Mannequins, Santa Monica 1994

Mannequin - Santa Monica  1994

Mannequins - Santa Monica  1994

Some earlier mannequin pix, taken in an upper-scale mall in Santa Monica, within walking distance of the pier.

Santa Monica Pier #3, 1990

Playing Chess - Santa Monica  1990

Sea Castle Apts - Santa Monica  1990

I've been able to recall some of my more recent visits to the pier. But I don't actually remember taking these photos. They're kind of neat, though.

Santa Monica Pier #2, 1990

Hot Dog Stick - Santa Monica  1990

Pier Photo Ops - Santa Monica  1990

More interesting sights from the Santa Monica pier area. As always, click to enlarge.

Santa Monica Pier #1, 1990

Beach - Santa Monica  1990

Fish Dinners - Santa Monica  1990

I was using a Minolta 7000i 35mm film SLR. Film was T-Max 100 (I think).

Monday Dolphin Blogging

Dolphin - Santa Monica  2017

Seen during the time we spent on the bay.

Santa Monica Bay

Reliance - Santa Monica  2017

GPS Unit, Reliance - Santa Monica  2017

Hali and I participated in a memorial event, sailing out onto Santa Monica Bay, remembering Joan and Al. Although the sky was overcast, the weather as such was nice, and the boat operators were quite personable and informative.

Construction Site Art

Construction Site Art - Santa Monica  2013

I saw this tableau wandering around Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. Neat: construction site with construction site art in the foreground and thunderclouds in the distance.

Salgado Exhibit

Genesis Exhibit - Santa Monica  2013

Genesis Book - Santa Monica  2013

Joe and I spent some time in Santa Monica at the  "Bergamot Station Arts Center," taking in the Sebastiao Salgado exhibit at the Peter Fetterman Gallery.

Thousands of dollars per print: not what you could call affordable art.

And here's the thing: not that Salgado isn't talented. He is. And I'm sure he's a hard worker! But in the art world, as in the music world, it's hard to discern what drives success: talent or luck. Of course, it's a combination of both, but as Alan Krueger (Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers) points out (in remarks delivered at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame):

The music industry is a microcosm of what is happening in the U.S. economy at large. We are increasingly becoming a “winner-take-all economy,” a phenomenon that the music industry has long experienced. Over recent decades, technological change, globalization and an erosion of the institutions and practices that support shared prosperity in the U.S. have put the middle class under increasing stress. The lucky and the talented – and it is often hard to tell the difference – have been doing better and better, while the vast majority has struggled to keep up.

These same forces are affecting the music industry. Indeed, the music industry is an extreme example of a “super star economy,” in which a small number of artists take home the lion’s share of income.

I would submit that the same thing is true in the art world. I'm sure that there are many, many photographers just as talented and hard working as Salgado, but maybe not quite so lucky.

Tables, Self-Portrait

Taken at the revamped and ritzy Santa Monica Place.

Photo: Tables, Self-Portrait—Santa Monica, 2010

Carousel

Carousel found at the Santa Monica Pier. Some back and forthing required to get a self-portrait in.

Photo: Carousel—Santa Monica, 2010

Santa Monica Pier

. . . taken on the hottest day ever.

Photos: Pier—Santa Monica, 2010; Fishing—Santa Monica, 2010

Hottest Day Ever

"It was so hot Monday that it broke the all-time record — and the weatherman's thermometer.

The National Weather Service's thermometer for downtown Los Angeles headed into uncharted territory at 12:15 p.m. Monday, reaching 113 degrees for the first time since records began being kept in 1877.

Shortly after that banner moment, the temperature dipped back to 111, and then climbed back to 112. Then at 1 p.m., the thermometer stopped working.

The weather service office in Oxnard rushed an electronics technician 60 miles southeast to the USC campus to repair the thermometer, which is actually a highly sensitive wire connected to electronic equipment. Because of the snafu, officials said it's possible Monday's temperature actually was hotter than 113 — but they might never know.

For meteorologists who cover a region sometimes mocked for its lack of weather, the record was met with great excitement. They figured it would be hot, with the mercury hitting around 108 or 109, but they didn't quite expect that an all-time record would be topped."

—L.A. Times

September 27, 2010: To celebrate it being so hot Mike headed for the beach (not suspecting that it would be the hottest day), coming up with this festive, posterized version of the Santa Monica pier.

Photo: Pier—Santa Monica, 2010

. . . from the archives #12: Mannequin, Standing—Santa Monica, 1994

I have a number of mannequin photos. I’m trying to think of how I could use these images in one of my "projects" (the Glen Drive Productions publications).

Inspiration will surely strike any day now.

Photo: Mannequin, Standing—Santa Monica, 1994

Santa Monica & Malibu

After camping, I picked Hali up at LAX and we drove to the Santa Monica shopping district. The shopping, such as there was, was disappointing. The same dreary things over and over: Sunglass Hut, Banana Republic etc etc ad infinitum. Better was the view overlooking the Pacific: miles of unused early spring beaches, with the lone jogger making an appearance.

Later that evening: an excellent dinner at Providence on Melrose Avenue! (Unbelievable traffic getting there, though.)

Next day, to Malibu and the Getty Villa, reminiscent of San Simeon. We had early reservations, so the "Outer Peristyle" was empty, where I was able to take this panoramic shot.

Photographs: Jogger—Santa Monica, 2008; Outer Peristyle, Getty Villa—Malibu, 2008.