What better place to view the anticipated eclipse than in NYC's Washington Square Park? I had -and have- no interest in the eclipse itself, but the more than a thousand oddballs, skeptics, and gawkers who gathered made for captivating human interest photography. The solar eclipse was expected to block the sun for 180 million people, with the next one predicted in New York area in 2044 ..read more

On a recent walk about at Washington Square Park, I chanced on performance art type of dance by two Chinese women; Jiening (Sophia) Zhu and Jiyun (Annora) Dong, both actors and artists from NYU Tisch Drama's Experimental Theatre Wing. Described as "a conversation with red strings, feminism, experimental theater and the body", these lithe dancers spent about 2 hours showcasing their forthcoming “Trapped in the Flash”, a one-hour off off broadway show that follows the lives of three Chinese American characters from varied historical periods – a photographer, an actress, and a railroa ..read more

I always had an affinity for the X-Pan format (16:9) and for diptychs. AI provided me an easy way to indulge in these two formats. The prompt is "editorial fashion shoot, 70's Vintage Style, Asian model, LOOKING AT CAMERA, cornrows, topknot, velvet dress, subdued lighting, black backdrop in a NYC diner, enigmatic mood, Ilford XP2 Super 400 film".  ..read more

Whenever the weather improves in New York City, Washington Square Park reverts to being the "center of the universe", as if the sun and its warmth inject life again in its arteries. I had photographed ('snapped' really) Jasmin a few weeks before when she wa dancing -along with others- to the drum beats of Allan, who commandeers a spot at the center south entrance to the park.  When I saw her again a few days ago, she was getting ready to sing and dance later in the evening, so I showed her the photographs and asked whether she'd pose for me with her back to the now-empty fountain where t ..read more

REI by Tewfic El-Sawy on on Exposure ..read more

  The Mid Journey prompt: "Catalog Pose, Asian model, looking at camera, cornrows, topknot, red earring, golden floral embroidery, dark robe, subdued lighting, black backdrop, enigmatic mood ..read more

On a beautiful Thursday in Spring, Washington Square Park was packed with people enjoying the sun and the warmth. The whole scene was reminiscent of the days of 2022, when the park was full of all sorts of people; tourists (domestic and foreign), buskers of all kinds, vendors of thrift clothes and art, misfits of all kinds, and of course...the weed entrepreneurs and those who peddled the musch stronger stuff.  I noticed Pyramid Fumes (a nom de plume she uses for Instagram) holding court near the central fountain, her blonde curls catching the sun rays. Naturally, she was surrounded by a ..read more

I've attended a couple of rallies supporting the Palestinian cause, and documented the passion expressed by (mostly) younger Palestinians, Israelis, Muslims, Jews...along with a myriad of people with varying cultural, faiths, ethnicity, and provenance; all refusing to support the endless atrocities in Gaza, and lamenting the thousands of lives lost in this conflict. As I photographed (I normally convert my photographs of such "photojournalistic" intent to black and white), I realized that many of the more visible demonstrators were women...and I made the connection between them and "M ..read more

  I generated this (or these) using MidJourney and asked ChatGPT to add a short poem to it: "In a Harlem diner's light, she sits serene," "Elegance in ebony, a regal queen. Her presence paints the scene, a beauty unforeseen." The MidJourney prompt is: Documentary, holga photography of a beautiful Afro-Asian model IN A COUTURE BLACK DRESS, dark purple and orange, sitting in a smoky NYC cafe, low key faded and grainy film, photo-realistic techniques, by Dorothea Lange ..read more

Laila is currently training to be a songstress. Her name is of Arabic origin meaning "night; holy", and in Arabic script, it is written ..read more