Cell Phone Capture

This month marks the first time I've owned a cell phone with a camera! I upgraded my jalopy of a cell phone to a Blackberry Curve. A phone with a camera? Now I'm REALLY in trouble! :-) Here are some random shots of simplicity. Click any image to enlarge. Enjoy!


young muslim boy



building, light, shadow



untitled door, cynder blocks, light and shadow



folk, just chillin'



laundromat play






fire escape light and shadow



we move your life



uptown street scape



floating smiley face



three bicycle wheels




urban renewal



view from St. Nicholas park, Harlem


brotha's, we must turn the corner...



vc

Chasing Certainty

you will never find your way
for as long as you run sideways
in the dark

you will never know the truth
until you live your truth

you cannot recognize the moment
the NOW
as long as your heart is left behind
stuck in a hurt-filled rut



you will get there though
because your spirit demands it

LET GO

you're not alone
but your demons should be

when u are finally free
you will know it

because nothing else will matter.

Tuneday the boy-gay

Tuneday
is here
Wednesday
where he can be gay
till Friday
all day
and on the seventh day
some will say
act like you did
on Monday.

Not because...but...

not because I AM
but because you were

not because i live
but because you fear

not because i fly
but because u creep
(or crept)

not because i see
but because you can't
(or won't)

not because of reality
but because of perception

not because of my light
but because of your shadow

not because i'm free
but because ur not

not because i live
but because u exist

not because my life is dictated by people who mean nothing to me
but because yours is

not because i've seen
but because you remembered

not because i'm "right"
but because I'm honest

not because i'm told
but because I believe

not because of you
but because of me.

Games and Rides...Good times at Coney Island, 2009

...continued from the Coney Island series, 2009.



Waiting on line for the Wonder Wheel.



Faceless couple in an embrace at the Wonder Wheel.



The Wonder Wheel, Coney Island.



Boys aboard the Polar Bear Express, a Coney Island favorite.




My favorite game in Coney Island since I was a kid. Aim and fire the water gun into the clowns mouth, which inflates the attached ballon. First one that pops wins. I like how the baby in the background is hanging in there too!



"Play it Your way"...the nerve-racking quarter game.



Big stuffed prizes await the winner of the Horse Race.



I remember riding these plastic motorcycles chasing and dogding on the moving screen.




Ambivalence about challenging the mechanical arm wrestler.



Freefall, free kids.




Father makes sure his son is prepared to fly.




They don't touch you, do they???", asked this tense woman as she got strapped in for a ride through the Coney Island Haunted House.

Coney Island Culture; Urban revitalization on its heels

No matter the view, an endless mix of people and culture come to Coney Island in search of fun or peace. I wonder what the vibe will be like once the Urban Revitalization is completed. Will the mix of culture continue to blend or will it sift out like flour in a sieve? What will the "new" Coney Island offer? And to whom? It remains to be seen, but in the meantime, we salvage what final moments of what will soon be considered "what used to be".

Laboring at the World Famous Nathan's

Wonder Wheel detail (night), 2009

Photo essay#1 Multiculturalism at Coney Island

Coney Island, once known as the "poor man's paradise" was the world capital for amusement that began around 1897, a time when early Dutch settlers inhabited the neighboring communites. Since then, it has become a mecca for people and communities near and from around the world. Whether seeking amusement or solace, the "faithful" make the pilgrimage to the southern-most tip of Brooklyn. It is here that cultures blend together as effortlessly as the sun rises. Regardless of where someone is from, be it Asia, India, Africa or the Bronx, at Coney Island, they fit in and have as much a stake in the sentimentality of the place as did the millions of visitors that have preceded them over the last hundered years.

Below are some images that reflect the multiculturalism of Coney Island, giving it world-wide status as a true "melting pot".

Click on any image to enlarge. COMMENTS WELCOME!


Coney Island photo ca.1940. Crowds at Coney Island beach. The first turn of the Cyclone is in the background, between the trees. And to the left of it you can see the top car of the Wonder Wheel.

























For Neal Collins.

Technical note: I was using for the very first time a Nikon D80. I've never shot with Nikon, but I inherited one from my buddy Neal Collins who recently transitioned to another space in time. It's a great camera, with tons of features, but i used it on total manual mode including manual focus, which at times was a challenge. The other real challenge was controlling the ISO, F-STOP and Shutter speed dials, which is completely the opposite direction than from my Canon 20D that I'm accustomed to using! I find the resolution better from the Nikon camera but I'm not sure if I'm a total convert yet!

Father and daughter on the Coney Island bound D train, 2009

I love this moment...it is everything.

20th Annual Tribute to the Ancestors of the Middle Passage, 2009

Here are some images from the annual Tribute to the Ancestors of the Middle Passage, an annual event that takes place on the second Saturday in June in Coney Island, Brooklyn. Similar ceremonies take place around the globe from Africa to Brazil to South Carolina. The annual tribute is in remembrance of the tens of millions of Africans who, after being kidnapped from their homeland, died during the voyage across the Atlantic – the Middle Passage – and their bodies were plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, which was to become the largest African burial ground in the world.

The ceremonies involve singing, dancing, prayer, worship, and drumming all day long. At sunset, a procession moves to the ocean where offerings of flowers, rhum, honey, and fruit are made.

It was a rainy, densely overcast day this year which made photographing a challenge, but that did not stop worshipers including myself from gathering to pay tribute to the ancestors of the Middle Passage. It tuns out the rain was not rain at all, but an anointing and blessing from the heavens---or so the faithful believe.

Click on any image to enlarge and feel free to post comments or reflections! Enjoy!




































































Where ocean meets sky.


Dedicated to memory of Bill Harmon, Larry Knight and Neal Collins...all whom are now ancestors and watch over me.