Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/08/01
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]LAST night I went out with a monopod, a M6 and a Bessa R itching to make some photographs in the lobby of the Black Hawk Hotel. It is a residence hotel w/ 50 rooms. The lobby is appointed in oak wainscoting and a patina of smoke. A wooden Indian stands sentury. Men sit in stuffed chairs and talk or watch a TV that is mounted at an absurd height causing them to keep their chins up as they watch. The entrance to the Cypress Lounge, a bar, is via the hotel lobby. Near the Cypress entrance is a set of three classic / old telephone booths -- ones you can stand or sit in and close the door. No kiosk concept here. I took some shots of the booths, but they would have been better had someone been in a booth. Next time I will go into the Cypress and offer a free drink for someone to pose in a booth. Then I took some shots of Dewayne, a night clerk at the hotel. A month ago I took some shots of Gil, another night clerk. I am beginning to develp a rapport with the folks there evne though they look at me w/ wonder as if to say "What the hell is this guy up to? It occured to me that he Black Hawk serves an important social function: Where would these folks (mostly men) be without such affordable, safe and clean accomodations? Making photographs is gratifying on many levels, but one aspect I truly enjoy is the connection built with the people I photograph. I like the folks I am meeting at the hotel (so far!) and look forward to photographing more of their lives. Lives lived in and around the lobby of the Black Hawk Hotel, Main Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa. My latest PAW "print" is up on the web at: http://www.uni.edu/kollasch/photo/paw/pages/week-32.htm Critiques welcome on or off list mailto:matthew.kollasch@uni.edu /matt