The big show.

Empire State Building lit to mark PRC's 60th anniversary. NYC, Sep 30th, 2009.


Beijing, China, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009.


Beijing, China, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009.


PLA air force pilots. Beijing, China.


Chinese President Hu Jintao. People's Republic of China.

Meanwhile:


Sweden’s Sofia Mattsson covered her eyes after defeating North Korea’s Kum Ok Han to win the gold medal in women’s freestyle at the World Wrestling Championships in Herning, Denmark, Wednesday.


Jakarta, Indonesia.


United Nations General Assembly President Ali Abdussalam Treki, top center, listened as Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi addressed the assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York Wednesday after President Barack Obama. Mr. Gadhafi praised the president’s first speech to the assembly, but railed against the “inequality” of U.N. member states.


A supporter of ousted President Manuel Zelaya sat on a rock during a protest in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Tuesday. Baton-wielding soldiers used tear gas and water cannons to chase away thousands who demonstrated outside the Brazilian Embassy, where Mr. Zelaya took refuge after sneaking back into the country Monday.


Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

The rehearsal:


The National Grand Theatre. Beijing September 17, 2009.


A member of China's first class of women fighter pilots prepares to board her aircraft during a ceremony with new flight gear designed for women, at a People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force base in Beijing on August 30, 2009. The pilots will make their debut during the upcoming National Day Parade. China could launch its first woman into space as early as 2012, the candidate being chosen from this group.

[Yes! Cute Chinese astronauts! Or taikonauts. Or "yǔhángyuán" (宇航员, "sailing personnel in universe") or "hángtiānyuán" (航天员, "sailing personnel in sky.") The world is beautiful, sometimes.]


A police anti-explosive container is placed on the platform at a metro station in Beijing on August 19, 2009. Beijing police will step up their anti-terror efforts ahead of the 60th anniversary on October 1 of the founding of communist China, with more street patrols and checkpoints, state media said.


World Expo Center, Dalian, China. September 11, 2009.

So much to look forward to: film at the lab and a date with a light table, a loupe, a small notepad and mechanical pencil, and a Nikon negative scanner. And an idea for the shoot after this one.

I'm thinking self-portraiture, which I've written about worryingly before. I want to combine two areas of interest, in fact; the other of which I've also already written about in the intro Kawanishi post.

Midtown.

You could be forgiven for thinking, "Why would you combine two subjects that you've previously expressed only disdain for?"

But isn't that what photography does? We steal things.

I hate Midtown for the opulence, and the tackiness.

What better way to mentally attack such a place than to impose yourself upon it?

Plus, it's a perfect area to shoot, because of the population density. And tourist density. In places like that, everyone looks and no one notices.

I'm also somewhat fascinated in photographing in areas that are under a constant barrage of surveillance. Both in vernacular, memento images, and CCTV monitoring.

Today, following my new policy to enter unlocked doors, I found myself observing a collection of security personnel, American flags, an X-ray machine (and me with a film camera in my hand!), and a 50' indecipherable logo. In a gigantic, dim space, with absolutely no casual foot traffic. Security and I nodded at one another, I looked around, took a meter reading, didn't shoot anything (that damn X-ray machine!), and left. It was really cool.

It's a good day to be alive.


Photojournalism showcase:
Falling terribly behind on these. Although in fact it's simply impossible to keep up on them. I don't know how to add them into my daily routine.

I'll admit it. I'm always thinking about Blade Runner. It's basically an admission that I am fundamentally a nerd. But why I mention it is that often, the commonly held cliche says 2012 fire-breathing pyramids and mile-high Coca-Cola ads in LA equals Tokyo on steroids.

Bullshit.

The future? China's idea of itself.

That is a true display of might, man. This is a superpower; and things could change in a very fundamental way for a long time.

(Also, interestingly, is that if you've ever seen a banner with a hand-painted scrawl demanding "Free Tibet," and thought, "Yeah, they should free Tibet. Huh. That's still not 'taken care of yet?'" This is a purely visual representation of why things are the way they are.)

Patriotism seems to thrive on symmetry. Or manifest itself as such. Why is that?