Bruce Gilden: street photography

It's hard to see where you can pick up on street photography. What is it exactly and who takes "street" photos? We're not just talking about friends taking photos of us on the streets on a dark drunken night, or the endless array of graffiti art photography you can always find on flickr or on the Wooster Collective. Weegee (photographer in the late 30s/early 40s known for his stark black and white street photography) is a good start, but Bruce Gilden is a perfect example for our modern day world.















Bruce Gilden was a student at Penn State studying sociology when he saw Michelangelo Antonioni's movie "Blowup" in 1968. He purchased his first camera and started taking night classes in photography at SVA. Fascinated with people on the street, they became the main subjects in his photos. He's published books of his photos on NYC, Coney Island, Haiti, prostitutes, mobsters, the homeless, bike gangs, and yes, the fashion industry in the 90s. His method of taking an image is using flash and getting right up close to the subject. Even closer the older he gets. He is currently repped by Magnum.

It's Balmainia 2009!

Consider this before wearing Balmain:
1. You cannot sit in the subway. Your fake shoulders will take up seating.
2. Wear a beret and you end up looking like Zorro.
3. If you already have naturally defined shoulders (HUGE), refrain. Restraint.
4. IMAGINE A HIPSTER WEARING BALMAIN IN THE STREETS. DIE DIE DIE.

I COVET OPENING CEREMONY LATTICE WEDGES

Simon Evans: Island Time

Hello and happy weekend. This newly minted SFer had a lovely, albeit, very EARLY start of the day at the farmer's market at the Ferry Building with a cup of Bluepoint coffee and a steaming plate of chilaquiles. I wish I had taken a photo of the day it was so beautiful and fresh but I am sure my fellow NYers had their fair share of beautiful weather today. Congrats! Welcome to springtime ;)

Simon Evans currently has a show running at the James Cohan Gallery in NYC till April titled "Island Time." He is one of my favorite artists, a true visual explorer and charter of being a human being. I am a big fan of counting, charting, laundry lists, and colorful pie-wheel charts and though I've never considering purging my neurosis, concerns, wishes, and city survival items in these mediums - this is the focus of Simon's exhibition, a homage to Robinson Crusoe and the state of being "shipwrecked." My favorite pieces are "Everything I Have" and "Home Country."

Glynis Arban

I'm on a role with these posts so I'll just go with it!
Glynis Arban how do I love thee. If ever I was to pronounce a les-crush to the public it would be for Glynis. Beautiful, young, blonde, FRESH photographer blood. I was caught off guard with the SS 09 show package she shot for Marilyn. Words cannot describe the first sight of Erin Heatherton fanning her dress like a natural extension or Dasha emerging from the wall in a plastic blue dress. Ethereal, pastereal, and strong. It was by far the perfect show package I had seen last year.

And now what is she up to? I am not sure but a glance at her most recent work only supports how focused and strong of a photographer she is. I'm not sure if it has to do with the fact that she is self-taught, or that she's never assisted, or she's young which I would consider to be triple threats AGAINST advancement but as long as she stays away from the ubiquitous soft filters she will be alright.

Glen Luchford

I think one of the most exciting fashion campaigns to come out for Spring/Summer 09 is Costume National shot by Glen Luchford. Not only is the casting of Cole and Natasa V so dead on, but the style and feel is new for the label which is such a great thing to see for the season.

Deep, dark, expressive, cinematic, and provocative are definitely descriptive of Glen's work. Born and currently based in the U.K., Glen got his start in the fashion world at the early age of 24. He has shot for i-D, The Face, Arena, Vogue Homme, Interview, and more recently for Harper's Bazaar and Italian Vogue. I consider him to be a great artist who understands movement especially in a controlled environment. A literal example is the Stella McCartney/Adidas campaign he did for 2005 where he shot models, not athletes. He is most famous for his Prada Spring/Summer 1997 and 1998 campaigns with Amber Valetta and Kate Moss. He is currently repped by Art+Commerce and D+V.

February 2009: My move to the Best Coast

It's official. I am currently located in San Francisco. My new zip code is 94117 and I am pretty happy with that. Yesterday, in a coffee shop in the Mission, me and an old college buddy began discussing the creation of my online presence and so here's the start of it. Suggestions of Twitter and Aardvark and this, that, here, there, etc., began to overwhelm me. I'll take this relationship with the online world one small step at a time and so here's my BLOG. Why whiskey and photo? My old pal also informed me that everyone in the Bay area happens to have at least one obsession - something they know everything about and I think this is very true. In the two weeks I have been here I have met lots of people. People obsessed with bikes but not just regular bicycles but fixed gear bikes. I met someone obsessed with beer. Not just any bodega beer, I mean professional home brewed beer and beer with character and triple caramel flavors and what have you not. I met a person obsessed with cycling. Not bikes. Just the act of biking, in bike shorts, and padding, and serious training bike runs. Also, there are those obsessed with coffee. The act of making coffee - the temperature of the boiled water, properly measured ounces, properly measured grinds, and coffee filters make all the difference in the world. After spending a week living with these folks I couldn't agree more. So what will my obsession be? Well, for starters, it has to be photography. The act of image making, producing, and buying is something I want to be an expert in. And whiskey? I just like Jameson and figured I should learn that there are other whiskeys on the market that I can get into.

Oh. And the 2.7? Just a homage to fashion designer Philip Lim whose label 3.1 Philip Lim is dedicated to the age his world turned upside down and right side up. In 2004, at the age 31, Philip started his own label in NYC. So hopefully the year of 2009, at the age of 27, is where I can shake things up for real.