Sorry to ignore my blog, but I worked 8 days straight last week through this past Friday.  Thurs we were at Industria until 10p, then had to be back for 6:30a for a shoot on Far Rockaway.  Also, last week, I sent in two grant applications, one for the Pulitzer Center and the other to Humble Arts.  The Pulitzer grant is a joint one with Adam.  We’d like to travel to Boracay in the Philippines and report on it’s growing environmental issues.  Boracay is the trophy beach of the Philippines with coral reefs and white sand beaches.

The other grant is for “Urban Prairies” - post-industrial cities that are struggling to find a new economy.  Places like Camden, NJ and Braddock, PA.  Check out my Camden posts here and here.  Also, my friend Shayla at the NYTimes produced this video on Braddock, PA.

But now I’m rested and getting back to the grind.

I’m so glad work is FINALLY picking up!

I feel a little better about having a slow shooting season this year…Annie’s got to pawn her negatives.

From today’s NYTimes.

That Old Master? It’s at the Pawnshop

Ok, Phase got back to me today and sorted my C1 v4.5.2 install problem (haven’t tried it yet though).

A friend and I saw the William Eggleston: Democratic Camera - Photographs and Video, 1961 - 2008 retrospective at the Whitney.

About the Exhibition
One of the most influential photographers of the last half-century, William Eggleston has defined the history of color photography. This exhibition is the artist’s first retrospective in the United States and includes both his color and black-and-white photographs as well as Stranded in Canton, the artist’s video work from the early 1970s. The exhibition will travel throughout the United States as well as to the Haus der Kunst in Munich following its New York presentation.

It was probably the second Eggleston show I’d seen since the one a couple years back at the Cheim & Read gallery.  To see all that work together, along with videos, is amazing and totally inspiring.  I’d totally like to go back and watch all the videos, including Stranded in Canton which he shot in 1973 with a Sony PortaPak.   I caught part of it during while viewing the show and it’s pretty funny seeing his crazy friends and interesting bar folk.  There’s also a scene where outside a club or business, a group of guys gather and bite the heads of chickens.  What?!?  One of the guys turns close-up to the camera, smiles and you can see left over chicken bits on his face.  And you see the headless chicken on the ground flapping away.  Eeew!

William Eggleston: Democratic Camera
Whitney Museum
whitney.org
November 7, 2008 - January 25, 2009

I love their work! Working within the constraints of glass globe (think snowglobe), Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz create tiny environments in the snow. It’s a snowglobe, pretty innocent no? At first glance their globes are, but looking closer they reveal a darker psychology - a business man hanged from a tree, people jumping off a cliff, being chased by a giant spider. Pretty cool!

Think Gallery VII opening night was great!  I was working that day, so showed up half hour late, but that’s okay.  It was great to see old friends and to have everyone come out and support.  I’ll post pictures as soon as I find my DS card reader.

And I began my goth series this afternoon.  I was supposed to shoot a couple people last week, but it didn’t work out.  One subject just never showed up and the other, we need to reschedule.  Initially, I was a bit bummed out, but I’m not shooting models and, unfortunately, I can’t pay.  So I suppose I’ve got to accept some people just flaking and just keep it moving forward.  Today worked out though!  This afternoon Cindy came over.  She’s an illustrator in the fashion industry.  I’ll post a sample image as soon as I edit.

I’ve also been searching for Latino goths.  Prior to shooting, I had brunch with Nina Malkin, a journalist and novelist.  Two years ago she penned an article for the NY Times about a group of Latino goths in the Bronx.  She’s been extremely helpful in pointing me in the right direction.

With one 2008 goal reach (having three shows), now I’ve got to bust my bum and get my book together.

My laptop is in the shop waiting for a diagnostic so I haven’t been able to write (I’m borrowing Adam’s laptop right now). Last week both my FW400 + 800 ports died! Annoying! Anyways, hopefully it will be back and fixed by this weekend.

Anyways…the group show I’m in, Think VII opens tonight @7p. Please come through!

Whoo!  What an amazing time it is!  I’m still excited about Obama being president-elect and feel really positive about the future.  I was on edge all day yesterday and couldn’t focus on work at all.  I suppose it was fear of an upset like 2004.   And a small part of me didn’t think that a person of color would be elected to the highest office in the land and the free world, at least not now.  Historic!  If Obama can rise from an unknown to president, then I can do anything as well.

Ok, that was just a brief digression.   Today I’m getting ready for a show opening next week and supposed to shoot a portrait.  It’s a group show and I’ll be featuring 6 images of quirky things found along the Pennsylvania highways.  The images are being sent to print today but ARGH, one of them doesn’t show up in my album (I use MPIX rather than my ancient epson 2200.  But I could use a 3800 - hint hint).  And I need to reorder business cards.

The portrait will be the beginning of a series on goths.  I’ve three people lined up, so if you know of anyone who might be interested, have them drop me a line - info@jocelynbaun.com

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Group show info (promo image not ready yet)

Think Gallery VII @ Think Coffee
248 Mercer St. (3rd & 4th Sts.), NYC
November 12th - December 14th
Opening Reception: Friday, November 14th, 7pm - 9pm
www.thinkgallery.com

This season started full-on.  Since last Tuesday, we’ve been working 7 days straight, even one day finishing at 1a only to come back to Milk 6.5 hours later.  I was supposed to work today as well but the last couple days I’ve been sick and yesterday became really ill.  Thank you Emergen-C and Berocca for getting me through the day!  As I’m writing this I’m lying on the couch have been for the last, oh, since I woke up.  Outside of the painful cough and shivering, the worst is that I can’t eat.  I have no taste anymore.  Yesterday I took a bite of what appeared to be a yummy, full of brown sugar and butter chocolate chip cookie.  Now, I’m obsessed with chocolate chip cookies and am very discerning about them.  Nice dark color (similar to the color of City Bakery’s), studded with chips, not too crispy.  I put a bit in my mouth as I walked back to set and NOTHING.  I stopped in my tracks.  No sugar.  No butter flavor.  Just a gritty texture of what I assumed to be the sugar.  And it was downhill from there.  Hopefully I’m better tomorrow since I’m starting another week stretch.  Can’t complain though, I’d rather be swamped and all work is good, especially in this economy.

On Thursday I’ll have two photos in an auction benefitting the Obama/Biden campaign.  If you can, please do attend.

Cocktail Reception and Photography Benefit Auction
A fundraiser for the Obama/Biden campaign

Thursday, October 16th
Rogue Space
508 West 26th Street, Studio 9E
6pm-9pm
http://chelseagalleryspace.com

My friend Melanie closed up her shop, Ai Ai Gasa, a month ago to travel with her pop-up shop. The shop is actually going to be a converted SVO (Straight Vegetable Oil) bus - yep, that’s right. It will feature recycled umbrella clothing, her art and cute jewelry. To stay updated, check her blog and the Ai Ai Gasa site.