Unearthed Gem

Found this old negative today.  Just wanted to share.  It reminds me of some of the double exposure work done by the Surrealists in the '30's.

The Notion of Man

More Pinhole

Week two of my foray into pinhole...

First Excursions into the World of Pinhole

Here are the first of my pinhole photos. As always, enjoy.

Guess Who's Back?

That's right. It's me. It was been a very long time since I have updated my quaint little blog. Life gets strange. You go through nebulous periods where you hate even that what you love. For me it was many things, photography included. However, I wasn't completely dormant. Almost though. Yikes. Anyway, here is the best thing I did in the past while. Don't worry, there will be a new daily photo series coming soon that I am ironing out as well.

April 29, 2010 - Earth, Art, & Everything In Between.

Long day. Nothing to say. Red filter for contrast.

One A Day...So Far

Last week I started a fairly common personal photo project that I like to call, "One A Day". It's a technique used by writers and artists alike, and I feel like it has already started to help me expand my mind even further when I am photographing. I originally started showing my peers this project via Facebook, but I now that I have a bit of an audience, I'd like to start posting them to my blog so I can narrate how I see fit a bit more seamlessly. With this first post, I just wanted to bring the blog up to speed with what I have already posted. So here is April 21-26.

My Letter to Photography

So I was recently asked why I loved photography. While I could have given some type of answer, I felt it would just be easier to post my letter to photography here. Hope you enjoy it -

Dear Photography,

As I stare at this screen, I am beginning to comprehend just what you have done

to me. You are a friend, a confidant, and a contemporary. I am envious at your

strength. You have delivered me through the most difficult of times without

question. And yet you have helped me to remember some of the most joyful

times. The combination of my imagination and vision with your precision and

flexibility has literally created moments of history to be shared with all who care to

see. Such moments are not merely subjected to the frozen confines of a pose or a

portrait, but can write a memory of activity to a single frame. And while you are a

kind, understanding mate, you are also a cold, unforgiving foe whose insatiable

appetite for emotion destroys many. Your vast knowledge and infinite vision can

intimidate. What is there that you have not witnessed? You have captured

moments of hope, dismay, courage, revenge, justice, violence, love, and pain as

painfully blunt as you want. And yet you stay unwavering in your impartiality. For

these reasons, many fear you; reject you. I, however, accept you for this. Like a

delusional genius, you should not be scoffed at and dismissed, but accepted into

the fold for the visionary you truly are. For but are we not all somewhat of a

delusion? Whether it has been merely a hapless tryst or a permanent bond, you

have been there for everyone and everything. Mexico City in '68, Kent St. in '70,

Tiananmen Square in '89 and New York in '01, you have captured life-altering

images. For these examples alone cannot convey your prowess. These are but

four moments in history out of the millions upon millions to reflect upon. These

moments are not only to reflect on by an audience, but they are pieces of each

one of us. Pieces, for better or for worse, recorded for the posterity of tomorrow.

And because of these opportunities to partake in the record of society, I embrace

you. I love you. I hate you. I use you selfishly to help me through tears.

Moreover, I use you to selflessly remember the joys of others. You are a

doorway of creativity yearning to be opened, hoping to be locked behind those

who enter. I am proud to tell you that I have thrown away the key. Thus, it is just

you and I alone in the room of time. We better get to work.

Sincerely yours,

Nikki & Scott

I had the pleasure of doing a quick shoot with these newlyweds the other day. They have a great energy about them. They're funny, playful, and most importantly, wicked in love. Here's a little taste of what we came up with.

Keeping It Loose

I love doing shoots with people. They're a lot of fun. You're constantly hitting angles and changing gear. It's a little hectic and pretty fast-paced. However, I think it's important to keep a relaxed outlook on photography. Photography can serve many purposes, but catching moments is one of my favorites. Snapping pictures while hanging out with your friends can be just as fun and rewarding as being on shoots. It helps your mind open up to more and more styles and techniques. Here are a few shots I took the other day while with some of my pals. Let me know what you think!

A Few Black & White's of Cierra

So I thought I'd go ahead and share with the world a few of the black and white's from my shoot with Cierra. I did the first two with a pretty traditional tone, but pretty high contrast, and the second two I decided to give a warmer tone, almost a split tone. Let me know what you think; do you hate em, love em, wanna burn my house down they're so bad? What?

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?

Tactful Memories

Tactful Memories, originally uploaded by stussyjoker.

So, I'm sitting here at work, bored out of my mind, so I thought, "Hey I'll blog!" So I thought I'd post one of my favorite shots that I have ever taken. This shot is a 4x exposed frame of 120mm shot with a Holga CFN with black & white process. This shot really embodies my photography style and philosophy. Sure, portraits and landscapes are fun to shoot, but the absolute essence of photography for me is about capturing memories. As I am writing this, I have decided to pose my letter to photography, because it really says everything that I would say about this image. So, with limited commercial breaks, I give you My Letter to Photography:


Dear Photography,

As I stare at this screen, I am beginning to comprehend just what you have done to me. You are a friend, a confidant, and a contemporary. I am envious at your strength. You have delivered me through the most difficult of times without question. And yet you have helped me to remember some of the most joyful times. The combination of my imagination and vision with your precision and flexibility has literally created moments of history to be shared with all who care to see. Such moments are not merely subjected to the frozen confines of a pose or a portrait, but can write a memory of activity to a single frame. And while you are a kind, understanding mate, you are also a cold, unforgiving foe whose insatiable appetite for emotion destroys many. Your vast knowledge and infinite vision can intimidate. What is there that you have not witnessed? You have captured moments of hope, dismay, courage, revenge, justice, violence, love, and pain as painfully blunt as you want. And yet you stay unwavering in your impartiality. For these reasons, many fear you; reject you. I, however, accept you for this. Like a delusional genius, you should not be scoffed at and dismissed, but accepted into the fold for the visionary you truly are. For but are we not all somewhat of a delusion? Whether it has been merely a hapless tryst or a permanent bond, you have been there for everyone and everything. Mexico City in ’68, Kent St. in ’70, Tiananmen Square in ’89 and New York in ’01, you have captured life-altering images. For these examples alone cannot convey your prowess. These are but four moments in history out of the millions upon millions to reflect upon. These moments are not only to reflect on by an audience, but they are pieces of each one of us. Pieces, for better or for worse, recorded for the posterity of tomorrow. And because of these opportunities to partake in the record of society, I embrace you. I love you. I hate you. I use you selfishly to help me through tears. Moreover, I use you to selflessly remember the joys of others. You are a doorway of creativity yearning to be opened, hoping to be locked behind those who enter. I am proud to tell you that I have thrown away the key. Thus, it is just you and I alone in the room of time. We better get to work.

Sincerely yours,