The One Train

Moving Out!

2011-03-24T01:41:00.003-04:00

Hello All,

This blog is now officially defunct -- please remove it from your aggregators and add www.dan.iella.net/blog instead.

xoxo,
d.

Vietnam 6x6

2011-02-10T17:46:00.002-05:00

Chuong

2011-02-04T08:58:00.002-05:00

Ha Long Bay

2011-02-04T08:57:00.000-05:00

Reunification Express

2011-01-28T09:54:00.004-05:00

The Reunification Express train runs 1,100 miles down Vietnam's coast from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, passing through farmland, small villages, and city centers. These photos are all taken from one of the train windows during the 30-hour trip.

Hanoi Traffic, Old Town

2011-01-24T02:24:00.002-05:00

Cho Dam, Nha Trang, Vietnam

2011-01-15T04:49:00.000-05:00

Daan Botlek

2010-11-15T23:57:00.001-05:00

Loving Daan Botlek's occasionally whimsical occasionally sinister cartoons...

Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T13:36:00.001-05:00

2010 NYC Marathon

2010-11-07T18:13:00.002-05:00

Bronx Botanical Gardens

2010-11-03T22:46:00.001-04:00

While hunting for features:

Fashion Week - Christian Cota

2010-09-13T02:24:00.000-04:00

Tommy Hilfiger 25th Anniversay @ The Met

2010-09-13T02:18:00.002-04:00

Katy Perry

2010-08-27T11:40:00.001-04:00

"Eat Pray Love" Premiere

2010-08-10T21:27:00.002-04:00

John Legend

2010-08-06T09:57:00.001-04:00

Samuel Seabury Playground

2010-08-05T20:55:00.000-04:00

"The Other Guys" Premiere

2010-08-02T23:04:00.001-04:00

Will Ferrell, Eva Mendes, & Mark Wahlberg.

Russell Brand

2010-08-02T15:26:00.001-04:00

Mad Men Premiere in Times Square

2010-07-25T22:29:00.001-04:00

Sheryl Crow

2010-07-23T12:28:00.000-04:00

At Good Morning America...

Thierry Henry

2010-07-15T19:18:00.004-04:00

Former Arsenal/Barcelona footballer Thierry Henry at a press conference to announce that the New York Red Bulls had signed the French soccer star.

And Be Kind to Small Animals

2010-07-08T21:55:00.001-04:00

I always say to young photographers, you’re screwed. They don’t like it, but there it is. If you really must insist on becoming a photographer like myself you need to carve a niche. Incubate your otherness. Detach yourself, and shoot like no-ones watching. Because they won’t be, not at your pictures. And iron your gingham shirts. And get a good agent. And be kind to small animals.

-- Martin Nactwey

The Sorcerer's Apprentice Premiere

2010-07-08T21:33:00.003-04:00

Jay Baruchel, Teresa Palmer, and Helen Mirren at the Sorcerer's Apprentice premiere in Times Square on Tuesday. I just started working for a small NYC photo agency, so expect a lot more red carpet work...

Making It In New York City

2010-07-03T16:03:00.002-04:00

A multimedia piece I shot and produced for The New Individualist on the street performers and vendors of New York City -- featuring Walter & Nonie Bauer, Isaiah Richardson Jr., Gucci Senoglu, and Colin Huggins.

Long & Winding Road

2010-06-29T10:42:00.002-04:00

"This is a long and winding road, filled with far more valleys than peaks. One of the greatest talents one can have in this business has nothing to do with visual acumen at the lens. It is about the ability to sustain, to weather the storms, to shoot poorly and still survive a job, to fight out of inevitable creative slumps, to live with all manner of risk that lots of folks would find uncomfortable, to make uncertainty your friend, and to thrive despite sudden curves and happenstance. I guess what I'm describing is tenacity. To love doing this so much that you'll go through 1000 "no's" just to hear the one 'yes.'"

-- Joe McNally, The Top 11 Things Photographers Wish They Learned in Photo School

Gay Talese

2010-06-27T13:34:00.001-04:00

Looking dapper, as always.

Guatemala City

2010-06-15T10:55:00.001-04:00

Entire set available here.

Dock

2010-06-10T12:37:00.000-04:00

Lívingston, Guatemala

2010-06-08T12:22:00.000-04:00

Guatemala, Women

2010-06-07T11:57:00.001-04:00

Guatemala

2010-06-05T15:32:00.001-04:00

I'm slowly scanning images from my recent trip to Guatemala -- was detained in the country for three days by the Pacaya volcano and tropical storm Agatha, but finally made it out by way of El Salvador. Above, Doña Caterina roasts fresh coffee beans at her home in San Juan Cotzal in the country's western highlands.

Beautiful Animated GIFs (No, Really)

2010-03-22T18:04:00.002-04:00

I find the whimsical little animated GIFs over at iamnotanartist quite beautiful -- and they have a place for graphic artists to participate with a handy little GIF-maker.

The Cloud Collector

2010-03-11T15:35:00.002-05:00

I'm currently obsessed with Paul Octavious' "Puffin Clouds" series -- so beautiful and whimsical.

The Crucible

2010-03-10T11:06:00.003-05:00

A production put on by the Brave New World Repertory Theater -- run in the NYDN here.

Sports Illustrated : The Hero Who Vanished

2010-03-03T23:51:00.005-05:00

This week's issue of Sports Illustrated features a story on Joe Gaetjens -- the Haitian soccer player who scored the winning goal for the U.S. in the 1950 World Cup final against England. Gaetjens was murdered by the Tonton Macoutes in 1964, but while Josh and I were in Port-au-Prince we tracked down his sister and cousin (and visited what remains of the prison where he once was held). Scans of the full story with Josh's reporting and my photos are posted here and the story (text-only) is up at SI.com here.

Haiti

2010-02-18T16:14:00.001-05:00

Haiti, B&W

2010-02-07T16:26:00.002-05:00

Port-au-Prince

2010-02-05T11:45:00.000-05:00

Tavern On The Green

2010-01-20T00:15:00.002-05:00

Spent a couple hours in Tavern On The Green just before all of the Baccarat chandeliers and Tiffanys lamps were auctioned off. Above, an array of tablecloths up for sale.

Empty walk-in freezer.

Overflow China for the auction -- place settings were being sold in sets of eight.

The employee break room.

One of the kitchens.

The Worst Thing About This Photo

2010-01-04T17:59:00.002-05:00

...is not the fact that Michael Cera is appearing on Jersey Shore -- it's the fact that he's wearing a button-down shirt made out of my school plaid. I had to wear a skirt made out of that print for ten years, please spare me.

H/T Gawker: In Defense of Jersey Shore: Trashy for Trashy's Sake

Story Time With Mayor Giuliani

2009-12-23T20:28:00.002-05:00

Puff Daddy / P. Diddy / Sean Combs / Etc.

2009-12-17T12:38:00.001-05:00

The Future of Photography

2009-12-16T12:41:00.002-05:00

A writer knows how to write and a composer knows theory of music so that they can extend their arts beyond purely technical elements. But in the future the technique of photography will be so simplified and so widely taught and understood that the illiterate per son will be the one who is not a photographer.

-- László Moholy-Nagy, The Future of Photography, 1944

Best. Craigslist. Post. Ever.

2009-12-07T17:28:00.002-05:00

1500 live ladybugs, accidently bought while drunk, feels bad. (park slope)
Date: 2009-12-05, 3:34PM EST
Reply to: sale-av7vk-1496543734@craigslist.org

So, after consuming pot brownies and getting a little too drunk on thanksgiving a friend and i decided to buy 1500 live ladybugs from amazon, which was a great idea until they came in the mail. Now they're sitting on my windowsill and I have nothing to really do with them. If i set them free they'll die in this weather, if I leave them on my windowsill they'll die.

So, if you have a greenhouse or some kind of animals to feed them to it'd be awesome. I don't want to ruin 1500 lives.

Email me and tell me what your'e gonna do with them, and if you can come pick them up. And they're yours.

* Location: park slope
* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Pool

2009-12-07T17:13:00.000-05:00

David Scazla

2009-12-03T15:20:00.000-05:00

NY Supreme Court Rules Against Eminent Domain in MVille

2009-12-03T15:11:00.003-05:00

For the ~3 people who 1. read this blog, 2. were involved in The Spectator's coverage of Columbia's Manhattanville expansion plans, and 3. still care:

The New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division ruled on Thursday that the state’s use of eminent domain in Manhattanville “to benefit a private elite education institution is violative of the Takings Clause of the US Constitution, article 1, § 7 of the New York Constitution, and the ‘first principles of the social contract,’” according to a decision written by State Supreme Court Justice James Catterson.

More at Newsroom and City Room. HUGE.

New York Sleeps

2009-12-02T21:28:00.002-05:00

Christopher Thomas' New York Sleeps series shows the city eerily devoid of people -- they're stunning if slightly bizarre images.

Characters for an Epic Tale

2009-11-18T12:49:00.002-05:00

I've been greatly enjoying the work of London-based illustrator and cartoonist Tom Gauld since I stumbled across his site -- check out his version of The Three Musketeers and his Noisy Alphabet.

Yankees Parade

2009-11-06T18:54:00.002-05:00

So, I sold my Mamiya 6 and 1Ds and bought a 90mm tilt-shift...

Emmanuelle, 90

2009-11-04T17:36:00.001-05:00

Taxi Hailing

2009-10-28T15:04:00.001-04:00

Living the Life

2009-10-16T10:47:00.002-04:00

Spent October 9-13 in Jeffersonville, NY for the Eddie Adams Workshop -- at once the most exhausting and rewarding experience of my life. After spending two days hanging out with professional Elvis impersonator Eric Bressi, produced this multimedia project for the workshop...

Blessing of the Animals @ St. John the Divine

2009-10-05T16:24:00.001-04:00

The New (Media) Workout Plan

2009-09-30T17:46:00.003-04:00

Let's just say I would be very, very fit if I adhered to Patrick Moberg's new (media) workout plan.

Thomas Meyerhoffer

2009-09-30T15:13:00.000-04:00

Backstage @ Fashion Week

2009-09-24T16:59:00.002-04:00

The Hawk and the Dove

2009-09-09T13:59:00.012-04:00

Shameless plug: Wired senior editor (and my ex-boss) Nick Thompson has a book coming out next week on Paul Nitze, George Kennan, and their roles in the Cold War, called The Hawk and the Dove. From the website:

In this masterly double biography, Nicholas Thompson brings Nitze and Kennan to vivid life. Nitze—the hawk—was a consummate insider who believed that the best way to avoid a nuclear clash was to prepare to win one. More than any other American, he was responsible for the arms race. Kennan—the dove—was a diplomat turned academic whose famous “X article” persuasively argued that we should contain the Soviet Union while waiting for it to collapse from within. For forty years, he exercised more influence on foreign affairs than any other private citizen.

Well? Go pre-order it on Amazon...

Mycenae

2009-08-21T11:27:00.000-04:00

Athens

2009-07-26T13:38:00.001-04:00

Papierarbeiten

2009-07-01T11:50:00.003-04:00

Simon Schubert's paper renderings of architectural interiors are stunning ... this man must have the patience of a saint.

Cypress Point, Carmel; Ledson Vineyard, Sonoma

2009-06-29T16:01:00.001-04:00

That's it, I'm locking up my 1dmkiii and shooting 6x6 film from now on.

Hrm.

2009-06-27T10:27:00.002-04:00

Does my move to the east side necessitate a blog name change to The Six Train?

Mexico, In Color

2009-06-24T13:38:00.001-04:00

Mexico

2009-06-19T13:00:00.001-04:00

Full set here.

Old Yankee Stadium

2009-05-22T16:28:00.003-04:00

NY Daily News slideshow here.

Happy Birthday, Sir Duke

2009-04-29T23:03:00.002-04:00

NY Daily News audio slideshow here.

Troublemakers

2009-04-21T09:38:00.002-04:00

"It is no surprise that talented photographers are 99% pain in the ass to work with. They have strong opinions, are stubborn, reckless, and most of the time have an extremely bad character. But that is simply because they are constantly challenged by a reality that annoys them. Like being assaulted by mosquitoes, all the time. They don’t have an attitude problem, it’s the world that lacks one.

This is the exact reason why we love their work. They disturbed the reality in which they are put in, they challenge it, always demanding more, to see what is behind. They do not want to photograph the yellow brick road, although that might be pretty, they want to photograph the wizard behind the curtains."

--Paul Melcher

Ryan Runs Europe

2009-04-04T00:32:00.005-04:00

So, after graduating from Columbia in a month or so, my friend Ryan is going to embark on a several month long run through Europe that will take him from Amsterdam to Athens -- through seven countries and 2,300 miles -- entirely on foot. If you look at the map above, you can see that this is sort of a long trip.

He'll be running 10 to 30 miles a day with little more than an extra set of clothes, his passport, and a phone, and is looking for some new friends who would be willing to host him for a night along the way. He's set up a detailed site here listing most of the major cities in his itinerary, so if you or anyone you know happens to reside in Mailleroncourt-Saint-Pancras or Castiglione della Pescaia, give him a shout at run@ryanlukejohns.com.

Galapagos Islands

2009-03-24T22:41:00.001-04:00

Backstage @ Fashion Week

2009-02-25T14:23:00.001-05:00

Westminster Dog Show 2009

2009-02-10T13:36:00.001-05:00

P.S. 186

2009-02-08T23:56:00.001-05:00

Perfect.

2009-01-21T11:50:00.001-05:00

Old North Cemetery

2009-01-13T02:23:00.001-05:00

Every Time I Reread Tales of the Jazz Age, This Quote Makes Me Smile:

2008-12-24T19:04:00.001-05:00

"What floor, please?" said the elevator man.

"Any floor," said Mr. In.

"Top floor," said Mr. Out.

"This is the top floor," said the elevator man.

"Have another floor put on," said Mr. Out.

"Higher," said Mr. In.

"Heaven," said Mr. Out.

--May Day, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Manhattanville.net

2008-12-18T11:52:00.001-05:00

Why You Should Always Save Your Negatives

2008-12-17T13:57:00.003-05:00

...because you may have asked a future American President to pose for your portfolio back when he was a college student bumming around at Occidental.

(I'm not turning this blog into an Obama media fest, I swear. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.)

What Should Obama Wear?

2008-12-15T15:28:00.002-05:00

Women's Wear Daily asks 50 different designers what they think Obama should wear to Inauguration 2009.

So True.

2008-12-11T15:18:00.002-05:00

The Death of Photojournalism

2008-12-11T13:50:00.003-05:00

I'm going to keep this short because I think Vincent Laforet's recent post sums up my thoughts fairly accurately, but stories like this one make me livid. From Rob's post:

Dear XXXXX,

We would like to publish your photo in Time Magazine in a year-end issue and also on Time.com. If you are the author of the photo and can give Time the rights to publish it, please send a high-resolution image to xxxxxxxx@timemagazine.com. While we can’t pay you for this use, we’ll give you an author’s photo credit with the published photo in the magazine and of course you retain the copyright.

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

XXXXX

Time, I don't care how badly you're suffering right now, this is nothing short of taking advantage of photographers who simply don't know better and screwing over those who do. It's one thing to solicit unpaid contributions from photographers and writers in crowdsourcing-type projects; it's another thing entirely to value someone's work at, oh, NOTHING. And lowering publication standards to go with a free alternative is just sad.

Good photography will always be expensive.

Aiming for Michelle?

2008-12-08T13:28:00.001-05:00

(Thanks, Fern.)

Manhattanville

2008-12-07T14:58:00.000-05:00

Coffee

2008-12-03T21:53:00.002-05:00

A chronicle of Christoph Niemann's lifelong relationship with everyone's favorite caffeine source.

Photogram

2008-12-02T23:07:00.001-05:00

Lunch Bag Art

2008-11-29T17:44:00.002-05:00

New favorite blog: Lunch Bag Art, where the father of two grade schoolers posts photos of the drawings he adds to his children's brown bag lunches every morning.

Click

2008-11-05T00:19:00.000-05:00

All of My Friends Are Men, Too

2008-11-04T13:43:00.002-05:00

HEARTS LOVE FEELINGS BUTTERFLIES KISSES MUSHY MUSHY CUTENESS.

...Nope, still a guy, according to Gender Analyzer.

Polling Place Photo Project

2008-11-04T13:27:00.002-05:00

As you head to your respective voting places today, don't forget to take some photos for the Polling Place Photo Project!

No Surprise Here:

2008-11-04T13:19:00.002-05:00

Pennsylvania Voters

2008-11-01T14:37:00.000-04:00

Stop Sending Mail You Later Regret:

2008-10-07T12:37:00.002-04:00

Too True

2008-10-02T22:46:00.002-04:00

Our Homecoming shirts read:

Front:

COLUMBIA HOMECOMING 2008
THEY MAY WIN

Back:

BUT THEY'RE STILL GOING HOME TO JERSEY
COLUMBIA LIONS VS. PRINCETON TIGERS

Form and Function in Architecture

2008-10-01T14:15:00.002-04:00

"I am in favor of an almost unlimited plastic freedom, a freedom that is not slavishly subordinate to the reasons of any given technique or of functionalism, but which makes an appeal to the imagination, to things that are new and beautiful, capable of arousing surprise and emotion by their very newness and creativeness; a freedom that provides scope -- when desirable -- for moods of ecstasy, reverie, and poetry."

--"Form and Function in Architecture," Oscar Niemeyer

Help A College Student!

2008-09-27T11:06:00.017-04:00

Hi All,

I'm in an architecture seminar focused on product sustainability and recycling paths, and I need your help. I've been gathering data on recycling legislation and regulations in a dozen or so countries around the world for a comprehensive Flash website -- which is surprisingly fascinating in and of itself -- but I'd like to collect some graphical data as well.

This is where you come in! I'm looking to enlist ~20 people or so to help me with a visual comparison of just how much recycled material a two- or three-person family generates every week. I promise it won't take much time -- I'd just ask that you photograph the contents of your recycling bin once a week just before it's collected in a neat, well-lit (and creative, if you wish) fashion and send it to me with a list of the items being recycled. This is due in late October, so it would probably only be for a three- or four-week period.

These are the cities/countries/regions I'm especially looking for:
[EDIT: I'm updating this list as I find volunteers.]
NYC
LA
DC
London
France/Paris
Germany
Spain
Netherlands/Holland
Poland
China
India
South Africa
Australia
New Zealand
Canada
Ireland
Russia/Moscow
Argentina
Israel
Switzerland
Denmark
Sweden
Japan
Chile

If you are interested in participating and you don't fit into any of the above, please still comment -- I'm interested in any and all regions with developed/burgeoning recycling programs and the more the better.

This will manifest itself as a Flash website that will go live by November or so, and of course all of you will be duly credited. So, if you think you might want to participate, please comment with the following:

1. Where you live.
2. How many in your household (I think I'm looking for people in 3-person households, but if there's an overwhelming majority of 2-person or 4-person responses then we'll go with that).
3. A (very!) brief summary of your area's recycling program (I'm assuming most are weekly, but if they're biweekly or have other little quirks let me know).
4. Your e-mail (if you don't want to post this, just send me an e-mail at dani[@]dan.iella.net with the subject "Research Project").

Also, feel free to forward this to any vaguely relevant photography/sustainability/recycling-related message boards/blogs, or any photographically-inclined overseas friends.

Thanks so much! Looking forward to your responses.

d.

Catskills

2008-09-26T01:07:00.001-04:00

Cabin Fever

2008-09-17T00:30:00.003-04:00

"'Isolated' is an urban concept. It is a product of the city. To leave the map behind is a uniquely urban fantasy. It is those at the center of the pattern who talk the most about escaping it. But their escapes are usually just extensions of the pattern, demonstrations that the city knows no limit."

--"Cabin Fever," Mark Wigley

(I love that I'm taking his class at GSAPP and his reading his papers in my senior seminar...)

Donna Karan Models

2008-09-16T15:01:00.001-04:00

Backstage @ Fashion Week

2008-09-09T15:54:00.000-04:00