Oh yeah, New York.

So I forget about this poor baby blog for about two months and this is what happens:

-My car goes kaput and I get a new radiator for my birthday. Yay!
-I hang out with John Hodgman (exaggeration) at a Harvey Danger concert.
-I get a colonoscopy.
-I wake up before they’re finished.
-I shoot stills for the upcoming feature film, A Beautiful Belly.
-I find entirely new reasons to break up with New York brokers.
-Regardless, I move to New York. Again.
-I get to be at the wrong place wrong time and see this happening.
-The Ikea 2010 catalogue finally arrives.

Anyhow. I’m in New York now. Pounding the pavement in purely metaphorical ways. Hopefully we’ll have something to share worth sharing shortly. Oh, and that we’ll remember that this little guy exists. Hi again.

Printing? Ugh.

I hate printing portfolios. I know my pictures can’t JUST live on the interweb but if I could have it that way I probably would. I decided to try some new printing options this time and actually found one I really like, both fiscally and aesthetically!

AdoramaPix allows you to choose from a plethora of sizes at a pretty insane price. Honestly I thought these prints where going to look chintzy based on the price point. I was quite pleasantly surprised. I got 3 11x14s to test them out, on matte paper and made sure to check the “DO NOT COLOUR CORRECT MY ALREADY COLOUR CORRECTED WORK”. And they’re really nice. Here’s a side by side comparison of the real thing and the tangible real thing.

Now of course that’s a picture of a PICTURE so things are getting all kinds of wonky (and dark), but trust me it’s really nice. Great values in the light and dark and no pixelization. I’m gonna keep checking the site for sales cause when I ordered mine 11x14s were something retarded like 2.60 or something. THAT’S JUST STUPID CHEAP.

Maybe I’ll hate printing portfolios less now. That’d be cool.

Chutes and Ladders.

Times are rough, but what do you put in the job description for this gig? Wowzers.

In other news I just downloaded this new app, Brushes after seeing the New Yorker cover done with it. I’ve been playing with it and it’s really fun and a hell of a lot better than playing Scrabble against a computer six times in one day. How is Sangria a viable word? The computer, it cheats.

The Fear Series

I’m starting a new photography project on Friday. It’s the first conceptual piece I’ve done in a while and I’ve been trying to get all my thoughts in order. The extent of which normally just consists of me scribbling several pages in a moleskine. Well I’m trying to be better at life and in an effort to do so I made a sort of “inspiration board”. At least that’s what I’m calling it, till I come up with something better.

How’s that for some scattered references?

I’m hesitant to explain too much now (What if the project wholeheartedly succeeds in achieving none of the above?) but I’ll give a brief run down.

From L-R, top to bottom.

1. Alien : 1/2 the main narrative/emotional reference. Girl is scared shitless of an alien.
2. The Birds : 2/2 of the main narrative/emotional reference. Girl is scared shitless of birds.
3. Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills Series : Conceptual reference point and a lady I quite admire. This series is pretty baller and everyone should check it out. Girls on film, with no film to be found.
4-6. Edward Hopper : Colour and tonal references. Also, Hopper is just the man and that NYT critic can bite me.

Basically we’ve got girls, fear and lots of technicolour. Spoiler alert! Anyhow, I’m really glad I took the time to finesse my thoughts and I feel as though I’m going into this shoot as well prepared as I ever have. Here’s hoping it doesn’t rain, but if it does… that could work too.

Film scares me. (Part 1)

So here’s something photographers don’t confess that often, I’m way uncomfortable shooting film.

Yeaaaaah.

All those “Film is Forever!” people? I’m not one of them. Okay, I am “Film is Forever!” but I’m also “I REALLY love Digital”. Like REALLY. The funny thing (pardon me if this story doesn’t reveal itself to actually be “funny”) is that I love motion picture film, and polaroid. I think with both of those mediums I let go of control and am kind of okay with film just organically doing it’s thing. But with portraiture? Not so much. I like having RAW control of the picture, I like spending hours in Lightroom making my eyes bleed over how much blue to pull out of the sky. I like having control. Which probably means I have other problems. Eh. It’s probably more likely that I just haven’t figured out how to shoot with “well”.

For me film is still about candids, about a lack of control- I’m trying to embrace that.

I shoot very different things with film. I allow myself more breathing room and time. I love that film is teaching me to shoot more carefully and let go. So I’ll probably be updating my film work on this blog cause it’s not going in the portfolio just yet. We’ll see. Maybe one day I’ll be one of those old fogies that gives disapproving glances at preteens using the latest Canon PowerShot. Right now, I’m still prepared to be 12.

All Canon Rebel2000 ($50 bucks used on Craigslist! Hot mama) 1600 B/W.

Oh no he didn’t.

Elton John is a cheat.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

How are those not the same song?! Seriously. Maybe this is just where I discover that all piano rock songs sound the same to me but maybe it’s something deeper and more insidious than that. Maybe. I’m on to you Sir.

Oh, Starbucks.

First thing first, I have an unabashed love for you. The kind of love someone should have for the mom and pop joint that doesn’t charge tax. I shouldn’t love you, you’re a corporation, you put the other people I love out of business- but I do. You’re a constant companion and a visual reminder that everything is still okay, because there’s still 5 Starbucks I pass on my day to day errands. And it’s good to have some stability in a world that’s all to comfortable existing on a bounce house.

I just got one beef. Bananas.

Right there next to the register, a basket of bananas with a plaque that says “Bananas 90-130 Calories”.

Please tell me why, oh why does the general populace need to know that a banana can range from 90-130 calories.  How can this possibly by helping the world? The only people that wouldn’t eat this banana because of it’s gargantuan calorie intake should probably eat a big mac. Unless there’s some massive epidemic I’m unaware of I’m pretty sure that no doctor is going to tell a patient, “Hey buddy, lay off the bananas”. So stop being stupid and stop enabling people to be crazy.

Now give me my large iced coffee unsweetened with soy milk. Geez.