As promised, here’s a slideshow of the entirety of this new book.

Enjoy.

Be Afraid, My Friend is a video and book I shot this past winter on NYC streets using a Kodak Zi8 pocket video camera.

Video: Be Afraid, My Friend, 2011, 3:38 min, by Graeme Mitchell with music by Julian Tulip’s Licorice.

The book is 71 pages, 7.4×9.5,” softcover, perfect bound, $24.  It doesn’t correspond exactly w/ the video, but it is close.

The William Kentridge exhibit at the MOMA (see this!), notably the stop motion movies,

video: excerpt from Stereoscope (no sound), ©William Kentridge

Valerie Belin’s work, incredible black and white prints,

photo: ©Valerie Belin.

David Godblatt’s work, notably this portrait,

photo: Hillrow, Johannesburg, South Africa. ©David Goldblatt.

Karl Blossfeldt‘s work, so German, so exquisite, doing what much later the Becher‘s would do for industrial buildings,

photo: a picture of Monkshood by Karl Blossfeldt.

and also Blossfeldt’s uncanny resemblance to Dash Snow…

photo: a portrait of Karl Blossfeldt, 1895.

Finally, Nicholas Nixon‘s new book, Live, Love, Look, Last, which shows a 4 decade dedicated vision and Nixon’s adherence to something akin to a poetic form, showing how the singular becomes expansive, and furthermore how in the specific resides the universal,

photo: John Grady and Tesair Lauve, Cambridge, 1997, ©Nicholas Nixon.

It’s not news that I like Japanese photography from the 60s and 70s (see posts, here, here, here, here).  Why is for much the same reasons I return often to French New Wave cinema.  Call that reason a stripped down aesthetic which verges on a sensual brutality.  Nearly able to chew on it.  But what saves it from being trite w/ brutality, is a delve headfirst into the subconscious – wait, no, subconscious might prompt something psychoanalytic.  That’s too much for here.  But by subconscious I mean the very deepest and most uncontrolled and most fundamental mechanisms taking place in our minds.  I guess it’d be easiest to just call it, our dreams.  (Makes me think of Joyce writing in Ulysses, “history is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.”)  It’s a documentation of an entirely different sorts, and it makes the work not brutal, but rather almost unbearably human and gentle.

I’m not informed enough to make theories on the reasons, the whys of parallel creative evolutions, but just look at Shomei Tomatsu’s work and then go watch Chris Marker‘s short film, La Jetee (here).  Breathe deep.

photo: still from Chris Marker’s film La Jetee

Or, make a literal French to Japan connection w/ Hiroshima Mon Amour by, Alain Resnais (like Marker – and also Agnes Varda – one of the Left Bank New Wavers).

photo: still from Alain Resnais’ film Hiroshima Mon Amour

There isn’t going to be order here though.   Ramblings.  B/c what I really wanted to do was just list some old Japanese photography.  The inspiration being a well done new book out by Aperture Foundation called Japanese Photobooks of the 1960s and ’70s, which reminded me recently how important this work is.

Jun Morinaga, namely his book River: It’s Shadow of Shadow:

photo: from River by Jun Morinaga

photo: from River by Jun Morinaga

(These tiny and poor jpegs are not doubt not representative of the quality of this work – this stuff is not easy to find on the internet…a fact that gives me a little hope this morning.)

Masahisa Fukase, and his series Solitude of the Ravens:

photo: from Solitude of the Ravens by Masahisa Fukase

photo: from Solitude of the Ravens by Masahisa Fukase

photo: from Solitude of the Ravens by Masahisa Fukase

Tetsuya Ichimura, who’s work is almost impossible to find online, but he’s done a number of books, all now very rare I think:

photo: from Salome by Tetsuya Ichimura

photo: from Salome by Tetsuya Ichimura

photo: from Salome by Tetsuya Ichimura

Nobuyoshi Araki, who we all know as a photographer of gorgeous flowers and gorgeous bound women, but his book Sentimental Journey reveals a side of him little known.  This older work is, again, almost non-existent online.

photo: from Sentimental Journey by Nobuyoshi Araki

Eikoh Hosoe, who I’d not heard of until just recently:

photo: by Eikoh Hosoe

And a few more obvious ones I’ve touched on before on this site and who are very well known, Shōmei Tōmatsu,

photo: by Shōmei Tōmatsu

For God’s sake, now that (↑) is photography.

photo: by Shōmei Tōmatsu

and Daidō Moriyama:

photo: by Daidō Moriyama

A friend recently offered me a simple and apt definition of good art, saying it “is something people want to experience again…after seeing it they immediately want to relive it, and then again and again.”  This work then, to me, is good art.

Yes Yes.  Tremendous.

Julian is someone I have the pleasure to photograph whenever our schedules allow.  It is always a great pleasure.

photo: Julian in my basement, NYC, 2009. ©Graeme Mitchell

He is a friend, a musician, and a wonderful mind.

Here is a song:

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song: Dolls Aren’t Supposed to Bite by Julian Tulip’s Licorice

And – peelug -  he also did the music for the Unreal City Slideshow.

Will have some new work to share after the holidays, but in the meantime two cracking MJ remixes to get your New Years jammin, both by Code Talkers.

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song: “They Don’t Care About Us (codetalkrs mix2)” by Codetalkers.

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song: “Blood on the Dance Floor (MJ remix)” by Codetalkers.

A photographer (thanks, James!) sent me these great little finds that were originally posted on this photographer’s record collection blog.

I’ll start with Henri Cartier-Bresson.

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audio: Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1958.  From Famous Photographers Tell How

The Weegee one is almost comical…given his subject matter: “The easiest thing to photograph is a murder.”

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audio: Weegee, 1958. From Famous Photographers Tell How

photo: originally from: http://boogiewoogieflu.blogspot.com/2009/06/weegee-speaks.html

I’m currently assembling a very small edition bound portfolios of an edit of NYC street photography that will represent that body of work to date, 50 prints to be exact (more on these when a few are finished).  The name of the edition will be, Unreal City.  This is a slide-show presentation of those 50 pictures.  So, please, take a minute, dim your lights, turn up the sound, and let it creep around you.

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy.

video: making of W, “The Art Issue,” 2009.

More a regurgitation of a conversation, but after all, it’s a blog: so: while having lunch in Tompkins Sq. yesterday with photo-friend, Aaron Binaco he gave me some, how should I put it, neat shit. My first sun-drunk-enthusiasm was for that by now well known moment when Avedon went to take Freidlander‘s portrait at his home, and how Freidlander, being a really real photographer (see note), also took Avedon’s portrait. I said I could find the Avedon picture, but have yet to be able to find the Friedlander. Well, Aaron found it and sent it to me. I imagine a sort of stand-off of great personalities, great wills face to face, and even if they were cordial and kind on some level it must have been profound-intense. Either as a matter of attrition of neither ever giving in, or maybe rather of two old masters being able to wink and nod, knowingly.

photo: from Aperture #188, Lee Friedlander by Richard Avedon (left) and Richard Avedon by Lee Friedlander (right)

Both Aaron and I grew up racing bicycles, so then he started on about this Scottish trials rider, saying, “he’d ride up that tree over there and just chill out,” while pointing at this giant bloody elm that a cat could maybe climb. I called, hyperbole!, but then he emailed me this link and jesusmurphy…if you’ve ever ridden a bike you should be able to appreciate this video:

And, yes, I am in fact posting on extreme sports youtube video…sigh, probably a slippery slope, so I’ll post this to balance it out:

photo: Corvette I saw in soho which I voted best possible prop of the day and sent it to a fashion editor with a synopsis of a story involving Death Valley, Bottega heels, and a Camio by Dennis Hopper (as eminence grise, naturally). Fashion editor responded, I weep.

Note: “real photograher”: I was shooting on 5th ave by Tiffany’s on Saturday morning, and I saw this old timer shooting people fast with an old Nikon. I guessed maybe he was part of the old-Magnum-guard. I said, hello, asked his name, he said, Bill Cunningham, didn’t ring a bell. I asked him if shot there much, if he’d seen Bruce Gilden out, he’s always shooting on this corner. He said, I have seen him in the afternoon; how is Bruce? I said, I’ve no idea, I just see him, can’t catch him. He said, now that’s a real photographer. I liked that. Since there was truth in it. We chatted a bit more, then he took off after this super chic blonde to photograph. I thought, huh, mildly-licentious, but, yeah! It wasn’t until I mentioned it later in the day in passing that someone explained to me who Bill is. Love it. Before he ran of he waved and said, keep snapping kid. I offer the same good-bye, keep snapping, Bill!

I know I’ve been mentioning films a lot here, but movies are very influential to my work, as I think they can be for many photographers.  So bear with me…but, I watched Andrei Tarkovsky’s, Stalker last night and my jaw was like hanging to my lap for the entire 2hrs.   Geeked!  Remarkable…no, a brilliant film.  I’d never seen any of Tarkovsky’s work and had no idea what to expect, so it totally side-swiped me.  Yeah, it’s sorta an old-arty film, so it takes some gear shifting, but it’s not French New Wave, so don’t drug yourself just yet.

photo: still from Andrei Tarkovsky’s film, Stalker.

Now I need to see Tarkovsky’s, Mirror and Solyaris.

photo: still from Andrei Tarkovsky’s film, Mirror.

Still, I appreciate that it’s not for everyone.  Talking movies while on set today I lit up and got really excited about having seen Stalker and I could tell pretty quickly nobody cared to hear me wax on about it, let alone log into netflix for it…

…so if it’s not your bag, here’s a link to some crackin-beats: Pete Tong Essential Mix. (FYI, download button is towards bottom of the song list.)  Thanks Mr. Diggles for that link; he’s my defenitive line to all things techno and all things Hi-Tech.

Segue.

Saw this gorgeous Lanvin look in the windows of Bergdorf’s the other day and immediatly sent it to a stylist on messanger:

“Me: LOOOOVE this Lanvin look!
Her: Love it and love each and all things Lanvin.
Me: Sigh”

(BTW, feel like you’re a photographer that gets the photos but is dumb on the clothes, well the Bergdorf windows are about the best crash course in fashion you’re going to find.)

For those of you who didn’t hear, Helen Levitt passed away last week.  She was a slightly lesser known but no less wonderful NYC street photographer who did a lot of work circa 1950s.  Her person and career gives me a heartfelt grin, since photography, and especially street photography, is so much a boy’s club, that I love that a women came and conquered her own place in it.  There’s a NPR interview with Levitt, here.

That last picture made me think of this phenomenal film I saw while away, Killer of Sheep.  Really really turned my mind around in a way that I didn’t expect, and it was so remarkably shot that I went back and watched a lot of it again w/o sound.  The phrase, far out, describes that quite perfectly.  Try it…if you want.

It makes me want to begin to shoot motion.

BTW, I’m back, and while I don’t expect you to be excited, after having been traveling the last 6 of 7 weeks for work I’m glowing to be home and to get back to life here.  I’ve been shooting for Adidas, Interview, Dazed.  I can’t share anything ’til stuff goes to print.   Mostly I’m excited to be back to get personal projects going and some fashion stories.

Oh, and on the topic of fashion, I want to point to the story Sebastian Kim did for Numero in this month’s architecture issue.  Excellent.  I enjoy his work b/c it’s rare to see heavily conceptual work done so, well, uh, well…or with such taste.  (There’s actually an older interview with him, here, which is worth reading if you’re starting as a photographer b/c he had a rather unique start to his career having assisted both Avedon and Meisel for extended periods.)

The author, Haven Kimmel had written this poem during the first chapter of a sprawling and inspiring email conversation I had and remain to have w/ her.  Last week for some reason I was possessed by the notion of hearing her read it, for my own pleasure, but also with it in mind to put up here, so I wrote and asked her to record and send.   And she obliged!

So, lay back and close your eyes, b/c I doubt you’re going to find this anyplace else.

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“The Holy Dove Was Moving Too,” written and read by Haven Kimmel.

Haven has a number of bestsellers riddling the shelf.  Go and seek out.

[Change of topic]

Note: my posting here has been pretty thin lately.  I’ve been busy.  I’ve been busy working on things I’m not in a hurry to go on about here.  It’s not my intention to talk work work on this site, at least not in depth.  Yes, I’ll drop a post updating the occasional happenings, but only so things don’t wilt here.  I suspect these are the thinnest posts.  You see, the original purpose of this site was to share the NYC Journal and other work I do that would be otherwise homeless, and also to talk about photography in the most whimsical sense of an art and of what lights the fires in my head and heart.  I have no interest in using this site as a marketing tool.  Why am I bringing this up?  B/c I’ve realized, as I’ve become busier, how the original intent of this blog was very time intensive.  The NYC Journal alone is something that I used to spend days on a week, while right now it’s lucky to get a handful of hours in the week.  But I’m not complaining, only letting you know I’m learning and making adjustments to keep things going here.   Note concluded.

On that note,,,

[Change of topic yet again]

a few random pics:

photo: London, 2009. ©Graeme Mitchell.

photo: London, 2009. ©Graeme Mitchell.

photo: London, 2009. ©Graeme Mitchell.

photo: London, 2009. ©Graeme Mitchell.

photo: London, 2009. ©Graeme Mitchell.

photo: London, 2009. ©Graeme Mitchell.

photo: London, 2009. ©Graeme Mitchell.

photo: London, 2009. ©Graeme Mitchell.

So been in Portland, just now wrapping up this commercial job, and as usual I’m crashing with my good friend, Benjamin. He and I have been geeking on a few things, one being dubstep, which seems to be the electronic hype right now.  We went to a Pendelum show and this canuck, DJ Excision opened up w/ a gut shaking dubstep set.   Rocked my mind…jams you’d never usually hear outside of the hippest sort of party in London or Paris, deep, dark, dirty, apocalyptic, universe-ending beats, and I mean deep and dirty.

You can check his FB page and tour dates, here, or download one of his mixes, here.

Turn this up:

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mix: “Shambhala 2008″ by DJ Excision

What does this have to do w/ photography…well, sort of a lot, b/c music is SO key on the set.  Some traditional favs of mine are Sigor Ros and the Stones for portraits; for fashion it depends entirely on the vibe, but when a shoot goes to that hard electronica place, for me that means things are going right.  And I almost never shoot street stuff sans headphones unless batteries run out, and there it is usually one of two extremes: something like Chopin/Schubert/Verdi or some crackin Breakbeats.

Schubert:

Breakbeats, (Plump DJs):

What do you listen to to set your work off?

I found these to be remarkable. Both in what they are standing alone in the Formalist sense, but also in how they function as a side of Bourdin’s work. I believe he would have shot these during his still shoots, which to me reveals a certain visual obsession, or at the very least a singular idea of great depth…

video: by Guy Bourdin

video: by Guy Bourdin

There are a number of more of them online if you look them up.