Time Fades Away

  In August A new month. A terrible month since it is the twentieth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall at Buras, Louisiana. My neighborhood sat in six feet of polluted water. The water destroyed a film developing can which was designed to hold chemicals. Don't worry, as I get weirder as the month wears on. It's a kind of PTSD that most New Orleanians suffer from.

The Chair  People need these things. They roll around in them. For me, it's an exercise in seeing, but I try to see everything. You should too. Especially if you are a photographer. Or, just wanting to be...  

  Two Tales Sometimes, I wander around in the garden. I make what I call "little pictures." These are a couple of examples. It's a great way to break up the day. It's a better way to teach yourself to see.    

  Wheels of fire.  Sometimes, I make pictures in places I shouldn't. This is a case of don't do anything I do. You can... but you might pay for it.  

  Working method This is about me, but it could and should be about you. Especially these days when we all carry cameras in our phones. I photograph everything, even tattered stars and bars in an underground parking garage. You should too because you never know. Besides, it doesn't cost much. It's digital. Or, digidull. 

                    Bangkok Farangs go there for all sorts of reasons, some of them go there for cheap thrills with local women. I used to go there to relax and make a lot of stock photos like this one. Yes. I had a companion there, but she was what was locally called a good girl. And, she was. Maybe, I'll show you a picture of her one of these days. One thing to know about making pictures like this one, be professional. Hands off. Pay fairly.

  Cat Street I lived in Hong Kong for six years while I worked for Eastman Kodak. I mostly manufactured books, but there is a certain rhythm to book making, so I had a lot of time to wander around and make pictures. Not only that, but I made a lot of them. Here's a clue for you all, the walrus was Paul. No, not that. I mostly worked in low light or at night. I tried working in the early morning, but for all its excitement during the day, Hong Kong is boring in the early morning. People are out late and sleep in the morning.  This is Cat Street, or Lascars' Row. Lascars are old school sailors. Cats aren't dogs. You can buy anything you want there. Some of it might even be real. If you go indoors, there are some fine antiques and fine art stores. The outdoor vendors will negotiate for their fake goods. Here's a trick. Start at 10 percent of their asking price and work up. If you can't get the price you are willing to pay, walk away. You'll be called back. Drop you...

  You just think you know I change my mind a lot. Sometimes, it's an external force, like a song or a sight, sometimes it's a passing thought, This time, I was working through my collection of images on Alamy. I must have been out of my mind when I uploaded my work. It's not bad, but it's entire takes. I never do that. I'm a better editor than they are. I'm actually a better editor than many people are because I'm ruthless even with my own work. Especially, with my own work.  The Trick Is to let your new pictures marinate. Unless you have some crushing deadline, don't even look at the work for a few days. Let your emotions of pressing the button fade. Forget how you felt in order to let others feel what you felt. Cull loosely. At least for the first few passes. Give yourself some room to experiment. The final goal is to build a little portfolio.  New Orleans  I lived there for twenty years. I survived Hurricane Katrina by escaping to New Mexico for a cou...

How it began.  I ran a blog called Storyteller for many years. It was called Storyteller. It was located at lakowitzpictures.com. You can find it if you'd like. I had some 15,000 followers. Some physical issues got in the way. By the time that I returned to things, I couldn't open my email address and there went Storyteller. Eventually, I'll hack it. I have no choice. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears. This may be the best picture that I've ever made. I made it in the late 1970s. My mom and grandma. Aside from its very personal meaning, it never lost a contest and Getty licensed it about 90 times. It paid for a house that was flooded by Hurricane Katrina. Six feet of polluted flood water can work miracles. I used to publish Storyteller every day. I think I'll publish this one every few days, or whenever I have something to say, which could be never. Kidding.