John Lipscomb – Street Photography
You can get a tattoo if that’s your thing. You can get a check cashed, a loan and even a debit card. You can even stay in the hostel next door if you need a nap.
There is even a liquor store next door. . . if you need one!
With apparel, it’s often been said that everything comes back into style eventually, and if you live long enough, you’ll probably see the trends of your youth cycle back into fashion a few times.
Based on my research, there’s a lot of debate about precisely how long this cycle of nostalgia runs. Depending on who’s estimating, it’s either a 40-year cycle, a 20-year cycle, or pretty much everything in between.
When it comes to fashion, is there even a decades-long cycle anymore? Are modern designers referencing the past so often that the cycle has collapsed in on itself and everything is simultaneously in and out of style at any given time?
Exhibiting the 70’s trend of a fuzzy fur gilet, flowered miniskirt, riding slacks and go-go boots, this composition also presents the 80’s man dressed in black and another in the Yuppie style of the 90’s. Captured all at one moment in time and in a singular place suggests that the cycle may not be a cycle after all. At least now…or perhaps never.
Take your time to observe the details in this photograph. What can I say? This woman deserves a standing ovation!
Anyone who has ever known a horse, mule or donkey comprehends the magnificence of the beast. They radiate personality!
Pulling an empty carriage, this animal trotted past us at a noticeably fast clip. We surmised that the working shift was over and a trip back to the barn for oats and a rub down were first and foremost in mind.
In Tarot, the Ace Of Cups suggests inner attunement and spirituality. Cups are the suit of the heart, and the Ace stands for the direct knowing that comes from the heart. Interpretations include: Trust what your feelings are telling you, seek out ways to explore your consciousness, seek out paths that lead to your connections with Spirit and allow the power of your emotions to guide you in a new direction.
I am not sure if this is the card she is holding…but I would like to think so.
There are many magnificent cities in the world, but few are uniquely bizarre. Places where you constantly ask yourself if your eyes are deceiving. Did I just see what I thought I saw? Cairo, Riyadh, Mumbai, Bangkok, and Rio De Janeiro come to mind.
In the United States, it is not Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco or even New York. All quite ordinary in my opinion. It is Las Vegas and New Orleans. I am not suggesting they are better or inferior to any other city. Just distinctively different. The polar opposite of one’s big city expectations.
To me, this young lad appears to be experiencing the sensory overload common with a visit to the Big Easy. Before you can absorb one experience, another interrupts. Is he on the edge of that chaos? Who knows for sure…but I wouldn’t doubt it for one minute!
As I walked by this corner and across the street, I noticed the logo on his portable typewriter. Poems On The Spot are composed on a vintage 1970’s era “Touchmaster Five”.
What a fitting title for a modern day poet submerged in a cell phone and the quintessential New Orleans street corner that probably hasn’t changed much in 50 years.
Let me be clear, the hand gesture was not directed at me! These gentlemen were having a conversation when one of them heard the shutter. He looked at the camera and continued. His conversation unbroken by the distraction.
The photograph speaks for itself!
The “Colonel” is a retired officer with the Indian Army who had transitioned into the business world. Through the years, I visited him many times in New Delhi. At the end of a long work day, he would not bark out the expected, “Forward! March!”…it was, “Forward! Drink!”…and he did!
This sign reminded me of him. He would love New Orleans!
One glove on one hand. I don’t know why!
And there they were! A picturesque couple decked out in black leather walking two large dogs…Backpacks, sleeping bags and all their earthly belongings in tow. I certainly couldn’t pass up this opportunity and they graciously acknowledged my attention with carefully chosen words and select hand gestures. My enthusiasm quickly pivoted to disappointment. I realized that I would never let myself post anything this negative.
With my faith in the human race bruised, the photo was now worthless to me. If only it had not turned out so good!!
Later, I saw this one riding a bicycle constructed from a shopping cart. About ten frames in our eyes met. I was caught!
In school, we all learned that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. I assumed she was familiar with Euclidean geometry because that’s the exact route she took. Based on the earlier encounter, you can imagine the scenarios frantically pondered as she headed in my direction! As I continued to shoot, she peddled up, stopped, took a brief pause and gave me this gift!
