condemned buildings generally experience less crime.
When we were in New Orleans, we were reminded on a regular basis that government assistance was slow in coming. Getting rid of the bureaucracy would alleviate a lot of the problems that homeowners are facing, not to mention a restored sense of normalcy. Additionally, we can give landlords tax credits and grants to rebuild abandoned and condemned properties. Also, we can increase New Orleans' capacity for social work to make those that are homeless employable again. Whether that's through vocational education or simply by offering psychological help, we can take an unskilled workforce and give them skills, like carpentry or bricklaying. These things would have a relatively short training period and make them available to work on a team fairly quickly. At the same time, they can use the money they get from their job and put it to use on further education, such as business management or construction management.
I realize that the infrastructure doesn't exist and it takes time to put this infrastructure in place, but if members of government would choose to understand the problem instead of trying to throw all of their resources into fighting it, they would be more motivated. In the end, it may become more economically responsible to understand the problem. Remember the "War on Drugs"? We've poured a lot of money into that. What about the "War on Terror"? How much money have we blasted away on that without any results? What about AIDS in Africa? We've thrown a lot of money at that with very little results. Why have these three things failed? Because we refuse to acknowledge what the heart of the problem is. All the money in the world couldn't fix those problems without understanding them on a base level.

His Sign Read: Will Sell Organs For Framing.

2008-11-20T18:59:00.003-06:00

I find it very unfortunate that frames for square images are impossible to find. Is the square not special enough? I always thought it was hip to be square. At least, that's what Huey Louis said. Was he incorrect? Did he misspeak? Perhaps. I suppose anything is possible. Now, I know some of you may be thinking, "Oh Ryan, why don't you just cram it into a 24x30 inch frame?" Should I have to compromise? I don't think so. I think it's utterly ridiculous that I should have to be held down by everybody else in the world that don't shoot square format. Mark my words, I will be Unchained (Capitalized as a reference to something else. If you can guess correctly what that reference is, I'll give you a piece of candy.) and transcend the world's rectilinear idea of itself. I rather like the uniformity of equal matting on all sides of the image. Does that make me unreasonable? I hope not. All I can say is that, for what I paid, they had better be the best damn frames I've ever laid my eyes upon.

PRINT-O-TRON!

2008-11-19T12:14:00.003-06:00

I've been cranking out prints for the photo essay portfolio and for the gallery show the last few days. I was sweating bullets the other day when I was using a newish box of sheet paper that had the sides curled up a bit on both sides, due to the fireplace being on and raising the humidity in the air. Necessity is the mother of invention, though, and I popped the box in the fridge for about a half an hour and that settled the paper down enough for it to be usable. I was a little surprised that such a plan actually worked. Looks like printing from home really did pay off, aside from the other obvious benefits, like being able to print in your pajamas while watching Law & Order. Hopefully, I'll have the prints dropped off at the framer today or tomorrow. Woohoo!

Platens just made my list.

2008-10-23T17:03:00.003-05:00

I can print again after my printer got repaired this morning. Apparently, my story was so unbelievable to the Epson technician I was talking to on the phone that he was constantly trying to convince me that my eyes were lying to me. Apparently, if the platen is out of alignment, you can have all sorts of unbelievable problems. Regardless, the technician from Decision One was able to diagnose a truly obscure problem and fix it in short order, while we reminisced about the evolution of digital printing. Now it prints immaculately without ruining every piece of paper I put into it. All in all, it was a fairly pleasant experience and now I can experiment and try to make 24"x24" images when I get the proper roll paper. I think I may need to make my way to WestPhoto in the next few days to snag some big rolls of paper after I make the proper printing targets to evaluate which paper will reproduce the colors in a satisfactory way.

I love the smell of editing in the morning.

2008-10-15T22:06:00.002-05:00

Today, the grand edit occurred. All went well and I shall be ruthless with my edits in the very near future and inevitably spend hours upon hours, burning my retinas sitting in front of a computer screen, editing my little heart out. I'm still excited about what will become the end results. Big prints? Yes, please.

"When I was a kid, I used to have better than 20/20 vision. I could have been an Eagle."

2008-10-04T23:20:00.002-05:00

Today, we left New Orleans to head back to Minneapolis. The past week has offered some incredible experiences (and ridiculous quotes) that I will surely not forget. As we were leaving, all I could think of were all the places that I wanted to go to and how I wished there were more hours in a day. When I was on the plane, I was trying to think of nifty titles for my essay. I've got a few titles pinballing around in my head, but nothing has really stuck. I know I want it to be a short title, so I can print it in bold letters, but that's about as far as I've thought about it. I have, however, started to write the as yet unnamed book and I'm already excited to see where it's going.

"Alright, who forgot to wind the sun dial?!"

2008-10-03T17:57:00.013-05:00

Day 5: This Machine Feeds Hungry College Students
Areas Covered:
Lakeview

There was an abandoned school that we had visited earlier this week that we absolutely had to explore. After navigating to it using the power of the Blackberry and the wonders of Google, we just had to walk through the open gate. After all, it was on public land. While shooting, a few locals from across the street came to talk to us about the state of the city. The area that we were in, known as Lakeview, had the highest return rate of any neighborhood in the city at only 38 percent. Within the city, there are still around 150 abandoned schools. The reason why is there are simply no kids to occupy the schools. Many residents fled New Orleans to go to other cities like Atlanta, where they could get jobs. New Orleans also just took Detroit's place as the city with the most blight, or abadoned buildings, in layman's terms. If you walk down Canal street, you can see all the abandoned office towers that line the six lane main drag. As we were leaving the school, a team from Florida showed up, presumably to start gutting abandoned houses on FEMA's behalf.

Day 6: Team Coal vs. Team Champagne
Areas Covered:
East New Orleans
Boondocks

Today, we headed out to St. Roch, because Amanda wanted to get a shot. Keith and I wandered off to a nearby park to talk to some contractors that were hired by FEMA to resod the parks that were annexed by FEMA for the purposes of housing the displaced in trailers. The contractor we talked to was hired to refurbish nineteen parks. Apparently, they were also supposed to be done by October 1st, but they were delayed by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. At the time of this writing, only six parks had been completed.
Following that, we headed East to go to Chuck's brother's home to see the damage inflicted by Hurricane Gustav.

Arby's is calling my name.

The Great Deluge

2008-10-01T21:38:00.019-05:00

Areas Covered:
Lower 9th Ward

Today, we got an amazing opportunity to ride along with Times Picayune photographers, some of which were awarded the Pulitzer Prize. I was riding along with David Grunfeld, the assistant photo editor. He showed us around the 9th ward and dropped me off for an hour to met Robert Green, whose trailer I photographed on Monday. An hour later, he came back to pick me up. I had a lot of trouble believing that an hour had gone by, because it felt like it had only been fifteen minutes. Robert answered a lot of the questions I had about the neighborhood he lived in, because he's extremely knowledgeable and as he said, nosey. I felt tremendously privileged to meet him.
After David picked me up again, we went to a crab boil, which was really interesting. The process was explained in great detail, which offered a view of the fishing industry that is not often seen. I was pretty grateful to have that opportunity presented to me. When we got back to the paper, we were given a copy of the Hurricane Katrina book that was made by the Times Picayune photographers, which was really, really amazing, because it's not a cheap book. Hearing their stories was absolutely incredible and really gave me such an alternative view of the storm, which I would have never gotten othrwise. I feel like I understand why Hurricane Katrina was so culturally significant now as a result of meeting these people.

FEMAville

2008-09-30T19:20:00.015-05:00

Areas Covered:
West End

That is all.

"Everything you're about to see is real."

2008-09-29T23:34:00.011-05:00

Areas Covered:
Lower 9th Ward
Lake Pontchartrain
City Park Golf Course
Lakeview

It was another early morning. One of many more this week, I imagine. The early morning light is absolutely amazing down here and I definitely want to take advantage of that as much as I can. The things we did this morning, I thought we did yesterday afternoon. Clearly, I have no sense of weight or time, it seems. I really need to work on those. Also, today I did not shoot at ISO 1600 in broad daylight, which resulted in much better pictures. Tomorrow will be another trip out to the West end where there was a significant amount of damage and also a fairly decent amount of FEMA trailers.

Do you breathe? Have a pulse? You may be alive!

2008-09-28T20:17:00.012-05:00

The day began at 6:00 in the morning, when we all woke up from what could better be described as a long nap than a full night of sleep. We went out to the bayou to drop Anthony off for a day of fishing. Along the way, we all took a picture or two. I shrewdly edited a few of them in Lightroom for you. Enjoy.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to being exhausted.

Flying Pop Cans

2008-09-27T23:59:00.005-05:00

The first lesson of the day is to divide your heavy camera gear between more than one hard case. I learned this when trying to check my ninety pound bag. I figured it was a reasonable weight, so I put it in the trunk of the car and went to the airport, and if there were problems, then they could charge me for their inconvenience. Well, turns out they do have a limit to how heavy any one bag is. That limit is seventy pounds. It's a good thing I have an academic director that is willing to give up their LeSportsac bag so I can cram as much heavy equipment in there as I could. That bag made me look good. Really good. Too good.
I think I'm going to really like New Orleans and I have a more positive outlook on the whole thing than I did yesterday. Don't lose faith on me now, though, there are plenty of things that can go wrong. Seriously, though, I'm excited and you should be, too. So there.

Bus Stop Boxer

2008-09-26T23:17:00.004-05:00

On occasion, I slip into bouts of cynical anger in between listening to the Eels and the Arcade Fire, among others. I wonder quietly to myself how James Nachtwey deals with such...daunting odds. Of course, this is on a slightly smaller scale than warring nations, but nonetheless, this project is the biggest I've ever taken on. I suppose it's natural to be a little apprehensive.
So for any readers outside of the photo essay class, I'm not dead. This has been a long time coming and I hope to make the best of it. Hopefully, I'll be able to give you all something worth seeing.
G'night all.

Last stop, this town.

2008-09-11T13:30:00.002-05:00

On When the Levees Broke:
I think the thing to remember when watching this documentary is simply this: sometimes, it's more economical to not do the right thing. We've seen this dog and pony show before, and I can guarantee, beyond a reasonable doubt, that we'll see it again in the very near future. This time, however, we saw a domestic example of this occurring, but more importantly, this was seen as an anomaly, so it was well-publicized. This was the first category five storm to hit New Orleans in decades and I think a lot of people that survived Betsey and were building the subsequent levees did not bank on the possibility of such an event happening, just like we thought it couldn't happen again in 1927. Apparently, if we choose to nothing at all, or at the very least, feign a caring attitude, we can save a ton of money. You can't lose any money at a casino if you never gamble.
As I was watching this for the first time years ago, I was surprised. Those were more naive times, however, and as I watched it again and again over the years, I became less and less surprised. Our country's sweep-it-under-the-rug attitude, combined with its penchant for screwing its citizens makes it a hotbed for corporate, or more precisely, capitalist, corruption. It is the economics of amnesia that allows them to sleep at night. It pays better. The United States has a very long and colorful history of doing the wrong thing in order to make billions and doing the wrong thing to save billions. Either way, the house always wins. Businesses took the lessons that the government had learned and adopted them into their policies. Where do you think the insurance companies learned it from? It became acceptable. Many Americans see the government as the ultimate source of conduct. They create laws, we follow them. They feed us information, we believe them.
When I saw interviews with people that were trying to file insurance claims, I knew exactly where they were. Navigating that world is one of the most helpless and frustrating experiences you'll ever experience. The insurance companies, though they have their commercials saying that they'll be there on a moment's notice, are a commercial business. Commercial, as in they intend to make a profit off of you. So what happens when you want to get money from them? Prepare for the fight of your life. Honestly, I feel badly for these people that got taken for a ride, because, in some ways, I got taken for a ride, too. Fortunately, I had the time and stamina to sit on a phone all day for over two months in order to get what my insurance policy promised. Insurance companies, just like other commercial businesses and governments, find it very economical to do the wrong thing as much as possible.
I found the whole thing a bit sickening every time I watch it, though. I just can't understand how some people can be so apathetic when they're paid or elected to respond to problems. Maybe I would understand if I came from that culture, controlled by money and the necessity for power. Maybe it is cheaper to sweep these people under the rug, but it gives me a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I think of the idea of somebody thinking that way. I really wish we could shy away from the idea of a cost-benefit analysis being needed to perform any action.

How to not get screwed by your insurance company: a primer.
1. Have documentation for everything. By documentation, I don't just mean receipts, but actual files containing information about your past equipment purchases. This will be immensely helpful if you have to file a claim. Receipts get lost and with them, invoice and order numbers. If you have these numbers written down somewhere else, they can typically be reprinted, thus giving you a proof of purchase. Also, as I found out when I was trying to recover a few lost receipts, it's very valuable to have your accounts attached to an e-mail that cannot be deleted. B&H's policy to recover passwords, and thusly, receipts, is to send your password to your e-mail. If you've changed service providers, or in many Comcast customers' cases, your service was taken over, your past e-mail addresses will be inaccessible. So they may have sent it to your e-mail, but your e-mail no longer exists. GMail is truely a godsend, sometimes.
2. Do not have your equipment insured under your homeowner's policy. I will repeat that, because this is important. Do not have your equipment insured under your homeowner's policy. Homeowner's insurance has limitations as to whether or not they will pay out. For example, if you're a photo student and you take a few jobs and you make some money, then you better make sure you got paid in cash and hide it under your mattress or else you'll be classed as a commercial owner...without a commercial policy. Thusly, your equipment will be either broken or stolen and it will likely stay that way, because your insurance company will not pay out, I can guarantee it. If you never take any jobs and you're too cheap to get real insurance, be prepared to furnish all of your bank records going back as far as five years as you will be audited as part of your settlement. Commercial policies also have the advantage of providing you with money for renting equipment while yours is being replaced.
3. Do not get bullied around. If somebody seems incompetent or doesn't seem to be doing anything for you, ask to be transfered to another adjuster or speak to their manager. If you don't do this, your claim will circle the department for months before anything happens. Go as far up the chain of command as you have to to get your way. If you need to, call them every single day to ask them what they are doing for you. Put them at your mercy instead you at theirs. Hopefully, they'll get so annoyed with you that they will settle your claim to save their sanity.
4. Have five copies of every single receipt, invoice, purchase order, etc. Divide these up into five files and put them five different locations, one of them being off site. One of these copies will go to the insurance company when you file a claim, and one will go to the insurance company when you buy the policy. If possible, get pictures of every piece of equipment and record the serial numbers. There is a reason why Canon sends out warranty cards with almost every piece of equipment. It's to cover your ass, not theirs. A lot of things have serial numbers, too, so write them down.
5. Have money saved up for mailing thing via Priority Mail. Insurance companies will not take anything via fax or e-mail. Snail mail will become your saving grace, but often times, insurance companies are located in different states and will take about a week to arrive, minimum. Priorty gets there in two days, maximum. Time is money and that time will keep your claim moving along and settled more quickly.

The happiest place on earth.

2008-09-08T22:31:00.007-05:00

This was shortly after the march began. Nick and I were way up front. Apparently there were over fifty thousand people in attendance.

This is, as you can see, right outside the Children's Museum.

This is a picture of those dreadful anarchists (not the ones we were following, however). They were rounding up dumpsters to tip over in intersections.

The white stuff you see on the ground is coagulated tear gas. The rags were soaked with something that neutralized them somehow.

Up front are the National Guard with the bean bag shotguns. Right behind them are the riot police. Apparently the batons are supposed to break on impact, making a loud crack, causing you to be deaf for the remainder of the day.

Read Music/Speak Spanish

2008-09-02T18:35:00.008-05:00

Though this is not at all directly related to the impending New Orleans trip, it is still photojournalism related.
Yesterday, Nick and I ventured into St. Paul to record the events relating to the march and resulting protest. Cameras in hand, we followed reports of property damage and tear gas assaults throughout the city. Eventually, we got dug in with the Black Bloc and Indymedia to cover the protesting more effectively. We photographed other photographers and entire news crews being arrested. We also heard from other embedded photographers that the police officers were confiscating cameras, not just film, from photographers covering the event. All the while, we were wondering whether or not it was legal, or for that matter, ethical. Nick and I both felt that we were targeted because we had the capability to record the events. I should make it clear at this point that we weren't on either side of the dispute and neither of us took any part of the protest. I should also say that greater than 95% of the police officers we talked to were very respectful and courteous. Whenever we asked them about something, they didn't hesitate to give us clear, concise answers. When they closed off streets, they were more than happy to give us alternative routes around the city. They were also very receptive to the idea of documenting all parts of the protest. There were however, police officers that were extremely disrespectful and couldn't separate the idea of the protester from the idea of an observer or documentarian. These police officers judged us incessantly and gave us very generic labels, to our face, that we didn't feel was necessary.
It wasn't long before we were in the middle of yet another tear gas assault, this time involving National Guard troops with bean bag shotguns. Nick and I observed medical crews, not hired by the organizers, but by the protesters themselves, help those who were effected by the tear gas, dehydration, and wounds sustained from the bean bag shotguns. It was clear the police wanted this to be the "final showdown" as I'm sure they were dehydrated and tired, just like we were. More and more riot police emerged from the curtain of tear gas. The police informed us that if we dispersed in the opposite direction, we would be able to leave. Neither Nick nor I believed them as we had seen this happen before at other protests. Eventually, myself and everybody else remotely close by were surrounded. Protesters, observers, and concert-goers, alike. Then we were informed that we were under arrest. The cameras kept rolling and the photographers kept photographing. Nick and I were arrested and detained, but eventually let go after they found out we, along with about 90% of the other people they arrested and detained, had not actually commited a crime.
On our way out of St. Paul, we walked by the Xcel Energy Center and discovered how much they had beefed up security since the protests began. The Xcel was completely surrounded by a 10 foot tall fence and all entrances and exits were guarded by armed National Guardsmen and sturdy crash barriers. I thought this was particularly interesting to see. When I got home, I was disappointed to see some photographers had introduced their opinions, rather heavily, into their photos and introduced their own short-sighted commentary. I thought I would take some time to clarify a few things right now.

1. If you stick a camera in the face of any 16-20 year old person, without their permission, at a political rally, please do not act surprised when they give the middle finger, or any other "obscene gesture". This is not ground-breaking.
2. Not everybody wearing black is an anarchist. It will be very clear when you encounter one. If you still can't figure it out, they'll be the ones wearing black and red and traveling in a very large group.
3. Bandanas at a political rally are not for concealing identity. When soaked in vinegar, they are used to filter out tear gas in the air. Believe it or not, some poeple don't want to cough up their lungs for an hour when police decide to really let themselves go.
4. The numbers written on peoples' arms are not for their hot date later that evening, but for their lawyer. They're written down on their arm so big so you can still see them after you get blasted in the face with pepper spray and your cell phone gets confiscated.
5. None of the protesters are going to kill you. They won't even maim you. If you walk up to them and treat them with respect, they'll be extremely nice to you in return. Personally, if you're too scared to talk to them, then you shouldn't be at the rally. As they say: if you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Those were just a few things that irritated me about the photographs that resulted from the protests. I suppose my griping originates from both Nick and I actually having a working knowledge of all the organizations that were present at the rally and actually talked to and interviewed many of the groups that had members arrested, then coming home to see people acting so foolishly about the whole situation. I believe that the situation was way overblown due to reporters and photographers having no idea what they're talking about. So when you read reports, take them with Dead Sea worth of salt.

"This could actually be a nasty storm."

2008-08-31T14:51:00.003-05:00

I meant to put some of this in my last post, but it was getting pretty lengthy, so I decided against it.

The first one is PBS Frontline: Hurricane Katrina. It offers a good history of the levee construction in addition to the history of FEMA, which I thought was pretty eye-opening. It's only an hour of your life and I think it's extremely worth it. You can find it here.

The second one is a blog written by a person that was holed up in a data center during the storm. It offers an alternative to reading news stories online and I found it really interesting when I was reading it three years ago. Also, during the storm, a webcam was running almost 24 hours a day to show the state of the city, unedited, before it was watered down by news organizations. You can find it here.

Also, as a side note: be nice to your local recording studio if you want to save lots of money on things like field recorders.

Mainliner

2008-08-26T19:51:00.006-05:00

On American Experience: New Orleans
I think I learned more about the history of New Orleans in two hours than I've known my entire life. Granted, I know a lot more of the current history of New Orleans, specifically the police corruption during the early 1990's when 60 police officers got charged with various felonies. Some of the history of the oil corruption in the Gulf Coast region, I had also been aware of, just like the oil corruption elsewhere. More recently, I've been very aware of the whole situation surrounding Hurricane Katrina, including, not surprisingly, more police corruption and another lesson in how the government manages disasters poorly.
I think the part that I found the most interesting is how the city was before the Jim Crow laws were enacted. Blacks and whites intermingled in a way that, even by today's standards, was remarkable. That was one thing that really impressed me, because as a city, it was decades before its time. When the city was forced to comply with Jim Crow Laws, however, a city that had been so open since the beginning was bastardized. As a result of that, I think we can attribute many of today's problems in New Orleans on racism within America, long after the city was founded.
After the Jim Crow laws were enacted, the blacks and white were separated from each other, resulting in the lower 9th ward being populated by black people. The lower 9th ward was also very susceptible to flooding, as it was, in many places 15 feet below sea level. The depressing part, in my opinion, is how quickly the city went from "anything goes" to "anything goes as long as blacks and whites are separate". After the Jim Crow laws were repealed, however, it seems very little progress was made to work past the color divide.
Even in more recent years, with Mayor Ray Nagin at the helm, it's clear that white people identify with him more than black people. In his 2002 election, Nagin received 85% of the white vote and 40% of the black vote. Less than half of the black people living in New Orleans identify with a black mayor, perhaps thinking of him as more of a white man with dark skin than a black man. This could have further fueled tensions between the administration and the people of the lower 9th ward, immediately following Katrina.
Additionally, the people of the lower 9th ward may have seen Nagin's defense of the black people as ingenuine due to the reasons described above, but also due to the fairly impotent response to the disaster. It's hard for me, as an outsider, to not understand why the people of the lower 9th ward thought they weren't a high priority, even though they were the most affected. Economically speaking, they probably weren't a top priority. If you want to crunch the hard numbers, the cost of repairs is probably more than they're ever going to make back in taxes or FEMA funding. Unfortunately, the people in charge don't see the intellectual and cultural value of the city as much as the residents that inhabit it.
How do you weigh the intellectual value of a group of human beings? And how does that balance out with their economic contributions? What are the moral implications of employing such cold, harsh equations? How do the interests of others, within the city, play into the decision? Would there be a different reaction if we were living in the times of a more free, less racist, New Orleans? Will any of us ever get answers to these questions?

On Shelby Lee Adams:
Appalachia is somewhat of an anomaly. It's a region of the United States that's characterized by its incredible poverty and its commitment to agricultural living. Within the entire region, approximately the size of the United Kingdom, there are only two major cities: Knoxville, TN and Pittsburgh, PA. Economic progress has been made in the region, but 108 counties within the region are considered to be beyond help, compared to 219 in 1960. A commitment to rural values has hampered attempts to bring industry to the region, both by the Appalachian Regional Commission and the federal government.
This film pulled me in a lot of different directions. I could understand the intentions of the photographer and I could understand why people might object. In the end, though, I couldn't decide who I agree with. There are certain values that I will never fully understand as an outsider and I believe anybody that claims to understand, fully, the gravity of all opinions presented in the film is not of sound mind. This would be the same if the people of Appalachia came to Minneapolis. The cultures don't necessarily intermix. Our capitalist, metropolitan society has much to learn about rural, agricultural life.
First, I had to acknowledge that Shelby has knowledge that I don't have and wasn't presented in the film. Therefore, I have to trust him as a higher authority. Additionally, I cannot look at the artwork produced by Adams with the same eyes as I look at a piece of art created within a capitalist, metropolitan environment. Many of the photos I saw were very human and were done very tastefully. Others, I found very strange and, sometimes, almost manipulative of their situation.
One thing I had to keep in mind, however, was that essentially all of these were tableuas, so Adams is taking a higher control of the situation than a documentary photographer typically would. This is especially evident with his choice to use a large format camera system, which I don't typically associate with taking spur-of-the-moment photos. Some also employed lighting, which is taking even more control of the situation and also taking more time for the photographic process. So I had to understand that all of these were very carefully setup. This, in my opinion, takes them out of the documentary photography world and into the fine art world. This basically nullifies any argument that these should be taken seriously as documentary photos. This work is merely an interpretation of how these people live.
So if they are an interpretations, then is he taking advantage of these people? Not necessarily. As long as the people being photographed and the viewer understand that it is a highly interpretive photo of these peoples' lives, then I think the "manipulation card" cannot be played. I think the disconnect is where he represents his work as a factual document. That's what really bothers me and others featured in the film. To simply name your book Appalachia is inviting viewers to believe this is an accurate representation of the region. Unless the creative process is thoroughly explained in the book or viewers of the book have seen the documentary, then I have to disagree with the work being produced, despite its inherent technical and creative qualities.
Don't lose faith on me now, though, I'm not damning his work. There are accurate events (you can't really fake a funeral) portrayed within his work and that's to his credit. However, the representation of those accurate events is where, I believe, the intention changed from portraying these events accurately and representing these events stylistically. Whether or not that is moral or immoral is up for debate. I'd love to hear what others think.

Topics:
1. How has the church taken over social services where FEMA and local government have fallen short?
2. How has the church contributed to the reconstruction efforts.
3. How has the closure and subsequent reopening of the streetcar lines affected transportation.
4. What is the public opinion of nursing homes and other care facilities following the death of several elderly during Katrina?
5. How have city facilities, such as hospitals, public works, etc. recovered
6. What is the public opinion of the police following Katrina?
7. What happened to the animals left behind during Katrina? How have local humane societies dealt with abandoned animals?
8. How are city officials dealing with abandoned homes? How is this inhibiting reconstruction efforts?
9. How have local restaurants recovered?
10. How has Katrina disrupted the local music scene?

The cat has gnawed its way out of the burlap sack.

2008-08-21T21:07:00.004-05:00

The cat is out of the bag, people!
I know I was able to hide it for a long time and I know a lot of people, including my closest peers, are going to be shocked (shocked!) about this little nugget of information that my academic director uncovered on Thursday.
I...am a cynic. I know some of you are devastated by this news, and frankly, I am too. I'm trying to cope with it and I hope all of you will help me through these dark and troubling times.
Moving on.
Another idea that had popped into my head was not only the idea of recorded interviews, but also the idea recording roundtable discussions with the rest of the NOLA team, both in state and possibly beforehand. The purpose of this would be to discuss the following topics:
1. What we had all been shooting that day.
2. The successes of the day.
3. The failures of the day.
4. New things we had learned.
5. Our general reactions of what we had experienced that day.
Of course, this would be open to everybody that wants to participate, provided the table is large enough. I personally believe that interviewing ourselves will be just as valuable as interviewing others. This will also document our changing opinions and ideas about what we are experiencing down there. If anybody is interested, I'd absolutely love to hear your input.

Don't call it a comeback.

2008-08-14T20:01:00.001-05:00

Hello, my name is Ryan and I'll be your blogger for the next few minutes.
I hail from the region known as the Western 'burbs and if you need more details than that, my "About Me" section, which will inevitably be renamed by the time you read this, will almost certainly inform you. At the end of high school, I was entirely convinced that I was going to be an electrical engineer, but then I discovered I actually had to "know things" (or so they told me) and decided to enter the mystical, magical world of photography. Seriously though, I don't regret the decision at all and I would absolutely do it again. Since then, I've been "doing stuff with the camera", as they say in a certain studio class, with varying degrees of success.

So what do I do with the camera, you might be thinking to yourself? Well, the current trends are as follows:
1. Square format. Let's face it, guys, all the cool kids are doing it.
2. Vivid blues and greens. This is starting to phase out the flat, 1960's sitcom coloration that dominated many of my now older projects.
3. Longer depth of field. I do still love taking pictures at f/1.4 and short depth of field is certainly something I still experiment with, but I think it's time to let f/4 and f/8 have their time to shine. After all, fair is fair.
4. Better lighting. With the acquisition of sturdier light stands and a few boom stands, my on location lighting has improved. I'm no lighting master, I'll admit, but as I gather some more goodies, changes will be made accordingly.
5. More post-production. A little bit can go a long way.

So now that you've got all these neato trends, what are you going to do with them? I've got some ideas pinballing around.
1. Bus drivers.
2. Document how the church is making efforts to rebuild in post-Katrina New Orleans.
3. Continuing the mutuality idea, pictured below. I realize it's a pretty naff photo, but I like it as a proof of concept. I'd very much like to have a very similar sort of set up with other willing couples. The mutual nature of relationships really intrigues me and I don't think I'll be able to settle it by simply waiting for the idea to float away.

4. Environmental pictures, such as the one below. I think I could certainly get better at them if I did more of them on a fairly regular basis.

5. Conduct more interviews while taking pictures. I've always wanted to go to New Orleans with some means of recording interviews and then putting them up here for readers to listen to. I definitely still want to do that, but I'm not sure how feasible it is.

This concludes the list-making portion of this particular blog post. On my other blog that I've been maintaing for nearly four years now, I always end with a transcription of the lyrics to a song that I've recently enjoyed. The formatting of this blog doesn't necessarily allow for that, so I'll have have to come up with some sort of fitting conclusion to each one of these blog postings. Suggestions?