Gutsy young photographer

[pbromaghin]

People might say he's nuts. He reminds me of when I dropped out of college at the same age to open a karate school almost 40 years ago. Good for him.

 

[calebarchie]

Yawn

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

Excuse me, was film mentioned there at all?
I dropped out of watching it after a few minutes.

 

[Down Under]

This reminds me of an old saying - he who attempts to dance and play music, achieves neither well.

I thought the imagery is so-so, the words really mean nothing - empty philosophising. Or philosophilandering, if you like.

Neither presents well with the other. It lacks that certain - whatever.

I did however, suffer through the entire presentation. Plus points to me, wot?

And yes, film. What about it?

A waste of good oxygen, I think. Basically shows some promise, could easily be made much better, needs rethinking. Beyond this, no suggestions. It's the owner's call...

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

As would be coined here in Australia, "a care-free, freewheeling life on the open road", slightly invoking the comical opening scene of the 1980s band, "Men at Work" in their iconic larrikin song, "(Downunder").

So, hit the road. But wait. Where is his money coming from? A kombi doesn't run on Hollandaise sauce.

The "lifestyle adventure" has a familiar ring to it. All kids dream of taking leave of uni (and many do, called a "Gap Year"), buy a Troopy (the modern, sensible choice, not one of those ghastly banged-up Kombi crappers that certainly are not snow-going!), borrow the folks' Jayco camper and a willing friend to co-drive and head north by north-west, yes, with surfboard, bikes, bongs, Monopoly set, Trangia and tent (I did this in 2011, but no bongs in my kit!). This is a rite of passage (at least here in Australia). But there is a difference between the fantasising guy in the kombi and the kids on Gap: the journey will finish, on time, and it's back to uni, or into the old/new job, earning a living and contributing to society. This guy raises eyebrows (and exasperating sighs) for his seeming directionless, pseudo-existential drifting....wandering around — and foolhardy, couldn't-give-a-toss driving (a Kombi, in snow!?). Sure, he will have a few memories to fall back in when he is older (mostly photographs that missed the mark, just ever-so-closely, but still missed the mark and fell readily into the category of ordinary, unremarkable "travel snaps", relying too much the P for Professional mode of a camera — any camera!), but I think an open-road, un-ending, incoherent hippie-coutured lifestyle does neither himself or others working their butts off any favours, as much as the film tries to wax up the viewer's enthusiasm. It failed.

 

[calebarchie]

So, hit the road. But wait. Where is his money coming from? A kombi doesn't run on Hollandaise sauce.

His middle class parents most probably.

 

[Bob Carnie]

He reminds me of Greg Hinty, I am 100% in agreement with his choices as a young man in today's world. Takes a lot of Balls .

 

[dasBlute]

Livin' the dream .... Man, some grumpy old farts around here....

Melvin Udall:Some of us have great stories, pretty stories that take place at lakes, with boats, and friends, and noodle salad. Just no one in this car. But, a lot of people, that's their story; good times, noodle salad. What makes it so hard is not that you had it bad, but that you're that pissed that so many others had it good.

 

[calebarchie]

I'm 20, your point is moot.

 

[Bob Carnie]

I'm 20, your point is moot.

I wish I was 20 again, have fun.

 

[calebarchie]

I wish I was 20 again, have fun.

I don't have to be a hippie to do that

 

[Bob Carnie]

I don't have to be a hippie to do that

Good Point

 

[Patrick Robert James]

There have been a lot of these films about these types of guys in the last few years. Never hear from them again. They have their adventure but get confronted with the real world sooner or later.

Totally on the parent financing...... I bet he spends more on gas every month than his rent would have been.

Still though, he is young. Might as well do dumb things. When you are young and do dumb things people shrug their shoulders. When you are old and do dumb things people think you are senile. A pattern of life.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

As would be coined here in Australia, "a care-free, freewheeling life on the open road", slightly invoking the comical opening scene of the 1980s band, "Men at Work" in their iconic larrikin song, "(Downunder").

So, hit the road. But wait. Where is his money coming from? A kombi doesn't run on Hollandaise sauce.

The "lifestyle adventure" has a familiar ring to it. All kids dream of taking leave of uni (and many do, called a "Gap Year"), buy a Troopy (the modern, sensible choice, not one of those ghastly banged-up Kombi crappers that certainly are not snow-going!), borrow the folks' Jayco camper and a willing friend to co-drive and head north by north-west, yes, with surfboard, bikes, bongs, Monopoly set, Trangia and tent (I did this in 2011, but no bongs in my kit!). This is a rite of passage (at least here in Australia). But there is a difference between the fantasising guy in the kombi and the kids on Gap: the journey will finish, on time, and it's back to uni, or into the old/new job, earning a living and contributing to society. This guy raises eyebrows (and exasperating sighs) for his seeming directionless, pseudo-existential drifting....wandering around — and foolhardy, couldn't-give-a-toss driving (a Kombi, in snow!?). Sure, he will have a few memories to fall back in when he is older (mostly photographs that missed the mark, just ever-so-closely, but still missed the mark and fell readily into the category of ordinary, unremarkable "travel snaps", relying too much the P for Professional mode of a camera — any camera!), but I think an open-road, un-ending, incoherent hippie-coutured lifestyle does neither himself or others working their butts off any favours, as much as the film tries to wax up the viewer's enthusiasm. It failed.

Should have included the bongs.

 

[Bob Carnie]

There have been a lot of these films about these types of guys in the last few years. Never hear from them again. They have their adventure but get confronted with the real world sooner or later.

Totally on the parent financing...... I bet he spends more on gas every month than his rent would have been.

Still though, he is young. Might as well do dumb things. When you are young and do dumb things people shrug their shoulders. When you are old and do dumb things people think you are senile. A pattern of life.

I am often referred to as senile .

 

[jvo]

he pushin' the limits... maybe not by a lot, but he's startin' someplace - let's see where it goes! he's takin' that first step - some folks don't do that!

jvo

 

[Jim Jones]

It's good to toot your horn when you have great music to play. Otherwise it's just noise.

 

[pbromaghin]

For those who didn't pay attention, he saved up his money from an assistant manager job to buy the van and get started, and has picked up odd jobs. He is self-financing.

 

[calebarchie]

For those who didn't pay attention, he saved up his money from an assistant manager job to buy the van and get started, and has picked up odd jobs. He is self-financing.

Oh wait, there is talking? Thank god I'm deaf..

 

[Vaughn]

A bunch of grumpy old men and someone too young to have known what a true hippy was. He is not a hippy. There are still some us old ones left but they broke the mold (for better or worse) a long time ago -- he is a dude. Busted his ass for six years, learned the work ethic and how to keep pushing to succeed. That is not a long time by some standards, but all the more power to him! At 62, I have managed to escape having to conform to the 9 to 5 and three weeks off a year lifestyle. I have had many adventures, but I would not call that a lifestyle. I lived the parent lifestyle for the last 19 years (single parent for the last 6). That has mellowed out and so it is now the retired active photographer lifestyle...whatever that may bring!

VW vans (Kombis) and bugs are great in the snow and on dirt roads. Always felt (relatively) safe and in control driving them on snow. The heaters are not good, but the driving is...and if you are in an winter accident, there may be no air bag, but you probably will have enough sweaters and coats on to act like one! He is knocking miles off the engine by pulling the trailer with an already maxed-out camper configuration. I had the same camper for several years. But even my mechanic cringes now whenever an air-cooled rolls in.

 

[calebarchie]

That's a good thing in my eyes heh!

 

[Vaughn]

That's a good thing in my eyes heh!

What looks good to the eye is subject to experience.

 

[calebarchie]

Spose! I can't stand hipsters, I don't think I could take the real deal

 

[Down Under]

(Mr Fish Crossing The Road wrote) "So, hit the road. But wait. Where is his money coming from? A kombi doesn't run on Hollandaise sauce."

The last sentence is an immortal line! I will be quoting that at dinner parties for the rest of my life. PDJ, many many many thanks. You have truly made my day with that.

As for some of the others, so we should all feel envious/ And want to be 20 again? Puke... No thanks. I will stick to being (almost) 69. More fun. I've made all my mistakes for this life. Did much the same trip across North America in 1979, in an almost clapped-out Ford Maverick I bought for $500 in Berkeley. Peeled a tire on the freeway to LA. Rebuilt almost the entire car (thank you, K-Mart!) during the trip. Stayed in enough Motel 6's to write a Burroughs novel. This, to me, was the real thing. No cozy beds in the back or cute small fridges to keep the Coors chilled in. How much did that Kombi set Boyo back, I wonder? Not much change left from at least $15K, from what I saw. All too too precious, really.

As for senile, I fully intend to be brain-dead from a surfeit of good red wine and champagne before I get to the gaga stage of life. No nursing home for me. The bottle shop will do me just fine. For all that, I've been out today, in the Tasmanian winter cold, shooting two rolls of HP5+ with my Contax G1. To be processed later. The heating is on, and I am savoring a glass of sparkling sekt now. The good life, small time.

Our third cat at home is named Bong. Because he acts like one...

Now let us get back to real photography. The important stuff.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

"How much did that Kombi set Boyo back, I wonder? Not much change left from at least $15K, from what I saw. All too too precious, really."

Much, much less than $15,000 I reckon. You can frequently see here (in Australia) clapped out VW campers going for $500 to $800. They will need work, are often not roadworthy (the least of concerns), engines are gone and the body has extensive rust. Often, these are rescued by those cashed-up enough to go through a complete and exotic recondition and retrofit. There are a few of those "born again" things around here that have gone through $100,000 exotic reconditioning up to Show standard. Popular with tradies and collectors. Who else would have the money to go the whole hog like that?