MasculineCurves

Can you hit "6" please? ... Thank you.

1021 Euclid Avenue

It was a Saturday afternoon a couple weeks ago. About a quarter to one o'clock to be exact. I don't remember where I was going... I think to run an errand or something. All I remember is that I was a little short tempered for some reason. A reason most likely out of my control.

Good thing I never leave home without my cheap Nikon point and shoot. Because I can always find something worthy of a picture. Even when I'm stomping down Euclid Avenue, angry, and in a hurry to get somewhere.

Young hearts...Run free...

Industry. Charity. Faith. Hope.

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Cleveland, Ohio - Winter 2008

Public Transit: A Brief Photo Essay (Installment 1)

About two years ago I chose to give up my car due to the rising cost of gas and my desire to be more environmentally friendly. Many of my friends and coworkers thought I was crazy when I decided I would rely on trains and buses to get around. Some even expressed concern for my safety, thus demonstrating their "elitists" mentality. In Cleveland, for some reason, (sub)urban professionals judge your socio-economic status by the type of car you drive.

But for me, a person on the quest for life on the edge, the tenets of public transit are an irresistible environment full of intrigue. On these buses and trains, and all their stops and shelters, I'll occasionally encounter that guy who tells me his story in the click of the shutter. I don't know where he's going, and I don't know where he's been. All I know is that for a brief period of time we're both headed in the same direction -- living parallel lives.

photo essay continues after the jump

He belongs to the night

As day turns to dusk and the street lamps begin to flicker, these sidewalks are pounded by an invisible walk of life. He navigates the concrete maze with ferocious intensity, ducking in and out of alleyways, innocence stripped from his face, honesty drained from his soul. He's the one who deceives the naïve pedestrian and intimidates the urban sophisticate. His is the culture of night. It's a darkness that exists to intrigue my curiosity and defy my comprehension.

On occasion, he lets me get close enough to discover what it is that he wants, and exactly what it is that he needs. He hides in the doorway of an abandoned storefront and offers to sell me a chemical romance. He crosses the street to see if I might peddle a potion to feed his love. He approaches me in the bus shelter to offer himself up as the available merchandise. His essence is strangely charming under the cool blue glow of the moon. Yet his eyes are incredibly lonely and dark.

He takes on whatever persona he feels is necessary to make it through the next moment. He clings to a prayer that he’ll make it through the next hour. And he’s damned if he’s blessed to see the morning light, because he knows he must endure the survival of another night.

I always decline his promise of sweet deals and discounted prices. However, I often wonder if he'd let me walk alongside him so I can experience the ride. A carnival of instantaneous pleasure and insatiable misery. Could I emulate his style? Could I imitate his stride? His stance? Could I learn to speak his language and be able to use every unfamiliar word in the right context? Could I survive in his world long enough to gain his trust? Would he confide every joy, pain, and heartbreak? Recall those precious childhood memories that turned him into the shadowy man who mystifies me? Would he accept me as one of his own? Or would I be ousted as a fraud before I get the chance to tell his story with the compassion that exists in me?

No promises, no demands

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Cleveland, OH - Winter 2008

The Coffee Shop Flirt

Graffiti Door

Impressive Instant

He was there. I swear he was. And I was mesmerized by his face. I was captivated by his soul. His luminous presence was enticing, indeed. I knew he must be a part of my world, and I, a part of his. I blushed and lowered my eyes. But when I looked up to return the gaze of disclosure, he was gone. It was an impressive instant.

Universe is full of stars. Nothing out there looks the same. You're the one that I've been waiting for. I don't even know your name. --Madonna

The Lion and the Lamb

This is the urban landscape as I saw it on my walk home from work this evening. Would you believe it if I told you it was nearly 70 degrees just two days ago? Well, it was. They say March rolls in like a lion and out like a lamb. But really either one will roar its head during this unpredictable transition from winter to spring.

Corrosion

Cleveland, OH - March 2008

The object of my attention on a Sunday afternoon

He certainly wasn't the type of guy I expected to see walking the streets of this Midwestern ghost town on a Sunday afternoon. With his dark hair, olive-toned skin, and East Coast style, he was a picture of elite sophistication. And for a passing moment he was the object of my undivided attention. Who is that guy? Where is he from? Where is he going? I could only fantasize about the answers to those questions. His bags were packed and his stride was hurried. The obvious conclusion was he was headed in the direction of the rapid transit line where he would board a train destined for the airport. Only one thing was certain: he was gettin' the hell out of Dodge -- on a Sunday afternoon.

Levi's Ad

Cleveland, OH - Winter 2008

The Family Business

City of Night

Today I'm christening a new sub-category on the blog, "Point & Shoot". Yes, yesterday I purchased my first point and shoot digital camera, a Nikon CoolPix S51. Now many professional photographers wouldn't touch a point and shoot camera with a 10 foot pool. Good thing I don't consider myself a professional photographer.

I've been thinking about getting a point and shoot for a while now. And by taking a look at what some of my blog buddies are doing with their point and shoots, I'm absolutely convinced that there is an art form emerging with the compact consumer-friendly cameras.

The other night I was chatting  on line with Kit (of asian xhibit fame) and was amazed when he told me that he captures all of his images with a point and shoot. His work is truly gallery worthy (if you haven't visited asian xhibit yet, you have to check it out).

Then there's Matthew Rettenmund's iLOVESNEWYORK photo blog, which is shot entirely with his iPhone. This is a fun blog I look forward to checking out daily. He's certainly got an eye for capturing candid shots of hot guys and other artsy spectacles all over New York City. I liken the iPhone to being the new "Polaroid."

My main reason for picking up a point and shoot is that I needed something much lighter and much smaller for my Urban Landscape and Walks of Life series. For this work I often tend to wander into neighborhoods where it's perhaps not the best idea to be walking around with a $1200 digital SLR hanging around my neck. So I needed something that was cheap and inconspicuous. The CoolPix S51 retails for about $200 so if I, heaven forbid, get mugged at least it's not a huge loss. The other drawback to using the digital SLR for this type of what I call "social-journalistic-art" photography is that it's big and bulky, and people are most definitely aware of the camera and act differently in front of it. For the Walks of Life series I, of course, want to capture life as candidly as possible. The great thing about the CoolPix S51 is that it's literally the size of a credit card. The LCD screen on the back is the viewfinder so there is no need to hold the camera up to my eye, thus making it not-so-obvious that I'm taking a picture.

Needless to say, I will not be abandoning my Nikon D80. The digital SLR gives the photographer control over the image in a way that a point and shoot can't match. Obviously, the point and shoot won't come close in the area of crispness and clarity either. However, night photography is the one area where I think the point and shoot out performs the digital SLR. These cameras were made for consumers who don't know much about photography and just want to be able to take decent shots. Therefore manufacturers have incorporated image stability as a standard feature for even the cheapest of point and shoots.  If I want to go out at night with the digital SLR I have to drag a clumsy tripod along, which just isn't conducive of spontaneous image capture.

Speaking of spontaneous, one of the things I think I'll enjoy most about the CoolPix S51 is that due to it's compact size I plan on keeping it on me at all times. I'll be have it on me on my walk to work in the mornings, on my lunch hour, on my way home, on the bus, on the train - literally anywhere I go. Therefore, you can expect more pics posting to the blog more often. Oh, and did I mention that it has video capabilities too? Yes, it can record up to a half-hour of video (with sound) on a 1 gig memory card. How cool is that? Looks like MasculineCurves TV is coming soon!