My Snaps

New blog address

2009-07-12T23:27:00.000-07:00

Please visit my blog now at:

http://johnnelsonphotographer.com/blog/

Fair Color

2009-06-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Back down in San Diego for a few days covering the San Diego County Fair. Last day is July 5th.

Robert Frank

2009-06-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

PHOTOGRAPHER:Robert Frank San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
A contact sheet of some of Robert Frank's 1955 photographs includes his shot of riders on a segregated New Orleans trolley, second row from top, far right.

Nice blurb in the Los Angeles Times about photographer Robert Frank's exhibit. The exhibit, at the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco, celebrates the 50th anniversary of his book "The Americans."

Frank's work was panned at the time. Part of the criticism had to do with his style. He broke the rules: he blurred images, did some strange cropping, shot in low-light situations. Popular Photography magazine described, at the time, the work as "meaningless blur, grain, muddy exposures, drunken horizons and general sloppiness."

With time Frank's work came to be recognized as a masterpiece, and has influenced generations of photographers. (This is a mixed blessing, as more often than not a blurry muddy photograph is just a blurry, muddy picture).

The S.F. exhibit includes lots of contact sheets and work prints. Looking at the contact sheets gives a glimpse into the mind of the photographer. On the proofs you see the the iconic image (often circled with a grease pencil) -- but you also see the images that were taken just before and after the 'iconic' moment. You can see how Frank worked the situation.

You can also start to understand the editing process: It's mind boggling to realize that Frank made more than 27,000 exposures as he crisscrossed the US in 1955, of which 83 made it into the book. One might argue that the editing process is more important than the actual photography. It's certainly more grueling, time-consuming, and above all crucial to the success of the body of work.

That's not to undervalue the importance of a good eye in shooting: Frank's 27,000 images were on film. In this age of digital photography it's possible to make 27,000 captures in a very short time. But even if those images are tack sharp, perfectly exposed with no grain, I'm pretty sure it'd be impossible to find 83 images worth looking at.

Impromptu

2009-06-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

Invited to a small gathering with some friends in Venice Beach on a holiday weekend. The family of four decided to walk along the boardwalk and to the beach. I tagged along, one camera, one lens, one roll of delta 3200 black and white film. Impromptu family session. Gritty, grainy, fun.

Flipped

2009-06-13T23:50:00.000-07:00

When a couple or more photographers get together you can be relatively sure that photos of each other will be taken. Not just of each other but of each other taking the photo of the other. Why? Because that’s what we do. Because we’re insecure and we like to hide behind our cameras. Because, like you, we’re uncomfortable when someone points a camera at us. So we duck behind our cameras and fire back. Plus, it’s our way of flipping the other photographer off. Photographer Daniel Milnor photographed photographing me with his Flip.

Happy

2009-06-03T18:21:00.001-07:00

Venice Beach, CA

Whatever

2009-05-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

I met up with Leonard at a bus stop here in Pasadena. He was headed east.

Thought interrupted: “Oh man, there goes the 31 bus.”

Great for me, bad for Leonard. I get to make a few pictures. He is a captive subject. So he tells me this story about his tattoos: Once I get to the tat store, the guy asks, “you know what you want?” and I say, “whatever.”

Talkin

2009-05-20T23:05:00.000-07:00

There are many benefits to riding a bike for transportation. There are the obvious things that I won’t mention. So here’s something not as obvious: You can hear people talking. I’m traveling at my usual s-l-o-w pace and I see a guy walking on the sidewalk. He looks at me and I look at him and wave (that would be another benefit of riding a bike. Establishing eye contact, waving and nodding hello are not that uncommon). Then he says “hey you look just like Robert De Niro.” I laughed, smiled and coasted along. Then about a block later I came back with this line. “You talkin to me?”

I am s-l-o-w.

From the Wings

2009-05-16T23:37:00.000-07:00

A scene from the wings of the Spring Dance Concert.

Dance Performance

2009-05-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

Trudl Zipper Dance Institute - Spring Concert
Aratani Japan America Theater in downtown Los Angeles
Saturday, May 16 7:00 PM and Sunday, May 17 3 PM
Admission: Free

8 Piece

2009-04-30T08:33:00.001-07:00

Los Angeles, Ca., 2005

Winston Byrd

2009-04-19T23:11:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I feel someone let me in on a very cool secret. That’s how I felt tonight when I went to see jazz trumpeter Winston Byrd and his Jazz Orchestra “blow the top” off Jerry’s Flying Fox in the Crenshaw district. There are all these (about 16) incredible jazz musicians in this funky little jazz lounge. I could practically pat Winston on his back as he was conducting the orchestra. Great jazz!

Grey

2009-04-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

Ruta's new dress.

Please Turn Off All Cell Phones

2009-04-07T21:55:00.001-07:00

Recital. The Colburn School of Performing Arts.

Vapid Hollywood

2009-04-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

Spring is in the air even here in the southland.

Those Eyes

2009-03-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

You may have seen this little one before. But this shot didn't make my website (yet). I was out waiting at the bus stop (I enjoy using public transportation when possible) when one of my clients spotted me. Turns out my bus stop is located at the same place Alexandra goes to school. I got this email from mom a short time later: "Alexandra seems to think of you often too since she is convinced we should ALWAYS see you at the bus stop :)". Now this may not seem like such a big deal to you parents but I don't have kids of my own so it really warms my heart that little ones remember me... and seem to look forward to seeing me at the bus stop.

I also like that mom liked this unsmiling photo. Sure there were plenty of Alexandra smiling and laughing. But how can you argue with those eyes?

Stormy Weather

2009-03-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

Del Mar, California 2008

Paradise Found

2009-03-18T11:40:00.001-07:00

Hollywood

2009-03-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

I love our overcast days in SoCal.

Rain

2009-03-05T21:19:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it rains in LA.

Palm

2009-02-28T17:04:00.000-08:00

Palm trees.... I just don't get it.

Neighbors

2009-02-23T22:34:00.000-08:00

Cynthia (right) and Terry have been neighbors in Pasadena since Terry moved in next door in 1987. And it’s not unusual to find them chatting in their front yards.
Thought interrupted:
"My gardener had just lost his mother” that’s what I was telling Cynthia before you walked up.

Cynthia: My two kids are back home. I love to cook. It gives me pleasure.

Terry works as an entomologist.
Terry: “My favorite thing is mud. My license plate is ‘Baumud’”

Strange Sights

2009-02-15T14:30:00.000-08:00

You see the strangest things in LA. I mean, a bicycle in Los Angeles?

Banned

2009-02-05T18:54:00.001-08:00

I enjoy photographing writers. More accurately, I love listening to writers as they discuss their work and their lives… and then I occasionally snap a photograph or two after the interview. This is a portrait of Rudolfo Anaya, a Mexican American writer from New Mexico. He writes both fiction and nonfiction and has written many books for children. Yesterday he was part of a story in the Los Angeles Times. His novel “Bless me, Ultima” was recently banned from Orestimba High School’s required reading list in Stanislaus County, California. A parent complained that among other things the book’s theme would “undermine the conservative family values in our homes” and that it was “anti-Catholic.” Never mind that the book has been part of the school's curriculum for more than a decade. Other interesting points from the Los Angeles Times’ article: The book is a critically acclaimed piece of literature, is required reading in many English courses and was spotlighted on former First Lady Laura Bush’s must-read list.

There’s plenty of discussion going on various forums on the internet including at the site of the American Library Association, host of the “Banned Books Week.” But I will just say that I find it sadly interesting that books like “Bless me, Ultima” are banned while the mindless drivel that is on TV every night goes on.

The portrait session with Mr Anaya was short, probably about five minutes, and came at the end of a 45-minute interview. I set a chair in the middle of a long hallway near a bank of windows and made several standard mug shots with Mr. Anaya looking directly into the lens. I sometimes fiddle with my camera gear in the middle of a session to give myself a few seconds to think about what I might be able to do that would be different. When I glanced back up, Mr. Anaya was staring out of the window. I quickly brought the camera up and squeezed off a frame and captured the writer as I remembered him -- a warm, quiet and thoughtful gentleman.

A month or so after the session I received a package in the mail containing a copy of "Bless me, Ultima" inscribed with a note of thanks and signed by the author.

Side note/shameless plug: Late last year, the University of Oklahoma Press requested permission to use this photo on the cover of a book of essays by Rudolfo Anaya. I feel it a great compliment that Mr. Anaya liked the photograph enough to consider it for the cover of one of his books. You can find it here.

Show

2009-01-30T11:40:00.000-08:00

I'm pleased to announce that two of my photographs will be part of a group show at the Perfect Exposure Gallery in Los Angeles. I'm honored to be part of the show, which includes Eli Reed of the legendary Magnum Photo Agency, Pulitzer Prize winning war photographer Nick Ut, Antonin Kratochvil of the VII photo agency and several other photographers.

I'm traveling right now and don't have access to the photos to be able to post them, so to see them....you'll have to go to the show. (It runs January 29 to March 12.)

Woman in Hat

2009-01-28T07:48:00.000-08:00

Grain is Good

2009-01-25T16:25:00.000-08:00

“It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out; it's the grain of sand in your shoe.”
Rodan of Alexandria

Two from Santa Cruz, Ca.

Woman in Hat

2009-01-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

Everlasting

2009-01-15T22:23:00.000-08:00

True love vs Nature.

Anna

2008-12-29T22:23:00.000-08:00

I almost always shoot on location. But I still like the controlled environment of the studio every now and then. The backdrops, the big banks of lights....or just the beautiful light that comes in through the windows.

What's your story?

“My friends say I take myself seriously....I may look organized and calm” but “I’m really zany, I have a lot of energy” I take after my mom who “…is an eccentric, free-spirit dedicated to her art.”

Anna is a voice-over artist and starting her own voice-over business in Los Angeles.

“I love technology. I’m an inner-geek”

Suki Ann 2

2008-12-12T22:02:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I posted pictures of the newly born Suki Ann. Continuing the documentary of Suki's 1st year are these photographs of her at three months old.

Paul and the Cello

2008-12-05T00:09:00.000-08:00

What's your story?

"I was visiting my aunts in LA, trying to escape the East Coast and feel sunny again. Most things I left in Maryland, but I took with me music. While we rented a cello out in LA, there was continuity to continuing to play.
Right now, I study music and religion in school, but whether or not I'll be working with either one directly, not sure just yet. In the meantime, on hot afternoons in So Cal, it's nice to play the cello and watch people walk by.
Study at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania."

Eugene

2008-12-02T17:29:00.000-08:00

About 17 years go I adopted two cats. I’m not sure what I was thinking. I wasn’t particularly a cat person, I wasn’t even a pet person. I was mostly an irresponsible person. But a fellow photographer’s cat had kittens and so I picked out two. Two brothers. I’m not sure why I picked those two. Maybe it was because I’m a big black and white guy and the two boys were mostly shades of grey (and sepia). I didn't realize it at the time but they would become the constants in my life. My personal life would change, my professional life would change. I would change addresses (several times) and even cities. But they were always there, they would even come running to the door when i came home at whatever hour. I got two cats because I figured they would keep each other company (one of the few responsible things I did) when I wasn't home. Not too infrequently I would work a very long day and I was somewhat comforted knowing that they had each other. A vet commented that they would be buddies for a long time. And they were, to each other and to me. Eugene, the long-haired grey cat with the regal white mane had to be put down yesterday. We’re all going to miss him.

What's Your Story?

2008-11-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

I had set up a photo studio in the dance studio of the Colburn Dance Institute which is located in Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles. I was waiting for the arrival of a couple of dancers when Atsuko sort of shuffled by. She was on her way home after a class where she was studying the Japanese Tea ceremony. She was wearing a beautiful kimono and she graciously agreed to be photographed. During the course of this little impromptu session she told me that when she was first learning to put on the kimono properly it took her over two hours just to tie the obi (sash). Now that she’s had practice, it only takes her 30 minutes. And in her own words:

“I am happy that I was able to share with people about a part of my culture through the Kimono….The kimono strikes body movement, and I have to watch my movement, but I believe it brings a beauty of the Kimono....

Anyway, I am happy that people can enjoy the Kimono, too.”

History

2008-11-04T23:57:00.000-08:00

These photographs were taken in an area of Los Angeles that is often referred to as south central, in a little restaurant bar called The Town House. Another historic event happened not too far from here, one of the worst race riots in the history of the United States. But on this particular night, the scene was not unlike a baptist revival. I'm pretty sure there were people in this room that never believed that they would live to see the day that an African American would be elected president. Margaret Bush-Ware (the woman wearing the bracelets with her hands in front of her face), as an 11-year old girl, woke one morning to see a cross burning in the front yard of her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This night the tears were of unbridled joy. Of all the places I could have been on this night, I think this was nearly perfect.

43 Minutes

2008-10-29T22:41:00.000-07:00

Some days I'm stuck behind my computer....actually that would be: often, I'm stuck behind my computer. Even when I shoot film, the film eventually is scanned and I have to work on the images on the computer. I'm basically doing what I used to do in the darkroom. Only now it's rare that I ruin my shirts. I'm not much for wild photoshop techniques, but I do spend a lot of time dodging, burning and working on the tones in the print. After a portrait session, I'll spend hours editing and working on the images until....until I can't stand it any longer! And I have to get out. These images were taken at the end of a long day indoors. I went out for walk. Out the driveway turn right, half a block turn right, snap a couple frames, a few more blocks, turn right...followed by a couple more rights. And 43 minutes later I'm back in my driveway.

Postcards

2008-10-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots from a recent trip to Santa Cruz where I was visiting my mom and sisters. Postcards or rather, quick sketches, something to help me remember.

Suki Ann

2008-10-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

A while back I posted a few maternity pictures of Nobi. Well, Suki Ann was born just three days after that shoot. And these photographs were taken four weeks later.

L'Absurd

2008-09-30T22:38:00.000-07:00

Sisyphus meets the stairs.

Beads, Beads, Beads

2008-09-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

No, these are not beads. I did shoot this picture in the parking lot of a bead store. Took about 2 seconds. Get out of car, lift camera, focus, press shutter. Is this an earth shattering picture? No. Is it one of my favorites? No, not by a long shot. I just think it’s amazing what you can find 6 inches from the tops of your shoes.

Here’s a question I’ve been contemplating for about 15 years, ever since I saw a store in San Diego called, “Beads, Beads, Beads”: how does a store that only sells beads stay in business? Well, it’s obvious now: beads are beautiful and lots of people buy beads.

What's Your Story?

2008-09-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

Pianist Michael Roberts was born in Sussex, England and started playing the piano when he was four. Later he became an accompanist for the Royal Ballet School in London. Today Michael’s home is Pasadena, California. He is the faculty and music coordinator for the Colburn Dance Institute in downtown Los Angeles as well as a faculty member of the American Ballet Theater summer intensives. There are several albums of his original compositions for dance and his music was featured in the documentary film, “Divertissements. Every Day Dancers”

Sepulveda Basin 2

2008-09-04T23:43:00.000-07:00

A few more from the Sepulveda Basin.

Sepulveda Basin

2008-09-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

LA River revisited. As you can see on the side rail of this blog is a book of my photographs of the Los Angeles River. Here are a few more excerpts from the book. These were shot in the Sepulveda Basin, upstream of Balboa. This is another area of the river that has a soft bottom and there are plenty of birds, like these Turkey vultures.

What's Your Story?

2008-08-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

As I was on another walk in my neighborhood I passed a gentleman who greeted me with a big smile and friendly "Buenas dias". Without thinking I responded with a Buenos dias back and we took steps in opposite directions. I stopped and shouted back "wait wait"...and here, between my bad spanish and Roberto's broken english, we pieced together Roberto's story: Roberto was trained as a welder but is currently unemployed and is working as a day laborer. As I worked, he seemed very interested in my old mamiya twin lens reflex and he seemed to understand my little project. As we chatted he finally confessed that he was an artist. That his passion was painting and that he loved to paint large canvases. Since he was out of work he wasn't able to buy supplies for his art but he hoped that soon he would be back at the canvas.

Surrealists

2008-08-05T23:26:00.000-07:00

I’m quite fortunate that I live in a town that is home to one of the finest museums in the country. I wanted to see Maillol’s Miniatures and Marcel Duchamp Redux at the Norton Simon Museum. The museum often offers live concerts (what more can one ask for?). Violinist Armen Anassian, cellist Garik Terzian and flautist Salpy Kerkonian performed works by Satie, Ravel and Debussy to celebrate the Duchamp exhibit. The music was beautiful and at times intense. I glanced to my left and noticed that just about everyone in the hall was riveted by the performance.

Maternity and Remodeling

2008-08-03T23:24:00.000-07:00

As I walked up to the house I could hear the power tools, I could see the dust and debris and I could hear this really loud ranchero music...oh and it was about 100 degrees out.

Maternity and a complete remodel? Nesting instinct gone awry? I don't know.

I do know that contrary to what you might assume, Nobi was calm, peaceful and, of course, beautiful.

Dark Knight

2008-07-31T22:19:00.000-07:00

Mozart

2008-07-28T23:55:00.000-07:00

“I pay no attention whatever to anybody's praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings.”
-- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Observer Observed

2008-07-27T23:45:00.000-07:00

Shara

2008-07-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

The return of Cafe Girl.

Path

2008-07-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

I live in a lovely neighborhood in Pasadena. Majestic Oaks line the street their canopies shading the path.

Eagles

2008-07-20T22:08:00.001-07:00

Semara

2008-07-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

I'm on the phone with one of my new clients and in the background I hear a tiny voice: "we want to see the pictures." Or something to that effect. Normally I would not capitulate to such a plaintive request...but hey it's Bastille Day (just wanted to throw that in there for all you Francophiles.) This was obviously shot slightly before the fourth of July.

Grace

2008-07-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

I've photographed Grace a couple of times so here are a few more from the sessions.

You may have seen a couple of pictures of Grace on my website.

Tools

2008-07-11T15:33:00.001-07:00

Some tools of the trade. Leica M4-2, 35mm f1.4.

What's Your Story?

2008-07-07T23:11:00.000-07:00

I was walking my neighborhood when I spotted James. He had just finished a 5 mile run in the evening. The temperature during the day was over 100 degrees and it was still hot out.

Thought Interrupted: “I was wondering if this woman I met online had left a message.”

-James Bergstrom, designer/drafter for an engineering and consulting firm.

“My story is I am a single guy trying to find my place in the world and figure out what my calling is…and trying to have some fun along the way.”

DOT

2008-06-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

Department of Transportation, downtown Los Angeles.

Convergence

2008-06-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

I'm walking in downtown LA at 7pm, making my way through Pershing Square. The light is soft. I see an elderly Asian man stopped, hunched over a couple of bags. I snap a picture. I wait a moment and snap another picture, He seems to be stooped over there for an unusually long time, time enough for me to walk closer and snap another frame. Finally he straightens and he motions to passersby. Some slow but don’t seem to understand what he wants. I approach him and ask. He stretches his hand out to me and shows me that in his palm is some change: a couple quarters, a nickel, dimes maybe a few pennies. He motions to a figure lying at the edge of the sidewalk, at the corner of the square, in a fetal position. “You want me to give him this money?” I ask. “Yes, yes, give him this money” he says. I take the change from the old man and take it to the man lying on the sidewalk. For some reason I’m anxious. I start to place the money next to the sleeping man and despite my efforts to be quiet and not wake him, he stirs. “what do you want?” he asks. “The man over there wants to give you this money,” I reply, “I’ll just put it here next to you”. “Okay," he says. I turn to the Asian man and start to walk toward him, he smiles broadly. He picks up his bags and begins to shuffle off down Olive street and I stand at the corner waiting to walk up 5th. As I glance back at the figure, I see him in one sweep of his arm scattering the change across the sidewalk and into the street. I look toward the the old Asian man, he is too far away to hear or notice. I start toward him looking as the money rolls into the street but then I turn back to 5th and continue on my way.

Cafe Portrait

2008-06-20T23:48:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite activities is hanging out in a cafe having a coffee and maybe a smackerel of something. Well there are some great smackerels at Sumi Chang's Europane here in Pasadena. I was waiting for my egg salad sandwich (not your usual egg salad sandwich) when next to me sits this little girl with this fantastic little cap. Since I always have a camera with me, I asked mom if I could shoot a quick portrait. And there you have it: Little Girl in a Cafe. By the way that's the remains of a buttery croissant on Shara's cheeks.

Tear

2008-06-19T22:54:00.000-07:00

I did this portrait session few years back. Actually so far back that I was still using one of my favorite cameras, a mamiya RZ 67 which is a medium format film camera suited to studio work. Compared to a 35mm camera it’s big and clunky but it really produced some nice images. We wanted to do some classic images and decided to shoot in a portable studio with a classic gray background. We got so many great pictures and so many expressions that we laid them out as a sequence and printed it as one large wall portrait and the final expression is shown enlarged on its own. The subject grew weary of the photographer by the end of the session. And of course the details.

Clean Windshield

2008-06-10T23:04:00.000-07:00

Mid-city area of Los Angeles, California.

I had the opportunity to listen to Jim Brandenburg speak when I was in college. Brandenburg is a photographer for the National Geographic and has produced some amazing work in his career. This may seem strange but the one thing I remember him saying was he convinced the powers that be to let him fly first-class because the windows were cleaner and clearer, the better to shoot the aerials that the Geographic is so fond of. As a 20-something college student I assumed that I would always fly first-class where ever I went, at the same time I did realize that I probably would never work for the Geographic....for one thing I don't really like shooting landscapes or wildlife. All this to say that it's worth keeping the windshield clean.

Colburn Dance

2008-06-04T23:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a slideshow of images that were taken of the Professional Dance Training program at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in downtown Los Angeles. These photos were taken through the year 2007-2008 and gives a behind the scenes glimpse of of the hard work these dancers put in as they work toward their dreams of becoming professional dancers. A higher-rez version can be seen here. Original music is provided by Michael Roberts.

Archers 2

2008-06-04T18:59:00.000-07:00

A few more from the Roving Archers.

Roving Archers

2008-06-02T23:51:00.000-07:00

Near the Rose Bowl in Pasadena gathers a group of men and women who are part of the Roving Archers. They are not of the compound bow set. They use bows, arrows, quivers, arm guards and finger tabs that are made by hand. There are no sights mounted on their bows. In fluid motion they load their arrows into their bows, pull and release. It's straight forward, true and honest.

For Eyes

2008-05-28T23:26:00.000-07:00

New Orleans

2008-05-18T22:12:00.001-07:00

A few more from my trip to New Orleans in March.

Betsy

2008-05-15T13:02:00.001-07:00

When I photographed Betsy all of her things were packed away in moving boxes. She was headed to Britain, to a new job, to a new home, to make new friends. I haven't heard from her since.

The Gardeners

2008-05-11T22:35:00.001-07:00

The Wait

2008-05-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the bus that takes me to the Memorial Park gold line station where I will wait for the metro. And I'm really tall.

Dance

2008-05-06T22:57:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of years, I've had the privilege of photographing a small group of dedicated dancers. These are the dancers of the Professional Dance Training program at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in downtown Los Angeles. I'm amazed at the dedication and discipline of these dancers. These high school aged dancers train at least 3-4 hours a day 5 days a week. And now you can appreciate their talent and athleticism. They will be performing at the Japan America Theater on May 10, at 3pm. And then two performances at Zipper Hall at the Colburn School one on May 23rd at 7 pm and at 3pm on the 24th.

Yellow

2008-05-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

Our Lady

2008-05-01T23:44:00.000-07:00

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles, California.

Memorial Park

2008-04-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

When I head into downtown LA, I get on the gold line at Memorial Park station in Pasadena.

The Brewery

2008-04-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

David and Gretchen (that's David in the photo below but that's not Gretchen) invited us to a party at their loft at the brewery. It just happened to be on the same weekend as the Spring Art Walk. Twice a year the artists at the brewery throw their doors open and let the common folk in for a peek. This is really cool. First you get to see some pretty fantastic art, second the people watching is great and last but not least you get to snoop around in some artists' living quarters. Most of the kitchens were pretty cool. And maybe it was because there were a lot of guests but a lot of fridges seemed to be filled with beer. The two bathrooms I got to look in were pretty funky too. Can't wait till the next one. For you out-of-towners, the brewery was...a brewery where Pabst Blue Ribbon was brewed and is now the country's largest artist colony. By the way Gretchen was feature in a beautiful photo in the LA Times.

Ruta

2008-04-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

Ruta was photographed in the very cool neighborhood of Silverlake in Los Angeles, California. Dancers are fun to work with even when they're not dancing.

New Orleans

2008-04-04T16:17:00.001-07:00

Recently made my first trip back to New Orleans since before Katrina hit in 2005. Spent part of one afternoon driving through the lower 9th ward, spent most of the time in the quarter, stopped at the Saint Roch’s cemetery where people leave molds of body parts that were healed. Chatted with Sanford Ingram, a soft spoken gentleman who has yet been able to move back into his home, a home that had been given to him by this grandmother when he was six years-old. Four days, 2 beignets, Arnaud’s, Antoine’s, the Pearl, La Peniche, and Felix’s…and I got to come home.

Tribute

2008-03-24T23:06:00.000-07:00

Orville S. Nelson
1930-2008

As many of you know my father died at Stanford Hospital in February 2008. His memorial service was held in Salinas, California on March 1, 2008. I put together this little slideshow as a tribute to him and played it at his service. This slideshow is mainly for my immediate and extented family. But also, for those of you who didn't know him it will give you a little glimpse of the man who was so special to us. And who was so often described as a kind and sweet man.

Peace

2008-03-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

My father was rushed from the Menlo Park VA facility to Stanford hospital. He had an infection in his lungs from which he would not recover. He held on long enough that my brother and two sisters were able to make it to his bedside. We were lucky that we had time to thank my father for everything he had done for us, how well he had provided for us and how much we loved him.

I can only remember once or twice that I saw my dad without his wedding band, but they had to take it off when he went into the emergency room.

According to a Japanese tradition, we turned my dad so his head pointed north and we placed a small white towel over his face. For some reason I did not take a photograph of this, I just could not lift the camera. I'm sorry now that I did not. He was at peace and beautiful after such a long and agonizing battle.

Cold

2008-03-22T00:06:00.001-07:00

My dad is always cold now. When I take him out for a spin around the grounds at the Menlo Park facility, I have to bundle him up. First the t-shirt, then the sweater, coat, hat, then finally two blankets. He sleeps often and as I'm wheeling him around in his wheel chair I can't see if he's fallen asleep so I just keep talking. For those that know me this is pretty surprising as I'm not much of a talker. Well, take a lesson from my father, if you'll just be quiet, you'll hear the most amazing things.

Snap shots

2008-03-21T23:25:00.001-07:00

Here we are in pictures...

Candide and Gizmo

2008-03-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

Voltaire writes in Candide, "...dans le meilleur des mondes possibles...il faut cultiver notre jardin"

Gilberto Perez is from Ecuador. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his family. He tends to other people's gardens as he tends to his own.

And then there's Gizmo who has a glass-eye and lives in the ghost-town of Cerrillos.

Clarity

2008-03-19T23:20:00.001-07:00

New Mexico

2008-03-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more from New Mexico.

Toby's ears

2008-03-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

From a recent trip down route 55A near Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Silver Lining

2008-03-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

The silver lining to a disease like dementia is that we get to spend a lot of time with my dad and tell him how much we love him and to thank him for how well he's provided for us. This is my sister Liz during one of the visits where I brought my dad home from the VA facility in Menlo Park.

Typical

2008-03-05T22:32:00.000-08:00

When my dad was first diagnosed with dementia he could still walk but he had fallen a couple of times. Then he needed a cane then a walker then I had to be next to him when he used his walker then a wheelchair. His legs just wouldn't go where he needed to put them. Once in the wheelchair I still tried to get him to lift his legs to get him to exercise a bit but eventually his muscles weakened. Because he could no longer exercise he started to gain some weight. I always pictured my dad as a slim and fit man but now the dementia has changed that too. One day I wheeled my dad out into the fresh air and the warm sun. His head fell back. I asked him to hold his head straight but he wouldn't or couldn't. So I lifted his head so he could look straight ahead. But slowly it tilted back. Later I asked the nurses and doctor about it, but by then he was back to normal. They said that was pretty typical.

Happy Anniversary

2008-03-04T22:21:00.000-08:00

My mom shows her affection by taking care of us. I don't remember her as being terribly affectionate. As a matter of fact, even now hugging is a bit awkward, but she's extremely thorough in her care. And for the most part she's taken good care of my father for the 55 years that they've been married. My dad and I would sit at home or at the Menlo Park facility watching as my mom cleaned, did laundry or cooked and he often would say to me, "she's a good woman".

Vacation

2008-03-03T16:40:00.000-08:00

I try to bring my father home as much as I can. I think he appreciates spending time in his own house. But twice in the last five years my sister rented a beach house in Santa Cruz and we were able to "vacation" there for a change of pace. It was really nice and we even celebrated a birthday for my sister. One of the benefits for me was both my sisters were there to help as my fathers mobility decreases.

Regrets

2008-02-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

One day I sat with my father out on the patio in the backyard where I played as a child. And on this very patio he had helped me build my first darkroom. He told me a story about how his father, my grandfather, had asked him to help cut his toe-nails. My father said to me that he refused. He said it in such a way that I could tell that this was a great regret of his. I clipped my father’s toe-nails as well as his finger nails, I bathed him after I had changed his adult diapers and I shaved his grizzly whiskers which I knew he really appreciated...knowing that my regrets were so much more grave.

Strokes

2008-02-24T22:39:00.000-08:00

Dementia can be caused by a series of small strokes (TIAs) which is what appears to have happened to my father. Because of these strokes my father is slowly losing the use of his left hand and the ability to walk and you can tell that it's also affecting one side of his face.

When we bring my father home from the VA facility my mother likes to give him a haircut so he stays looking sharp. Oh and I don't think he's giving me the "loser" sign...I think he's just "taking a picture" of me as I shoot a picture of him...well, maybe he is giving me the "loser" sign. And you can't tell in these black and white photographs but my dad has crystal-clear blue eyes. I think that's what nabbed my mom.

Landscapes

2008-02-24T22:04:00.000-08:00

A couple more attempts at capturing the Salinas Valley landscape.

Water tower

2008-02-23T19:52:00.000-08:00

During my stays with my parents I'll take a break and wander around the area of my childhood. It's still very beautiful in the Salinas Valley. As a kid I didn't realize what a gold mine it is for a photographer. Here are a couple of snaps that don't really do the area justice. The water tower is off the road that leads from my parents house toward Fort Ord, the old Army base where my father did his first basic training when he enlisted as a young man.

Fog

2008-02-22T22:12:00.000-08:00

Several things are taking my father. There's the dementia but as bad, and at times worse, is the medications that he takes for it. He sleeps more and when he's not sleeping he seems to be in a daze. I try to keep him engaged. I try to break through to him. I talk to him even when he doesn't respond and even when he seems so far away. I try to talk to him about current events, sports or our past vacations. If he smiles, it's a victory, the jack-pot. When I'm there with him at home I take him out for walks. Only once did we end up on a lawn in a pile of legs, human and metal tangled up. I was able to break our fall and in fact it was quite a gentle touch down. But I could see in his eyes the fear and from then on I always had his arm.

A Family Affaire

2008-02-18T18:28:00.000-08:00

My dad has been living at the VA facility in Menlo Park for the past couple of years. I try to visit every couple of months. I drive up from Pasadena, pick him up at Menlo Park then drive to his real home in Salinas, about nine hours in the car. I stay for a grueling five days. With my mother we are 24 hour a day nurses, cooks, physical therapists, a son and a wife. We feed him, bathe him and try to engage him both physically and mentally. By the time I take him back we are completely exhausted. Much of my parents’ daily worries fall on the shoulders of my sister, Liz, who lives nearby in Santa Cruz. She takes care of my parents’ bills, doctor appointments, long term care plans, taxes…pretty much everything my father used to take care of. When I’m not there, my sister and mother visit my father several times a week. But he still cries when I take him back to Menlo Park and have to leave him there. It really breaks my heart that I can’t keep him at home and care for him as he cared for us when we were children.

I know we’ll never regret the moments we spend together even under such stressful conditions. And, we even try to celebrate occasionally, like my father’s 77th birthday with my sister and mother.

My father in his room at the VA facility in Menlo Park.

My mom helping my dad eat dinner.

Happy 77th birthday!

Storm, Venice Beach

2008-02-17T22:43:00.001-08:00

Portraits of my Father

2008-02-17T22:19:00.000-08:00

My father always fancied himself a bit of a cowboy and he loved wearing western attire. I took this portrait of him a long time ago, way before digital and way before I thought it might be a good idea to be organized and keep track of things like the date. I love the grizzle and the bit of a playful smirk.

And this one I took of him in 2005, dementia was already taking it's toll on him and our family. I still like this one of him in his beret. I think it shows his sweet and trusting nature.

Walker

2008-02-16T00:57:00.001-08:00

Here are a few more of my father when he was still able to walk just using the walker.

Grip

2008-02-13T20:39:00.000-08:00

My dad grew up on a farm and because of that he always had a strong grip, all those cows to be milked and the pigs to be fed. When I was a boy we would wrestle…he would say “wrassle”. And he would grab me with this inescapable grip and would pin me to the floor. Sometime at the beginning of my high school years I was finally able to shoot for his legs and lift him off his feet. We never “wrassled” again. But he never lost his grip, even as he loses his motor skills his grip is as strong as I remember it. When I feel him grabbing onto my arm I feel he’s grasping for the things he knows, not wanting to let go.

More from the Arroyo Seco

2008-02-03T13:09:00.001-08:00

Back to the River

2008-02-02T23:43:00.001-08:00

The Arroyo Seco is one of many tributaries that feed the Los Angeles River and is close to my home in Pasadena. The beautiful Colorado Blvd. Bridge (sometimes known as Suicide Bridge) spans the river. There are several side streams and the vegetation is lush all-year long.