A few years ago I laughed at drone enthusiasts, what with their spinning blades chopping into the frame. I can't get the .gif of the DJI phantom crashing into that wedding couple out of my head. All ridiculousness aside, I can't believe aerial photography is now accessible to us, the lowly regulars. It's still ripe for overuse, but at least the technology has caught up enough that its not blatantly obvious when you cut in some prosumer quality drone footage into an edit. Its a powerful way to shoot landscapes and achieve any possible perspective on a shoot.

My wife and I drove down the Pacific Coast Highway as our honeymoon trip. I took a ton of pictures, but in Big Sur I spotted a remote pilot buzzing over the coastline and peaking over the tops of redwoods. He had this pseudo-psychotic permagrin on his face, a lot like that old Soundgarden video. I understand why, as now I am aching to revisit the PCH from above. 

I used to bring quite a bit of equipment with me when traveling, but the biggest problem I ran into was that it just wasn't fun enough to use. The weight dragged me down, plus the added anxiety of having your life's work contained in a backpack that can be misplaced or stolen. I spent more time worrying than shooting. I can count on zero hands the amount of times I woke up early enough to catch a sunrise. In the past week alone, I've caught 3 and am more cognizant of the weather and sun / cloud cover than ever before. The amount of ground one can cover in a short 20~min flight is astounding.

The biggest lesson I learned from flying (aside from the pilot/HAM radio alphabet) is to stop worrying so much and find a method to work that brings you joy. It's impossible to argue with the result. 

I grew up playing sports (basketball and baseball) and I've followed both at the professional level intermittently. I am mostly an eye-test fan, eschewing averages and stats over the pure entertainment factor. My all time favorite Houston Rocket is Ron Artest. I had a similar affinity for Carlos Gomez's tumultuous tenure in center field-- I'm in it for the characters! Honestly, I can barely wrap my head around what an adjusted +/- stat actually means.  In order to better understand the game(s) itself, I recently dipped a toe into the toxic mudslide that is sports media. Wow, what a regrettable decision! I would place sports journalism realm (aka men's gossip) well below the spineless muckraking of TMZ. 

It shouldn't be surprising that facts don't matter in sports journalism. The players themselves cling to athletics' answer to rosary beads, Livestrong wristbands with magical powers instilled to the wearer via hologram technology. If you find this strain of pseudo-science tough to swallow, wash it all down with some ionically infused alkaline battery water. Tom Brady recommends the use of brain exercises, and also plays on after sustaining a concussion. Whatever it takes to win!

After the game, the locker room reporters don't ask real questions; "Talk about the fourth quarter". That's not a question! The reporter is then free to speculate wildly about how the answer reflects a lack of work ethic and disloyalty to the always innocuous fanbase. After the next game, the reporter will ask how the athlete responded (in game) to outside criticism by the media. "Talk about how what I say outside of this room about you affects your performance" (also not a question).

Call me crazy but I can't listen to two adults argue about Michael Jordan's legacy for two hours on a weekday. Just give us what we want. MIC. THE. PLAYERS.

My wife's favorite movie is High Fidelity. She might say otherwise, but when it's on TV she will watch it to the end regardless of the starting point. It's a weird metric to determine quality, as it relies on being broadcast on television. I haven't been able to think of a better way to pick a favorite movie (or FILM if you wanna be a jerk about it). There is a long list of movies I'd like you to know that I like, to imply that my taste is respectable. I love 400 Blows, but I've probably only watched it 3 times. For comparison, I saw Jurassic Park eight times in the theater, but is it a better movie? Can you even compare the two?

I heard a critic use the phrase "the promise of ecstasy", meaning we watch movies to escape into a euphoric place where we take part in what is on screen. "You are watching this again?" Yes, because I know what's going to happen and I am going to love it perhaps even more the second time. This is what makes navigating the endless titles of Netflix so overwhelming. I fear disappointment, so now I'm watching The Nice Guys for the fifteenth time. It's a good movie... a great movie? Not sure yet, but I doubt it. 

What are my favorite movies? I don't know, but I can list five that I can watch start to finish, or midway to finish, from five to ninety-five minutes in.

1. Fargo
2. Alien
3. Back to the Future
4. Casino
5. Die Hard with a Vengeance

There's little commonality between any of these titles other than I have seen them all 30-100 times each. I could also argue that Ocean's Eleven should be on this list, but a) I have a hard time admitting how many times I've seen it, b) seems redundant with the far superior Casino at number 4. So the list is a lie via omission even in the guise of a guilty pleasure. Ok so you've seen these titles the most, but what are the BEST movies? I might say:

1. Blowout
2. Rosemary's Baby
3. Possession
4. Full Metal Jacket
5. Rushmore

But this list too is a lie. I probably like Lost in Translation more than Full Metal Jacket, though its ridiculous to compare them to each other. "Who is a better band: Metallica or the Beatles?" It doesn't account for context. I saw one movie on an airplane and the other in IMAX. I can't recall a critic even mentioning how they watched the movie. Was it an oscar screener? Did your roommate score a bootleg DVD from that guy in Washington Sq. park? Movies are a gateway to pure escapism. Did you escape or were you tethered to reality (or some form of it) via Twitter, only half paying attention, thereby missing the experience altogether?

A good movie captures the attention of the audience, a great one dissolves the edges of the screen pulling us into full blown escapism. The advent of home theater is great for movie watching, and also terrible. I can't remember a pack of dogs going ballistic when the doorbell rang on screen at the theater. We are struggling to pay attention long enough to appreciate anything, so ranking disparate works of art is at best mindless clickbait. 

A few years ago I documented a crosswalk painting public art installation in my neighborhood designed by the very talented Aaron Perezette. His wife Sharon contacted me to help document a large scale sculpture installation at the newly opened Midtown Park. This afforded me the chance for one truly sweat-inducing (not fond of heights) crane shot.

I love the playful nature of Sharon Engelstein's work, so I tried to make this as fun as possible.