To The Masses

I'm a huge fan of street art. Many times it is very subversive and very political. Street art can be readily seen on the streets of many bustling metropolitan cities and because of that, street art is art for the masses. No need to head into an art gallery to view them. You just gotta keep your eyes peeled when you're walking about around town. There is no other name in the street art realm that's more ubiquitous than Banksy.

It was quite a surprise for me to learn that Banksy recently did the opening sequence for The Simpsons. Now, I'm normally not the type of critic to find the transition from someone the likes of Banksy doing something more readily mainstream such as a show like The Simpsons all too...appealing but I thought I'd give the guy a chance to see what he had to say. I haven't watched The Simpsons for a long time. I feel like they've lost their humor long ago but that's really neither here nor there.

After watching the opening sequence, I can't help but wonder what the creators of the show were thinking when they asked him to do it because it's pretty out there and in your face and to be honest, I felt a bit uncomfortable after watching the final sequence of the opening. The creators must've known what Banksy is all about and they must've felt it was appropriate for the show because they approved it. Maybe they approved it because they wanted to maintain some sort of relevancy to modern pop culture but that's merely my assumption. You be the judge...

Anyway, still a big fan of Banksy and will still be inspired by his work.

***Edited for broken media link***

Facebook sucks and I still love film

Ever since I joined Facebook, I've noticed that the quality of the photos I upload degrade in quality. They've come a long way since such as allowing for a much larger image file, but even so, the quality still lacks compared to photo based social sites such as Flickr (which I absolutely LOVE!). With respect to images coming off of digital cameras, the quality is somewhat good on FB. You've got to really be anal to notice the difference. Film based photos on the other hand, forget about it. I uploaded a set of photos yesterday to FB and there was HEAVY grain when the original images show none. That really irked me. I don't think I'll be uploading anymore film based images to FB. I like my images to appear as clean as possible. I'm sure many others feel the same way.

That being said, I still love the look of film. I know I've said that before but I can't say it enough. I've been shooting digital photography a lot lately with my Canon 7D and I love it. Don't get me wrong. Technology advances and I've got to get with the times. It is a much easier format to work with when it comes to the business side of things. Images are there the second you take the photo so that you can preview it and digital files are much more easier to work with with editing software such as Photoshop.

But there's something about film that I find more appealing than digital. There's a warmth and character to them and you can see it when you use the plethora of film that's out there in the market. Not all film are created equally and rightly so! Provia will look different than Ektachrome. Portra will look different than Superia. Even the different ISO ratings within the respective film lines have a different look and feel. It really is an amazing thing and I wish there were more people shooting film more than digital if they choose to shoot both formats at the same time. I also wish working with film would be more cost effective/efficient.

On a personal note, I tend to be more careful when I'm working with film. I know that I only have "x" number of frames before I have to change the roll (24-36 depending on the roll) and I like to make each one count. I also have the same mindset when I'm working with digital but there's that little thought in the back of my mind that knows if I don't like the image, I could always press the delete button and it's all good so there's this level of leeway with digital photography and that can work against you as a photographer because you want to output great images more than you're likely to delete images. So I find myself being more lax and sometimes slipping at times when using my Canon 7D.

Because of my want to shoot film more, many times I find myself using one of those old film point & shoot cameras and loading it with film and taking it everywhere I go. I take my 7D out a lot as well, but you can carry a digital SLR so many times before you get tired of lugging it around. The same can be said with a 35mm film SLR because both are so bulky and who wants to carry around something that big all the time? I don't own a digital p&s (not that I would like to anymore...) so this small 35mm film p&s works best for me. It also allows me to catch these often overlooked and taken for granted moments that I strive to capture which you can see in these images that I've posted.

In closing, I'm going to admit that I'm being a (film) snob but that's fine by me. I'll continue to shoot digital photography and have no problem doing so and I'll continue to shoot film as well and hopefully more of it. When all is said and done, it really doesn't matter what media format one chooses to shoot with. I've seen some great photos from people taken with small film p&s cameras (like the one I used for these photos) that rival some of the great photos taken with a digital SLR. I've seen some spectacular photos coming from digital SLRs and I've seen a lot of crap ones. Hell, I think sometimes the photos coming from my 7D are crap. It all comes down to the person behind the lens and the knowledge and vision said person has. Great photography is great photography...

All of these photos came from a small 35mm point & shoot camera using Fuji Neopan SS. If you'd like to see more of my photographic work, become a fan of 17thletter Photography on Facebook!

Just A Tease

This past Sunday, I had my first fashion photoshoot with The De Lacy Collection for their Spring 2011 line. I've done some minor photoshoots in the past...friend asking for headshots or personal photos etc., but never have done something along the professional lines of photography such as products and the like. It was quite exciting for me to do this and a learning experience to say the least.

The day started off really weird for me. The previous night, I had attended dinner for a friend's birthday and had intended to leave early so I could get rest knowing I had a full day ahead of me for the shoot. I left dinner at the desired time, however, the rest I needed and wanted never came for I ended up staying up through the night. So on the morning of the shoot, I was really tired but still had my spirits up so that gave me the energy I needed for most of the day. Well, that and Redbull. First lesson learned: Get plenty of rest.

The shoot itself was really fun and kept me going. I had scoped out the set a week or two prior, just to get an idea of the lighting I would be getting and from what I gathered during my intel, it looked like I didn't need much as far as lighting. The lights seemed bright and I would be getting additional light from the windows where we would be doing most of the shoot, so I thought I'd be good. Just to be on the safe side, I asked my friend if I could borrow one of his reflectors and he kindly did so, plus Bridgette De Lacy brought one of her own with minor additional lighting and things seemed covered. Boy was I wrong! When I arrived at the location, I took a couple of test shots after the set lights warmed up and noticed that I would be getting alot of dark photos. The lights at the location didn't help as much as I thought it would so I then took a couple of test shots using the reflector to bounce the surrounding lights and they helped a little but not as much as I wanted them to so I had to depend on the light coming in through the windows which was GREAT but would pose a problem later on during the actual shoot.

The plan was that everyone would get to the location around 9am and we would start shooting around 10-11am but unforeseen circumstances by way of massive street closures due to a marathon (or something), had people arriving at 10 so we didn't begin shooting until around close to noon. With that in mind, once we began, the light coming in through the window helped a great deal during the first hour or two of the shoot, but problems began to arise when the sun started to shift position and the photos started to get darker again. Even using the reflector didn't help much. I dreaded using the on camera flash because I was afraid of that "deer in the headlights" look on camera flash is known for but after seeing the photos get darker and darker as the sun's position shifted, I had to use it to get usable photos or else the shoot would've been a total bust. Using the on camera flash ended up being a great and unexpected help! Coupled with the use of the reflector, and the minor lights Bridgette had brought, many of the photos turned out amazing! I was pleasantly surprised by the results. I'd say 80% of the photos were usable and did not need additional post work (but knowing me, I'll put them through the post work grind anyway...). Second lesson learned: Invest in strobe lighting!

As the shoot was winding down, the photos and outfit changes became faster and faster for fear of losing total natural light and we churned out photos quickly. This was around 3-4pm ish if memory serves me correctly. After going through the night with no sleep, an 8 hour photoshoot will wear you out. Honestly, I don't even remember being so tired in my life. All in all, I had blast and so did everyone at the shoot. I shot over 700 images but I've managed to cut it down to 500 or so. Mostly photos deleted due to a bit of blur or something being cut off from the frame...a hand, a foot etc. and blinks. All the images I've used in this entry haven't been touched. Not sure when I'll post photos that I've put through post but I think maybe sometime this weekend or Monday. Going through photos themselves can be tiring. A big thank you goes out to everyone involved for making the shoot happen and making it such a fun experience. I would give appropriate credits but at time of this post, I do not have the full names needed but I'll be editing this entry with proper credits once I get the names. Thank you to Bridgette De Lacy of The De Lacy Collection for giving me the opportunity to shoot her Spring 2011 line. It was an honor for me and I look forward to working with her again in the future!

Timing, timing, timing! (And a photoshoot!)

They say that timing is everything and in photography, I believe timing is one of the most important aspects of the art. This past weekend, me and a bunch of friends headed off to Marina Del Rey and hopped on a boat to celebrate my friend's birthday. There isn't much for me to do on a boat. I don't fish much and I only enjoy fishing when the fish are biting. I decided not to drink much during the ride because I now believe that I am prone to being sea sick and drinking would not be the brightest thing to do. So when I'm not socializing, I'm just standing or sitting there admiring the scenery. I brought my camera so I've got my eye out for good shots.

Upon breaking away from the breakwater and gunning the engines, I was looking out to what was out there. The hills of Palos Verdes, the surrounding beaches and coastline of Marina Del Rey, Venice Beach, Santa Monica and Malibu. The sky was so clear and beautiful that I could make out the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Observatory! I didn't take any photos of the scenery because there isn't anything eye catching about it to me. At least with a 50mm prime lens on my camera. After admiring said things, my eyes wandered off towards the surrounding waves (bad idea because this is what initially made me feel sea sick). Just before getting the initial stages of sea sickness, I was observing the splashes the boat made as it dipped and dived upon the waves. I noticed that everytime the boat dipped into the water, the splashing water would create these mini rainbows. I thought about it for a second, namely, ideas were raging in my mind, and being inspired, I decided to take a couple shots. I really didn't take many shots, I think about 4 all together, but I was careful about when to push the shutter button and snapping an image. As I snapped an image, I looked at the result and compensated by making adjustments on the camera. All 4 images were pretty good but of the 4, only one made the cut. I made the decision based on the right amount of splash in the image and the right amount of light with the rainbow. You know, the right shade of red, yellow, blue etc. With that being said...



On the subject of timing, I've recently befriended a person by way of a mutual friend, that owns a clothing line and she was looking for a photographer. My friend put my name out there and gave me word about it so I initiated the conversation and offered my services to her. So, on Sunday October 3rd, I will be shooting the Spring 2011 (I think) line of The De Lacy Collection! I'm REALLY super excited about this photoshoot! For one, I need the portfolio work. Two, this could possibly lead to future shoots with The De Lacy Collection and, quite possibly, other clothing lines for other designers! And three, I love the challenge! I've got the skills and the moxie to make this happen and I believe I'll rise to the occasion as they say...


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Cinematic

I've been looking through my recent photographic work and I've noticed that I'm leaning towards a more cinematic feel to my images. Alot of that has to do with the recent renting of the super wide 14mm lens not too long ago and I'm not all that surprised. Going as wide as possible, you can't help but shoot photos that could be stills taken from a movie.





Going wide, you catch EVERYTHING. Now, I'm shooting on a Canon EOS 7D so I'm handicapped with a crop sensor. That being said, the 14mm, or any wide angle lens for that matter, isn't really 14mm or any "x"mm sized lens on my camera but ever since I picked up the 7D, all I've been shooting with is a 50mm prime lens so I don't see much wide angle action all that much. I've been missing out but eventually I do plan on getting some type of wide angle lens in the near future.


I still am capable of shooting some cinematic type photos with my 50mm but the instances and moments come few and far between. Having seen my "cinematic" works and comparing it my other stuff, I'm now longing for the ability to shoot these types of photos more often. All of my ideas (that I have yet to work on) are pretty cinematic ideas in and of themselves so having a wide angle lens would greatly help capture my ideas as close to the essence of said ideas. A 50mm prime can only go so far you know?

If you'd like to see more of my work, become a fan of my photography page on Facebook @ 17thletter Photography!

ACPLA: Update

Chalk up one more roll for the ACP book project! Yesterday, I picked up a roll of Kodak's Ektar 100 film from A&I that I had dropped off to be developed earlier in the week. I was REALLY nervous and anxious as to what kind of results I would get. Sometimes, I would go onto Flickr and do a bit of research on any particular type of film I plan on shooting. During my time researching on Flickr, I noticed that there was absolutely NO examples of Kodak Ektar 100 that had been cross processed AND pulled 1 stop. So as far as what I would expect, I was shooting in the dark so to speak. Of the examples of Kodak Ektar 100 that had been xpro'd at speed on Flickr, the color shifts tended to be muted and some came out with pretty good results so I was looking forward to getting similar results. To my surprise, my results were FAR from what I saw on Flickr...

I'm not quite sure if pulling the film was the main reason why the shift on Ektar tended to be a really dull blue all around, or whether if it was the fact that the film was scanned by A&I or both but I really didn't expect that much of a color shift to be honest with you.




Most of the images that came from the roll looked as if I had shot using some sort of a hybrid ND and blue filter on the lens and I could only use just a few photos from the roll to put into the book because as I went through each photograph, I just kept saying to myself "bah this is just awful". I want the photos within the book to pop! Although high contrast and color shifts are a part of what cross processing film will get you, when the color shift shifts towards a dull shade, it puts a dent into my original vision.

There is a bright side however as far as implementing this film when you're crossing it while pulling it one stop. If you wanted to convey a really dark and gloomy setting in a photo, crossing and pulling this film one stop would probably yield a great result as you will see below. I don't know. Maybe near sunset but just before the golden hour so that you get the right amount of light, while you're in a cemetery or in a forest or wood setting. Maybe in the desert? You'll get that dark look that you're looking for which is probably what I'll do in the future should the need and idea for a photo arise...



Even though the results wasn't what I expected with this film (or crossing color negative film with E6 chemicals), it won't stop me from experimenting with these methods. I do plan on shooting Ektar and crossing it again in the very near future for this ACP project. The next time/s will be different though. I'll be shooting it at rated speed AND I'll probably push it one stop. The next roll I have in my camera is Kodak Portra 160VC which is going to be crossed as well. I forget if I have it pushed, pulled or at speed. Yet another C41 film to be crossed with E6 chems. Should I expect dull color shifts as well? We soon shall see!

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Technology - 1, Q - 0

I had made it a point to work on my ACP project today and shoot the area of Hollywood. I made plans to park my car at my friend's house and just have the day to myself to work on this much needed to finish project. I had my 35mm Canon EOS Rebel all locked and loaded with a roll of Kodak Portra 160VC, checked the battery meter as I always do, and feeling I had everything checked out, I went off on my way. I had even brought two extra rolls of film just in case I had a good day and went through a roll faster than I had expected.

I arrived at my friend's place around 2pm, parked my car, grabbed my gear and my iPod to keep me company. I started to walk north towards the Hollywood Bowl and along the way, I picked out things I wanted to shoot on the way back on. The plan was to start at the bowl, work my way back down, and then work the east/west direction when I came back to Hollywood Blvd. It took me a good 30mins or so to arrive at the Hollywood Bowl but once I got there, I started to prep my camera for the first shot which was the Hollywood Bowl fountains with the sign sitting as the backdrop. Checked my f stop and set it to 11 with a shutter speed of 500. Set the camera's eye piece to my eye and started to focus. Once I felt comfortable, I press the shutter button and what happens? Battery dies!

What the hell happened?! It read a full bar and suddenly shuts off? Something is wrong with my battery reading meter apparently. To put it nicely, I was deeply disappointed. All that time setting up, all that walking and all for nothing. Day wasted and the work on my ACP project is delayed until next week which sucks because I have other plans to work on other projects (hint: kodachrome) before the year ends. Bah! Sometimes I miss having a full manual & mechanical camera like my old Canon AE-1 which is sadly damaged. I might have to pick up another one on ebay or something completely similar but wildly different (hint: Vivitar 3800, only 35mm SLR with double exposure setting!) soon.

Meh.

Wish

I love Talking Heads. I also love Radiohead. Radiohead's name was inspired by the Talking Heads' Radio Head. I can imagine Thom Yorke being inspired by this song but I can't really see him and or Radiohead covering the song. I wish for that to happen...

Rediscovered

I love to have my iPod playing in shuffle mode. I have SO much music on my iPod that sometimes I'm surprised with what I have so it really is no surprise that I often rediscover music and artists. Sometime last night, I had my iPod playing in my car and Bobby Caldwell's Sunny Hills came on and I remembered hearing this as a kid and immediately fell in love with it again. Something about the beat, namely the flute sound, is what drew me to it. Now, as a kid, I could care less what the words of the songs are or what the song meant. So long as it sounded good, I was content. Hearing the song again, as an adult, I was surprised as to what the song might be about! As Bobby beautifully sang the words, it dawned on me that this song could be about a retirement home but the lyrics...they came off a bit morbid. How can a song, so beautifully sung, with a catchy funk beat, be about a retirement home? I'm determined to find out the meaning and history of the song so if you know anything about it, please! let me know! Here's the song in question:



I still LOVE it though :)

Name and the Labor Day

Hi! As you may have noticed, this blog is no longer called "Through My Eyes". This past Labor day weekend, I had a change of heart about how I'm going about this whole site. See, I'm currently operating 2 blogs. What was once "Through My Eyes", which was dedicated to random thoughts on events and happenings I've experienced via (digital) photography, and also "American Analog" which dealt mostly and primarily with the technical side of things pertaining to film photography. I felt too much was going on and both blogs pretty much were speaking about the same thing just different forms of it so having that second blog seemed pretty redundant. So I decided to work on just one blog but not just a photography blog. I'm taking a different approach with this blog. It'll still have alot of photography posts but I want to eventually incorporate some (personally) fresh aspects to it by way of other interests of mine like music, fashion and other varying art forms. With the decision finally made, I figure I might as well change the name of the place also and I went with a line from one of my favorite songs by Tracey Thorn called Grand Canyon. Basically she sings a verse or two about a man, but I suppose it could be applied to any person; male or female, that has dropped his past of...disappointment so to speak and comes to his own by being around people who understand and share the same views. The verse:

"Lock the past into a box and throw away the key
And leave behind those days of endless night
Everyone is waiting, everyone is here
Step out of the woods into the light"

The beat stops for a second, much like a buildup, and then she belts out the line:

"Everybody loves you here"

So there you have it. Without further adieu, the first post of Everybody Loves You Here!

This past weekend was Labor Day weekend marking the final day of the Summer. It felt like the Summer went by pretty fast but that's partly because there wasn't much of Summer weather here in LA. The high temps really didn't hit the area until the latter part of the season and then suddenly we're hitting temperatures in the 80s. Anyway, me and a couple of good friends decided to hit up the annual LA County Fair on opening day Saturday the 4th to start off the weekend on a good note.



County fairs and carnivals are one of my favorite things to do. Other than the food, games and rides that are abound for one to enjoy, county fairs and carnivals are fantastic for photography. The last time I was at the fair was during the morning/early afternoon hours when the temperature was high in the 90s and Summer actually felt like Summer! This time around, I thought it might've been better to head out closer to sunset so it wouldn't be as hot (as the Pomona Fairplex is known to get insanely hot when the sun is out) and, more importantly, golden hour!



I've never shot the LA County Fair during this time of day and I really didn't take many photos during said hour. One reason being that upon entering the gates, we immediately went on the ferris wheel and right after that we went and sought food because we were hungry. The other reason being that the sun set pretty damn fast! Oh, there was also that whole line thing one goes through at such events. From the workable photos I was able to manage, I'd very much like to go back during golden hour and dedicate more time in shooting and plans are in the works to go back. Hall & Oates are supposed to perform sometime in September but sadly they perform on a Friday and I work Friday evenings. I'm a big Hall & Oates fan too...



With the golden hour gone, the option to shoot some nice carnival night photos was still available. I didn't bring my tripod with me on this day. Didn't feel like lugging around something that heavy and cumbersome but I wish I had. It was my loss and I blame my laziness for that snafu. I could've gotten some nice long exposure photos of the rides in movement and some crazy light blurring and shooting handheld is just not possible to attain crisp images. Possibly the next time around for sure.

The night ended in a bust for me. Before heading out and calling it a night, we decided to play one of the carnival games to win a prize and I really don't want to talk about this because it really makes me mad but it is a bit funny. We played what looked like to be a really simple game of tossing a ring. Here's the set up: There's a pool of water with a current running through it and a bunch of rubber ducks are sitting on the water and all of them are moving counter clockwise along with the current. All you have to do is toss one ring, ONE ring, onto the duck's neck and hooray! you win a prize. Simple enough right? So I have a go at it. $5 into the pot and I get 4 rings. 1, 2, 3, 4 and all the rings either bounce off of various ducks or just fall into the water. OK. I'll have another go at it, Another $5 into the pot. I give one of the rings to my friend so he can have a go also. I decide to take the more patient approach and pick my tosses carefully. I toss my first one with no luck. My friend tosses his and he misses as well. I wait for a couple of seconds and see my moment. Toss the second and it bounces off a duck and falls into the water. Last one! I wait and wait for my moment to appear again. AHA! Toss the ring. *Ploop* into the water. FUCK! This is like Vegas all over again and I'm consumed with conquering this game! I wise up and decide to not waste any more money than I already spent on it. My friend however, decides to spend his $5 and have his go at it before we go and wouldn't you know it?! On his second throw, on his first $5! He gets it. I start to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Not that he didn't deserve it...he did. Just laughing at how easily it is for me to become so worked up with winning. All in all it was good fun!

Oh hai winnar!

On Labor day Monday, there wasn't much to do. None of my friends were hosting any BBQs and I wanted to do something so I remembered that Target sponsors free admission to LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) during holiday weekends so I decided to make a day of it and brought along my trusty Canon 7D for some art, culture and people observing and boy do I love me some people observing!



One of the things I love about LA is that there's SO many things to do and alot of said things are very art and culture filled. I think LA has some of the best art options around. You've got 2 MOCA locations in Downtown LA. You've got 2 Getty locations, one in LA and one in Malibu. Then you've got LACMA which is arguably the biggest museum in the Los Angeles area to hold a nice collection of contemporary art, both permanent and borrowed, along with other varying art forms. Sometimes I visit the various museums we have on regular days and I do see a good amount of people visiting but it isn't until holidays where these museums are filled with people (weekends are also fairly crowded but not as much as holidays...)

A favorite moment of the day was when I came upon Rene Magritte's "The Treachery Of Images" and saw two women standing in front of the painting talking about it. Treachery Of Images is well known to being the painting of a pipe but really, it isn't a pipe which is a contradiction but when you think about it, Magritte's assertion is in deed true. One of my favorite pieces around (and as well one of my favorite Magritte works) because I learned about this work during my philosophy studies during high school and I remember quite vividly the day I studied the piece and had this "AHA! I see what you did there" moment. Anyway, having any person in front of that piece demands a photo and luckily I had two women. Any photo in these conditions is a play with/on Magritte's assertion behind the painting itself and thus you have a photograph of something that isn't a pipe and aren't women...



One of the things I don't like about art museums are their rules on photography when it comes to collections that are on loan which utterly sucks because well, loaned collections don't last long so who knows when the next time one will see it again! So no photos from the loaned collection from LACMA and they had some pretty cool ones going on right now such as Thomas Eakins' "Manly Pursuits" and Catherine Opie's photographic work "Figure And Landscape" which I absolutely LOVED! So for those of you reading who are in LA or will be visiting LA really soon, I recommend that you go to LACMA to see these collections before they're gone. As there are no photos from said loaned exhibits, I'll leave you with how I felt at the end of the day...

Apologies as I failed to take note what this piece is and who the artist was