Topic of the Day

My last post called "Mosque Light" showed a quiet peaceful photo at the proposed site of the mosque that would be two blocks from ground zero. 

That shot was taken just 3 weeks ago. 

This was taken yesterday, there were groups of protesters and two camera crews there.  Also, it looks like there is now some new graffiti on the gates. 

In reality, it was a relatively quiet scene, but on the news it will be made more than it was. 

Same place, but now it's the Topic of the Day. 

Mosque Light

I picked up a new wide angle lens last month with which I've been experimenting.  It lets me envision new perspectives as I can be quite close to the subject and get much more into the photo. So, I've been taking some different kinds of shots.

I was walking up Park Place and saw an abandoned building with Corinthian columns that caught my eye.  It was a great subject to shoot with the wide angle.  The light was rather dramatic as it was nearing sundown.  I thought the state of decrepitude was interesting.  I waited as a few people walked by and liked the photo here the best. I titled it "Passing the Past" uploaded it to Flickr and was done with it. 

From all the press, I now know this very same building is the controversial location chosen for a Mosque to be built (it is two blocks from Ground Zero).  I know they chose not to give it landmark status.  It seems the building is 152 years old, but the argument to protect it for historical purposes was because it was hit by plane debris during the 9/11 event.  Of course, many other buildings are in this category. 

I couldn't find any reference to what the building was, outside of being a Burlington Coat Factory clothing store.  Personally, unless there is a story about it (other than it being old) I wouldn't think it's a landmark. But as a photographer, I think its kind of cool looking when the sun is setting and I wouldn't knock it down to be a Mosque or anything else.  I enjoy seeing connections with old time New York, and want as much of it preserved as possible even if it isn't technically a landmark. 

Stolen Soul

It was a somewhat rainy night and I was parked underneath one of my favorite overhangs taking a few photos. In particular, I was looking for colorful umbrellas to photograph. A few shots in this direction, a few in that direction.

Then a tall guy with darkish skin, braids and cargo shorts walked towards me from the direction I was shooting. "Did you take my picture?" I said, "You might have been in a picture I took but I wasn't taking a picture of you." "But did you take my picture? I'm just asking."

The guy wasn't on my radar, and I was rather annoyed being questioned like this. I rudely responded, "You really don't look interesting enough for me to want to take a picture of you". He said, "I'm a Native American, and want to make sure you didn't steal my soul".

Well, i can appreciate this but if he wanted to protect his soul, he was standing in a highly touristed area with many camera touting out-of-towners in the vicinity. He must have been walking up to people everywhere asking them if they took his picture. I told him, "I took two pictures in your direction." "Can I see the pictures?" I showed him, he was satisfied that his soul was intact and walked away. A little while later, I saw a subject that I wanted to shoot, but held back because he would have been in the shot. In reviewing the pictures I did take, however, I did notice him in the back of one of the shots. I just deleted the shot and his soul is now freed.

Here's more about the idea held by Native Americans that pictures taken of them steal their soul. I wonder if this notion is that anyone who's photographed loses his soul, or if it applies only to someone who is a Native American.

My Nishiki

Twenty eight years ago I hopped on a bicycle and rode it 4,000 miles around Europe.  It was a pivotal period of my life, not only for the travel and experience of seeing the many countries, but because my career became more focused after the three months sabbatical from work. 

I still have the bike and occasionally ride it, but mostly it sits in the back of the garage. It is a Nishiki model, which I now know is no longer produced. It's somewhat rusty, but still gives a decent ride. I've replaced the handlebars so I can sit more upright to protect a strained neck, but it is otherwise unchanged. 

When I was getting ready for the trip, I got a book called "Italian in 10 Minutes A Day".  The book came with a set of stickers with Italian words that you could fasten to an object so you would become familiar with its name.  So, you would put a sticker that said "tavolo" on a "table".  Remnants of the sticker that says "bicicletta" are still barely attached to the bicycle.  Just hanging by a thread, and unreadable, but I know what it says. 

There are racks above both the front and rear wheels which supported two sets of panniers to carry the 50 pound load on the trip. The photo to the right, shows it fully loaded as I was traveling along the Mediterranean coast in the south of France back then.

I carried the load over the Apennine mountains in Italy and the Alps in Switzerland. As I was going down a mountain pass in Austria, I put my head down and wanted to see how fast I could go.  A turn came a bit too quickly and I came within inches of going over the side.  I slowed down after that. 

The Avocat seat is rather worn now.  The black color is gone in spots.  It was never too comfortable but I didn't really have any problems with it.

Each country I stopped in, I bought a sticker as a souvenir that I had visited.  They line the tubes of the bike.  They are in the language of the nation, so Sweden is Sverge. Other countries stuck on there are Belgique, France, Lichtenstein, Italy, Schweitz, Österreich, Deutsch, Danmark, and the Nederland.  These stickers have passed the test of time.  They are in very good shape. 

A few years ago, I brought the old Nishiki into a shop for a tune up.  I thought they would be impressed with it.  But they weren't.  It was just another bike. A particularly old bike.  They said it was heavy, and I'm sure it is, compared to the bikes that are available now.  But, I don't need a new bike, and I don't want one.   I know this bike well. 

And, one thing that also remains the same is that, I am really really good at shifting its gears. 

Karl likes to drum

This is Karl.  By day, he is a computer programmer. He creatively works through problems and devises ingenious ways to handle routine issues.  He's helpful to others, and has programmed in the phrase, "Hope this helps" at the end of every email. 

Karl takes a collapsable bicycle on the Long Island Railroad train each day, and then bicycles downtown almost four miles from Penn Station garbed in a colorful outfit.  This even happens sometimes on rainy days and cold winter days. 

But, Karl has a different life as well.  He is also a musician and he also likes to drum. 

At lunch time some days, he goes to a position that he noticed on the steps of a building at One Liberty Plaza that overlooks the World Trade Center site.  There is a shelf that perfectly allows him to setup his drumpad and practice.  It is an interesting and public location to do this.  Surrounded by sightseeing tourists and security guards, there is Karl drumming.  Karl likes to drum.