That is the question that most often separates people from their dreams. How do I make enough money to survive? How to I get from the starting line to the finish line? It seems like most, if not all the people I encounter want some kind of guarantee regarding their dreams. That it won’t be [...]]]> How?

That is the question that most often separates people from their dreams. How do I make enough money to survive? How to I get from the starting line to the finish line? It seems like most, if not all the people I encounter want some kind of guarantee regarding their dreams. That it won’t be too difficult of stressful. That after a short period of uncertainty all will be revealed and they will live their lives in perfect happiness. Anything short of that is too risky to chance.

Anyone who has worked on something ambitious can tell you that is not reality. How is not the most important question. How is what life is structured to figure out. No, the two most important questions are What and Why?

What do you want to do with your life? What do you want to accomplish? What do you what to be remembered for? A fairly big slice of humanity never answers the question what. Some because of circumstance; many because they fear the answer of their own dreams.

Why do you want to do this? That’s the twin of the question of what. Why is about motivation, what is about destination. Both are important questions to answer in order to start the process of living your life, not someone else’s.

Let’s say you want to go to Cairo. That’s the important thing, not how you will get there. You could take a boat, a plane, a train or a camel. There are lots of ways to get to Cairo but you will never get there if you don’t know that you want to go in the first place and then make the choice to go. No one is going to walk up to you one day on the street and ask “how can I help you fulfill your dream?” You have to make that happen for yourself.

How is the way people rationalize not pursuing that which they are passionate about. “If I don’t know all the steps between here and there, how can I possibly take such a risk?” Indeed. But isn’t that the point of doing something risky? How will I make enough money? How will I find clients? How will I find financing? It’s not that these questions are unimportant, it’s just that they will be answered in due time, not at the outset of the journey. You have to trust in yourself, in your talents and ability to solve problems. You can plan before you start but at some point one must begin. Don’t let how get in the way or what and why.

It feels like a llama kind of day, doesn’t it?

Amazon Kindle (or any good [...]]]> What kind of camera do you use? I hear that a lot. It’s not really all that important since everyone needs to fits the equipment that fits their goals. What does tend to translate are the non photographic items. Here is my 2010 list of cool stuff you need to get…

Amazon Kindle (or any good eBook reader) $189 or $139

This is perhaps the single most useful item I have purchased in the past two years. I love to read and when i am on the road, taking the subway to a shoot or meeting or just at home the Kindle is a great way to pass the time. The price is right and you can hold thousands of books on it not to mention subscribe to great magazines like the Economist and newspapers like the International Herald Tribune. It’s small and light and easier to carry around than most paper backs. If you read and you travel this is a must have.

Vapur Water Bottle $8.95

This little guy is great. As you mother would say: drink more water! But save money and the environment by using this roll up reusable water bottle. It weighs nothing empty and takes up less room the more you drink from it. Perfect for fitting in your bag or even a jacket pocket. You never want to be caught without enough water and this is a great solution…

Swiss Tech 6 in 1 Key $12.95

Need a screwdriver? How about a bottle opener? A knife? Something to fix your eye glasses? This little baby has all that and more. It fits on your key ring and it passes right through an airport scanner. I’ve had one for years now and it has come in handy more times than I can count.

Samsung Vibrant/Galaxy S $69-$500

This is the smart phone to get, all due respect to Apple. It features a 4″ SAMOLED screen which is great for viewing in daylight. A super fast processor and 16gb of storage plus a slot for a micro SD card. It supports fast 3G in the US  AND Europe!!! Plus it runs the Android operating system which, trust me, is the wave of the future. Plus T Mobile will unlock it for you so you can take it overseas without a problem. It’s light and thin and there is even a variant that has a physical keyboard. I’ve been loving this phone since I got it about a month ago. I use the GPS and Google Maps while traveling and I’ve retired my batch of physical maps. Right now I would argue this is the best phone on the market…

eGear PICO Zipper Light $9.70

This little guy fits on the zipper of your jacket or on your keyring. Don’t be fooled this thing is really bright. We’ve all been in situations where we could use some light and this fits the bill. Small enough that you forget you have it but powerful enough to light up you path in the forest.

These little items have all found a place in my life and have made that life a little bit easier as well. They get the Damaso Seal of Approval!

Street art. Vienna, August 2010

“Police Everywhere, Justice Nowhere.”

“Nature must not win the game, but she cannot lose…” C G Jung.

You might have noticed but I have a thing for surveillance. It is a reoccurring theme in my work, especially in New York after September 11th. I like taking photographs of cameras and I an really interested in the reaction people have to being photographed.

Always [...]]]>

Big Brother is your friend. Subway, NYC. August 2010

You might have noticed but I have a thing for surveillance. It is a reoccurring theme in my work, especially in New York after September 11th. I like taking photographs of cameras and I an really interested in the reaction people have to being photographed.

Always on guard. Lower Manhattan. August 2010

As a photographer I am constantly watching others. What’s interesting is that for the most part people ignore official surveillance but can become very upset when they see me photographing them. The reality is that every one of us is photographed and recorded hundreds, if not thousands of times a day. My attitude is what’s one more?

One Nation, Under Watch. Times Square 2007

Of course being photographed can be a deeply unsettling experience. Perhaps because I am face to face with my subjects they sometimes feel they can express their general unease at being constantly documented at a real live human being?

Red, White and Blue. Brooklyn 2009

]]> http://damaso.com/blog/2010/08/18/ill-be-watching-you/feed/ 0 http://damaso.com/blog/2010/08/17/public-faith-public-protest/ http://damaso.com/blog/2010/08/17/public-faith-public-protest/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:27:11 +0000 Damaso http://damaso.com/blog/?p=1021

This is from my first afternoon back in Vienna. As you can see there is plenty to photograph…

I hope you had as much fun this weekend as she did…