Day 137: Probability

(Balboa, January 2010) 

One of my favorite piers in Orange County and I got to share it with one of my favorite people.

Day 101: "How Could it Hurt You When it Looks so Good" -Hollywood, Madonna

(Hollywood Blvd., December 2009) 

While my friend was in town, we took a trip to Hollywood Boulevard for her to see the area and the stars on the sidewalk. As we were driving there, I warned her that Hollywood Blvd. is more gritty than glitzy. How it's portrayed on television is completely different when you see it person.

To me, Hollywood Boulevard is where dreams come to die. It is evident in the faces of many of the street performers who don on costumes and pose with tourists. Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Catwoman, Yoda, Spongebob, Indiana Jones, etc. These characters gather in front of the famous Chinese Theater and solicit visitors to take pictures with them. After a picture is taken, a tip is usually given for their "services." They do not work for an agency and are there on their free will.

Cat Woman became hostile because nobody wanted to pose with her. She started demanding people take her picture and said "Are you going to make me stand here all day? Somebody take my picture and pay me."

The more popular characters had plenty of people to take pictures with them. Others, walked around, edging their way closer to big crowds, many did not understand the boundaries of personal space. There were more than 4 Spiderman, all standing a few feet away from one another.

As the sun was setting and we were getting ready to leave, a man who was we had seen earlier jumping around in Spiderman costume, pull his mask off. He was not the 19 year old Peter Parker we've seen in the movies, he was a rail thin 40 something year old man with straggly hair, deep set wrinkles and pale skin with unfriendly eyes. He saw someone filming a project and yelled at them saying, "You are not allowed to film me, I don't want to be filmed. You have to pay me!"

Taking a closer look, I saw the costumes were not as bright and new as I had thought. They were tattered and dirty and many did not fit properly. But they continued on, walking the street, making their rounds with the thinning crowd.

"Ready, smile!" Flashing lights, picture after picture, these people are a part of many families vacations pictures which they will show their family and friends. And their friends will think of Hollywood as a wonderful and fun places because you can find Spiderman and Batman readily available for pictures.

When I pulled out of my parking spot, I wonder, what is the story with these street performers and do they enjoy doing what they do?

Honeysuckle, she's full of poison
She obliterated everything she kissed
and now she's fading
Somewhere in Hollywood
I'm glad I came here
With your pound of flesh

-Celebrity Skin, Hole

Day 100: Happy 100 Days of Photography and to Many Many More

(Huntington Beach, December 2009) 

You may recall my ongoing project that started in October. The concept was to capture shoes in their environment with the intent of telling a story about the person based on their shoes. I am at the conclusion of my project and I feel accomplished and proud of it.

This project required me to interact with a variety of people and I have learned that one of the easiest way to break the ice with strangers is asking, "Can I take a picture of your shoes?"

A puzzled look usually follows my question and a few have asked if I have a foot fetish. I just laugh and tell them about my project and then my models seem more relaxed about the idea. So many people have patiently waited as I photograph their feet and when I'm done have wished me luck. I am grateful for these strangers and their patience.

I am most thankful for my family and friends who have gone through this process with me. Shot after shot of their feet and they still keep me around as their friend. They have given me ideas, advice and encouragement, especially when I felt defeated with the project.

I have realized that when you fully immerse yourself into a project and see it day in and day out, you have to take a break or you will want to hate your project. I was fortunate to have friends tell me this and encourage me to keep going.

Now that this project is concluding, I am brainstorming for my next one. We'll see where it all takes me.

P.S. Thank you to all my followers and supporters of this blog. Please leave me your thoughts and suggestions on photography, the blog or just a hello. Here's to many more days of photography!

Day 99: Season of Change

(San Jose, November 2009) 

While driving to pick up my friend, I drove past this tree. I remember thinking it was gorgeous. I thought about taking the picture, but then drove past it. After 2 blocks, I turned around and came back to the tree. I knew if I didn't take the picture, I'd regret it.

Day 93: I Fall In Love Every Time

(San Jose, November 2009) 

San Jose has so many nooks and corners in it, it's amazing what we can find. I've lived there practically my whole life and I still don't know where a lot of places are. This past weekend, I was home for Thanksgiving and my cousin and I took a short drive from her place down White Road (a road I have gone down many times) and we kept going. The road led us through a the foot of a mountain that I had no idea would be so close.

It was a short trip, but during that time we were able to stop and take some pictures, catch up and just enjoy it together. She is very special to me because she was the one who introduced me to photography when I was a child.

Photography has always been a part of my life, from toy cameras, to my first point and shoot. I owe a lot of this to my cousin. She was constantly taking pictures, and from her, I discovered the beauty of photography. When she was taking a class in college, she took me along with her to the dark room and I remember thinking, I will process my own film one day.

She was the one who I went to when I told her I was going to start taking classes and she was the one who helped me find my first SLR for 35mm. It was really special to take a photo excursion together in our hometown and do what we both love, photography.

Day 64: Matt's Photo Shoot Contact Sheets

These are some of the contact sheets I developed from Matt's photo shoot. I am happy I was able to capture a lot of his mannerisms. The lighting came out how exactly how I wanted.

What made this photo shoot flow so easily was talking to Matt as I was taking pictures. We talked about our friends back home (we're both from the same area), work, life, family, goals, his girlfriend (which you can tell when we were because he would have a huge smile on his face) and so on.

I enjoyed this assignment and would like to pursue doing more portraits along with other fields.

Day 55: Over Propped

Today we turned in our CD covers and had a critique. Although a lot of people were receptive towards my picture, the instructor thought it was heavily propped which took away from each element that was in there.

After stepping away from it and looking at it, I can see where she was coming from. There were so many things going on, it was hard to appreciate one thing.

I learned a lot from this assignment. Learned that I am good at finding props when needed, so there may be a future in styling and props. I learned to step back and look at the subject in various ways, sometimes the best shot is the one where there is only one thing. I learned that I am capable in envisioning a scene and seeing it all the way through. This has been a problem for me even when I was doing art. I didn't allow myself to sketch out ideas for paintings and I never saw the value in it until now. I was able to see understand my abilities and I appreciate them much more now.

Day 44: Hello Hassy!

(Westminster, October 2009) 

I fell in love with the Hasselblad when I first held it in class. I found this beauty on eBay and it is beautiful!! The previous owner kept it in perfect condition and I am honored to have it. I can't wait to see what we will create together.