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August 23, 2025
August 23, 2025
August 23, 2025
HEADLINES; Vol. 2
HEADLINES; Vol. 2
HEADLINES; Vol. 2
HEADLINES; Vol. 2
HEADLINES; Vol. 2
Two Trees and a Pole
Two Trees and a Pole
Two Trees and a Pole
Two Trees and a Pole
Two Trees and a Pole
Along the banks of the Charles River here in Boston sits two trees and a pole. The pole accompanies one of the trees, I think they make a cute couple. The other tree is just about 20 meters away reaching for the stars. Both trees are dead, and the pole has lost whatever signage once topped it. You could say this utility object lacking its utility is some kind of “functional” death, making it functionally "dead". Lotta death I guess. Luckily, the death births new life. Trees grow and change, they sprout leaves and lose them, their image and silhouette are constantly in flux. Sure we know who they are, but we’re never sure who they’re going to be. As for our poles, we know who they are and who they’re going to be. Street names and highway exits don’t change as the seasons do, our poles don't sprout branches or new signs on their own. Our three musketeers will only change through the forces of nature or the forces of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Will it be the city or a storm? Who'll go first? And when will the last join them?
My brother Nabeel had just gotten back from Kuwait. Mom mentioned that she still had some of his old cameras, and he brought some back with him. Long before I ever thunk to take a picture, Nabeel was the photographer in the family. For a while I would carry both my Minolta and Nabeel's Lomography LCA+, and load color film into the former and black and white film into the latter. The two films below follow that trend. It was snowing overnight and into the morning, and I knew I wanted to get out and take pictures in all kinds of weather. I went to my local camera shop, bought two rolls of film, and headed out early to find great seens.
Along the banks of the Charles River here in Boston sits two trees and a pole. The pole accompanies one of the trees, I think they make a cute couple. The other tree is just about 20 meters away reaching for the stars. Both trees are dead, and the pole has lost whatever signage once topped it. You could say this utility object lacking its utility is some kind of “functional” death, making it functionally "dead". Lotta death I guess. Luckily, the death births new life. Trees grow and change, they sprout leaves and lose them, their image and silhouette are constantly in flux. Sure we know who they are, but we’re never sure who they’re going to be. As for our poles, we know who they are and who they’re going to be. Street names and highway exits don’t change as the seasons do, our poles don't sprout branches or new signs on their own. Our three musketeers will only change through the forces of nature or the forces of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Will it be the city or a storm? Who'll go first? And when will the last join them?
My brother Nabeel had just gotten back from Kuwait. Mom mentioned that she still had some of his old cameras, and he brought some back with him. Long before I ever thunk to take a picture, Nabeel was the photographer in the family. For a while I would carry both my Minolta and Nabeel's Lomography LCA+, and load color film into the former and black and white film into the latter. The two films below follow that trend. It was snowing overnight and into the morning, and I knew I wanted to get out and take pictures in all kinds of weather. I went to my local camera shop, bought two rolls of film, and headed out early to find great seens.
I realize it's kind of funny shooting color film in blankets of snow. You get photos like 2-4, where you have a hard time telling if they're color photos at all. But, when you do use the full power of color, it's beautiful. You'll see a long exposure shot I took of a bus driving through the intersection. There are SO many different colors, and I love how my shaky hand and the movement of everything wind up creating these fluid neon lines.
Ribbon'd Photo: I think about these two a lot. They're beautiful. When I first saw them, I was so taken aback. They were made for each other. Sometimes I want to stand near them, see how passers-by react to them, seeing if anyone thinks as strongly of them as I do. I often pass them by, and I haven't seen that reaction yet. One sunset, as I was strolling past, two college students were holding up their phones taking pictures. They stood such that the pole and tree would be right in the middle of their photos, they could easily be the central subject of the pictures. I grew excited, finally seeing someone else appreciate these two would be all I need. I peeked at their phones as I passed by, and the students had zoomed in on the sun setting between the two, completely taking them out of frame. I laughed at myself.
I realize it's kind of funny shooting color film in blankets of snow. You get photos like 2-4, where you have a hard time telling if they're color photos at all. But, when you do use the full power of color, it's beautiful. You'll see a long exposure shot I took of a bus driving through the intersection. There are SO many different colors, and I love how my shaky hand and the movement of everything wind up creating these fluid neon lines.
Ribbon'd Photo: I think about these two a lot. They're beautiful. When I first saw them, I was so taken aback. They were made for each other. Sometimes I want to stand near them, see how passers-by react to them, seeing if anyone thinks as strongly of them as I do. I often pass them by, and I haven't seen that reaction yet. One sunset, as I was strolling past, two college students were holding up their phones taking pictures. They stood such that the pole and tree would be right in the middle of their photos, they could easily be the central subject of the pictures. I grew excited, finally seeing someone else appreciate these two would be all I need. I peeked at their phones as I passed by, and the students had zoomed in on the sun setting between the two, completely taking them out of frame. I laughed at myself.
The first roll I shot on Nabeel's old Lomography camera. We weren't sure if the camera worked or not, and I was too eager to try it out, so I went into my camera shop and asked for their cheapest roll of film. It was cheap by film standards, but not that cheap by my scraping-the-bottom-of-the-internet-barrel-for-the-cheapest-film-I-can-find standard. Lomography is pretty famous for making cheap/wacky cameras that don't necessarily achieve professional quality or last long term. Looking back on this film, I can now see the fight between pretty good film trying to get good results and a pretty decent camera not giving it much to work with. You can also see what would be my first self portrait as the last photo in the set.
Ribbon'd Photo: I call this tree the reacher. I've unfortunately never captured its true beauty on film despite capturing that beauty a few times on my phone. Sometimes I give myself "assignments". I know a certain photo exists out there somewhere in the world, and I will someday get it. The reacher with the stars is one. Sometimes it's because I took the picture on my phone, and sometimes it's because I *almost* got the picture on film, and I just need to go back and try to get it again. In any case, I hope you appreciate the sturdiness and delicacy on display in the branches of the reacher, how they reach out then back in towards each other, and how they exalt the sky.
The first roll I shot on Nabeel's old Lomography camera. We weren't sure if the camera worked or not, and I was too eager to try it out, so I went into my camera shop and asked for their cheapest roll of film. It was cheap by film standards, but not that cheap by my scraping-the-bottom-of-the-internet-barrel-for-the-cheapest-film-I-can-find standard. Lomography is pretty famous for making cheap/wacky cameras that don't necessarily achieve professional quality or last long term. Looking back on this film, I can now see the fight between pretty good film trying to get good results and a pretty decent camera not giving it much to work with. You can also see what would be my first self portrait as the last photo in the set.
Ribbon'd Photo: I call this tree the reacher. I've unfortunately never captured its true beauty on film despite capturing that beauty a few times on my phone. Sometimes I give myself "assignments". I know a certain photo exists out there somewhere in the world, and I will someday get it. The reacher with the stars is one. Sometimes it's because I took the picture on my phone, and sometimes it's because I *almost* got the picture on film, and I just need to go back and try to get it again. In any case, I hope you appreciate the sturdiness and delicacy on display in the branches of the reacher, how they reach out then back in towards each other, and how they exalt the sky.