xtcian

7/10/02 I went through a

7/10/02

I went through a period from about 1997 to 2001 where there are virtually no pictures of me, or taken by me. I think I can honestly say that I've made up for it in the last few months.

The digital camera just makes everything too easy, and now that I'm not ensconced in a particularly self-loathing mode - and, god willing, living an interesting life - each day is getting way too much documentation. For instance, this is Tessa sleeping (or whatever you call "sleep punctuated by nonsensical phrases every five minutes") next to me right this second:

she just said "he IS very particular"

But mostly, it's fun to have a camera in a city where something cool happens every millisecond or so. I know I have a dorked-out thing for ghost ads, but there are also the fleeting moments you can catch if you have an eye for preservation. Right now, the summer solstice has two curious effects on my world in New York: it sends a brilliant shaft of light through a tiny hole in the roof of our brownstone's stairwell, a la the Egyptian scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark"; and the sun sets right in line with the crosstown streets of Manhattan, blinding every westbound cabbie for a few days. The sun, passing unabated across town, nothing in the way, brilliant magenta in gorgeous pollution:

18th St. at 5th Ave., 8:19PM click for a larger, much prettier version

And then, if you're truly kissed by the muse, you can catch the human form at the zenith of its actualization. The flash of the camera in synergy with the perfect moment. Lesser photographers have trouble with the capture of their subjects, but a masterful eye always knows when to pull the trigger. To whit:

Sean and Jordana in glorious tandem at Haveli's Indian restaurant. What are they saying? What am I saying?