this is garlan.

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Born in 1929, Garlan is 83 years old. The step-dad of the wife of my former employer (confusing, I know), I was asked to take some shots of him for them to have as keepsakes.

In my short time spent chatting with him every time I've been around him, I've learned he was a sailor and an adventurer to be envious of. Even within the past 20 years he was still living on a sailboat, visiting exotic locations that some of us only daydream about seeing one day. 

You all know how much I love the character in the faces of older men, and Garlan is no exception. I only hope I was able to even somewhat capture the sparkle still in his eyes.

on a rooftop in brooklyn.

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I was thinking about Brooklyn tonight. Not so much the place, but the experience of it. My trip up there in September included visits with a number of old friends, the most significant of which is my friend Kevin from high school. It had been years since we'd seen eachother, but as always, it was like we'd never spent a day apart. Two of the three people pictured in the photograph are friends of his (the third…on the left, is Kevin). One, I've known for years as well, having met him during Kevin's freshmen year at Columbia during my first visit to New York City, and the other, I'd just met. The thing that I will always adore about this particular group of friends is the immediate intimacy established as soon as you're introduced to the group. Whether an old friend or new acquaintance…you're family. I don't know why I'm reminiscing quite as much as I am about them right now. Maybe it's seeing this photo and remembering the sticky hot day in Brooklyn, sitting on the roof of their old house, sandwiched between high-rise condos. Maybe it's because I've been missing them lately. Or maybe it's just a random unearthing of the fondness I have towards this group of people. Regardless, I love this photo. Especially how you can just feel the intimacy and love in this moment between the three of them.

on the subway.

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What kind of photographer would I be if I didn't also include an obligatory shot from one of my many rides on the subway? As with the Brooklyn Bridge, the subway is another cliche shot that I'll always get if given the chance. The thing that always strikes me about riding the subway is how quiet it is. Everyone is fully engulfed in their own little antisocial world. Whether it's reading, sleeping or listening to their iPod, each person has their own invisible wall they've built to hide behind to avoid interaction with other people. It's an odd world down there in the rumbling cars of the subway.