photogrammatical

An outtake from yesterday when my brother asked me to take his passport photo.  I’d think twice before letting this guy into my country.

Leghorn chickens are a new addition here at the hacienda.  The first graders at the school where my girlfriend teaches had hatched these birds in the classroom, and at just two weeks old they were looking for a more permanent home.  After our addition of a large vegetable garden about six months ago, a small laying flock seemed like the next logical step.   Luckily the roommates were all in.

There is a long table in the garden where we take our meals.  I like to sit out there with my pipe in the afternoon and watch the chickens scurry back and forth beneath the tomato plants.  There is something about watching them that makes me very calm and happy.

I’ve been mixing things up over on the main site.  I’ve updated my portfolio with new work.  Some of it you may have seen here, some of it you ain’t.  For best results clear your browser’s cache and click here.

I found this Batman mask in my brother’s closet.  I then wore it.  For an hour.

It has been a rough deployment for my old unit.  Hard on my boys, and hard on their families at home.  Both sides have held up their ends, and now it’s almost over.  Right now houses are being cleaned, banners are being made, and parties are being planned.  I’m headed down south to be waiting for them when they arrive.

My Marine Families photo project, My Heart is Across the Ocean, will shortly be coming to a close.  I’ve also been writing while the boys have been gone.  Writing about their families, and what it’s been like for me to watch them go through these last seven months.  I’ve been on the other side of this before, the side where everyone is in it together, day and night.  Being stateside for this one has given me a new appreciation for circumstances that I may have been dismissive about in the past.

Now, my hope is to put everything together into a book.  After the homecoming it’ll just be a matter of tightening edits and paring down text.  As much as I’ve enjoyed working on this project, I’ll be happier when it’s something I can put away on a shelf.  I’ve been toying with a few different cover images for the past couple of months, but on my most recent shoot I finally found one that felt just right.

In case you were wondering, no I don’t have a publisher, I haven’t started showing it around yet.  But if you wanted to mention the project offhand to your cousin in publishing, then yes, that’d be just great.

I met Levi in a photo class years ago and we became fast friends.  We come from very different worlds, but find common ground in photography and our mutual love of beards.

These quick snaps were behind the scenes after one of his shoots, just after our conversation on why I prefer that people not smile in photographs.

So, I’m trying out a mobile version of the blog and I’d like your thoughts on it.  Most of my site traffic is on desktops and laptops, but lately I’ve had up to 20% readership coming from iPhones and other mobile devices. That’s an awfully big chunk.  In an attempt to better that experience, I’ve installed a plug-in that recognizes mobile browsers and formats the posts for them.  No more zooming in and out to view pictures and text.

Last Friday, I went down to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego to attend my cousin Randy’s Boot Camp graduation.

It was a little surreal for me, I hadn’t been back since my own graduation almost exactly nine years ago.

It still smells the same, sounds the same, and continues to be a place I’m happy to depart from.

After 10 days at home, Randy will report to the School of Infantry, followed by Light Armored Vehicle Crewman’s Course, just as I did.

In fact, Randy will have the exact same job and be assigned to my old unit when they return.

When I heard Randy had decided to join the Marines, I wouldn’t agree to talk him out of it.

But I did do what I could to ensure he would be surrounded by the finest Marines I know.

The family is very proud of Private First Class Alexander, especially me.

It’s been over two months now since the last update on My Heart is Across the Ocean.

I’m sorry to report that in that time, my old Marine unit has taken casualties in Afghanistan.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t taking it hard.

It is no secret that I’m awfully sentimental where my Marines are concerned.  Add a healthy dose of Irish Whiskey to that and it takes a patient and tender woman to deal with me.  I’m very lucky in that department.

It’s not lost on me that I seem to be the only one in this situation allowed the luxury of falling apart.

Tomorrow will be the first of the unit funerals here in California, and the first I will be able to attend.

I have been dreading it.  I have been dreading it with all of my heart.

Earlier this month, friends of the show/photography super-couple Sara Cross and Aaron Bickford packed up their cameras, surfboards, and a small menagerie of pets to head east towards NY.  Fresh out of Brooks and recently engaged, they’re off to seek their fortunes in the big market, and the big city.  I made it up to Ventura for their going away BBQ, just in time to see them off and wish them luck.  Though the only thing they’ll be needing luck for is the weather.