Unnatural

Unnatural, originally uploaded by stussyjoker.

Ok, so here we go. Another shot from the Sac shoot the other day. This shot is a really interesting shot. As many of you know, we spent some time in State Capitol Park, and during the course of our sojourn, I came across this tree. If you've never been to State Capitol Park, I would highly recommend that you take an afternoon and go down there and just relax. It's sort of an overlooked gem in our area. Anyway, back to the shot. So when I came across this tree, it reminded me quite bluntly of man's imposition on nature. Here I am in the middle of this beautiful park, and I still can't get away from the ignorance of some jerk who has absolutely no appreciation for the Earth we live on. No matter how hard we try as humans to take care of our environment and try and beautify the concrete jungle we all find ourselves apart of every day, there will always be those who just dont seem to get it, just don't seem to care, or just think they are rightfully competing with the Sun for the title of "center of the universe". Come on people, we're all in this together. Let's appreciate what Earth has to offer.

Holy Cross Process

Holy Cross Process, originally uploaded by stussyjoker.

Holy... What else is there to say? A LOT, actually. Today, myself, Bart, and Bryce went downtown to shoot some pictures on this beautiful Wednesday afternoon. You can check out my other decent stuff here. Anyway, back to this shot. We headed over to State Capitol Park to do some nature stuff, portraits, etc., and we came across the statue of Father Junipero Serra. If you're not familiar with Serra you can learn a jaded tidbit about him here. At the base of the statue is a map of California that is marked with all of the missions that Father Serra helped construct up and down the coast line. However, it is my feeling that this statue shouldn't even EXIST. Last time I checked, there aren't statues dedicated to the men that ran the Japanese internment camps in the '40's. Also, I don't think there are any statues dedicated to the auctioneers who sold slaves for hundreds of years in THIS VERY COUNTRY. Ok, so you get it, you're intelligent, I don't need to be telling you that our country has an marred history rife with human injustice. Yet, right at our state capitol there is this statue of Father Junipero Serra. When the Spanish began coming into what is now present day California and began constructing missions, they forced Christianity onto the native American people. These people had their own customs and practices; they did not need Catholicism to "save" them. Which brings me to the commentary I am using in this shot. I shot this at f/1.4 so the actual statue is completely out of focus behind the cross. This is how I feel about what the Spanish did to the natives. All they could see was their cross; their religion. They were so jaded by this that they could not see the men and women that were right in front of them. All they saw were savages that needed to be saved from their own hellacious destiny. I also decided to post the cross processed version of this shot, because I feel that it has just a little more of the feel I was looking for from this image. The original version can be seen with the set I linked in the beginning of this post. So, wonderful people, tell me what you think. About all of it. I'd love to hear from you.

Relativity

DSC_0030, originally uploaded by stussyjoker.

What defines beauty? Surely such a question can garner many varying responses. Today as I was shooting some shots to document this, I noticed this drill laying on top of the scaffolding we had to set up to hang the Pterodactyl. This drill has been used many, many times. It has many gashes in its rugged plastic housing. Dirt and grime stain it's exterior. Yet, I feel that this shot is one of the most beautiful pictures I have ever taken. I personally feel that it is a wonderful commentary on what it is I love so much about photography. With some creative thinking, something as utilitarian as a drill can become a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing piece of art. Maybe I am too head over heels for photography, but I'd have to beg to differ. What does it do for you? Do you love this image as much as I do, or do you hate it's proverbial guts?

Peace

I shot this a while back with 35mm b&w, and it continues to be one of my favorite photos. Thus, I decided to post it here. It boasts a simple narrative for me personally. Often times I am most at peace when I am shooting. Rather to broaden it some, my art is my outlet. Whether its photography, painting, writing, etc., expressing my creativity is the only way I seem to stay sane. So what is it that does it for you?