altar.

[duccio]

That's right, I've been away all week at my union job in SF. Someone may have been wondering. Pow Wow is in town. It's a bunch of travel industry people. The job was tough, but I shone brightly as I always quietly do. One of the supervisors sought me out and thanked me for being so conscientious - shook my hand in front of some other people. They're probably jealous now and dreaming up calumnies that I only do as little as possible. That ain't me, sister. People ought to have figured that out by now. It's funny, because mostly, we're all in or near our 60's, have been working together for 25+ yrs., and getting gold stars and nothing else just reminds what a childish silly place this is. Top down authoritarians, drop dead. Rapture off.

I came home to find this woman working hard next door cleaning up trash from the little crime central grocery store. I'm glad she wasn't totally dumpster diving, but she was checking out the "merchandise" before sorting it between the dumpster and the trash bins. She looked pretty old, but was kind of crazy youthful acting. Maybe she was a little off, or a meth head, but she did a good job cleaning up the place. This top picture brought my thoughts back to my own sisyphean labor this last week - of pushing shit up hill day after day for these travel salespeople or whoever else is in town, bankers, doctors, computer people...


work.


And this second one made me think of all the trickle down dross we most of us slave away for all the livelong day.

trickle down.

Comments

[shinsetsu]

Looks almost like it could be a man too, but from looking at the arms, I dun think the person is all that old--just been around the block a few times. I will have to email you a story I have about a dumpster.

I wondered where you were all week.

[duccio]

I was at my union job in SF. We set up conventions and trade shows in the big convention place: Moscone Center. The buildings cover two blocks, so it is a big undertaking, plus, since SF is a big travel destination and this show: International POW-WOW, was for travel executives, the city went all out to give them the best show possible. It is the first time the show had been in SF since 1997, so not only would we like to get it again on a more frequent basis, we all want them to promote SF so more shows and tourists will come, which will equal (under the trickle down, dumb ass theory) more work for us and a better economic picture for our region.

It was a lot of work. Still, even though I am retirement age (although very healthy and capable) I held up very well, and even got compliments from management, which I sometimes get, but this time, the guy actually sought me out to thank me. It's dumb I suppose, to value these things, which could easily be phony prompts to squeeze just the last full measure of devotion out of us, but I like this particular supervisor, I can see in his eyes and demeanor that he is sincere - if under the capitalist gun to squeeze us as much as possible - so I was happy he came by. I was most happy I made him look good. If these organizations have to be top down, I want to keep people like him above, and bring the dogs who war down to the ground when possible. I am clever and conspiratorial enough to do it too, should I want.

[duccio]

Oh, one other thing... about that woman in the photos... I kind of wish I knew her. She was fascinating to watch and had an easy going and buoyant nature as far as I could see through the camera. Her physical condition, both wasted but with well defined physique would make her a fine subject for drawing and painting - allowing me to funnel her some cash for modeling. She's not only paradoxical, but linear rather than volumetric - linear is my forte. Maybe I will see her again and be able to think up a way to approach her with this idea.

model.

[duccio]

See what I mean?

Mostly when I take pictures, in my thoughts are how they would be as paintings. This gives me a certain way of looking I think.

Re: model.

[shinsetsu]

Is this a manipulated photoor what? I like it. Only from the back, it looks like an attractive woman, and then I remember the toothless photo you had.

Re: model.

[duccio]

I tilted it slightly to the left to tighten up the negative space between her and the left side, which also helped with the balance. I cropped top, bottom, and a lot off the right (it had been an horizontal composition). I also reduced the contrast, strengthened the saturation, and darkened it, as well as using noise reduction to the max, all in order to try and flatten the image and emphasize the linearity.

...from the back, it looks like an attractive woman, and then I remember the toothless photo you had.

Fascinating subject, huh.

Did you by any chance ever see the 1981 Italian film Passione d'Amore? Maybe my recollection of that explains the strange attraction of this woman, although more, it's her stature as almost a dancer or model that interests me as a photographer, along with the wear and tear.

Re: model.

[shinsetsu]

Oh, I see has actually nice teeth it seems. You should try to converse with her.

I think it's nice when people actively thank you for a job you have done for them. I remember well all the people who appreciated what I did for them, but I also remember and hold in disdain people, like teachers for instance, who used and used me but never thanked me for essentially doing THEIR job for them. It makes a big difference when people show their appreciation.

And no, I have never seen that film.

Re: model.

[duccio]

I may have seen her around, but I'm not sure. There are a lot of skinny people like her around here - meth addicts. I never saw her close by long enough to get the camera and do a study though. If I see her again, maybe I will try and start a conversation, although I wonder if I would have much to say of interest to her.

You and I are developing a nice online friendship, don't you think? That always makes a difference too.

Here's another Bay Bridge picture that I posted about 6 months ago. I'm going to post it soon in LJ community: doorwindowwall. I'm pushing the limits of the community with just having the windows at the side, but I like to show the view that the people in the windows would see if they were looking out... it puts us in their place in one of the windows, so I'm actually posting an imaginary window to doorwindowwall.

Once, some other LJer complained in a comment when I posted a picture of two people in a cafe window. There were OPEN signs, and other peculiar reflections in the glass, that caused some distortions of the two people. The complainer said it was voyeuristic and not a picture of a window; I didn't comment back - what's the use, but the moderator interrupted the next day and explained to her how I was creative and often pushed the limits, and that it was not voyeuristic, because sitting in the window, they had meant to see and be seen. They were sitting in a window.

I usually only post into communities about 6 months after I have posted in my own journal so that people's friends pages don't get cluttered up with several of the same images from me. You've probably already seen this one and maybe asked to have it, but if not, here it is.

Re: model.

[duccio]

Taking pictures and working them up and posting has become a sort of hobby for me. It's OK with me if you want to use them. And playing with them to alter them how you would like is OK too - in fact, it's always a good way to learn things, so go right ahead. Sometimes I take someone else's image and play with it too - usually it is recomposing it trying to tighten it up and make a better composition. It's just for practice, and to see if my eye could see a better composition within their photo - better to me I mean; we all have our own sensibilities.

doorwindowwall is moderated by Ed Book. He's a very good photographer of the great outdoors in the northwest USA, with his own LJ. He has a pretty hands off attitude towards the community.

When they start paying to watch my journal, then maybe I will listen to their feedback. Otherwise, my journal works fine for me. If their's isn't a fit, it's simple... I know what to do.