In case you haven't noticed, we live in interesting times. One of the most interesting developments in my opinion has been the advent and ubiquitous implementation of readily-available, virtually-unlimited photography. Everything from traffic cams, security bots, constantly-operating webcams to the handy and high-quality camera in everyone's pocket. Actually, for many younger people, those devices never seem to spend much time in their pockets, for them, their always in hand.
Back in MY youth, to carry a camera around with you all day would have been seen as odd. But for a time (circa 1985) after I'd just spent about $300 (over $700 in 2019) for my Sears Brand KS SLR 35mm (made by Ricoh), I did just that, shooting pictures of mundane items like an abandoned dresser mirror on a sidewalk to the Providence skyline to my friend Lisa in a bright cobalt blue cloth winter coat with a neon orange scarf. I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday but I vividly remember Lisa in that fun and impromptu photo shoot (like she was a model) we did at Lincoln Woods State Park in the early spring of 1985. Then, back sitting on the wall in front of her house in Cumberland, her grabbing the camera and snapping one of me as my eyes blinked wearing a bright green and pink madras plaid shirt with my newly-mailed passport in my breast pocket (since I was going to West Germany to see John in a few months). Damn the mind is freakin' weird. More so the older you get.
 |
| Just like mine...strap design and all! |
But I digress...we're talking about present times, and the accepted reality that nowadays pretty much everything is being photographed at anytime. Period. Maybe with the exception of the inside of your own home and restrooms perhaps. Did I make you just peek up at the lens above your monitor? Oh, the light is off so it's not photographing you, right? Are you sure?
I read this article this morning about this guy who's got a set-up in the window of his apartment snapping a picture automatically every 30 minutes of his awesome view across the Hudson River from his Weehawken, New Jersey location. The header shot is one of his. Taken sometime between 2016 and now. He's already assembled a massive quantity of snapshots and he's compiled them into a cohesive timeline going back through the past four years. But he's not ending anytime soon. He plans of continuing with this set-up and routine for a total of 30 years! His little robo-camera operation has already documented the rise of about a dozen new skyscrapers within his scope, focused roughly on Hell's Kitchen and its environs in midtown Manhattan.
In a weird twist, I decided I'd use his view to triangulate his apartment's location and using Google Steetview, I was able to effectively take a picture of his set-up as it was taking pictures. Here it is in his window. See it in the upper right of those center windows?
And here's a look at his condo building...it's kinda older as you can see...hope it makes it another 26 years.
Here's his view, albeit street-level, but as he's only on the third floor, it isn't that far off from the vantage of his camera.
And the skyline zoomed a bit in.
So here's lookin' at you kid. Wow, in this context that Bogey quote takes on a whole new meaning.