read a good poem: the white

These are the moments

before snow, whole weeks before.

The rehearsals of milky November,

cloud constructions

when a warm day

lowers a drift of light

through the leafless angles

of the trees lining the streets.

Green is gone,

gold is gone.

The blue sky is

the clairvoyance of snow.

There is night

and a moon

but these facts

force the hand of the season:

from that black sky

the real and cold white

will begin to emerge.

--Patricia Hampl via the writer's almanac

photos © anita aguilar

post-irene: lucky and pretty

hope folks can now have a relaxing sunday...

@ anita aguilar

paris postcard: jardin du luxembourg

nocturnal stills

april 23, 2011

photos © anita aguilar

under a cloudy, white sky

thundersnow 2011: awe and wonder

you knew i couldn't stay inside, right?

though i wasn't outside for long before the camera and i were soaked.

jan 27, 2011. 1am. photos © anita aguilar

snow day 2011: union square park

***

"puddle shots 2011"

all photos taken on january 12, 2011...

© anita aguilar

read a good poem: chaplinesque

fdr drive. nov 21, 2010. © anita aguilar

***

the resonant, true (and not outrageous) thing i read yesterday about the wikileaks:

The quality of the conversation is determined by the level of trust.

(via david brooks)

i spent part of last evening, then, reading poems on the idea of trust.

but i eventually found my way here (not sure what it may mean to you, but hope you like it)

****

Chaplinesque

We make our meek adjustments,
Contented with such random consolations
As the wind deposits
In slithered and too ample pockets.

For we can still love the world, who find
A famished kitten on the step, and know
Recesses for it from the fury of the street,
Or warm torn elbow coverts.

We will sidestep, and to the final smirk
Dally the doom of that inevitable thumb
That slowly chafes its puckered index toward us,
Facing the dull squint with what innocence
And what surprise!

And yet these fine collapses are not lies
More than the pirouettes of any pliant cane;
Our obsequies are, in a way, no enterprise.
We can evade you, and all else but the heart:
What blame to us if the heart live on.

The game enforces smirks; but we have seen
The moon in lonely alleys make
A grail of laughter of an empty ash can,
And through all sound of gaiety and quest
Have heard a kitten in the wilderness.

--Hart Crane (via the poetry foundation)

good night light

november 20, 2010

photo © anita aguilar

fall: into black and white

a couple of weeks ago i slipped into the mary boone gallery to catch lee friedlander's recent western landscapes on the last day of the exhibition.

individually and as a collection, the photos were tonally soothing.

some were haunting.

some were pretty.

(i maybe love fallen trees and bark a bit more than the average person, as any poor soul who saw all my snapshots from bryce canyon will attest? i have tons of photos like this, taken with my very first point and shoot, a canon A95)

but what stood out to me was how perfectly exposed the friedlander black and whites were. no heavy shadows. no blowouts. how did he do it? a white sky and dark bark give a lot of contrast--you really have to know light and metering to find the right balance.

when i started to really become interested in photography a couple of years ago, even before i bought my digital slr, i sought advice of everyone i knew that was a photographer (enthusiast or pro) or photo editor.

one friend recommended that i take a black and white film photography class, she said it would be the best way for me to understand "light," which sounded incredibly romantic to me--the sensitivity of the film and paper, all those groovy chemicals, the "big reveal," in the bath.

everyone else simply said, eh, shoot "raw" in color and convert it later, which struck me a little as cheating?

(voila! i mean, that took 5 seconds. and it's not bad, eh?)

anyway, i went both ways--took one black and white photography class at SVA which wasn't great (and i wasn't great at it). i'll occasionally convert color images to black and white, but mostly as a way to salvage a poorly exposed shot.

***

last year, i came across a short interview with ny times photographer todd heisler--i think his black and whites are so elegant--and i remembered almost every bit of advice he offered (it was after reading this that i started to play with curves; i also employ his post-prod "time limit" to judge a particular shot) but i didn't really adopt his use of the monochrome setting. but i've decided that's the next step for me, to shoot, and try to "see," in black and white...(though this is there is so much nice new york color right now, it's gonna be hard to resist).

these first test shots reveal...there is a whole lotta learning to do.

union square, nov 3, 2010

union square, nov 3, 2010

union square, nov 3, 2010

all photos © anita aguilar

have a wonderful weekend

z, tree

sugar, sweet, sunshine

on a favorite day of the year, a shot of my favorite tree in madison square park...

i've always liked that my birthday falls on the summer solstice--the longest day of the year, the first day of summer. everyone seems automatically happy, anticipating the most carefree season...

i wasn't unhappy in the days leading up to my birthday this year, but i was sort of feeling the weight of everything that is unsettled...

the festivities officially started a day early--combo father's day celebration. mom, dad and sister came into the city for brunch. we went to artisanal--perhaps the best neighborhood choice for special occasions and visits--and then hung around at the apartment. it was exactly like most sundays we have together (couch time, story time, baseball and nap time for dad) except it was happening in a much "cozier" (read: smaller) setting. oh, and there were presents. very nice presents.

after they left in the early afternoon, my mood was different--happy and calm. i realized then and in the days that followed how lucky i am for everything that is settled, especially family and friends who are my constant.

it was a true happy birthday.

***

and there was a lot of food:

airy beignets leave a beard of sugar...

sausage and egg (before)

oooh boudin blanc, most tender. served with a bed of lentils...

a trio of ice creams: blackberry cardamom, fennel (yes, fennel!), and coffee...

and bright and fresh strawberry-rhubarb soup, served with a frozen vanilla yogurt. this is summer, all the way...

i "made" this.

***

at maialino, on the monday morning...

brioche caramellato...a dainty, upscale cinnabon.

i wouldn't have minded a more generous serving...

***

impromptu afternoon snack, with sister, at the reliable le pain q....

black hummus, spicy tahini...

and a giant almond meringue.

it was very good, but i was blind afterwards. so much sugar...

things looking up

on 38th street, between park and lex, nyc.

photo © anita aguilar

AMO the ARG: 'neath the gran gomero (day 5--parte dos)

as the week went on and we got a better sense of BA and its different neighborhoods, zovig and i would sit and discuss our favorites. each had its merits--there were little things about each one that i loved, except for san nicholas. i didn't like much of anything there--but what if you were to visit for an extended period, or settle long-term (which she was keen to do at first)?

she was sweet on palermo soho and its boutiques and trendy eateries from the get go (understandably)--and then seduced by shiny puerto madero (which i think is fun for a night but not to stay)--but went back to her first love.

the time i spent in san telmo gave me a nice buzz--i loved that it was gritty and refined, antique and trendy, historic and "green"--but only to spend the day, and to take photos. it's a place for big eyes (which you must also keep on your belongings)...

recoleta seemed to be more my every day speed: wide views, park life, quaint cafes, lots of art and architecture escapes. and it seems to be the center of things--everywhere is easy to get to from there.

lots of ground to cover in recoleta, and i have photos to match.

but i'll start things off with the park...this park shares space with the recoleta cemetery, a historic church (basilica nuestra sra. del pilar), the buenos aires design center, and several upscale hotels. even though there's clearly tourist traffic here, it seemed possible to find a quiet space here and there...

this is not an exceptional shot, but it's the widest i have of this famous tree: the gran gomero (rubber tree). it's over one hundred years old.

they've built supports for its crazy branches

in turn, the tree supports a healthy little social scene...

i met arturito, and his (shy) nurse. he told me he was a famous film star back in the day (no comment from nurse).
i sat with him for a little while. he liked the photos that i took of him.

nice nap time...

all photos ©anita aguilar