Selection from ‘Take it Like a Man’ artist’s book

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artists' books, gay, homosexual, lgbtq, social documentary, The Historical Homosexual

 

 

 

Selection from ‘Take it Like a Man’ artist’s book by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

Homosexual erotica from the Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection

Notice: If image looks fuzzy click on it for hi-res version.

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Engaging the Enemy Frigate…preview

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artists' book, book art, cisgender, cock, Enemy Frigate, Engaging the Enemy Frigate, film, Fred 'Cinerama' Waller, Fred Waller, Frigate, gay, gender bender, gender benders from the 1970's, gender studies, genderqueer, hand printed books, homo, homosexual, maquette, marbled endsheets, marbling, Paul Mantz, Penis Worship, queer, social documentary photography, spiral bound, transgender, vintage

Article Dedication

In honor of

Fred  ‘Cinerama’ Waller & Paul Mantz

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Engaging the Enemy Frigate, is a hand-printed artist’s book of vintage homosexual erotica from the Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection in a limited edition of 50 signed and numbered books and 2 artist’s proof books.

The book is 124 pages in length with 62 photographs. It is finished with frosted clear plastic covers with hand rounded corners, marbled end sheets and spiral bound.

Book size: 5-½” x 6-½”

Maquette is shown for illustration – all specifications are pro forma.

ISBN: 978-0-9967108-4-8

    

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Staten Island Ferry NYC (Candid)

From The Americans…60 years after Frank

a limited edition artist’s book by

Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

A complete listing of artist’s books by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/artists-books-by-daniel-d-teoli-jr-2/

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Illustrated Biography of Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

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180, 180 the circular fisheye at large, 1970's, 1970's los angeles, 4x5, 6x6, a day in the life of a drag queen, Amon Carter Museum Conservation Lab, amsterdam, analog, archival, art museum, artists' book, artsists' book, available light photography, babs lemay, barbara lemay, bikers mardi gras, biography daniel teoli jr, black and white, book art, breast, carla and babydoll, Charles E. Young Research Library, chiaroscuro, children of weegee, circular, circular fisheye, circular photography, clandestine photography, cock ring, composition, crossdressing, curator, d.teoli, Dan Teoli, daniel d. teoli jr, daniel teoli jr, daniel teoli jr biography, de wallen, decisive moment, documentary photography, elvis impersonator, encyclopedia of inkjet printing, film, fisheye, Fuji X, gathering of the juggalos, gay, gay bar, gender benders, German National Library Special Collections, hakenkreuz in a dress, hasselblad swc, hdr, Hollywood, homeless, homosexual, hooker, human complication, human condition, hyper-real, hyperreal, illustrated biography, Image Permanence Institute Rochester Institute or Technology, infrared, infrared flash, infrared flash photography, ir flash, juggalette, juggalos, las vegas, Leica M240, Leica monochrom, lgbt, lgbtq, los angeles, mardi gras, medium format, Metropolitan Museum of Art Conservation Laboratory, motion blur, museum, night photography, peephole, photojournalism, piercing darkness, pole dancer, presenting photography to curators and museums, Princeton University Firestone Library Special Collections, prostitute, prostitutes, prostitution, queer, red light district, reinbeau, reportage, Ringling College of Art And Design, rock concerts, selective color, sex tool, sex worker, sex workers, single image hdr, social documentary photograp, social documentary photography, St. Martin, street photography, street walker, Teoli, topless, trans, transgender, transvestite, traveling transvestite, Twenty-Six Roadkills, tyler james, University of Pittsburgh Art Gallery, vegas, Victoria and Albert Museum - National Art Library, weegee, yoshiyuki

NOTE:

This illustrated biography contains NSFW images.

If you want the plain text biography with no photographs go to :

http://biographyofdanieldteolijr.tumblr.com/

<> <> <> <> Biography of Daniel D. Teoli Jr. <> <> <> <>

Date of Birth: December 1954 at Los Angeles, California

Education: B.A. California State University Los Angeles, California

I am a self-taught social documentary photographer, curator, historian and archivist with 48 years experience. I specialize in producing limited edition artist’s books. I started taking pictures in the mid-1960’s and took up photography seriously in 1969. Throughout the 1970’s & 1980’s I worked to document the people and street life in Los Angeles and Hollywood, CA.

I have experience in many areas of the wet darkroom, both in black and white and color. These include,  alternative processes, E-4, C-41, nitrogen burst processing, Type ‘C’ & Type ‘R’ printing, dye transfer printing, screen printing, process camera / halftone screening and plate burning.

A few film shots from the early 1970’s…

    

http://danielteolijr.tumblr.com/

Moving to the Northeast in the 1989, I continued with my interest in humanist photography in Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. In the early 2000’s I gradually made the switch from film to digital, which I use for the majority of my work, although I still enjoy shooting swing lens and medium format film cameras.

My current color photography revolves a good deal around Hyper-Real HDR color street photography. I thankfully credit Les Krims for introducing me to that style of work.

 

http://danielteolijrcurrent.tumblr.com/

In 2001 I suffered a major loss to my archives as a flood in Ohio destroyed the bulk of my photographs from the 1980’s and 1990’s. My earlier work from the 1970’s was only spared because I had already moved most of it to my new residence. This loss, as great as it was, inspired me to work diligently on archiving and preserving my photography.

Samples of a few of the remaining images that survived the flood.

http://thelostyearsdt.tumblr.com/

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Here are a small selection of some of my major works with book arts. My artist’s books are placed with museums and rare book – special collection libraries worldwide. For a complete listing of my artist’s books see:

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/artists-books-by-daniel-d-teoli-jr-2/

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Samples from – Peephole: Peering Into the World of 1970’s Hollywood and L.A – 2013

Samples from – Portfolio: Peering Into the World of 1970’s Hollywood and L.A. – 2013

http://portfolioartistsbook.tumblr.com/

Samples from – Twenty-Six Roadkills – 2013

http://twentysixroadkills.tumblr.com/

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Samples from – Encyclopedia of Photographic and Fine Art Ink Jet Printing Media 2014

 

http://encyclopediainkjetmedia.tumblr.com/

The 12 volume Encyclopedia is currently the world largest contemporary set of hand-printed  artist’s books ever made. More importantly, it is a very important and unique reference collection for archival research and those interested in ink jet printing.

Sets of the Encyclopedia have been placed with:

 Rijksmuseum Research Library, Netherlands

Center for Creative Photography Research Library

Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at Ohio State University

Amon Carter Museum Conservation Lab

Image Permanence Institute at Rochester Institute of Technology

Metropolitan Museum of Art Conservation Lab.

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Samples from – Bikers’ Mardi Gras – 2015

http://bikermardigras.tumblr.com/

Samples from – De Wallen: Amsterdam’s Red Light District – 2015

 

http://dewallenrld.tumblr.com/

Samples from – Gender Benders from the 1970’s

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2015/05/16/genders-benders-from-the-1970s/

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Currently I am working on a number of projects that will result in limited edition artist’s books when complete. Here is a partial listing of projects underway:

Piercing Darkness 

The Americans…60 years after Frank 

Girls of the Beat Generation

Whoop-Whoop

180: The circular fisheye at large!

A Day in the Life of a Drag Queen

Moo!

Gay Bar

Presenting Photography to Curators and Museums

Charmed

Magnifying Lens Photography

Yum!

Thirty-six views of Bison

With Due Respect Beloved One

Women are Beautiful…Beyond Snapshot Aesthetics

Secrets of Candid Photography

All you Need is Love

Pigskin Chronicles

For a complete project listing see:

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/artists-books-by-daniel-d-teoli-jr-2/

Samples from – Piercing Darkness

Synopsis: Piercing Darkness consists of infrared flash photography taken in the dark. My book takes over where Weegee’s and Yoshiyuki’s work left off with candid infrared flash .

 

 

 

 

 

Samples from – Whoop-Whoop!

   

http://whoopwhoopartistsbook.tumblr.com/

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Samples from – 180: The circular fisheye at large!

      

A few of my favorite photographers…

Lisette Model, Robert Frank, Mary Ellen Mark, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Michel Chelbin, Les Krims, Maggie Steber, Don McCullin, Salgado, Irving Penn, Diane Arbus, Gail Halaban,  Cristina Garcia Rodero, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Bruce Davidson, Robert Doisineau, Jane Evelyn Atwood, W. Eugene Smith, Martin Munkasci, Larry Fink, O. Rufus Lovett, Weegee, Robert Capa, Judy Dater, Ray Metzger, Erich Salomon, Harry K. Shigeta, Emmet Gowin, Jill Freeman, James Nanchez, Helen Levitte, Shelby Lee Adams, Brassai, O.Winston Link and William Mortensen.

Artist’s statement:

If I had to sum up my interest in photography…it must stem from a liking to being able to ‘freeze time.’ Henri Cartier-Bresson described how many a street photographer feels when at large…”I prowled the streets all day, feeling very sprung-up and ready to pounce, determined to ‘trap’ life – to preserve life in the act of living.“

Combine that with a dose of Elliott Erwitt…”I just take pictures and hope something comes out of it.” Erwitt’s quote reminds me that luck is a big factor in getting that iconic shot and to try and keep a big ego in check.

Photography trains practitioners to concentrate their vision and see things the average person may overlook. Before I was a photographer, I would seldom look at the small details or focus on a subject for any length of time.

Now I notice the beauty of a weathered wall. I see potential for a photo in a dusty window screen. In short, photographers are always looking. We look at everything, visualizing light, composition, shapes, color and patterns.

There is something that transforms the snapshot into a photograph. A spark of alchemy the photographer uses that turns the ordinary photo into something that is worthy of a second look. That elusive transformation is what I have set out to capture in my photography.

Public Collections:

I have photograph(s) and/ or limited edition hand-printed artist’s books at the following institutions:

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California

Rhode Island School of Design – Fleet Library Special Collections, Rhode Island

Oxford Bodleian Library – Special Collections U.K.

Toronto University – Thomas Fischer Rare Book Library, Canada

British Library – Special Collections, U.K.

Rutgers University – Special Collections Library, New Jersey

Columbia University – Avery Fine Arts Library Special Collections, New York

Art Center College of Design – Fogg Library Special Collections, California

Brown University – Special Collections Art Library, Rhode Island

University of California Berkeley – Special Collections Art Library, California

Mennello Museum of Art, Florida

The Art Museum at The University of Kentucky, Kentucky (a)

Mead Art Museum – Amherst College, Massachusetts

Victoria and Albert Museum – National Art Library Special Collections, U.K.

NYU – Fales Library Special Collections, New York

Amherst College – Special Collections Library, Massachusetts

Stanford University – Special Collections Art & Architecture Library, California

Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, China

Allen Memorial Museum – Oberlin College, Ohio

University of Exeter – Bill Douglas Centre, U.K.

Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center – Vassar College, New York

Flint Institute of Art, Michigan

Noyes Museum of Art – Stockton College, New Jersey

RISD Museum, Rhode Island

California State Library Sacramento – Special Collections, California

International Center of Photography – Special Collections Library, New York

Fashion Institute of Technology – Marcus Library Special Collections, New York

Wright State University – Special Collections Dept of Art and History, Ohio

American Motorcycle Museum – Pinkerton, Ohio

National University of Singapore Art Museum, Singapore

Colby Museum of Art – Colby College, Maine

The Kinsey Institute, Indiana

University of Southern California – One Archives, California

Bibliotheque Kandinsky Special Collections – Centre Pompidou, France

Tweed Museum of Art – University of Minnesota, Minnesota

San Antonio Museum of Art, Texas

Spencer Museum of Art – University of Kansas, Kansas

Yale University – Haas Art Library Special Collections, Connecticut

UCLA – Charles E. Young Research Library Special Collections, California

UCONN – Thomas J. Dodd Research Center Special Collections, Connecticut

Brooklyn Museum Library – Special Collections, New York

Muscarelle Museum of Art – College of William and Mary, Virginia

The National Library of Sweden – Special Collections, Sweden

Museum of Fine Art Houston – Hirsch Library Special Collections, Texas

The University of Chicago – Special Collections Library, Illinois

The University of California Santa Barbara – Special Collections, California

Smithsonian American Art Museum Library – Special Collections, Washington D.C.

Corcoran Gallery College of Art – Special Collections, Washington D.C.

The University of the Arts – Special Collections Library, Pennsylvania

Reed College Library – Special Collections, Oregon

The Art Institute of Chicago School of Art – Flaxman Special Collections, Illinois

Ringling College of Art And Design – Special Collections Library, Florida

The Newberry – Special Collections, Illinois

New School Archives & Special Collections, New York

Cranbrook Academy of Art – Special Collections Library, Michigan

San Francisco Public Library – Special Collections, California

Maryland Institute College of Art – Decker Special Collections, Maryland

National Library of South Africa – Special Collections, Pretoria, South Africa

Bard College – Stevenson Library Special Collections, New York

University of Pennsylvania – Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Pennsylvania

University California Santa Cruz – McHenry Library Special Collections, California

SCAD Savannah – Special Collections, Georgia

The National Vietnam War Museum, Texas (a)

Mills College Library – Special Collections, California

Colby Library – Special Collections, Maine

University of Nevada Reno – Special Collections, Nevada

Northwestern University – McCormick Special Collections, Illinois

Boston Public Library – Special Collections, Massachusetts

University of Iowa – Martin Rare Book Special Collections, Iowa

University of Tulsa – McFarlin Special Collections, Oklahoma

Oberlin College – Mudd Center Special Collections, Ohio

New York Public Library – Special Collections, New York

Harvard Radcliffe Institute – Schlesinger Special Collections, Massachusetts

DePaul – Richardson Special Collections, Illinois

UIC – Health Science Library Special Collections, Illinois

University of Colorado – Anschutz Special Collections, Colorado

Cleveland Museum of Art – Ingalls Special Collections, Ohio

University of Kentucky – Special Collections, Kentucky

Trinity College Watkinson – Special Collections, Connecticut

Cushing / Whitney Medical Library Yale Special Collections, Connecticut

Deutsche Nationalbibliothek / German National Library Special Collections, Germany

Harwood Museum of Art – University of New Mexico, New Mexico

University of London – Special Collections Senate Library, U.K.

National Library of Scotland – Special Collections, Scotland

Center for Creative Photography – Special Collections, Arizona

Bibliothèque Nationale de Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Jaffe Center for Book Arts, Florida

Southern Oregon University Hannon Library Special Collections, Oregon

The College of William & Mary Earl Gregg Swem Library, Virginia

Middlebury – Special Collections Library, Vermont

University of South Carolina – Irvin Rare Books aSpecial Collections, South Carolina

University of Colorado Boulder – Special Collections Library, Colorado

NCSU Libraries – Special Collections, North Carolina

University Michigan – Joseph A. Labadie Collection Special Collections Library, Michigan

University of Victoria – McPherson Library Special Collections, Victoria, B.C. Canada

Arizona State University – Special Collections Library, Arizona

Bryn Mawr College – Special Collections Library, Pennsylvania

USC – Doheny Memorial Library Special Collections, California

University of Rochester – Rush Rhees Library Special Collections, New York

Wake Forest University – ZSR Special Collections, North Carolina

Reading Public Museum, Pennsylvania

College of the Holy Cross , Massachusetts (b)

University of Illinois at Chicago Daley Special Collections, Illinois

Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minnesota

George Washington University – Gelman Special Collections, Washington D.C.

Boston College – Burns Library Special Collections, Massachusetts

Auburn University – Draughon Library Special Collections, Alabama

Openbare Bibliotheek Special Collections, Amsterdam, Netherlands

University of Illinois at Chicago – Daley Library Special Collections, Illinois

State Library of Victoria Special Collections, Melbourne, Australia

Ohio State University – Rare Books & Manuscripts Library, Ohio

National Archives Netherlands, De Haag, Netherlands

University of Amsterdam Special Collections, Netherlands

Rijksmuseum – Research Library, Netherlands

University of Maryland – Baltimore County Special Collections, Maryland

Tate Museum Research Library Special Collections, London, England

Cornell University Library Rare Books, Manuscripts and Archives, New York

University of Pittsburgh Art Gallery, Pennsylvania

James Madison University Special Collections, Virginia

Bowdoin College Special Collections, Maine

Amon Carter Museum Conservation Lab, Texas

Princeton University Firestone Library Special Collections, New Jersey

Library of Congress Special Collections, Washington, D.C

Image Permanence Institute Rochester Institute of Technology, New York

University of Pittsburgh Medical School Special Collections, Pennsylvania

Metropolitan Museum of Art Conservation Lab, New York

(a) Delivered – Pending Board Approval

(b) Digital Collection

I certify this biography is accurate as April 18, 2017

Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

Contact: shiroplum1@gmail.com

41817-130

 

The best photo strikes the eye as the right chord strikes the ear.

Tags

180 the circular fisheye at large, 1970's los angeles, 26 Roadkills, artists' book, available light photography, babs lemay, balanced composition, barbara lemay, breaking the rules, breaking the rules of composition, broken pattern coposition, busey, camera fondler, cartier-bresson, centered composition, chiaroscuro, circular, circular composition, circular fisheye, circular photography, collage, composition, converging lines, crooked, cutting off the feet, d.teoli, Dan Teoli, decisive moment, diagonal leading line, documentary photography, emily hahn, extreme processing, fisheye, framed composition, grenge HDR, hakenkreuz in a dress, hdr, Hollywood, homage to diane arbus, homosexual, infrared, infrared flash, infrared flash photo, Just shooting extreme photos does not make them an iconic or great pix, juxtaposed composition, layered composition, leaving space composition, los angeles, low angle, marc riboud, mike busey, mike busey show, motion blur, negative reversal, off center rule of thirds, off symmetry composition, overhead shot, piercing darkness, riboud, rule of thirds, Rules are made to be broken...shoot your pix from the heart and not from some rule book, rules were made to be broken, sausage palace, selective color, sign, signage, simplified composition, single image hdr, social documentary photography, storytelling, street photography, street portrait, suppressd background, Teoli, That is what one camera fondler on the photo forums wanted to do, The best photo strikes the eye as the right chord strikes the ear., transgender, transvestite, triangular composition, Twenty-Six Roadkills, upside down photo, whimsical, wide angle, wide angle distortion

Article Dedication

in honor of

Emily Hahn & John Stezaker

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“The best photo strikes the eye as the right chord strikes the ear.”

Marc Riboud

Can’t decide on which one of your machinegun shots is best? Do you shoot your street photography on video and then pick from one of the 72,000 frames? (That is what one camera fondler on the photo forums wanted to do.)

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2015/08/07/the-camera-fondlers-delight-pimping-their-cam/

Composition can make or break a photograph. Composition will help you separate the keepers from the trash.

A still photo is not like a movie. The still photo must capture the attention of the viewer as well as say something that is remarkable and worthy of study in one frame. Why would any photog not want to create strong work?

We have tools as photographers that we can use to call attention to our image.  We all use some of these tools to one degree or another….high or low contrast, HDR, grain, color whether muted, bold or selective, BW, sharpness, diffusion, composition, bokeh, lighting, subject matter, etc.

But, just shooting extreme photos does not make them an iconic or great pix. There are certain rules that help a photo have a flow and poetic symmetry. Although, rules are made to be broken…shoot your pix from the heart and not from some rule book.

Here are some of my ‘extreme photos’ and some of the composition rules I used or rules I broke, in making them.

A textbook example of diagonal leading line composition.

A textbook example of triangular composition.

A textbook example of motion blur in relation to camera distance.

An example of circular composition.

An example of centered composition.

An example of mountain peak composition.

An example of broken pattern composition.

An example of juxtaposed composition.

An example of balanced composition.

An example of framed composition.

An example of a whimsical composition.

An example of selective color composition.

An example of a self-portrait shadow composition.

An example of full frame composition.

An example of tilt-shift composition.

An example of simplified composition.

An example of leaving space composition.

An example of center weighted rule of thirds composition.

An example of panoramic composition.

An example of curved converging lines composition.

An example of suppressed background composition.

An example of layered composition.

An example of symmetrical composition.

An example of off symmetry composition.

An example of composition incorporating signage.

An example of circular fisheye composition.

An example of shallow depth of field.

An example of a mystery composition.

An example of chiaroscuro.

An example of motion blur.

An example of telephoto compression.

An example of silhouette composition.

Breaking the rules – Wide angle distortion.

Breaking the rules – Crooked composition.

Breaking the rules – Grab hip shot.

Breaking the rules – Exaggerated vignette.

Breaking the rules – Low angle shot.

Breaking the rules – Upside down composition.

Breaking the rules – Cutting the feet off.

Breaking the rules – Infrared

Breaking the rules – Toned and grain.

Breaking the rules – Negative reversal toned.

Breaking the rules – Incorporating empty center space.

Breaking the rules – Extreme processing.

Breaking the rules – Fast, overhead, unframed grab shot.

Breaking the rules – Grainy…blurry.

Breaking the rules – Shooting into the sun.

Breaking the rules – Collage storytelling.

Breaking the rules – Grunge HDR

Breaking the rules – Shot from behind

Breaking the rules – Single image HDR.

Breaking the rules – Hyper-real HDR

Breaking the rules – Infrared Flash

Breaking the rules – Using LED flashlight for illumination.

Breaking the rules – Shot through the car windshield while driving.

Breaking the rules – There are no GD rules…there are only great photographs!

Now, extreme work does not always work in a good way for the artist. Extreme work can also get you labeled ‘not fit for exhibition.’ In my case I’m censored and snubbed left and right. While I wish more of my work was exhibited, I’d rather be true to my work and produce authentic photography rather than fudging it up trying to fit commercial and censorships demands.

Let me give you an example of how putting money over art can hurt the project. When Scorsese did the movie Taxi Driver he was told the bright red blood was too gory by the censors. I don’t know whether he was shooting for a NC-17 the way the movie was shot. But to get the ‘R’ rating he had to de-saturate the blood into  a brownish, watery pitiful excuse for blood. Over time the original master seems to be lost, as even the Blu-ray DVD has never fixed the problem with the blood.

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Photographs used herewith are from the following limited edition artists’ books by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

Peephole: Peering Into the World of 1970’s Hollywood and L.A. – 2013

Portfolio: Peering Into the World of 1970’s Hollywood and L.A. – 2013
Twenty-six Roadkills – 2013

Encyclopedia of Photographic & Fine Art Ink Jet-
Printing Media – 12 Volume Set – 2014

Bikers’ Mardi Gras – 2015

Gender Benders from the 1970’s – 2015

De Wallen: Amsterdam’s Red Light District – 2015

180 – The Circular Fisheye at Large – 2016

Piercing Darkness – 2016 *

The Americans…60 years after Frank – 2016 *

Whoop-Whoop – Forthcoming

Secrets of Candid Photography  – Forthcoming

*Projects under consideration for a 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship

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“Yes…Yes…Yes…photography is like that and there’s no maybes. All the maybes go to the trash. There is a tremendous enjoyment in saying yes, even if it is for something you hate. It is an affirmation…Yes!” ~ Cartier-Bresson

 

 

 

 

 

Gender Benders from the 1970’s

Tags

1970's, 1970's los angeles, A womam stuck in a mans body, artist book, Artists and Model Ball Los Angeles, Artists' ball in Hollywood CA, artists' book, babs lemay, barbara lemay, Bryn Campbell, CA 1974 - Joe at Doorway, condition humaine, Constantine Manes, d.teoli, Dan Teoli, daniel d. teoli jr, daniel teoli jr, decisive moment, documentary photography, Even though people were my specialty, gay, gay pride, gender bender, gender bender teoli, gender benders, gender benders from the 1970's, gender benders teoli, gender queer, genderqueer, Gilles Peress, Hollywood, Hollywood in the 1970's., homo, homosexual, human condition, I never thought much about interviewing my subjects...I was only interested in the picture, I shot most of these photos when I was 17 to 19 years old, Josef Koudleka, leica m4, lgbt, lgbtq, LGBTQQIAAP, Look what I've got!, Nikon, queen, queer, sexual identity, social documentary photography, social documentary photography teoli, street photography, Teoli, trans, trans woman, transgender, transwoman, traveling transvestite, Unisex, Unisex bathing suits, Unisex trend, We can learn an important lesson from Josef Koudleka, Woman within, World Photography

Article Dedication

In honor of

Gilles Peress & Constantine Manes

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A sample selection of photos from

Gender Benders from the 1970’s

by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

A limited edition, 8 x 10 inch 50 page hand-printed artist’s book.

Edition size is 50 books and 2 artist’s proof books.

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Unisex bathing suits, Tokyo, Japan fashion show 1970

From the Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection

Note: If any photo looks fuzzy click on it for hi-res version.

In the 1970’s gender bending was underground. Nowadays it is becoming more mainstream. In modern photography / art circles, the most desirable of this genre seems to be a gender bender photog taking pix of other gender benders.

Intro from book:

I shot most of these photos when I was 17 to 19 years old starting out as a young social documentary photographer. Even though people were my specialty, I never thought much about interviewing my subjects…I was only interested in the picture. If I got one nice photo to put in my portfolio I was happy.

Getting my start in 1970 as a street photographer, for the most part, I had always been uninvolved with my subjects. My goal was to get as close as was needed to get the shot, all the while staying undercover. And nearly 50 years later that is still how I work most of the time.

Staten Island Ferry – NYC 2016

Candid photo from The Americans…60 years after Frank artist’s book

by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

When I eventually ventured inside some of my subjects homes I spent just enough time on location to get a shot I liked.  I seldom delved into any details beyond chit-chat.

Being shy by nature, interviewing subjects is not my forte. Consequently I missed many opportunities to explore my subjects much deeper than what I present here. There was one exception to my normal modus operandi, that was Barbara LeMay. I formed a friendship with Barbara and visited her numerous times over a few years. Even with Barbara I did not venture beyond her living room, never seeing her bedroom or sewing studio. These missed opportunities are something I regret. I could have made a number of books just on Barbara alone.

We can learn an important lesson from Josef Koudleka when it comes to maximizing the potential of our photography.

“…What interests me is taking photographs to the maximum – the maximum that exists in a situation and the maximum that I myself can produce from it.” Koudelka goes on to say he will re-shoot a project repeatedly “to reassure me I have in-fact achieved the maximum.”   ~  From World Photography by Bryn Campbell

Hollywood, CA 1973 – Babs (Barbara LeMay)

Los Angeles, CA 1974 – Look What I’ve Got!

Hollywood, CA 1974 – His Perfect Woman

Los Angeles, CA 1974 – Artists’ and Model Ball Feathers and Leather

Los Angeles, CA 1974 – Artists’ and Model Ball Two Drag Queens

Los Angeles, CA 1974 – Jennifur

Los Angeles, CA 1974 – Drag Queen at Bar #2

Los Angeles, CA 1974 – Burt’s Devotee Photo is not staged, it is exactly as shown. I just asked him why he liked Burt Reynolds so much. He showed me…I shot it.

Hollywood, CA 1974 – Traveling Transvestite

Hollywood, CA 1974 – Joe

Los Angeles, CA 1971 – Arnold, a U.C.L.A student that liked women’s nighties.

Hollywood, CA 1974 – Joe at Doorway

Along with Gender Benders from the 1970’s I’ve included a DVD of Gone…Up In Smoke! A student film by Daniel D. Teoli Jr. made in 1975 showing Barbara LeMay doing a partial reenactment of the ‘hoochie show’ she performed in the carnival. The film had been lost for 20+ years but was eventually found stored in an outdoor garden shed at my Mom’s house.

Gone…Up In Smoke! was shot on Super 8mm film and was my final exam film for beginning filmmaking class at Los Angeles City College. Unfortunately, when it came time to show the film for my final exam, the film department stopped me from screening it.  The teachers said the school would shut down the film department if they allowed me to show it.

Synopsis of Gone…Up In Smoke!

Barbara is shown enjoying her birds. She hears a knock at the door. Richard shows up. She grabs Richard by the collar and tells him to sit down. He makes some advances towards Barbara which she rebuffs. Barbara does a little modeling for Richard. She powders her privates then hits Richard in the face with the puff. Richard has lunch while he watches Barbara model and dance around. After lunch he lights up a cigarette and offers it to Barbara. Barbara tells him she does not smoke, but is willing to smoke it ‘down below.’  The smoking is so intense that when Richard goes in for a close-up inspection he takes in a lung full of smoke. After watching Barbara smoke the cigarette, front and back, Richard is in for a shock and passes out.

If the DVD becomes unavailable, the film can also be viewed at:

https://archive.org/details/GoneUpInSmoke

An extended preview of still frames can be seen here:

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2015/04/05/gone-up-in-smoke-barbara-lemay-doing-a-reprise-of-the-hoochie-show-she-use-to-perform/

Barbara made all her own costumes and had a side business, sewing costumes for strippers. (These are scans from work prints – the original negatives were lost in the flood.)

Los Angeles, CA 1974 – Artists’ and Model Ball Barbara Lemay

Los Angeles, CA 2015 – Melissa

Fast forward to the present and we can see gender benders have advanced greatly with the technology for transitioning from male to female.

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From Girls of the Beat Generation

A forthcoming 6 volume artist’s book series by social documentary photographer Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2016/04/21/girls-of-the-beat-generation-artists-book/

A complete list of artist’s books by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/artists-books-by-daniel-d-teoli-jr-2/

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What is the best camera in the world…

Tags

1970's, 1970's los angeles, 26 Roadkills, 35mm, 4x5, 6x6, A camera fondling, agfa brovira, As time marches on you have to keep up with it or be left in the dust., available light photography, babs lemay, barbara lemay, Because of their inability to use both well - they act on the defensive and create camps., bikers mardi gras, black and white, breast, bride, By the time the large format photog takes off his lens cap and farts - I've created an iconic photo. That is the essence of street and documentary photography., Camera fondlers - fan boys and anal pixel peepers...all things being equal...it is the photographer and not the camera!, camera tests, Cameras are tools for freezing time. Some tools are better than others for the job. No one will argue against that, Canon, carla and babydoll, cartier-bresson, chiaroscuro, children of weegee, christmas in compton, color / BW, composition, crossdressing, d.teoli, Dan Teoli, dancing queen bride, daniel d. teoli jr, decisive moment, documentary photography, Ego is a problem when it hurts your ability to freeze time in the best way possible. I don't care what cam is used, epson rd1, Everyone has strong opinions one way or another., film or digital. Whatever does justice to a subject best. Just don't let, Fuji, hahnemuhle, hakenkreuz in a dress, happy bride, hasselblad swc, hdr, Hollywood, homeless, homosexual, human condition, hyperreal, If all things are equal, If I do any more writing I may catch a case of Sontagitis!, infrared, infrared flash, ir flash, It was all I had with me and I made due., Large format appeals to the egomaniac - the anal - the perfectionist - control freak and Ansel groupie., leica m3, leica m4, Leica monochrom, lgbt, lgbtq, los angeles, Minolta, monochrome, night vision, Nikon, Nikon F and Hasselblad film cams as my first choice., None of the institutions asked what MP cam I used., o.winston link, One cam is as good as the next if they both have the ability to do the job., One of his subjects said of him - when he shoots a subject you don't use a clock to measure time, Out of all the cams out there the view camera is the worst choice for my type of photography., Over close to 5 decades of shooting I've used many types of cameras and have put pix from most of them into many museum and curated collections worldwide., peephole, Pentax, pentax k1000, Personally I have always loved Leica, pixel peeper would never go for a lousy 6 MP...would they?, queer, rue mouffetard paris 1954, social documentary photograp, social documentary photography, Some photogs may have had to take their delusion to 11 x 14 wet plates before they figured it out. Others may have saved a lot of time and never had to feed their ego with large format. All sort of eg, Sony, Stop looking for excuses outside of yourself as to why you produce nothing worthwhile...look within., street photography, street portrait, Teoli, thailand, The 2 photos below were done with a $99 Pentax K1000 in the early 1980's...it is the photographer and not the camera!, the best camera in the world, They are all just tools that produce photographs for me...it is the photographer and not the camera., This shot was gone in two blinks of the eye!, transgender, transvestite, traveling transvestite, Twenty-Six Roadkills, vintage, We are all sisters and brothers of one family...we freeze time., weegee, what does it smack of...the anal studio photog., what is the best camera in the world, Whomever shot it, yoshiyuki, You can read this if you want to hear more about photographers and their 'opinions.', you can shoot good photography with most any cam out their nowadays., you use a calendar., You will always have fan boys for their respective camera.

Article Dedication

In honor of

Henri Cartier-Bresson and W. Eugene Smith

<><><><>

What is the best camera in the world?  Well, the short answer is…it is the one you have with you!

Cameras are tools for freezing time. As such, there can be no one best tool, as many jobs require different tools. This is like saying a screwdriver for heavy machinery repair is also the best tool for a watchmaker needing a screwdriver.

But the camera fondlers are always on a constant search for owning The BEST! Since they can’t produce the best photos, what else is there to give them satisfaction?

The photo above was done with an 6MP Epson RD-1…that is 6MP!! A camera fondling, pixel peeper would never go for a lousy 6 MP…would they? I shot it by chance while wondering around on lunch break.  It is in a number of museums and public collections. None of the institutions asked what MP cam I used.

As I will tell you time and again…it is the photographer and not the camera! Over close to 5 decades of shooting, I’ve used many, many types of cameras and have put pix from most of them into many museum and curated collections worldwide.

http://photohostsnapshots.tumblr.com/post/123975547363/los-angeles-county-museum-of-art-california

The next 4 photos were were done with a little 20MP Sony P&S. I keep it on the dummy setting. As an old film photog I am used to manual controls, I don’t know how to adjust these damn things.

The 6 photos below were done with a 12 mp Oly M43. Same thing, I keep it on the dummy setting. I can’t figure them out. The camera fondling engineers ruined these cams for on-the-fly adjustments. The new models have touch screens…great  work camera fondling engineers…now the settings get screwed up if you blow on it.

I cover camera fondlers in detail here…

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2015/08/07/the-camera-fondlers-delight-pimping-their-cam/

The 2 photos below were done with a $99 Pentax K1000 in the early 1980’s…it is the photographer and not the camera!

The 2 below were shot with a 6MP Pentax *istD …in JPEG. When I was making the move from film to digital I didn’t know anything about RAW. What is the credo camera fondlers…it is the photographer and not the camera!

The next photo was done with a $75 Kodak 6MP P&S from Wal-Mart. It was all I had with me and I made due.

The next shot was done with a infrared Pentax K-01. Not the best choice by any means for this shot. Again, if it is all one has, you do the best you can.

Although, if your shooting at night and want to be invisible, the infrared flash and camera make it possible.  This just underscores what I said at the beginning with the screwdriver analogy. The worst camera for one job may be the best camera for another job. The next 10 shots are from my artists’ book Piercing Darkness.

When I shot the next 3 pix the circular fisheye was what was on the cam, so I made due.

Sure, some cameras offer special benefits. The Sony P&S I used for the above photos does not work well in low light AF situations. So no use beating a dead horse if light is bad. But, if all things are equal, you can shoot good photography with most any cam out their nowadays.

I read that in 2016 it is estimated that there will be 2 billion cell phone cams worldwide.  I don’t use a cell phone cam. I got nothing against them, they seem to be capable of producing decent quality work. It is just that I don’t own a smart phone – otherwise sure, I’d use it for taking pix.

Whether cell phone, Nikon, Pentax, Fuji, Canon, Leica, Olympus or Sony…they all can produce. You will always have fan boys for their respective camera. I’ve used many brands of cameras over the years and have produced museum quality work with them all. They are all just tools that produce photographs for me…it is the photographer and not the camera.

Although, I don’t think a cell phone cam could have shot this…well as of yet anyway!

The next 10 photos were shot with a Nikon F.

The 12 photos below were shot with a Leica M3 and M4. I could have used a Nikon, Canon, Pentax or Minolta and got the same thing….it is the photographer and not the camera.

   

The next photo was an early one of mine. I shot it with a Kodak Retina I bought when I was 13 in a pawn shop for $10. The neg was lost in a flood. This is a scan from a work print.

If you like square pictures shoot 6×6. Sure, pick the best tool for the job. The Hasselblad SWC was one of my favorites. If I didn’t need a superwide, any 6×6 or 6×7 would have produced…Rollei, Yashica, Kiev, Pentax, Bronica, Minolta, Kowa, Mamiya, Pentacon or Hassy….it is the photographer and not the camera!

 

I did some 4 x 5 work for a couple of years in the 1970’s. The 4 photos below were done with a Toyo View 4 x 5. Out of all the cams out there, the view camera is the worst choice for my type of photography.

I eventually gave up on 4 x 5 as it was not conducive to my style of shooting. The day I stopped forcing things was a day of enlightenment for me. Some photogs may have had to take their delusion to 11 x 14 wet plates before they figured it out.  Others may have saved a lot of time and never had to feed their ego with large format. All sort of egos out there.

I’ve been lucky to be around large format guys for years, so I was able to study their personalities. Large format appeals to the egomaniac, the anal, the perfectionist, control freak and Ansel groupie.

I think Dan Winters shot this…

http://toddstewartphotography.net/teaching/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Dan-Winters.jpg

Whomever shot it, what does it smack of…the anal studio photog.

Here is a pix of Gregory Heisler, a perfectionist and view cam devotee. One of his subjects said of him – when he shoots a subject you don’t use a clock to measure time, you use a calendar. (paraphrased)

https://nppa.org/sites/default/files/editors/GH_portrait_by_Maja_Jutanda.jpg

If you contrast the large format mindset to the street / documentary photographer mindset, you will find them on opposite extremes…even in their portraits.  Here is a photo of Cartier-Bresson.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/06/20/blogs/20130620-lens-bresson-slide-IVP4/20130620-lens-bresson-slide-IVP4-superJumbo.jpg

If you ever get a chance to see some of Ansel Adams ‘street photography’ you will see what I am talking about here…nothing special. Many LF devotees can only produce masterpieces if it is under their anal, methodical control. This just underscores the fact that because one is a master in one genre, it does not guarantee mastery in another area.

The reason I’m going into all this detail is this. Don’t waste your photographic career doing something that your not good at. Find out that your great at…and do it! Out of all the cams I discuss here, view cam photogs have to be on a different wavelength than the rest of us. It is important for the photog to have an acceptance, as well as a realistic understanding in their head, of what they are good at.

Winogrand used to hate being labeled a street photog. Well too GD bad, that was what he was. He was no great studio photog, nor was he even a great street photog.

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2015/08/01/pd-project/

I’m proud to be labeled a social documentary / street photog. I don’t have any pretentious hang-ups like Winogrand to confuse me. Having a label reminds me what my specialty is. Now, I do shoot product shots every once in a while, but I don’t want to be thought of as a studio photog, as it is not what I’m good at.

Here is an example of my ‘studio work’ from my De Wallen: Amsterdam’s Red Light District artists’ book.

How did I shoot it? On-the-fly, like any of my other street and documentary shots. I pulled a flashlight out of my pocket for light, hand held my Fuji X-E1…boom there it is! Being an ADD’er, that is the anal limits of my studio work.

How would the anal, studio photog shoot it?

http://www.americanphotomag.com/sites/americanphotomag.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/files/darkroom.jpg?itok=PysXUBqP

That is all they know. Just as all I know is on-the-fly work. Sometimes you will come across a master that can do it all…studio and fast shooting as well. Those are the ones you can be jealous of.

With street / documentary photography if you come back with 70% to 80% of what you were after, you can still have a winner. That fits my non-perfectionist personality fine. The anal studio / large format photog has to have it 99% perfect. Cartier-Bresson’s Rue Mouffetard Paris 1954 is a good example of the principle of imperfect perfection.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/73/c6/30/73c630cbb286e57b2a5f1dfc424bdac7.jpg

Can you imagine Heisler shooting Rue Mouffetard Paris 1954? He’d shit his pants if he had to sign his name to it. But to a street / documentary photog – it is iconic. While there are rules to composition in photography…rules were made to be broken.

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2015/05/17/the-best-picture-rings-with-the-eye-as-the-right-chord-rings-with-the-ear/

Here is my homage to Cartier-Bresson and the ‘cutoff foot syndrome.’ I shot it with a 12MP Oly M43.

Princess of Ross County in the style of Rue Mouffetard Paris 1954

Large format devotees are akin to some of the pixel peepers we have nowadays. Both camps are always looking for the biggest and best. As soon as a 100 MP cam comes out they are asking for 200MP. If the large format guys are shooting 5 x 7 it has to go to 8 x 10. When 8 x 10 does not satisfy their ego, they are out shopping for a banquet cam. They are never satisfied with what they have, they are always looking forward and can’t produce anything worthwhile until they get their ego fueled ‘big enough’ dream cam.

Flatbed scanned 35mm color neg film is equal to about 4MP shot with a P&S cam. Isn’t that something that so many iconic photos were produced with such a low res media?

http://www.photographycompared.tumblr.com/

At the time I am writing this Adobe just came out with Lightroom 6. What are the camera fondlers discussing on the forums? What do you want in Lightroom 7. Lightroom 6 is just being shipped.  I am still using Lightroom 3, 4 and 5. There is a tremendous satisfaction if you can get settled with your gear and just concentrate on producing great photography. Now, if you can’t produce, then you must look elsewhere to occupy your mind…aka camera fondling.

Really, Lightroom 3 does all I need.

Some of the large format devotees seem to forget about all the missed photos their ego blocks them from capturing. They wont accept anything less than big, beautiful, sharp, boring photos of nothing. I suffered from that sickness when I was in my teens. I call it my ‘Edward Weston period.’ I put my pride in sharpness…and boring photos.

When I was a kid I had wanted to be a fashion / studio photog. It took many years to accept the fact that I didn’t have any talent in those areas. All my talent was in documentary photography. Once I accepted that I flourished and never looked back.

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/biography-of-daniel-d-teoli-jr/

Below are samples from my artists’ book De Wallen: Amsterdam’s: Red Light District. They are all 100% candid shots. Photography is banned in the Red Light District.  If your caught taking photos you can run into physical harm or at least lose your cam or memory card. Of course, dealing with all these problems IS the specialty of the expert documentary photographer whose job it is to bring home the best possible images under adverse conditions.

I used the Fuji X-E1 for the photos. If I shot the Fuji like a Fuji I would have got nothing. I shot the Fuji like a Leica…then it produced. This is where my 47 years of experience paid off. The Fuji was designed by a bunch of camera fondling engineers. Terrible design for hardcore street / doc work.

My full review is here:

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2015/05/12/the-fuji-x-at-large/

Now, I’m not saying large format is bad for everyone. Some large format people produce fantastic work. But a lot of the large format work I see on the net is nothing special. I do like the work of Ansel, Linda Connors, Emmet Gowin, Irving Penn, Dan Winters, Sally Mann, Shelby Lee Adams, O. Winston Link, Gregory Heisler and others like lesser known Gandolfi and Ed Ross.

Looking back on my body of work, I did take a photo or two where I wish I would have been a little more anal when I shot it…

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2015/04/07/the-last-of-its-kind-the-sculpted-or-textured-roofs-of-los-angeles/

But in the big picture, walking down the street carrying all that crap, lenses, film holders, in a giant aluminum box with a heavy tripod, and getting under the dark cloth in skid row alleys was a terrible idea. I lost a lot of time and photos feeding my ego with large format.

Here is a masterpiece from O.Winston Link.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a1/OW_Link,_Hotshot_Eastbound.jpg

Here is O. Winston Link…a good photo for illustrating the anal personality of the large format photog.

http://www.carolinaarts.com/owlink1-999.jpeg

But, the grand prize for ‘analness’, when it comes to freezing time, has to go to Ron Fricke. When he shot his movie Samsara, the small crew had to lug around 70 pieces of cargo…to 26 countries.

http://photohostsnapshots.tumblr.com/image/123547096728

If your still not sure if you fit into the anal large format crowd, get a copy of Shelby Lee Adams DVD The True Meaning of Pictures. Do you identify with his anal nature? Would you go back and keep re-shooting a shot for years until you feel you have perfected it? If so, by all means go large format…your anal!

But before you make the move to large format, see some footage of Cartier-Bresson in action. Now you have been exposed to the alpha and the omega and you can better see what may be your direction.

View camera or not…I don’t want to be like this guy even with 35mm…

http://photohostsnapshots.tumblr.com/image/113425509218

THIS…is how I roll…

http://photohostsnapshots.tumblr.com/image/119353544033

For me perfection happens in a fraction of second and is only marginally perfect. By the time the large format photog takes off his lens cap and farts, I’ve created an iconic photo. That is the essence of street and documentary photography.

This shot was gone in two blinks of the eye!

Deer Still Life copyright 2014 Daniel D. Teoli Jr. – taken with Fuji X-E1

Photogs are a pretentious bunch…aren’t we. Everyone has strong opinions one way or another. Photogs have to have a certain amount of ego, esp street photogs. You have to be a little ‘off your rocker’ anyway to be a good street photog. Even landscapers have to be decisive and not wishy-washy. We are all cut from the same cloth…we have to decide when to push the button. We are all sisters and brothers of one family…we freeze time.

Ego is a problem when it hurts your ability to freeze time in the best way possible. I don’t care what cam is used, color / BW, film or digital. Whatever does justice to a subject best. Just don’t let ego ruin a photo.

Ernst Hass on the subject…

“There are black and white snobs, as well as colour snobs. Because of their inability to use both well, they act on the defensive and create camps. We should never judge a photographer by what film he uses- only by how he uses it.”

Personally I have always loved Leica, Nikon F and Hasselblad film cams as my first choice. But as time marches on you have to keep up with it or be left in the dust.

Here are a couple from the Leica Monochrom…

Candid photo taken with Leica on Staten Island Ferry

from The Americans…60 years after Frank artist’s book by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

…I used up my full anal limits of waiting 5 minutes for someone to walk by.  (The more anal street ‘shadow specialist’ will wait 30 or 40 minutes for a person to walk into or out of a shadow.)

Anyway, enuf talk. If I do any more writing I may catch a case of Sontagitis! You can read this if you want to hear more about photographers and their ‘opinions.’

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2015/05/10/opinions-are-like-assholes-everyones-got-one/

In summation…

Cameras are tools for freezing time. Some tools are better than others for the job. No one will argue against that. But, unless you have some specialized project that requires a zillion MP so you can make wall size photos of your smoky water with the obligatory dock and sunset or burning steel wool photo – one cam is as good as the next if they both have the ability to do the job.

Camera fondlers, fan boys and anal pixel peepers…all things being equal…it is the photographer and not the camera!

Stop looking for excuses outside of yourself as to why you produce nothing worthwhile…look within.

Further reading:

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2015/04/28/the-red-dot-is-not-your-problem-you-are-the-problem/

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2015/07/27/self-defense-for-the-street-photographer/

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Amsterdam – Transvestite Prostitute

Tags

180, 180 the circular fisheye at large, amsterdam, d.teoli, Dan Teoli, daniel d. teoli jr, homosexual, prostitutes, prostitution, red light district, social documentary photography, Teoli, transgender, transvestite

From 180: The circular fisheye at large! artists’ book by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

Meet on the street…shoot at the home.

Tags

1970's, 1970's los angeles, 6x6, A cleaning woman at home., An American Nazi in her bedroom, and even had a shrunken head hanging in his window, annette weeks, art, artists' book, available light photography, ‘Captain Jim’ had a tattoo parlor in downtown L.A., babs lemay, Back in the 70’s photography was esoteric…now a toddler can do it…even a monkey can do it!, Back in the stone age, barbara lemay, Barbara LeMay aka Sam Leslie Hoover aka ‘Glamazon’, barroom madonna, biker, bikers mardi gras, burt reynolds, burt's devotee, Can you imagine trying to get a shrunken head past customs nowadays?, captain of wall street 90014, chiaroscuro, children of weegee, christmas in compton, Cold Water Flat, crazy, Dan Teoli, daniel d. teoli jr, daniel teoli jr, decisive moment, documentary photography, Final Inspection Before a Date, gay, gender bender, gypsy woman, hakenkreuz in a dress, hasselblad swc, He showed me…I shot it., He was an old merchant marine. He had been all around the world, his perfect woman, Hollywood, homeless, homeless l.a., homosexual, I met the ‘Captain’ on Wall Street in downtown L.A. almost 40 years ago., I suspect as long as the electric is on, I would never know what I would find at their home., I'm effectively shut down. They are self-sufficient and don't need me., It was too hot and cramped in the apartment, jennifur, lgbtq, los angeles, Many people have to make their home on the street. This fellow died 40+ years ago. Let me honor his memory here..., masturbation, medium format, meet on the street shoot at the home, monochrome, nazi, Nowadays people are pretty paranoid, our cameras used mechanical shutters. They worked like a clock work mechanism and made a buzzing sound. The longer the exposure, Pensioner Skid Row, photojournalism, pole dancer, queen, queer, so we went on the roof., social documentary photograp, social documentary photography, street photography, street portrait, stripper on rooftop, sylvia haskins, Teoli, The Barroom Madonna, the longer the buzzing., The poor photogs on the photo forums think I stage these. They can't conceive of anything like this unless it is all contrived., things wont change, This was shot with a Hasselblad Super Wide C., tramp with white fingernails, tramp with white fingernails in the style of daido moriyama, transgender, transvestite, traveling transvestite, weegee, You never run out of subjects and digital allows for almost limitless prolificiny., You never run out of subjects and digital allows for almost limitless prolificity.

Article Dedication

In honor of

Wayne F. Miller & Eugene Richards

<><><><>

As a social documentary photographer my preferred method of operation was to ‘Meet on the street…shoot at the home.’ I would meet people that interested me on the street or otherwise and then set out to photograph them at their homes. Many of my best images came from this way of shooting. I would never know what I would find at their home.

‘Crazy’ ~ Los Angeles, CA 1975

‘Crazy’ was his club name. I never found out his real name. I was going to give him a copy of this photo in exchange for his letting me photograph him. But, within the week or so it took me to get it developed and printed, he had left town.

‘Captain Jim’ ~ Los Angeles, CA 1974  

‘Captain Jim’ had a tattoo parlor in downtown L.A. When walking by it one night, I asked if I could shoot him. This was shot with a Hasselblad Super Wide C. I was thinking about giving up on the 4 x 5 Toyo View by this time and was testing the waters with 6 x 6.

‘Traveling Transvestite’ ~ Hollywood, CA 1974

‘Pensioner Skid Row’ Los Angeles, CA 1974

He was an old railroad worker. His kitchen was a hotplate in front of him and he cooked rice and beans or soup as he looked out his window. He lived in a cold water flat with the bathroom down the hall. I saw him in the open window looking down at me on the street. So I yelled up to him and asked if I could photograph him. He agreed and I got my pix.

‘Gypsy Woman’ ~ Hollywood, CA 1973

Back in the stone age, our cameras used mechanical shutters. They worked like a clock work mechanism and made a buzzing sound. The longer the exposure, the longer the buzzing. Every time I shot off an exposure, the dog would move its head to look for the noise.

‘Jenny’ ~ Los Angeles, CA 1972

‘Burt’s Devotee’ ~ Los Angeles, CA 1974

This is not a staged photograph. Everything is as exactly as shown.  In this case, I just asked him why he liked Burt Reynolds so much. He showed me…I shot it.

‘Stripper on Rooftop’ ~ Hollywood, CA 1974

It was too hot and cramped in the apartment, so we went on the roof.

‘Christmas’ ~ Hollywood, CA 1971

‘Sylvia Haskins’ ~ South Los Angeles, CA 1972

A cleaning woman at home.

‘Babs’ ~ Hollywood, CA 1974

Barbara LeMay aka Sam Leslie Hoover aka ‘Glamazon’ (April 5, 1930 ~ 1992)

‘Hakenkreuz in a Dress’ ~ Los Angeles, CA 1973

An American Nazi in her bedroom…photograph is not staged. I have to mention this disclaimer once in a while. The poor photogs on the photo forums think I stage these. They can’t conceive of anything like this unless it is all contrived.

‘Captain of Wall Street 90014’ Los Angeles

I met the Captain on Wall Street in downtown L.A. 40 years ago. We talked for a while and I asked if I could photograph him in his room. He agreed, so we went up to his cold water flat that was painted with a green jungle scene. He was an old merchant marine and had been all around the world. He had a shrunken head hanging in the window. Can you imagine trying to get a shrunken head past customs nowadays?

‘Vietnam Vet ~ Los Angeles, CA 1974

‘Christmas in Compton’ ~ Compton, CA 1972

‘The Sunlit Slipper’ ~ Los Angeles, CA 1973

‘Final Inspection Before a Date’ ~ Hollywood, CA 1975

‘The Barroom Madonna’ ~ Los Angeles, CA 1974

‘Joe’ ~ Hollywood, CA 1974

‘Ann on Her Waterbed’ ~ Los Angeles, CA 1973

‘His Perfect Woman’ ~ Hollywood, CA 1974

‘Jennifur’ ~ Los Angeles, CA 1974

Many people have to make their home on the street. This fellow died 40+ years ago. Let me honor his memory here…

‘Tramp with White Fingernails in the Style of Daido Moriyama’ ~ Los Angeles, CA 1971

Back in the 70’s photography was esoteric…now a toddler can do it…even a monkey can do it!  I still approach people to let me into their houses to document them, but I very, very seldom get any takers.  In 2016 they project that 2 billion cell phone cams will be in operation. Nowadays everyone has a cell phone cam and a $29 inkjet printer from Wal-Mart. I’m effectively shut down. They are self-sufficient and don’t need me.

The other day I approached a person with an offer to let me make a book about them. They pulled out their cell phone and showed me some pix. They said they had 25,000+ followers on Tumblr…why would they need me?

Well, in 2015 that is just how it is. I suspect as long as the electric is on, things wont change. But, even with no in-house access from prospects, I still have 2-3 years of image files that I have never even looked at. That is the blessing and curse of digital street photography. You never run out of subjects and digital allows for almost limitless prolificity.

BTW…my backlog of work is not some harebrained scheme to let them marinate a la’ Eric Kim style. I just don’t have the time to look at them.

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2015/09/29/the-real-truth-on-marinating-your-photos/

Cartier-Bresson on the subject or marinating photos… “

Yes…Yes…Yes…photography is like that and there’s no maybes. All the maybes go to the trash. There is a tremendous enjoyment in saying yes, even if it is for something you hate. It is an affirmation…Yes!” .

Gone…Up In Smoke! – Barbara LeMay doing a reprise of the ‘hoochie show’ she performed in the carnival.

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Article Dedication

in honor of

Irving Penn & Annie Leibovitz

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” A society without jaywalkers might indicate a society without artists.”

Paul Theroux

This is a freeze frame documentation of Gone…Up In Smoke! A student film by Daniel D. Teoli Jr. made in 1975 showing Barbara LeMay doing a partial reenactment of the ‘hoochie show’ she performed in the carnival. It was my final exam film for beginning filmmaking class at Los Angeles City College.

Unfortunately, when it came time to show the film for my final exam, the film department stopped me from screening it.  The teachers said the school would shut down the film department if they allowed me to show it.

It was a different world in the 1970’s. Almost no one had tattoos or piercings. Being transgender was under the table. Tuition at L.A.C.C. cost $6.50 a semester and Cal State L.A. was $63 a trimester. For one tuition fee a student could take as many classes as they liked. Houses near the Pico / Fairfax district in L.A., that sell for a million dollars now, only cost $25,000.

 

The film was shot on Super 8mm and has gone through many cycles of degradation, although it was not that high quality to start with. I thought Gone…Up In Smoke! was lost, but it eventually surfaced after being stored for 20+ years in an outdoor garden shed at my mom’s house. When I found it, I put the film on VHS video by projecting it on a blank wall and recording it with a video camera. Years later I copied the video tape onto a DVD. For the stills you see here, I played the DVD and shot the images off the TV screen.

Synopsis of Gone…Up In Smoke!

Barbara is shown enjoying her birds. She hears a knock at the door. Richard shows up. She grabs Richard by the collar and tells him to sit down. He makes some advances towards Barbara which she rebuffs. Barbara does a little modeling for Richard. She powders her privates then hits Richard in the face with the puff. Richard has lunch while he watches Barbara model and dance around. After lunch he lights up a cigarette and offers it to Barbara. Barbara tells him she does not smoke, but is willing to smoke it ‘down below.’  The smoking is so intense that when Richard goes in for a close-up inspection he takes in a lung full of smoke. After watching Barbara smoke the cigarette, front and back, Richard is in for a shock and passes out.

I used the song Always sung by the Ink Spots for music to accompany the film. I had a more livelier version of this song to use for the original film, but it has been lost. Here is a similar version to play while you view the stills.

Filmmaking is tedious work. It requires a good deal of patience and usually lots of cooperation from others. Being kinda shy and having to deal with ADD and a dislike for tedious work, I could see making movies was not for me. The refusal of the film department to allow me to screen my film was also a big turn-off. I felt why should I waste my time making movies that no one will see. So, I gave up on film classes and went back to documentary still photography which proved to fit my personality and skills perfectly.

https://danielteolijr.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/biography-of-daniel-d-teoli-jr/

Only last month I realized what an opportunity I missed. Being friends with Barbara, I could have made an artists’ book just about her. Nowadays, with inkjet printing I pop out artists’ books like popcorn. But, back in the old days if we wanted to make a hand-printed photo book we had to do it with wet prints made in the darkroom.  We would get 2 silver gelatin prints and dry mount them back to back to make a page. I did it one time to make a book called A Family Portrait. It is very time intensive and after that, I never made another book from darkroom prints.

I also didn’t have the’ book mentality’ in me until recently. I would get one photo I liked of a subject and then quit shooting them…I was satisfied.  Barbara used to make costumes for the strippers and show girls, she had many interesting friends, her makeup and hair styling – all that could have been documented. Well, I was in my late teens and early 20’s when I knew ‘Babs’, so I just didn’t have the experience.

We can learn an important lesson from Josef Koudleka when it comes to our photography.

“What interests me is taking photographs to the maximum – the maximum that exists in a situation and the maximum that I myself can produce from it.” Koudelka goes on to say he will re-shoot a project repeatedly “to reassure me I have in fact achieved the maximum.”

From the 1981 book World Photography by Bryn Campbell.

Well, the original Super 8 film of Gone Up in Smoke has gone underground again – I tend to lose things a lot. But if and when it resurfaces, I will get a digital transfer made to post online.  In any case, I’m glad a sample of Gone…Up in Smoke! survived and I was able to share some of it with you.