Image of the Night #7 - The Night Trashmen

I encourage you to imagine your own short story to accompany these three images including a brief preface to the first image as well as what may have followed after the last image.

©Steve Shilling ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Sincerely,



-S.

Image of the Night #6- Untitled

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Recent Acquisition / Lovely Day for a Time Travel

    This morning shortly after having breakfast at Skylight Diner with my mother who decided to visit this morning I decided to walk back home. I had just made it maybe, half way and I stopped at an open air flea market, browsed for all of 35 seconds and heard my name called. To my pleasant surprise it was my good friend and New York based photographer and all around everything vintage encyclopedia, Ruby Johnstone.  For a good portion of the day we strolled about inspecting a very large, very well stocked vintage flea market that was housed inside two floors of a parking garage. This amazing phenomenon occurs every weekend, for the whole weekend, all day. Why I hadn't discovered this recurring time capsule is still unbeknownst to me. While there both Ruby and myself where overwhelmed needless to say and could hardly contain ourselves. Now, to give you an idea of my companion for the day, miss Johnstone is decked out in full 40's fashion with her striking, long, jet black hair, eye catching vintage skirt and about half an arm covered in some of the best bakelite bangles I've seen. (granted before today hers have been virtually the only ones I've seen). A walking attraction to the crowds and vendors out today. Suffice it to say that I enjoyed myself as poor Ruby was constantly bombarded with comments or questions about her hairstyle, outfit, etc.  I was simply tagging along because I love vintage things and technology that's essentially been phased out. Also because seeing relics (gems) from the past always inspires me.  Among the many highlights of our day we met an old 'retired' drag queen and had an enjoyable chat with him.
   Ruby was, essentially, on a mission to purchase inventory for her soon-to-be vintage store. She made off with some great deals by the end of the day.  I myself had to hold back because I have a tendency to overspend a great deal even after all haggling is said and done I end up leaving an arm and a leg behind.  Today however, was a great day for my wallet. What I've got pictured below are a pair of spectacles (Date unknown [I'll ask Ruby]).  The most amazing thing is that for close to close-mid range sight they are almost my perfect prescription...minus the astigmatism fix in my right eye.  In fact I'm sitting here writing this while wearing them and everything is as clear as I could ask for.  I've even included a silly little self portrait for you of myself fashioning my new spectacles (pay no mind to the disheveled hair). If any of you are interested as to the location of this flea market I believe it's somewhere around 24th and 6th...just walk about on a Saturday and you're bound to find it.

Best,


-S.


P.S. Next flea market to check out: GreanFlea

Places of NYC: Sunflower Diner

    Tonight is a night of silent films for me but before settling in for the night I decided to grab some good eats so I set out to see what I could find. While out I stumbled across Sunflower Diner. Here is a diner that eats like a restaurant. Not one of those glitzy, high class restaurants but nonetheless it serves up larger portions than you'd assume. Sunflower Diner is located on the corner of 26th street and 3rd avenue (359 3rd Ave).  Albeit it's a bit on the pricey side with a cup of coffee starting at a buck sixty while the rest of your meal steadily climbs after that. However you see that everywhere in midtown Manhattan, eeeveryone wants your money over your patronage.  I just ordered a simple Eastside Burger 'delux' (Burger, onions, mozzarella, green peppers, and mushrooms). The delux adds a generous portion of french fries, lettuce and tomato, as well as a bowl, not cup, bowl of cole slaw. Now that ran me a little less than eleven bucks but the size of it made up for the price. Other local diners normally charge over nine bucks to make it delux but the serving size is smaller so I wasn't put off too much by that, I was after all, out for dinner and not lunch.  It's a Friday night so everyone seems to be filling the nearby bars and clubs so I was able to enjoy a less than crowded Sunflower Diner.  I ordered a cup of coffee with my meal cause I've got a decent amount of movies watching to go through tonight and because it's a diner... c'mon it's what you do.  Tonight I'm only posting images I shot with my cell phone camera but I also took several with other cameras I had on me at the time and i'll come back and post them at a later date.  As the night drove on I decided to be on my way, asked for the check and it came to a total of $13.15 which for a dinner in midtown isn't bad in comparison. Sure, there are other places such as the lower east side in which that would seem quite expensive but hey, I'll take this for its convenience and atmosphere.  I forgot to mention that they've had the best coffee of any diner I've been to thus far.

Amenities of Sunflower Diner:
-Windowed dinning are on the street
-Glass glasses rather than plastic ones
-Peppermint after dinner mints, toothpicks, and moist towelettes at the register
-Friendly staff who seem to keep up with 'the regulars'
-Not even a hint of agitation if you decide to stay for say, over 45 minutes with only a cup of coffe on your table.


Best,


-S.



P.S. Tonight's list of movies includes the following:
City Lights (1931) -An incredible silent comedy written and directed by as well as starring Charles Chaplin
Nosferatu (1922)
M (1931 talkie) - Fritz Lang crime thriller

50th Post! Groovin' on by with the Lounge Lizards

Dig it.

Smooth sailing and goodnight.

New York In a Nutshell

There is so much I could say following THAT as a title. Tom Waits once described his so loathed town as "a ship, and the water's on fire" and I admit to sharing similar feelings. I'm specifically talking about Manhattan. Yes, it's true that I've not fully become jaded to the New York scene, mainly its inhabitants. I could even speak towards some of the still endearing qualities of this place but seeing as if I do it'll undoubtedly morph into a rant and take up too much of your time. I'll keep it short and throw in some video clips.

This first one you can choose to omit as it's a bit slow. However, I warn you it's quite interesting. It's a clip of beat writer William S. Burroughs paired up with the unique and distinguished musical stylings of Kurt Weil. Burroughs sits, alone in what seems to be stage light warehouse as he recites Bertolt Brecht's lyrics to What Keeps Mankind Alive? This is a song originally written by both Weil and Brecht for their musical drama The Threepenny Opera. Without further introduction, the late, great William S. Burroughs ladies and gentlemen:

This next song Is the Tom Waits cover version. Those of you who are familiar with and shy away from Waits' music can also choose to omit this in which case I apologize for waisting your time. Hopefully you've clicked on a link that's interested you, followed it to Wikipedia and searched the links towards the bottom for more information.

I needn't say anymore, it's all in the music.

Best,


-S.

Relax, Enjoy, and Groove Out

Gonna be a short post tonight folks. Been listening to a very large amount of Blues lately and I've got a real gem for all of you. George "Buddy" Guy, one of the masters of Blues guitar singin his original song What Kind Of Woman Is This?

As an extra (and cause it's my blog and just cause I can) I'm going to enlighten you all to two incredible Elvis Costello song that were until this past weekend, unknown to me and I think they ought to be heard by more than just myself.  They both come from Costello's concept album The Delivery Man (2004). This album marks Costello's 21st studio album in his now 41 year music career.

Enjoy,


-S.

Nearing 2,000

I've not much to speak towards tonight. We're nearing 2,000 views with less than 200 to go so that's certainly got me excited.  My day's been filled with Fritz Lang, Elia Kazan, and soon to come Dennis Hopper.

-While The City Sleeps (1956)

-A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

-The Hot Spot (1990)

As for images, here is a second image from the Tenth Presbyterian Church.

Best,

-S.

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

An Interesting Discovery

One of my long time favorite bands, The Gorillaz, seems to have a little known connection to the director of the movie The Hot Spot (1990), a recent favorite of mine due to it's incredible, almost sublime film score.  The score which is available as an album is also entitled The Hot Spot and it was written by Jack Nietzche featuring Blues legend John Lee Hooker, Jazz legend Miles Davis, Taj Mahal, and Roy Rodgers. Now, the director of The Hot Spot is none other than the late Dennis Hopper.  What might his connection be to The Gorillaz? Obscure though it may be Dennis Hopper is featured as the narrator of the track Fire Coming out of A Monkey's Head on the album Demon Days (2005).
Here, have a listen:

Image of the Night #5 Church Interior

Here we have by far one of my favorite dark and eerie images I've ever shot.
Shot inside the very beautiful Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia we see a lone child with a man standing in the doorway in the background. This was shot using my old half format Chaika camera from Ukraine.
Tenth Presbyterian Church has a gorgeous interior as well as a very talented choir and I urge any and all who find themselves in the Philadelphia region to sit in on a service if possible.

Best,

-S.

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Hicksville Long Island by Night

Last weekend while I was leaving Hicksville I wanted to take the bus back to Flushing, Queens but learned that they don't run much later than about 9 PM. Needless to say I was disappointed but as always plan B was to take the LIRR back into the city and then walk home.  I guess I should be grateful seeing as I was still trying to make my way through a stash of twenty year old Kodak 800 speed film.  I was able to capture a few images that I like. They display an aspect of timelessness because there is no specific content which determines a specific time period. However, at the same time they carry a feel of time that's since passed. Anyway, I like them and I hope you find something enjoyable about them as well.

Best,

-S.

P.S. My favorites are the second and third one down.

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

P.P.S - The immense amount of grain is due to the film being long since expired as well as varying amounts of under exposure.

New York of Another Time

I've been strolling around with my trusty 35mm rangefinder as I've been making my way through a small stash of 20 year old Kodak 800 speed film. Here are a few shots from my travels.

Although I recognize Fuji color films as being superior to Kodak films in every aspect, (color rendition, grain, spectral sensitivity latitude) I think I like the palette of colors created by Kodak film, at least for street photography. Different films for different uses I suppose. Kodak film (now remember the expiration dat for this film was marked 1990) seems to give warmer results that dare I say it, appear more retro or vintage. Just something I've experienced.

Best,


-S.

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I can't tell you how tempted I am to ask the owner of that garage how much he'd take for that beautiful ol' Cadillac and in what sort of condition it's in. One day i'll have a nice old car like that. Nothing too fancy or flashy. Just something that's been used that I'll buy for cheap and invest some time and money into in order to fix it up and have it run like new.

Image of the Night #4 - Cosmos Diner

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

My favorite diner in Manhattan, Cosmos Diner. It's got its ups and its down just like every other diner but we love them all anyway. They're open 24 hours, they're convenient, and they connect us to some former Americana US history that I love so much.  I'll be speaking to my friend who works there named Steve to see if he'd be interested in displaying a signed, matted copy of this image in Cosmos. I've got to speak with him before the end of next week as he'll be vacationing to Greece soon.

Best,



-S.


UPDATE: (March 3rd, 2012)- Cosmo's diner has apparently changed management and now is known as Orion Dinner and Grill. It's much flashier than before and I've not yet tried their food.

Day Vacation to Long Island

Last weekend I spontaneously hopped aboard a bus while in Flushing, Queens and headed out to Hicksville.  I have a friend who lives in Hicksville so I phoned him to let him know I was coming and to see if he was interested in spending some time together. Here are just two images from my enjoyable day spent on Long Island.

Sincerely,

-S.

Words of Wisdom #1

Enjoy the path, forget about the destination, and walk well.
-A.

A close friend and mentor of mine said that.  We were talking over the airwaves this evening and what i'm going to do for you is sort of mock up a small transcript of sorts for you all.


A. "...Life's too short"

S. "Life is pretty short but it's the longest thing thing we'll endure/enjoy/experience."

A. "Really? How do you know?"

S. "How do I know what? Is this a trick question?"

A. "Not at all a trick question, unless you consider metaphysical questions to be trick ones. You said life is short but it's all we have.- how do you know?"

S. "I didn't say it's ALL we have, I said it's the longest (time-wise) we've got. If you're speaking of existence beyond the physical can time be considered a factor that matters? If not then while alive (where time seems to matter/carry importance) my statement is true that it's the longest. However, I see where you're coming from."

A. "Even so- how do you know? What is (no proof to the contrary) every grain of sand has a continuing consciousness that used to belong to a higher life form? (Do not entertain this question if you've been smoking dope, or listening to the Moody Blues)."

S. "Haha I've still not to understand the smoking experience [...] As for my response? Well there is not enough evidence supporting or disproving either concept and I can't claim to have sided either way. But every now and then  I do enjoy wandering down both paths of thoughts."

A. "Right- so enjoy the path, forget about the destination, and walk well."


Sincerely,

-S.


P.P.S. If none of that interested you whatsoever than how about a short but well done live performance from back in the day. All the way from Cannes, France it's Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band performing Sure 'nuff an' Yes I Can.

Image of the Night #3 - Theatre

©Steve Shilling II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Lately I've been going through my negatives and scanning a lot of film. Here's in image I shot using an old Soviet camera called the Chaika meaning 'seagull' in Russian. It's of a pit orchestra at a northern New Jersey high school theatrical performance.

Best,

-S.

"The Man Who Had HIV and Now Does Not"

      I was purchasing some film, milk and other assorted necessities including a surprisingly cheap yet well equipped home sewing (emergency) kit ($4.99) from Walgreens and as I was waiting to approach the cashier I spotted a magazine that caught my eye.

Cover Photograph: ©Robert Stolarik/Polaris

          I admit, first it was the chaotic cover image of New York Magazine's latest issue (June 6th) that displayed seemingly dead bushes suggesting a secret burial site that caught my eye. However, we are not here to discuss the all more visually prevalent Long Island serial killer. Rather, we are here to highlight an individual who's premature burial tho seemingly inescapable has miraculously been delayed.  What convinced me to purchase this issue was the headline that read "The Man Who Was Cured Of AIDS." You can access the online article HERE. Award wining journalist, Tina Rosenberg, does a beautiful job writing about Timothy Brown's risky transplant that led to his cure of HIV.   The article also features subtly chilling images by the very talented Dan Winters and here is an example:

©Dan Winters 2011

This is incredible news and there isn't any way for me to do it any more justice than to bring it to your attention. Please take some time to read through the article.


Sincerely,

-S.

P.S. Additional information about HIV and AIDS can be found from the following sources:
-http://www.aids.gov/
-http://www.aids.org/
-http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/

as well as numerous other sources.

Other articles:
L.A. Times
Los Angeles Daily News
Afro American Newspaper
Natural News

An Interesting Read About the Need for Artists

A close friend of mine wanted to bring to my attention an article he'd recently read. THIS article, entitled Why We Need Artists from the Center for Faith and Work discusses the importance of art and those that create it from a christian perspective which I found quite interesting.  Something I'd like to add is that this article doesn't make the claim that all artists are religious or that it is necessary for religion to be present in the heart of creation.  Rather, the beautiful subjectivity of art, the very nature of it being dependent on the interpretation made by the viewer allows it to be used as a tool of faith and faith building even if that was not the intent of the artist. Something worth thinking about.  Anyway I strongly recommend this article to any and all who've got five minutes time to spare in their day.

Sincerely,


-S.

New Website Layout

srs2photography.org is back up and running with a new, cleaner, more minimalist appearance. Feel free to drop by any time as more images will slowly be making there way on there.

Sincerely,


-S.