Just for kicks, you'd like to be able to take interesting photographs, of people.

Although "interesting" is very subjective depending on who you talk to, for me it would be photographs of people who certainly don't know that they are being photogaphed - natural unposing people who are just going about thier business.

Where to do something like that?

Most likely its going to be a place where you can, umm, find people, ...lots of people, I guess in a public place, a place where you can sit back and watch.

Marc North does this very well. Obviously Mark North must live in a place where he can find lots of people, very easily. San Francisco is like that.

So the question is, where can I, living in Malvern, Arkansas find people in large groups?

The key is not to exhibit any mannerisms of a photographer but rather a shopper who is afraid to leave camera in car as it might be stolen. Thats right, the wife simply sent me over here to shop for tube socks, bell peppers, and a Merl Haggard cd. I'm carrying this camera around because it could get too cold in the car, or hot, or whatever.

Me: "Could you tell me where the tube socks are?"

Wal-Mart night-crew tampon stocker guy: "Yesir, they're right over there next to that display of Cannonball Run VHS casettes, behind the bean dip."

Hey, Walmart has cameras watching me up there on the ceiling, so this should just be a simple excercise of redemption.

I'm guessing that few people have done it, much less done it well.

I'll need one of those fl-d filters to avoid those greenish tints you always get when you take photos under fluorescent lighting.

And I'll certainly need research some words in my handy pocket dictionary; words like discreet, covert, alert, diplomatic, discerning, prudent, and watchful.

But most of all, calculative.

Obviously, honestly, if we're talking about photos that depict people in natural, everyday setings, then we're going to take photos in walmart. All Arkansans have spent at least a full year of hours walking around in those community-killing death holes. Wal-Marts are usually square though, like borg ships, so I guess you'd have to call them death rectangles.

It is going to be big. These walmart photos are going put my little "Arkansaw Pitchers" photo blog thing on a map. Some kind of popular internet nerd map, of sorts.

I will start soon.
after work probably, late at night.
at the super center.

This afternoon I was painting alot and dealt with various quantities of paint thinner on several separate occasions. Maybe the fumes got to my head.

But we're still gonna do it.

Posted by drew at January 20, 2003 05:08 PM