Friday 15 March 2024

"Pyramid Fumes" Portraits

On a beautiful Thursday in Spring, Washington Square Park was packed with people enjoying the sun and the warmth. The whole scene was reminiscent of the days of 2022, when the park was full of all sorts of people; tourists (domestic and foreign), buskers of all kinds, vendors of thrift clothes and art, misfits of all kinds, and of course...the weed entrepreneurs and those who peddled the musch stronger stuff. 

I noticed Pyramid Fumes (a nom de plume she uses for Instagram) holding court near the central fountain, her blonde curls catching the sun rays. Naturally, she was surrounded by a couple of photographers, all vying for the best angle with which to capture her magnetism. I joined them, and managed to make the above portraits of her with my Fuji GFX50R.

Thursday 14 March 2024

The Palestinian "Marianne"





I've attended a couple of rallies supporting the Palestinian cause, and documented the passion expressed by (mostly) younger Palestinians, Israelis, Muslims, Jews...along with a myriad of people with varying cultural, faiths, ethnicity, and provenance; all refusing to support the endless atrocities in Gaza, and lamenting the thousands of lives lost in this conflict.

As I photographed (I normally convert my photographs of such "photojournalistic" intent to black and white), I realized that many of the more visible demonstrators were women...and I made the connection between them and "Marianne", the eponymous woman depicted as leading the French to a liberty, equality and fraternity...as in this famous painting. 


So who is "Marianne"?

Marianne is a figure embodying the French Republic and its values today, and who appeared following the Revolution of 1789. Under the appearance of a woman wearing a Phrygian cap (one of the symbols of the Revolution), she embodies the French Republic and its values contained in the motto: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” (which became its own motto).

Tuesday 12 March 2024

Harlem Beauty | AI Generated

 




I generated this (or these) using MidJourney and asked ChatGPT to add a short poem to it:

"In a Harlem diner's light, she sits serene,"
"Elegance in ebony, a regal queen.
Her presence paints the scene,
a beauty unforeseen."

The MidJourney prompt is:

Documentary, holga photography of a beautiful Afro-Asian model IN A COUTURE BLACK DRESS, dark purple and orange, sitting in a smoky NYC cafe, low key faded and grainy film, photo-realistic techniques, by Dorothea Lange.


Saturday 9 March 2024

LAILA | The Songstress

Laila is currently training to be a songstress. Her name is of Arabic origin meaning "night; holy", and in Arabic script, it is written لَيْلَة .

The photographs (in a larger size) are also here.














Monday 4 March 2024

THE FOUR QI PAOS | AI Generated Polaroids





I find generating AI "Polaroid" images to be visually very attractive...Polaroids and AI share the speed in which either are "processed" to become visible, and both are imperfect in their realism.

The prompt I used is "Create a realistic photograph of an Asian African woman dressed in an orange cheongsam, with black hair styled in curls, black accessories, and red lipstick, shot on "Polaroid"."

Saturday 2 March 2024

LENA THE ÜBER ARTIST | Monochrome

Lena (aka Lena Whooo?) is a German multi-dimensional artist, an actress, a model, a theater teacher, an environmentalist, an activist and a book author.

We scheduled a photo shoot at Freeman Alley, the famous graffiti'ed alley on the Bowery in New York City.


Black-and-white photography is considered by some to be more subtle and interpretive, and less realistic than color photography. Monochrome images are not direct renditions of their subjects, but are abstractions from reality, representing colors in shades of grey. Black-and-white photography is considered by some to add a more emotional touch to the subject, compared with the original colored photography.

That said, the color version is here














Friday 1 March 2024

BODY PAINTING EVENT | Washington Square Park


The bodies of 20 or so individuals were canvases for artists who had their skins beautified with colorful designs for an event in Washington Square Park. The models walked as a group to the park and posed for photographs under the iconic arch. The photoshoot was held at 3:30 pm on Saturday, February 24th despite the freezing weather.

There were more photographers (with cameras) and others with cellphones than there were models, which led to considerable jostling to get to unobstructed spots. While the group posed for the cameras, some of the models also posed on their own, much to the photographers' delight.

As Ximena Tovar was the most accessible to me, here are some of the photographs I made of her, followed by others of the whole group.











"Pyramid Fumes" Portraits

On a beautiful Thursday in Spring, Washington Square Park was packed with people enjoying the sun and the warmth. The whole scene was remi...