it's alternative

I can't describe how excited I am about the experimental photography class I am taking this quarter. It's the bomb-schniggety.

It's more of an "Alternative Processes" class, or more specifically, "Historical Processes". It's just that the school and its catalog calls it "experimental". Bah, words, they just confuse you. ;)

Anyways, to clarify, we are learning photographic processes that were popular in photography's birth and growth, when there was experimentation with different light sources, chemicals and materials to get a photographic image. Keep in mind that the term "photographic image" does not necessarily mean a capture of a scene that the photographer saw with his/her eyes, but an image created with light. The word "Photography" comes from the Greek word "phos" which means "light", and "graphein" which is the Greek word for "write".

Er, that's enough teaching for now. ^_^;;

My point being, I am looking forward to making works of art that aren't just straight photographs (snapshots?). Ya dig?

Anyhoo, I checked out the book Alternative Photographic Processes from the library the other day. It includes a lot of processes that we are to cover in class, like enlarged negatives, solarizing, toning, cyanotypes, Van Dyke prints & Kallitypes, and gum bichromate prints. We're also going to be working with Liquid Light during the course, which looks to be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, this is only a quarter-length class, so we cannot cover the many other processes. I would like to try my hand at daguerreotypes someday...

may day

I've always wanted to participate in a project like this, because I've found some similar projects to be really interesting and fun!

the may day project is about collecting glimpses into people's lives through photographs. whether they be self portraits, landscapes or macros, candid or posed, snapshots or something more creative - we want to see what your day was like saturday may 10th 2003.

Mark your calendars and charge those digital cameras (and/or buy some film)!

(found via Kat)

black and white dreams

Just a quickie (huh huh) before I am off to take my Photo History final (eep!)...

I've created a new section of my photo gallery to upload my black and white photography to. They are just quick dirty scans (no adjustments or cleaning), but serve as a catalog of my images. I still have to add captions to some, and some pictures are still yet to be categorized, but please do check it out and feel free to leave any comments!

I am willing to make anyone silver gelatin prints for a small fee or trade (negotiable). :)

It's in the photograph

To mark blog entry #300, I bring you the Quote of the Moment:

"The moment {a} fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact but an opinion. There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth."

-Richard Avedon

communal woes

The other day, I went to do some darkroom work in the community lab at school.

I forgot what a pain in the patoot it was to do this.

Firstly, the lab tech tells me that I will be the first to be kicked out, because I am a digital photo student. Harrumph. I mean, heck, what am I paying lab fees for again? This made me frustrated, annoyed, and rushed. I was treating every print I made like it was my last, and made a lot of foolish mistakes because I was rushing through it all.

Second, almost all the students were frantic. People elbowing each other for space, everyone was either rude or grumpy (or both), and I think it's because they were feeling just as rushed as I. Double harrumph.

Community darkrooms are the epitome of chaos.

This experience the other day has pushed me more and more into clearing out the garage to make way for our own darkroom. Kev already owns an enlarger, so we're halfway there. I spent a good chunk of the afternoon clearing out old boxes (from our relocation *last year*... sheesh, it's about time) and moving things around. I think if I do a little bit every day, I can have the space ready within a month.

Then I can be as selfish as I want with the enlarger, take my time with my prints, and have a more satisfactory experience overall.

Sometimes, we gotta take things slow... and we really *should* apply this to every aspect of our lives. It's the most efficient and satisfactory way to get things done.

Slow down, you move too fast.

MacWorld Pix

I will expound more later, but here's the link to my pictures from yesterday's festivities.

If you need more details on what went on, check Mike's blog and Gretchen's blog.

More to come! Gotta run!

birfday pix

Photos from Friday are up...

...from our little adventure on my birthday. This is the first batch of pictures I took with my new camera. Comments are welcome!

big WHAT?

I took this picture while waiting at a stop light in Sausalito the other day. Funny how our eyes play tricks on us.

(click for larger image)

shoot me now

Or rather, me shoot now. Or sometime soon.

Kev and I were having a discussion today about shooting photos. Well, duh. As Ace has put it, this is the "House of Cameras".

I haven't been shooting a lot lately. Well, save the obligatory photos during my geocaching adventures and some family snapshots. I deduced that I was afraid to shoot photos while we were out in San Francisco yesterday because I didn't want to seem like I was shooting the same things as he, and that my photos would be inferior to his. I really (honestly) respect Kev's skills and artistry as a photographer, and I had been afraid that my photos would seem juvenile and simplistic next to his.

That was pretty dumb. I know better than that. Even if we see the same things on the street, we can see them in completely different ways. I also need to shoot more and share photos with him to get his constructive criticism and support. This is the only way I will grow as a photographer. I want to go through all these great photo books that we have on our shelves as well as check out from the library, and share our thoughts on each photo. I want to be able to enjoy this hobby together.

I need to carry my SLR around more often. I've been using the digital for reasons of convenience, but I need to nurture my basic skills.

The quest has begun for better photos.

Pictures of You

Eek! Sorry, no entries in a few days. I've been doing some updates to the site.

This is just a quick plug to let all ya'lls know that I have started keeping a Photo Diary on this site. This is to encourage me to shoot more photos and refine my skills. Come take a look, offer suggestions and such.

I am trying to get myself used to carrying around a camera all the time again. I used to carry my 35mm around ALL the time when I lived in the Bay Area. Why I haven't in Hawaii is beyond me. I think this day job thing has been kinda occupying my mind lately. I'm a dolt for forgetting to feed my creative side. Hmm. Maybe I should also carry the ol' sketchbook again.

That reminds me. My portfolio could use some updating. Damn. I need to start thinking about gettin' a new job... the problem is, where? Hopefully we'll know soon.