Living Through the Lens

Pocket Square: video

2011-11-15T22:30:00.001-08:00

Train ride number 1

Pocket Square: video

2011-11-15T22:27:00.000-08:00

About six weeks ago, V. & I took the train up north for a weekend in Seattle -- centered around (for me, at least) Jens Lekman's stop in Seattle during his incredibly brief recent U.S. tour.

I'll be posting some photos and some videos from that trip.
First off, here's a short, sweet, lo-fi video of Portland's own Union Station.

Hipstamatic

2011-11-15T22:18:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to keep up with the kids, here are a few shots taken with the Hipstamatic app for the iPhone.

Pittock Mansion

2011-10-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

Pittock Mansion

2011-10-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

Portraiture, pt 2

2011-08-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

Portraiture

2011-08-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

Harinezumi 2+++ pt 2

2011-08-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Harinezumi 2+++

2011-08-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

No Dust Here

2011-08-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

As mentioned earlier, I was recently asked to be a part of the group art show No Dust Here.
The show opened earlier this month, and it's a really great collection of styles and approaches from a great collection of people, all drawing all kinds of inspiration from the album covers they were given to work with.

Here are side-by-side comparisons of the source material (album cover) and my final submitted image:

The show runs throughout the month of August, at the Basil Hallward gallery on the third floor of Powell's City of Books. If you can, go check out it. There's some really amazing work in the show.

street-side photo shoot

2011-08-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

Some images from my second photo shoot for the No Dust Here show -- these featuring my friend: the lovely Diane Rios

Picnic photo shoot / third section

2011-08-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

(remember kiddies -- if you're Holga is modified with a red filter, always be sure to click it all the way off when using color film)

No Dust Here

2011-07-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

Finally -- the details on the upcoming art show I've been talking about/working on.

The show is titled No Dust Here -- "50 artists interpret the cover art of discarded record albums, from such performers as Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Frank Sinatra, the Everett High School Marching Band, and many more."

There was a stack of old albums/album covers to choose from, and the selection process was done in such a way that no one really knows what album/s the other people selected.
The albums I selected were:

Boston Pops Picnic

and Ode to Billie Joe

If you're curious to see my responses to these covers -- and you're gonna be in Portland, OR during the month of August -- swing by the Basil Hayward gallery, on the third floor of Powell's City of Books.
The show opens on First Thursday, August 4th, and runs throughout the month.

Picnic photo shoot / second section

2011-07-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

Picnic photo shoot / first section

2011-07-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I gathered some friends together for a small, light photo shoot at Mt Tabor park. Some of the results will be used as part of a group show I'll be taking part in next month. I'll post that side of the shoot in a few weeks; for now, here are some shots from the other rolls of film I filled up during the afternoon.

warm ups, pt. 2

2011-07-09T23:26:00.001-07:00

warm ups

2011-07-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

I recently photographed a friend of mine in various parks throughout out Portland, acting as a bit of a warm up for a larger photography project (to be discussed later).

Polaroid, pt 2

2011-05-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

Polaroid

2011-05-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

I recently acquired a number of old Polaroid cameras -- some from Ebay, one from a coworker. And with the Impossible Project now making Polaroid film available once again, I've been able to take some of these cameras out for test drives. There's been far more of a learning curve than anticipated, but I'm slowly learning a few tricks.

Harinezumi 2+++

2011-05-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

Harinezumi 2+++

2011-03-11T15:44:00.000-08:00

Pocket Square

2011-03-11T15:38:00.000-08:00

a few recent shots from my Pocket Square camera

video

2011-03-11T15:35:00.001-08:00

Pocket Square video function, "noise" setting

video

2011-03-11T15:34:00.001-08:00

Harinezumi 2+++ video function, "vivid 2" setting

video

2011-03-11T15:33:00.000-08:00

Flip video camera

FCP

2011-03-09T22:19:00.000-08:00

In addition to my photography, I've been playing around with video editing software Final Cut Pro. In the span of the class I've recently completed, we had four major assignments:

The first assignment dealt with editing continuity. We were assigned a chunk of uncut footage and had to form a narrative out of it. Again, I did not film the footage used, I only provided the editing.

The second assignment also dealt with continuity, but in this case the class was divided into groups which were responsible for every aspect of the production process -- developing a story, acting, filming footage, editing, etc.

The third assignment had two distinct parts to it -- we had to edit together dialogue between two characters, as well as cut/edit to the beat of music.
Again, this footage was assigned. I did not film any of the footage used; I only edited it together.

The fourth & final assignment dealt with editing a montage. Each member of the class chose one of four sets of criteria for their montage. We were also given the option of filming our own footage, using footage from any of the previous assignments, or using stock or found footage. I chose to film my own footage; I used a Flip camera for the high(er) defintion shots, as well as the video function on my Pocket Square and Harinezumi 2+++ cameras.

Harinezumi 2+++

2011-02-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

A few shots from another recently acquired camera

pt 2

2011-02-18T16:04:00.000-08:00

And here are a few cropped versions of some of the previous photos

Returning

2011-02-18T15:57:00.000-08:00

I've been pretty busy these days, so I'm not as much of a presence on here as I'd like. But, even being as busy as I am, I am still taking time for photographs.
I recently took a class with the wonderful Susan Bein at Newspace Center for Photography in SE Portland. Here are some of the results --

Pocket Square

2011-01-25T10:27:00.000-08:00

I recently acquired a Pocket Square digital camera -- a tiny (about 2" long x 1" high) digital camera that takes square "Holga-esque" images (and videos). There's no viewfinder, nor is there a way to view your images until you remove them from your camera; so, there will be a slight learning curve with this one, but a fun one at that.

What's this? A link?

2011-01-25T10:13:00.000-08:00

When I started this blog, I claimed that, in addition to my own photography, I would try to feature other artists/photographers. That's yet to pan out quite like I'd hoped, but in the meantime there's this:

Jason Kottke recently posted some photos taken by his three year old son. Kottke gave his son an old digital camera equipped with a memory card capable of wirelessly uploading the photos straight to Flickr. It's always interesting to see the results of such experiments -- once again seeing the world around us through the perspective of a child.

His blog has a short write up about this project, as well as some instructions/suggestions to help others get their favorite wee ones started on such an excursion.

black/white

2010-12-20T09:37:00.000-08:00

A few more Holga shots

New(ish) Camera #2: Golden Half

2010-12-17T17:22:00.000-08:00

I also recently purchased a Golden Half -- a camera that takes two photos per one frame of 35mm film.

New(ish) Camera #1: Nikon D40

2010-12-17T17:15:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased a Nikon D40 from a friend who has upgraded.
It's my first DSLR.

NYC pt.13: Manhattan: Central Park

2010-11-16T10:48:00.000-08:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And that wraps up the NYC series. It took a little longer than anticipated, so "thanks!" if you stuck around for it all. And please come back. I promise I'll vary things a bit more.

NYC pt.12: myriad Manhattan

2010-11-14T09:43:00.001-08:00

NYC pt.11: Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

2010-11-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

The last of the Brooklyn series(es)

NYC pt.10: no sleep til Brooklyn

2010-11-04T20:53:00.001-07:00

Holga:

NYC pt.9: some more Brooklyn

2010-11-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

fisheye:

NYC pt.8: more Brooklyn

2010-10-28T19:48:00.001-07:00

from the Holga:

NYC, pt.7: more Manhattan & Brooklyn Bridge

2010-10-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

NYC, pt.6: Manhattan, pt.1: Times Square

2010-10-22T00:42:00.000-07:00

Back to the fisheye lens

NYC, pt.5: Queens, pt.5

2010-10-22T00:30:00.000-07:00

And, let's not forget the Pentax 35mm...

NYC, pt.4: Queens, pt.4

2010-10-22T00:18:00.000-07:00

More Holga shots

NYC, pt.3: Queens, pt.3

2010-10-22T00:12:00.000-07:00

Picking back up where I left off a few weeks ago, here are some more photos from my (somewhat) recent visit to NYC. This time around, some photos from the Holga.

NYC, pt.2: Queens, pt.2

2010-10-06T01:12:00.001-07:00

More fisheye:

on returning / NYC, pt.1: Queens, pt.1

2010-10-06T01:06:00.000-07:00

Wow.
I didn't realize it had been nearly a month since I put anything down here. But, the month was a busy one: I was in NYC for a few days to visit friends (and take photos), and I started back to my winter semester of classes about three weeks back. Hopefully, I'm back for a while now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of my recent time in New York -- and of the photos I took while I was there -- for the next few days, I'll be focusing primarily on those photos. Here are some fisheye shots I took while in Queens.

Since it usually goes neglected these days, I took all my digital shots with the fisheye lens attached to the camera. In doing so, I rediscovered how much fun such an addition could be.

2010-09-09T21:54:00.001-07:00

In the middle of a break right now; I hope to be back next week.

studio studies, pt 2

2010-08-30T01:10:00.000-07:00

As mentioned a few weeks ago, I recently gathered a few friends together for a studio shoot to help me experiment with nude photography. I finally got the photos back and I must say, I am very pleased with some of the results.

I hope to expand a bit on this series and try to get a show out of it, somewhere.

fisheye fotoes

2010-08-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

And just for shits and giggles, here a few shots taken with a fisheye lens attached to my digital point-and-shoot.

Lomo Action Sampler

2010-08-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

image via Flickr, member: udijw

This is another Lomo camera I bought years ago that I've somehow managed to neglect. For, while I do enjoy most of the results I get from it, it is certainly not a camera for everyday use. And since the version I have is like the one above -- one without a flash unit on top -- I am even more limited in the settings/surroundings I can snap with it.
Though, to it's credit, it is a great, inexpensive introduction to the world of plastic cameras.

Xiu Xiu Disposable Camera Project

2010-08-17T22:46:00.000-07:00

"Bring a disposable camera and a self-addressed stamped envelope to any of the August/September Xiu Xiu shows, and (tour manager, David) Horvitz will fill that thing up with photos and mail it back to you. You'll have to deliver it to the photo lab yourself, of course, but for your efforts, you get a mess of original Horvitz photos."
These instructions were given during a 2008 Xiu Xiu tour (I think it was in support of The Air Force, but I'm not 100% on that). As stated above, anyone who brought a disposable/one-use camera to the show would (eventually) receive a roll (or rolls, depending on how many cameras you dropped off) of exclusive David Horvitz photos. I dropped off one camera, and here are some of the photos I received a few weeks later:

all photographs featured in this post were taken by David Horvitz

Ricoh FF-3 AF Super

2010-08-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

image found on Flickr, member BobD2

I don't know anything about this camera. I found one in great shape at a local Goodwill, and had a few dollars to spend on it, so I picked it up. It's your standard simple, fixed focus, no-thought-needed 35mm camera. But the crisp lens, and the occasional light leak, sets this one apart from the majority.

Orbit 360F

2010-08-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

Consensus is -- the Orbit 360F is a bit of an odd duck, even in the plastic/toy/whatever camera world where odd ducks are rather common. An ultra-cheap-looking Chinese design, a motor drive that automatically advances the film (and can also rewind it), a waist-level viewfinder, a built-in flash, a hotshoe connecter...so many seemingly random functions. It's also a camera that puzzles people at camera stores -- I took mine in when it stopped working, only to receive a confused puppy look from the guy behind the counter. It wasn't new, it wasn't digital, so he didn't really know what to do with it. Thankfully, it decided to start working again a few months later. Yet again...strange.
This camera was one of the first cameras I bought from the Lomo company. I don't know what attracted me to it; I guess it just seemed weird enough. It was a deadstock camera (hadn't been manufactured in some time, limited stock found in a warehouse, etc), so while stock was limited it was also cheap. Thankfully I picked it up when I did -- not quite scarce, they are kinda hard to come by these days.

Studio Studies, pt. 1

2010-08-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've been trying my hand at shooting studio nudes. Being a (returning) college student, I get a great deal at a local studio, and I've had a few friends brave enough to step up and allow me to photograph them, sans clothing. A few weeks ago, I had two friends stand in for a test run so I could get my bearings with lighting, placement, time needed, etc. Then, this past weekend, I had a larger group of friends come in for a much longer shoot.
A few results from the first shoot are below, behind the cut.
I won't see the results from yesterday's project until later in the week, if not the coming weekend.

Diana+

2010-08-11T12:39:00.000-07:00

stock photo

The Diana+ was a series of firsts for me -- my first plastic-lens camera, my first 120 camera, and the first film camera that I fell madly in love with. I had been shooting digital photos almost exclusively when I became intrigued by this camera. They had a (rare) good deal going on the Lomo website (camera + case of film for well under $100), so I gave it a chance. Shifting from digital to film, and then from 35mm to 120, there was a slight learning curve with this camera, but by the third or fourth roll I was pleased with the results I was getting -- saturated colors, soft edges, strange blurs, light leaks (*swoon*). In the few years since I bought mine, Lomo has reworked the camera a little bit, adding a flash and an array of additional lenses; as well as a mini version that uses 35mm. Since I started shooting with my Holga, I've neglected my Diana+ to the point of downright ignoring it. But that certainly has nothing to do with the quality of the images this camera can produce.

Agfa Clack

2010-08-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

Agfa stock image

My Agfa Clack (or Weekender, depending on which side of the Atlantic your's came from)was a serenpiditous find on ebay some time ago. It was odd, "retro," and cheap: three things that I love in a camera. It was also the first camera I had encountered that shot 120 filmon the obscure "third setting" -- shooting a 6x9 negative, making for only 8 shots per roll of film, compared to the the standard 6x6 negative (12 shots per roll) or the usual alternate 6x4.5 (16 shots per roll). So, it's not the most economical of cameras, but it is certainly worth playing around with from time to time.

Current Love#2: Pentax K1000

2010-08-08T00:56:00.000-07:00

A while back, I received a package from my mom. She had been scouring one of the local antique shops and came across a camera case, containing an old K100, a couple lenses, some filters, a (busted) flash, etc. and figured I'd probably enjoy it if I ever found use for it. At that time, I had not used a 35mm camera in years, probably, and I had never used a fully manual camera at all; so, I took a crash course in manual camera operation and quickly fell in love with the results I was getting from the Pentax.

As mentioned before, my Holga is currently my primary camera, but the K1000 runs a pretty close second.

Current Love #1: HOLGA

2010-08-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

image via internet; source unknown

I guess it's appropriate that I start this blog off with a little Holga love. I bought my first Holga about a year ago (after being introduced to the worlds of both 120/medium format film and plastic camera photography by the Diana+), and it quickly became my primary camera. It's simple and fun to use; you can customize and alter it as much, or as little, as you'd like; and the learning curve is almost non-existent to start, so you're getting beautiful results practically from your first roll.
120/medium format film isn't as readily available as 35mm (you can't find it at Walgreen's or Wal-mart, but any local camera shop worth its salt should have a few rolls on hand), and it costs a little more to get developed (again, check with your local photography store), but in my opinion the results are worth it.

You can find Holgas for purchase all over the place: online retailers, as well as brick & mortar ones. If possible, please support your local businesses; but if you're unable to find a Holga near you, check out either Freestyle Photo or Holga Magic.