B12 Solipsism

 I thought last month’s total was light, but I only worked on 51 images in April, probably my least productive month in a long, long time. Although, two of these made Flickr Explore…

Flickr: Archive of your uploads to Flickr in April 2013.

I was fighting off a few illnesses¹, plus my birthday, plus general slackitude. C’est la vie.

Without additional blah-blah, here are my personal favorites processed in April, 2013.

Constitution of the United States

Hail To The Thief Redux

Byrrh
I have only had this once, at the bar at Arami while waiting for my table. I’m going to find a bottle of my own eventually.

Drink to the Men Who Protect You and I

While Your Traces Disappear
I’ve mentioned this photo before. I made myself a 16″ x 20″ print mounted on bamboo from The Darkroom. Turned out nice.

Peel Back the Sky

Your Arms Were Shaking
I wonder how many photos of the West Loop at sunset I’ve taken? A lot, I’m sure.

My first ever Vesper
James Bond doesn’t have the best taste in cocktails. Martinis should really be shaken, not stirred, so he got that right, but vodka and martini are two words that should never be joined in the same sentence.

Each Has His Burden
Lovely white birch in front of the lovely Bahá’í Temple in Wilmette.

We Have Never Been Very Pure
Manhattan Beach, LA. I’ve mentioned this photo before. I should make a print of it too.

Feel of rain in the face
Manhattan Beach, LA.

Birthday Pie
I wasn’t kidding, I did have a birthday this month. Cherry pie, of course.

Pinhole Self Portrait Circa 1994 I scanned this recently, unfortunately, the print is fairly damaged. Some friend of a friend who was a grad student at the ARTIC back in the mid-90s built the pinhole out of a coffee can, and brought a flash. I just posed.

Trust In Your Calling

Science Won’t Change You

Take A Walk Through The Land of Shadows

An Approximation of the Anticipation

A Harmony Not Rarefied

1. yes, plural [↩]

 A/k/a Black Card Magazine wants free Photos.

Chicago Dog

I’ve gotten lazy about blogging the periodic requests to use my photos in a commercial setting without compensation. I have no concern with websites or blogs using my photos, even quasi-commercial sites like Chicagoist, Curbed Chicago, or the like, as long as these usages don’t require payment to view. In my reasoning, I get benefit from such exposure, not to mention I read most of these sites anyway, or could. However, printed use is different: the targeted audience has to pay a fee to read the magazine or book, thus I should get a slice of the pie. Does this make sense?

There have been several such inquiries since I last mentioned the subject, such as yesterday, when I received this email, marked URGENT.

I work as a writer for Black Card magazine. We are doing a feature on America’s Best Street Foods and we want to feature The Wiener’s Circle in Chicago.

They don’t have any images of their hot dogs, but I found the one on your flickr page. Was wondering if you might be willing to let us publish it in exchange for a photo credit in the article and a free copy of the magazine?

We are on an urgent deadline.

[redacted]

My first reaction was irritation at the forced urgency. Why do I have to rush to respond? I’m not the one who waited until the last minute to secure photographic rights for a story assigned months ago. An admission: I’m that guy on the highway who slows down when drivers tailgate me. Especially if I’m driving by myself, I’ll block irritating drivers from passing me for twenty minutes (alternatively slowing down and speeding up, as traffic changes) or longer. Unless you have a flashing siren on your vehicle, I doubt sincerely your time is any more valuable than mine, and no, I won’t get out of your way if you are rude. Of course, if Illinois caves in, and allows concealed handguns to be carried, I may alter my behavior. Probably not though. I hate being told to hurry up. I have enough deadlines of my own without incorporating yours as well.

Secondly, Black Card Magazine is a trade publication solely for the upper echelon – for instance, American Express’s Centurion Card, which requires cardholders willing to pay an annual fee of $2,500 just to have the card, plus a $7,500 application fee. Not for the peons, in other words. American Express had an operating income of $33,800,000,000 last year, I think they could afford to pay photographers if they chose to.

Wieners Circle Rages at the Dying of the Light

So I replied that I would be happy to allow one-time usage of my photograph for the fee of $800. I’m not holding my breath for a response (it’s been 24 hours). 

the Wieners Family Crest

Mmm Crunchy Chicago Dogs

We Have Never Been Very Pure

Click here to view larger on black.

Venice Beach, last February.

Hasn’t happened in a while, but this photo made it into Flickr Explore April 9th¹, reaching into the lower 200s. Funny, I spent less than ten minutes processing it in Photoshop (tweaking the contrast, cropping, then converting into black and white), and yet it became a hit. Go figure. There isn’t a prize or anything, just satisfaction in knowing that this photo is popular with the masses, and humbling, when you look at all the other great photos also contained in that day’s batch. I would not say each of those photos are my favorites as well, but a great number are super images.

I do like my own photo, don’t get me wrong. And in fact, I like it better viewed at a larger size.

Shameless hucksterism, prints are available for purchase.

I don’t have a clever story as to the photo’s title: probably a willful mishearing of a song lyric or something. Titles are a challenge, as we’ve discussed before.

1. top 500 photos uploaded to Flickr on a particular day [↩]

I took Eureka! on October 19, 2010 at 01:32PM

I’m vowing to do a better job of posting my personal photo favorites uploaded to Flickr each month. I started this last year, but then got lazy, and didn’t post every month. Yadda yadda, 17/83 is 20%…

Archives / Posted in / 2013 / January (83 items)

(click here to see more  Flickr: Archive of your uploads to Flickr in January 2013.)

Lusty Leaves Quite Gone
Lincoln Park

Not Everything Matters As Much As You Think It Does

I Know You Want To Dance Polapan Blue

Kodak Cameras and Film

I’ve Waited Patiently For You

Do Just What You Used To Do

Urban Melodrama

The Muttering Retreats of Restless Nights

Don’t Let Me Change Your Mind

Elevator to Gallows

Murphy Car

Ice Age in the West Loop

Passing Strangers

Your Forgotten Melodies

Manhattan Beach

Union Station – LA

Dome and globe, Los Angeles Central Library

embiggen by clicking http://flic.kr/p/dEN2HY

Along The Shaded Alley was taken on December 27, 2012 at 10:39AM