Email
You can contact me at . I will reply to all serious, thoughtful emails.

Location
I currently reside in San Francisco. I am originally from the East Coast, and New York City is the only place I really feel at home, but when I close my eyes, San Francisco and the central California coast are what I see. I'm not sure why or what this means exactly. Perhaps it's good for a photographer to feel a bit out of place, for there to be a little distance between oneself and one's surroundings. Familiarity and comfort make it difficult to see clearly.

Models
As you can tell from my work, I am not a commercial photographer. I have no interest in fashion or studio photography at all. I have always been drawn to personal, expressionist, down and dirty street photography. With that said, I have worked with a number of models over the years and have enjoyed the experience greatly. The type of photography I tend to do is rather solitary, so it's often a welcome change, and an interesting challenge, to collaborate with others. When I do work with models, I prefer to shoot in actual locations, with existing lighting, rather than in a studio. I'm comfortable working with both experienced models and those just getting started. If you have a genuine interest in photography; are serious about creating soulful, provocative images; and would like to work together; feel free to contact me. I would be happy to meet with you downtown to discuss potential projects.

:: Legal Info ::

This site, including all content, text, photographs, graphics, design, and source code, is © 2010 Andrew Merlino. All rights reserved.

Photographs may not be copied, reproduced, altered, printed, published, or used in any manner, commercial or otherwise, without prior written consent from the copyright holder.

"Blue Panic" and "Blue Panic Photography" are trademarks.

For more information, contact Andrew Merlino at .

:: Additional Galleries ::

Archive

The archive is essentially an expanded portfolio in reverse chronological order. It contains all of the current portfolio images, select images from my conceptual and travel galleries, as well as hundreds of additional photographs spanning 1995 to the present. The most recent images are displayed first, making it easy to view new photographs as they are added to the site.

     · Archive  (Last Updated: Saturday, September 04, 2010 @ 10:51 PM PST)


     · Split Screen: A Street Corner Romance (July 2010)

     · Shakespeare In The Park: A Schizo-Musical Version Of Romeo & Juliet (June 2010)

     · 70 Minutes In Union Square (February 2010)

     · Trouble & Desire (December 2009)


     · Cross Country Trip (September/October 2009)

     · New York City (May 2009)

     · Northern Pennsylvania (October 2008)

     · San Francisco (May 2007)

These galleries are comprised of thousands of images organized by year. They include portfolio-quality shots, alternate versions of images found elsewhere on my site, B-sides, and various odds and ends. Starting in 2010, the images are in reverse chronological order.

     2010 (Last Updated: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 @ 5:47 PM PST)

     2009  ·  2008  ·  2007  ·  2006  ·  2005  ·  2004  ·  2003  ·  2002  ·  1995-2001

I was told not to get
into any of this, not to talk about where I
came from, or my mission here, but I'm tempted
to share a few secrets with you, though I guess I won't.
[John Ashbery, "Eternity Sings The Blues"]

I bought my first camera in lower Manhattan in 1995. Though I was in New York City to attend grad school, I spent most of my time wandering the streets, compelled by that intoxicating mixture of insomnia, loneliness, and near ecstatic curiosity that the city seems to inspire. One afternoon, I purchased a Minolta SLR on a whim, having taken only one or two photos in my life. I just needed something to do on my incessant treks up and down the island. The camera lent a purpose, however belated, to this solitary ritual.

Many years (and thousands of miles) later, my photography is still intimately connected to my compulsive wandering. My portfolio is comprised of images from across the United States and Canada. Though I never set out to photograph scenes that illustrate a particular idea or evoke a certain mood, there are a number of deeply personal themes that recur obsessively in my work. I won't attempt to spell out these motifs nor articulate what my photography is "about." After all, the pictures reveal everything. Images are fascinating precisely because they say nothing, yet in this silence, express what words can only allude to clumsily. For me, photography is most intriguing when seen in this light: as a potent, soulful antidote to the limitations of language and speech.

How can I see your most recent work?

Why do some images contain a "{Detail}" watermark?
If you come across an image in my portfolio or archive with this watermark, it's a crop from a photo that didn't fit happily into the layout of my site. Usually it's an image with a vertical orientation or a strange aspect ratio. To see the whole image, click the "View Entire Photo" link to the left of the image. I try to make the site as accessible as possible to users with ancient, low resolution monitors (like myself until recently). Whenever possible, I want images to fit on the screen without scrollbars appearing.

How can I bookmark a specific image?
I programmed my portfolio and archive in a manner that speeds up the loading of images. The one drawback is that when you go from image to image, the URL in the address bar of your browser does not change. (The other drawback is that the browser's "Back" button does not work. However, the navigation on my site makes it easy to go forward and backward through the images.) To bookmark a specific image, simply click the "Permalink" link to the left of the image and bookmark the resulting URL.

Why can't I find you on Facebook, Twitter, ________?
I dislike noise and crowds.

Why does your artist statement not really state anything?
Exactly.

Why "Blue Panic?"
Many years ago, when I was trying to come up with a domain name for my site, I thought about my favorite words. "Blue" and "panic" were the first ones that came to mind. Read into this what you will.

Can I meet you for coffee?
Sure. But only if you're under 21. Otherwise, let's have a drink.