Week 8: Veterans Day Parade (Photographer's Choice)

A veteran color guard assists in carrying a giant American flag near the beginning of the Veterans Day Parade that took place in Albany on November 11, 2023. 

Four-year-old Klaus Koeppe beams proudly for the camera during the Veterans Day Parade in Albany on November 11, 2023. The blue strap around his neck is attached to a miniature Polaroid camera that he was very excited to show off. 

An attendee of the 2023 Albany's Veterans Day Parade silently protests the American military's support of Israel. November 11, 2023. 

Week 7: My Neighborhood/Hometown

      The Midway Drive-in Theatre, located on what is now Highway 20, welcomed locals from 1949 to 1987. Since its closure, the original sign has been restored and is now located on the side of the former Great Harvest Bread Co. building at 134 SW 1st Street in Corvallis, where it now displays lines of poetry instead of movie titles. Photographed at around 4pm on November 7, 2023. 

Pam Pniak Thompson, photographed on November 7, 2023, is a local jewelry and encaustic artist who also happens to be a member of the artist co-op TEAL. Every year in November and December, the co-op opens an art gallery in Corvallis, showcasing the work of over 20 local fine artists. All revenue goes directly to the artists themselves, who specialize in a wide range of work, from wood sculpture to hand woven baskets. Pam herself has a BFA degree in Jewelry and Metals, and often employs ancient techniques such as the Korean process of fusing 24-karat gold onto silver, known as Keum-boo, when making her jewelry. 

Frank deMars' holds his hand over his heart while the national anthem plays at the start of the Veterans Day Parade which took place in Albany on November 11, 2023. Of his five close family members who served in the military, one did not return - his brother. "This is my way of honoring him," he explains. 

Photographer of the Week: Jenny Lens

Jenny Lens was born in LA and spent most of her life living in the Valley. In 1972, she graduated from California State University with a Bachelor's degree in Art, and received a camera from her parents as a graduation present. She then went on to earn a Master's in Fine Arts from CalArts in 1974. At that point in her life, she knew nothing about punk and almost nothing about photography, although she had been into rock 'n roll and Broadway musicals since childhood. 

Then, in November of 1975, she listened to Patti Smith's album "Horses", and fell in love with the punk genre. However, she didn't start actually taking photos until August of 1976, when she saw The Ramones play at the Roxy. To her, Dee Dee Ramone was "the most beautiful man I'd ever seen". After the first night: "I brought my camera because I was obsessed with his cheekbones."

From then on, she had her camera with her "99.9% of the time." Because while it was Dee Dee Ramone who got her into punk photography, it was her love of art, film, and music that made her stay until 1980. In particular, she was inspired by stills from old movies. 

This inspiration can be seen in photos like this one of Alice Bag, Belinda Carlisle, Hellin Killer, and Pleasant Gehman (left to right) in North Hollywood on August 21, 1977:

Also demonstrated in this photo is Jenny Lens's fascination with color photography. A lot of punk photographers at the time shot almost entirely in black-and-white, but Jenny Lens preferred to use color most of the time. Part of the reason she was drawn to punk was the fashion, and so she felt that in order to do the scene justice she needed to capture the fashion associated with it as well. 

In the black-and-white photos she did take, the balance of light and shadow often highlighted different parts than would have been highlighted had they been taken in color. Like her picture of Patti Smith, playing her guitar while kneeling on the floor with her head tilted all the way back (in San Diego on November 11, 1976). What obviously makes it such a cool image is the surreal, white glow surrounding her, as well as the striking contrast between her white clothing and the pitch black background. Color would simply not have captured those aspects as well as black-and-white did.

Still, my favorite photo of hers is one she took in color. It's from the Sex Pistols' show at Winterland in San Francisco on January 14, 1978 (aka, the last time they played with Sid Vicious). To me, the best part about this photo is the spotlight that not only looks like a halo above Sid Vicious's head, but also shows up as off-white fading into pink, thus reflecting off of his black leather jacket in a really artistic way. Sid and his halo acts as the focal point of the photo and is situated in the far left, and the way the three of them are staggered gives the photo depth. And the fact that you can see all three members' facial expressions is incredible. Jenny Lens has said that she thinks of herself as more of a painter than a photographer, and this picture (and others) makes that statement sound a little less crazy, and make a lot more sense.

Sources: 

https://pleasekillme.com/jenny-lens/

https://punkpioneers.com/true-la-punk-history/

https://punkpioneers.com/buy-punk-photo-prints/

Week 6: On Campus Photos

The following are the best closeup, medium, and overall photos I took around campus this week. 

Cyden Miller, a business major at LBCC, adds to the discussion whiteboard located in the Albany campus's Calapooia Center on November 2nd, 2023.

LBCC students Shai Bravo and Andrea Cloess (from left to right, respectively), are happy to see their friends waiting for them in the courtyard of the Albany campus on November 3rd, 2023. 

A shot of the Industrial B building and the colorful trees surrounding it, as seen from the second floor of North Santiam Hall on November 3rd, 2023.