THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

I like a look of agony,
Because I know it’s true;
Men do not sham convulsion,
Nor simulate a throe.
The eyes glaze once, and that is death.
Impossible to feign
The beads upon the forehead
By homely anguish strung. Emily Dickinson

30 JORDANIANS WHO ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE

I haven't had a moment to myself since returning from Ethiopia. Al-Sijill magazine is celebrating 30 Jordanians who are making a difference in this months issue. I'm shooting all 30! It almost seems like some sort of photographic game show. I am dropped off in front of a building, am told the first name of the person I am to shoot, and then I have 30 minutes to find them, select a location, set up lights, and take the portrait. It is mentally and physically exhausting working at a rate of about five per day. These are a few of my favorites; an activist dentist, a police radio dj, and the owner of a small theatre. The cover will be a collage of all 30. Coming soon.

ETHIOPIA

What a trip. Just got back from ten days in northern Ethiopia. Have a few thousand photos to go through, but here are a few that stuck out. Should have a gallery up in a few days. Go to Ethiopia!

CHEF AMANDA BARENO

This is Amanda Bareno, the new Head Chef of Vivace restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Amman. It is a terrific place to eat fine Italian food if you have more money than you know what to do with. I shot this portrait for the fine folks at Nox Magazine. Chef Amanda was very gracious in agreeing to take this photo in the walk in freezer. The flame in the pan is from burning paper towels that burnt great for about 5 seconds, then spread ash all over the place. We went through quite a few until I got the look I was after. After setting up for about 30 minutes in the cooler, and another 20 minutes of shooting, my fingers were pretty numb; a small price to pay for a shot I really like.

BEAUTIFUL CARS

Pictured above is a 1961 Lincoln Continental Convertible (same model and year as the car JFK was assassinated in), and a 1973 Lamborghini Espada S3. I shot the Lamborghini just for fun while I was waiting for another car to arrive. This beautiful Lamborghini spends its days in the bottom floor of a parking garage inside the Royal Palace.

The Lincoln has been a very important car to the Royal Family. It was used on state visits by President Habib Burgiba of Tunis, President Hafez Al Asad of Syria, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, Chancellor Kurt Waldheim of Austria, the Shah of Iran, and the King of Nepal. It also served to carry His Majesty King Abdullah II on his coronation day. The car remains "in commision" for significant occasions. I wonder if the release of my first car calendar counts as "significant".

WHO THE HELL IS THIS?

I shot the above cover last month for the wonderful folks over at U-Magazine. The funny thing is, when I went to go pick up my copy of the magazine, I didn't recognize the model. The art director really went to town on her with Photoshop. I've included the before and after shots to show her evolution. Final thought: think twice about any fantasies that involve sleeping with models!

ROYAL PAIN IN THE ASS

Well, I got the job shooting the Royal cars for an upcoming calendar. I've been working everyday inside the Royal Palace. Before you get too excited, you should know that I'm shooting in the bottom floor of a parking garage, in a makeshift studio I created out of bed sheets. My assistant speaks very little English and gets frustrated when cars take longer than an hour to shoot (though to his credit he complains in Arabic). For lighting I have three Canon Speedlites and two halogen work lights. I've created giant soft-boxes out of white sheets, eliminated ceiling reflections using black fabric strung over the cars, and balanced my lights shooting in a modified tungsten white balance and gelling my flashes with CTO's. Every car is a new challenge. I've shot six, so six more to go. I'm not a huge car person, but I fell in love with the 1955 Mercedes Gullwing pictured above. It is truly a work of art. They simply don't make things with this attention to detail anymore. It is roughly a million dollar car, and I want one! I'm also told it was the late King Hussein's favorite.

A JORDANIAN TRAGEDY

Pictured here is Jordan's most famous boxer, Mohammed Abu Khadija. The guy is massive, intimidating, and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. He grew up in the Baqa'a Palestinian refugee camp just north of Amman. It is one of the most densely populated patches of ground on earth and a very rough place. Khadija quickly rose to become Jordan's most promising boxer, training under an Iraqi coach who defected just before the first gulf war. His career highpoint came when he qualified for the 2004 Olympics in Greece. To make extra money Khadija worked as a security guard at a particularly rough coffee shop inside the camp (like the one pictured below). A few weeks before he was set to leave for the Olympics a gang of seven men entered the coffee shop and stabbed Khadija several times. He fought back and ended up killing two of them with only his hands. In the US this would clearly be self-defense, but here in Jordan he spent over a year in jail awaiting trial. He was found innocent, but by the time he was released the Olympics were over and he was too old to qualify for the 2008 games. He is now the head boxing coach for country of Jordan. Walking with him through the camp was like walking around Philadelphia with Rocky.

THE ONLY SHOT THAT WORKED

My friend Sultan graciously let me use his daughter Zaina for this shoot for Family Flavours magazine. The only problem was, all he told her was that "Uncle" Brian wants to take your photo, so she put together two different fashion outfits and rushed her dad over to my house. When she arrived and discovered how boring a proper photo shoot is, she was less than thrilled. I pumped her full of chocolates and praise, but she still had the saddest face in all the pictures. I made her a deal to take only three more shots, which she counted down with me, and I believe the picture used in the ad was the last one. Afterwords I asked her to put on one of her fashion outfits and her disposition immediately changed and I took the bottom shot. Kids!

DESPERATION INSPIRES ART

I purchased this painting yesterday from a store in Amman. It is by an Iraqi artist who recently received the rare privilege of being able to emigrate to Sweden. I've made it a point when I travel to buy a piece of art from all the countries I visit. My one requirement is that the painting must encapsulate my impression of the place. It has taken me a while to find this particular painting. You go into a store here and everything is camels and bustling street markets. This has not been my overriding impression of the Middle East. This man sits smoking a desperate cigarette, full of longing, yet lacking almost all hope for the future. Yet there remains the candle, and he clings to that as people here cling to the idea that things will get better one day. Unfortunately I hear a lot about Barack Obama making everything better, and very little about Jordanians making things better. I suppose a monarchy kills ambition the same as anti-depressants and pot do back in the States. Nevertheless, I find hope in this painting. The artist must have painted it when things seemed like they couldn't get any worse, and then fate intervened. Now he's in Sweden, perhaps a bit guilty, and certainly struggling for inspiration.

MEET HAZIM ALAEDDIN

I took the above photo for Venture business magazine. Hazim Alaeddin is CEO of Kulacom, Jordan's first wireless end to end wimax internet provider. They also have their hands in many other things like digital voice and a state of the art data center (which Hazim is standing in). Competition is tough with around 8 companies competing heavily in what is currently a relatively small but growing market. Kulacom stands out in that their business model is heavily focused on the quality of service and customer satisfaction. In a country where most businesses see customers only as dollar (or dinar) signs, this gives them a huge leg up. Their internet is fast and extremely reliable. Another big difference with Kulacom is while all other providers in the region rely on fiber optic cable somewhere in their delivery systems, Kulacom uses microwave technology. When fiber optic cables are cut (and this happens all the time in this developing nation), all the other providers go down while Kulacom stays online. They boast one of the most advanced systems anywhere in the world. When asked during the interview what Hazim attributed his success to, he mentioned only his family and the inspiring intellect of a former college roommate.

MEET AHMAD HUMEID

I met Ahmad Humeid on a shoot for Al-Sijill magazine. He is a pioneer in the field of Middle Eastern media. Ahmad started his first design studio in 1991 while still studying architecture at the University of Jordan. Since then he has been involved in various publishing, design and technology ventures in the Middle East. In 1996 he was part of the founding team of Arabia.com, the Arab region’s first internet based portal.

His current Amman based design firm, Syntax, works with companies as well as governmental, non-governmental and international organizations to create innovate brands, design and user experiences. Syntax recently handled the branding and web design for the city of Amman.

In late 2005, Ahmad co-founded TootCorp, a web venture focusing on the potential of self-publishing and user-created media. In 2006, TootCorp launched Ikbis.com, the first Arab photo and video sharing site, which was described by Newsweek magazine as the Arab YouTube. His writings can be found at www.360east.com where he maintains a very popular blog. He also owns one of only 4 Smart cars in the country of Jordan.

ALL THE KING'S CARS

It's good to be King. It means having nice things, like a 5 story underground parking garage filled with cars like these. Of course, these are the cars that weren't nice enough to make it into the museum down the street, or into his majesty's personal parking garage filled with the cars he uses. In the "overflow" garage next to the car featured above was a Lincoln that was a gift from President Nixon.

This shoot was a test to see if I could handle the actual job which is to photograph 12 of the King's nicest cars for a calender. I was told very little beforehand, only that I was going to shoot cars. I ended up inside the Royal Palace. The only ID I had on me was a credit card. Imagine a foreigner being let onto the grounds of the White House after showing a credit card. It got me in and thus started the challenge of shooting highly reflective shiny things with three flashes and a small bag of light shaping tools. The jury is still out as to whether I passed the test, but I really hope I do. There is a bit of irony in shooting cars when for the first time in my life since I was fifteen I don't even own one. Perhaps I can work out a trade for Nixon's Lincoln!

A LODGE LIT BY CANDLES

I was back in Jordan less than 12 hours before I found myself in a car heading down to shoot Feynan Ecolodge in the Dana Biosphere Reserve, about 3 hours south of Amman. The lodge was named one of the top ecolodges in the world by National Geographic Adventure. It can only be accessed by 4 wheel drive or by hiking in 4 hours. The lodge by day is nice, with basic amenities and good aesthetic design, but by night it takes on an entirely different feel. Local Bedouin run Feynan and spend the day molding around three hundred candles that illuminate the lodge at night. It is quite romantic, or so my 4 other male travel companions concurred. My favorite part was the roof. It is scattered with mattresses so you can take in the unpolluted night sky. It also makes for a hell of a place to have a cup of tea.

THE MOST BIZARRE PLACE ON EARTH?

I know this is a big claim, but through all my travels, I think it may be true. The House on the Rock is located 7 miles south of Spring Green, Wisconsin. It all started as a unique house that was built atop of Deer Shelter Rock by an eccentric man named Alex Jordan. The house itself is a small part of the current attraction, but one of the most interesting. It features low ceilings throughout, self playing music machines, is dimly lit in blues and reds, and utilizes locally quarried stone for the walls and furniture. As the house itself became a popular attraction, Jordan began collecting and expanding. His collection of stuff takes another full 3 hours to view. He has model ships, doll houses, guns, self playing music machines, armor, the world's largest carousel, a steam engine, million pieces of miniature circus people, a three story whale, massive carved ivory statues, and the list goes on. It is imagination and consumerism gone wild. I don't think there is a more American attraction anywhere. Alex Jordan was a man who bent reality to his will, creating wealth, but more importantly, a legacy. And he did it all by buying lots and lots of interesting stuff!

CORPORATE GREED CAUGHT OUT ON A LEDGE

Today I visited a well known Chicago landmark, the Willis Tower. Maybe you've never heard of it. Perhaps you know it by it's old name, the Sears Tower. In March 2009 a London-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings, Ltd., agreed to lease a large portion of the Sears Tower and as part of the agreement obtained the building's naming rights. On July 16th, 2009, at 10:00 am Central Time, the building was officially renamed Willis Tower. On August 24th, 2009 I refused during the entire duration of my visit to call the building by its stupid new name. How do you get away with renaming a famous American landmark after your crappy foreign company? Answer: As enraged as I was, I still had to admit that the newly installed "don't hate us" Skyboxes, which are glass boxes that extend out over the building with a clear view 103 stories down, are pretty cool. What happened to you Sears? You used to be cool. You could have built Skyboxes, but somehow you were led astray into the land of Lee jeans and $20.00 shoes.

IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD

It's not often that you can find yourself having a deeply religious experience flanked on all sides by tourists with cameras. Yesterday I visited St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, considered by many to be the holiest of all churches in Christendom. Catholics have always done a great job at overwhelming you with the grandeur of their churches, and St. Peter's is the grandest of all I've seen. But it wasn't the size that moved me, it was the light. The light in this church enters in the form of angelic crepuscular rays that played with my soul. Maybe it's because I deal with light for a living, that I tend to revere great light, but I felt as if God was in those beautiful rays spilling out onto the marble floor. It was spectacular. I wanted to clear everyone out of the church and be alone with my thoughts and that light. The closest I came was finding a secluded corner where I felt I could sit and privately have a moment. I wasn't there two minutes before a guard came over and asked me to stand up. If I spoke Italian I would have told him that God said it was OK.

MY FAVORITE SPOT IN JORDAN

Watching the sunset from the rolling mountains overlooking the Dead Sea has got to be on of my favorite things here in Jordan. It's beautiful, quiet, religious, and peaceful. When visiting, I alway go to the mountain adjacent to Mt. Nebo, because there's nothing on it. It looks like it did thousands of years ago when famous prophets were also inspired by the view. Nebo, the spot where Moses saw the holy land and died, closes at 6 pm and is cluttered with buildings. The holiness of that land requires more imagination.

JORDANIAN ODDITIES

Every place has its quirks, and Jordan is no exception. Here are just a few observations I made while walking through the mall yesterday.

First, Amman is home to just about every large chain restaurant we have in the US. Here these chains are expensive and are considered very nice places to eat, reserved for special occasions. With the exception of most not serving alcohol and none serving pork, they look just about the same. What makes Friday's different is that their name doesn't make any sense in the Arab world. The end of the work week here is Thursday. Thursday is the day everyone has to endure until, and then celebrate on after work has ceased. So the whole notion of, "in here it's always Friday" is stupid. In here it's always Saturday? Who cares. What they are saying is, "in here you will feel like shit because of all the partying you did the night before".

Photo two is a coke machine inside a very expensive gym. Run for an hour, then enjoy an ice cold coke. Red Bull is also available for purchase if you need a little extra energy on the front end of your workout.

And finally, Chix-filet, but this time it's not another American chain. This is a knock-off of an American chain. Knocking something off is extremely common here; from DVDs to watches to restaurants. Intellectual property seems to be one of the most common victims. Some magazines here are composed entirely of photos taken from Google images. In fact, some graphic designers spend hours meticulously removing watermarks from stock images in order to save the company from spending the $50.00 for the legal right to use them.

JULY NOX TEAR SHEETS

It was a fun month shooting for Nox magazine. They gave me my first feature here shooting a large desert rave called Distant Heat in Wadi Rum. They ran it as an eight page spread and even put a little tiny photo of mine on the cover. I really felt that my Distant Heat photos were a nice compliment to an excellent article written by a local artist named DJ Hasan, who graciously provided my transportation to the event.

THE MOST EXPENSIVE 70 MILES ON EARTH

Yesterday I went on an overnight trip to Tel Aviv, Israel with a friend. From Amman, Tel Aviv is only 70 miles away. We were told a cheaper alternative to flying was using the border VIP service that gets you rapidly across the border and over to the coast. This information is incorrect. The total transportation costs to transit 140 miles (there and back) was $1047.00 USD, and it was a complete pain in the ass. Here's how the costs break down:

$140.00 each way for an ex-mukhabarat general to drive us from Amman to the border; approximately 30 miles. This is important because without someone with connections at the border, your passport will be stamped by the Jordanians and leave a trace that you've been to Israel. That trace turns your passport into a useless collection of stamps. Most Arab countries will not allow you into their country if you've been to the land of the Jews. Slip an additional $30.00 to the guy behind the desk that doesn't stamp the passport. $15.00 for the exit tax from Jordan. Now comes the interesting part. People have spent days waiting to cross this border into overly-paranoid Israel. So both sides came up with what amounts to a legal bribe they call the "VIP" service. For $190.00 each way we were sped through customs and provided a private car for the roughly 1 mile drive between borders. We also got one free bottle of water. Once in Israel, our ride to Tel Aviv was not there, so we had to take a bus to Jerusalem ($20.00). Luckily the man my friend was meeting happened to be in Jerusalem, or we would have had to spend another $100.00 for a taxi to Tel Aviv.

The next morning at 9:30 am we were met by a taxi that drove us the 40 miles back to the Jordanian border at the bargain rate of $232.00. Another $190.00 for the VIP service, and $90.00 for the exit visas. No cost to get hassled by a 20 year old Israeli with an M-16 about why we don't want any trace of Israel in our passport. Surprisingly no bribe for the Jordanians not to stamp our passport with an entry stamp. And finally, another $140.00 for our secret police ride back to Amman. As stated before, one night in Tel Aviv cost $1047.00 just for land transportation and bribes. I came across a perfect metaphor for this experience in the Welcome to Israel magazine. On the first page is a "warm" welcome from the Minister of Tourism, and his cold emotionless expression says to me, "did you have fun getting here assholes?"

JULY AL-SIJILL TEAR SHEETS

SADDAM HUSSEIN: THE HERO, THE MARTYR

A few days ago I shot a junk market in the Baqa'a Palestinian camp north of Amman. There are ten official Palestinian camps here in Jordan, and conditions within them are only slightly better than being homeless. In Baqa'a, residents scour the trash cans in Amman and sell whatever junk they find: broken cassette tapes, dismembered dolls, a phone cord. The residents are also very outspoken about their dislike of Jews, Isreal, and America's support of said country. The bookstore owner pictured above asked to see my camera and after I handed it to him, told me he was keeping it. When I protested he said, "this is what the Jews did with our land". Point taken. He then insisted I take a free book and the poster pictured above, which reads, "Saddam Hussein: the hero, the martyr". Every day here is an education. Tyrant + misguided American imperialism = hero.