I am shooting a feature story for the Humane Society's magazine. The feature is titled Approaching a Closed Door, and is about people with mental illnesses that cause them to horde animals. The basic stereotype is the "cat lady," the woman who lives with 300 cats yet she is unable to properly care for herself. There's even a "cat lady" that makes an occasional appearance on the Simpson's. For the story I'm shooting a lot of mysterious window and door shots, some cats doing things horded animals might do like drink from the bathtub, and some other shots still in progress. I can't just go take pictures of a cat miser because of the legalities involved so I shoot a lot of staged shots. So far I have about 18 related shots including this one I took tonight at Dave and Rose's place of Dave's silhouette. He has a cat and some other dramatic lighting situations I was looking for.
This is Helen Veronica, Foggy Bottom's neighborhood bird lady. She said she spends $70 a week to feed the birds popcorn and birdseed. The homeless guys in the park like her. One of them named Eugene calls her Miss Helen, everyone else calls her Roni. I met Eugene while I was waiting in the park to meet Roni. When I went across the street to get a drink at the drug store one clerk told the other Roni was so good-hearted that she, "has already made it to Heaven."
Homeless Stereo System
This is Eugene's radio that he seems to have tuned to classic rock most of the time. He lives in Potomac Plaza Park. He told me about Miss Helen's cat before I saw it. He said it was a big fat cat. When I first saw it come out of her apartment into the hall I was surprised by its size. I saw that the hair on its back was matted. Roni said it was because her cat couldn't reach its back to clean itself. About five minutes later she told me it was because the cat had been shedding a lot, so Roni put moisturizer on its fur earlier. "It was a bad idea," she laughed.
This alley connecting 14th and 15th Sts NW has a green sign like a regular street that says Historic Waverly Alley. I ask a guy named Jack who was sitting on a stoop by the alley why it was historic. He said it had been used in a couple movies including In the Line of Fire starring Clint Eastwood. I think it's one of the most interesting alleys I've seen in D.C. It has a lot of stairs, windows, and doors.
I'm pretty sure this is a Loon. [This is actually a Green-backed Heron.] I took this picture earlier today near the Washington Monument by the Signers' of the Declaration of Independence Memorial island. I'm surprised at the amount of different large birds they have flying around the memorials. I suspect they might be shipped-in to impress tourists. I pretend like they are there to impress me instead.Kegger
My friend Jen graduated so I went to a party at her place also celebrating various other occasions. The party went on for a while but as I was walking back in the door from a breather the beer was announced "finished." I nearly turned right around and walked back out the door but I remember I left my bag inside. Thanks for inviting me Jen, I'm proud you graduated. That always looks good on resumes.
Some friends and I went to the XChange Saloon on 17th and G Sts today. I began frequenting the place first week I arrived in DC. Shortly after I drew them a new logo and I wasn't even looking for work. Recently, I inquired about freelancing for a photo magazine called Rangefinder. They didn't have any work for me but the editor asked if I would like an article written about me in his magazine. I talked to the editor today and he said the article will most likely run sometime in the last quarter of this year. Go to the site for more information.
It's nice to see some type of conservation in DC. The National Park Service started this small wetlands area near the Washington Monument. In the past year they have added netting and water grass to complete the ecology for attractive water fowl. Birds in the area like ducks and this Blue Heron seen landing seem to like the extra micro terrain in the pond.
When I think of the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery I think of Larry Fuente's Game Fish. The playful sculpture uses a Blue Marlin covered in game pieces that collage any-man-U.S.A's leisure activities from the cradle to the grave. I don't get to the Renwick often, and after I view the majority of their collection I remember why. But because of Game Fish a bad day at the Renwick is better than a good day at work.
Today, after handling some things at the school library, I helped some friends move their belongings from one apartment to another in one of the student housing buildings in the Foggy Bottom area. I was talking about a photo assignment I might procure that involves objects from the Santeria religious stores called Botanicas. It was just a brief conversation with a fine arts student named Jabari. He is a black man with dreads, a description that might fit a number of practitioners of Santeria. Santeria it a very unique blend of the African Yoruba people's tribal beliefs and Catholicism. The two abstracting faiths came together when slaves were brought to South America and forced to practice Catholicism. When Jabari left the apartment I noticed this night light, a common purchase at your local Urban Outfitters ... a sacred purchase at your local Botanica.
I shot a wedding today. The first ever. They wanted a photojournalistic style and not so much of the traditional shots. Actually, none of the traditional shots. There are a few things I'll do differently next time. I think I'll pose more shots. I wish I had taken the bride and grooms photo in some of the settings I photographed the guests in. Most of the people I took posing were already posing for other shots. It took place at the beautiful Potowmack Landing Restaurant on the waterfront. I am sure it will be memorable to all who attended. The ceremony was stopped for a brief moment during the vowels to let a jet taking off from National Airport pass by. One thing happily unexpected was that the bride and her family are Korean and they had beautiful kimono-style dresses.
I was drinking some iced coffee in Swings Coffee Shop yesterday when through the swinging doors walked Bill Trollinger, rodeo and ranch minister. I asked if I could take his picture because I had never seen a cowboy in the coffee shop before. Trollinger is from Wyoming where he says, "There's not a shade tree anywhere ... if you want shade you gotta wear it on your head!" He said he doesn't do too much cowboying anymore. "I ride the buckin' horses every now and then." He goes to rodeos and tries to keep the young competitors away from all the bad things they might get into like drugs and alcohol. After a short talk and "a regular coffee" he took off back to his preachers' convention.
