Portfolio & Information & More

November 30th, 2009

The Girl From Maine

A.

I photographed her in Maine. I did not know her, she was simply a girl available to photograph one day, so I did. A roll of 12 inside, a roll of 12 outside. I didn’t process the film for some time after returning to NYC. I made a few prints, one ended up in my old journal and then on my wall. It’s still there today, almost 10 years now.

Maybe a year later, after it went up on the wall so long ago now, another girl from Maine came over and saw the print on my wall. She looked at me and told me that this girl had committed suicide. This stuck with me and bothered me for years, I looked at the images differently and never took it off my wall, seeing it almost everyday.

I tried to fact check it a couple months ago, it always really bothered me. I checked around and the girl I still know from Maine checked around. We had the wrong information. Rumor has it the girl in my photograph above is actually alive and well and somewhere in NYC.

I haven’t taken the photograph down.

(archive)

November 30th, 2009

McDonald’s | West Chester, PA


McDonald’s | Posted August 26, 2006

I lived in West Chester, PA from 1988 to 1991. A guy I talked to on the school bus sometimes worked at this McDonald’s. I never really knew him well and cannot even remember his name, but once when my brother and I went through the drive through he gave us extra fries and apple pies. I ate here pretty often in high school once I learned to drive.

I don’t remember how I heard or the right order of things, but here’s the story as I remember it: The guy I knew was suppose to work one day but for whatever reason he couldn’t work a particular shift and switched. On the shift he was suppose to work, this McDonald’s was robbed. Someone came in at closing, locked the doors, tied up two employees and shot them while they were tied up and bound in the back somewhere.

I remember how different he seemed after it happened, he should have been working that night. The last time I saw him was walking home from the bus stop dressed in a shirt and tie, we talked in his driveway awhile as he just kind of stared at the grass, he had just come from a funeral.

Every time I go to West Chester I try to eat here or at least get a shake or something at the drive through, I am not really sure why, it just feels like something I should do.

McDonald’s | Posted September 13, 2006, Only 18 Days Later

Today I got an email from a woman named Cynthia, she allowed me to share it:

“I just wanted to comment on the story from August about the McDonald’s in West Chester…. My aunt was the manager that was shot and killed in that McDonald’s… It was in 1989… In January… If you have any other info please forward to me… Thanks…”

I was floored. I thought maybe one or two of my friends read this site and I treat it as such. Now someone found me. Well, not me, but my story. She had been looking for info just like I had and she found my image and story. I emailed her back and told her that I too was unable to find much info about what happen and how I feel every time I see this McDonald’s.

“I was only 10 yrs old when she was killed but I remember the limited details I was told… If ya know what I mean… The guy who killed her is still in prison and hopefully he will not be getting out anytime soon. Eventually I will get the courage to go there. Thanks again for telling me your story… Oh and my aunt’s name was Jean Ryder… She was in her 40’s…”

(archive)

(I had a site elsewhere from June 18, 2006 – June 18, 2007 before it was what this site is today. These 409 stories are no longer online, but some need to be retold sometimes, over and over).

November 26th, 2009

I Eat Everyday

* – for best video playback results and without image letterbox:
touch the full screen icon above, HD on, scaling off


201 Meals | 11/2009

November 25th, 2009

Frank O3 | Letter 1

Frank O3 | #1RN | Letter from Frank O3

Folded | Unfolded

Detail 1

Detail 2

Image of me I had mailed Frank O3 prior to this letter back to me.

November 24th, 2009

Frank O3 | Letter 2

Frank O3 | Maine | Letter from Frank O3

– – –

November 23rd, 2009

Fire

November 22nd, 2009

$9.99

FL | BKLYN | LGA

November 21st, 2009

10/25/09 | Brooklyn

2:39:25PM | 2:39:57PM | 2:05:08PM

November 20th, 2009

7 Days Ago

November 13, 2009 | 1:26:09PM & 1:10:53PM | (At A Magazine)

November 20th, 2009

Day | Day | Night

There | Disneyland | Here

November 19th, 2009

A Woman In Texas I Love – S

Sidney

November 18th, 2009

A Woman In Texas I Love – K

Karen

November 17th, 2009

A Woman In Texas I Love – M

Martha

November 16th, 2009

A Woman In Texas I Love – T

Tiffani

November 15th, 2009

#1RN | 11/8/09 – 2:02:09AM

“Stay gold Ponyboy, stay gold.”

November 15th, 2009

I Am 888 | Medals

I was wearing them around the first hour after they arrived.
Then one of the medals fell off the ribbon so they are now on the shelf.

2009 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
NSCA 5-STAND A4 | PARCOURS de CHASSE A7


My father shot the above video, I only missed 13 of 100 targets.
In the short time he was there and filmed, he captured 8 of those.
5 Stand | 87 of 100 | 4th of 92

November 14th, 2009

11/7/09 | Brooklyn

11:39:51AM | 11:42:13AM | 11:43:49AM

November 13th, 2009

Big Tujunga


Big Tujunga | The End of Summer | Los Angeles | September 21, 2009


please press play for 2 minute 45 second video

CORPULENT PROCYON LOTOR

November 12th, 2009

Toy | Rock | Tire | Toy

Los Angeles | The End of Summer | September 21, 2009

November 11th, 2009

I Cannot Fly

November 10th, 2009

Touch Me For Victory



I was asked to do something that would not be returned to me in kind. The actions of the asker did not match their words or desires they had given me explicitly. I however was predictable and for this I was left wanting only what we had started.
So I screamed and I laughed.


I did this with the loudest megaphones I could achieve on television for the masses and the millions in a hope of a reversal of this bad fortune now at hand. I kept metaphors and riddles in place to hide all these nonsecrets because I only want what had started to someday begin again.

– – –

I didn’t want to win, I didn’t want to lose. I just wanted to be there. Victory and defeat never occurred to me to be applicable or possible. I gave two high five this day as you can see above and below. One of these touches went on to win the show with over $70,000 after touching my hand.


I touched your hand once too, you also won.
Congratulations.

Jonathan Touches Peter | The Price Is Right | September 22, 2009

November 9th, 2009

The Price Is Right

This is the tree directly by the entry gate to the Price Is Right game show. These are the hedges fencing in the lot. I was here to scream my love on national television and as it turns out, this is not an original thought.

Many years ago, I watched my name be scrawled on the wall outside Graceland tagged in third along with a couples. I would rather have it carved in this tree, in a heart, with only one other name.

Los Angeles | September 22, 2009

November 8th, 2009

The Event

Los Angeles | September 17-18, 2009

November 7th, 2009

In The Canyon

November 6th, 2009

I Am 888 | Subway

That’s not a camera case. This is not illegal.

November 6th, 2009

Mine Mine Mine

Excuse me – Ours, Ours, Ours.

This is why we work and this is why we try to make ourselves better.
This is why we are who we are and this is how we love.

This cannot be questioned.

– – –

This is my niece. In this moment, she is the closet thing to having my own child I can have. I told my brother where to stand and how to work my camera and then for maybe the first time, I asked him to be me with it while I pretended I was him. In this moment, my brother was the best photographer there ever was.

October 29, 2009 | 07:19:52 PM | Texas

November 5th, 2009

I Am 888 | O, R, G, Y

 

 

National Sporting Clay Championships | San Antonio, TX

Orange – Red – Green – Yellow | I Am 888 | A Class

MAIN Event – 300 Targets over four days on four courses. I started each day on station #3 to work my way around each course in rotation, day by day. I also competed in three other events for a total of 600 registered targets in 4 days with another 725 targets in practice for a total of 1325 targets in 5 days.

MAIN – 220/300 | I was 38th of 139

K Cup – 65/100 | I was 58th of 150

FITASC – 77/100 | I was 7th of 60

FIVE Stand – 87/100 | I was 4th of 92

A Class All Around – 449/600 | I was 6th of 47

 

This was my third Nationals.
I received 6 of the 10 punches required for AA Class and I will receive 2 trophies.

– – –

 

 

Jackie, Jonathan, Dee & John | Rotation #2 | Yellow Course, MAIN

November 4th, 2009

I Am 888 | Parcour 2

FITASC A-E | Parcour 2

FITASC is a round of 25 targets with very regimented gun control, rules and even attire. One set of targets shot from three different positions or PEGS makes a round of FITASC. At Nationals, competitors shoot 4 different courses or PARCOUR, for a total of 100 FITASC targets.

203 competitors attempted A-E FITASC at Nationals, only 1 of those 203 had a perfect PARCOUR. On PARCOUR 2, on Saturday, October 31, 2009, finishing about 1:17:48 PM Central time:

I shot a perfect PARCOUR, all 25 of 25 targets were broken.

November 3rd, 2009

#1RN | Frame # 1127, 1206, 1240

3 of 1325 images | October 13-14, 2009

November 3rd, 2009

I Am 888 | Burn

I walked out into this field in that hot Texas sun.
My skin burned red and blistered I wanted victory so badly.
– – –
I threw absolutely everything I had towards that blue sky till I had nothing left.