Tuesday, July 8, 2008

4th of July Pt. 2


I processed the film and even though there aren't a lot of images, the ones I got are incredible! I thought I had been spotted because right after I took these, he came back out with his partner and pointed down into my direction. I got all flustered and scared and instead of taking more photos (like a hard core P.I. would have!) I literally fled the scene barely grabbing my gear and even had to go back to get my notebook! It was very conspicuous. Then, I realized that they were probably pointing at all the construction going on right between my vantage point and their balcony. Sheesh! My heart was pounding, though. After I returned things stayed quiet for most of the rest of the day. Man, what I wouldn't give now for a photo of him pointing at me! Shit. Well, I guess I'll just have to go back up...

Sunday, July 6, 2008

4th of July Weekend, Pt. 1


Phew! I just got back from my trip this morning. What a crazy weekend up there. It was pretty packed with tourists but it is such a small town so it's hard to blend in. I still couldn't get my long lens out without drawing attention to myself. It is so obtrusive and hard to conceal. I drove in A LOT of circles and thought for certain people could tell I was spying on someone. I get really paranoid when I'm up there. For good reason, I suppose. I only bring cash and rarely, if ever interact with anyone for any reason. I always get gas before getting there or after leaving. I brought plenty of energy bars with me for food but I did needed coffee for the overnights so I stopped into this tiny coffee shop there. I started to wonder if he ever goes in there because it's right across the street. Then, I discovered this empty house right across from his condo with a circular drive that has part of it hidden fromthe street and a little small brush that I could get into and be concealed. It's the perfect view of his balcony but could not see much inside other than lights going on and going off throughout the evenings. I just crawled up in there the first evening I stayed and stayedput the whole night until very early morning. It was so scary when it was dark. Silent and pitch black. I didn't use a light because I did not want todraw attention to the fact I was hiding in the woods at night. Oh, and I couldn't get cell phone reception so there was no point in trying to use my phone either. I just laid there for a long time checking through the telephoto lens here and there to be sure I wasn't missing something. It was quiet for a long time. I was restless a lot. The sound of snapping branches woke me up at one point out of a half sleep and scared me to death. I was literally shaking because it sounded like something or someone coming up the hill towards me. I tried to adjust my eyes to see better but it was still so pitch dark. Myeye sight is really good but I coud not see one damn thing - not even an outline of the trees around me. Then, I refocused my eyes only to see tiny bright eyes starting at me from all around me. I laid in my position perfectly still for a long long time. I couldn't tell how many there were but maybe half a dozen, if I had to guess. They were all blinking and just starting at me! Then, a few of the pairs of eyes disappear and turn into these flashes of little white stripes where the eyes were. They looked fluffy to me and I could finally see that they were little baby skunks! Knowing that made me even more anxious but I stayed put. What if I was right int heir den or something? What if the mama came back and attacked me?! I remember thinking that this is one of those momentsthat I swear I'll remember for years. I stayed in the same spot for most of the night but peed a few times off in the back near the car. At one pointI tried to venture off near the ocean foot but almost stepped right off a cliff. I won't do that again. I will draw out a map of the layout so you can get a sense of where I was in relation to the highway, my dad's house, and the ocean. I'll post more later once I've gotten some rest and processed the film...

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

July 4th

I didn't make it up for Father's day but maybe next year if I'm still working on this project. Instead, I am planning to go up for 4th of July weekend. I think it'll be perfect because there will be lots of people up there for the holiday taking photos and being tourists. I hope to be able to blend in a lot easier. I'll borrow a different car this time and drive up. I plan to focus on shooting some of my experiences taking pictures and interacting with the space around him now that I have a better sense of what the lay of the land is, so to speak.