Day 66: Obsessive With Windows

(San Francisco, October 2009) 

Day 65: Just Follow The Yellow....

(San Francisco, 2009) 

Day 57: Making Pies Fly

(San Francisco, October 2009) 

It's not the big landmarks that makes a city special to me, it's moments like these.

Day 42: Where Do We Go From Here?

(Seattle, May 2009) 

We have been presented with a new project. The project is to create an album cover for a new artist. We were only allowed to listen to the song two times, write down any emotions we have about it and base our photography off that.

We were not given the artist's name or any background. The song was also in a different languages. Talk about mini challenges. We were also not allowed to have people, guns, drugs, sex, alcohol and texts in our picture.

This project calls for us to set up a still life and shoot it to create a cover for the album that would appeal to people in the U.S.

I was panicked at first by the lack of time I will have to work on this. Both weekends have been booked, so no weekend work. However, I took a deep breath and just told myself I will have to readjust my schedule and make it work. I don't fail on projects and I will pull through.

Now, I just need to come up with some ideas before tomorrow to go over them.

Day 41: Sunday Memories

You love your parents when you are younger, you appreciate them when you are older.

Day 40: More Lighting

 I like the way the light filters through the leaves and onto these patrons.

Day 39: Calm in Chaos

(San Jose, September 2009) 

After a week of readjusting my schedule and life to focus more on photography, I can say that I haven't felt this passionate or happy about doing something for a long time. I don't look at this as a chore, a project in which I dread, but force myself to do. This has grown far beyond being a hobby for me. I want to pursue this and continue to do this for a long long time. I know I have a great amount to learn and try, but I am ready.

I have become obsessed some may say with all this and I don't look at my projects as dreadful, but as challenges in which I know with dedication and effort I will be able to do.

In the past I dived into a good number of activities, done my best, reached a peak then shelf it. I felt comfortable knowing I had the skills  should I need them.  I always told myself I would come back to it.

WIth this, I don't think I'll be doing that. I have found something that I have integrated into the fibers of my being and I feel this is what I am to be doing.

(San Jose, September 2009)

Day 38: At The End of It All

(Lake Tahoe, September 2009) 

Day 36: Peace

(Lake Tahoe, September 2009) 

Although Tahoe is known for their beautiful blue water, I still decided to use black and white film. We went after the summer season was over and it was quiet and peaceful.

Day 34: Passion

(Huntington Beach, July 2009) 

That's the beauty of America. We can say what we want and be protected by it. I don't necessarily agree with the extreme ways these groups of people take to get their message across, but I sure do admire their passion about it.

Day 33: Fenced In

(Bolsa Chica, October 2009) 

I am greatly intimidated by my Yashica D because I don't want to take bad shots. However, I have to remember, we learn through our mistakes and I can't expect my first roll to be perfect. So I will just get to shooting my first roll and practice, practice, practice! It's the only way to get over the fear.

Have you been intimidated by your camera?

Day 32: Lighting

(Huntington Beach, Summer 2009) 

I haven't had a chance to manipulate lights for photos. I still have a tough time handling flash because the subjects in the picture end up being highlighted, the skin tone unattractive and it looks unnatural.

I prefer natural diffused lighting. However, this limits me to the time of day I can shoot and where I can shoot. I am looking forward to learning more about using studio lighting and practicing with taking pictures in the studio.

Do you prefer studio lighting or natural lighting?

Day 31: Nature's Paintings

(Lake Tahoe, September 2009) 

I picked up my rolls of 35mm today and I couldn't decided between these two pictures, so I am posting both.

I took this as the sun was setting in Tahoe and the clouds were coming in. If you ever get a chance to go to Tahoe, you should. It is incredibly peaceful with all of nature's beauty surrounding you. You can get a lot of thinking done, or not think about anything.

It's humbling when you go to places like Tahoe. You realize how big the world is and how small we are. Problems and worries will fade away and you realize beauty isn't in the latest trends, cars or homes, beauty is in nature.

(Lake Tahoe, September 2009)

Day 29: Immortalized

At the end of it all, we don't want to be forgotten.

Why do we mark things that are not ours? Why do we need to see our names etched into something? 

I have concluded we are ensuring that when we leave this world, we have made some kind of permanent imprint and we will live on through these etchings. In passing someone will read our names, our messages and will wonder who this person was. In that one small moment, we are thought of. 

I wonder what will be remember of me, what will be left of me when my time is over. I wonder if this blog will remain, if my written and online journals will be found and I wonder what kind of contribution I will have made, who did I touch, what kind of difference have I made and what of mine will live on. I wonder if my pictures will be discarded, my negatives scattered and my writing forever erased. I hope that whoever finds this years and years from now, they will see the passion I have for the things and people I love. 

I hope that whatever of mine, whether it be physical and or a memory, will make a difference in someone's life. 

Day 27: Let's Never Forget This

We take pictures to remember when our memories cannot. 

I love the effect water cameras have on our pictures. Nostalgia is instantly engrained.

Day 26: What's Your Style?

It has been mentioned before that I have developed a certain style when in pictures I take. I really enjoy creating perspectives and angles in my shots. I also seem to prefer the lower right hand side more than the left side. I like to use the rules of third as well. 

What style have you developed?

Day 25: Inside Looking Out

Today, I am letting the picture take the stage.

Day 23: Split Filters

This picture was part of a series in which I used two filters to develop in the dark room. It was a major learning experience for me and I am so grateful to have been shown how to use multiple filters to develop a range of tones.

The original problem I had with developing this shot was the lighter tones did not have a chance to develop and many details were lost when exposed for a short period and the dark tones became to dark and the details were also lost if I extended the exposure time for the shot to develop the lighter areas.

I was then shown how to use two filters to fully develop details for all the tones and I am very satisfied with how the picture was developed. I always refer back to shots from these series as a guide for splitting filters.

Day 22: Primary Colors

Primary colors will always be the most vibrant to me. Perhaps because they represent originality and that the colors do not require another color to exist, they exist on their own.

Day 21: Film Speed

At times, don't think about film speed when I take pictures, especially indoor. All I want to do is just compose the shot and capture it. I then hear the inevitable slow shutter and I think, oh yeh, my film. Like I mentioned before, we grow so accustom to the digital age, especially with our nifty point and shoot, the thought of worry about film speed and shutter speed seem to be lost.

I have been experimenting with film speed and shutter speed. Some moments have been successful, other times, I just have to throw away the whole set of pictures. This is something that I am focused on learning and really understanding as time goes on.

This shot was taken indoor and I believe it was ISO of 400. As you can see her, hands are blurry, but I decided I like this shot because it shows the movement of getting ready for a night out.