Most of my poems lately have been too long to post as pictures. Here’s one of the recent shorter ones. Occurred to me while walking around campus, wrote on my phone when I arrived to the next class. Click on the right of the photo to advance to the next part.
I’ve been taking an intro photography class at UW-Milwaukee. Each class in this, my last semester, is an elective. Poetry, drawing, architecture, photography.
Anyhow, the class has so far been taught entirely in black-and-white film. The above are my most recent snaps for an assignment, this time the theme was to capture intersections, in the broad definition of the word.
Below is the first assignment for which I made printed photographs. I’m pretty happy with how the nighttime one turned out.
I wonder, in a few years, looking back at these, what kinds of criticisms I’ll have. For now, I’m enjoying practicing the seeing of a compelling moment and then trying to capture a photograph of it.
I’m pleased to report that my article about deer poaching in Wisconsin has received a photography award from the Milwaukee Press Club (the picture below is one of several photographs included in the article). Click here to check out the full article. I won’t be too hurt if you skim it for the pictures. 😉
I haven’t read poems in public in quite sometime. Freddy at Vegetarian Alcoholic Press invited me to join for the Lit Fam series in Milwaukee so I’m going to dive in. Details on this here flyer. Have to get some practice in for putting my next book out after I graduate in spring. Come for the fantastic beer selection – stay for the rampant poetry!
I was at the Flat Out Friday race in Milwaukee and took a few pictures of the load-in. Such a strange sight seeing all of these high performance race bikes waiting around in the cold like garage-less castaways while their owners waited in line to get checked in. Bikes lined up, leaning against anything for the entire block. Flathead Harley-Davidsons, Ducati singles, augmented late model dirt bikes, and of course a slew of Sportster hooligan race bikes. Check out the pictures here on SIDEBURN Magazine blog.
It’s my last semester at college and I’m celebrating having my required classes complete with some fun ones. These are from the intro photography class I’m taking. The entire class is old school film darkroom style.
These prints are from a “take a roll of pictures on your block” assignment. Being in a darkroom forces me to stop and wait. Initially that was stressful, the doing nothing but waiting for chemistry to happen.
But I’m beginning to like the waiting moments, the titillation of wondering what image will appear in the tray, how it will need to be tweaked. There’s fine tuning, not just immediate cause and effect. A process. Having to give over to the idea that it’s a discovery and there’s no way around being along for the ride.
I took a break from homework to swing by the McKinley Marina in Downtown Milwaukee to check out the ice racing for a minute. Got to see the one of many one and only Evel Knievel getting sideways on the ice. The Mama Tried motorcycle show and Flat Out Friday has been taking place this weekend and today is Slippery Sunday.
Riding on the McKinley Marina once Lake Michigan freezes thick enough is a winter tradition in downtown Milwaukee. Drill ice studs into those dirt bike tires and run what you brung. Winter is only so long – get out and enjoy it!
