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Photo Feature Friday: Danny Duarte
I never planned to take a year off from writing about photography.
When it comes to the Creativity Gods, though, I try to listen to what they say, and stay as open as possible.
The time away did me well, (and I wrote about other things,) but now it’s time to share cool photography again.
As I said last week, Scott McDermott’s PR email about his celebrity chef photos was enough to push me from considering doing this, to actually doing it.
Luckily, not long after I arranged Scott’s piece, a new, intriguing email popped up.
Danny Duarte, a young Guatemalan-American photographer from Greater LA, reached out with a PR email of his own.
So I clicked.
I’ve always been a sucker for pictures that show us piercing vision of a place in time, and Danny’s not just from LA, he’s from The Valley; a place famous in its own right, but most people don’t know why.
(Beyond Cobra Kai.)
Danny’s series, (which we’re featuring below, along with his interview,) was made in Reseda his home town.
I love his pride, and the vibrancy of his photographs.
The piercing California light.
I’m sure you’ll dig the work too.
Jonathan Blaustein: I know you’re proud to rep the 818, and Reseda, where you’re from.
All images courtesy of Danny Duarte The series we’re showing is called “Hub of the West Valley,” with refers to Reseda, a town in the San Fernando Valley that’s probably most famous for being where Daniel LaRusso moved in the original Karate Kid.
Given that our readers are spread out around the world, would you mind giving the most basic breakdown of how the Valley works?
Danny Duarte: The San Fernando Valley is even more of an urban sprawl than Central Los Angeles. Most would say it’s one big suburb, but I’d argue it’s a strange mix of urban and suburb. It’s unique. I have yet to see something like it anywhere else. It’s usually hotter, less dense, not well known, and looked down upon at times by those on the other side of the mountains, which is what initially inspired the series.
People would ask me where I’m from I would say “Reseda” and always followed by “Where’s that?”. I never took offense, but I was surprised that a lot of people in Los Angeles were not very knowledgeable about the Valley or Reseda at all. I started to photograph where I grew up to show everyone and it became a wonderful journey that would make me think about the environment I was raised in, how I remembered it as a kid, and how I see it now.
I explored where I used to live and walked around places, I had only experienced from the perspective of being in a car. Experiencing the neighborhood I had lived for over 30 years on my own since I wasn’t an outgoing kid growing up. Not only do I get to show people where I’m from, but I also get to rediscover it, which made me appreciate it more.
JB: How it’s different than LA proper?
DD: The Valley is separated from the rest of Los Angeles by mountains so it can feel like another city. A lot of people are not aware that the Valley (except for Burbank and San Fernando) are part of the city, not just county, of Los Angeles.
There’s A LOT of parking compared to the rest of Los Angeles. I’m not a fan of it but people say that’s one thing they enjoy about visiting the Valley.
I don’t see that much of a difference since most of Los Angeles is not so tall apartments and single-family homes. The main difference is that the streets are wider, and the buildings aren’t as tall in the Valley, so it feels a lot more spread out.
JB: (Is it as simple as rich folks in the hills, and poorer folks live down below, where it’s hotter?)
DD: Pretty much. Usually, the north and south towards the mountains are where the rich live and it gradually shifts inward down the hills. It’s not as clear as saying south/north/east/west of a certain street. It’s hot all over the Valley but the richer areas do have more greenery than the rest.
Danny made us a map, with green areas being wealthier, and red areas being poorer. JB: With respect to Reseda, and this series, we see a lot of signage.
The town’s name is a repeating motif.
I just looked it up, and in Spanish it means “prescription.”
Do you want to the word to have double meaning?
And in general, what attracts you to including text within the imagery?
DD: Originally inhabited by the indigenous Tongva people, the name “Reseda” originated from a plant found in regions with a similar climate.
There’s no double meaning. I love the different typography and graphic usage of Reseda. I also wanted to show it as much as possible, so people remember the name. It’s another chance to elevate the neighborhood.
JB: I’ve spent a ton of time in SoCal over the years, but am ashamed to admit I only know the Valley from driving through, between San Francisco and LA.
One time, the traffic was so bad, I actually went up and over Malibu canyon, at night, just to get out of there. (This was 20+ years ago.)
Another time, I remember just baking, as I was stuck in traffic.
Cooking in merciless sun.
Though I know you gave your description of the Valley above, I know it’s more or less surrounded by mountains, and I imagine climate change has been making things hot as heck in summer.
So that’s my question.
Is the changing weather changing the culture or vibe at all?
DD: Oh yeah. The Valley is HOT. It has always been hot for as long as I can remember so the vibe out here has always been the same. You go down to the beach or accept the heat and try to adapt for a couple months until it cools down. They have started painting some of the streets gray as an attempt to cool us down. They are also trying to plant more trees to provide the Valley with shade so hopefully that will help.
JB: In the series, when we see people at all, it’s the lone figure, set against an architectural background.
Or in one case, a mother and her two kids.
Given the sunny color palette, it gives a sense of isolation, and loneliness, despite all that solar intensity.
Is this just because of car culture, or it something more specific to the place and time?
DD: I think Los Angeles can be an isolating city even though there’s millions of people here. It’s insanely spread out and almost everyone drives so I’d say car culture is one of the main reasons for that. And when you get to the Valley it gets even more spread out.
You don’t see a lot of people walking in the Valley. I bike, walk, and ride the bus and the sidewalks are bare most of the time or there’s one person walking and it’s usually to their car. Compared to other cities I have visited where there’s people walking everywhere it can feel lonely out here when you’re the only person outside and everyone else is in their car.
I could go on for hours about the negative impacts of building a city around cars but the photographs of people by themselves is how I have always felt growing up in Los Angeles. Surrounded only by the sun, concrete, asphalt, and stucco.
Although, I don’t view it entirely as a negative. There is peace and quiet that comes with it which I do enjoy. Sometimes you need to be alone to recharge and it helps a lot when the sun is always shining.
JB: Finally, you’re a young guy. What do you hope to accomplish in your photography career?
What are some of the goals you’ve set for yourself?
Or is it more about enjoying the process, and seeing what happens?
DD: I want to create and show work in print and galleries that expresses how I feel and see the world around me and to hopefully encourage others to slow down and be more aware of their surroundings because there’s a lot of beautiful moments and architecture we miss out on. Teaching is also something I have thought about. I have always loved helping people with their photography, designing books, retouching, and lighting. It’s very fulfilling.
Thank you for taking the time to look at my work. It means a lot.
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Injury Rehab Sucks, Unless you Lean In
I bashed my knee on my 50th birthday.
Smashed it good during jiu jitsu class, and it’s been bothering me ever since.
Most long-time martial artists learn how to heal their injuries, and listen to their bodies, so by the next day, I was pretty sure I had a bone bruise in my patella, and a sprained LCL ligament. (On the left side of my right knee.)
Back in the day, I used to train through injuries, and sometimes, I still do. (Having taped up my foot for four months, after slightly tearing ligaments below my right big toe.)
Knees are a different story though. You don’t fuck with the knees.
I’m sure you don’t want to hear the details of my personal injury history, though.
That would be boring as hell.
Since I took the time to blog about it, though, there must be a point to this post…
…right?
Yes, there is, and maybe I’ll get to it, and keep things short today.
I hurt that knee ligament for a reason.
It was overdeveloped, having had to compensate from the faulty alignment I carry from a long-ago surgery.
Weak right hip, weak muscles on the outside of my right leg, means overdeveloped inner-right knee ligaments, to pivot the body.
And I have learned…
…Just as at other stages of my BJJ journey, the injuries always seem to open up locked fascia that was keeping my muscles trapped in the wrong place.
The breaking points are never random.
So while rehab sucks, for sure, and I really miss getting to train BJJ, I chose to see this as an opportunity.
Hours and hours, I’ve spent using foam rollers, (a clever birthday present from Jessie,) mercilessly breaking down the weak spots and locked fascia in my body.
Everything the knee ligament was over-working to support.
Furthermore, I chose to dive into weightlifting with gusto, getting a gym membership, and trying to build up all the muscles surrounding the knee.
The rehab plan was: release tension in the body, build up bigger muscles, and then I’ll be both stronger and better aligned.
I chose to work on balance and strength simultaneously, to support my BJJ, once I get back on the mats.
Rather than getting all hot and bothered, missing the Dojo, and lacking the proper physical outlet I’m used to.
So there you have it.
If you take each injury and look at why it happened, you can use the healing time to actually come back to your sport better than you left it.
Catch you next time.
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Photo Feature Friday: Scott McDermott
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you know I had a Friday photography column at A Photo Editor from 2011-23.
I’ve bobbed and weaved, when it comes to how I handle programming here at Sunshine and Olly, but after a year + away from the regular grind, I’ve decided to try to resurrect Photo Fridays.
(There are a few other stories in the pipeline already, so it seems doable, especially with a new, online Q&A format.)
To kick off the new column, I’m starting with a photographer I’ve never met, nor spoken to.
Scott McDermott got my attention when he sent out a PR email with some great pictures he shot of Mike Tyson for a cigar magazine.
Top notch, and I told him so.
It stuck in my mind, and when a new email came in, featuring “Les Chef,” of course I was impressed again.
Having seen every season of Top Chef, (except the first,) and worked in restaurants for years, this was my wheel house.
Yet again, Scott’s editorial/commercial work shines.
The dude is obviously a major pro, so I’m happy to share his pictures, and his thoughtful, (though diplomatic,) responses to my questions.
In the spirit of my long-time work at APE, the information below can definitely help photographers with their careers.
Thanks for being generous with your work, time, and knowledge, Scott!
Let’s get to it.
Jonathan Blaustein: Given that you’ve shot all sorts of celebrity types, did you notice any specific vibe, or personality type, to the celebrity chefs?
Scott McDermott: Celebrity chefs at this level are really CEOs. Many of them have upwards of 20 restaurants across all different brands. So they are quite media savvy, usually pretty outgoing and have done photo shoots many times before. They know the drill. It’s a part of the job. But unlike many CEOs they seem much more at ease and playful at a photoshoot, and a lot of times have fun ideas for shots. Like Jean-Georges just offered up “Do you want to go on the roof?” His restaurant is on the ground floor of a 52 story building at Columbus Circle.
The answer is always “Yes!”.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten JB: I worked for Bobby Flay for a couple of years in NYC, back in the day, and the dude had massive swagger. (Exaggeratedly so.) Did any of the chefs have next-level charisma, beyond all the rest?
SM: I would say they all have a baseline level of type A confidence that’s not uncommon for very successful people in any field. Most of the chefs I’ve shot are pretty cool and down to earth, but you can tell by how everyone around them acts that they are A VERY BIG DEAL in their world.
Having said that, most shoots happen during the day at one of their restaurants, with the idea being we get it done before they open that night. So it’s usually a morning situation for them at first, and mornings are not traditionally the best time for chefs.
A lot of time, they are pretty tired and not necessarily putting on a show for me. Not that they were up all night in the kitchen necessarily (There is a chef-de-cuisine for that,) but usually they just flew in from somewhere or had just hosted a big dinner at another of their restaurants or came from some event.
Then there is someone like Mario Carbone, who has what he calls the “Carbone Stare”. He doesn’t like how he looks when smiling, so he deliberately does the stare. He’s up front about it, so fair enough. So in his case he is kind of deliberately dialing down the charisma.
Mario Carbone 
Dan Barber JB: It’s been a while since he passed, (RIP!) but what was Tony Bourdain like, in the time you had with him?
SM: The shoot with Anthony Bourdain was for DIRECTV and the concept behind it was, he’s been everywhere, but where is his home turf? He chose a punk rock bar in NY’s East Village called Manitoba’s, which looked great and had a very authentic vibe. However, even though we were in his happy place, he was quite edgy and wary of me and the whole thing.
It wasn’t until after we sat at the bar and finished a pint together, while the crew was putting up some lighting, that he loosened up. After that, he relaxed considerably and we had a nice afternoon. The “Man’s Ruin” painting on the wall by the door was a cool background we both really liked for a shot. I was a huge fan of all of his shows, but after he passed, I can’t bring myself to watch them…
Hopefully this man needs no introduction. (RIP Tony.) 
JB: Padma Lakshmi has gone on to assume Tony’s mantle, in a way, with her current Hulu food-travel series. Did you get to chat with her at all about food, or the Bravo-Top-Chef-world she helped create?
SM: I’ve been lucky enough to cross paths with Padma for a few different shoots. Her show on Hulu is fantastic, and is very much in the same vein as what Bourdain was doing, as you said. I think I’ve told her how much I enjoyed it on the last shoot.
But for Top Chef, there wasn’t a lot of time to chat. Those key art shoots for TV shows are a big production with a very tight schedule. You have to shoot all the contestants and the hosts in 2 different outfits on several sets.
The producers have spreadsheets with blocks of time designating who should be in front of the camera when and where and in what clothes, etc.
I was proud to have gotten to the end of the day still on schedule, at which point Padma asked if I could take a few shots of her in a new dress Roberto Cavalli had sent over for an upcoming award show. She wanted to see how it looked on camera.
Like I said before, the answer is always “Yes!”.
She started out as a model, and certainly knows what to do in front of the camera.
Padma Lakshmi JB: Of all the restaurants you’ve been in, which would you most like to dine, if money were no object?
SM: Honestly, all of them!
On a few occasions they ask if you want to stay for dinner, and that’s always a real treat. Daniel Boulud said “Would you like to have some pea soup and chicken?” – “Yes!”.
At his flagship restaurant Boulud, there is a skybox table that is in a kind of glass loft overlooking the kitchen. So my crew and I had an amazing meal in the skybox, which honestly we almost couldn’t tell which part was the pea soup and the chicken because each dish was so elaborate.
Daniel Boulud Torrisi is Rich Torrisi’s new restaurant in the Puck building that we shot at, and it’s been described as the most NY of the high end restaurants out there.
Rich Torrisi 11 Madison Park is the first restaurant to win 3 Michelin stars that is entirely plant based, I’m super curious about that.
Danny Meyer Daniel Humm is a rock star. Like I said, all of them.
JB: Did Morimoto wave that big blade around at all, or was it only out briefly for the shoot?
SM: Morimoto is a lot of fun, and is generally up for anything. I asked him if we could do a shot with a knife and he went in the kitchen and came back with what I would call a sword, used for slicing tuna.
He did some interesting poses with it, and the shots are much cooler than they would have been with a regular knife.
Morimoto When I was scouting his restaurant before the shoot, I noticed he had a lot of geese and chickens hanging in the fridge, and it made me think of the classic Albert Watson photograph of Alfred Hitchcock holding a goose in a very deadpan way.
So I asked him to do a similar pose in the freezer in, an homage to Mr. Watson.
After that, Morimoto said, “Why so serious?” and grabbed a tuna and started tossing it around.
JB: Finally, how would you describe your style of interaction, as a portrait photographer? How do you approach working with such high-profile people?
SM: Shooting celebrities is very much a transactional encounter. We are both there to do a job.
I try to be personable, relaxed and make a connection as much as possible, but I’m not under any illusion that we are going to be friends afterwards. Sometimes you hit off with someone, just like in any situation, but for the most part we do what we came to do and that’s it.
One thing they all appreciate, and something I pride myself on is that I shoot very fast. I know what I’m going for, get it quickly and then move on. Once they see that, a lot of people relax because they realize I’m not going to drag it out and be indecisive.
Once they are relaxed, then they start to collaborate, and that can be when it gets fun. I always have a few concepts in mind going in, and sometimes those need specific props or whatever to pull off, so you have to have those ready.
Then it’s a question of pitching the idea and being ready for what they say. A lot of times it’s “That’s kind of cool, but what if we did it like this instead?” And suddenly you have a shot you never thought of, that happened in the moment, like with Morimoto.
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Paying Attention to Haiti
In 2022, the eyes of the world were on Ukraine.
In 2024, any fool could tell you Israel’s war with Hamas, in Gaza, is the major international news story/catastrophe of the moment.
(All the while, Ukraine is still battling Putin, it’s just we care less.)
As Americans, both places are on the other side of the world.
Out of sight, but not out of mind.
Haiti, however, is barely off the coast of Florida.
(700 miles from Miami.)
The island country where Christopher Columbus first landed in the New World, (a land mass Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic,) is in possibly the worst shape of any society on Earth.
For all the terrible stories you might have heard after their Earthquake in 2010, what’s going on now is nearly unprecedented in this hemisphere.
Pure chaos, where armed gangs rule the streets, killing, stealing, maiming, and causing mayhem at will.
(President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in 2021, in an as-yet-unsolved crime, and then no legal replacement government formed.)
According to news reports, these gangs control more than 80% of the capital, having attacked police stations, and the airport. And the unelected, replacement President was recently forced to resign, having been exiled to Puerto Rico.
The international community has done little, partly because there is so little publicity, so much misery fatigue, and so much chaos.
Frankly, I didn’t plan to write this post today.
Haiti is not my fight, though I have read the news reports daily, with a numbed-out-sadness.
Bodies left in the streets, rotting, so locals have to burn them, to kill the smell and disease. Dogs eating corpses.
Horror movie stuff, happening every day.
I AM writing about it, though, because a Haitian artist/art teacher I follow on IG reached out recently, (as a DM,) asking how I was doing.
You read that right.
Mario Pierre-Louis checked up on me.
From an anarchy zone.
Portrait of the Artist, Posted to IG March 12, 2024 
It’s the stuff of hacking dreams, so I will admit, I’m pretty sure it’s real, but can’t verify with my bare hands.
Let me back up a second.
I think Mario followed me first on IG in 2021, but if so, I followed right back. (And noted a couple of other photo-world-people followed him too.)
He DM’d to say “Hi,” so I did the same.
His folk art paintings, along with those of his students, were cool. Charming. Inspiring.
I know the account as Atis Art when I see it, and always look.
The dude has never asked me for money.
Not once.
Nor funneled me to a GoFundMe.
I remember thinking when I first learned of him, is he real? Or is it a scam?
He seems so positive. Too good to be true.
So I looked him up at the time, and this outsider art gallery page came up. Looked legit enough.
Now I googled again, and saw someone set up a GoFundMe for him and his students last summer, and it seems active.
I can’t vouch for it, though.
But I’ve seen the paintings come up in his feed for years. We’ve DM’d once or twice since 2021.
A painting posted February 15th Recently, I started seeing his photo posts of the chaos that said, no one is helping me.
If it IS real, then this Dude could use a lot of help.
And then he checks up on me? Asks how I’m doing?
Crazy stuff.
He seems like one of the nicest people ever, trapped in hell.
After I offered, he asked that I share some of his recent pictures from this week, so he sent them last night.
He wrote, “at the moment I am in the street by bandits have raided my house I am taking photos so that people can see what is happening here.
I have nothing to eat, I take photos so people can help me.”
Given that I can’t be 100% sure this is real, I can’t ask you to reach out, nor give money on GoFundMe.
As a journalist, I put this through a smell test in 2021, and again now, and feel comfortable sharing Mario’s photos, and his story as I’ve learned it, but I have not given any money.
At the moment, I’m choosing to believe this actual human being is on the ground in Port-au-Prince, and wants other people to know what’s going on.
Everyone there is suffering beyond belief.
So if there is a God, (and I hope there is,) we can only pray She/He/They sheds some kindness on Haiti.
If you can help in your own way, please do.
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I’m Sorry & How Can I Help?
I read a fascinating article the other week.
I’d suggest you read it too, but I’m not sure it’s available at the moment.
Because, as you might have heard, Road & Track, as a part of a program sponsored by an energy company, sent a freelance, millennial, socialist journalist named Kate Wagner on a first-class F1 junket to Austin, TX.
Given how blindingly obvious it was that she’d come out guns ablazin’, (and she did,) that Road & Track was surprised with the results proves that no one was paying the slightest bit of attention.
Once they figured out what they’d done, they pulled the article as if it had never existed.
Thankfully, it was saved as a .pdf, and I got to read it.
One line stuck with me, as I’d said it recently to Jessie, with respect to someone with whom I’ve got beef:
“They’d rather be right than happy.”In the case of the R&T article, the writer said it about herself.
Lately, I’ve found it harder and harder to be around people who have a low opinion of me.
People who insult me, or drag me down.
It’s exhausting, building up all this positive energy, only to have to rebuild it again, once someone has thrown all their punches in my direction.
My wife and I teach our children: if you’ve said or done something to offend a loved one, you apologize, take responsiblity, and move on.
It’s Sesame-Street-level human decency.
(Though I do hate that fucking Elmo. Larry David was right.)
Treat people well, and if you slip up, because you’re having a bad day, or there was a misunderstanding, then say sorry.
That’s it.
But some people see apologies as weakness, and simply refuse.
It’s what drives all those Trumpers.
The pole is slanted, AND the road is sloped. Both things can be true. Simultaneously, another person in my life with whom I have beef, said some really unkind things on my birthday.
Called me “crazy,” and implied I was a failure, because I hadn’t become rich as a photographer.
Never mind two other people, in the last week, confided with me they’d left the field as well, things were so bad.
No, I was a disappointment.
When I asked for an apology, for saying such unkind things on such an important day, I was called “disturbed,” and a “pussy.”
(Not making this up.)
What could be more Trumper than refusing to apologize?
Probably calling them a “pussy.”
Here’s an idea.
How about when someone admits they’re having trouble, instead of telling them what they did wrong, asking “How can I help?”
Really, be honest.
How many times has someone said to you, “How can I help,” when you really needed help?
Not when someone waited for you to come begging.
Or watched you suffer, from a bemused distance.
But actually noted you needed help, and took it upon themselves to offer, out of the goodness of their hearts?
Anyway…
…as my kids like to say, in conclusion, if you’re not prepared to accept another person’s reality, their feelings, how they see things, without resorting to calling them mentally ill…
You might be a Trumper.
Learn to apologize.
Offer to help.You’ll be happier.
I promise.
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Secret Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan Lasagne
I turned 50 yesterday.
(You might have heard.)
I kept the celebration tight: just my wife, kids, dogs, and jiu jitsu community.
And as I don’t trust the crappy, over-priced Taos restaurants, and I enlisted Theo to cook twice over the weekend…
…I was in charge of my 50th Birthday dinner.
What to make?
Lasagne is not only a crowd-pleaser, but as it’s somewhat labor intensive, it also feels celebratory.
I did one six weeks ago, in deep Winter, with an Italian sausage sauce as the base.
Too heavy for early March.
Then the idea hit me: what about those pretty eggplants you bought?
What if?
What if I made fried eggplant, for eggplant parmesan, and then inserted it as a layer, WITHIN the lasagne?
Wouldn’t that essentially be two superstar dishes in one?
Yes.
Yes, it would.
And it was insanely delicious!
Here we go:
The fried eggplant
Wash and thinly slice one eggplant. Lightly salt and pepper the slices, then set aside. Once they sweat, (release moisture,) lightly pat down with a paper towel.
Set out three plates, one with all purpose flour, one with two beaten eggs, and the other with seasoned breadcrumbs. Then lightly season the flour and egg plates with salt and pepper.
Heat a cast iron skillet, add olive oil, and then dredge the eggplant.
First, pat it fully in flour, then coat in egg, then pat in the bread crumbs, before depositing in the hot oil skillet.
Flip each slice when it’s nice and brown, and then remove onto cutting boards or plates covered with paper towels. (To absorb the oil.)
The marinara sauce
The key here is lots of fresh vegetables, and two kinds of roasted chile.
Start by sautéing and seasoning on onion, then add in four diced cloves of garlic.
Continue to stir, and then add two sliced celery stalks, two sliced carrots, six large tomatoes on the vine, 12-15 small cherry tomatoes, and a handful of baby spinach.
One can of Cento tomatoes, four T of tomato paste, two NM roasted green chiles, one roasted poblano pepper, and then lime juice, mild paprika, sugar, honey, balsamic vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, parmesan cheese, and asiago cheese.
Blend with an immersion blender, once it’s been cooking for 20 minutes, and season to your liking.
Remember though: the sauce needs to be SUPER-FLAVORFUL to stand up to the cheese and fried eggplant.
The Pasta
I used Barilla, and it was great.
The Cheese
Galbani ricotta and chunk mozzarella
The Lasagne
Time to assemble.
I cook the noodles while I’m assembling, just dropping them into salted boiling water for about 1 min or so.
So in a large casserole pan, I made a layer of sauce, then a layer of noodles.
Then a full layer of ricotta, and a light layer of sauce.
Then the eggplant layer, grated parmesan, and a light layer of sauce.
Then another layer of noodles, a thick layer of sauce, and then the grated mozzarella.
Cracked black pepper on top, a grated layer of parmesan when it comes out of the oven, (about an hour at 350-375,) and you’re set to jet.
It was ridiculously good, and all four of us ate like royalty last night, so I hope you give it a go.
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Change is Constant in 2024
The View West, driving home from BJJ training the other night, Taos A robot car got attacked in San Francisco the other day.
Set on fire by an angry mob.
(With fireworks as the incendiary device.)
Each day, AI coders write code that, if successful, will render their jobs obsolete.
(The AI will eventually write its own code.)
Not to mention, media companies are hemmorhaging jobs like nobody’s business.
Day after day, journalists are getting the pink slip; waking up to the reality that there are no longer enough jobs to support the existing pool of applicants.
Much as the fine art photographers realized, in the last five or six years, that there were no longer enough people buying prints to support the gallery industry.
(In an ironic twist, the demographic that used to buy art photography now makes its own art photographs and hangs them on the wall.)
I felt the wrath of both trends, the cutting of artists and journalists, and as I was actually covering our industry, I read the tea leaves sooner than others.
And had to find another career.
You know this, if you’ve been reading Sunshine and Olly since its inception, nearly a year ago.
Few things are harder on a man than not being able make a decent living anymore.
Times may change, but that feeling is ALWAYS super-awful.
I imagine it extends to all other gender incarnations too, but as I’m only supposed to speak to my own experience in 2024, (lol,) I hesitate to speculate.
Rather, I’ll stick to my own script, and tell you that I intentionally picked a job that AI couldn’t do.
Now that I’m training trauma survivors, and older people, in MMA for healing and health, it’s a skill set no robot can do.
Martial Arts, with its grounding in the mind, body, and spirit, allows me to teach and connect with my students on the deepest levels possible.
To change lives, dramatically.
And I have!
But it also means I exercise all the time now, and have a dark dance with protein.
I can never get enough, and it’s super-expensive, but also, you have to be very careful what you put in your gut these days.
Our gut is a second brain, all the current science says, and given how hard BJJ is, you really can’t do it with unhappy innards.
Other guys I train with are in construction.
Electricians.
Because it seems we’re returning to the old days, where men are expected to make a living with our bodies again.
I get to use my mind and spirit too, thankfully, but the demands of the muscles are real.
(Which is why all the top people have saunas/cold tubs.)
Not sure today’s musings have a clear landing point, beyond the fact that change is a-plenty here in 2024.
So we best pay attention to the seismic trends.
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The Israel-Hamas War is a lose-Lose for everyone
Finishing up a 2.5 hour MMA training session on Saturday with my Sifu, Lawrence Martinez
I got a really nice email yesterday.
(Surprising, as it doesn’t happen that often.)
A photographer reached out to check in; one whom I’d met at a festival five years ago.
Not unlike when Stan wrote to me recently, prompting a column, this time, I also decided to respond via blog post, so I could share the thoughts with everyone.
Why?
Because the photographer admitted to double-checking her email inbox, wondering whether I’d written my take on the Israel-Hamas clusterfuck yet.
(I hadn’t.)
This photographer, though, correctly surmised I’d been thinking constantly about how, and whether to address the subject, but had not yet found the words.
Now I have, so here they are.
Israel and Hamas are both very, very wrong, and they’re bringing all of humanity to the brink of cataclysm.
It is beyond fucked up.
Two historically-disenfranchised-cultures are pitted against each other, mainly because both societies have been overtaken by extreme elements from within.
(It’s a classic example of how much damage right-wingers can do, when they seize the levers of political power.)
But I should probably dive a bit deeper than just saying both sides are wrong.
First off, as a Jewish-American, I felt horrified when I opened Twitter up on Saturday morning, October 7th.
Reality being what it is, I didn’t trust Twitter anymore, so I went directly to the NYT homepage, which confirmed the ongoing terrorist attack.
Such an awful situation, knowing Jews were being actively raped and slaughtered, but it was only the beginning.
Fight theory tells us it was a classic bait.
Hamas wanted to create a War, and so they have.
They’re an extremist Islamist political organization, masquerading as anti-Colonialist Don Quixotes, but as with all things in the 21st Century, it’s so complicated that even Hamas is not entirely wrong.
Because what Israel has done in the West Bank, (actively colonizing land for settlements that obviously will be a part of Palestine in any 2-state solution,) is just as extreme.
The most traditional of Jews believe the land is theirs by religious right.
Just as the most traditional of Evangelical Christians in America believe the same land will ultimately be THEIRS, once Jesus comes back during the Rapture to kill all the infidels, and lead to a new kingdom of heaven on Earth.
(Pause.)
You read that right.
As much as Jews are the current enemy of everyone, (sadly,) Israel’s biggest supporters in American politics are not the Katzenbergs and Geffens of the world, but the 30% of America that’s rooting for the Rapture, and voting for Trump.
But you don’t read much about that, do you?
Let’s just say this out loud:
Palestinians deserve a country. They can’t stay stateless forever, anymore than the Jews could after the Holocaust.
But Hamas isn’t it.
You can’t make peace with an organization that is determined to wipe you off the face of the Earth.
Fuck those guys.
(They hate me, I’ll hate them right back.)
But bombing children for months on end, just because Hamas is callous enough to have created that strategy?
Colossally stupid, morally reprehensible, and perhaps nasty enough to kick off World War III.
Be better, Israel!
True story.
At a Thai dinner in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, circa 2003, I broke down the endless cycle of violence between Israel/Palestine with a German friend, and predicted that ultimately, some UN-type, multi-national force would likely have to police Palestine for some period, to get Israel out, but guarantee a new terrorist state would not emerge on its borders.
Seems like the prediction wasn’t far off, as someone will have to rebuild Gaza.
But that can only happen once Israel stands down.
Bibi, stand the fuck down, and then take your medicine and let them vote you out.
You gigantic Asshole!
Let’s not stop there, though.
To all the young, Millennial and Gen Z Americans who are so enmeshed in Tribalism as to feel smug in hating Jews… Fuck you too!
Grow a brain, and learn some history.
(If you come for me, I’ll come for you right back.)
You dumb, dumb motherfuckers.
There are two sides to every story.
A progressive Duke History professor changed my life in 1993, and opened my eyes to humanistic liberalism.
Do your homework, kids. Fire up the Google.
The information is out there.
Hurt people hurt people, and Israel has made some horrifying blunders.
So yes, this iteration of an Israeli government is terrible, but there are still less Jews in the world than there were before Hitler killed 6 million of us.
80 years later, and we still haven’t caught up.
Furthermore, left-wing-zealots have killed just as many people, and been just as evil, as Pol Pot, Mao and Stalin will attest.
So if you want to act like an Ivy-League-Leftist-Nazi, and call for the Genocide of the world’s remaining Jews from behind the safety of your fellow college students at a big protest, instead, please come say it to my face.
Please.
(See how that works out for you.)
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Yin and Yang Rule The World
Jessie and the dogs on a walk this week
Yin and Yang are inseparable.
Conjoined opposites.
(Like Sunshine and Olly.)
I’ve had this conversation a few times the past week with some of my students.
The way it works is, when martial artists are first building themselves up, they need lots of Yin work to slowly activate the muscles, and fire up the body’s innate coordination.
(Yoga, Qi Gong, seated meditation, stretching, calisthenics.)
But once they’re strong enough for the Yang work, the proper fighting, (punching, kicking, knees, elbows, grappling, chokes, etc…) they never want to spend time on the Yin anymore.
The Yang stuff is THAT fun.
We all learn, though, too much Yang, and you burn out. Or get injured all the time.
Only with steady practice over many years do we develop our own balance, so we stay limber enough to be max-level-strong.
We need to continue to train our Yin, in order to enhance our Yang.
The water is required to help the fire go.
(Taoism is deep, bro.)
Catch you next time.
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Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
On the podium for my NAGA silver medal in early December. (Photo by Amelie, who also got a silver. Her grandmother died the week before.)
Today is a national holiday in America, but I’m working later.
I’m down with honoring Dr Martin Luther King Jr, but have commitments, and aim to be there.
My life no longer revolves around the weekly deadline of an opinion-based photography column, nor consulting about photo books via Zoom, but these days, people IRL depend on me.
I have a regular Monday appointment, and am not rescheduling for the good Dr.
(Will definitely take a moment to think about him, though. Big ups for all you did for America!)
By now, if you’re reading this, you’ll likely remember I haven’t blogged for a very long time.
No emails have turned up in your inbox, nor reminders on social media to go check out my musings.
For the better part of 11 years, my life was defined by sharing thoughts, (and vitally personal details) about my life, with a global internet audience, every week, come rain or snow.
Having a weekly, public diary on APE was my primary artistic outlet, which went a long way towards whatever self-care I was afforded, in that decade+ phase.
Sharing, and at times over-sharing, was required, in order to outboard my stress, and process my life experiences.
In short, I was overly reliant on it, and once I left the industry at the beginning of last year, of course I started Sunshine and Olly to make sure the writing/blogging/public journaling outlet was available to me.
Bit by bit, though, as 2023 unspooled, I found myself taking less and less solace in this process.
Denied the large audience my bigger platforms once afforded, (The New York Times is as big as they come,) I began to question for whom I was writing anymore?
More importantly, I questioned whether I really needed approval from an amorphous, digital audience anyway?
(Especially at a time when it was CRYSTAL clear that swaths of the readership now considered me an old, cis, white-guy-Jew, of low status, rendering my opinions less valuable.)
Once, I craved the approval.
Sure.
I know that.
But 2023 pushed me so hard, in so many ways, to figure out my shit, that I’m actually healthy for the first time ever.
Fit, strong, and helping other people get that way, via one of the other passions I developed the past 10 years: martial arts.
I talk with my clients about how important it is to diversify our stress outlets, so we’re not overly reliant on any one at a given time.
2023 taught me the more I invested in getting my body right, to help my mind and heart, the better off I was.
Creative practice is vital, but if we put too much on it, and don’t develop concomitant stress/health outlets, the pressure degrades creativity.
Not good.
If I write here now, it’s because I feel compelled.
Because I have a damn good reason.
Because something of significance happens, that’s worth processing, or sharing.
In this case, right before my hiatus, (and trust me, LOTS of big things have happened since I went dark,) I wrote a piece about the value of the check-in.
How powerful it can be to let someone know you care.
Sure enough, last week, I got a (somewhat cryptic) email from Stan Banos, my most faithful reader over all the years. (Beyond my wife, of course.)
Because I’d gone dark on the blog, Stan wanted to see if I was OK?
Because he cares.
Oh man, what a lovely gesture. Thanks so much!
So here’s to you, Stan. If every now and again, I get a bug up my ass to write about something, (or someone,) at least I know you’re out there.
Paying attention.
Reading along.
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Sunshine and Olly 