Carter Brooks' Blog

Almost Haiku for a Surprise Muse

Carter Brooks — Fri, 21 May 2010 17:51:55 +0000

The light is a miracle,
She tangled up in my awe.
Towers of burning cotton candy cut my lip.

Pinhole Camera Day 2010

Carter Brooks — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:36:19 +0000

Yesterday was International Pinhole Camera Day. My daughter and I spent the afternoon at the Rayko Photo Center, making pinhole cameras and making pinhole camera pictures. See the results up on the pinholeday.org website:

Bug
Portrait of my Dad
Randome Tree in San Francisco

The Plastic Camera Iceberg

Carter Brooks — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:39:33 +0000

It’s official. I still know how to print a photograph. It’s been 20 years since I’ve spent any time in a darkroom. But recently one of my photographs from Antarctica was accepted into the Annual Plastic Camera Show at the Rayko Gallery in San Francisco. (You heard that right, plastic camera.)

I had to print it myself, of course. For the ritual, if for nothing else, for the story of why I would have pictures from Antarctica taken with a plastic camera is already a tale. That I had one good enough for a gallery show, well, it only made sense that I make the effort to print it myself. So, one afternoon I got my negatives together, bought a package of my old favorite fiber paper and headed into the public darkroom at Rayko. Perfectionist that I am, it took me until closing time to produce a print that I was moderately satisfied with, but I did.

“Ann’s Favorite Iceberg” is on display through April 15 at the Rayko Photo Center and Gallery, 428 Third Street, San Francisco. Only a couple weeks left to go see it.

MLK Day ’10

Carter Brooks — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:48:41 +0000

On this MLK day, I am remembering back to the joy on the banks of the Mississippi, two days before the election of Barak Obama, where I was lucky enough to assist aerial artist John Quigley form an image of Dr. King. We later visited the civil rights museum at the Loraine Hotel.

Aerial Art by SpectralQ, Memphis Nov. 2, 2008

Image Credit: John Quigley & Siphne Sylve
Photo Credit: Andrew Withers & Jeff Pantukhoff

http://www.unitenow.org/human-rights/mlk/

SpectralQ.com

Avatar blues?

Carter Brooks — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 06:31:15 +0000

Fascinating to see this development of the “Avatar blues.” People depressed because the world they live in isn’t as pristine as the world they’ve fallen for. The virtual one. Of course, part of the blues is also realizing that you’ve just witnessed the violence that it took to create the world we wish to now escape. How ironic! But also, how completely natural.

Audiences experience ‘Avatar’ blues
By Jo Piazza, Special to CNN
January 11, 2010 8:06 a.m. EST
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/index.html

Avatar chatter

Carter Brooks — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 08:46:27 +0000

Why say anything about Avatar? If for no other reason that everyone is talking about it. While everyone is talking about it, it is a living meme.

Mostly the talk seems to be, “Wow!” Some hints that people are parroting back the PR campaign—that James Cameron was revolutionizing the film industry. The 3D people enjoy, not doubt for the flying, (which was frickin’ awesome, no?) Valid criticism of some over the top stereotypes, not the least being the observation that the “white guy is still the hero.” The plot is predictable, much of the dialog unpoetic. But so what? The visceral experience of the bulldozer, a tree falling, the quarry pit with monster trucks. None of that is science fiction. So it’s also no surprise that some people are commenting on their Facebook profiles questions of whether it will get through to people. Are people walking out of the movie changed? Avatar, it’s rich as a topic.

There is one thing I found disturbing, however. And that was the National Guard extended mix commercial before the curtain. Why isn’t anyone talking about that? Or maybe it’s not necessary, as Avatar may be an antidote. But still, why not discussion of that ad?

Geroge Marshall on Copenhagen

Carter Brooks — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:04:39 +0000

George Marshall argues that the carefully stage managed involvement of civil society in Copenhagen fails to speak in any meaningful way to the people who really hold the balance of power.

“…these conferences occur in a constructed reality of concerned global citizenship and have no comprehension that the future of the world’s climate depends on winning over the voters of Oklahoma…”

- George Marshall, “CARBON SUPPLICANTS ON THE COPENHAGEN PILGRIMAGE” at climatedenial.org

http://climatedenial.org/2009/12/18/carbon-supplicants-on-the-copenhagen-pilgrimage/