FRP Journal

Tag: San Diego

  • New Project – Aerial Landscapes

    I’ve embarked on a new personal project. It’s actually a mashup of an existing project and a new tool in my kit. The new tool is a drone, and the existing project is my Americana series. While I don’t see this as a continuation of that existing body of work, it’s still early days.  

    I love travel and exploration. When I’m on the road I’m happiest far from the interstates or main thoroughfares. Give me a byway or back road any day. That’s where my Americana series has lived for the better part of 2 decades. The through line to this new body of work is a curiosity of humankind’s interaction and imprint on earth’s natural landscape.

    I’ve been flying as much as possible lately to log hours and practice. Recently, I noticed I’m gravitating to an old familiar subject matter – quirky or unique occasions where humans have inserted their stamp onto the natural landscape.  

    I’ve noticed this new perspective lends itself to the subject matter I was exploring in my Americana series. It’s different, but I like what I’m seeing so far. There’s something magical that happens as the camera lifts from the ground and the wide expanse opens up. It reminds me of the same feeling of anticipation I’d get in the darkroom as a black and white print would start to emerge in the tray. In both cases, I know generally what’s coming, but that doesn’t diminish the magic of the reveal. 

    I’m at the point where I want to revisit some of the original locations I shot from the ground. I want to see how the aerial perspective changes the mood or impact of the images.  

    The aerial perspective has also got me thinking about subjects that didn’t necessarily work from the ground. Urban sprawl is a great example. I always found it difficult to convey this concept from the ground. The image here of Koko Crater on Oahu and the hint of the housing development in the foreground is exactly what I’ve always seen in my mind’s eye, but could never convey from a ground perspective.  

    I think these images are an interesting start to a new phase of this project.  

    Let me know what you think?

    Koko Crater, east side

    Salinas River, San Ardo Oil Field

    South Bay Salt Works

    Koko Crater, west side

  • Spontaneous Election Celebration – Biden Car Parade, San Diego CA

    By 9AM Saturday morning most major news outlets had called the election for Joe Biden. The random car horns started shortly thereafter. By 11AM University Ave in Hillcrest was bumper to bumper and as loud as a concert. After 4 years of the Trump Administration and 8 months of the pandemic the Left was ready to erupt. In San Diego they took to the streets for a spontaneous car parade. While the still images don’t do the sound justice they do capture the jubilance. The video gives a sense of the wall of sound.

  • Back To The Streets – the California Lockdown

    Quarantine is tough. I’m not writing anything the world doesn’t already know. Parents with school age children are saints. Work from home is difficult, at best. Isolation and anxiety are rampant. The streets here in San Diego have often resembled a dystopian movie set. Empty and trafficless. But the lockdown created a unique rhythm to life. A quiet, peaceful cadence also developed on the streets.

    As tough as it’s been, there have even been a few bright spots. Some things are even better.

    The air got cleaner, crisper: Automobile traffic is a fraction of its normal volume. Within a matter of days air quality improved. You could smell, even taste, the difference.

    It’s eerily quiet. Cities are noisy; really, really noisy. With bars, clubs, and restaurants all closed it’s been noticeably muted. In our neighborhood, Friday and Saturday, usually a cacophony of sounds, are exceptionally serene.  

    Running down the middle of the street: that feeling of going for a run and the streets are your personal track.

    Family time: fractioned tribes have migrated back to the roost. Families are taking advantage of forced togetherness. Quality family time is abundant. Nobody is rushing from here to there and back again. The pace has slowed to a crawl. Life is slower, more peaceful.

    Quarantine has not been easy, but there have been a few silver linings along the way.

    Stay Safe out there. It’s far from over.

  • Peaceful Unrest – Protests continue in San Diego

    Another peaceful Black Lives Matter protest over the weekend here in San Diego. Thousands of people took to the streets on Saturday to have their voices heard.  The march started in downtown and ended up in Hillcrest. There’s been a large police presence at all the marches this last week.  Yet I haven’t seen any acrimony or antagonistic behavior on either side. I’ve heard about some, but I haven’t witnessed anything myself. Just a lot of passion in the streets. Continue to stay safe out there.  

  • Peaceful BLM Protest

    June 4th saw the largest protest to date in San Diego from the recent Black Lives Matter rallies.  While others have had varying degrees of pushback, looting, and violence, this one was quite peaceful.  The energy and urgency was palpable, but it remained peaceful throughout.