October 29th, 2009
October 26th, 2009
Remember The Alamo
* – please press play for a 3 min video in 34 chronological parts
There’s a giant red brick wall out there in the air and I have lost track of how many times I have banged my head against it now. Hit the blue send button, hit the blue send button, hit the blue send button and repeat. To this wall I fear I am anonymous, I am one in the horde, I am not a unique snowflake, I am a kiss blown in the middle of the tornado slamming up into this wall’s business.
This is my third return to Texas on this vision quest, it was full of absolutely no preparations over the last 6 months or goals of achievement and was scrambled to out of just sheer will of attendance and the alluring mystique of Texas itself.
I started to try and count them all – each bang of my head, then decided that this time, with these, I don’t want to know, I don’t want to care and I don’t want to share them all, so understand, this is not all, this is not even close.
Hit the blue send button, I am Chuck fucking Yeager.
BOOM
– – –
I am currently in my third year on my annual vision quest of fall… my rightly, stately trial, my call to arms in the great state of Texas. I am there now, locked in a battle against myself yet measurable by others from across this nation and further. It has been my goal these trials, these years, to return with trophy, with prize, with pride and not who I was 4 short days of trials later.
My first return to Texas was full of preparations of great magnitude and hope. I failed.
My second return to Texas was full of preparations of great mildness and brief moments of astonishing excellence in my actions. My goal was reached.
This is my third return to Texas on this vision quest, it was full of absolutely no preparations over the last 6 months or goals of achievement and was scrambled to out of just sheer will of attendance and the alluring mystique of Texas itself.
– – –
Yes, I remember the Alamo… with every fucking breath I take.
October 23rd, 2009
#1RN | Julie G
October 5, 2009 | 2 of 666 images
October 22nd, 2009
#1RN | Eric M
October 13, 2009 | 03:27:34 PM
Eric had an image coming up in a magazine. The magazine wanted a contributor’s photograph of him and he asked me to take it. As it was for a magazine, now now now was in full effect. I made 285 photographs and gave him a high res of the first three I felt were Eric the moment we were done. Then he went on his way and I went mine.
6 hours, 6 minutes and 26 seconds later, I received the following email:
Subject: Already framed I love it so much
Body: Thanks again Jonathan. I really love it
Attachment:
Body: Thanks again Jonathan. I really love it
Attachment:
This is why I make photographs.
October 21st, 2009
#1RN | 10/5/2009
October 21st, 2009
The Daily Show | 10/14/09
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| The Joy of Rx | ||||
|
||||
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Rape-Nuts | ||||
|
||||
October 20th, 2009
I Cannot Fly
October 19th, 2009
J & B | 9/18/09
(Thursday, 9/17/09 at 6:08:45 PM – Saturday, 9/19/09 at 1:47:46 AM)
– – –
All images presented in chronological order.
October 16th, 2009
“Meet The GRANDDUGGAR!”
This is Mackynzie Renee Duggar.
She is 2 days, 19 hours and 32 minutes old in the above photograph.
These are the new parents, Josh and Anna Duggar on October 11, 2009.
After a period of supervised courtship, in which they were allowed to hold hands but not to kiss, twenty-year-old Josh and twenty-year-old Anna married on September 26, 2008 where they kissed for the first time. 377 days later on October 8, 2009, Mackynzie was born.
Josh Duggar is the oldest child of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar who as of this story, are expecting their 19th child in March 2010 and have a reality show on TLC called 18 Kids and Counting. Mackynzie is Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s first grandchild.
I was assigned to make these photographs for People magazine.
Thanks to Mackynize, Josh, Anna, Jim Bob, Michelle, Jordyn, Alica, Meagan and G.
– – –
October 15th, 2009
(from Psalm 127)
I was invited into a home in which I was a stranger. In this home I was prayed for, my photographic task was prayed for and my safe return to my home very far away was prayed for…
Thank you.
October 13th, 2009
10/10/09
08:50:15 AM | 04:48:33 PM | 05:09:43 PM
October 13th, 2009
Love Thy Children
Rogers, Arkansas | 04:26:13 PM | 04:27:47 PM | 04:47:00 PM
October 12th, 2009
Picture Trade
We were looking for a bowling alley, I really needed to knock something down, I needed that joy. On the way, the technology passed us by a carnival but I kept driving, I wanted that alley. We got to the address but the alley was not there. I turned us around and drove back past the carnival. As I approached an intersection to the left was a tree making a shadow on the side of a gas station and on the right, away from the carnival sitting alone on the curb backlit in the low yellow sunlight, was a clown. It was a moment, a moment one could be blind and make this photograph moment.
The streetlight changed and we kept driving, stopping only when we hit the lanes and then we bowled. We bowled the best we could and then we went after our cameras, drove back to the carnival racing the setting sunlight and hunted that clown.
We arrived and went our own ways in the blinking lights and setting sun. I didn’t want the clown, I didn’t want the strangers; my mind was on my photographic task that brought me here now only hours away and I craved its start.
I sat on a bench, my big camera in my hands, my little cameras spread on the bench around me and I stared at my feet as the couples and children raced around. Then I saw him.
He approached me shy and slow with his hand outreached, in this hand was a silver snapper with the manufactures advertising stickers still all over it. He didn’t speak English well but I knew instantly what he wanted. He wanted me to take his photograph and I accepted without a word. I made two frames with his snapper as they stood together not knowing quite what to do. I handed the camera back to him and he smiled, he smiled big. As he turned to share the images with her, he looked back at me one more time and smiled with a nod of gratitude.
When I saw this I pointed at my camera and at them and said, “My turn?” His smiled dropped away and he placed his camera on the bench and then went to her and took her bag so it too would not be in my image, he knew this was now a different story. Having placed their items on the bench he stood next to her and awaited my words. I didn’t give him any, I just made a motion of an embrace… then they did.
I raised my camera and took one frame and then whispered, “Thank you, don’t forget your items on the bench.” I then turned and walked away… The dark was coming.
Rogers, Arkansas | October 10, 2009 | 04:43:41 PM & 05:03:50 PM
October 9th, 2009
After (for Irving)
October 7th, 2009
I Am Red (in the face)
please press play for 81 second video | 2 of 9 procedures
* – best results in full screen, scaling off, volume up up up
12:55:24 AM | #1RN | October 4, 2009
01:01:40 AM | #1RN | October 4, 2009
October 6th, 2009
I Am Black
10:18:59 PM | #1RN | October 3, 2009
October 6th, 2009
I Am White
10:18:59 PM | #1RN | October 3, 2009
October 5th, 2009
Come On Down
When the taping was over, my voice was almost gone.
The poor woman in front of my seat held her ears with each of my screams.
I went on national television just so I could yell at you.
* – when someone waits over 20 years to be on The Price Is Right and they line up for hours ahead of taping and you basically force them (awesome) to do a green screen shot of them on the set they otherwise would never touch…. Please, for the sake of their DREAM, please line them up correctly on the monitor…
October 4th, 2009
A Red Door I Did Not Close
5:31:52 PM | 5:33:02 PM
Los Angeles | The End of Summer | September 21, 2009
October 3rd, 2009
Man Hug
Elapsed Time: 7 Seconds | 5:33:40 PM
Los Angeles | The End of Summer | September 21, 2009
October 2nd, 2009
Man Mail Day
(touch image for larger view)
All text quoted below is exactly as it came to me entirely and is unedited.
From male photographer friend 1:
“BDay Steak & Grilled BDay Steak”
From male photographer friend 2:
“Also just got an EOTech 552 for one of my ARs, yummy…”
From male photography representative:
“Your site is always disconcertingly good.
Best,
J.”
I received all this mail the same day, all unrelated.
From female photographer:
“Hi,
Please remove me from your mailing list.
Thank you,
J.”
October 1st, 2009
Burn Burn Burn
I wanted to see the burn and not the fire. I drove up to the hills and was stopped there and here and there. I was not allowed. It was another secret to be kept from me. I never saw fire, I never saw smoke, I only saw burn from far far far away. I photographed here until the burning of my skin by sunlight matched the pain of the burning I still feel on my brain and then I left this place.
So when I got home and looked at my images from the nearly burned but not, I set them on fire electronically with tools and techniques of hate in an effort to destroy that beauty that I had seen.
10:43:54 AM | 11:20:35 AM
Los Angeles | The End of Summer | September 21, 2009