iPhone app users eat your hearts out. Check out my legitimate cross-processed photo.

Portland has these bubblers all around town. For those of us who trust our tapwater and don’t buy into the hoax of bottled water, these are a great resource. Took this picture after leaving a mentor session at the NELA center for Student Success.

Please note the colors of this have not been altered from the orginal film print – this was made by a process called “cross procesing” which involves developing the film with another (invalid) process. It often results in extreme saturation and color shifting.

My friend Jack quit his "real" job a while ago to pursue self employment designing and building botique guitar effects pedals. In conjunction, he also services amplifiers and other effects pedals. He’s a treasure trove of knowledge and a very clever guy. Pictured here is his work bench he rents at a local guitar shop. It’s really impressive to see a good friend take control of their destiny and have such success.

Please note the colors of this have not been altered from the orginal film print – this was made by a process called "cross procesing" which involves developing the film with another (invalid) process. It often results in extreme saturation and color shifting.

My friend Jack quit his “real” job a while ago to pursue self employment designing and building botique guitar effects pedals. In conjunction, he also services amplifiers and other effects pedals. He’s a treasure trove of knowledge and a very clever guy. Pictured here is his work bench he rents at a local guitar shop. It’s really impressive to see a good friend take control of their destiny and have such success.

Please note the colors of this have not been altered from the orginal film print – this was made by a process called “cross procesing” which involves developing the film with another (invalid) process. It often results in extreme saturation and color shifting.

Two things coming up on the horizon :

• Editing my W-4 at my current job such that no amount is automatically paid to the IRS. It makes no sense for me to pay for penalties while I’m still contributing to what I’m standing against.
• Searching for a venue/space for a first/last Thursday event here in PDX in which to host a performance art exhibition. The idea is to make repayment to the IRS by sending a hand-written check for every cent owed with the name of a fallen soldier in the memo. According to Antiwar.com, that would bring us to 5,563 names (hence 5,563 checks). If I’m going to repay it, they’re sure as hell going to have to go to great lengths to get their money.

Quite possibly one of my favorite photographs from my recent trip to Europe. Berlin is just covered in graffiti – from the sidewalk to the tops of apartment buildings. I woke up kind of early this morning in search of razors and thought I’d snap some pictures of some beautiful street art as I was walking.

Editoral note: It’s been too long since I’ve been working steady at the photo blog. I would not hesitate to say that I strayed and lost focus (no pun intended) of the endeavor of this project.  The burden of lugging around major equipment every day and every where I went  was starting to take its toll and feel quite cumbersome – a feeling that photography should not engender. It was of the utmost importance to me to document Katie and I’s trip to Europe, in whatever capacity circumstances dictated.

Long story short, I felt quite inspired after receiving the prints back from my new camera. I’m totally in love with film. I am so enamored by the quality, sharpness, vividness of the shots I decided this is something I need to continue with. In conjunction with my new adoration for a slowly dying medium, I’ve decided that I’m going to try doing this photoblog as a film-only blog. I think this will help primarily in two ways 1) a higher level of personal satisfaction from the quality of the photos which I’m taking and 2) slowing down the pace of updates by shooting on film instead of digital. Updates probably won’t be daily, will be more sporadic and won’t occur everyday. Absolutes can be a dangerous thing, so I’m not tying myself solely to film (nor digital) and not going to punish myself over missed days. Let’s do this!

One of the remaining prisoner barracks in Sachsenhausen conentration camp. This barrack was specially designated for Jewish prisoners.

An ominous sign of the repression prisoners faced on a daily basis

This is the Jewish Memorial in Berlin city center. This memorial contains 2700 of these square concrete blocks of varying height. As you walk through the memorial, the ground undulates which makes some of the blocks shorter, some taller.

Portion of a really neat art installation in Berlin. This tiny room was made of wallpaper and drywall. I often worry about taking pictures when I don’t think I’m supposed to.

Colors are not exaggerated. The silica and blue algae in the water are responsible for the surreal coloring.

Things have to change one way or another. In an environment where you’re encouraged to “live socially” while hiding behind a mobile phone or computer where you are sharing your experiences, it becomes difficult to build momentum for this change. I’ve struggled with the idea of effective protests for a while – always reaching the same hardening conclusion that my message ultimately will not be heard. Today, I decided to do what I can, in a way that I think can have direct effect and catch some attention. I’ve decided to protest the wars (and the bloated military budget en masse) by withholding a certain portion (54%) of my 2009  tax payment to the IRS.

There are numerous resources, essays and articles available on the web that discuss this idea. I’ll quickly direct you to www.warresisters.org , wartaxboycott.org, and the original inspiration for my actions – http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/04/13-4.

Below is a copy of the letter that was attached to my payment to the IRS and to the State of Oregon. I intend to send this letter to a few newspapers in the region as well, as this is an elephant in the room that I can no longer ignore.

—
April 15th, 2010

This letter is to serve notice that I am conscientiously objecting to ongoing war efforts by refusing to pay the portion of my taxes budgeted towards military spending. This includes the current military occupation in Iraq, operations in Afghanistan, the “War on Terror” and all other military operations and research.

I can no longer continue to willingly put my tax dollars in the hands of a goverment so hypocritical, so violent and so insolent. I will no longer continue to fund a government that praises the spirit of democracy, the beaty of life, the pursuit of happiness yet continues to wage pointless, unwinnable wars – killing hundreds of thousands of civilians and innocent people. I cease paying into a budget that prioritizes weapons research over education spending. My money will not be used to hire private contractors and military personnel, held unaccountable, to slay innocent people in the name of freedom and to extort all involved along the way. More people die here at home from cancer, car accidents, cigarettes, diabetes than people from the so called “war on terror”, or non-existent WMDs, or any other false threats from “madmen” around the world. THOSE are the perils I want my government to provide protection from – these are the things that kill our brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers in our neighborhoods.

Cities, towns and states across America are failing in every way, unable to provide the fundamental necessities for life we’ve all been promised.  We see a lack of mental health and social services, non-profit universal healthcare,  a robust, effective education system. Quality of life is or has diminished for too many people here, subverted to war profiteering and murder through a bloated military budget complicity created by my “representation”.

Since my government still hasn’t received the message – perhaps this will catch your attention. Credible sources estimate 54% of the 2009 federal budget will go to military spending – which is the portion that I have opted to withhold.

Peace and prosperity before all else,

Evan Reeves

–

Just playing around with Aperture a little bit.

There is something rewarding about seeing your band name on a marquee. It’s kind of neat to know that someone spent time putting my name up there! Justin and I had a show tonight at Kelly’s Olympian, where were pinch hitting for another band unable to make the show.

If you haven’t ever picked your own strawberries, I highly suggest you do. As part of Katie and I’s six month anniversary, we went to Sauvie’s Island to pick some strawberries and enjoy other various activities they offer. Suffice to say, I’ve never had a strawberry so juicy before. We sat beneath this big beautiful tree for a while before we came back to Portland proper whereupon we cooked a fabulous lobster dinner to celebrate the occasion.

These are four young couchsurfers that stayed at my house for a few days. They’re amidst a road trip from Minnesota to the West coast. If you haven’t checked it out, couchsurfing.com is a very fun and useful site. It’s a grand opportunity to meet some very excellent people while you travel.