David James and son Seven, atop the Los Feliz Club Apartments with Vermont Ave in the background. The Onyx Cafe was located on the spot (bright-strobe) in the photo behind them. This 'spot' now is occupied by Figaro Cafe.
Monday, January 31, 2005
mark nichols and stacy lande.
another photo by david bogoian. this one of mark nichols and stacy lande. circa 1993 at the onyx cafe.
i've just received some proofsheets/negatives from biker/photographer/writer David Bogoian, another creative ONYX regular, to incorporate in this PHOTOBLOG. Dave is currently residing in Worcester, MASS.
(notice Andy Takakjian on proofsheet)
Four Photography all-time greats, Richard Avedon, George Silk, Ezra Stoller and Henri Cartier-Bresson, have past away last fall. One of them, who I am very much familiar with, in my own photographic life, is Cartier-Bresson. Probably due to the photographic intercession of his photographic work FIRST, before the introduction of other photographers, from books I've come across while a teen. His "On the banks of the Marne, 1938." and "Henri Matisse, 1944", since encountering them, have been embedded vividly in my head through the years. Coming across a PDN magazine and reading the "Letter from the Editor" section, Holly Hughes (editor) writes that Cartier-Bresson said "Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing." Her deduction to this is, - among the vanishing things preserved in a photo are the moments caught on film, and ALSO the moment behind the camera: the photographer's flash of inspiration, a way of looking, a stage in the development of an artist. She also adds that, though these photographers are still shooting exciting new work, they've also been sifting through and reflecting on their older images. The process gives both the viewer and the artists a glimpse of their younger selves. Henri Cartier-Bresson is acknowledged widely for the establishment of "Magnum Photos" agency in 1946 (with Capa, Rodger, Vandivert and Seymour), whose ideology (photography as the image of the "decisive moment"), represented a concept of photo-reporting which gave its imprint to visual information after the war and up to recent years.
"I don't care about making photography an art," said Mr. Steichen. "I want to make good photographs. I'd like to know who first got it in his head that dreaminess and mist is art.
Take things as they are; take good photographs and the ART WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF."
the PHOTO GALLERY containing photographs taken at the Onyx Café is work in progress, most of these scanned negatives were recently unearthed. since i've benefitted a great deal from the onyx cafe(free coffee, etc.), it's now payback time to mr. john leech and to every soul i hung out with, with my photographs. enjoy!!!
the Onyx Café was more than just an institutional cafe to most of the regulars and myself. it was a "state of mind" without the aid of any mind altering pill. it was a place where you can actually feel how "timeless" the place was. it was a conglomerated convergence of people from all walks of life. from hollywood celebs to suitcase-geared travelling bohemians introducing themselves, and being welcomed (and not interrupting any intellectual arguments). it was the crossroads to every major city on this planet. it was happening! day and night, into day again. amidst the aroma of the coffee lingering in the air, there was also, all kinds of drama. but we will not go there. you can never complain about the taste of espressos and cappuccinos served here, nor how the architectural facade of the place appeared, nor even how people looked or dressed. people come here for the same one thing that everyone else is seeking --- and it's not just the java. it is.. NIRVANA. yep. and the whole crowd was experiencing it collectively.
