..May 2007 Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan..
Cherry Typhoon….Close to the end of my trip. I woke up early to photograph Cherry Typhoon in Asakusa.
Jet lagged and eager. My mind is working again since I have a photo to take. The day off drove me crazy. I don’t do well with free time and nothing to do. The anxiety sets in that I’m wasting my time.
I feel good this morning. Would be a good time for a walk. I feel like a caged tiger. I’m ready now.
..May 2007 Tokyo..
Gallery EF in Asakusa and sitting in the Kingdom of Gamo a day before the opening of Striptease Burlesque at Gallery EF.
..May 2007 Under a tall office building behind the bushes in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan..
Eva Violet tried to get this photo done before the exhibition in Tokyo. We could never arrange a photo because their trip to New York was canceled months before. We finally got it done a year and half later. I shot this under a fading sun in Shinjuku. Only an hour as the sun fades quickly in the Center of the Black Eye.
The color dominated what I saw. They were very silly as Japanese schoolgirls. What I expected. Eva had difficultly getting to the shot. A gig the night before, wild night at the performance. They rushed to get their costumes on in the bushes underneath an office tower. I still think about these women weeks later…
I would like to photograph them next time with a darker setting.
..March 2007 New York thinking about Tokyo..
..May 2005 DUMBO..
I took this portrait of Delirium Tremens, in 15 minutes under the Manhattan Bridge. I didn’t look through the camera the entire time. I would press the shutter and peek out from the side of the camera. Wasn’t concentrating…. But I came away knowing I got a great image.
When I first met Sara, she opened the door wearing a blood red dress and a fur shawl. She lit a cigarette and I thought she was one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. It was like meeting a woman from another time.
..December 2006, Brooklyn, NY..
On a warm December day, Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey…In a park next to an electrical power plant and old sugar factory in Williamsburg. Reminds me of the American Gothic painting. Stoic feeling. But very warped. One looking one way…one looking at the camera. Tried to put the smoke stack in between the two.
What caught my eye was the park bench being very high because of a ditch on the ground. Their feet dangled like little kids. Never hitting the floor . They were short but this made them look miniature.
Was the last shot of the day. The tired look helped. On the last frame they interlocked their arms. Made a big difference….Searched an hour for those red flowers before the shoot.
I wanted a serious and stoic look in their silly costumes. I didn’t want a silly image, a contrast.
Probably the photo I enjoy the most from the Striptease Burlesque exhibition. 2 years later it would be the poster image for the Iisalmi, Finland version of the exhibition.
..May 2007 Tokyo..
Poster from Striptease Burlesque photo exhibition.
Striptease Burlesque photo exhibition
Gallery EF
2-19-18 Kaminarimon
Taito-ku
Tokyo, 111-0034
Japan
May 31st-June 21st, 2007
..September 2005 New York..
One of the first photos Tracy and I did for Burlesque project. Always will be one of my favorite photos of her.
It’s shot in a location we would work in many times the next 3 years. It almost became another character in our photos. This was my second photo shoot there and first with her.
Was the first shot we did in her burlesque character. We hadn’t shot in a long time. The color series was called “Whores of the Night.” But I preferred the B/W series.
Was the beginning of a new character for us. The contrast makes it feel like “old” Berlin. She still has beauty in her face and softness against the icy black background.
It’s one of favorites because of the transition. Sexy and sensual. We worked hard through the years to build up a chemistry. A combination of influences here. But in the end it’s us…and the camera.
..August 2006 New York..
Torchy Taboo is a long time burlesque performer from Atlanta. She often works with fire and is known for her elaborate costumes.
She was in New York the summer of 2006. We made detailed plans to shoot in the late summer.
On a random Thursday afternoon, I got a call from Torchy saying she was leaving New York in 4 hours and wanted to shoot now. But I had to drive to her Port Authority bus terminal right after because she had to make a 4PM bus to Atlanta.
She had moved out of her place and was staying in friend’s living room in the Village. “We can take the photo in the living room…” she explained.
I left right away, hit traffic, parked the car, 3PM. Knocked on the apartment door and a tiny woman with a Southern accent answered, Torchy. 5 minutes to take a photo in a strangers living room.
Than take her suit case to my car and rush to Port Authority. Get to the bus terminal, she rushes out with her suit case, disappears into a crowd of frantic travelers, never saw her again.
So much for the elaborate details of a planned shoot. Turned out to be an unexpected good shot. Burlesque personalities.
This portrait was edited out late in the process. Was a tough choice. It wasn’t shown in the original Striptease Burlesque exhibition shown in Tokyo.
..June 2006 New York..
Dear Marie:
I’ve been meaning to write for a while. I can never get a decent amount of free time to write. Things have been hectic for months and I don’t see it getting slower. Most of my time is devoted to shooting my exhibition in Tokyo. It’s a year away but I only really have 6 more months to shoot. I need 5 months to print murals that will be hung from the ceiling, a month for shipping, and installation.
I plan on inviting the Emperor and Empress to the opening. Maybe even a couple of sumo wrestlers and a random geisha. On top of this I’m shooting assignment work. The remaining free time has been with my niece. I now wake up at 6AM everyday. Drinking tea on the terrace overlooking the ocean. It’s a cool way to start the day. I do need to start getting more sleep. I don’t want to waste the summer away. It’ll be gone as soon as you know it.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Miss grabbing crepes. I don’t want to promise that I’ll be in the city because my schedule is not normal anymore. Would be good to see you again. Hopefully I’ll have a stretch of days when I can escape my responsibilities and catch up with everyone I’ve lost contact with. It’s a long laundry list of things. Who ever thought I’d have a list of responsibilities.
Not much else happening besides my exhibition and watching my niece. We may go to the zoo soon. She’ll be amused. Hope your well. Take care.
Paule
