"my second big couture shoot was done two years later with Ben Stiller. He just made Zoolander, a comedy about male models, and I decided to shoot a series of send-ups of fashion photography cliches.... I was seven and a half months pregnant at the time, and one morning at 5:30 I found myself on the quai, shooting an homage to some famous photographs by Melvin Sokolsky of models in a plastic bubble. we had reproduced the bubble and hired a crane and gotten some kind of permission to do this, although that was all left a little vague. stiller rather tentatively got in the bubble and the crane lifted it over the seine. stella tennant stood on the side looking arrogant in a red Christian Lacroix gown." -on work, annie leibovitz (pg 132, on fashion)

less than three weeks ago i read through this section in austin one morning, and i remember reading through these sentences over twice again. i attempted to picture these images in my head - of people in bubbles. and yet, i could not recall annie nor melvin's images. i imagined what my picture would maybe look like and how i could use these ideas in my own photography.

today, we were expecting a photographer to come in to sign one of his pieces. it was a nude of selma blair. i remember seeing it hung when i came for my first interview over six months ago.



in the midst of writing down notes about the art system, i was asked to come outside to meet the photographer. he was an older man looking over casey's shoulder to make sure he was handling his print correctly. it was a nude print of selma. gisele got his attention and said, "Melvin, i'd like to introduce you to the newest addition to our group here, Ian." I shook his hand then quickly got transfixed on his procedure of handling the print, finding a place to begin writing, then signing, dating, and labeling of the edition number. He circled his hand above the back of the print in circles, then finally gently pressed down to create a circle where he placed all the information. He turned the piece pack over and started discussing how the photo has grown on him. He talked about his intentions - the composition. lighting, setting, and subject. I made note to look through the art system of the images we had on stock of his photography (once i actually learned the system properly).

an hour before closing, gisele was asked to find a photograph that she thought was suitable for a certain client's grandmother. we stopped the busy work we were trying to complete together. she whispered, "this is the fun part about my job." she started racking her mind for ideas of particular images, then began searching through the database for particular artists. we looked through shapiros then moved onto melvin. while looking through images, she pulled out other photographs my melvin that she needed to get quotes for, and magically we stumbled into a section of women posing in clear bubbles.

melvin? ... just before i planned on going to bed, i pulled out my on work book to confirm whether or not i was making the correct connection. i reread this paragraph and am laughing hard inside realizing the coincidence.

Melvin Sokolsky.

downtown los angeles: griffith observatory

two weeks too early and one day late
before my expiration date.
timing was never my forte.

believing that i had the evidence
that my life was falling apart.
i could see the pity in their eyes,

making me a man who lacked
the respect of those he admired,
i traded in my ability to create.

i spoke on the phone last night
to one of a few friends i could communicate
clearly without witness of self-consciousness.

maybe the complete opposite.

it's strange that some things
can only begin to be real to us
when thoughts are turned to words.

and all of a sudden my problems with how i deal with things
finally exited my mind into words,
and then they were gone.


i biked ten minutes to work, showing up forty minutes early to my first day of work today.
i sorted through emails. learned about creating and storing contacts.
was introduced to a list of photographers (i'll soon be researching on my own time),
then learned about the pricing process and varieties with selling
works for current exhibitions, had lunch with all my co-workers and boss,
reorganized boxes of photographs while looking through the names
on the bindings of the library of photo books.

i laughed at everyone jokes and stayed mostly quiet.
following directions closely to carry out my tasks smoothly,
i finished my day with casey
mounting, framing, posting, and labeling my first photographs.







i hope i have just as much energy tomorrow.