The Summer Has Been Interesting

Dominique Gallup Portrait on her Grad Party in Hartford

As of late I've been getting hired to take images for other people. Not too often do I get these requests. In fact I don't really get them at all. This year has been the busiest I've been as a photographer. It's been quite strange and I'm glad I've been selected to take part in these events over the last few months.







On the other hand I've been trying to shoot as much as I can. At least 15 minutes of just looking around and finding what works. I've even made imaginary scenarios in my head dedicating how I could proceed specific shoots if it ever ocurred. Of course, the majority of the shoots I've done hasn't really reached a level of ridiculousness as of yet, but I anticipate any bullshit reason to come through. I've realized after all of what I've done that practicing does help whether you have something ahead or not. The idea of flexing that muscle (regardless of the results you receive) really sharpens things. I'm not saying to shoot a bunch, but just enough to get you engaged with whatever subject you're dealing with.




I also realized I need to get out more and actually try my best to discover things. Even if its for 15 minutes. Awhile ago I was able to see the BRAVE GIRLS. They performed in NY at the Central Park Summer Stage and they absolutely killed it along with Alexa (Golden Child was there, but they were soooo not into it). It took the Brave Girls for us to make the committment to go to NY with the amount of anxiety my girlfriend and I have regarding Asian assaults that have been happening in the area. We were nervous, but in the end it felt alright. I'm a bit more motivated to go back and revisit some haunts that we frequent before Covid came around.




And there you have it. My Summer is winding down, but I'm fortunate to feel whole on what's I've experienced. Maybe in the next few months I'll get around to posting more work, but for the time being here's all there is.

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Second Chances Don't Really Exist Anymore Do They?

I've been having these thoughts about the cancel culture these days and its inability to grant people a license for redemption. Regardless of the work they put in the mistake/s they made will never stray away from their persona. It's a weird area of conversation, but some mistakes can't be forgiven on the nature of its purpose.

I was listening to a Bobby Lee podcast episode which highlighted the effects of cancel culture on comedians and what it's done to their careers. The amount of damage its done is baffling nearly (or completely) crippling their whole existence to almost infinity. And to be honest the judgement call for some of these folks can be a bit harsh. Even normal people, like myself, could suucumb to that dimension depending on the rating of the fuck up. In any case forgiveness isn't really granted. And there's certainly a ratio that differs from each class.

Even then the agenda to villainize someone just because of betrayal or clout isn't talked about. I find it interesting to see a person devote a collected amount of time and energy just to ruin a reputation or career. However, some of these paramenters that determine a persons shitty character could be validated. If that assessment needs to be known to protect others I could certainly be in for that. For the most part... second chances don't exist anymore.

I'm lucky to have the chances I was given. Humbled me real quick. And you know I try to give certain people the benefit of the doubt if they came at me all crooked. But there are some people that are just too dumb and undeserving for a chance. Usually entitled or people that just don't get it. By then I've already put my hand in my pocket and I just look at them.

There are numerous amounts of times I've crossed people with some of the most fucked up shit. And I'm pretty sure those people will always look at me that way. Now? Well... I try to think first before I speak lol. I do slip, but not too far where I can't make a comback.

Respect is something I try to give first. I don't expect receipts from other people, but it's a good way to gauge a person if it isn't reciprocated. And the amount of people I've met with this approach has, for the most part, granted me great results. We don't get a lot of that around here.

What do you think? Do we still have redemption in this world? Or is it you fuck up and then you're done?


- (Arthur_)

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It's a Good Time to Do it Alone

I've been thinking a lot about the independency of what I do and how much of the process takes to create, polish and deploy to people that are interested. "It's a Good Time to do it Alone" is such a stiff statement to me, but a reality in how I approach my visions and such. I'm not called for collabs, not asked to be taught how to do X, Y & Z and not noted to be this role model people aspire to be. I'm simply someone who just lives in this world and tries to understand it by what I know.

The spaces that I grew up in has changed so much in the last 10 years and has gifted me much to think about: The way we dress, the way a camera looks around a persons neck vs the shoulder, why I need to use certain chords to match with this effects pedal... a sleuth of things that become unnecessary when all I needed to know was how I can take a picture and whats the best way to make my guitar sound like water.

The more and more people display their lives the less I get interested in knowing why these things exist on my phone. I've become more annoyed about it more than anything, but I have to have it just in case? It's electronic cancer. It's a cancer that just consumes me for no reason. And I keep going back to it everyday. I fucking hate it man.




This project just got released today. It's a project that I've been toying with for the last few months figuring out how I could deploy it, what would be the concept and how I would arrange it. I realized it was another stem of how I go about my work since I started this project. It's a diary. Not a polished one, but a diary entry that I wrote down kinda on a whim. I added some tape loop sounds, pieced it together and mastered it all by myself. And that's kinda it. Nothing more, nothing less.

It takes time to figure out all this shit unfortunately. I've only had studies in photography and even then I'd always wanted to find my voice in the medium rather be of what everyone expected to be. Finding a point in your creative space is certainly slow and most of the time people lose it or end up following what everyone else is doing. It's a big mess and I see it all the time with the young and older folks that are trying to get some clout or gains from it.

But what do I know right? I'm just some person who just doesn't really care honestly. If anyone likes what I do then it'll come around. Maybe it'll make sense to someone later on? Who knows.

I've been having a good time writing again and maybe I'll be posting more in the next couple of weeks. I just need to make time to be creative. Even at least 15 minutes.

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