wormy partitions
Archive week, pandemic period.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
April 22 found me wandering around industrial Maspeth and returning back to Astoria via 58th street/Woodside Avenue. It also found me peering through the fence at one of the Calvary Cemeteries (#4, I think) and setting the camera up. As mentioned previously, one had been using the endless quarantine hours to practice certain photographic techniques under the controlled circumstance at HQ and this was one of the first shots “in the field” that I put them to work.
Everywhere I’ve walked to for the last 100 days or so has been predictably deserted, which is why they’ve been destinations. Unfortunately, in order to get back to my neighborhood, you need to walk through other neighborhoods. People = Cooties.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On May 3rd, the Maspeth Plank Road received a visit. The weather had just begun to warm up, although the end of the Quarantine Tribulations were still nowhere in sight. This is when I stopped wearing my filthy black raincoat and just had a sweatshirt on over t shirt and the usual multi pocketed pants. Within a couple of weeks, it was a short sleeve shirt. By this point, incidentally, that stimulus check was long spent. Haven’t earned a penny in months, me, and I’m still waiting on the Unemployment/Pandemic people to actually send me a check.
If you haven’t already, and can afford to, please consider ordering my photo book at the link below, as I could really use the cash.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
May 20th found one at the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek in Long Island City again. Time and again, when I stagger out into the world with no particular destination in mind, my feet will just carry me here. Several times in fact, I suddenly realized this is where I was heading while I was worrying about my finances, the state of the world, COVID, my elderly dog’s health – whatever happened to be assailing me that particular day.
Luckily, I happened to be there for a particularly nice interval – light wise – when several trees were flowering. Back next week with some fresh photos, places, stories at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
Note: I’m writing this and several of the posts you’re going to see for the next week at the beginning of the week of Monday, June 22nd. My plan is to continue doing my solo photo walks around LIC and the Newtown Creek in the dead of night as long as that’s feasible. If you continue to see regular updates as we move into April and beyond, that means everything is kosher as far as health and well being. If the blog stops updating, it means that things have gone badly for a humble narrator.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
meager iron
Archive week, pandemic period.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Returning from a walk one evening, I encountered an FDNY Ambulance screaming past me, on April 4th, specifically. This was about the high water mark for such activity in Astoria, by my observation, during the first and second weeks of April. Most of the shops on Broadway were closed, and in a few of the open ones you encountered unfamiliar workers filling in for people who were home sick.
The skies really started to clear, as automotive traffic and air travel fell off.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On April 8th, one found himself in a place which would often be visited during the tribulation, the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek. Right around this period, I started seeing groups of muscle cars speeding around the industrial zone at night.
As mentioned in the various postings offered during the pandemic, one has been avoiding the customary usage of headphones. The deserted streets required vigilance, and a few encounters with “crazies” occurred while I was out there in the darkness. Occupational hazard always, malign elements of the street have enjoyed somewhat free reign during this period. Look at the graffiti which has appeared just about everywhere if you don’t believe me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was hanging around at HQ, working on how to shoot the star fields visible for the first time in my life here in NYC on April 11, when the surrounding street began to flash crimson. Unfortunately, one of my next door neighbors who had been sick with COVID found her condition deteriorating and needed to go the hospital. After the EMT’s suited up in protective gear, they wheeled in a stretcher and soon they ambulance was loaded up and off they went in a flashing screaming hurry. She has since recovered, thankfully.
It’s around this period that some life began returning to Broadway in Astoria. A few of the shops reopened, and supply lines began to open back up accordingly. You could go to a fruit stand or grocery store rather than a supermarket, and a slight uptick in pedestrian and automotive traffic was noticed.
Note: I’m writing this and several of the posts you’re going to see for the next week at the beginning of the week of Monday, June 22nd. My plan is to continue doing my solo photo walks around LIC and the Newtown Creek in the dead of night as long as that’s feasible. If you continue to see regular updates as we move into April and beyond, that means everything is kosher as far as health and well being. If the blog stops updating, it means that things have gone badly for a humble narrator.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
unhallowed garret
Archive week, pandemic period.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Both the shot above and the one directly below were captured on March 31 on the night time walks one was taking during the pandemic tribulations. In both cases, on a technical note, my inexperience with the modern version of photoshop’s particular vagaries resulted in a distracting moire pattern emerging the sky areas of the shots. In addition to receiving news of a death in my extended family due to the virus, and hearing about more and more friends coming down with it, a personal problem of far less gravity has been afflicting me. Right at the beginning of the plague, a mechanical issue began affecting my work horse Macintosh tower, and it has been down ever since. I’ve been working off a spare laptop, which required creating a predictable environment for my “digital darkroom.” There’s been a few growing pains. Oops.
I seem to recall that this is right around when the pandemic got political. Coke vs Pepsi dynamics popped up. I advocate going green, since Ginger Ale is delicious.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is also right about when that bizarre siren display was activated on the Empire State Building, which gave the nocturnal and deserted landscape of NYC a science fiction vibe. The reality was that we were entering into a period of science fact and deepening economic hardship. It felt like the bottom fell out. This was also about when all of this teleconferencing business really kicked into gear.
Time began to slip and nobody could remember what day it was anymore. On the financial hardship note, this is also right about when I realized that my rather aggressive tour schedule for 2020 was going to have be abandoned.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
April 2nd is when I found myself on the Pulaski Bridge over Newtown Creek capturing the shot above. A point was made of framing the Empire State Building into compositions whenever I could, which is never a terrible idea, in order to “set” the image firmly into the pandemic timeline.
More tomorrow.
Note: I’m writing this and several of the posts you’re going to see for the next week at the beginning of the week of Monday, June 22nd. My plan is to continue doing my solo photo walks around LIC and the Newtown Creek in the dead of night as long as that’s feasible. If you continue to see regular updates as we move into April and beyond, that means everything is kosher as far as health and well being. If the blog stops updating, it means that things have gone badly for a humble narrator.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
festering horror
Archive week, pandemic period.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While the tribulation was really gearing up, my walks around Western Queens continued. As mentioned yesterday, one is feeling a bit reflective about the recent months, and the shots presented this week were recently gathered and some presented before. On the 18th of March, one wandered around the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek in Long Island City. The skies were starting to change a bit, and stars became visible to the naked eye. I began to notice troops of Raccoons walking around like they owned the street, and those dickweed Canada Geese reappeared.
The most notable thing, to me, was the quiet. With automotive traffic reduced by an enormous percentile, the “buzz” of NYC disappeared. It was not unpleasant, but you could hear Ambulance sirens screaming from miles away in all directions. Things had just gotten grim.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Returning from a shorter walk on March 22nd, a blazing inferno was encountered around the corner from my house. Whereas I originally thought I didn’t know anyone who lived there, it turns out a friend of a friend was made homeless by this fire. The office of Jimmy Van Bramer was made aware of the situation, who helped find some temporary shelter for them, I’m told.
This is about when I started receiving news about friends or family who had come down with Covid, and when people in the extended network of “people I talk to” began to relay horror stories. It’s also when I started seeing EMS personnel wearing surgical gowns, respirator masks, and face shields over their uniforms in Astoria.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Late March was when I decided to just hang around HQ for a few days. The weather was crappy, and a decision to perfect certain photo techniques which I’d previously dabbled in was arrived at. Controlled environment practice is critical for pulling something off in the field, with its myriad distractions. Over the years, I’ve taken a LOT of pictures of that bodega, here in Astoria.
The one just above was captured on March 28th.
Note: I’m writing this and several of the posts you’re going to see for the next week at the beginning of the week of Monday, June 22nd. My plan is to continue doing my solo photo walks around LIC and the Newtown Creek in the dead of night as long as that’s feasible. If you continue to see regular updates as we move into April and beyond, that means everything is kosher as far as health and well being. If the blog stops updating, it means that things have gone badly for a humble narrator.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
fever brought
Archive week, pandemic period.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The last time I had to attend a meeting in person was March 10, and as it later turned out – one of the people at the meeting already had COVID. She’s recovered, thank goodness, but like a lot of my friends who have come down with this bug, describes an extended period of recovery from it with a distinct set of medical symptoms different from the active fever period. There’s a reason the word novel is in its name, I guess. One has not been tested for the virus, yet, but I’ve got a doctor’s appointment next week for a routine checkup and they’ll be taking blood anyway…
This week, I’m feeling kind of reflective on the recent tribulations, so I thought it might be interesting to review where I’ve been and what I was taking pictures of.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve been working on the whole night photography thing for a while now, so wandering around the deserted and darkened streets of Long Island City on March 14th wasn’t out of the ordinary for me. I’ve been trying to observe a day in/ day out model through the pandemic, emerging from HQ well after sunset and heading for the mostly shut down industrial zones. Few, if any, humans spreading cooties hereabouts.
It’s going to be a while, perhaps never, before someone jabs you in the butt with a needle and says “Circle, circle, dot, dot, now you’ve got the cooties shot.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This one is also from March 14th, and is (I think) from the corner of 31st street and Northern Blvd. looking towards the new Durst Organization building rising above Queens Plaza. The dream is within reach, lords and ladies – you can soon not only live in Queens Plaza you can also swim around in an infinity pool high above it.
The next morning in March, I seem to recall, is when all the bad news bombs started going off. Remember Murder Hornets and toilet paper shortages? LOL.
Note: I’m writing this and several of the posts you’re going to see for the next week at the beginning of the week of Monday, June 22nd. My plan is to continue doing my solo photo walks around LIC and the Newtown Creek in the dead of night as long as that’s feasible. If you continue to see regular updates as we move into April and beyond, that means everything is kosher as far as health and well being. If the blog stops updating, it means that things have gone badly for a humble narrator.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
The Newtown Pentacle 