Brandon Harman's America

(photo of Brandon Harman by Backyard Bill)

I found out about Brandon Harman through the site Backyard Bill, a site that photographs "stylish folks in their own clothes." The website is like streetstyle photography like Jak & Jil mixed with The Selby where people are photographed in their own place. So, naturally, I love Backyard Bill's site. Anyway, Backyard Bill featured Brandon Harman and I saw a link to his photography blog. His photos exhibit the quirkiness and eccentricity of the USA which makes me love this country. Brandon was raised in Northern California on an almond farm and a cattle ranch and he now lives in NYC. He seems to just photograph his friends and his own adventuresome voyages across the country...perfect for Passport Smiles! 

His photos exhibit an element of darkness and mysticism that exists in the subculture/ counterculture of the USA. When I look at the women in his photographs, I am reminded of Bob Dylan's song "Sara" [which is about his ex-wife but I pretend is written about myself...my name's Sarah, you see] with lyrics like "Scorpio Sphinx in a Calico Dress" or "Glamourous Nymph with an arrow and bow." When I see the photos of his trips out West, I feel it's necessary pretend that they are soundtracked to The Flying Burrito Bros performing in their Nudie Suits [left] and   But enough of my yakin'. Let's get down to business and show the photos...

Check out more for yourself on his Tumblr.

"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" Street Style

Blogs capturing street style. They let me do what I've always wanted to do without seeming like a complete creep...take that second look at the people who catch your eye on the street. The ones you pass you by, wishing you could stare just a little bit longer than "socially acceptable" at their fashion, their walk, their je ne sais quoi.  Who are these people?

"[B]ecause the streets were crowded, I bumped

 into a googolplex people.  Who were they?

Where were they going? What were they

looking for? I wanted to hear their heartbeats,

and I wanted them to hear mine."  

From Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (one of my all time favorites)

 

Who are these people? What's their story? You both want and don't want to know. It's a paradox, like when you say learning about your favorite actors' personal lives ruins their movies, but you read gossip magazines anyway (or is that just me?). In the end, you like looking at people you don't know, mesmerized by their beauty from a distance without knowing their insecurities and heartaches. Instead, all you see a fashionable enigma. You think to yourself, "This one might just have it all figured out." (especially with pics like these on The Sartorialist)

So I went over to the mosaicist, watched him for a while, and then I told him, 'I envy you.'

    "I always knew," he sighed, "that if I waited long enough, somebody would come and envy me.  I kept telling myself to be patient, that, sooner or later, somebody envious would come along."

    "Are you an American?"

    "That happiness is mine."..."Do you want to take my photograph, too?"

    "Do you mind?"

    "I think, therefore I am, therefore I am photographable."

    "I am afraid I don't have my camera with me."

    "Well, for Christ's sake, get it!  You're not one of those people who trusts his memory, are you?"

    "I don't think I'll forget that face you're working on very soon.:

    "You'll forget it when you're dead, and so will I.  When I'm dead, I'm going to forget everything-- and I advise you to do the same."

Excerpt above from Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut