15th & Harrison Mural – Oakland

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to see a mural going up on a big wall in the parking lot on 15th & Harrison in downtown Oakland. I stopped by throughout the day and snapped some photos of the progress. The mural is a collaboration by Chicago based artists, Clam Nation, Nice One, Lady Lucx, and Espir. It looks great, stop by and check it out. Untitled

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photos by Tim Gatto

Zines.

I picked up a few zines last month. All of them are amazing and linked up below. I highly recommend spending the tiny amount of money needed to get these in your possession. DSCF2703_b Partner in Crime by Austin McManus. Really nice offset zine about vandalism stereotypes. Awesome stuff.

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^A place dear to my heart

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MUX issue 2 from Tj Nelson. Came out fantastic.

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seriously sorry about this toe shot. DSCF2733_b

Never heard of it by Brad Westcott through Blood of the Young. Incredible Train traveling pics.

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alanrules – Exposing Sandy

Wow, been awhile BIT BY ZEUS. I've missed you. I've been keeping busy with some incredible opportunities in design land, but have also been photographing a bunch as well. I will update about some of these happenings soon, but first, I want get back into posting by sharing a project by Alan (alanrules). Alan takes some great photos, and also has been having fun with projects (an excerpt). I've been enjoying watching his photo making and was excited to see his project, Exposing Sandy, come to life a few weeks ago. I watched live online, as Alan updated the location of a mobile photo show that moved around New York City in a rented U-Haul. A pop up photo show in a U-haul is already intriguing, but I was excited to see that a show that called attention to the damage of Hurricane Sandy, was complete with a water line and ravaged photographs. And what better way to get someone to pay attention than, boobs. (Click here for a detailed Alan on Alan interview and explanation)

Below are some photographs pulled from alans instagram along with some scanned prints that littered the floor of the U-Haul. I really love the look of these prints that were stepped on and covered in dirt. For additional photos visit alanrules.com —Tim

the man himself in front of his show.

After about 5 years of never fixing my mostly not-working polaroid camera, I decided to pick up a Fujifilm instax instant camera. I like the wide format, and that the film is somewhat affordable and readily available. Right away, it's been really nice having the instant feedback again and I think it will help me decide what to shoot. Here are some photos that I took at the coast this weekend with my first pack of film. Untitled

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photos by Tim Gatto

MUX Issue #2

Got word from TJ Nelson, that the second Issue of MUX magazine is out! Unfortunately the first run already sold out, but the second run can be pre ordered here. Really good looking stuff, hats are off. "The idea for MUX came from a desire to connect to photography in a tangible manner. Because of pocket-sized digital cameras and smartphones, we are amongst an unstoppable flood of images on the internet. Which, in its own way, is wonderful, but I find it difficult to connect to images on a screen. I created MUX because I wanted to act as a curator to gather the talent of my peers, and then encourage people to take a minute to hold a collection of work that deserves to be pondered on."

MUX issue 02 04.2013. 8.5" x 5.5". 84 pages. Design by TJ Nelson. Photos by matt bublitz, grant hatfield, sam milianta, josh anthony, ephraim chui, spencer davis, charlie wray, trever hadley and brandon getty. $20.

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spencer davis

iRot

If you live in Oakland you can't help but notice the graffiti that covers most of the city. Since moving here, I cannot ignore that my landscape changes week by week. It has helped me pay attention to the politics that surround graffiti but also appreciate the art. Everyday on the way to work I bike by an oil change place that is always covered in graffiti. The roll up doors get painted over each week, and so do most of the walls, except for a spray character by iRot. The oil change guys sit in front of the wall in the perfect morning light, smoking and waiting for customers. For all of the reasons above, and out of fear that the character might get painted over, I have desperately wanted to take a photo.

I shoot mostly normal length lens cameras and am without anything telephoto, so I knew that I'd have to get pretty close in order to get the shot. My first attempt at getting the photo, I crusied in and asked a question about prices and snapped a quick photo with my point and shoot and rode off. Only 1/4 guys saw me, so I was pretty happy about that. When I got home that day I found out that my "trusty" p&s, had a broken film advance, and my roll didn't even take. I was bummed.

Determined to get the photo, I loaded some slide film in my more reliable point and shoot, and waited for a perfectly sunny morning. One came last week, and I pulled up to the place to a not-so busy staff. I up and asked them if I could take a photo of the crow. They looked at me weird, said sure, and moved out of the shot. I snapped the photo, but really wanted them in it. So, I asked them why they kept the crow but kept nothing else. The guys sat down, and told me that they kept it because they really liked it. I took another shot and can now bike to work without stressing. —Tim

photos by Tim Gatto