Bowerbirds Redux

The Bowerbirds - (L to R) Phil Moore, Beth Tacular and Mark Paulson, circ. 2007.

Film takes it time.

Nearly two years ago I turned over three rolls of The Bowerbirds to be processed and scanned by a lab in Raleigh, JW Labs. The resulting image quality was so-so, but Burly Times needed to get out some mailers soon - so, as with most deadlines, it's done dirty, but at least it's done.

Scanning in film yourself can be cumbersome and slow, today it took almost two hours, All for this photo here. Even so, I appreciate a process that takes it's time and David Attenborough appreciates the bowerbird - a marvelous bird with a passion for interior decoration.

How could you not, right? Such color coordination . . . and those shiny beetle shells. Oh my.

Anydamnway, this here beautiful pile of horribly dismembered trees was just a small part of a vast swath of Carolina Pines felled not to far from Phil and Beth's home. It was a sad sight, but it also proved to be a suitable pseudo representation of a big ol' bower.

Farm Life . . .

It's a beautiful way to live, if only for one week. To wake early and check for eggs. To work often and eat healthy. Farm life is a good life.

Strange Fruit . . .

The American Dance Festival is the country's premier modern dance festival, held each year at Duke. This year we hosted a remarkable student from the Dominican Republic - Ms. Eva Martin. Along with sharing her endless curiosity for all things, melon smoothies and theories about the art of "flowing," Eva and I collaborated on a series of photographs revolving around the concept of Whole Essence. I shot a number of photographs on infrared film, but here is one digital capture that seems to get at the idea of being "one with your environment."

The old Bulls . . .

I've been working on an essay about the 20th anniversary of Bull Durham - mainly photographing the old stadium where the film was shot and the new stadium where the Bulls play today.
More images here.

Brotherly Love . . .

This week the Independent published a cover story about the Avett Brothers - expertly crafted by Mr. Grayson Currin. Using photographs of the band from past performances and a three night stretch of their tour in late June, I created a multimedia deal to accompany story.

Alongside The Allegheny

A storm blew in during an Avett Brothers' show in Pittsburgh. This young lady was seeking out the heat of a steam vent downtown. The band played on through the rain. Naturally.

Tobacco Land . . .

Through This Lens gallery in Durham will present an solo exhibition of my work about the Ligget & Myers tobacco factory complex as it was being converted into a massive residential and commercial development called West Village II. This is a project that I've been working on for the past two and a half years. The opening will be on Oct. 17th and there will be approximately 20 prints hung on the wall. There is a lot of work to be done between now and then, but then again I work best under a deadline.