Inspiration

I'm quite lucky to know a lot of photographers and every photographer that I know or have met are quite talented. As many as I know, there are only a handful of photographers that have really inspired me to go that extra mile and work on building and growing my art and skill in photography. Here are two that I know:

Beautiful Pasadena

John Wood

I know John from Flickr. What makes John stand out from the other photographers that I know, other than his obvious talent for being able to see and capture things, is his amazing post work talent. His HDR images are AMAZING! I've seen my fair share of HDR photos and alot of them turn out really surreal in an unnatural looking sense. Take that however you will but for the record, I mean no disrespect to any HDR artists who happen to read this blog. Anyway, what I really love about his HDR work is that their stunning and striking but at the same time subtle? Subtle in the sense that I wouldn't be surprised if I find myself seeing a scene like his HDR images in a natural setting. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of HDR work because a lot of the HDR images I've seen, like I've said, come off as unnatural to me. Also, I've dabbled with HDR work and they all turn out crappy or unnatural. That being said, John's HDR work inspires me to try a little harder with my HDR photos.

Micargi Beach Cruiser

Alex Coupet

Alex is a dear friend of mine that I've known for over a decade. I'm fortunate to know him and shoot with them on a number of occasions. We started shooting Holgas and various toy cameras many years ago (apologies, I forget exactly when). There was a time when we would go out to various areas every weekend and shoot whatever we fancied. He has one of the best eyes I know. His photographic style is close to mine so it isn't a surprise when I say he's one of my favorite shooters around. He captures moments. It really is tough for me to point out which types of works from him that I find outstanding because I find 90% of his work to be that, but there's something about his Street work that REALLY captivates me. They're quite humbling to me in that they remind me of how beautiful life is.

There are others that I would have liked to include in this entry but I either didn't get permission from them to use and include their work, or they just don't have any readily available online as hard as that is to believe (seriously, get your stuff online! you know who you are...) but I'd also like to mention more notable and established photographers that have inspired me such as Ari Marcopoulos, Helmut Newton, and fairly recently, Terry Richardson.

Lust

The other day, a friend of mine had posted a new addition to the family of Canon Lenses. Great discussion had, but it had me thinking how much I lust after particular lenses. Lenses don't come cheap so I don't find myself owning most or all of them in my lifetime unless I win the lottery or get some serious cash from photography gigs. It is nice to dream though and I think I'll share my dream with you.

In no particular order are the lenses I wish to add to my (soon to be growing) collection:


14mm f/2.8L II USM
$2300

I've used this lens and OMG this thing is just AWESOME on my camera! My camera is a cropped sensor camera so I'm not getting the full 14mm frame but since I'm primarily using a 50mm, when I threw this lens on, a whole new world emerged! I can't wait for the day to call this lens my baby. Really an amazing lens...


85mm f/1.2L II USM
$2200

My friend owns this lens and it's a MONSTER of a prime lens. We both have 7Ds which is already a pretty heavy camera and when you put this lens on, be prepared to have sore wrists when shooting for long durations. Super sharp and fast lens and it's a great lens for portraiture and I can see some usefulness when using it for street on a cropped sensor such as our 7Ds.


100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
$1000

I've never owned a good macro lens but I've seen some amazing photos using this prime macro lens and because of that, I want!


70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
$2500

This is another lens that I was lucky enough to have used and another amazing lens that I find great for street photography. Super tack sharp and super fast being at 2.8. The 200mm zoom on a cropped lens gives it about the range of close to 300mm and that's great when you're trying to shoot someone without being seen or anywhere near the subject where you can be noticed. When I had used it, I was able to capture some great uninterrupted, raw moments.


TS-E 17mm f/4L
$2500

I've never used this lens. I can't explain fully why this lens is so awesome but to give you an idea.


8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM
$TBD

This is one of the newest lens to be added to the Canon EF lens line and the first fisheye L series lens. I'm going to be honest here, I still regard fisheye lenses to be "one trick ponies" but I'd be lying if I said that I haven't found any cool looking photos using fisheye lenses. I'd like to own this because 1: it's an L series lens AND the first ever fisheye L series and 2: I'd like to see what I can do with fisheyes. It hasn't been released yet so the price is unknown but I'm going to put it in the $2000-$2500 range.


50mm f / 1.2L USM
$1600

I already own a 50mm. A 1.4 actually. This is the only lens I own for my 7D and the one I use primarily. Why the need for another one? Because it is much faster being at 1.2 and has great DOF (depth of field). And it is an L series also. So...why not? Still don't know if I can accept the $1600 price mark. This will probably be the last lens I'll buy. My 50 is already fast and great and has done me no wrong.

So what's the count at now? About $14,000! That's a down payment on a European luxury car! I'm not even mentioning the other lenses I want (because I haven't decided to go zoom or prime on a particular focal range). This isn't even including the other camera I'd also like to get which costs about $5000 alone!

The dream still remains just that. However, slowly but surely, they will become mine. Work hard and keep grinding is what I have to do. Winning the lottery sure would help though...

365 And Other New Things

Last Saturday weekend, I started something new. There's this ongoing project on Flickr. It goes by many names and ideas but for the sake of being simple, I'll called it 365. The premise is easy: take one photo a day. Like I said, there are many different ideas regarding 365. Just to name a few, one project entails you taking a self portrait each day of the year, while another has you taking a photo of an object (and even then, there are different projects regarding specific objects to 365) each day of the year. Alot of the different 365 projects are pretty cool and I might get into one of them these days but for this one, I decided to do the one photo a day of whatever I feel is worth capturing or documenting. Take it as a blog approach which is what I do already so it comes easy and simple to me. Although I'm just starting this project so late in the year, I've always wanted to do this but it didn't occur to me until now. In the past, what stopped me was my main use of film but now that I have a DSLR, I can readily have images on the web the next day. So, starting with last Saturday, my project 365/2010 begins...

3 Towers [289]

The past couple of days have been really overcast and sometimes foggy in the morning. I've been meaning to capture such a morning by taking a photo of these three powerline towers that sit right in my backyard. It wasn't as foggy as I would like it to be so I did the high contrast b&w treatment with this photo.

Everyday Traffic [291]

Another day, another moment sitting in LA traffic. The Summer is gone and we're upon Fall so gloomy and grey skies lie ahead for us Angelinos.

The Rains Have Come [292]

Well the rains have finally come. Although not as heavy yet, Los Angeles is all wet. I used to get down and out when it rains and I never really liked it. The gloomy grey sky, the effect rain has on the way people drive and how that translate to even more shittier LA traffic. I don't mind the rain all that much anymore. I'm more inclined to find it beautiful and soothing. That is unless I'm out on the road...

I sat in my room and looking out of the window pondering how nice it would be go to out and shoot in the rain and properly testing out the weather proofing of my Canon 7D. The sight of lightning and the sound of thunder stopped me.

Favorite [293]

I became brave and ventured out into the rain today to pick up an Itoya portfolio album. I could've stayed local but I decdided to hit up my favorite camera store in Los Angeles...Samy's! Granted, Samy's is a bit more marked up and pricey, I just love this store and walking up and down the many floors and camera departments. I always come out feeling sad though because I can't afford the stuff I'd like to get my hands on there...

Zeta Takes A Break From Defending The World To Do Laundry [294]

Today was laundry day for me and such a chore is really tedious and boring. So I made the best of it by bringing my camera and my Kidrobot Fatcap series 2 Zeta figurine and took some shots!

$2 Shot In The Dark [295]

Today the Mega Millions lottery jackpot was $100 million. Hey, what's $2 at a chance of hitting it big? Unfortunately, I didn't win...

Printed Out [296]

I stopped by the lab to pick up a print that I'm selling. It's always nice to see your photos in a physical print. One thing to see it on a computer screen but when you see it physically as an actual print, the photo takes on a whole new character espeically once you get it framed. This is a cross processed image of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles.

I've also added some new works up for sale this week. It's been quite awhile since I've done so. Here are my latest offerings:


Sails 8x10 Digital C Limited to 10 Prints



Metallic Fin 8x10 Digital C Limited to 10 Prints



Out Of The Dark Into The Light 11x14 Machine Print

My Worth

I've always been a fairly generous person. Some would even say that I'm probably TOO generous. I can't really help that part of me as I've been raised that way. My generosity trickles down into my photographic work. I've been questioning that aspect of mine, with relation to my work, and have been having thoughts of whether that generosity is hurting me more than it is helping me.

Last week, a friend of mine introduced me to this website where artists sell their work and thought I should sell some of my stuff on there. I took a look at the site and saw some of the prices other photographers were valuing behind their work and a lot of them tended to go over the $500 mark and some even went beyond $1000. Seeing that was surprising to me because I thought many of them didn't really deserve that kind of pricing other than the technical aspect of said photographic print (what kind of finish, the type of printing process etc.). What was also surprising is that many of the photos I saw asking for such a price, were photos I would normally take...my style. I've been charging MUCH less than that but that's because most of my prints aren't...luxurious and I'm speaking in terms of technical aspects but other than that, my photos are just as good as theirs if not better. I can't seem to find myself asking for such a price behind my prints and I'm wondering if I'm either being too soft, nice, or undervaluing my work...

Maybe it's a little bit of everything that's the problem. You see, as a photographer/artist, I want my work in as many people's hands and homes as possible. I want my name out there and in order to do that, I had it in mind and practice to price my work inexpensive and reasonable but now I'm finding that could be a problem because should the case be that I do get my name and my work out there, I'd be known as a cheap photographer and so would my work. I don't want to be known as that and what's funny and sad at the same time is that my friend has been telling me this in the past and I'm JUST finally getting it!

So am I going to start selling my photographic work in the thousands now? Definitely no. I'm not (well)known all that much yet. I still have to crawl before I walk. I will however stop undervaluing my work both in selling my photographic prints and in my freelance jobs. As far as my print selling, I think I'll be doing a two pronged approach. I'll start offering more quality prints. Not saying my previous prints are not quality or bad but I'll start doing more better quality prints. Digital Cs and Inkjet prints which will cost more than what I've printed in the past but they will be more better. I'll also still sell the more affordable prints so people who can't afford hundreds of dollars in one print can still buy my stuff. All said, now, all of my prints will be priced according to the value of my work, my skills, and how great the photo itself is.

As far as my freelance gigs, I've got to stop being as nice as I am. I've had paid gigs before but I've priced those jobs really cheap and I've done more free stuff than I've done paid. I'll probably still do the free thing on certain conditions...a friend etc. but they'll be much fewer than I've done in the past. I'll be asking for more in compensation also.

I'm (finally) taking a stand in my work. Why did it take this long? I'm going to put more of the blame on my arrogance, stubbornness, and ignorance than my propensity to be nice on this one.

Incase x Ari Marcopoulos

I'm a pretty big fan of Incase products. They make some really durable but stylish bags and cases for various products. I'm also a big fan of Ari Marcopoulos so when the two come together, the possibility of a sick collabo is almost certain and I believe they've done so with this super sexy camera bag!



This bag has everything I need and would be ideal for when I go out on my many street photography/location scout outings. A nice snuggy compartment for my DSLR and one or two lenses OR, I could set it up to hold my DSLR AND my 35mm film SLR with a lens compartment (possibly two with one already attached to a camera). Lots of smaller compartments for things such as business cards (to which I have yet to make), rolls of film, and an iPad compartment (which I plan to get someday soon) so I could show possible clients my portfolio! Oh, also it is a sling type bag which I find much better suited than a typical backpack setting. With one sling around, I could unzip the bag, switch a lens or a camera on the go, and get the shot where as a backpack, I'd have to set it down and ruffle through the insides to get whatever it is I needed.

I was ready and set to buy it today when the dreaded "sold out" marker was plastered on the page. Hopefully they'll make another run at it but hearing of it's limited edition run, it'll probably never happen. Fingers crossed though! It would make for a perfect self birthday present!

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...


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

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!