Thursday, December 29, 2005

Just one more camera...


A few posts back I enthusiastically introduced my newest and most inexpensive camera thus far. With only 2 rolls of 120mm film under my belt, I'm still excited about shooting with my $19 Holga, but beyond the technical shortcomings of the plastic wonder, what was the deal with medium format film? I had previously read in a photography magazine that the wedding photography industry highly demanded nothing less than medium format film. Supposedly, the 35mm format could not compete with the higher resolution of 120mm medium format. The quality of enlargements with medium format film, amongst other advantages, is apparently still preferred over some of the most advanced digital cameras and 35mm films.

I had read enough. The Holga left me with a craving for film and high quality. It didn't take much time for me to decide that I wanted to try my hand at shooting something in the medium format range, but with a camera that had a higher quality lens. I figured that beyond a plastic lens, anything with glass had to be of better quality. Researching the perfect camera for my budget proved to be somewhat frustrating, but eventually my search ended with the Yashica series camera. Obtainable in the common price range of $45-$125 via eBay or through online consignment, the lettered Yashica series (A-D) proves to be the least expensive with the highest quality for my "beginner" status. Manufactured circa 1958, the Yashica C twins lens reflex (TLR) camera features a 3-element lens, shutter speeds "B" (bulb mode) to 1/300th of a second, and a flash sync connection. If I left you wondering what a 3-element lens is, have yourself a look at this FAQ - All about lenses. In a nutshell, the camera uses 3 pieces of glass to form the shooting lens. As you can already guess, the more glass used in a lens typically means the more expensive the lens or camera can become.

The first thing I found odd about medium format film cameras was the fact that there were 2 distinctly different styles of cameras. Unlike the typical single lens reflex (SLR) style of camera, the TLR camera uses a second (top) lens for viewfinding duties and a lower primary lens for exposing the film. Viewfinding is odd because everything appears backwards in the viewfinder. I had never seen anything like it before. Aside from the lower cost and unusual look of this camera, I found it to be more appealing in the sense that it looks vintage. I am curious to see what kind of looks I will get when I am out shooting.

I am hoping to go out shooting this weekend. I promise I will post some pictures soon. Until then, Happy New Year and keep your eyes open. You never know what you might see.

Friday, December 23, 2005

Summer's gone


Amidst some of the coldest temperatures Florida will see all year round, I got caught thinking back to the days of summer this past week and pulled out a few old photos from summer. Mind you, I didn't think too much of these photos when I took them, but after some massaging in Photoshop I was quite fond of the images. I guess the mixed holiday feelings have me appreciating these shots quite a bit more. This year I am not quite feeling the "holiday spirit." Between the stresses of holiday shopping and arrangements for how much time Shanti and I will split between our families on those "special days", I could really just hop on a cruise ship and disappear. If only the Florida Lottery would be so kind I really would just vanish off the radar. Admittedly, I am a bit of a Scrooge this year and found myself daydreaming of what next summer will be like. Not a single ornament adorns this apartment.

I can just imagine the escape so clearly. I would drive my ratty 93 Nissan to Tallahassee and claim my winnings. From there I would probably abandon my car and fly straight to Europe. Upon touching down I would shop for whatever camera I have gotten sick over from flipping through magazine ads. Perhaps I'd buy myself a Hasselblad H1 - obviously, a camera I have no business handling at my inexperienced infancy stage in photography - and wander about aimlessly photographing anything in sight. I would not pay any attention to time nor location. I would not worry too much about being mugged for my gear. I could just go buy another. The sights, smells, and sounds would all be new experiences. I can already imagine the photographs I would produce. They would reflect much enthusiasm from the eyes of someone who has spent countless hours daydreaming of a vacation in a cultured society. I guess it would be like tossing a gambling addict dead in the middle of Las Vegas with a few million to blow.

I am caught up in the middle of this photography hobby. It is quite maddening really. I have spent close to 20 hours a week for who knows how long dedicating myself to reading anything photography related so that I can possibly learn something. Remember the character "Neo" from "The Matrix?" Well, that is the closest comparison I can make to what I am going through. I am searching for the answer to a question that has no answer. Shanti would rather think of me as "Johnny 5" from the movie "Short Circuit." She says that my brain absorbs the knowledge of every letter that runs in front of my eyes. Sleep has become a large waste of time. I wish I could make up for years of experience with hours of endless reading. I will be the fool that tries.

Just this morning (at 3:00 am) I made an impulse camera purchase. At $47 ($32 + $12 shipping) it may have been an impulse buy, but after many evenings lurking for an opportunity was it? An eBay seller had a 1957 Yashica C TLR with a "Buy it Now" price set at $35. The auction had only been listed for about 3 hours when I came across it. Per his description the camera is supposed to be clean and in full working order. (The picture I included in this dialog is the one the seller provided on Bay. Looks good to me.) Anyone who has any familiarity with TLR cameras should know that the price I picked up this camera for was a relatively good deal. If I had it my way I would have purchased a used Rolleiflex, Yashica MAT series, Bronica, Mamiya, or some other quality used camera. The fact of the matter is that beyond a Holga, Lubitel, or Seagull, there is no other low budget TLR medium format camera out there for someone interested in experimenting with higher quality medium format photography. I will just cross my fingers that my Yashica C is top notch preowned gear. If all is right with the camera, I can already forsee a lovely evening of cleaning my new find with a bowl of dilluted Simple Green cleaner and some q-tips.

In short, the holidays are sucking this year. One minor inconvience would include having to work on a Puerto Rican's most festive holiday. Look for me on the sidelines during this weekend's Bucs vs. Falcons game which will conveniently be held on Dec. 24. Oh, how I wish I could just spend one quarter with my D100 in my hand! Now *that* would be somewhat of a redeeming quality to this whole stressball week of commercialized fun! Perhaps my New Year's wish will come true. If not, just look for me on the sidelines. Yes, I work on New Year's Day too. On that day I will more than likely be holding nothing but the insides of my pockets watching a Bucs regular season end.

To everyone else, enjoy your holidays. George Costanza's father had the right idea by inventing "Festivus." Perhaps I will come up with something similar but tied into photography. How about "Photoholics Day?" Whatever...summer will be back again soon and my thoughts will be far from Christmas and the obligations entangled in the holiday. Maybe I will make another trip to Ron Jons on Cocoa Beach and do some surfing. Or, I'll just take pictures of surfers. Whatever.

Be good. Rub your lucky rabbit's foot for me. I promise I'll share the lottery winnings. Humbug.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Blue & Gold Fountains



"If you could look into the sun again,
cause I believe now and then..." - Chicane


Thursday, December 15, 2005

Exhilarating Holga "1st Pictures"



The Holga is officially born into my world of photography with a bang. The Holga traveled with Shanti and I to New York City over the weekend where it got its first glimpse of sunlight.

You can see the results of my sudden foray into toy camera photography at my personal gallery: http://www.photo.net/photos/emc (Look under "NYC Holga - Dec. 2005") - I am extremely excited about the possibilities and am grateful for a successful first time experience.

Comments are always welcomed! Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

NYC, Revisited



Some people will swear that in life there is no better experience than the first time around for any new experience. I suppose it all depends on whether or not they choose for that moment to be private or witnessed by another. On this occasion, the cliche did not apply for two reasons. First, my previous visit to New York City was so short that it was as if I were peeping at the city through a punched out knothole in a fence wishing I could skip over and run amok. As a kid, I recall jumping many strangers' fences to explore the forest behind those yards, and in truth, those memories were much sweeter when the chance to be devious was shared with a close friend. Sure, Shanti and I only got to see the city for two days, and she is more than just my friend, but two days with her anywhere is better than a first time alone somewhere. This first was surely much more memorable having had the opportunity to share it with her.

I knew her eyes would get big when we hit the streets of Manhattan, but I think at some point mine were bigger. Sure, I was impressed with the sights, but everyone I talked to before the trip forewarned us of the hidden dangers of visiting the city. They said there would be pick-pockets hunting the obvious tourist. Surely a strap labeled "Nikon Digital" could not be the mark of a tourist. Just as rap group Public Enemy once said, "Don't believe the hype." Regardless, toting a DSLR and a few other cameras aboard Shanti's shoulder bag certainly kept my eyes vigilantly wrapped around my head. Our car ride from La Guardia to Elizabeth would become our first experience in New York after a wrong turn into the Bronx left us frantically searching for the nearest interstate - any interstate. That would be the last of our fearsome worries. After merely a few hours of wandering about in some of the most heavily populated areas of Manhattan on Saturday, we slowly took comfort in knowing that there were plenty of other tourists out there that were just as vunerable as we could ever be. I figured the chances of us being mugged for our gear were just as high as being the victim of a shark attack at some Florida beach. Heck, I counted about three Canon EOS Mark-I/II variety cameras that were far more enticing than our antiquated and relatively inexpensive D100. After a few mind easing chats with the local NYPD regarding crime in the city, the DSLR cautiously made brief appearances and snapped images of the city. For many of the other shots, my trusty Coolpix 2100 made great work of the sights. The fear of being the victim of a mugging quickly subsided.

Day 1 consisted of transportation familiarization and street walking. Sightseeing covered most of Central Manhattan including Times Square, Rockefeller Center, South Central Park, and Columbus Circle. Most of the attractions we visited were interconnected by heavily populated streets full of other tourists chasing down the same sights we had come to see. During our walk, I was fortunate enough to bump into a toy camera enthusiast near the big tree. A brief intro revealed that he was an avid fan of the "TC" forums. I wish I had the presence of mind to snap a picture of the two of us and our Holgas. He appeared to be in a hurry so a brief exchange was all the time we had.

Our transportation arrangements to the city on day 1 were quite simple. A hop on a plush express tour bus from the Newark Airport to the NY Port Authority was all it took to get us into the thick of the action. Our Elizabeth, NJ based Econo Lodge - which I probably would not rate to be over a half star - generously offered a free shuttle to the Newark Liberty International Aiport. Not only did the driver carefully avoid plowing us into the snowy embankments, but he was also informative in his transportation advice that would come in handy on day 2. Day 1 ended when we met up with some of Shanti's mother's friends. We met late in the evening for some pizza and good conversation. Thank you "Cano y Cana" for your great company. Again, silly me did not take a nice picture with one of the more capable cameras. Instead, I took a quick shot with the cell phone so that I could quickly send a greeting to Shanti's mom.

Day 2 proved to be a true NYC experience. The streets felt safe. Everyone we spoke with was friendly and very helpful - dare I say nicer than Floridans? I'd be damned to find someone as kind here in Tampa. On this day we did not want just a simple bus ride. Shanti and I were determined to re-enact scenes from "The Amazing Race" and were certain we could decipher the train and subway maps. We woke up Sunday morning and again caught our free shuttle to the airport. The night prior we had met a super friendly attendant at the NJ Airport train station. He spent well over an hour explaining to us how safe an efficient travel to and from the city could be. Mr. Bill A., Shanti sends hugs and many thank you's from Florida. (Me too!) The train and subway would be the only way we would have it. Our goal: to visit the Statue of Liberty by way of South Ferry at Battery Park. We took an early train from the NJ Aiport station to Penn Station near Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. From there we ventured into the subway station and immersed ourselves in a scene straight out of "The Matrix." The subways were everything I had expected them to be an then some. I was eerily attracted to the charm and mystique of the infrastructure. The sounds of the trains screeching down the tracks was just as I had heard in the movies. The rush of passengers trading positions was an exciting panic. We scurried like the rats on the tracks below and carefully wondered if each stop was ours. We rode track 1 from Madison Square Garden all the way to South Ferry and Battery Park where we purchased tickets to Liberty and Ellis Islands. Shanti and I lived in Alaska for three years, but I don't think the cold there equated to the frigid winter blast of a ferry ride across the Hudson River.

No visit to NYC would be complete without stopping by to visit the Statue of Liberty or some other landmark. I had only visited NY twice before and have never gotten the chance to visit Liberty Island. Once I was too young and at that time the statue was being repaired. The second visit was so short that I did not even have sufficient time to start up a converstation with a local. Disregarding the sub-freezing temperatures, we decided the memory of the visit would be worthwhile. Seeing the Statue was something we had to do. Despite my chapped face and lips, I'm conviced I would have made the visit naked if I had to do it over again. The Statue, grey sky, and snow covered grounds were beautiful. I'm thankful the day was cold. It was the best cold weather I've ever experienced. I just don't think it would have been the same if there was warmth and sunny skies.

Our visit with Lady Liberty lasted about an one and a half hours due to the quickly approaching closing times of the monuments. We wasted no time in catching the ferry to Ellis Island. After watching the movie "Hitch", I knew Ellis Island was a place I would have to explore if I were ever to visit New York City. Although we didn't spend a great deal of time learning the history behind the immigration and processing center, the feel of walking throughout the historical site was haunting. The history was well written in the walls, windows, and arched ceilings. Shanti and I were quick in taking advantage of the quickly setting sun. The opportunity to photograph at this time of day was very fortunate. The sunset went from gold to pink in a matter of minutes. I felt like a tomb raider that stumbled across riches piled in an empty room. Time quickly passed. From the time that we left Liberty Island and landed on Ellis Island, we had approximately 70 minutes to browse the grounds before the last ferry departed to NYC. Most of our viewing was from the heated indoors of the museum. Time is always in short supply.



Sunday evening ended just as every great vacation should - with great friends and good food. Byron Machin, a long time childhood friend of mine, met us downtown with his girlfriend Katie at a local trendy restaurant off of 17th St. & 7th Ave. called "Cafeteria." The irony in the name was certainly present, but what more would you expect from a hip restaurant in NYC? After our cozy dinner, we walked to Union Square and entered a Barnes & Noble for a hot drink and heated shelter. Sure, a chain bookstore is a chain bookstore no matter where you are in the world, but since it was New York it was the best Barnes & Noble I had ever visited. Besides, I had not seen Byron in close to 4 years and it was great to catch up.

Our visit to New York City was a blip in a moment in our lives. The only certainty in good memories and great experiences is that no matter how little time elapses amongst good company, the memories will last forever. Everytime I think back to this weekend I remember how long every moment was and not how short they were. Running through a neighbor's yard with a friend when I was a kid may have only taken seconds to accomplish, but the pure thrill and risk of getting chased by mean dog is a memory that is still with me today. Hell, running through anyone's yard when unwelcomed certainly would feel like an eternity. Even though our visit was short, Shanti and I will go back; however, I don't quite think the next visit will be quite as memorable as our first time - together.



More pictures from our trip, including any shots I managed with my Holga, will be posted later this week at my Photo.net gallery - http://www.photo.net/photos/emc - check back soon!

Thursday, December 08, 2005

New York, Take 1



I have no recollection of a time in my life when I ever had the opportunity to travel to another U.S. city - outside of my home state - twice in the same year. Rarely do Shanti and I take a vacation due to calendar conflicts, financial burdens, or available vacation benefits. Isn't that what working is all about?

In October of 2005 my job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took me on my first road trip to watch our team play against the NY Jets. Away games are generally a quick affair typically consisting of two plane rides, one overnight stay, about 10 mini-meals, and very little time to leave the team hotel on the night before gameday. Straying from the hotel is generally risky because the minutes following a technical glitch at the hotel become exponentially more critical than any normal working day outages at the office. On this particular trip, however, I had no such bad luck and was able to sneak away for a quick peek of downtown Manhattan at night. A meager $2.50 funds a one way bus trip from the Seacaucus, NJ, straight to the New York Port Authority located at the heart of downtown Manhattan. I don't recall spending more than a few hours wandering about soaking up both the sights and the falling rain, but I knew instantly that NYC was a place I absolutely had to visit again and share with Shanti.

Fast forward a few weeks to December. Time is fading and so would my vacation days if I decided to not use them before the end of the year. Fortunately for Shanti and I, we were able to coordinate our vacations days. Sitting around the apartment did not sound too productive. Curiosity got the best of me when I considered what we might do on a five day stretch of free time. After a few hours of last minute searching all of the internet's best fare sites, I booked a package that would provide us all of the accommodations we will need for a four day visit all under the price of a single roundtrip ticket to Hawai'i.

With my latest obsessive interest in photography, I plan on taking many photographs to document my short visit. The Holga will get a its first glimpse of the world in a truly urban environment. My D100 should serve me well in storage hundreds of documentary snapshots. As is with life, everything is too short and so will be this weekend's getaway. I just hope the pictures I take will provide me many years of good memories and an artistic appeal to those with an interest in photo art. For the first time in my life I will get to visit another city twice in the same year. Had it never been for the opportunity I have with the Buccaneers I do not think a visit to New York City in December would have been a reasonable thought. Let's just hope for safe days, great weather, and outstanding pizza.

Pictures and a follow up report in a few days.

Monday, December 05, 2005

Holgafied, thank you Dave


My fleet of cameras has grown by one. It is the cheapest of them all yet it carries a sentimental value more priceless then my pricey DSLR and I have yet to create a single exposure with it. Perhaps out of embarrassment, I probably wouldn't even bother adding it to my list of insured goods. The chase to technical superiority is over; at least for now. Enter the ridiculously inexpensive $20 Holga 120N.

On a Saturday night in November Shanti and I joined an intellectually like-minded group of friends for a night of art, food, and film. Our gallery of choice was the once-a-year & non-traditional Gala Corina. This gallery annually features many local artists who are for the first time having their work shown publicly.

Of the handful of artists I spoke with, one particular photographer's work grabbed my attention. Prior to meeting Dave Pritchard, my typical approach to a photography booth was: 1) What kind of equipment did the photographer use?, 2) What settings did he use to achieve those results?, and 3) What might I have done differently? The title of "artist" that is often given to most photographers is now clearly defined. Artistic photography now has meaning to me because of one thing - the simplicity of a medium in a complex environment. The colors in his photos were rich, but the images not totally crisp. The lighting was right, but at the same time awkward. What was the hook? Lucky for me Dave was strolling around humbly greeting gallery guests. I knew I had found the photographer behind this booth because of the camera hanging around his neck. At first I think I was a little thrown off because upon closer inspection the camera looked a little goofy and not very sophisticated at all. A brief and poignant introduction revealed a few things about Dave: he loved photography, he loved his simple plastic camera, and he was willing to talk about it to anyone curious enough to ask. My curiosity piqued and I fired away some photo questions. Most of my facial expressions must have been mostly confusion. To simplify the discussion, Dave gave us a brief demonstration on how to use a Holga. He quickly rattled off the few features of the camera, charged up the installed flash, posed Shanti, and snapped an exposure. All technical concerns were instantly whisked away.

Despite the silliness behind this toy camera, the images Dave produces are hardly laughable. Although many toy camera shooters aim for humor, most of what Dave produces can easily be described as art. Overall, his enthusiasm and genuine nature made it easy for me to desire my own Holga.

Days after the event I ordered my own Holga. It took a few days for me to finally receive it, but in the days in between I pass the time reading about the varying opinion on toy camera usage in the professional market. I found so many mixed reviews that frankly I was confused. Should I really be serious about this camera? What if I just ride the flow of happy Holga owners as I eat the cost of film and development? A day or two of soul searching revealed the answer. I finally knew what it was that tickled me about this camera and the imperfect photos it produced.

Dave's photos were reminiscent of the first photos my mother ever showed me when I was growing up. I recall a picture of my grandmother and I standing next to my dad's bright red Ford Pinto on a beach here in Florida sometime when I was a toddler. That picture has lost some quality during its years in a cardboard box, but every time I see it the colors are just as vivid as the days the picture was taken. When I look at Holga pictures and those taken by other toy camera enthusiasts, that wonderful nostalgia kicks in and memories of the family having barbecues at summertime instantly reappear through yellowed paper prints.

I'm hooked. I'm ready to recreate those memories. Sure, I'll still carry my DSLR around with me and create some modern work for my own albums, but the Holga will reign the king of artistic therapy and the chosen device of reliving childhood memories.



Thank you Dave. I look forward to future adventures in plastic photography.

Enjoy the pics. They are a tribute to my newfound toy.

- Eugene



Thursday, December 01, 2005

Univ. of Tampa - Photo Hotspot

If you've never visited the Univ. of Tampa campus you're in for a pleasant surprise. On Nov. 12 Shanti and I made our first visit to scope out some possible portraiture settings. The grounds to the west side of the school facing downtown offer terrific "Kodak" moments. So you know, this location is no secret by any means. In the 2 hours we were there we counted somewhere between 5 and 6 wedding parties probably making a photo pit stop while on their way to their receptions. Apparently, many other Tampa native photographers see a great opportunity to photograph brides in an elegant settings. Although I didn't focus too much on the greenery that stretches from the building to the Hillsborough River, I did stop and capture a little bit of the UT essence. The most notable reason for UT's strong presence in the Tampa skyline has to be the uniquely shaped towers. I don't think I could ever photograph them enough.

Ultimately, we looked no further than UT to do the portraits for one of Shanti's clients. She doesn't have them uploaded yet but I will say they were superb. The largest difference between her work and mine is our photo subjects. I feel like I have a knack for making an inanimate object say something whereas Shanti captures a person's inner thoughts on film. She's still working on a web presence so perhaps once she's online I'll post some links for comparison. Until then, take my word for it and hide if you see me approach you with a camera.

Enjoy.

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

"The Arsenal" - digging up roots



I was 9 years old when the surfing movie North Shore hit the big screen. Back then, our family couldn't afford tickets to the movies so we had to settle for a VHS tape once it became available. Our "very 80's" TV, complete with the oak cabinet, single crackling dried out speaker, and SEARS VHS dual head player gave us all of the theatrical experience we needed.

If you've ever seen the movie, then you already know about the main character's rise to a finer appreciation of surfing through his experiences in Hawai'i. Nearly 20 years have gone by and I'm referencing a B-rated movie. Why? Simple. The movie portrays an Arizona know-it-all who moves to Hawai'i to discover that there is much more to surfing than mastering a prefabricated wave created in a surf tank. That guy is me - the know-it-all of photography; the one with zero appreciation of all those other guys that grew up around the "roots."

Sometime around the end of 2004, I purchased my 2nd digital camera - a Nikon Coolpix 2100. Almost immediately after taking some pictures and learning its features I started to wonder what it was that made a picture "work." What was so different from the cheapo 35mm point and shoots that I had used in the years prior? What was in this camera that made pictures look so darned good? Prior to the Coolpix I owned a Kodak DC3200 that barely broke the 1 megapixel barrier. I enjoyed the convenience of taking pictures without the cost of printing, but for some reason the quality was never quite present. Even before my Kodak, a Pentax 35mm point and shoot camera served me in my attempts at picture taking.

Photography prior to digital was very frustrating. I wanted to tinker. I wanted to point my camera at the most random objects and get results - instantly. Flowers were just as much a target as were aging fence posts. Roll after roll I quickly became frustrated with the cost of film and developing. The results were poor. What was up with blue tinted pictures? Where did the vibrant colors go? Wasn't it all supposed to be automatic? "I need a better camera" was my mantra. Enter the world of digital photography and the camera that started it all for me - my little silver sub-$200 Coolpix. This little light box unraveled a new world. I doubt I am alone in this. Tinker I did. I have taken thousands of photos on that camera exhausting nearly every feature on it. Something still wasn't quite right about the pictures I took. Somehow I still didn't think they were "mine" or the result of "my" work.

Just this past week we dug up our camera stash. Shanti, my fiance and also an explorer of photography, started out way before I did. Some of the cameras that she has contributed to our collection are much like the blunt wooden surfboards of "North Shore." Something tickled inside. I don't know why - call me crazy - but I'm ready to revert to the learning experiences of many photographers that have gone before me. I'm ready to load 35mm film into her fully manual Nikon FG and challenge the printed product my new DSLR boasts. I'm ready to explore the world of medium format film through the most inexpensive camera possible - a Holga 120N. (I'll have to share where the inspiration behind the Holga came from in another entry.)

The thrills of skate and surf are long gone although I would be thrilled to find an old pair of my neon green and orange "jams" again. My "journey" to the appreciation of photography is alive and well. With my little assortment or "arsenal" I'm ready to learn and become a much better photographer both in how I perceive the art and the end result of my work. Starting with the 110 film Magimatic and my soon-to-arrive Holga, I'm looking forward to learning from each piece of equipment and its purpose in the wonderful world of photography. As I graduate from each camera, I'll be sure to post my progress here.

If you do end up renting and watching "North Shore", please don't kill me. Nostalgia has a funny way of remembering even the lamest things positively.

Until next time...

Camera collection from left to right: Pentax IQZoom 110 (35mm), Minolta MAXXUM 400Si w/ Quantary 6600 Zoom Bounce (35mm SLR, TOP Camera), Nikon Coolpix 2100 (2MP digital, BOTTOM Camera), Nikon FG w/ SB15 Speedlight (35mm SLR), Nikon D100 w/ SB-600 Speedlight (6.1MP D-SLR), Imperial MAGIMATIC TELE 518 w/ Vivitar TeleFlash (110 Film), Kodak DC3200 (1MP)

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Fiery Hands


Woohoo! My first addition with real content. I'm thrilled to have finally started a weblog where I can share pictures and some of the thoughts behind them. Along the way I'm sure I'll offer some personal background and history, but for now lets pick up with what's new and current.

I never look at the clouds too much. The shapes they form change so often. Recently, my imagination seems to have been stifled a bit so I don't have much interest in figuring out if the cumulus creation is a dog, cat, or an old man. Today I spotted a cloud that brought back an interesting memory of my 3 years in Alaska. Oddly, the shape was too familiary. It reminded me of something I sketched sometime ago.

I used to dedicate a lot of time to charcoal drawings. For some reason - time maybe - I lost a lot of interest in whisking hours away aimlessly scraping charcoal on paper. I was glad to see this fiery cloud. With my newfound burning interest in photography, I think maybe this manifestation was a sign. Did I really abandon my art? Or did I just find a new way to express what's inside?

Photo Details: f/10, 1/30, ISO 250
Drawing: Spring '98, 8.5" x 11" charcoal pencil on sketch paper

Friday, November 25, 2005

ECHO...Echo...echo...


Much like a studio apartment, this space will soon be occupied by heavy thoughts and simple images - or, simple-minded thoughts and heavily edited images. Encouraged by enough friends, I suppose I'll share a piece of what I'm thinking and seeing. It'll be real and fun, but it might not really be fun. EMC Photo - Coming Soon.

(Temporary display location for banners.)