The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming!

ALGOMA, WI - This one is for my friend Mark Kalan, who spent years photographing decaying wall signs and has one of the most formidable collections of same I've ever seen. Mark's work is being undone by a gorup of artists calling themselves The Walldogs who invade little towns and paint signs on the walls.

I'm in one such town right now: Algoma, Wisconsin. The first thing that caught my eye was, of course, their water tower, which is very bright yellow. Next, and it was subtle but I started to get it, was the enormous amount of painted signage for a small, clean but sleepy, little city. I couldn't believe it. Everywhere I turn I see these signs. The town of Algoma, WI was invaded by more than 100 WallDogs last summer. This town was already beautiful before they got here but now they've left their mark and painted 10 murals. Yes, the Walldogs have done their dirty work and it is damned good! This morning, while trying to find a grocery store to buy coffee, I drove all over this town photographing the signage. I photographed as many as I could find, and I'm certain I've missed some. Here's a few for your perusal.

Back In The World Of Round Food... Genuine Round Food!!

MAPLEWOOD, NJ - All of you New Yorkers can have the day off..... this post is for Ljiljana, Michele, Mo & Rikke and all of you who think you know what a bagel is. (Mo knows, he's just been out of town too long)

Those of you who've been following along know that I'm nostalgic for the New York area. Living in Chicagoland, despite a rich culinary history there, I've noted a deficiency in round foods, specifically bagels and pizza. It's just not the same. Michele knows what I mean, I've been telling her about this for years; and more recently anyone else who will listen, especially in the midwest, has gotten an earful from me on round food.

Okay, so all of you non-New Yorkers pay attention: above is a picture of a raisin bagel procured fresh this morning from Sonny Amster's a/k/a Sonny's Bagels in South Orange, NJ. Note that the texture is rough hewn, from being hand-rolled and boiled before baking! If you could bite the picture... don't, you'll get a mouthful of glass... you'd notice that some of your teeth are loose after you've eaten it. That's a bagel!! Everything else is ersatz, fake... phony.

Don't anyone write back and tell me about Dunkin Donuts bagels and how good they are or how good their coffee is. I'll cover those misconceptions in another post.

You Really Can't Go Home

MAPLEWOOD, NJ - Regressing a bit, I find myself back in Maplewood... seriously, just here on vacation with my children... and though I've only been gone a mere three and a half months, quite a lot has changed. On the surface, of course, everything seems to be the same. Maplewood Avenue, a three block strip that's the heart of this picturesque little burg, looks largely the same. A quick walk from my friends' home on Jefferson Avenue into the village gives the feeling that nothing much is very different. There was little traffic, as one would expect at six thirty in the morning, save for the few cars delivering the early commuters to the train station in the center of town and the delivery trucks from Freeman's Fish Market (they're always busy, early).

There were as yet unretrieved newspapers in the driveways, the NY Times and the Newark Star-Ledger are the staples here, it was quiet except as noted previously, and it all looked quite normal to the untrained eye, but on closer inspection there are clear signs that there have been some major changes recently.

The most depressing thing, the change that really touches me deeply, is the closure of Maplewood Camera. I guess the combination of the digital age, the fact that Costco and Walgreens take print orders online not to mention the declining economy, led Rob to close the store. I was going to drop in and say hello but I found instead that the showcases are empty, the minlab is gone and the large prints in the window have been replaced with a For Rent sign.

I didn't do much business there as I don't shoot film any more (I used to get all my C-41 done there) and though Rob kept telling me that he could get me a 1Ds III, his timeline wasn't too attractive (nor was his price competitive)... but we're pals and he really had a passion for his small town camera and photofinishing store and so the closure saddens me.

That, and the facts that I missed Maplewoodstock, the local three-day music festival, by a few weeks and when I bought a NY Times this morning the price had jumped 25¢ to $1.50.

Five-star galsolina (shout-out to Rod Stewart) costs less here than in Chicagoland, so I guess there is a silver lining in every cloud.

(Another sad note: Closer to home... my new one... ABC Camera Brokers on Dundee Road in Buffalo Grove will be closing its doors in September, so if you have a hankering for used but decent film cameras & lenses of all sorts, you'd better get over there right away.)

It's Deja Vu All Over Again

As Yogi Berra would say, it's deja vu all over again. On September 15th at 7:00 PM I'll be presenting another ASMP/Apple Pro Sessions workshop, this time at the Apple Store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

Through the front door and up the stairs in the center to the theater on the second floor, I'll be talking about my pictures and how I market them. You can ask me questions... not that I necessarily have answers. I'll also talk about the benefits of ASMP - The American Society of Media Photographers, and the many benefits of membership in our Society (I was President of ASMP's New Jersey Chapter, now Vice President of ASMP's Chicago/Midwest Chapter). I might even mention an Apple product or two, as I've been using Apple's computers in my day-to-day office and digital photography workflows for a long time.

Come to the Apple Store in Chicago on September 15th and see some of my work and hear about how I move it from my desktop to yours.....

ASMP/Apple Pro Sessions
The Apple Store
679 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 981-4104

Monday, Sept. 15, 2008
7:00 PM

.....see you there!
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Above: Canon EOS-350D, 18~55mm Canon Zoom Lens EF, ISO 800