I’m a close, long-time friend of Ari’s and through her I know Evan, Sam Black, etc. and through them I stumbled across your Facebook, and then eventually here.

While waiting for my scene to render, I figured I’d drop a line on this and another entry.

I agree that sometimes night-life photographers are less than professional, and that more often than not, they’re just horny guys capitalizing on the substance induced lowered inhibitions of “artsy” girls.

But in the picture you posted in this entry and where you commented that the photographer was rude in not participating – I disagree. I think that the rise in availability of better equipment and technology has created for an “inflation” of people supposedly in an industry.

Everyone and their freakin’ mother calls themselves a photographer. It’s a little annoying.

But, I think if you trace photography – or any art in general – back to what it’s really about – you’ll remember that it’s about YOUR honest perspective. Speaking for myself, I am very shy in person (while sober) so interaction is something I’m just…anxious about. Interestingly enough, Ari enlisted me to be the videographer for Sam Black’s “MidSummer’s Night Party” two summers ago. While I never ended up doing anything with the footage (breaking one of your cardinal rules to be quick in uploading) the experience was amazing for me. The ACT of viewing people through a lens served me far better than the visual evidence could ever serve a future audience (I think.)

I remember capturing footage of a guy rolling balls just sticking his tongue out at a glowy-rotating object. I had to hang half my upper body off the loft using my legs to hold me up – when else would I have an excuse to do this except while holding a camcorder? And how else would I zoom in on little details without a camcorder?

I think photography for the sake of an audience is just prostitution, a wretched Capitalism-induced deformity. If it’s not an honest representation of your perspective, you’re cheating yourself and the people who may be like you. When I look at the photo you posted, I just see a guy who’s maybe a little too shy or a little too unsure of himself. His way of participating IS to just take pictures. Rudeness, aloofness, snobbery – they’re all just defense mechanisms, and why in of all cultures, the art culture does not seem to embrace these differences in personalities is beyond me.

But I’m a little weird and will probably end up joining the scores of poor, dead artists who refused to commercialize and starved to death as a result -___-.

On another note: thanks for pointing out VistaPrint! Getting business cards makes me feel pretentious, but I do need them.

I’m a close, long-time friend of Ari’s and through her I know Evan, Sam Black, etc. and through them I stumbled across your Facebook, and then eventually here.

While waiting for my scene to render, I figured I’d drop a line on this and another entry.

I agree that sometimes night-life photographers are less than professional, and that more often than not, they’re just horny guys capitalizing on the substance induced lowered inhibitions of “artsy” girls.

But in the picture you posted in this entry and where you commented that the photographer was rude in not participating – I disagree. I think that the rise in availability of better equipment and technology has created for an “inflation” of people supposedly in an industry.

Everyone and their freakin’ mother calls themselves a photographer. It’s a little annoying.

But, I think if you trace photography – or any art in general – back to what it’s really about – you’ll remember that it’s about YOUR honest perspective. Speaking for myself, I am very shy in person (while sober) so interaction is something I’m just…anxious about. Interestingly enough, Ari enlisted me to be the videographer for Sam Black’s “MidSummer’s Night Party” two summers ago. While I never ended up doing anything with the footage (breaking one of your cardinal rules to be quick in uploading) the experience was amazing for me. The ACT of viewing people through a lens served me far better than the visual evidence could ever serve a future audience (I think.)

I remember capturing footage of a guy rolling balls just sticking his tongue out at a glowy-rotating object. I had to hang half my upper body off the loft using my legs to hold me up – when else would I have an excuse to do this except while holding a camcorder? And how else would I zoom in on little details without a camcorder?

I think photography for the sake of an audience is just prostitution, a wretched Capitalism-induced deformity. If it’s not an honest representation of your perspective, you’re cheating yourself and the people who may be like you. When I look at the photo you posted, I just see a guy who’s maybe a little too shy or a little too unsure of himself. His way of participating IS to just take pictures. Rudeness, aloofness, snobbery – they’re all just defense mechanisms, and why in of all cultures, the art culture does not seem to embrace these differences in personalities is beyond me.

But I’m a little weird and will probably end up joining the scores of poor, dead artists who refused to commercialize and starved to death as a result -___-.

On another note: thanks for pointing out VistaPrint! Getting business cards makes me feel pretentious, but I do need them.