in case you're wondering what's going on around here...
click on the photo to make it bigger if it helps. walking past this south williamsburg salon and was stopped by comedy. i love it when translation goes wrong. in spanish this shop is seeking an experienced hairstylist. in english: hairstyles will do.
i always take random test shots before i ask anyone to pose because i find that first moment they look at the camera to be the best one, 75% of the the time. and if the exposure's off? really annoying. most of the time these test shots aren't in focus. they are not composed. the ground, my leg, the wall. this shot shouldn't have been any different, as i sat at enid's--my favorite east coast brunch spot--about to photograph kathleen. but when i looked over my shots this mystery girl pulled me into the frame with her intense gaze that even soft focus and paper flowers couldn't obscure. this is what i'd call a happy accident. i just couldn't throw her away. and so, she gets to be my mystery valentine.
peajay is a damn good tattoo artist and generally a very pleasant, laid-back guy. he hasn't worked at the shop too long so i don't really know much more about him than that. still, it was a big bummer when, this day, he gave notice. bought a house and moving to mass with his wife, thank you. and now, since our other artist departed a couple weeks ago, it's left us in a scrambling situation to make big decisions about the fate of the shop. cross fingers. 
click on photos for enlarged view. and as usual, please help me in my editing process.
to be fair, she didn't know us and her plans had been completely derailed for the evening. instead of being at some fabulous party, she was sitting in a tattoo shop after hours while we all worked out travel arrangements for an upcoming business trip and her friend gave the boss accupuncture. perhaps i'd be bored too. but come on, it's non-stop fun around us! yawn.
and i'm sorry, i can't remember her real name because ladyfriend? too classic.
really between the two shots. tell me which you prefer...
barbara chose to commemorate three major surgeries/accidents of her life each with a big star. the design, as all tattoos do, evolved through a combination of idea and aesthetics, a healthy dose of listening to suggestions and closing ears to others. most relevant in the end (of course in addition to the original idea) became the trademark hand of the artist (boss of mine), who uses these stars in nearly all of his drawings and the felicitous juxtaposition of the brownish stars with the galaxy of freckles already swirling on barbara's arm (click on photo for better view of this phenomenon). 
it is fitting that barbara came into my life via her last surgury, for which mieke served as her physical therapist. no, wait! mieke was with her for that last accident! mieke originally was her therapist for the previous injury. and barbara is just one of those people that you want to know--with equal parts listening ear, yarn-spinning tongue and oversized heart. yep, she's a star.
happy birthday to rose and ginger, my sweet little twins. and hugs to kim and tristan. it's been a tough spell for the little williamson family these days, i know. love you guys.
i had to play the self card way too early in this project. i was hoping to save it for an emergency near the end of the semester. but i was a space cadet and forgot to ask the artist who came by the shop if i could photograph him, and just like that, he was gone! 
