Gear obsession.
I believe this is the leading contribution to the decline of great photographers, especially in street photography, where people constantly obsess about the gear to use, or choose to take out. This is what’s going to hold the majority people back from ever improving, and becoming the best version of themselves.
A Greek temple?
The Fairmount Water Works, located on the east bank of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, is a historic waterworks facility that began operations in 1815. It was designed by engineer Frederick Graff and became an essential part of Philadelphia’s water supply system, utilizing steam engines and water wheels to pump water into the city oai_citation:1,Fairmount Water Works – Philadelphia Beautiful oai_citation:2,About Us – Fairmount Water Works.
The facility is known for its distinctive architectural style, which resembles a Greek temple. This Classical Revival design was chosen to reflect the values of the early 19th century, emphasizing beauty, symmetry, and grandeur. The Greek temple aesthetic was intended to convey the importance of the public utility and to integrate the industrial site harmoniously with the surrounding natural landscape oai_citation:3,Fairmount Water Works – Wikipedia oai_citation:4,Water Works | Visit Philadelphia.
The waterworks complex includes several buildings, such as the mill house and the engine house, all featuring classical elements like columns and pediments. This design choice helped elevate the public perception of the waterworks from a purely functional facility to a celebrated architectural and civic landmark oai_citation:5,Fairmount Water Works – Philadelphia Beautiful oai_citation:6,Water Works | Visit Philadelphia.
Today, the Fairmount Water Works serves as an interpretive center, providing educational programs and exhibits about the history of the waterworks, water conservation, and the local watershed. It is also a National Historic Landmark, recognized for its engineering significance and its role in the development of Philadelphia’s water infrastructure oai_citation:7,Plan Your Visit – Fairmount Water Works oai_citation:8,Fairmount Water Works – Wikipedia oai_citation:9,About Us – Fairmount Water Works.
For more details, you can visit the official website of the Fairmount Water Works here oai_citation:10,Plan Your Visit – Fairmount Water Works.
before city hall
a city needs water first
Yes, the Fairmount Water Works was created before Philadelphia’s City Hall, primarily to address the city’s critical need for a reliable and clean water supply, which was essential for the health and development of the growing urban population.
The Fairmount Water Works began operations in 1815, designed by Frederick Graff. It was one of the earliest large-scale municipal water supply systems in the United States, and it played a crucial role in providing Philadelphia with clean drinking water. The system used steam engines and water wheels to pump water from the Schuylkill River into reservoirs, from where it was distributed throughout the city oai_citation:1,Fairmount Water Works – Wikipedia oai_citation:2,Fairmount Water Works – Philadelphia Beautiful oai_citation:3,About Us – Fairmount Water Works.
Philadelphia City Hall, on the other hand, was constructed much later. The building was completed in 1901 after 30 years of construction, reflecting the city’s growth and the need for a centralized municipal government center. City Hall became the seat of government for Philadelphia and a symbol of the city’s ambitions oai_citation:4,Water Works | Visit Philadelphia.
The establishment of the Fairmount Water Works was a foundational step in developing Philadelphia’s infrastructure, allowing the city to grow and sustain a larger population. The availability of clean water was crucial for public health, reducing the incidence of waterborne diseases and supporting the city’s expansion oai_citation:5,Fairmount Water Works – Philadelphia Beautiful oai_citation:6,About Us – Fairmount Water Works.
a brief history
The Fairmount Water Works, originally known as the “Fairmount Dam and Waterworks,” was constructed to provide Philadelphia with a reliable source of clean water. The project began in the early 19th century, driven by the need to address the city’s frequent outbreaks of waterborne diseases and the inadequate water supply system.
Early History and Construction
- Concept and Design (1812-1815):
- The project was initiated by Frederick Graff, an engineer who had previously worked on the city’s water system. Construction began in 1812 and the facility opened in 1815.
- The initial design utilized steam engines to pump water from the Schuylkill River into wooden tanks, which then distributed water throughout the city via wooden water mains.
- Expansion and Innovation (1822):
- The system was further expanded with the construction of a dam across the Schuylkill River, completed in 1822. This dam channeled water into the mill house, where water wheels replaced the steam engines for more efficient water pumping.
- The introduction of water wheels marked a significant technological advancement, making the Fairmount Water Works one of the first municipal water systems to use paddle wheels for water movement oai_citation:1,Fairmount Water Works – Philadelphia Beautiful oai_citation:2,About Us – Fairmount Water Works.
Architectural Significance
The design of the Fairmount Water Works was heavily influenced by the Classical Revival architectural style, resembling a Greek temple. This aesthetic choice was intended to reflect the importance and civic pride associated with the facility. Elements like columns, pediments, and symmetrical layouts were used to create a grand and harmonious appearance that blended with the natural surroundings oai_citation:3,Fairmount Water Works – Wikipedia oai_citation:4,Water Works | Visit Philadelphia.
Role in Philadelphia’s Development
- Public Health:
The availability of clean water from the Fairmount Water Works significantly improved public health in Philadelphia, reducing the incidence of waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid oai_citation:5,About Us – Fairmount Water Works.- Urban Growth:
The reliable water supply supported the city’s rapid population growth and industrial development throughout the 19th century, laying the groundwork for Philadelphia to become a major urban center.Transition and Legacy
- Decommissioning (1909):
The Fairmount Water Works ceased operations as a pumping station in 1909. By then, technological advancements and newer facilities had rendered it obsolete.- Modern Use:
In the early 21st century, the site was transformed into the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, an educational and environmental facility operated by the Philadelphia Water Department. It now serves as a museum and educational center, offering exhibits on the history of the waterworks, water conservation, and the local watershed oai_citation:6,Fairmount Water Works – Wikipedia oai_citation:7,About Us – Fairmount Water Works.The Fairmount Water Works stands today as a National Historic Landmark, celebrated for its engineering achievements and architectural beauty. It remains a prominent example of how public utilities can be designed to enhance both functionality and aesthetic appeal, contributing to the cultural and historical fabric of a city oai_citation:8,Fairmount Water Works – Philadelphia Beautiful oai_citation:9,About Us – Fairmount Water Works oai_citation:10,Water Works | Visit Philadelphia.
The ultimate goal, method to the madness, and process, is it just keep shooting until you die.
I guess we can make prints as we go along, to please ourselves, and maybe one of the person, like family, friends, or self if you if you’d like, but this is not the point. This is far beyond the point. The point for me, is, to move onward with my lust for life through photography. Photography just gets me out there, curious about life itself, and the photograph is just a byproduct of my experience.
Does a photograph need to be a physical print?
I don’t think so. I believe the small JPG file, with high contrast cranked to the max, becomes the most efficient, effective, and easiest version of a photograph to read, print, and share.
Friedrich Nietzsche had a deep admiration for Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, viewing him as an exemplary figure of human greatness. Nietzsche’s reflections on Goethe can be found throughout his works, where he often praises Goethe’s comprehensive approach to life, his intellectual breadth, and his capacity for self-overcoming. Some key points Nietzsche made about Goethe include:
- The Ideal of the “Übermensch”: Nietzsche saw Goethe as a precursor to his concept of the “Übermensch” or “Overman.” Goethe’s ability to integrate various aspects of life—intellect, artistry, and passion—represented to Nietzsche a model of human excellence and self-mastery.
- Goethe’s Wholeness: Nietzsche admired Goethe for his wholeness and his ability to embrace and harmonize contradictions within himself. Goethe’s life and work exemplified the ability to live fully and richly, integrating both Apollonian (order, reason) and Dionysian (chaos, emotion) elements, which Nietzsche also explored in his philosophy.
- Anti-Dogmatism: Nietzsche appreciated Goethe’s resistance to dogmatism and his open-minded pursuit of knowledge and understanding. Goethe’s scientific inquiries and philosophical musings reflected a spirit of inquiry and a rejection of narrow-mindedness, qualities that Nietzsche valued highly.
- Critique of Romanticism: While Goethe was associated with the Romantic movement, Nietzsche saw him as transcending its excesses. He viewed Goethe as someone who could appreciate and express the depth of human emotion without succumbing to Romanticism’s sentimentalism and irrationality.
In “Twilight of the Idols,” Nietzsche wrote:
“Goethe—no mere German event, but a European one: a magnificent attempt to overcome the eighteenth century by a return to nature, by a going-up to the naturalness of the Renaissance, a kind of self-overcoming on the part of that century. … Goethe conceived a strong, highly cultured man, skillful in all bodily accomplishments, self-possessed, and consciously restrained, who dared to allow himself the whole compass and wealth of being natural, to be strong enough for this freedom; a man of tolerance, not out of weakness but out of strength, because he knows how to make use of himself.”
These reflections show Nietzsche’s profound respect for Goethe’s ability to embody a balanced and dynamic human ideal, capable of profound artistic creation and intellectual pursuit.
I am surrounded by beauty
The statue of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe located in the Horticulture Center of Fairmount Park in Philadelphia was created by Heinrich Carl Johann Manger in 1890 and installed in 1891. The statue is made of bronze and stands on a granite base. The sculpture itself is 8 feet 6 inches tall, while the base adds another 9 feet, bringing the total height to approximately 17 feet 6 inches oai_citation:1,Goethe – Association for Public Art oai_citation:2,Philadelphia Public Art: Goethe.
The statue was commissioned by the Canstatter Volksfest-Verein, a German-American organization, as a tribute to Goethe, one of Germany’s most celebrated literary figures. It is a companion piece to another statue by Manger in the same park, which honors Friedrich Schiller, another prominent German writer and philosopher oai_citation:3,Schiller – Association for Public Art.
Luxury is time spent doing things that you want to, not because you need to. Real luxury is doing things at your own pace, on your own timeline, taking your sweet time, without being monitored by others.
The new privilege in this modern world is being unconfined, outside of boxes, offices, cubicles, computers, and being outside, quite literally, just being in the great outdoors.
The more that I consider happiness, is this really the goal? Perhaps power should be our ultimate passion in life, increasing it, becoming physically stronger, and more powerful.
Why?
The more powerful I become, the happier I am. Perhaps happiness is merely a byproduct of your power, courage, or heart.
What is a photograph?
A photograph is a reflection of your courage. Courage, or cor – meaning heart.
Your heart is on display in the photographs that you create.
Just think, does a shy and bashful street photographer have the capability of propelling themselves onto the front lines of life, each and every day, embracing chaos, unpredictability, the unknown, without fear? No.
You must be courageous, fearless, and intrepid in order to practice street photography at a high level.
When it comes to my daily practice, I make sure to photograph with speed, agility, and rapid velocity. I don’t photograph in a way that requires contemplation, consideration, but merely snapshot my way through life. This becomes a much more interesting experience, as the results, the photographs, are determined by my intuition. Ultimately, I believe that your intuition determines the composition.
A photographer is responsible for positioning themselves on the front lines of life, pressing the shutter with their gut, and moving forward with their heart.
Everything else in photography—technical ability, history, knowledge of what makes or breaks a good photograph—can all fall to the wayside. For these things do not matter, but the only thing that matters is that you propel yourself onwards, and upwards, with the grand attempt to elevate the human spirit to new heights.
When you set your body in motion, without preconceived notions, you will be surprised at what you will find. For when you walk outside, and propel your body onward, you exist outside the passage of time. When you photograph, you are merely existing, in the now, in the moment, recognizing patterns in both nature, human behavior, and creating something from nothing. This act transcends all notions of physics and gravity, as when I photograph, I am creating something that can seemingly last forever—something that transcends this world and exists within the digital world, using modern technology.
Consider architecture or sculpture, and the medium itself. I believe these two art forms are some of the greatest expressions of human achievement due to the sheer size, grandeur, and technical skill involved in creating these pieces of art, such as the sculpture of David in Florence, the Colosseum, or even City Hall here in Philadelphia. Think about the way in which these men, who built these structures, defy gravity, by scaling upwards, placing sculptures higher up in the sky, crafting looming columns, rooftops, and intricate details that trim the exterior of buildings or adorn tunnels.
There’s something about physics, the laws of the universe, and going beyond them, that makes certain art forms more impactful than others.
My problem with the physical photograph, in print form, is that it typically exists inside, on a wall, in a frame, displayed in the same old way.
You have to use particular lighting and stand from a specific distance in order to achieve the proper viewpoint of this work. It becomes two-dimensional and mediocre in my opinion. Perhaps the digital spaces will be infinite, endless, and accessible to all. I find more interest in the digital world, as a means for expressing, sharing, and making photography viewable.
I think that when you set yourself, your art, in a box, whether a room or within the four corners of a frame, it becomes limited. I seek to go limitless, boundless, and transcend all notions of physics.
I spent a lot of my years traveling, on the road, living a very nomadic lifestyle. My experiences are what shape me and my life to this day. I’ve had the privilege of traveling the world since I was a little kid, visiting family in Italy for Easter, embracing different cultural experiences since I was around 7 years old, and am now a dual citizen between Italy and America.
I’ll never forget the first time I decided to live abroad, studying at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. I made an effort to visit all the major Palestinian cities and found a new home in Jericho. After six months, and graduating, I decided to volunteer abroad and returned to Israel. I lived on a kibbutz, worked with cows, farming, and even maintained the gardens, practiced horticulture, and landscaping.
One evening, in the middle of the night, I became bored of this experience, wanting more, so I packed up my bags—which was basically just a single backpack, as I always travel light—and hit the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. I knocked on the doors of the hostel and spent the next few months volunteering there. I swept the floors, mopped, made beds, and even picked up the trash outside, threw it in the trash pit, and burned it. I had a routine, waking up early with the sound of the mosque, Allah Akbar, on the speaker, walking to the Majid to pray, coming home to eat breakfast with the Palestinian family, doing my chores, knocking on the door of my friend Mohammed‘s house, visiting Hassan, watering his garden, chatting, and exploring the desert. I slept on the floors of mosques, learned about Islam, and even allowed the Imam, Hirsham, to convert me in the end of this experience. While I am and was born and raised Catholic, I was simply curious at the time, as an open-minded person, eager to learn. I photographed on the frontlines of conflict between Israel and Palestine. I’ve seen war, been in many dangerous situations, and lived extremely frugally, most times in simulated poverty. A lot of days, I would get by just eating a few pieces of pita bread and some hummus.
I returned to the United States, seeking more out of life. I heard about the Peace Corps and decided this was the best opportunity for me to continue my traveling. In the Peace Corps, I worked with aquaculture, or fish farming, in remote villages in Zambia, Africa. I learned the local language, prayed under the Seventh-day Adventist Church, documented baptisms and funerals, and lived amongst the Bemba tribe. I slept under a thatched roof, with a mosquito net, drew my water from the well, washed my clothes by hand, tended farms, fish ponds, and prepared my own food from scratch—purchasing chickens, slaughtering them, plucking their feathers, and preparing the food by hand. I’ll never forget my time in Israel and Palestine, working directly with cows, or even during Eid al-Adha in Jericho, the day of sacrifice, when hundreds of goats were slaughtered all throughout the streets.
I have an affinity for nature but recognize the hierarchy that exists within it. Human beings are the apex predator, and I believe that we must make sacrifices to increase our power or our happiness.
However, happiness and power are simple. You can achieve happiness, or power, by simply going outside, going for long walks, working outside, doing things physically. I recognize how little you need to get by, after my experiences traveling the world.
I am here, back in Philadelphia. What is next?
I’m currently working in horticulture, and I’m starting to really enjoy it. It provides me with time away from the chaos of the city, surrounded by green spaces, and not to mention, it’s an art form. I’m very curious about spending time in nature, learning about plants, writing essays, poetry, reading philosophy, and enhancing my artistic abilities beyond just mere photography. Maybe I could even get into pottery and try new mediums that are more physical. Who knows where the road will take me, but I know for a fact that I only do things that interest me. I’m not merely here just to accrue money, retire, and die. I’m here to thrive, on the front lines of life, living, how I choose, and deem interesting. I think the interesting path is worth considering.
Would you rather sit inside the office of the Comcast tower, making $1 million per day, but never see the sunlight, the sunrise, or sunset, considering the 9-to-5 lifestyle?
I know for a fact that I’m not cut out for 9-to-5, but I’m currently trying to design my life, where it almost feels like I’m “retired” in a period of otium, away from public life, enjoying physical leisure. Personally, I realized that I need to work alone, as most other people just get in my way. I’ve worked as a photojournalist, worked in the offices of City Hall, a photographer for the city, and even worked in politics. Even if a lot of these jobs are seemingly the easy path, where I can even just sit on my butt in my home, or work from Zoom, it’s not something that I would ever choose. I’m trying to design my life in a way that I do not have to check my phone or my email. To me, this is modern-day slavery—being on call, on your phone, sending emails, doing Zoom, even if you work from home. It’s not worth it. It’s no way I want to live or what I deem to be freedom. After all my travels, I’ve realized that true freedom is under the thatched roof.
What is the function of capital, money, or wealth? Perhaps it’s to increase your power, make a website, buy camera equipment, meat, weightlifting stuff, have a roof over your head, and ultimately create a family, and make children. I could continue traveling, live frugally, and be a nomad forever, but perhaps the ultimate goal of man is sacrificing yourself for somebody else.
Maybe I decided to start working in horticulture here in Philadelphia because I’m interested in being the best artist that I can possibly be, striving for excellence, and going beyond. I enjoy being on my feet, moving my body, and exerting physical force. Perhaps this is where I am meant to be, in the garden, away from the streets.
