Diana

Maternity shoot.

The Carnies 2008: Peephole

Were there any Gentle Viewers who didn't expect this EVENTUALLY?

On jenn see, dboo, and why you do what you do: The Living Photograph

Longtime Gentle Viewers may (or you will) remember a young photoblogger from Staten Island who called herself jenn see. She had a couple of project blogs Tourist of Everything and I Am Following My Fish, that she created with friends Mysfit and OldBen. She was also part of the WebPix project.

She passed away two years ago this month and I found recently that her blogs are still there, all of them, every last photo she posted. Except for the last posts which explains why there won't be anymore, they look like any other photoblog. A living testament to Jenn and her friends created by her. There can be no more fitting memorial to her than those. Go look.

The need to express ourselves, to create, to leave a mark that says 'I was here' is a primative drive. From the paleolithic cave paintings at Lascaux to dageurrotypes to digital imaging people have been saying "THIS is my world and THIS is how I experienced it and THIS is my record." Though maybe in not so many words.

But these living photographs, these records, this ability to share them is incredible. If Jenn took boxes of photos, they'd be tidied up and distributed to family members who might frame some, or box up the rest, but there they'd sit, not speaking for her.

Which brings me to dboo. dboo is the flickr name for a guy named Steve (the archivist) who is scanning and posting THOUSANDS images from his father in law, Nick DeWolf. Steve is turning these thousands of images, once more into the living photograph. He tells it much better than I can but that's the gist.

I'm thinking about this because I've recently lost some images and can only recall one other time that had happend and both times pain me so much that...well that I'm thinking about them and posting at 2am.

The Lensbaby Carny Portraits

Never Before, In The History of Fried Dough, Has There Been a Better Image Extolling Its...

...health benefits.

The Thing of the Moment's Cool Guy O' The Day

So I'm driving in the fairgrounds to collect another 10 Billion images for you Can't-Get-Enough-Of-Those-Carnie-Pics-Especially-Your-Brilliant-TtV Gentle Viewers and you normally just drive past the gate guy because they take the money inside and Jim, THIS gate guy says to me, 'I know you!' so I stop and ask how we know each other because I don't recognize him.

Which COULD mean I'd known him for years and simply hadn't seen him in the past 20 mins because of my increasingly poor memory.

Anyway, this sweet, gentle soul says: "No, I know you from your blog. I've seen it."

He had to butter my head to make it fit back in the car.

The Bungee Jump Operator!

Name to be inserted when I go back and get it. He's been in all my Carnie shoots. I can never remember it. It's something normal. Not like MY Carnie Name: "Hey Photographer!"

Yellow Casino

I knew I'd be able to use these for a yellow theme someplace. Thanks Dale!

Hang Around Anyplace Long Enough And Eventually They'll Take You In

The Fiesta Shows 2008 Carnie Badge.

Oh yeah.

I wanted 'your lowly and humble photographic servant' but they said it was too long

and stupid.

With this I get free admission to the fairgrounds. But no, I can't get you free rides.

They take it away for things like that. So stop asking!

Can't....Stop...TtVing....

Bangor Daily News Photographer Kevin Bennett and Taz the Lobsterman

Kevin is a total jkirlin-wanna-be, but then again, who among us ISN'T?

Here he can be seen muscleing in on my Carnies action.

The fact that he has the cover of 'it's his job' and the Bangor Daily News is covering the State Fire Marshall Inspection doesn't fool me one bit.

Some Days I Miss Sailing More Than Others.

A Day In The Life Of A Red Plug

Ok..it's just a red plug. But you have to admit, the rat bastard is BEAUTIFULLY photographed.

Is red positive? Negative?

It's a good thing I'm just photographing it.