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It seems strange to name your business in the present progressive tense. It's like they've been working on the same watch for a while.
Lebanon Rd. (U.S. 70) in Nashville, TN. Established 1934
Alice Pasquini - I'mperfect Tense
16 April - 28 May 2016
44309 Street Art Gallery
Rheinische Straße 16
Dortmund - Germany
info@44309streetartgallery.net
Best viewed as a set:
www.flickr.com/photos/thefuturetense/sets/72157628096623568/
Exhibition info:
www.art-agenda.com/shows/the-future-tense-presents-spectr...
(non-existant motion picture still)
Thanks to info from friends, Susie and I have discovered a new lunch/brunch spot in Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood.
Katie, pictured above, joined us for our Friday lunch outing. Bearing a bit of resemblance to both Elisabeth Shue and Parker Posey and sitting in the nice light from the rainy day outside, she was kind enough to tollerate a few snaps.
The Coca Café is a great place. The food and atmosphere are just right. Check it out for yourself. You won't be disappointed.
Gonz playing with the FC Sagres at Topaz Park in Victoria, BC. He started the game already a little injured, and finished the game early after a knee in the eye.
29 SEPT 13
I met up with some clients today about an engagement session at Starbucks. It was rough. Over the phone, the bride warned me that her fiancé was really not going to be a part of the consultation and that I should just focus any questions her way. First red flag. The second was when I arrived, the two were sitting inside and I went in and gave her a congratulatory hug, and then went to do the same to him, and nothing. It was like brick wall. No smile, no attempt to hug, no anything, so I kind of did this awkward recoil thing. He goes off to find us a table while we order and the bride is already apologizing for him…you know, it’s not you, it’s him, etc. We make it to the table, and I pull out my portfolio and start running through some questions. I show her a map of potential places to shoot, we’re talking fashion for the shoot, a rain plan, comfort levels, the works. I felt bad like we weren’t including him, so I lobbed a question in his direction. I got back cold…dead…eyes. I’m like breathing through a straw here. I mean, I get it, he’s not the most excitable person, but this is a shoot involving the TWO of them and an engagement session at that. So back to her it was, we discussed a few more things and then it came down to the specifics of time, date, clothing changes. I asked her if she wanted more than one look and how comfortable she was with the camera because I did a photoshoot for her, her first since she was a young kid, in New Orleans, and now its 2 years later and I wanted to see if she was less nervous and more comfortable with the camera.
Then I was like, how about you groom, how comfortable are you with a camera. He said, “well, I hate posing and I hate looking at the camera. I don’t get why people sit there and make you pose and then you’re sitting there like what the hell is taking so long to take the shot, and I get bored and frustrated. I don’t like cameras. I don’t mind being behind one, but I don’t like being in front.” My bride literally clenched her jaw up. Somewhere in the ride over, she must have had “the talk” with him, and apparently now he had ignored her directive to be nice or something. She gave me a small re-assuring smile which said, it’s not you…so I said, “as a photographer, I understand. Not everyone loves the camera. My job is not to waste your time or make you feel uncomfortable as I am working for you, not against you. If you have an aversion to posing and looking into the lens, that is fine. I will not force you to do either action. Engagement sessions aren’t about just getting those more formal looks. Sometimes it’s about the hands, a hug, a small glace, a look off to the side, that build up this idea of closeness and love between the two people.” When I said this, he seemed to relax his attitude just a bit. I continued, “I know this may sound a bit strange, but how about if we try a more voyeuristic approach to your session. Instead of me standing in front of you snapping away, just treat the session as a date between the two of you. Somewhere in there I will have to compromise and shoot a couple formals because that’s what your bride wants, but I do not have to be in your face to get the shots I need. Long lenses do wonders!” After that, he sort of nodded. I then asked if he was willing to change outfits, and the attitude was right back. “NO, I’m doing one outfit and that’s it. I’m not changing. I change and I’m done for the day.” Okayy…I mumbled. I asked if he minded if she changed and then this would allow him to just take a break from perhaps being “assaulted” by the camera during the shoot, and he didn’t really answer, just looked at the bride.
Lastly, since this was going so well…eesh, I said, not really wanting to ask this next bit if he was already so uncomfortable with the lens, I said, well, let me be frank, “engagement sessions typically involve PDA, or public displays of affection…kissing, hand holding, hugs, what have you. What is your comfort level with any of these. “ I really expected him to say I won’t do any of it, but surprisingly he said, he was absolutely fine with PDA. He even said, we are lucky to live in a country where such things are not outlawed. I think my eye brows went up to greet my hairline in surprise. The bride grinned a bit and you know, he actually cracked a smile for the first time in the entire hour long meeting!
So my plan is just to really focus on my bride and having any posed pictures involving her looking my way more so than him, because she has that bubbly bride energy which I love, and for him, to just take it easy, long glances looking away from the camera, focus on the more macro body parts…a touch, the rings, a side glance, an eye lash, and to make sure I worry more about his comfort level then hers which is usually the opposite. This is the first time I’ve had a client really sort of put up a protest. Most guys in the engagement sessions simply come along for the ride with a few, deliciously active and willing to really go for it and participate 100%…those are the best. I’m trying not to pre-judge here because long time ago, there was N who told me under no circumstance was she going to smile during her shoot and I had to talk her down from that ledge by saying…again, I’m not here to force you do to anything you don’t want to do, but I just want you to keep in mind that you’ve told me these pictures are strictly for your relatives whom I’m sure most likely want to see at least some pictures of your great smile (she had great teeth, so bad teeth wasn’t the issue), so if you would oblige me on the day with at least 3 smiling photos, I won’t prod any more. She showed up and it was like change of heart…she FORCED and I do mean forced herself to smile in 80% of her pictures without me even asking. I even told her, I’ve got the three shots, you don’t have to smile anymore but she kept doing it, and well, I wasn’t going to complain. To this day I still make fun of her wedding photo shoot taken with another photographer because there was not one photo of her smiling…when is the last time you saw a bride in a wedding dress not smile in any of her pictures or not want to. I think after seeing everyone’s reaction to what she thought were such great pictures of her, she was able to see what I was talking about, because after about 2 days, she stopped showing her pictures to anyone b/c everyone was so confused why she looked so darn angry. It wasn’t even model moody style posing, it was just frowny face. I felt like that photographer really did her such a disservice. I mean, it’s just like writing a story…you have to think about your audience which is why it’s important to ask who are these photos for or why do you want to have a photoshoot with me today b/c it helps manage expectations and set a tone.
Oh boy, adventures in photography…
2011/12/30 OPD arresting Occupy Oakland protesters
This winter day several actions were happening at the plaza (Oscar Grand Plaza). Some were holding a big peace banner, others doing a tree sitting, some conducting public speeches, etc. I remember the police starting to come down in several police cars and vans. The tension grow quiet scary. I was not sure what would happen, but for sure nothing good was being expected. The police was surrounding the plaza and I was noticing their attention was to the radio inserted on their ears. Soon after the cars and vans moved from 14th street to in the plaza, driving around the City Hall. When I arrived to the other side the police was already among the protesters and protesters complaining why they are being arrested. Some police faces were angry and can tell their desire to exploit their fury against protesters. About 9 protesters were arrested that day and from what I can see just for no particular reason that deserved them to be arrest. It was a very tense cold afternoon-evening. Winter 2011.
We are so proud to present our newest collaboration, three unique titles released with Future Tense Books!
Read more about this project here.