Dress Like You Are Going To Work

Tomorrow is my Christmas gift from my best bud and I do not know what it is exactly. I have a feeling it is a play or classical music concert because he said I should dress like I go to work (shirt, tie, etc.). 

Example:

 

Anton and Invention

A little backstory on the photo (pulled from my Flickr stream):

I knocked over my entire basket of paperclips in the crevice between the desk and wall in my office at work. There was no possibility of my arm being long enough to reach the multitude of strewn about metallic paperclips. I thought for a moment and devised a tool to help me retrieve all of the precious supplies which was made of many extra large rubber bands, two ovoid promotional magnets, and a stick of hard candy. It worked like a charm.

I asked my coworker, Jessica, to take a picture of me with my invention in a victorious pose.

Yes, the patent is pending.

So now I am visualizing an outfit for tomorrow.

Photography has really helped me figure out how to dress.  I have found that understanding colors, textures, patterns, which is essential in photography, is also essential if you want to look your best. 

Not everything carries over though...like repetition of patterns.  In photography you might want to look for a pattern that repeats itself three or more times, but that does not really work on a person.  I recommend you not be the guy who wears a striped shirt, striped pants, and striped tie.  I would typically say similar patterns should not be used more than twice, which often does not work in photography.  Notice how I weaseled out of making these statements absolute; really, they are guidelines.  The world is not so black and white :-)



Holga 120N
Kodak Tri-X
Bentley W-14 flash unit

flickr photos

...and justice for all

I am going to keep my political opinions to myself, but I will admit that I am one of the 99%.

...And Justice For All

Holga 120N
Kodak Portra 400
fill flash w/ 1/2 CTO gel

flickr photos

A Couple More From The Anachronism IV

So there are a couple more images that I have yet to post from this great night.



How I love this most colorful of costumes on the maddest of hatters. Kodak's Portra really gives great tones throughout.



Again nice tones here, but the guy looks a little reluctant in the image, hence I dub thee "Reluctant Time Traveller."

Images taken with the Holga 120N, Kodak Portra 400, and a small flash with a 1/2 CTO gel in order to warm up skin tones and colors a bit.

flickr photos

Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 6)

I am not quite sure if she was eating the fire or blowing flames on this image. Perhaps a combination of both.

It does not matter to me so much because I enjoy the simplicity and ambiguousness of the image.



This one reminds me of a long and curvaceous dragon, not unlike those in Chinese depictions, dancing with the summoner of flames.

Okay. That is the close of all the fire dancer images. I plan on writing an entry that will incorporate one or two of the images, so please forgive me for posting again, if only to demonstrate an idea.

Stay tuned for the next posting, I am really going to try to make that an interesting one.  [edit - I am not so sure how well the next entry turned out; I was tired of kicking the idea around in my head and needed to get it out there]

flickr photos

Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 5)

I am lumping these two images together because of the commonality in theme.

Circles are a powerful form and always draw the eye when viewing an image.

When photographing I tend to see in shapes and have trained myself to consciously strip down elements that are nonessential to a point when it becomes an unconscious habit in order to make a stronger a picture.

In practically all of my photographs I have one point of interest.

In these Anachronism photographs I focus on Sasha and the flames that surround her are an extension of the image content and the reason why I am photographing this event.

I have to imagine the flames creating a pleasing form (based on my experience and intuition concerning how light writes on film) in order to complement Sasha.

flickr photos

Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 4)

For whatever reason this is the most popular image of the set on flickr. Personally, it does not do too much for me, but there might be a few things about this image that made it garner the most attention.

It is fun to follow the light streaks and have an interesting pattern.

On another level the figure mirrors the design of the tattoo on Sasha's back (angel/devil wings) and it is as if the fire is going to help her take flight. That may be a bit far fetched, but it occurred to me, why not someone else?

It could also be because the lil' bit o' butt illuminated by the fire and the flash, but then if that was the case, I would imagine the image discussed here would be more popular.

flickr photos

Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 3)

Fire Vortex

Dragging the shutter can be a tricky thing. You do not want to keep it open too long because the image might become blurry due to exposure; the flash exposed once, but the longer you keep the shutter open the light has more time to collect on the film.

It is a delicate balance.

I think I kept the shutter open for about 1-2 seconds here and this let me capture some amazing circular light trails coalescing into one point.

Sasha's unusual body posturing also injects an element of the exotic into the image, which I feel is a nice compliment to the shape light painting.

flickr photos

Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 2)

 
Fire Noir

I have a hard time expressing how fortunate I feel to have captured this image.

I love the S curve of her body.

I love the localized lighting that hints at more.

I love the flame trails.

I love the motion blur that gives the image an ethereal feel.

I love the amount of negative space.

I love that my imagination races.

flickr photos

Anachronism IV: Sasha: Fire Gypsy (part 1)

On Sunday, December 4th, I went to the fourth Anachronism event at Webster Hall in New York City.  Holga 120N in tow, I was determined to get some great pictures.

The Anachronism (part IV)

This my last part in this series of entries. Just recalling parts of this event, even after about two weeks have past, brings a smile to my face.



I think this person had this serious of a look throughout the night. The parasol is an eloquent touch and adds a nice backdrop to the image.



I avoided a bluish tinge on the photograph by using a 1/2 CTO gel over the flash head.

The White Elephant Burlesque Society, led by Viktor Devonne (above), closed the evening for me. Joy, exuberance, and abandon oozed from each dancer and put a big stupid grin on my face the entire time. The finest part of their show was when Viktor started controlling a dancer with a video game joystick, but then the dancer got a hold of the joystick, which forced him to start dancing and the look on his face...priceless; he acted like the whole performance was against his will. Absolutely hilarious.

I can not wait until the Slipper Room in NYC opens again as I must inject more burlesque into my weekends.

White Elephant Burlesque Society

flickr photos

Anachronism (part III)

So apparently there is a steampunk calendar. Lots of these look awesome! Also, it looks like Brooklyn is steampunk central.



I loved her piercings and geisha-esque outfit. This one may be my favorite from the night.



This mime broke character and spoke a few times throughout the night. I think this is a very fun image.

flickr photos

Anachronism (part II)

anachronism [uh-nak-ruh-niz-uhm]– noun:
something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time

All the people who attended this event must have felt somewhat anachronistic, which allowed people to bond easily, let down their guard, and have a great time. To put it simply: Anachronism III was drenched with super positive energy and I loved it.



Probably the most decked out person at the event was the host: A Count Named Slick-Brass, captain of The A.S.S. Titilus. He was pushing everyone to drink, drink, drink, but drink responsibly. Unfortunately, the success of the event was judged by the bar bill, so in order to have more shows like this one, everyone needed to dig deep into their pockets and buy a couple beers. I enjoyed his hubris and he had a great and anti-politically correct sense of humor. He also won best in show at the cosplay contest, despite the fact he publicly withdrew after showing off his costume to the crowd.



She was heading up the costume contest. Incredibly outfitted in some green devil attire.

flickr photos

Anachronism (part I)

Last Sunday I attended my first steampunk event, and let me assure you, it will not be the last! I can not begin to adequately elaborate on how much fun I had, but I am going to try.

The adventure began as I was trying to decide on what to wear; blending in is an important aspect in photography (on the street and at events) because it helps lower a person's guard that they might have otherwise had if I wore just a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.



I also added a newsboy cap and a chained compass to wear on the vest which gave me an early 1900s look (I think).

Let me tell you: taking a self portrait at f/2.8 is an exercise in exasperation.

The event, held at Webster Hall in NYC, started off a bit slow but picked up speed a couple hours in.

Bands played. Beer flowed. People in costume mingled.

Picture time:



She was a model for the body painter at the event, but I liked her face so much, I shot that instead of the artwork on her back.



This guy was great. I loved his outfit and he sang sea shanties, Irish folk songs, and an interesting interpretation of Led Zeppelin's "Gallows Pole"

He also played this tune by the Pogues:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGL4ZtvDN0o

All of the images on the black and white roll were terribly overexposed, so I did what I could with the levels and think they turned out okay.

Each shot was taken on the old variation of the Holga 120N (the one with only one aperture) and Kodak Tri-X.

That is all for now, but I will be adding more images over the next few entries.

flickr photos

Summer In Central Park

A couple of weeks ago I strolled into Central Park on a hot Saturday afternoon in Manhattan. My plan was simple: shoot some film with the Holga 120N that had seen little use over the last year; an issue I was bent on rectifying.

The camera felt a little unusual in my hands because I had not used it in a few months. Its weight is probably the most discombobulating feature as it is made almost entirely of plastic, and thus extremely light. My mitts are usually holding a metal camera with a solid weight, something that screams "machine," "tool," and "camera." I do not think of the Holga as a "toy" like so many others would be quick to say, but honestly, it requires an entirely different mentality to shoot properly. Whether I was shooting with the proper mindset is questionable, but, so it goes.

Furthermore, I accidentally managed to flick on the bulb setting switch that bought me one-way ticket to motion blur town; a real destination for anyone who has handled a Holga before.

Anyway, here are a couple images that I took with some mildly expired (but cold stored) Portra 400VC:



This dance squad put on a fun show that I was smiling the entire way through. Well done gents. My attempt of an action shot with a camera made for action.



This kid zoomed past me on his unicycle while displaying some impressive juggling skills. You can not tell all of that from the shot, but I like it for some reason.

I think I have taken some of my best shots with the Holga in the past, so I think I will be grabbing it more often from now on.

flickr photos

Erections Guaranteed

The other day I nabbed my film back from the developer, eager to see the result from the Holga 120N (a medium format camera) which I have not used in about a year. Let me tell you: I love the results. The images are generally sharp at the center, but gradually fade and vignette toward the peripheries. This is the dreamy effect that so many people love on the Holga, but it is the bane of so many photographers who are too into their gear and too into sharpness of their lenses. Yeah, the camera is super limiting with its fixed aperture and shutter speed, but you have to figure out how to work around the issues.

A way to get around the limitations are not surprisingly to work with the available features on the camera, some of which are criminally underused.

1) The aperture is fixed around f/13. The obvious thing is that not much light is let into the camera, but the upside is that the depth of field will be greater, giving a little more leeway on the inexact focusing. The way to fake shallower depth of field would be to set the shot up more towards an edge of the frame, but you need to have the cropping and composition of the final image in mind beforehand. This takes advantage of the nature of the lens becoming more blurry at the edges.

2) The finder is not that good. What you see is definitely not what you get, so it will take a little practice to "see" the image beyond its scope. The benefit is that you will sometimes get surprising and pleasing composition happy accidents which really add to the picture.

3) The shutter speed is fixed around 1/100, slowing down as the camera gets older or if is heavily used. The spring is pretty cheap and wears out. Good thing the camera is under $30. There are no inherent benefits to the speed except that relaxed action will be sufficiently stilled. There is also a bulb mode which is neat for experimentation, but you will have to hold it down with your finger as there is no cable release socket.

4) The focus works. Really, it does. Do not listen to the guys who say they just keep the focus set to infinity. They are the ones with blurry all over pictures. Practice estimating your distances and you are way ahead of the game; this even helps when using the fancier cameras!

5) The inclusion of a hot shoe is an amazing feature. Play with light. Learn it. It will help you overcome nearly all of the camera's shortcomings.

6) There is no real benefit to the cheap construction, but other people like the fact the camera can have light leaks. I do not. I tape up the seams. It can be fun to be a diy'er after little things start to break and you have to figure out how to fix it.

7) Choice of 6x6 or 6x4.5 - it comes with both masks. I always pick 6x6, but there is the option to choose the different format.

8) The lack of meter makes you learn the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter speed - another lesson you can apply to other cameras.

All cameras, lenses, and systems have their limitations and the people who know how to work with their gear are usually the ones who churn out great pictures. I am not saying that I do great work, but I guess I think highly of it enough to share my images and words :)



I took this shot at Figment where people are especially encouraged to express themselves. I liked this guy a lot and he reminded me of a cartoon character. I believe I set the shot up with cropping in mind, but even if I did not, I felt the 8x10 ratio really suited him.



Hands. I love hands. I should photograph them more often.



I will sell all the college boys 11x14 prints.


flickr photos