February 2012

The Count Budapest, Hungary 2011

The bust of Bela Lugosi that I spoke of yesterday, complete with his own personal bat-like gargoyle.]]>

Day as Night Budapest, Hungary 2011

I took this photo because of the interesting clouds the sun was trying poke it’s way through in the middle of the day. A little contrast and brightness adjustment on the computer turned it into a dark, moody scene worthy of an old Dracula movie. Perhaps not coincidentally, on the building behind me was a bust of Bela Lugosi, a local boy made good. (Transylvania used to be a part of Hungary.)]]>

The Maestro Budapest, Hungary 2011

He’s just taking a photo, but his shadow looks like that of a director addressing his orchestra.]]>

Out of Context Budapest, Hungary 2011

These clay figures were in an art gallery that was being painted. All the art work was pushed towards the center of the room and mostly covered with plastic drop cloths, although these characters seemed to have escaped. I was really interested in how they had been arranged when they were actually on formal display. Whatever that arrangement might have been, it couldn’t be as curiously interesting as this random gathering.]]>

Endangered Species Budapest, Hungary 2011

This guy was snapping a large number of photos of a nearby sculpture when he paused to sit down and take a break–to change the roll of film in his camera. How quaint!]]>

Hysteria Szentendre, Hungary 2011

A very cheerful manikin outside a shop in Szentendre. It didn’t make me want to come in and shop but it did make me smile.]]>

Saturn Rising Budapest, Hungary 2011

This important transportation hub at Kálmán Square was hard for us to locate on some of our city maps of Budapest until we realized it was recently renamed from Moszkva (Moscow) Square, thus erasing the last of the Russian names for the major landmarks in the city.]]>

The Godfather Budapest, Hungary 2011

I’m sure this meeting was completely benign, but it sure had the look of a scene from some movie about the underworld.]]>

Bare Trees collection appears in the current issue of The Sun magazine. According to it’s web site The Sun is

…an independent, ad-free monthly magazine that for more than thirty years has used words and photographs to invoke the splendor and heartache of being human. The Sun celebrates life, but not in a way that ignores its complexity. The personal essays, short stories, interviews, poetry, and photographs that appear in its pages explore the challenges we face and the moments when we rise to meet those challenges.

The Sun publishes the work of emerging and established artists who are striving to be thoughtful and authentic. Writing from The Sun has won the Pushcart Prize, been published in Best American Short Stories and Best American Essays, and been broadcast on National Public Radio…

The Sun has attempted to marry the personal and political; to honor the genuine and the spiritual; to see what kind of roommates beauty and truth can be; and to show that powerful teaching can be found in the lives of ordinary people.

I don’t know if my photos will ever live up to the pedigree that some of the writers in The Sun have, but I’m pleased to be published in such a thoughtful and interesting magazine. I’m also pleased on a pragmatic level because these days The Sun is one of the rare publications of fine art photography that does not charge photographers to submit their work and actually pays you if they publish it. They also provide a free one-year subscription, so I’m going to be enjoying the benefits of having my photo published there for a whole year and gain exposure to a more thoughtful perspective on myself and the world to boot.      ]]>

Trapez! Budapest, Hungary 2011

As far as I cold tell from across the street, Trapez! was some kind of convenience store. It’s way more typical for me to take photos void of people but after posting so many from Budapest that in fact do include people, this one looks strangely empty.]]>