The Horse is Dead

Whatever was on the lake,Will wash up on the shore. Too many people will have too much to say today. I was pretty sure I’d say nothing. What more is there to say, anyway? What more can be said that hasn’t already been said? The horse is dead. The horse stinks to high heaven. No one is changing their mind today. I doubt anyone’s changing their mind again. But I had to go out for a walk to keep from doom scrolling. I brought my camera with me and took these photos. I had my headphones on too; this song … Continue reading “The Horse is Dead”

Spooky Season

It’s Holga Week, a time to celebrate crappy optics at the very worst time of year, when days are short, and light is in short supply. Isn’t tradition fun? It’s very much an exercise in film photography, but I’ve enjoyed using my Holga Lens for digital cameras in years past as well, because why not? I wouldn’t say I’m enjoying it this year. In fact, I hate it, and that’s a good thing, because there’s a lot of hatred in my heart right now. Maybe that’s coming through. Maybe these frames are as ugly as I’m feeling. Every day I … Continue reading “Spooky Season”

Gaza & Holga Week

I find it poignant that the shots that barely survived my Holga malfunction were taken just before the awful end to Holga Week, when many of us woke up to news of a new wave of violence in Palestine. I’d been jolted awake for some reason at 2:00 or 3:00 am that Saturday and spent the rest of the morning glued to my phone, scrolling through the news until it was time for morning prayers at the retreat I’d been begrudgingly signed up for — it was one of those work-related things I was technically allowed to say no to … Continue reading “Gaza & Holga Week”

Summer Estrangement Series

Hi, my name is Jad and I have a scarcity mindset. Okay, so that’s starting off a little glib, but seriously, when you think about it, the term has become a catch-all for all things uncouth; if not a stigma, then a case of adult cooties. No one wants a scarcity mindset. But scarcity seems like a natural default for me when budgets are limited and resources are stretched. Digital media trick us into endlessly producing because the costs are offset way down the line—our millions of JPEGs cost *something* somehow, but we’re not the ones immediately fitting the bill. … Continue reading “Summer Estrangement Series”