L.A.

I feel like this is sort of turning into a vacation blog.  I have been doing a lot of other stuff that's worth documenting but for now I've been having fun updating this blog with photos from a few trips Beth and I have been taking recently.  Most recently we had an opportunity to visit Los Angeles, California.  We attended an opening at La Luz de Jesus where Beth was showing some new pieces.  I loved L.A. the people were so positive, the light through the smog and mountains was so warm in color, the air was dry, cold was 50 degrees, and hot was 75.  I'll share some images of our time there that are worth getting into.

Check out more shots from L.A. here.

Questionable Water

Last week I took a side job with my wife Beth.  The trip took us to Cape Canaveral Florida, Nassau Bahamas, Freeport, back to Nassau and to Key West.

Here's a few highlights.

Found a few old storm casualties in Nassau

 A hidden corner with the only stencils around

 Fire

 Side of a bus

 Maya Hayuk mural

 Kino's

 Showin his stuff as we started sweet talkin him

More pictures from the trip here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimcoughlin/sets/72157629063848202/

Ocean Wish

In the world of photo's sometimes I wish I had a high quality motion camera to film some images in a row.  For now we'll all appreciate photoshop .gif's.

4/7/11

More moments not caught on camera in order to share those moments. It was well worth it.

Art Energy

Father's Day got me thinking of responsibility to my new daughter Jonesy. Helping her on her way to realization of the universe. To feel and be a vessel of creativity just like Daddy does but in her own special way. This takes a lot of energy.

Cowtown-Often Imitated Never Equaled

Qualifier, Lav and I cruised to Cowtown New Jersey. This is what we found.

Bibiloni->Morales

One day Andrea Bibiloni ceased to exist and was born into a Morales. Here are the pictures to prove it.

SplitRed/MissingMen

Last week I had a chance to see some friends play the North Star Bar. They opened for Mike Watt and the Missing Men. Thanks again everyone for a good time!

Space Muffins

While shooting last minute shots for my wife. Frankie came by to have some fun.

PPS pole spotted again

In reference to my previous post here's that other Philadelphia Public School relic from days past. This fence is located at what is now a Buddhist Temple at Mckean and Mole St. in South Philly. I have no idea what the history is of this building and if it is the original school house.
Share your PPS fence post story if you got one! Just kidding, who else really cares about these other than me?

Diamond Tooth Shoot

Meredith Lindemon has an amazing work ethic. She is unstoppable. Providing clothes, the space, pizza, champagne, and make-up my wife Beth was able to get her pieces shot in these great "context" settings. This entire time I've been helping Beth shoot her pieces in front of these black backdrops and a single light off to the side or from above. It's great for documenting these awesome pieces but not great if you're trying to imagine them in context with reality. Here are a few winners that I shot that day.

MAKE SURE YOU EXPAND THE SCREEN WITH THE OUTWARD POINTING ARROW BOX, ON THE RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE SLIDE SHOW BELOW, AFTER YOU HIT PLAY.

I walked to work today

Flash in one hand, camera in the other and red gel for the creation of another reality.

There's a shot in here, if you'll notice, of one of my favorite fence posts in the city (if one can have one of those). The Stephen Girard Elementary school behind it is new as of the 50's or 60's. The original fence and building seen here in the 30's. I want to hug whomever decided to keep the fence even though the older building may, at one point, have become too expensive to maintain. The detail of a globe and inscription of "PPS" (Philadelphia Public School) below are details you'd never find today. I've found other globe fences in the neighborhood too...hmm I smell another blog post.

MAKE SURE YOU EXPAND THE SCREEN WITH THE OUTWARD POINTING ARROW BOX, ON THE RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE SLIDE SHOW BELOW, AFTER YOU HIT PLAY.

Pond Hockey

The rules of engagement:
There's no out of bounds including where the photographer is standing.
No checking.
Bring some mulled wine and food.

Visiting Austin

I had the opportunity to visit my friend Austin Dodson last week. I am an avid reader of his appropriately named blog Visiting Austin. He's moved out of the big city of Philadelphia to be a care taker at the Wallingford Community Art Center 20 minutes in the suburbs. He's been living and working on the grounds of an old mansion turned art center/potter's guild. I grew up taking classes here and helping my Mom out when she used to teach there. It always brings back my most favorite memories of getting lost in the woods and appreciating the beauty of that area.
My favorite time is during the fall. The smell of the dying leaves, the way they collect on top of each other in the creak. Even the trees reflect sound differently. I saw two (maybe the same one twice) red tail hawks migrating, one small fox and the usual squirels, cardinals and robins that are pretty abundant around here. So there I was camera in hand and Austin with his new dog Maddie chasing the moment and taking time to explore.

MAKE SURE YOU EXPAND THE SCREEN WITH THE OUTWARD POINTING ARROW BOX, ON THE RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE SLIDE SHOW BELOW, AFTER YOU HIT PLAY.

Jekyll

I breathed in Sand/Salt/Air for a few days
swirly sand
dried seaweed skeletons
low tides
deceiving dune bushes
bald eagle
baby deer
vinny vulture singing "fly like an eagle"
woody woodpecker
spanish moss
cluster birds nesting
wife lovelying
look closely to the spiders
L + M getting hitched

MAKE SURE YOU EXPAND THE SCREEN WITH THE OUTWARD POINTING ARROW BOX, ON THE RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE SLIDE SHOW BELOW, AFTER YOU HIT PLAY.

Cape Cod

I'm catching up. Now that there is this Blog to tend to I find it rewarding and burdensome to let the 4 people that may or may not be reading this know what's happening. If anything else its a great snapshot for myself in where I'm at in my life with creativity.
So with that in mind I present to you a peak into an amazing trip I took to Cape Cod, MASS. I wish there was such a thing as smellovision because that was probably the first thing i remember. Piney-saltwater-seaweed-mildew-cedar. And quiet. No city sounds just osprey crows and seagulls fighting for position. I fell in love with the moment. The photos are a whole other process and really don't capture a lot of what I saw but I do love the framing and position in each moment with the light and breeze off the ocean.

off the street and onto our walls

Kites and Sun

Its boring to me just to document all the time. Luckily I haven't really heard for a while "get your camera and take a picture of this Jim." I don't feel that that's why I always take a photo. I've been happily shooting with this crappy webbie cam that Sony makes. Its portable not complicated to operate. I enjoy abstracting the simplest scene and extract the color and texture that's in front of me. Having the ability to move the camera and create moving images is a bonus in this situation. Now I'm confronted not only by the image but what direction I'd like to move the camera, how its going to zoom in and out or just stay stationary on a moving object.
For added pleasure I've been able to sneak some music into the videos. I've always loved sneaking music into a visually occupied viewer. The image is often what keeps someone in their seat while, before you know it, they are injected into the song. Its easier to dismiss a song or music if they are just listening and not relaxed or captivated by something at that second.
The subject in this instance was the fourth of July 2010.
The first one includes some fireworks (5:04) that a friend of mine was firing off in the adjacent neighborhood to the east of fairmount park and we just happened to catch it! I also had a kite tied to my belt for a long time.
The second video is a song I wrote about my wife Beth when we first started dating.
Enjoy

Austin's Housewarming

Happy new digs to Austin!

Wissahickon Spring League Tournament 2010

Reasons to go and see some sloppy old dudes try and play hockey:

-95 degrees outside 45/50 degrees inside
-beer
-meat on grills (I got food poisoning but got through it like a real man)
-stuff that happens on the other side of the dumpster
-heckling from the bleachers
-bad hockey skills met with great slip ups and unexpected moments of greatness
-lots of scoring
-fireworks on the way home courtesy of "Sunoco/Wawa/Goo Goo Dolls' Welcome America"



See you all there next year!