Some recent work that I’ve been unable to post for one reason or another. Until now, anyway. It’s good to see that young people recognize the importance of presenting a quality image of themselves, whether they’re promoting their band, trying to land a job, or angling for a modeling gig.
Paul
This hip young gunslinger approached me a while back for some promo portraits. He’s one incredibly talented young musician that embodies the phrase “old soul”, as his knowledge of American roots music is astounding. And every star in the making requires some nice promo photos so here are a few from Paul’s session.
Nick & Jeff
Recent college grads, Nick & Jeff both earned their degrees in recording arts from a local university and wanted some photos to use in their impending job search. With any luck these shots will help them land an internship at a great studio.
Ella & Melissa
These two young ladies needed some test portraits for a local agency seeking hair models.
Best of luck to all of them in their respective searches. If you are considering a high quality portrait to sweeten your resume or grab attention when applying for a new job, get in touch. In fact, click the KickStarter project on the right for a great deal on portraits that will help fund my upcoming NYC project.
It’s the end of a week’s worth of festivities that have included livestock judging, determining who grew the best tomatoes this year, consuming food of highly suspect nutritional value, inhaling massive amounts of diesel smoke and funnel cake fumes, and churning your digestive tract on a number of spinning carnival rides. But there’s one more night of the fair left. How do you cap off a week like that?
Two words: Demolition. Derby.
Get Bent
The idea is simple: strip down a nearly worthless car to its essential components, reinforce it with a roll cage, and slam it into the cars of other like-minded participants until only one is left running. If you win, you move on to the next round. If not, you get towed to the pits in a sort of “walk of shame”. But even if your ride gets smashed up or breaks down, you can repair it and give it a go in future contests.
Walking through the pits before the derby began, I had no trouble distinguishing which cars were veterans and which were newbies. The guys that were performing bodywork adjustments with a sledgehammer in order to keep the tires from rubbing on crumpled sheet metal were not driving fresh cars. The car covered in so much mud that you couldn’t even read the numbers painted on the side had clearly seen some action. But the dent-less bright blue 1986 Honda that still smelled of spray paint? That one’s virgin territory.
Oh The Humanity!
What on Earth possesses someone to spend so much time and money on something that they clearly intend to destroy? There are a number of highly philosophical theories I could present, but instead I’ll offer up this explanation: all the participants are male. Yeah, it’s a guy thing. Sure, there are probably some female derby drivers out there but the spectacle of giant, battered sedans powered by roaring motors (with the minimal exhaust pipes jutting straight through the hood) smashing into each other at full tilt is most attractive to those carrying a Y chromosome.
But I can’t deny the obvious symbolism inherent in the derby being held on the last night of the fair. After a week of celebrations and fun events, the grandstand and bleachers are packed to capacity as the deranged motorists annihilate both the cars and the track that as served as concert venue, rodeo arena and parade ground for the previous seven days. There’s something poetic in the celebratory destruction, as it sets the stage to build a bigger, better fair experience for the throngs bound to return next year.
When you’re a kid, as I was when I last attended the county fair 15 years ago, the biggest draw of the fair is easily the carnival rides. The Ferris Wheel, bumper cars and Tilt-A-Whirl are iconic thrills that have captured the imagination of children for generations. And while the classic rides still draw thrill-seeking crowds, there are all sorts of dazzling new nausea-inducing attractions to choose from these days. One fact remains: kids love them all.
Characters Welcome
Let’s be honest, carnival work is rough. It’s a hardscrabble living that requires backbreaking manual labor, toiling away the day in scorching summer heat and enduring hordes of screaming kids. Factor in the less than stellar pay and constant travel and it’s no wonder that the job tends to attract citizens from the margins of society. Urban legends abound of creepy carnie stories but the truth is that the folks that setup, maintain and operate carnival attractions should be celebrated and respected. And you can’t deny the fact that they tend to be very visually interesting folks. I’m already contemplating a new project documenting the life of a carnie, and I think it would make for some fascinating stuff.
Do It For The Children
Even the most jaded and cynical adult is forced to crack a warm-hearted smile when watching kids enjoy the carnival. Their eyes light up at the myriad of sights and sounds, their energy reserves continually replenished with every swoop, whoosh and spin. Even when the unabated sun bakes the midway to over 100 degrees on an afternoon in late July and sweltering parents are seeking shade, the collective excitement of the children barely wavers.
And I’m betting that both parents and kids alike sleep well when they get home.
Simultaneously revered and reviled, the food you ingest at fairs and carnivals can induce both nostalgia and nausea. Who doesn’t have fond memories of huge puffs of cotton candy and giant black cauldrons of kettle corn? Well, sufferers of juvenile diabetes I guess. Anyway, “fair food” has always held a special place in my heart (and stomach) and when I first visited the midway at this year’s fair the scent of funnel cakes and grilling sausages flooded my brain with memories.
Whole Lotta’ Shakin Goin’ On
Given that this fair is held at the end of July each year, attendees tend to get thirsty early and often. And when they seek to quench that thirst, they overwhelmingly choose the venerable Lemon Shake Up which can be purchased from nearly every food vendor at the fair, although the original “Famous Lemon Shake Up” stand still sells the best version. The simple recipe is both delicious and profitable: squeeze half a lemon, toss it in a cup with ice and sugar, then shake vigorously. Parched patrons fork over anywhere from $2.50 to $5.00 and sip away their thirst.
Deep Fried Madness
When I last attended the fair 15 years ago, the funnel cake was the undisputed Champion Of Fried Pastry. My how times have changed. These days you can choose from a wide array of sweet treats that have been dipped in funnel cake batter, deep fried and dusted with powdered sugar. Foregoing the fried Twinkies, candy bars and peanut butter cups, I opted instead to try the Oreo cookies.
Imagine a funnel cake filled with a screaming hot melted Oreo cookie and you’ll get the idea. Even the modest portion of four cookies was difficult to polish off so I enlisted the help of a friend who remarked that she’d like to try a version with white chocolate-covered Oreos. Overkill? Only time will tell.
Tubular Meat Snacks
As Anthony Bourdain has repeatedly pointed out, all civilized cultures feature some version of street food based on grilled meats in tube form. Hot dogs, polish sausages, bratwursts, corn dogs–they’re all celebrated icons of festival gastronomy and all were well represented at this fair.
As tempting as it was to sample them all, I opted instead to tackle a single one: the 14-inch long Giant Corn Dog. Longer than my forearm (but thankfully less hairy), this massive meal costs $6 and requires both a strong will and a strong stomach. When I paused for a photo after eating half of it, I thought to myself, “this is ridiculous”. Then I smiled like a little kid and chowed through the rest of it.
And I think that’s really the point. Now where’s the Pepto?
I’ve already mentioned how the fair and many of its activities are vitally rooted in the agricultural economy of the surrounding communities. And while livestock judging and equestrian events capture the imagination of many fair-goers, the largest crowds gather for an orgy of horsepower celebrating that most famous of farm icons: the tractor.
Hardcore Hobbyists
If you’ve never experienced a truck and tractor pull in person, you might be inclined to dismiss it as a hillbilly hobby that appeals solely to primitive males, grunting and hooting their approval as they revel in the smoke and noise. You could hardly be faulted for such an assessment, but to witness one of these mechanical beasts at full roar as it hauls a leaden sled the length of the arena (AKA a “full pull”) is to celebrate the ingenuity and inventiveness of mankind. The tractor and overall mechanization of farming throughout the last century has allowed for massive increases in productivity, safety and profitability. And besides, who would pay to see a mule pull?
Fans gather to watch the trucks and tractors roll off their trailers in the pits, and early birds even stake out seats in the bleachers at the end of the track by placing rocks on seat cushions. While that tactic might not fly in a big city ballpark, the honor system is in full effect at the county fair.
Pow, Pow, Power Wheels
The pulls feature everything from stock antique tractors (some lovingly restored, some looking as if they drove straight from the fields) to highly modified 4×4 machines that are essentially 1000 horsepower dragster motors bolted to a pair of giant tires. But enthusiasts can get in on the fun without spending a fortune, thanks to garden tractor classes. That’s right, even Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor would grunt in approval at the sight of these modified lawn tractors hitching up to a scaled-down version of the weighted pull sled, especially given that they are frequently piloted by youngsters.
Old Meets New
At the other end of the spectrum, age-wise, are the old timers that tend to favor restored classic tractors dating back to the early and mid-1900′s. They lack the wheel-standing drama of their modern, modified counterparts but watching these relics calmly sputter down the track like Aesop’s tortoise breeds nostalgia in even the most jaded viewer. Once these classics have put on their show, the modified tractors start going to work.
As the night progresses, the tractors and trucks become more and more powerful. And with each increase in horsepower comes a whole new level of smoke and noise. The puffing and clattering of the antique stockers quickly gives way to towering clouds of black diesel smoke and the ear-splitting scream of exhaust pipes. Mufflers and catalytic converters are a foreign concept to the modified classes. I must admit that a tinge of the tree-hugger in me winces every time I see those ominous, oily clouds rise skyward, but as a friend joked, “it smells like freedom”.
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