Some of these photos, and some of the ones I wish I had been authorized to take, are the result of a large amount of very obnoxious bureaucratic media handling. BP might call it Public Relations. I’d call it Media Control, as there’s no relationship whatsoever, other than journalists eating up what BP says because there’s no alternative. BP is being far too totalitarian of what is photographed and released about this incident, and in the long run their lack of transparency is only going to damage their image more than it’s already hurt. In the mean time, and while I craft this piece based on some interviews that I was fortunate to get, enjoy the photos I was lucky enough to take.

There is more on the way. And I am angry, and I am ready to share.

A dead fish floats in froth created by oil sheen in Pensacola Bay, Florida.

An offshore platform near Fort Morgan, Alabama.

FSU student Bridgette Balderson holds a cup of petroleum tar found on the beach of Dauphin Island, Alabama. Tar balls reached the Alabama coast several weeks ago, prompting cleanup efforts by BP along the coastline.

Hay barriers on the shoreline near Fort Gaines, Alabama.

Bales of hay put into place by BP cleanup crews. The hay barriers will inhibit the spread of oil when it washes ashore in liquid form.

A national guard chopper flys out of a restricted beach area on Dauphin Island, Alabama.

BP cleanup crews construct large earthen berms on Dauphin Island, Alabama. As Dauphin Island acts as a natural partial barrier to the mouth of Mobile Bay, these will help to stop the flow of oil inland during high tide or hurricane season.

Crews managed by CleanHarbour, a company contracted by BP to man the skimming and monitor vessels, prepare to board boats searching for offshore oil slicks.

My escort for the duration of the photo opportunity I was granted inside the compound. While inside, I was allowed only to walk the length of the main concourse, once, and take photos. Additionally, "You are to speak to nobody. You may not ask questions, even of me. No questions will be answered."

Booms ready for deployment when oil is sighted near the shoreline of Dauphin Island. "We are getting 4000 feet of boom every other day," says a head BP cleanup executive to me during an interview.

A BP-contracted worker poses during my tour inside the cleanup compound.

Workers help each other put on protective shoe covers before tackling oil and tar balls on Dauphin Island beach. When asked how long they had been there, "We can't talk to you. We were told to tell you to contact our supervisor."

A tar ball found on Dauphin Island beach

BP cleanup crews remove oil and tar balls from Dauphin Island beach, Alabama.

A local kitesurfer enjoys one last run before the oil makes the beach unusable. Many local residents are taking advantage of the so-far little oil to take 'last swims' and enjoy the still-white sand.

Unnamed FSU students working for BP remove tar balls from Pensacola Beach, Florida. When asked their employer, "Sorry, we can't talk to you."

A bag of oil-drenched sand from Pensacola Beach, Florida.

A worker hauls a bag of oil to the disposal point at Navarre Beach, Florida.

Tar balls strewn on the shoreline at Navarre Beach, Florida. An oncoming storm forced crews to cut cleaning work until the rain and wind passed.

In the path of an oncoming thunderstorm, BP cleanup crews pack up operations into vans until the storm passes over.

The sign at Pensacola Beach, Florida, warning tourists not to take cleanup into their own hands.

As a proud native Floridian, I was and continue to be devastated by the unravelling events of the BP oil spill. So when the idea came up that I should travel to the Gulf Coast and photograph the worst environmental disaster in US history, coupled by the fact that oil’s been sighted just off the coast of Pensacola Beach, it didn’t take very much convincing to get a plan into action. So, tomorrow, as early as I can get everything I need together, I’m hopping on I-10 and making my way to the Panhandle to document the events as the unfold.

What’s been gnawing at the back of my mind, however, is that BP is being exceptionally restrictive to the media in allowing their precious oil to have its picture taken. What is even more disturbing is that local authorities are working with them to prevent the devastation from being documented. Are you kidding me? Think about it: the local authorities, whose beaches are tainted with grimy oil and whose air reeks of acrid crude, are stopping the documentation of this tragedy, not at the orders from the federal government, but from the orders of the company that caused the damage to begin with. What authority does BP have? It’s a private company: it doesn’t need to be in charge of the media, it needs to be embarrassed and humiliated. It makes my blood boil, folks.

I am still trying to decide what route, be it a photojournalist college student, or a freelancer, or an ignorant tourist, or an angry local, is going to get me the largest chance of getting onto that oil-soaked beach and taking photos. Hell, It might even involve sneaking through the woods or a swamp. I’m not above that.

I feel a huge obligation to document this. I want to show current and future generations how important it is that we hold accountable the large corporations that are defiling our natural resources, and how integral to the future of our society alternative energy needs to be. I want to show that there are faces behind the oil on those beaches, faces that belong to people whose ways of life have been ruined. I want to show people that this is the stuff that our cars and trucks guzzle, and when it’s handled irresponsibly, this is what happens.

As things evolve, I’ll keep posting. Wish me luck against the BP Media Machine.

…means that I want a darkroom right now.

Got my hands on this beautiful camera the other day. It’s widely known to be the prettiest and optically best of Yashica’s TLRs. In fact, it’s often referred to as the Japanese Rolleiflex. This thing is as solid as a rock, so much so that I’m pretty sure I could win some money if someone ever asked me to stand on it as a bet . Let’s just say that they don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

Of course, nothing comes simply to me. Shortly after purchase, I discovered that there was an issue with the shutter. Mainly that it wouldn’t release. I read somewhere that there’s a widespread issue with these that involves the self-timer and the M-setting on the flash sync, and that if you use one in conjunction with the other, the world implodes shutter becomes damaged. Awesome, right? I’m sure I had that coming from some karmic portal somewhere.

So, this weekend was devoted to disassembling [advil], studying [advil], cleaning [patience], lubing [not nearly as fun as it sounds], and reassembling [advil + advil + advil] this lovely vintage lightproof box. Five times. Every time I would put the damn thing back together, the shutter would start sticking again. For once, my roommates stayed out of my way.

And now I’m seeing the (somewhat hazy, kinda ‘perma-haze’) light at the top of the hill. I’m not sure if it’s completely fixed, but the shutter is snapping nicely at all speeds and everything seems to be working as smoothly as the day it came to life in 1968 Japan.

Once I develop some shots, I’ll be back here (and on flickr!) with some examples of what this amazing camera can do. You think your vintage 35mm Nikon has resolution? Your Mark IV? Hah. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t want any of those, mind you. Just saying that medium format film is, for good reason, alive and well.

[To each Florida Senator]:

Greetings. Is it not amazing that in this day in age, a citizen can contact every single state senator via an electronic medium virtually instantaneously? I know that when the majority of you were my age, such a technology seemed unreachable, if not simply impossible. However, here it is. In a few moments, when I click send on my email client from the comfort of my living room in Tallahassee, Florida, your inboxes will be flooded with my message.

Think about that for a moment. It’s pretty astonishing, even for someone of my nineteen years of age. Yet did such a technology happen overnight, at the hands of one individual? I’m sure you can attest that it did not. The majority of times, such innovation does not come to fruition simply by means of a single stroke of genius from one mind at one time. It takes the collaboration of many minds, over a span of time, to breed such advances.

In order to foster young minds, such as the ones that at one point developed the technology which is right now allowing you to read this message, it is imperative that such environments exist which can effectively nurture and provide academic challenge with adequate, if not excellent, resources. I did not say a single environment, mind you, but multiple environments. This is why I am writing you to ask against your support for bill S 2442, which would effectively give the University of Florida the titular honor of the flagship state university in Florida.

Surely you cannot expect that such a movement would promote a statewide environment of learning and healthy academic pursuit. In ordaining upon the University of Florida a majority of the resources ordinarily available to all of Florida’s state universities, the other 10 member institutions will suffer. This is not simply a theory, but common sense. Although the University of Florida is a very fine establishment, it is not the only option in Florida for academic success.

I digress to provide an example. Although originally from Gainesville, I am a jazz studies major at Florida State University. I applied for and was accepted to the University of Florida with a generous merit-based scholarship. I decided, however, that because the Fine Arts programs at Florida State are far superior to those at the University of Florida that I would choose to study at FSU. This is an example of how a one-size-fits-all approach to education is not a viable approach, as there is too much diversity in the student body aggregate of Florida

Allow me to clarify. I am not writing to you today because I am a student at Florida State. I am writing this message because I cannot and will not stand by while ten universities whose fine programs that tailor to individual students’ needs suffer at the hands of a bill which seems to be founded on a prejudiced bias, proposed by none other than an alumna of the University of Florida and further promoted by such alumni.

I urge you to see that the passing of this bill would ultimately hurt the entire State University System of Florida. To place all of one’s eggs in a single basket is not only foolish, but when it is done at the expense of others, corrupt and selfish. Fostering elitism hinders beneficial progress.

My generation is constantly being lauded as the one that is going to advance American society for the better; I demand that you give me and all of the Floridian members of my generation that chance by opposing bill S 2442. I need not remind you that the glory of the democratic system is behind the power of the vote.

Thank you for your time, I kindly welcome your responses.

Zachary A. Goldstein
Jazz Studies Major
Florida State University

One does not think color.

That’s why many will be surprised that out of his 50-year career, Adams spend 40 of them pursuing color alongside his mastered medium, and that by the time of his death had produced nearly 3,500 photographs in color.

Time did an excellent job on summing up the color works of Ansel Adams [new window], and anyone who loves his work will consider this a great if not surprising read.

[Hint: he was never happy with a single color photo he took... see why.]