Instagram Photo Makes the Front Page of the NYT

Any good photographer knows that s/he can’t control everything, and that part of making the leap from good photographer to great photographer is knowing when to improvise.

Nick Laham knows that lesson, as evidenced by the fact that even though he was using a DLSR camera to shoot the New York Yankees, it was a photo he took of Alex Rodriguez on his phone and processed with Instagram that landed him on the front page of Sunday’s New York Times. [Click to enlarge.]

I know there are people who consider camera phone photography a legitimate art form on its own. And I also know some people who are really good at it (I am not — my Instagram photos never look that good). Conversely, every time a story like this breaks, there are also people saying that we’re witnessing the demise of photography as we know it.

Who’s to say?

I’ve always thought that I need to be careful with camera phone images (and apps like Instagram). But at the same time, frankly, I want to get better at it.

Favorite California Memory #1: J-nay-nay

When I lived in Los Angeles, I hung out with this “straight” guy named Jnani. I put straight in quotes because he surrounded himself with gay friends, preferred hanging out in gay bars, and while he talked about women I don’t think I ever saw him date one. He was a mechanic, but he wore rubber gloves when he worked on cars because he didn’t want to get his hands and fingernails dirty. He had great hair that was conservative yet kind of floppy and even looked good when he was in the garage. There was something kind of James Dean-like about him and in hindsight, I wish I had been a photographer then because I would have wanted to take portraits of him.

But Jnani was so gay for a straight guy what we all called him J-nay-nay.

I was with Jnani one Friday afternoon when he told me that he had to go to Target. There, I watched him walk straight to the section of the store that contained men’s foundation garments, where he quickly picked out seven pairs of underwear and seven pairs of socks. The underwear were white boxer briefs which I imagined would give Jnani a nice basket (I never saw him naked, but I have a feeling that he had a big dick); the socks he selected were five pairs of white athletic socks and two pairs of thick black ones.

After he paid for his stuff, Jnani told me that he went to Target every Friday and did this, because he refused to wear underwear or socks more than once.

I wonder where this guy is now?

Tilda Swinton Sleeping in a Box

I just said that I wasn’t in the mood for New York right now, but I might have to change my mind. I want to see Tilda Swinton sleep.

Tilda Swinton Is Sleeping in a Box at MoMA

Other Photographers: Stephen Hendry by Fernando Gómez

This is model Stephen Hendry (of Elite Barcelona) in a series by photographer Fernando Gómez, which is for the latest edition of a magazine called Adon.

It’s so interesting to be seeing so many models all of a sudden with tattoos. [Click to enlarge.]

Seeking New Inspiration

I made substantial cuts to my blogrolls over there in the right column. I got rid of sites that don’t get updated anymore and a few that just didn’t interest me all that much. If you can think of any websites that I should be following (you should know my taste by now), let me know what they are.

The Long Weekend

This morning, somebody asked about my four-day weekend.

• I had a slumber party with a new friend
• I had a top-notch photo shoot with four models
• I took a road trip to meet a great friend
• I had a crazy night out
• I tucked dollar bills into g-strings
• I discovered that I DO still do some of the things that I say I don’t do anymore
• I met a new cute boy
• I make a big decision about my future
• I went on a disappointing date
• I made amends with an old friend
• I met my ex partner’s new boyfriend
• I found a new favorite hangout
• I accepted responsibility for one of the least proud moments of my life
• I watched Nicole Kidman pee on Zac Efron
• I discovered amazing new art in a fantastic art gallery 
• I convinced an EMT to show me his penis

I could write a fucking book about this past weekend. And I wouldn’t change one thing.

Other Photographers: Tyra Banks by Gan

Tyra Banks proves she’s still got what it takes by taking this month’s cover of Harper’s Bazaar Singapore. Gorgeous! [Click the second photo to enlarge.]

All photography in this post by Gan.

Neon

I’ve wanted a neon artpiece for a long time. And so I’m thinking about buying this one for my bedroom.

New York, November 2012 (GLAAD Art Auction)

I know this is a photo blog, but forgive me for the quality of the photos attached to this post. I only pulled out my real camera once during the whole trip. These were all taken on my camera phone.

We arrived in New York late Thursday night. We got to my friend Patrick’s place about 11:30, and then stayed up until 2am talking to Patrick and another friend, Byrne.

Friday, my friends and I had lunch and spent the afternoon with my my friend and photography mentor’s apartment. I could spend a week listening to the stories of Michael Alago. These first two photos were taken from Michael’s balcony.

After lunch, Michael took us to see the Keith Haring bathroom in the New York LGBT Community Center. I didn’t even know this place existed. Haring made the mural just a few months before he died of AIDS.

Since we were in the neighborhood, the Indiana contingency decided to celebrate a bit more of our gay history and have a drink at The Stonewall Inn. Here I am with my good friends Kevin, Jared, and Doug.

And then, we had to swing through Times Square, mostly so Jared could see it (this was his first trip to New York).

Saturday, we went to the Top of the Rock. It’s surprisingly peaceful up there.

This photo doesn’t show it, but you can even see the Statue of Liberty from Rockefeller Center. I had no idea.

The only downside is that the view of the Chrysler Building is cut off.

After Top of the Rock, we went to SoHo for some shopping, and then after dark we went to my favorite bar in New York, Top of the Strand. It’s a rooftop bar atop a great hotel. Here is the view.

Sunday, Kevin and Doug and I had a great brunch at a place called Eatery, and then we walked part of Central Park.

And then Sunday night was the GLAAD Art Auction. Here I am, near one of my photographs, with Jared, Jodi, Kevin, and Doug.

At the Auction, we cut loose more than in previous years. There was wine, and dancing, and other varied impropriety. Here I am at the end of the night with two more of my favorite New Yorkers, Hugh, the adorable Irishman, and Archley, who I owe thousands of debts of gratitude to for all the help and advice he’s given me about art and photography.

Some other highlights of the trip that didn’t get photographed:

• Having one and a half Levain cookies
• Meeting my friend Patrick’s new puppy
• Seeing a drag show featuring Lady Bunny
• XL nightclub (the bathroom alone makes it work a visit)
• Having my first real experience walking around the city by myself
• The Out NYC Hotel (and its restaurant, and its bellhop with the dreamy eyes)
• Dinner at the best Indian restaurant I’ve ever been to (Amma) with Brad and Kristin
• Meeting one of the directors of the Leslie Lohman Gallery (a very well respected LGBT art gallery)
• Seeing that both of my photos in the Auction almost land in the home of weatherman Sam Champion (unfortunately, he and his husband were outbid)

I love new York. It’s always so hard to leave. And this was one of my favorite trips. I liked having three friends from Indiana along (every year, I seem to bring more people to the GLAAD Art Auction), and I liked that we all hung out but also we split into smaller groups and weren’t always attached at the hips to each other. I liked that I saw some of my New York friends who are important to me (Jodi, Patrick, Michael, Kristin and Brad). And of course, I loved the auction, itself. The night of this event is my favorite nights of the year.

And it doesn’t hurt that both photos sold.

Tyler, from Hoosier Boys