2020

Must-Watch Documentaries for Photography Enthusiasts

posted Jun 12, 2020 by Tom Fasano

Sunday, December 28, 2025Friday, June 12, 2020 by Tom Fasano

As someone who loves both photography and documentaries, I was thrilled to stumble upon a list of must-watch photography documentaries over at Fstoppers. With “The Picture Of His Life” about to hit the theaters, it seems like the perfect time to explore some of the most captivating films about photographers and their craft. This documentary follows Amos Nachoum’s daring quest to photograph polar bears underwater—sounds intense, right?

The article sets some ground rules for its selections, sticking strictly to documentaries and steering clear of biopics and TV specials. So, if you’re a fan of the nitty-gritty behind-the-scenes look at photographers’ processes, this list might just be your new binge-watch guide. It’s a curated selection that’s focused on standalone theatrical releases, offering a deeper dive into the art of photography and the fascinating stories behind the lens.

What’s particularly intriguing is the distinction the author makes between documentaries about photography and those that are photography. It’s a subtle but important difference that keeps the focus on the photographers and their journeys. So, if you’re looking to get inspired or just appreciate the sheer talent and bravery of these visual storytellers, these films are worth your time.

Ready to explore the world of photography through a different lens? Read the full article and discover which documentaries make the cut.

H. P. Lovecraft: The Dunwich Horror read by David McCallum

posted Jun 5, 2020 by Tom Fasano

Thursday, December 4, 2025Friday, June 5, 2020 by Tom Fasano

H P Lovecraft: The Dunwich Horror read by David McCallum (Caedmon TC 1467)

View on Archive.org

David McCallum reads H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Dunwich Horror” in this vintage Caedmon recording from the 1960s. McCallum, famous for his role in “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” brings the right mix of restraint and dread to Lovecraft’s tale of cosmic horror in rural Massachusetts.

The story follows the strange Whateley family and their dealings with forces beyond human understanding. When young Wilbur Whateley dies under mysterious circumstances, something far worse is unleashed on the countryside. Lovecraft’s genius was in suggesting horrors rather than showing them, and McCallum’s reading captures that perfectly.

Caedmon Records pioneered quality spoken word recordings in the 1950s and 60s. They hired professional actors to create definitive performances of literary classics. This recording, with its striking cover art of the decaying Whateley farmhouse, represents that golden age of audiobook production.

H. P. Lovecraft: Read by Roddy McDowall

posted Jun 5, 2020 by Tom Fasano

Saturday, December 27, 2025Friday, June 5, 2020 by Tom Fasano

H P Lovecraft: Read by Roddy McDowall (Prestige Records LA 30003)

Tracks:
▶ 01 The Outsider (1926, Weird Tales) (19:13)
▶ 02 The Hound (1924, Weird Tales) (22:30)

View on Archive.org

There is something quietly touching about this old Prestige LP, with its young Roddy McDowall gazing out in mid-sixties monochrome, as if interrupted in the act of remembering. His readings of Lovecraft’s tales — “The Outsider,” and “The Hound,” — unfold with a careful, almost ceremonious grace. McDowall doesn’t thunder or whisper conspiratorially; instead, he lets the stories rise on their own Gothic vapors, his voice offering the steady pulse beneath their unease.

The effect is less that of a haunted house and more that of a dimly lit study on a winter afternoon: shadows lengthen, language darkens, and dread forms slowly in the corners. McDowall has the rare ability to sound both cultivated and quietly afraid, which suits Lovecraft’s peculiar blend of antiquarian fussiness and cosmic despair. He reads as a man dusting off heirlooms that may, upon closer inspection, still breathe.

What remains is a small, dignified artifact from an era when horror could afford to move at a walking pace. The LP feels at once modest and enduring—a reminder that, sometimes, the most unsettling terrors arrive not with a shout, but with a gentle clearing of the throat before the first sentence begins.

Robert Lowell and Tom Fasano

posted Apr 9, 2020 by Tom Fasano

Sunday, November 16, 2025Thursday, April 9, 2020 by Tom Fasano

The older I get the more I look like the poet Robert Lowell. If I could write poetry like Lowell, I’d be set.

Karl Shapiro

posted Feb 26, 2020 by Tom Fasano

Thursday, February 26, 2026Wednesday, February 26, 2020 by Tom Fasano

This is the only filmed interview I’ve been able to find of the great poet Karl Shapiro. It’s sourced from a 16mm film by Karl Shapiro and Arthur Hoyle, Santa Monica, CA: Pyramid Films, 1976.

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The Cabbie’s Tale

posted Feb 2, 2020 by Tom Fasano

Monday, February 2, 2026Sunday, February 2, 2020 by Tom Fasano

Tim Fasano, who died last November of cardiac arrest, penned a memoir of life at the margins of society.

Before his YouTube page became a sensation with over 1,300 videos of his search for Bigfoot, Tim Fasano wrote a popular blog called Tampa Taxi Shots. The blogging craze was at its height in 2006, and Mr. Fasano began documenting his view of life on the streets from behind the wheel of a United Cab.

Mr. Fasano often said there was more philosophy in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven than in a college lecture hall.

He often wrote about ne’er-do-wells and down-and-outs, strippers and prostitutes, nightclub patrons, and guys looking for a late-night date. He wrote of vacationers who thought they were long-routed, sick people headed to the emergency room in the wee hours, and the mentally ill. There was no shortage of surly drunks, bums with no money, and addicts who believed Mr. Fasano knew where to score drugs. Several newspapers wrote articles about his blog, and often Mr. Fasano appeared on local television — once for finding a suspicious package at the Tampa airport. News outlets from around the country published obituaries about him, including US News & World Report.

His short, concise posts were compelling and bewitching in their effort to find meaning in the hustle of cab driving. A student of philosophy at the University of South Florida, Mr. Fasano often said there was more philosophy in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven than in a college lecture hall. An amateur photographer, he filled his blog with photos of the road, billboards, and graffiti. He took dozens of photographs of his fellow drivers, many of whom have passed away.

We at Coyote Canyon Press had the pleasure of reading his manuscript a few years ago. Based on his blog entries but fleshed out significantly, his book focuses on the unglamorous lives of people on the margins, people whose stories are rarely told.

The Cabbie’s Tale will be published in the summer of 2020.