Life

You know, life is hard just normally... Houses, bills, school, relationships, whatever. But when you factor in a psyche based around volatile emotions, where someone as an artist feels, simply feels. Artistic expression bottles-necks like traffic in LA. When I want to be working on something, when I want to be photographing something, I don't see anything. I'm artistically constipated.

I did nothing today, I woke up, showered, went to Crema, sat, came home, put on my work-out clothes, didn't work out, ate a pizza, watched Will Ferrel, went to church, came home, here I am. I mean it's my fault, but its hard... *sigh* anyway, nuff bitching. Tomorrow, two pictures, new lens, new dishwasher, I'll run, I'll work on my paper, photo meeting... Tomorrow will make up for today.

Thanks guys...

-a

Old Negatives

I love going back through negatives from a previous project. I found a photograph of my Mother from Beaufort, NC and I love it. I had never scanned it before.

Visualization

Here's a simple, short video of Ansel Adams talking about pre-visualizing a photograph. Definitely a must watch.


The Key to a Photograph from Ansel Adams from SilberStudios.Tv on Vimeo.

Lighting Glass.

My most recent lighting assignment at school was to light glass two separate ways... The first was what's called light field, being that the glass itself is backlit and traditionally has black edging along the glass to define the shape. The second way was dark field, which is exactly the opposite of the first, the glass is placed in front of a dark card, or backdrop and light is shot at the side effectively "accenting" the sides of the glass giving it white edges and a darker center.

My first pictures is the light field, critique I've gotten thus far from other sites is that the background overwhelms the subject, and the water reflects the softbox placed behind it and doesn't allow the edge of the table to be seen in the water. Suggestions I've gotten would be to put ice in it, or whiskey, or something to break up the whiteness. Anyway, here ya go.

Click to Enlarge

The second image is the dark field, and the critiques I've gotten so far in regards to it are simply that the bottle is too dark and gets lost in the background, possible ideas would be to push it off the background a little and back light it as well (accenting the color of the whiskey since that's what I would be trying to sell with the image) another idea was to light it from underneath giving it a slight amber glow. We'll see I definitely want to re-try both of these in the relativly near future.

Click to Enlarge

But overall I'm proud of these, I'm really learning the basics and looking forward to having some time to experiment and see what I can come up with. Summer for me is going to be some time for me to work on this stuff, build some self promotion work and see what I can come up with.

Thanks guys.

-as

No New York...

Well guys, I canceled my trip due to fatigue, potential sickness, and getting laid off from my job... I do however have the flight voucher still... NYC trip this summer anyone??

-a

Headed to New York

I leave Monday for New York City, I'll be there for a week, half with my school and half on my own, it's honestly rather a surreal feeling going back. For those of you who don't know, I lived in New York for about two and a half months a few years back. I was interning with Ryann Cooley I left my internship early for a myriad of personal reasons and I still regret the way that whole experience ended. I do to some extent feel like I threw away a golden opportunity because of youthful ignorance. But, I know things will work out in the end, according to a greater plan, and for the best.

I have a very surreal memory of leaving the city. I was staying at the St. George in Brooklyn which is a dorm complex in Brooklyn Heights, and when I left a super shuttle picked me up there and took me to La Guardia. That entire ride the driver was listening to disco on the radio as we made our stops and picked up the passengers. I'll just never forget zipping through the streets of Brooklyn, with the driver humming "A Groovy Kind of Love," while I thought about what all had happened. Going back I think, will be an interesting expierence... I guess we'll see.

I was recently in Washington D.C. and had the opportunity to see a Robert Frank exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. It was incredible, being able to look at his working contact sheets, and working prints... See the entire "Americans" Series blown up and arranged in order. Suffice to say I'm inspired to work in 35mm b&w...

I think I'm ready...

'Round Nashville

So, I'm hoping to post the DC photographs I took (some 6 rolls of Diana photographs) before I go to New York City.

Theses are from the week before going to Washington, really just from around Nashville, two from near my favorite coffee shop Crema. It's interesting photographing what I see everyday, allowing someone else into my day or at least what I see throughout my day, is interesting to me. Especially working with the Diana that drastically alters how the real world looks. Scanning my negatives is almost as much of a surprise to me, as they are to you guys I'm sure.

My Backyard

View as I make Breakfast

Washington D.C.

I've been in Washington over the weekend with my Mom, it's been a pretty great trip overall, tiring though... Lots of walking in our nation's capital. I've shot 6+ rolls of Diana film, and I hope to develop them very soon. So keep in touch for new photos very soon. (like next three or four daysish). Then a week from tomorrow off to NYC and back with more photos! (oh my!) See you soon.

With a wink and a smile,

-as