SUPER SAMPLER

I decided to trying and branch out camerawise (and I'm rather meh about digital at the moment) so I picked up a Super Sampler off the internets I decided to give it a shot. I tried it out with a really cheap roll of 400 speed film (and it shows, haha) just to get a sense of how wide the lenses were, I had some fun, since there is no viewfinder!

I haven't quite got the hang of it yet, I need to work on my super sampling technique, which luckily I read up on in the nifty booklet it came with. I just need a little more action and probably more light, the negatives were rather thin!

Figure Study

(12/4/09)

Recently I've gotten back into self portraits, I feel like I haven't made any in a long time, but these could be as much figure studies as they are self portraits.I shaved my head again so I could redo and improve on some of the images I shot the last time I cut my hair this short, but this time I had someone check the focus so they would be sharp!

I've tried to take this image a step further by juxtaposing it with a darker print, which was a stab at diptychs, and an attempted at furthering my self portrait. Making it more than just an image of myself. I thought I would take an astrological route and go with the twins, which represent my zodiac sign, gemini.

(12/30/09)

Its taken me all month and I've never finished my post... I wanted this to be my idea for my final project for Basic Studio, because I enjoyed the extremely dark tones contrasting with the regular tones in the right images, also from the symbolism resulting from the diptych, at least my take from it. Ultimately I think I failed miserably (I did pass the class!) at realizing this idea, specifically from a technical stand point, which is the most infuriating (although I did this image digitally, not in the darkroom as was required for the final), as I considered myself somewhat adept at that part of photography even if I end up coming short in the concept part.

I want to work out the technical kinks next semester and possibly switch to color, I just need to find some skinny dudes to continue this series with, self portraits take forever!

Neglected!

So I let my blog languish again, updating rent asunder by work and then school. Oh well, its a good as time as any to put up some images.

This was for an assignment for Junior Workshop called "the space between." I really wanted to focus on creating negative shapes using the body, as well as retaining strong positive shapes. This has to be my favorite piece I've shot this year.

This piece was for an assignment on my dwelling. Now I normally don't think of my apartment as strictly mine, I share it with three other people and when I moved in aside from my clothes and one or two pieces of furniture everything was already here. That resulting in me living in a place that didn't quite feel like home. So I sought out spaces that became strictly mine when I was using them. One of the first to come to mind was the bathroom, where one can be a king, and rule from yonder porcelain throne, or just read a book.

In addition to a lot of the strobe work I've been doing I've been trying to just shoot on the street, just available light, and I've been working on a small series on street shots. They grew out of stress relief, tired of working with studio lights, and over thinking shots, I went out on the streets armed only with a Hasselblad and my eyes (and a light meter). These are just random shots from the series thus far, but are the ones I enjoy the most.


I had to put these images together in a book for a class, (which can be viewed here)
and hopefully I'll be getting my copy of it soon!

Despite my leaning towards black and white film for stress relief I do still have fun with digital. Coercing high school friends to model for me in parking lots at wee hours of the morning is always a good time. I was trying to go Gregory Crewdson with this, but I didn't have nearly as many lights or budget, so I just stole all of the ambient that was around, and voila!



That's all for now, hopefully these series will continue to grow,
and if all else fails get posted!

Time

Recently I've become more and more interested in narratives. Working in a still media, how do I tell a long story with only one image. I could add text, on the print itself or as an artist statement. Or as I have been doing working in a sequence, or series of images. A series of still images has advantages over actual video, as you can stare at each image and appreciate it more than those 24 frames that go by in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, as I am attempting to create a narrative or sense of time or sequence with my images I yearn to work in video, to record motion as it is, or just capture a pan that would just be a blur in a still camera. I think it would start out as just crap artsy movies, but I think if I keep at it, just like I plan to keep working with narratives, and sequences something more can come out of it, like my Photo II final, which I should really scan...

Anyway I got back to Philly today after a couple weeks in New Jersey, did some exploring on the roof, before I move out. Noticed the ladder was missing a rung as I climbed up, probably good that it was my last time on the roof, that ladder won't last much longer. I took in some of the scenery, enjoyed the slowly setting sun, the freedom of being alone, and tried one last time to photograph the roof. What I came up with was, for me, a refreshing look at a place I love to go to, and probably won't be back to for a while.

Untitled Diptych


Airplane and Aerial

Conditioning
These are all from today so hopefully some more fully thought ideas will surface soon.

Years end

Its the middle of the year, and yet the year is almost over. 

The paradox of school ending when the year finally feels like its starting.

The trees are blooming, everything is green, but soon I'll leave the urban jungle for tall trees.

This year has been interesting, it was full of changes, disappointment, good times too.

So it really isn't any different than any other year in that respect.

I don't know how I feel about being half way done with college, I've spent all this time and money but I have not idea where I am going. I like the art I am making, but what to do with it I haven't the slightest clue. 

Finals are almost done, two left two. Maybe I'll have sometime to really think this summer.

In between working, and working some more.

le sigh... My laptop is also broken, but maybe its not so bad, less time on the interwebs, more time in the real world.

I think its time go back into the real world, errands to run! Things to photograph, hurrah!

I leave you with a random photo (well not completely random) from 2007!

Touchy Subject

I saw this ad when I was browsing a photography website. And it brought back to mind the trite debate of Photography being art. Nothing irks me more than someone disregarding all of photography as art. Its not an illustration, or a painting, but its not the media which truly defines whether something is art but the meaning it has. Although the photo in the ad is crap, so maybe it wasn't art until they applied that awful filter to it. Actually, its still not art, or at least not good art...

Alec Soth Lecture

Its always great getting to hear photographers (and artists) lecture, to put a face to the art work you've been admiring. Yesterday I saw photographer Alec Soth (rhymes with both) speak over at UPenn (and I got to ride the L, which is always an adventure, especially around rush hour!) Alec's talk was kind of a downer, in a good way. He spoke about his frustrations with photography, the over saturation of photography, with sites like Flickr, and Facebook, pictures are everywhere. It was great to hear a photographer I admired admit to inner turmoil over his work, it made him relatable, not this unreachable lofty figure. His solution to this problem, was to try and connect his images with a narrative, attempting to follow the Aristolian Arc.

(Actually used this image in his presentation, yay google for helping me find it)

It does raise a valid question, what separates our "art" from these unconnected "snapshots"?

I want to say that a well thought idea is what separates the two, but some great photographs are spur of the moment, taken as Cartier-Bresson would put it, the decisive moment. I've been finding myself struggling with the same issue. Why should my photograph be important, does it have meaning, or a back story? As a result I find myself dissatisfied with most of the photographs I've taken because something was as Alec put it "pretty".

I'm not sure where I'll end up along this path, I love photographing things with backstory, meaning (although my ideas are usually dark and brooding as of late) So I was glad to be cheered up by doing polaroid transfers. And that is what I leave you with.

Its always good to have a camera

Sometimes walking around with a camera people heckle you, Hey! Take my picture!

Which sometimes I do, but usually not.
But mostly because they aren't related to the project I'm shooting.

Today I happen to see a guy outside just break into dance moves, good time to have a camera.

[ ]

Its nice to branch off from the city every once in a while.

All About Alex

These were printed for the Surface Altered class, the assignment was rather open, simple entitled "All about Alex". Processes used include liquid emulsion, cyanotype, vandyke brown, gum bichromate, acrylic lifts and transfer, tape lifts, as well as charcoal pencil for the text.


My concept was to portray "Alex" across various stages of his/her life, Alex was chosen because of the androgynous nature of the name. I chose my models based on how well I think they could portray stages of a life, not necessarily if they were actually in that "stage" of life. I could have applied more text to the images to help define them but for the most part they are successful. I plan on redoing this series in order to better unify it as one life that represents us all. Some of the stages are more blatant than others, and not all of the pieces incorporate text right now. Hopefully new and improved pieces will be up soon (If I ever find free time, har har!)

Just wondering

What exactly is this thing?
Well more specifically whats going with this?
Any ideas?

Pano-RAMA!

Well its not really "rama" since its only one panoramic but I want to do more.

Self/Gum printing

I've been working a lot by/with myself lately. Hair cut is major reason why, its a change that makes me want to shoot. Distracting hair is gone, the face is more prominent.

While it is nice to photograph myself I need to start working with models again. My next photo II project is probably going to be lacking in people so side projects will hopefully be portrait full (If I can find time!)

I love trying out different formats, the square is quite challenging, but its nice to have that. Most of my squares have been crops from 35mm and digital, but I'm going to shoot the Hasselblad in DC next weekend! The way these photos lined up great, but having them the same with ties them together much better than how I originally planned to display then, horizontally.


I want to try more mixed media, drawing on prints, collage, etc. Non silver is great for getting hands on with a print (although I probably shouldn't, chemicals are bad!) but I need to try taking it further.

Form, meaning, body

I got rid of my hair this weekend.

I had been planning on doing it for a while, but I needed something to push me to do it.

My friend Anna shaved her head this weekend, and looks amazing, so I thought I would go ahead and shave my head as well. We really need to do some portraits together, they would be rad.

I enjoy not having longer hair as it gets in the way of form. Its still a bit chilly, but the portraits I feel inspired to take make up for the cool breeze. Plus the air feels great running through my lack of hair. I'm not sure exactly what meaning these photographs are supposed to have. They seem deeper than pure form, but still remain rather ambiguous to me. A foreboding feeling surrounds them. I'd like to keep working on this idea, but maybe not self portraits. Any one with a shaved head want to model?

If I believed in higher beings

I would thank them for inventing chocolate.

and pancakes, because that is the greatest delivery vessel of chocolate.

Pretty much I made chocolate chip pancakes, and they were awesome.

I meant to take picture of their awesomeness, but I was hungry.

In other news I cut my hair.

Thanks Kori! :D

A simple contraption.

I found a pinhole lens in my pocket today.

It reminded me how simple a camera can be.
Today camera bodies can cost $8,000
and that super sharp zoom lens upward of 1,500.

However one can build an incredibly sharp camera with a few simple things.
Black foam core, tape, a can, and a pin.

Today I was lusting after the Fuji 617

I think I'll build a pano-pinhole instead.

Bonus!
The pinhole lens does wonders for photobooth :-p

Occasionally I ask my cat,

"What do you want? What do YOU want?"

Sometimes I think I'm really asking myself.

Blurb #1

Often during critiques I feel as though I am being critiqued or at least an extension of myself is. I sometimes visualize myself being pinned to the wall and people citing every imperfection and suggesting ways that I/my work could be improved. Every flaw I want pointed out, merely for the sake of improving the piece, strengthening the meaning, and increasing the impact. Often my position during a critique is one of defense, rebuttal, and response but I think it would be better to sit back, take notes, and watched my work get examined with precision of an eagle's eye.

But I doubt that will happen soon.

On a side note, any ideas about how to suspend someone from a bulletin board?

Lightroom to Darkroom

Recently I've start to simply scan my negatives instead of making contact sheets. While this isn't the most time efficient process, it allows me to figure out where I want to take a print all without using any paper. The best part is trying to figure out how to translate a digital version of a negative back into a silver print. There are no sliders in the darkroom, just lots of knobs. So translating an image can be kind of confusing, but I'm getting the hang of it.

Some images however will never quite make the transition back from the digital world, like this one, since the colors only appeared when it was scanned.
However this photo wouldn't have been as interesting without of the real world dust, scratches, and water marks (No photoshop :D ) Never the less it would still be great to be able to bring this back into the darkroom and print it.

End of a long day

More accurately this should be end of a long week, but its not over yet.

Its been an enjoyable week, spent most of it in the darkroom, or passing out from lack of sleep (see spending most of it in the darkroom) But I made a lot of prints, some tintypes (:D) and I bought some liquid light! So now I can make really large prints for relatively cheap (large paper is ungodly expensive!)

But back to today. Woke up extra early to get to class on time, tintypes (which are super exciting and difficult to perfect) got me super pumped for class!

Had a crit in Photo II after 6 hours of tintyping it up, which was interesting. It started out with a half hour of just silent critique where we went around I just wrote our thoughts on the images, no talking, just contemplating, and giving feedback. I haven't had the time to read mine yet, but it was a great way to start the crit. I felt a bit rushed, I wanted to spend more time admiring everyones work but we did spent a decent amount of time on it. The rest of the crit was pretty usual, some works evoking more responces than other, but overall a good group of work from everyone.

Getting home was awesome. Mostly because I cooked food.
Like real food.
Like rice.
And chili.
Chili is so good.
However my ratio of rice to chili was a bit off. At the start one cup of rice and one can of chili start out very similar in size, but having never actually cooked rice before I was unaware how much the rice expands. Either way, I was craving a real meal, (I had a chocolate shake at Potbelly's earlier, which was awesome but not wholesome) so I ate it all anyway.
The rice was a bit too hard, I'll have to cook it longer next time...

On a last note I caught the President of the United States of Americaaaaaaa on the tonight show, which is really awesome. He made valid points, and even joked a little bit, even talking about an exploding toaster at one point (it related) I don't know how it ended because sometime around the end I just passsed out (sleeeeep, I need more sleeep) So I kind of remember it like this.
And now its time to sleep.

The Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center

Today I visited the Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center in Washington, New Jersey. Its nestled in the woods hidden away a bit off of the highway, but its certainly worth trying to find (we almost drove past it). I wasn't really sure what to expect until I checked the website, I had pictured a much more traditional looking temple exterior, but rather it is a modern looking building.

The entrance to the complex is easily recognized, as one passes through a large gate to enter the grounds. Going towards the temple itself is similar passing under an arch and up stairs leads you to a building that would not appear unfamiliar were it not surrounded by prayer scrolls. My friend who had brought me informed me that you could spin the scrolls to release the prayers (I was rather cautious the whole time and didn't touch them)


Entering the temple proper was a rather interesting experience, we had to remove our shoes before entering, but once inside we could see all of the large square room. The entire back wall was an altered filled with tapestry, statues of various sizes, flowers, and various offerings. On the right side of the back wall were numerous scrolls filling cubbies that ran the height of the wall.
The center piece to this alter were three large statues under a skylight, a golden Buddha, another smaller golden statue on the right and a dark bejeweled statue on the left. Ringing the room were photographs and tapestries dedicated to various individuals who were important to the center. Included were many photographs of the Dalai Lama, who has visited the center 6 times, a plaque of Geshes Wangyal the founder of the center, and several elaborate tapestries of Buddhist figures.

The center offers prayer and meditation every Sunday, as well as Buddhist philosophy classes Wednesday nights. In the summer the center also offers seminars over several weekends in which one can learn more in depth about Buddhism. In addition the center has an annual founders day at the beginning of February, and a Maitreya Festival each summer. The festival, from what I read on the website, is in honor of the future Buddha, Maitreya, and has a message from the Dalai Lama, prayers recited by monks, food, and entertainment.

The Stupa

A Stupa is shrine or memorial, this one in particular is dedicated to the founder of the center the late Geshe Wangyal who passed away in 1983. According to the website, the 21 foot tall Stupa contains the ashes of Geshe Wangyal in clay statues as well as many relics, scroll, and mantras, all encased in the concrete structure. The Dalai Lama himself consecrated the Stupa in 1984.

My visit to the center today was rather brief, it was a Saturday so not much was going on, but we were allowed full access to the temple, which was great. Hopefully I will be able to return to the center soon, and meet more of the people who go there to pray, meditate, and learn. It will also be wonderful to return in the spring to see the complex and all the greenery in all its glory.