what's in a word?: Monday - June has begun. When oh when will I walk in Manhattan again?

Monday, June 1, 2020

Monday - June has begun. When oh when will I walk in Manhattan again?

We are living through difficult times. 3+ years of Donald Trump has increased my fear for America's future to a new high. Then the virus, and Trump's failures became even more dangerous. And now he is unable to figure out a rational way to calm these troubled waters.

This morning I played a song by the Mother's of Invention. It's on their first album, "Freak Out." The album was released in 1966 but this song is as topical as today. Give it a listen. You can find an interesting video with it on YouTube: "Trouble Coming Every Day."

I don't excuse unnecessary violence. The looting in particular disturbs me. But I sympathize with the underlying anger that now has exploded into action. I recognize that some of the violence was inspired by overreaction by the police to peaceful protests, pushing enough buttons to make their actions intolerable, but not all.

Leadership is needed now, not a leader who hunkers down in a bunker instead of confronting the issues that have erupted. We don't have a leader. The cowardly Donald doesn't lead, he blathers and blusters and wishes he was a dictator.

I do hope we unelect him this fall.

But enough politics. Photographs.

When I bought 50mm, fast prime lens I didn't know that it would change the way I see the world through the viewfinder. The street photographs I've taken since then are framed differently, as if I am seeing the world with different eyes. You may or may not notice, but I do. There are details in where people are, what is happening on the periphery that causes me to spend more time looking at these photos than I do as others.

These are portraits of a place and moment, not necessarily of a person.