A pictures worth in a popularity contest – Obama VS Clinton…

75,000 people do not attend political rallies unless something truly magical is happening. -  Posted by Robert Blanchard North Smithfield, RI

I don’t usually find much interesting about ”press photography” and I’m a healthy skeptic these days about how and what sort of images come to be associated with “reportage”. All too often, I find myself distrusting any ability of photography in general to portray anything close to reality. It’s more a game of association. I suppose its always been that way – so that’s nothing new really.  Having said that,  seeing these two very different photos of the Democratic nominees Senator Barrack Obama, and Senator Hillary Clinton that ran in the NYT recently regarding the current “momentum” of the Democratic candidates is but one concrete example of why:

Todd Heisler/The New York Times
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton greeted supporters at the Bowling Green airport on Sunday after a rally on the campus of Western Kentucky University.

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

Barack Obama spoke to 75,000 people on Sunday in Portland, Ore. He called it “the most spectacular setting for the most spectacular crowd” of the campaign.

It’s clear that the NYT article is reporting on a perceived momentum in the popularity contest side of things in this campaign – but the choice of images to associate with the story seems,  well – in my opinion – ludicrous.  

Consider vantage point, background and the detail.  If you were a candidate – which image would you feel good about?  Two or three interested faces and hands straining to reach through a chain-link fence (what an interesting foreground – very metaphorical)  with another half-dozen (I assume there might have been more there?)  rally attendees seemingly staring off into space or something just about as interesting in the background – that photograph appears to pretty much say all there there is to say about popular vote one might presume.   But of course to be fair, it is too much to expect one article and two pictures to be a good , fair and researched indication of what might actually be going on “out there”.

So what do you think:  Is this persuasive photojournalism coupled with a creative photo editorial statement or just plain silliness ? 

Choose your post petroleum futures wisely

, originally uploaded by Matt Niebuhr.

So it’s “Bike to Work Week”… 5/12-5/16 – If you haven’t already put down the car keys and started to “Go By Bike,” What are you waiting for?

I bike - it’s easy here -  and here’s what I figure – if I can do it, and my first grade son can do it – (rain or shine, all year around) why can’t we get a few others of you out there doing it? I’m talking about those of us that live 5 or 6 miles away from our work place. Give it a try during the seasonable weather – or maybe just once a week… I have to say I’ve had some pretty great conversations with my son on our morning rides – that alone is worth it. I know biking isn’t the only answer and it may not be a realistic option all the time for everyone. This is a call to those of you that could but choose not to.

I’ve been keeping track of my commuting miles this year ( since Jan 17, 08 – to be exact) – here’s where it stands:

763.5 mi as of 5/12/08

Here’s some more figures based upon my car’s rated est. 22 mpg:

Avoided using: 34.70 ga of gas
Saved: ~ $121
Kept over three times my body weight of carbon out of the air  – 678.76 lbs CO2 offset.

You can find more about how to figure your emissions factors here: http://www.epa.gov/autoemissions. My figures are based upon the emission factors of 19.56 lbs CO2 / gallon of gas – from the EPA . The tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks account for almost a third of the air pollution in the United States.  - source

Drive less.  It’s really pretty simple.

Here’s another interesting fact, this year, I have had to purchase about 45 gallons of gas for a total of $150.36. This by the way means about 890.30 lbs of carbon alone have come out of my tailpipe among other not so great things to breath.

Right now we’re lucky perhaps – we still have the opportunity to choose. Do what you can. We all breath the same air.

Roger Ballen – Artist Talk @ Weiden+Kennedy 2008 05 07

Roger Ballen - from the series: Shadow Chamber -Photographs 1994 -2004

Portland and Quality Pictures – presents Roger Ballen 

Incidentally,  I noticed this opening line… “a self-tought photographer”  I wonder if it should matter that we know this … should we be expecting something different then ?  I just want to see the pictures and decide for myself.

5.01.08 – 6.28.08 – Exhibition will feature 9 new works that will make their U.S. debut at Quality Pictures

Portland, Oregon – ARTIST TALK:  May 7, 7pm at the Weiden+Kennedy atrium

Sponsored by the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art (www.pica.org )