Concert For Equality

"She said that musicians sound silly when they talk about politics. I'm certain that Woody Guthrie wasn't a silly man." - David Rawlings

In a past life, I spent quite a bit of time writing about music and politics on a couple of websites that I'm sure most have forgotten. Since the demise of the last site, somedaynever, I've maybe attended one live show a year and haven't spent near as much time spouting off political opinions. It would appear that politics have become even more polarizing over the last decade, but I'm sure the more things seem like they change, the more they stay the same.

Tonight was the Concert For Equality in the downtown Benson, one of the many neighborhoods that have been absorbed into Omaha over the last century. The show was a bit of a throwback to seven or eight years ago, back when Saddle Creek was just beginning to reach a wider audience and the label's roster played shows together on a regular basis. All proceeds from the concert went to the ACLU to aid in their lawsuit to prevent the city of Fremont from enforcing controversial immigration laws similar to what the state of Arizona is attempting to do. Counter-protesters promised to gather just outside the concert gates, but none were to be found when I arrived around 7 pm.

I was most impressed by the performance of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, pictured above with Conor Oberst and members of Bright Eyes on stage for their finale. Rawlings played a song of his own which wandered into a fiery rendition of some of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land," and was easily the highlight of the show. Bright Eyes sounded great, as did Cursive, and seeing Desaparecidos on stage for the first time in eight years felt good, if a bit like traveling back in time.

I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of everyone at Nebraska Appleseed. They tirelessly work to make Nebraska a better place for all of us who don't have the patience to deal with the frustration of making change happen in a stubborn world. I am incredibly grateful that such dedicated people exist.

Wahoo!

When I was growing up, Wahoo was sort of a mythical place. It was always the last town we drove through on the way to my Grandparents' house in Prague. And that name.. It just didn't seem like anyone would actually name a town after a goofy celebratory yelp.

Wahoo lies about a half hour west of Omaha's western edge. Despite the unusual name, it's a fairly typical Nebraska small town. I've passed through Wahoo countless times, but I hadn't ever taken the time to photograph it until today. It was a great day to be out and about, with a little more mild temperatures than we've had the last couple of weeks, and just the right amount of clouds to occasionally give some cover from the sun.

I (slowly) continue to work on my family project. While I like some of the images, the whole idea just hasn't managed to quite completely click with me as of yet. Perhaps another visit to eastern Iowa will help everything take shape.

Also visited: Ashland, Memphis, Ithaca, Weston, Brainard and Malmo.

A random drive...

With nothing at all to do today, I started driving east into Iowa. Not much to report, really. Just a nice drive on a hot summer day. Iowa is far prettier than Nebraska, with rolling hills and green nearly everywhere you look.

The top photograph was taken near Cumberland. The bottom was taken a few miles north of Greenfield.

Shop talk

I must preface this post with a simple fact: I detest what qualifies as discussion of digital photography on the internet. There's simply too many people with too much money spending way too much time arguing over tiny differences that have little to do with what makes a good photograph.

That said, I do get asked from time to time about the equipment I use. I assure you that this information is far from being all that interesting, but I have promised a post like this on more than one occasion. So, here goes..


The Cameras
I have used my fair share of cameras since I seriously began pursuing photography. When I started out, I used Canon and Nikon 35mm film cameras for most of my work in school. Eventually, I shot my first full series with a borrowed Bronica SQ-A and a Hasselblad 500 c/m, medium format film cameras that capture a square image. The untitled series on my website was shot with these cameras. When I first envisioned what would become ninety-three, I planned to shoot it with a medium format film camera, either the Hasselblad or a Mamiya.

On what amounted to a whim, I purchased a Canon 5D digital slr when the price got to be quite low (relatively speaking) with the rebates that were running at the time. I was assuming I'd photograph a few more weddings here and there, and it seemed that the 5D would replace 35mm film cameras for more casual work. At the time, I was still set on photographing Nebraska on color film.

In May of 2007, some very good friends coaxed me to take a road trip to Glacier National Park with them. I figured the 5D would be perfect for the trip, small and easy to carry, yet with enough image quality to make sizable prints that I would be happy with. I quickly found the camera to be a productive tool. After an aborted attempt to begin ninety-three with a Mamiya 645 film camera, I ended up setting out with the 5D when I began the project in earnest.

My shooting style with the medium format cameras was somewhat cumbersome and, while I am not a "decisive moment" photographer by any means, I felt it was getting in the way of cataloging the world in the way my brain does. I have the utmost respect for anyone who sets out with a giant view camera and heavy tripod. I learned fairly quickly that I am just not that guy. The Canon 5D gave me the mobility I enjoyed and color photographs of a quality more in-line with the medium format film I used before. The original 5D lacked a bit of resolution and sometimes the more limited dynamic range was frustrating, but the Mark II version really improved on both counts. All of ninety-three was shot with these two cameras.

The post-thunderstorm photograph above was taken with a recent purchase, an Olympus EP-2. I haven't used the camera extensively yet, but it's small enough to hide in my glovebox and the quality is much better than any point-and-shoot digicam that I've seen. As they always say.. The best camera is the camera that is with you.


The Lenses
My experience with lenses has been far more complicated than the camera story. With medium format, it was always the standard lens, 80mm for the Hasselblad and Bronica. That made things easy. I had a 28-105mm lens that I used a lot with a Nikon N80 film camera, but a vast majority of my shooting with 35mm film was with a standard 50mm lens.

With the 5D, I've owned all of the following Canon lenses at one time or another: 17-40mm F4, 24-70mm F2.8, 35mm f2, 50mm f1.4, 50 f2.5 macro, 70-200 f4 IS, and 135mm f2

The 50mm focal length is still my favorite. In fact, it's the only lens I currently own. If someone made a lightweight 28-50mm lens, that would cover almost everything I need. I sold the 17-40mm lens but will most likely be buying it again for a wide angle option. It's a nice lens, relatively small for what it is, with the ability to go really wide if necessary. The distortion isn't too bad from around 24mm on up.

As for the rest of the lenses... The 24-70 f2.8 is a great lens, maybe a little soft on the long end, but I got tired of its sheer size. The 35mm f2 is built like a toy and is pretty much awful in the corners up to f4, but gives very good results around f8. I bought the macro lens to shoot distortion-free detail shots but hardly ever used it. The 70-200 f4 IS is pretty much an amazing lens. Sharp at every aperture, crazy good image stabilization, and fairly lightweight. I used it to shoot much of ninety-three but its telephoto range just doesn't fit my style anymore. The 135mm is very sharp, even wide open, but I found it to be too long even for portraiture.



I think that just about covers it. When it comes down to it, I'm really very simple when it comes to making photographs. I don't carry a giant bag with an assortment of lenses and who knows what else. Instead, I tend to walk around with a camera and one lens. I've found that having too much stuff just gets in the way of what I'm attempting to do.

Right now, I am debating shooting my next large scale project with 35mm black and white film. Just an old camera body with a 28mm lens and another with a 50mm lens. It has been quite a while since I've shot anything in black and white, and I miss the look of it. Ilford HP5 has been calling my name.

This end is only a beginning...

I am happy to announce that I am calling ninety-three finished as of this past weekend. There are more than a few friends that will most likely roll their eyes at this, but I really do mean it this time. The photograph above, from Homestead National Monument near Beatrice, is the final piece of the project.

Hopefully there will be an opportunity at some point in the near future to show the entire series. The ultimate goal will be to publish a book of the photographs. I do plan on putting together an electronic book in the coming months, a more affordable way to share a high quality version of the project for everyone to see.

Again, thank you to everyone for their support. It's much appreciated. I've got something new in the works that I hope to be able to share soon. Stay tuned.

Homestead National Monument

I set out today to finally put ninety-three to bed, and eventually ended up at Homestead National Monument near Beatrice. The monument resides on what once was Daniel Freeman's homestead, the first established under the Homestead Act of 1862.



Homestead is what I would consider a quiet attraction, the kind of place that rewards spending some time contemplating your surroundings. There isn't any overly spectacular scenery or attention-grabbing structures, just a very nice visitor center and a native prairie to walk through and clear your head. Today was a near-perfect day for the walk. It was just what I needed after a long week of doubts.



The best news is that I am ready to call ninety-three finished in the next few days. I've got some new ideas that I hope to be able to share soon. It's an exciting time (when I manage to look past all of the present uncertainty).

Also visited: Ellis, Odell, Clatonia, Adams, Louisville and Bellevue.

Saturday afternoon

I've decided to spend some more time on two counties that are the closest to home yet relatively unexplored during the time I've been working on ninety-three. First comes Washington County, which lies immediately north of the Omaha metro area. I spent most of the afternoon around the Missouri River near Blair and Fort Calhoun. There's still quite a bit of flooding in the area from the all rain we received in June. The road to Boyer Chute lies under water at the moment, but the flooding appears to be subsiding as we move into the far more dry weather of July.

Detail #2512 was found in the town of Nickerson, across the Elkhorn River in Dodge County.

Also visited: Herman, Fontenelle and Arlington.

Stromsburg, Nebraska

Today I revisited Stromsburg, the Swede Capital of Nebraska and one of my favorite small towns in the whole state. The town has a near-idyllic downtown square full of locally-owned shops and friendly people. It's a bit like going back in time.



Above is a barn that I photographed in early 2008 and was going to rephotograph today. Sadly, it appears that some sort of calamity has destroyed the structure since my last visit. The abandoned farmhouse and small silos are still there, however, quietly standing at the intersection of two gravel roads about two miles west of Stromsburg.

Also visited: Clarks and Silver Creek.