Every time I set up a new studio space, I tape up inspirational material on the walls around my desk. Many of the images have been saved from previous studios for over a decade. Some are recent additions. A photo of my friend Dash is in this first photo. He's the fellow with the long hair and big beard. He died recently, just a week or so after I added his photo to my wall. He will be missed...
I caught that upskirt photo on my first trip to Tokyo in '94. It's been on the walls of various studios since.
Check out that OG space monkey!
I see Barbi Benton.
That Terry Richardson photo of the kid with his hand in dude's mouth is one of my favorite photos ever.
This photo was taken about 110 years ago in Florida. It's a powerful image to me because on the one hand it represents the new freedom bicycles provided regular Americans; and on the other hand a young black man is visible behind the group of white cyclists, a reminder that slavery had been abolished for only about 30 years by that time. But the 'separate but equal' Jim Crow laws lasted until 1954, only 55 years ago.
And in the last 55 years, we've come a long way in ending racism. I think electing Barack Obama as our president is certainly a step in the right direction, and a hopeful vision for a truly integrated future.