NEW YORK NEW YORK – We had dinner at Ze Cafe, a neighborhood restaurant near my office, with Linn and Bill Jackson, friends of long standing. Here’s Bill with my Leica M9 and a 50mm Dual Range Summicron lens. Bill is older than the lens, but not a lot.
On this day one year ago: Blond stalks bride.
NEW YORK NEW YORK – I had tea today with Peggy Anderson who told my about her interest in the International Center for Photography. Otherwise a pedestrian day of preparing for meetings being held next week.
On this day one year ago: Party on Mustique.
NEW YORK NEW YORK – Breakfast with Francesca Campbell at the Brasserie. She was coming off of an all-nighter and neither of us were at our best.
On this day one year ago: a low point in my photo journey.
Some days you just do what you have to do. May 27 is turning out to be the “day for mundane photos’.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – A busy day – this evening was another installment in my periodic poker game – with me acting as host. So of course I had to invest significant time in counting chips, planning Chinese takeout food and of course sorting the wines out and planning on what to do with my winnings. Here’s an image as the game broke up. Another one of those days when I just squeaked under the wire in terms of getting my picture before the day was over. Taken with my Panasonic GH2 and a 20mm pancake lens.
On this day one year ago: Connecticut spring, taken through my 5″ Astrophysics refractor.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – This daily blog project is starting to reveal the cyclicality of my life. Here we are at the 2011 Pen gala. Compare this with the link for “on this day last year” in tomorrow’s post. Here’s a link to the Pen American Center website. Maria is a board member and treasurer; she’s one of the moving forces behind the “World Voices” festival.
Nan Graham, Editor in Chief of Scribner captured with my Panasonic GH2 and a 20mm Pancake lens.
On this day last year: fog on Park Avenue.
BEIJING – We spent the morning in the 798 Art District. It started out ten years ago in a gallery in disused factory that had previously been used by the military to manufacture electronic components – 798 was the number on the building. It has expanded to 300 or so exhibition spaces, all privately owned, in an eclectic jumble. The streets were packed with artists, patrons, tourists, wannabes and so on. Wedding frequently take place there. The vibe is similar to New York’s SoHo and the prices are the same – there is apparently a truly global art market. There are major spaces operated by major players. Pace is there, for example, in a monumental space that featured works by and about Diane Von Furstenberg
The following two images were taken with my Leica M9 and a 35mm Summilux lens.
Two images with my 24mm Summilux lens.
Finally, back in central Beijing taken with my Leica M9 and a 50mm Summilux lens – this is two frames stitched.
On this day one year ago: my blog crashes.
SHANGHAI – I spent the better part of the day walking around the French concession in Shanghai. This area has not been overbuilt (so far). The southeastern portion has a gritty vibe. The more northerly and western area feels like the Upper East Side of Manhattan with leafy side streets and children wearing private school uniforms. My watch developed an issue with its battery – I stopped at a watch repairman in a covered food market to capture this with my Leica M9 and 50mm Summilux lens. I’m posting multiple images for today in light of the visual richness of what’s going on here.
In the late afternoon Maria and I met at the Shanghai National Museum. This was a fairly disappointing experience. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts (at the US end of the China trade) and the Metropolitan Museum have more extensive and better curated collections of just about everything. I suspect this is the product of the Cultural Revolution and the fact that the Nationalists, when they left the mainland, took many of the best treasures, which now reside in the National Museum in Taipei. Anyway, the building was nice. Taken with my Leica M9 and a 24mm Summilux lens.
Finally, an “I was there” shot from M Restaurant above the Bund with my Leica M9 and 24mm Summilux lens.
On this day one year ago: Harwinton Connecticut Congregational Church.
