John Edwin Mason: Documentary, Motorsports, Photo History

Street Photography in Johannesburg, South Africa: Akinbode Akinbiyi

I love the way that Nigerian photographer Akinbode Akinbiyi works. I mean his approach to photography (see below) and the way that he uses his camera. At least in the video below, he's shooting with a Rollei Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) camera, using the sports finder. That immediately makes him... Read more →

Bikers for Babies, or the Hale House Pamper Run

There I was in Harlem, hanging out with my new best friends -- the Dirty Ones and the Devil's Rebels. You know, bikers, and I don't mean Schwinn. Harlem, 29 June 2013. [Click on any photo for a larger version.] I was out for a walk on, a fine Saturday... Read more →

Walking the Rollei: New York in June

Two and a half weeks in a un-airconditioned apartment in Harlem, during a heat wave in June... Sounds like fun, right? In truth, it was a lot of fun. A mix of research and writing, during the day, and music with friends, at night. Besides, I had fans to blow... Read more →

Bug Out 69: Old Dominion Speedway, 29 May 2011

A couple of weeks ago, I dusted off my favorite old cameras and headed up US 29 to Old Dominion Speedway, in Manassas, Virginia, for Bug Out 69. It was part of my never-ending rambling through the more obscure byways of American car culture. I also figured that it would... Read more →

The Free Bridge Quintet @ the University of Virginia, 22 October 2010

(Note: This post is appearing about two weeks after I had hoped that it would, so I'm going to ask you to pretend that it's still sometime in late October.) The Free Bridge Quintet presented its fall concert, on the 22nd, and the whole evening was spectacular. Top to bottom,... Read more →

Rollei at a Rally: Tom Perriello for Congress!

Last Sunday was 10/10/10, an auspicious date. What better way to celebrate than to load some film into my Rollei TLR and head over to Charlottesville's Tonsler Park, where my wonderful first-term congressman, Tom Perriello, was speaking at a campaign rally, Those of us in Virginia's 5th Congressional District know... Read more →

Car Culture, Continued: The SBRA Bracket Finals, 2010, at Eastside Speedway

Driving over the Blue Ridge Mountains to Eastside Speedway, after having been away for several months, feels like going home -- in an odd sort of way. My attachment to the place has nothing to do with family (although I've made a lot of friends there, over the last few... Read more →