My chronic procrastination during the day creates a driven urge to get something done late in the night, like a runner who finds himself behind on the last lap, or a horse three lengths back on the home stretch.
But sometimes I get into a mental vortex that paralyses me. Around midnight. Then I put on a coat, leash up Billy the jailhouse dog and go out to walk the Santa Monica streets. Exploring with nothing in mind.
I know the streets, the houses, the cars. Itโs my neighborhood, but Iโm always intrigued by the nighttime vision. ย A land of a hundred tiny suns, some white dwarfs of dying stars , some ย red giants of over exposed light. When I was filming for Terry Malick he once said I should overexpose scenes that are dark in nature.
My iPhone sees more than my eyes do.
I can see the ocean in daytime, not now. Sometimes sound of the surf.
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So many neighborsโฆ.. neighbors that I donโt knowโฆ..
Imagined activity behind walls with an occasional witness peering out.
Billy the Dog - smells things that I canโt. His own private adventure.
Itโs Santa Monica. There are only ghosts of people whoโve left cars and silence on the streets.
ย The nights encourage imagination.
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Paul, the nighttime prowling images are , intriguing,mysterious, superb . Wish I were there with Ivy to go midnight marauding
Deeds
Thanks Paul, as always. So many shots of SM are familiar to me from my days working in LA. Do you live near Steve Shaw? He's always my first call when I'm in town....rarely any more.