A Couple of Roses

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My wife is the gardener in the family. She was away in Europe visiting children, grandchildren and friends for three weeks and while she was away I had to take care of the garden – one of my least favorite activities. It was pretty hot for a while and just watering all of the plants took on average 2.5 hours. I usually manage to kill a few, but this time I was a bit more diligent. When she’s away for 1-2 two weeks I tend to take the attitude that they’ll probably survive even if I do nothing. However, for three weeks I wasn’t at all sure that this was the case. So I was more careful than usual.

Although I don’t care much for gardening I do like it when the garden looks nice, and all the flowers are in bloom e.g. the two roses here (unfortunately I don’t know their names).

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RIP Mary Ellen Mark

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Mary Ellen Mark. March 20 1940-May 25 2015 via Famous Photographers

Mary Ellen Mark, one of the great American social documentary photographers of the second half of the 20th century, passed away last Monday of myelodysplastic syndrome at the age of 75.

via The Online Photographer.

I’d seen the picture below, but was otherwise unfamiliar with her work. After learning of her death I spent some time reading about her and looking at her photographs. Very Impressive! I particularly liked the rapport she built up with her subjects and the way that she often stayed in touch with some of them for years afterwards. How different from many casual street photographs of homeless people that you see – often taken by people who have no real concern for their plight.

A photograph by Ms. Mark of the Damm family in Los Angeles in 1987. She used a classic documentary approach, usually working in black and white via the New York Times

The Online Photographer also has a second post containing more information in: More About the Remarkable Mary Ellen

The New York Times has an obituary: Mary Ellen Mark, Photographer Who Documented Difficult Subjects, Dies at 75

There’s also a fascinating video of a lecture given by Ms. Mark. entitled Most Influential Woman Photographer: Mary Ellen Mark.. Note that the audio is poor right at the beginning, but stick with it as it improves quickly.

Her own website can be found at http://www.maryellenmark.com/

New Windsor Cantonment: The Mountainville Hut

by Posted in Black & White, Buildings/Structures Leave a comment
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All of the huts at the New Windsor Cantonment are reconstructions, but this one was built from original materials, which were removed and used for a building on a nearby farm. Later they were donated by the farm owners to make this hut. There were once over 600 such huts, with upwards of 32 soldiers in each. Note the reference to Nathaniel Sackett in the extract below. He’s a fascinating character in his own right: Washington’s spymaster, and later sutler (a civilian merchant who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp, or in quarters. Sutlers sold wares from the back of a wagon or a temporary tent, traveling with an army or to remote military outposts).

According to A Revolutionary War Road Trip on US Route 9W, May 26, 2004 by Raymond C. Houghton:

After the Continental Army troops left the [New Windsor] cantonment in June 1783, the Quartermaster Department began selling buildings and equipment for which it had no further use. According to local tradition, Nathaniel Sackett, an area merchant purchased one or more of the huts. He took them to his property in nearby Mountainville, near Cornwall, where they became the wing of a private dwelling. “Rediscovered” in 1933, the structure was dismantled and reassembled here at Temple Hill.

Tables turned on Richard Prince

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Richard Prince Gets a Taste of His Own Medicine; $90,000 Prints offered for $90

I must admit that when I first heard of Richard Prince and his “appropriation” art I was somewhat shocked. It’s bad enough that you can “steal” other people’s work without giving them credit. I don’t understand how it is that some can sue for the most minor copyright infringement (one hears stories of the Girl Guides being sued by a large corporation because it owns the copyright to “Happy Birthday” and they were singing it around the campfire without permission). It’s even worse when the product is then sold for very large amounts of money with the original creator getting nothing. It was then with great joy that I read the piece below. Good for them!

I also liked this video: Richard Prince Smells Bad from The Art of Photography by Ted Forbes.

Prince’s latest controversial “art” is basically a series of screenshots of various Instagram photos, along with the uploader’s name and some of the comments. In order for the work to be considered his own, Prince added a comment to the original photo – and voila! The magic of appropriation in its most embarrassing moment.

The so-called ‘face’ of the story has been blue-haired Doe Deere, but while she has stated she will not “go after him”, another party involved in this disgraceful incident has decided to take action, and in the most appropriate way.

One of the ripped-off photos belongs to SuicideGirls, and its founder Missy announced yesterday that they’re fighting back by selling prints of Prince’s appropriated work for just 0.1% of his selling price.

via Richard Prince Gets a Taste of His Own Medicine; $90,000 Prints offered for $90 – DIY Photography.