Week 8 EOC: Bang Bang Club

“There was lots of outgoing fire,” he said. “No one tells you how dramatic massive amounts of machine gun fire is. In photos you just see the puff from the barrel. But when you are there, it’s incredibly shocking and dramatic. I realized that, as someone who was very green, I could not handle the outgoing, much less the incoming. So I decided it was best to leave it to the guys who know what they are doing. I thought, ‘I should leave this to someone with insurance and a guarantee to publish the pics.’ As a freelancer, I just could not do it.” (http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/young-in-libya/, Ty Cacek)

I found the movie “The Bang Bang Club” to be exceptionally well done. The being based on a true story, made it even better for me. The movie was able to portray the true-life experiences of four combat photographers capturing the final days of apartheid in South Africa. From the highs of winning three Pulitzer Prizes to the lows of a suicide and a murder amongst the group. The movie stays on focus showing you how harrowing the life of a Conflict Photographer could be.

"It's a very intimate thing," said Lyon. "What we're talking about here, in essence, is a relationship — a relationship with danger, a relationship with death, in some cases. A relationship with adrenaline. A relationship with intensity of experience. (http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/05/09/136053477/the-perilous-job-of-conflict-photography, Santiago Lyon is director of photography for The Associated Press)

Being that I have been in situations where I have shot at and experiences from growing, I think I could actually work as a Conflict Photographer. In fact it actually has stirred an interest and I will investigate the possibilities in the near future with my graduation coming up. I would do it for the sake of bring the news and conflict to the people, you can keep the awards, well maybe not the award money.

"Breaking News Photography, previously called Spot News Photography – for a distinguished example of breaking news photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, a sequence, or an album." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize)

Week 8 Photo Challenge: Conflict Photo

 My interpretation for this weeks photo challenge was going to look at lot like this photograph actually. I was going to take a photo of my profile shooting with my camera and wearing a baseball cap with the bill forward. I was then going to merge it with a photograph of some sort of conflict so I would give the impression that I was actually in the middle of the action on assignment for some News Agency.          

Week 7 Photo Challenge: Gentlemen's Relish

I took this photograph in studio. I used approximately (1) key light for this picture. I put the key light on 1200w and placed it the right of the model and had her face in that direction. I was going for a low key, moody feeling with this picture so I made it dark on purpose. I had the model place her hand under her chin as if in thought or possibly day dreaming of another as she slowly start to remove the dress she was wearing, uncovering a single breast in the process. Besides the dark moody light, the pose was supposed to help show an intimate moment in her life.

Week 7 EOC: Adult Content

I have never really had much of an opinion of adult content in art other than what I view as being artistic (appropriate) and the other just being pornographic (inappropriate) in nature. I know one view of adult content by most people is that it is content, such as pornography or violence, which is not generally thought to be appropriate for viewing by children. This would include such things as Hustler magazine, XXX videos, and anything else that shows gratuities sex scenes or gratuities amounts of male or female genitals. Think Playboy vs. Hustler magazine. Playboy would be considered, in my opinion, more artistic in nature due to the way the images are taken. The composition, the lighting and how the images are edited in post all suggest art, an appreciation for the female form and its body. Where you take something like Hustler and explicit imaging of models genitals and acts of an intimate nature between a man and woman just for the sake of it, with no artistic approach or value to it. This I consider inappropriate for art and don’t see value to it. To each their own I guess but some things should just be left for ones private life and the other to be celebrated and appreciated like true art should be.

Now when it comes to my work, I will do nudes but I do them with a purpose or a theme. Not just to do a nude, without rhyme or reason other than to see a pair of breasts. We are all adults and should behave and act as such while working. As a habit, also generally do not take full nudes, usually just implied nudes and topless, since I feel it is easier to justify why I want such poses from my models. Models I work with are made aware of this and I usually receive more respect and cooperation from models after they find out my view on adult content and that I am not  just being another pervert with a camera.

Week 6 Photo Challange: Photo Collage

I chose the pictures for this collage mainly for a few reasons. First, the background image is that of a desert landscape at sunset. I really enjoy the desert at sunset, its my second favorite scenery to gaze at on this planet, the first being the ocean. I like the feeling of isolation, the emptiness of nothing around you for miles upon miles. Pure unadulterated solitude. I also love how the colors in the sky seem to become more vibrant and explode with color, not quit the same way that sunrise does. It's almost like an orchestra of color blaring out its last notes of the evening before retiring for the night.

Second, the pictures I included in the collage are all models I have worked with in the past and have a certain fondness for. The top left in the swim suit is Vynnie. Vynnie is my muse, my inspiration. More often than not, when I come up with a new shoot theme or idea, Vynnie is the woman I want to shot it with her. I have never had a bad shoot when I have shot with her. Top right is Stephanie, we have only shot together for a  couple of shots but she has a lot of potential as a model. Bottom left is Shannyn, she has more potential in her left pink than any other model I have worked with. Bottom right is Melissa,a friend of mine that will do just about anything to help me with a photography assignment. She is a real trooper and I appreciate everything she has done for me. Without these ladies my work might be a series of misadventures and failed shoots.

Week 06 EOC: How has art changed you

For me, Photography and Art have changed my life mainly in two aspects. First, it has taught me how to appreciate time. Second, it has taught me how to focus myself and to notice things. Coming from a family where I was the only child and often times mentally and physically abuse for just being alive. Photography helped me escape one reality and exchange it for a far better one.

First, time used to be a measurement of getting from one place to another. For most people, it’s about always being “on the move,” striving to get ahead of the pack, just trying to stay alive. For me, now, time is spent much differently. I spend my time trying to take in my surroundings with a more discerning consciousness, and attempting to look and see everything that I can at any given moment. Time is more than time passing me by, or a clock ticking from one hour to the next, time is a place and fact that I use to merge into my ability to see and look in advance, in why I would approach my subject matters, and how I would use that time to my advantage to capture the image that I’ve visualize.

For sure, every photographer worth his or her salt, needs to know about and how to use proper focus; but I’m also talking about focus in relationship to personal focus. Focus on your camera’s battery, focus on your camera settings, focus on your subject, focus on your environment, and even focus on your time management. It’s not always about taking the picture, but as importantly the process of how you’re going to do so–the post processing, marketing, mounting, and all else that keeps us photographers concerned about and why we are passionate about taking pictures. This list is interminable, and goes on and on.

Week 5 Photo Challenge: You Editing a Photo

When the shoot is done and I find that its time to do my post production, I often then not set up shop at one of the local Starbucks stores. I basically take over a table and turn it into my mini office for however long I there, which has been known to be several hours. I set up my laptop, my memory card reader, place my cell on the table and order a very large cup of coffee and settle in for the long haul. I do this so often at one particular Starbucks that I have become a local and often find mysterious cups of coffee just appearing on my table, especial if looks like I am tired.

Once my mini office is set up, I sit down behind the laptop and open my editing software and access my images that need to be worked on. I plug my ear phones in and turn on Pandora Radio to listen to my personal playlist of music. I disappear into the music and start editing until I am either done or I can’t keep my eyes open any longer. Then I pack it all up, say my goodbye to those people I know who are working or visiting that particular Starbucks and proceed home to get some sleep and start it all over again the next day.

This system seems to work best for me. I can take breaks and look around and talk to people when I am getting tired or frustrated. I have food and the all beloved caffeine right at my finger tips when I so desire it. The only down fall to the whole system is, when the store is busy. I might have to wait almost an hour to get a table when I could have spent that hour working. I think it’s a fair trade off, so I continue to do my editing this way and have been doing so for about 3 years now.

Week 05 EOC: Best Part of My Business Plan

"Aperture Solutions will help our clients to look their up most best; will keep their head shots and portraits up-to-date and accessible.

All of our photos are created in a high-resolution digital format, from which our prints are made. Since the Internet and commonly used printers typically use the lower-resolution 300 dpi format, 300 dpi digital files are available to clients for a nominal charge. Higher-quality digital photos and prints carry full pricing. We will retain the high-resolution data and clients can order more prints from us if they wish.

Our photo studio includes quality props for portraits and fashion/glamour, and head shot photography. The physical environment of the studio is fun, accessible, clean and modern, making it a perfect choice to rent by non-studio owners and freelance photographers. We also go periodically to people’s homes and on location shoots, bringing cameras and lights that are out of the budget of non-professionals.

Our products include: Head Shots, Model’s Portfolio and Glamour Shots, and Individual Portraits.
Our specialty is head shots. We have a unique combination of props and style for head shots. All of our Photos are suitable for magazine publication.Individual portraits are commonly needed for individual and business websites, business cards, brochures, High School Senior Year Book and annual reports.

The competition for portrait photography is divided into several categories: First, Award-winning photographers are those who routinely deliver magazine-quality photographs. Their work is highly creative and spontaneous instead of routinely posing shots. They are rare and highly expensive. Second, these are professional-quality photographers, like us, who use a lot of posed shots. Most of the competition falls into this category. Third, are Amateur Photographers who use low quality products to charge low prices."

Week 04 Photo Challenge-You In a Camera Store

In this picture, I am pretending to be shopping for a Light Meter in a local Camera Store. The picture was taken using the 5mp camera on my trusty HTC MyTouch cell phone. I took the picture so you could both see the product and packaging in my hands and me looking at the product at the same time to help with the illusion of me shopping for the light meter. The cell phone was propped at the edge of the counter with a couple of books and I just had someone walk help me out by pushing the center button which triggers the phone to take a photograph.

I originally wanted to go to Casey’s Camera on Tropicana in Las Vegas, NV. I was going to go in and ask the owner, Wayne, who is there Tuesday thru Thursday, if I could take a photo in his store for an assignment for school. I wanted to take the camera and attach it to a table top tripod and angle the camera in an upward position so it would catch my visage peering into the display case and examining some product that has caught my attention as a possible purchase. I felt this would be a unique way of experiencing the other aspect of the sale, from the point of view of the product.