back to normal (kinda sorta)

Now we know where He parks.
(In the Castro? Go figure.)

***

I actually am feeling lots better.
I think I have my sense of humor back, too.
I'm so looking forward to a weekend filled with plans with my little darling Chipmonkey. And our cameras.

Our plan is to see Christian's magic show, Now and at the Hour, on Saturday night at the EXIT Theatre.

We'll be at the Pride Parade early Sunday morning, hoping for fantastic candid shots like every other person wielding a camera in San Francisco and overloading Flickr on Monday morning.

We're going to see the Robert Frank exhibit at SF MOMA, The Americans, so we can have an injection of photographic inspiration. (This is my second—and certainly not the last—visit to the exhibit, so I want extra.)

***

I hope your weekend is full of adventures and fun times.
And thanks for keeping me company and checking in on me.

xoxo

***

ps.: Christian is up for Best Magician in the San Francisco Bay Guardian's "Best of the Bay 2009" reader's poll, a title which he totally deserves and I hope he wins.

For those of you who don't mind a little vote casting between now and June 30, please follow this link and enter his name, Christian Cagigal, under best magician, and he'll be so grateful.
And if you can see the show before it ends, do so as I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

The Magic Man Is Back!

There's nothing like taking a little stroll through the park, trying to get more pictures of bees and ducks (which I did, but that has to wait), when you get a text message from your friend to find out that he's been written up as the Top Pick in The Examiner. And not only that, they used one of your photos! Nature Interruptus, but I don't mind.

For those of you who have missed my earlier posts about Christian Cagigal and his creepy cool magical world, his new show "Now and at the Hour" is playing for 10 weeks at The Exit Theatre. The theatre's website is here, and you can read Christian's blog here.

If you're local, Christian's show is so worth going to see. He creates such an original, entertaining and clever environment. And there's no pulling rabbits out of hats and dorky stuff. This is cool ass magic. Tell him Tangobaby sent you.

And because I can't help it, and because I still love this photo shoot so much, I credit the guy again because he got me started taking portraits of people in the first place. Thanks, Christian, and I'll see you at the show.

My Name In Lights

Well, not really.

But it is in print! My first real printed photo credit! Yippee!

This pretty much erases my Rumplestiltskin impersonation today and the futile attempt to find a green terrycloth bathrobe.

Christian Cagigal's new show, Now and At The Hour, previews at The Exit Theatre this Friday before he takes it to the Frigid Festival in New York at the end of the month. The Pandora Experiment will be a hard act to follow, but if anyone can exceed himself, it's Christian.

Try to see him if you're in San Francisco or New York. I am! Tell him Tangobaby sent you.

More details about tickets, etc. are on his blog.

Spreading the Magic Around

I just had to share this... I'm just beyond excited.

Some of you may remember my friend Christian Cagigal, who is an amazing magician. I call him the Magic Man. Christian is not only a friend, but holds a special place in my heart because he is the first person I ever took portraits of, and totally got me hooked on taking photos of people. What a world of delight and opportunity can be created when you take photos of people.

You can see more of our original photoshoot here.

Anyway, Christian's been working on a new show, and the photo you see above is an amalgam of two photos from our original shoot. To see the image above explains a lot about Christian and his approach to the mysterious and magical in all of life.


And I'm just beside myself that I'm now a part of his creativity and his show.

Wow. The day's been a little nutty preparing for my Staycation and this just totally made things all right. It's one thing to take photos for the sheer enjoyment of what might happen, but when you can actually make something out of thin air, and help someone else, then that's really what it's all about. Thanks, Christian, for giving me this opportunity to make some magic of my own.

The Magic Man Is Back

For those of you who haven't been properly introduced, the man in the photo is Christian Cagigal, and he's a friend of mine.

I wrote about Christian a while back, because my photo session with him was what made me get so crazy inspired and excited about doing portraiture.

Last Friday was the opening night of the run of Christian's show, The Pandora Experiment. This time, I brought some buddies: the world-traveling Ms. Paris Parfait and her talented, gorgeous daughter Jordanna, my sweetie Ms. Wellspring and my other sweetie, The Boy (last but not least).

It's a bit of a challenge to write these posts about Christian and his show. I really don't want to give anything away because I want to preserve the mystery and awesomeness of what he does. Suffice to say, there's no sawing women in half, pulling rabbits out of hats or disappearing doves. No cheesy magic here.

What he does do is make you think he's reading your mind (and everyone else's in the crowd), in a creepy-cool yet innocently nostalgic setting, weaving childhood dreams and wishes with family history and seamless effects.

What Christian did not know until after the show was who my friends were in the audience. So to my complete and utter delight when he picked Ms. Wellspring to basically be the star of the end of the show, I could not help but grin even more. There are a few little extra surprises to that tale, but she tells it much better than I do, so read her post.

***

What I would love is for all of you local yokels to make it out to The Pandora Experiment before it retires for the indefinite future. This show has been very popular and this is the third incarnation of it because it's been so well-received.

But after this run, it's not going to be performed anymore, and I'd hate for you to miss out. So here are the deets. The show runs through August 16.

Please go and be sure to tell Christian that tangobaby sent you! OH, and before I forget, I'd love to help Christian get some reviewers out to see the show. For those of you who have contacts at blogs, newspapers, etc. that can help promote this show, will you do that for me? I'd thank you and I know Christian would love it!

***

And just because I really like this, here's the little trailer I made for Christian's show a while back:

Nimble Thought

I forgot, did I show you guys the little "trailer" I made for Christian's upcoming show at The EXIT Theatre?

I think it turned out pretty cool (with a little added music magic from Wes Anderson).



I'm going to see his show again, and I'm really looking forward to it. I hope you will come to the show too, if you're in town. Let me know if you are!

Reviews are here and here and The EXIT Theatre's info is here.

Magic Man

“Logic only gives man what he needs...Magic gives him what he wants.” ~ Tom Robbins

***

On Saturday, at 8a.m., on a fogged-in San Francisco morning, I think I started a whole new love affair...

With portraiture.

***

These photos are from my very first real photo shoot, not with a building or a flower, but with a willing human being, a fabulously talented and quite photogenic man named Christian Cagigal.

Christian, you may remember from an earlier post, is a magician. (And an actor as well with the famous/infamous San Francisco Mime Troupe, but right now to me he is Christian the Magician.) I met Christian after seeing his highly imaginative and enthralling one-man show, The Pandora Experiment. And now, I'm happy to say that he's a new friend, too.

***

Christian and I arranged to take some photos for the next production of The Pandora Experiment, which will be opening in late July, and then to take new photos for his show that will be premiering in New York at the Fringe Festival and which is still in development.

We wandered all over Golden Gate Park, in the mist and fog, amongst the carousel horses, thickets of trees and underground passageways, carrying two trunks filled with his magical devices. I blew through two sets of batteries and filled a 2GB memory card full of images (that's a first) and came home with several hundred photos.

I am so thrilled with the outcome. It's more than I could have even asked for on a first attempt. I feel like I've been given a magic box, and when I hold it in my hands, I can communicate with anyone in the world.

My magic box is my camera.

***

See what you think. Here's a sampling, and more can be found here.