As the pandemic put us into stasis, and we stopped traveling, I put my camera down and started looking into the past at almost twenty years of photos.
The book is a weird experience, but maybe I’m a weird guy. It’s an autobiography that is divided into thirds: A look behind the curtains in Hollywood, a similar glimpse into comic books, albeit with less fancy curtains, and then street shots from around the world. It’s been suggested that it may even be three books, so if you decide to back the upcoming crowdfunding campaign then I hope you enjoy getting two books for free. I don’t like splitting a winning hand.
I’m not really one to ruminate on the past, and it was an odd experience for me. There were photos I had previously thought were great that didn’t make the cut and some old ones that seems to say new things that are making it into the book.
Photography is our safest and most reliable method of time travel at the moment, and being transported to the past with thousands of moments I’d saved from entropy begged the question:
Why?
Why was I shooting anything if I was just tucking the files into hard drives and cloud services never to be seen again?
Vivian Maier was a street photographer whose work I greatly admire. Her photos only came to light after she died, and as far as I know she never shared any of it while she was alive. It all came tumbling out of a storage locker when it came up for auction. I’m no Maier, but I certainly don’t want to leave a hoard of photos for my son to sort through, or worse…not look through.
So I started panning for gold in the RAW files. I’ve been engrossed in this for over a year, and the answer that presented itself is simple: I’m proud of the work that I’m sharing. There are plenty that will never see the light of day, but some of the photos are so good, they shouldn't be saddled with my name.
In addition to street photography, the other books that have inspired me came from the lens of Jeff Bridges. He’s been documenting his work and collaborators with a unique Widelux camera for most of his career. I got to see him shoot with it in person on the set of BLOWN AWAY in the nineties while I lived in Boston. Back then photography was a much more expensive hobby, and as a college student at Emerson it was a luxury I couldn’t afford, but the digital revolution meant that pricey trips to dark rooms weren’t on the menu anymore. I do miss being in dark rooms though, nothing like it.
When Infinite Horizon was optioned I treated myself to a Fuji X100, and later when Analog was optioned I upgraded to a Leica Q. My wife convinced me to honor those little victories, and I’m glad I did. Not only do I have some very nice non-phone camera photos of our son, but I’ve been able to capture images from some interesting rooms over the years. The majority of the book is shot with those two cameras.
A big announcement is coming shortly about how you can get the signed, limited edition of the book, including some limited edition signed giclee prints.
A view out the cab window on a rainy Tokyo night will live forever on pages 150 & 151.
And a few more…
Thanks again for your support. The book wouldn't have been possible without Matt Oswalt introducing me to Blue at Art Works in Los Angeles. If you have a similar passion project, you should reach out.
You can register your interest at Kickstarter’s pre-launch page, and keep watching my Substack. Now go clear some space on your bookshelf, and maybe your wall.
GD
Los Angeles, California
September, 2022
Ohhh nice. Didn't know you are a photographer. I am also, though more studio shooting and less street shooting. But I've done some "out and about in the world" photography that I'm proud of, too. I love the shots you shared in the email.
Since I'm commenting, thank you immensely for your indulgence and patience the other night re: getting the 2nd and a half degree about your Iron Man comic. My friends and I are looking forward to it with hopeful hopes, heh. Even if we're going to hate you for the first three issues. :D :D
Woo hoo! Looking forward to this.