Nighttiming

Believe it or not, I actually get paid to write in my real life. God knows why undisclosed publication does this, but evidently, they do (although i have only seen one check since I supposedly started receiving compensation *ahem* seven months ago). Nevertheless, the point is not that I am fantastic and brilliant, but that I in fact, do not (nor ever will) get paid to take photographs. So this blog may go in a more aesthetic direction, people, in the attempt to either protect my cashcow (my golden pen, ha) or reaffirm that I should never get paid to take photographs.

A friend recently sent me an article about Nikola Tamindzic, who is a photographer of the cobrasnake/Terry Richardson variety, and who has made a name for himself as Gawker's image capturer. He's kind of exactly what you expect him to be, and relentless and exploitative while doing it. Also he likes naked women, a lot. You can find the article here

In any case, he did offer this gem of a quote:

“I like that hour between 3 and 4 in the morning when desperation sets in, when you see all the anticipation of going out starting to fade. The masks drop and everybody realizes the night is not going to be everything they were hoping for.”

I don't usually shoot my friends at the end of the night. Or strangers. The lights shine brighter when you're empty, which is what Tamindzic is talking about. But I do often find myself taking photos of the unremarkable after the events of the night have set in. You look at all the things you know, the hallmarks of your daily life, and they are both unidentifiable and serene.
\The feeling never lasts long. And usually the hand-eye coordination is not in any condition to be operating a camera.