Warm weather comes to the mountain city.
Spring arrives in Asheville
All images © Joe Longobardi. All Rights Reserved.
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April 7, 2015
Spring arrives in Asheville, North Carolina
March 31, 2015
Asheville’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
March 30, 2015
While taking some street photos in downtown Asheville, I ran across—well, how else can I put it? Spider-man! I had first seen the Marvel comic hero crossing College Street amidst a crowd of people. I wanted a candid shot of the unfolding scene, but he saw me aim my camera at him (he obviously had a Spidey sense of the situation). Busted, he approached me as I grabbed a quick shot of him with my film camera that I had at the moment (incidentally, it will be a little time before I get that roll developed). After taking the shot, he mentioned that if I wanted to get some more photographs of him, that he would be on the ledge of the BB&T building just across the street. I said that I may just show up there with my digital camera if he’s still in the area.
Spider-man on ledge of BB&T Building
A short time later I did retrieve my other camera and headed back to where I last encountered the wall-crawler. Off in the distance on the ledge of the BB&T building I noticed he was casting webs onto the passing pedestrians below. I soon realized that because he was so far up, that the 35mm lens that I had would not be long enough to capture anything but a wide scene, with just a hint of “Spidey” poking his head over the building’s ledge.
Spider-man above College Street
Well, if the mountain will not come to Mohammed (or in this case, a passable Peter Parker)…
I went around the front of the BB&T building to the level Spider-man was located, but found it somewhat prohibitive without having to crawl on the brick ledge to get in close. Our friendly neighborhood arachnid realized my vain endeavor to get in close and crawled towards me in an attempt to allow for some more intimate photos. I remarked that he didn’t have to put his life at risk just so I could get a few photographs.
Well, he was more that happy to have me capture a few moments of his time. After a number of shots of the web-slinger with the city skyline framing his masked head, he asked if I would send him a few copies via his Instagram account (peter@spideyofasheville). I assured him that I would. He eventually got off the ledge and onto more solid terrain. I showed him some of the shots on the camera screen. He said that he couldn’t really see them very well and promptly removed his mask to get a better look. I responded, “If you can’t see through that mask, how the heck are you doing this?!” He laughed. He removed his mask to reveal not just his face, but how young he was—straight out of high school!
A few more words were exchanged, and I went on my way.
I added that I would keep his identity a secret. I mean, what else would you expect from Peter Parker?
Spider-man at night
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March 19, 2015
The Southern on Lexington Avenue
March 17, 2015.
Saint Patrick’s Day outside the Southern Kitchen and Bar in downtown Asheville, North Carolina.
St. Patrick’s Day, Asheville, NC.
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March 9, 2015
Chicago gangland comes to Asheville
Chicago Gangland comes to Asheville
I thought I’d go back in time and share a photo that had yet to see the light of day. This is an early photo of busker Dade Murphy when he first came to Asheville in 2014 to test the waters with his then new act. If you happen stroll by the flatiron building during warmer days, you may recall his personae as the man fighting against the wind. Since this photo, he had taken his street performance to a whole new level of sophistication incorporating various props, and even a GoPro video camera hidden in his hat to record his audience’s reactions. What I particularity like about this photo is the 1920’s gangster look. Since then, Dade’s costume has become more intricate—and more disheveled! This photo was taken just after he finished his street act earlier in the day. Sadly, I do not recall the name of the woman just beside him. A number of early photos of his street performance can be found in my book documenting street performances in downtown Asheville.
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February 24, 2015
Black and White
I took this image just outside Carmel’s located in the Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville. Needless to say, the two large dogs caught my eye with their striking contrast of black and white. The gentleman in the back seemed to take great pride in his fellow companions. I inquired about the breeds and was informed that the white dog is a Great Pyrenees and the black dog is a Newfoundland. After taking this first shot, I tried to capture some more “portraits” of the dogs. They were less cooperative after the initial photograph, conspiring to undermine any further photographs by turning away from the camera. It rather reminded me of taking photos of reluctant family members.
Still, I’m content with this family portrait.
Black and White
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February 14, 2015
Anthropomorphism
Biltmore Avenue, downtown Asheville.
It is our innate nature to attribute human characteristics to inanimate objects and animals; injecting our interpretation of reality and understanding of the world to make sense and therefore create closure in that which we may find disconcerting. Traditional fables with talking animals is one example of a literary device that anthropomorphizes nonhuman characters offering human life lessons in the guise of simple stories. In the case of this photograph below, I saw an intimate narrative unfolding in the interaction of the mannequin and the older woman just behind the plate glass window. By the very act of capturing the image below, I created a universally understood relationship, and therefore the personification of the mannequin.
Hopefully, the woman was able to console the mannequin.
Consolation
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February 7, 2015
Be My Valentine
Shooting expired film on the streets of downtown Asheville, North Carolina.
This capture was made on expired Kodak Max 400 film that was given to me by a photographer friend of mine. Needless to say, the colors that resulted have a very over processed look. I determined the age of the film to about 10 years old, but still it was a guessing game regarding how to properly expose the film. I slightly overexposed the film when shooting to compensate for any flatness and underexposure that would occur, be even then the developed negatives were a bit dark and lacking contrast. I had them scanned at French Broad Imaging (located in Asheville) and made corrections in Adobe Camera Raw.
Still, the photo has a rather vintage quality about it, and the narrative is what I personally find the most intriguing.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Be My Valentine
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February 1, 2015
A Shoulder To Lean On
January 20, 2015
A candid shot of a couple passing through downtown Asheville. It was a week later while reviewing the image that I noticed the cat nestled on the shoulders of the man on the right.
A shoulder to lean on
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January 19, 2015
Winter’s Closeness
January 17, 2015.
Winter in downtown Asheville, North Carolina.
Winter’s Closeness
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January 12, 2015
FASHMOB II
January 11, 2015, Asheville, NC.
FASHMOB II is the long awaited follow up to the first FASHMOB held back in late 2014 in Asheville, NC. The followup was held Sunday, January 11th at The Crow and Quill, a small club on Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville. In the words of event host Duncan Chaboudy, “The purpose of this get-together is to bring together photographers who want to shoot and models/actors/dancers/solo musicians who want to be photographed.”
On Camera Flash
Having missed the first round, I made sure I marked my calender for the sequel. And I was not alone in that idea. Although many models and photographers planned to participate, a mere four individuals attended the first event in downtown Asheville at the parking garage atop the Pack Library on Haywood Street. Having learned of the wonderful photos that were taken of the few models that made it on that cold evening, word of mouth spread of a second outing. Cut to the chase: some 126 photographers and models ascended on the tiny club at 106 Lexington Avenue.
Nearby lamp for lightsource
For me, the event was twofold: It was a great opportunity to try out my ”new” old lens—a 1980 35mm Nikon that I just purchased; and to meet new people, some old friends, and hopefully grab some good shots. The premise of the gathering was to utilize the venue’s ambient light without the assistance of flash. Being a very dark club, photographers eventually resorted to artificial lighting such as strobes, flashes and various handheld lamps for continuous lighting. I managed some very artsy shots using the available light, but did find it necessary to use some flash to reduce my camera’s ISO and stop down my lens for sharper images.
Handheld lamp
Included here are several of my photos that I felt captured some of the mood of the evening—a variety of images featuring either flash, available light such as a nearby lamp, or a continuous light source that someone brought to the event to…shed a little light on the matter!
All in all, it was a very successful turnout. There should be another FASHMOB this coming April (maybe “Son of FASHMOB”?)
More info on future shoots may be found at the Facebook event page.
Pictured above: Crystal, Emma D, and Jacqueline Lowe (on piano)
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