Games starting now...dun nuh dun nuh

F$@*!!! S#$%>!! Could be heard throughout the house as visions of field goals and touchdowns danced through Chuck's head.  Most Sundays my house is filled with the sound of sports.  There's the given televised noise the game contains and then an added in-person special commentary track which can be heard throughout the entire apartment complex provided by Chuck.  It's always so strange when football ends.  Like a void or an unsettling strange stillness on Sundays.  But then NASCAR starts a week later and football noises are replaced by loud engines and funny southern accents.  It's pretty funny living with a sports fanatic.  I absorb sports information along the way tid bits about certain players and how teams are doing.  Of course, I'd never be so bold as to call myself a true fan -- mostly because the argument that would ensue over what makes a true fan could have the potentiality of requiring waaaaay more energy that I feel is warranted.  So for now I'll continue my status as "occasional viewer of many pieces of many games with an acute knowledge of teams such as the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints."


 Depicted in the Christmas ball is a very tiny Chuck sitting on our couch watching his favorite sport.  I like this picture because of the story it tells with the little bit you can see.

Farewell 180!

Photo by Ricky Frias

It's official!  180 is over!  These are the survivors.  We worked crazy hours, didn't sleep much and spent countless dollars to just get to this point here.  Last night was the last meeting of our class.  It was a great night.  Looked at each others calendars, ate some pizza, laughed, took pictures then went out for a drink to toast to our success.  I was fortunate enough to make life long friends during this class.  Lan, Mau, Ricky, Jerod, Courtney and of course our amazing teacher Agatha Ibranossian all made this tough class one of the best experiences of my life.  I've never enjoyed and been tortured by one single class so much.  It seems like the harder something is the more you get out of it.  I feel proud and privileged to be able to say I successfully made it through 180.  I feel like my skills have been sharpened and elevated to an entirely new level.  Thank you Agatha for knowing your subject so well and sharing so much of your knowledge with us.  You are the gatekeeper of the photography program for a reason.  You have a knack for teaching and we are all better for it.  

Final 187 Day... So sad!!

These pictures of the final class of lab techniques presented by Mr. Chauncey Bayes, photography genius, showed us for my 187 lab class.  We were creating a cyanotype wherein you place objects on a photosensitive material and wait for the light to expose it.  After 10 minutes of direct overhead sun, the material is rinsed in water and hydrogen peroxide.  Finally, a cobalt blue material is produced with white spots where the objects were.  It was so much fun to make!


The class is absolutely one of my most favorite photography classes I think I'll ever take.  Not only did Chauncey teach us an incredible amount of knowledge to help us hone photography as an artisan but he made it fun at the same time.  The passion he conveys while teaching is inspiring.  I loved photography before, but now I am in love with photography and keeping the craftsmanship side of it alive.  I want to honor my new found respect for the field by practicing and passing on the techniques I learned in class.  Chauncey is an amazing teacher!  He helped me understand the zone system, a task I thought impossible.  Even after explaining for 2 hours he did not lose faith that I would comprehend it at some point.  I will be forever grateful for your patience and ability to spread the word of analog!!


Below is Shane, fellow 187er/180er, after our cyanotype was done.  Just thought it was a funny mix of things to be holding/doing.  Hopefully, the lack of model release won't be an issue.  ;) 

Raindrop Explosion

Last night was a marathon to get ready to turn in the calendar project.  Lan, Mau and I finished at the lab around 10 stopped for food then went straight back to my place to try and get our dates printed for our calendars.  A big thank you to Lan for letting us use her equipment to make sure our blacks were black and printed well.  While 2 a.m. is not my favorite time to finish homework, I feel good we accomplished so much.  All my prints are made and my dates are printed.  Now I just need a plan of action for cutting properly and gluing together.  I shall look into getting some type of photo fairy repellent.  Wish me luck!


This image was taken with my camera phone then altered in Picasa.  It was through the windshield of my car after it was done raining this past Monday.  I liked the way all the water spots caught the light.

This little piggy went to Olvera St.

Another little token of Olvera Street. This is one of my most favorite shots I took throughout the semester. I just like how friendly and cute they are!


Taken with film and the Hasselblad camera.

Luke, I am your father...

This is the moment when Gabriel realized he was able to do funny things with his voice by talking into the fan.  We were all at his auntie's house getting our hair done and this is where his boredom led him.  After 30 minutes of talking into the fan he was off to go explore what other ordinary household items he could convert into toys.  


Taken with my camera phone, edited with Picasa.

Aye yay yay

I loved these sombreros and maracas from the moment I spotted them lining the edges of a little booth on Olvera Street. It was my first time exploring down there and it was a blast! So much to see and so many colors everywhere you look. This picture was a little tricky to print. The amount of contrast in the shot was challenging to balance out with the gray tones that had detail. Eventually it all worked out and I'm thrilled with the outcome!


This image was taken with film and a Hasselblad camera.

Xander Baby

I love this picture.  His cute tiny face looking up at your with a sparkle in his eyes.  And there in the background a path of destruction like a mini Godzilla.  This is my friend's little boy, his name is Xander.  He's a hilarious little guy.  Very curious, full of giggles, and unexpected funny business.  Julie once told me she was changing his diaper telling him "you stink, you stink" and he said back to her "I stink" in his baby voice.  Too cute for words!!


This image was taken with my camera phone and then toned with Picasa.

Love is...

...leaving a post-it note on the clock so that the other knows not to panic when getting ready for work.  Chuck  posted this note that read "5 mins ahead" on the bathroom clock and it struck me as incredibly thoughtful and endearing.  It's funny the little everyday things that have the ability to make such a big impact on your heart.


Taken with my camera phone -- and now I wish I had taken it with a better camera because the picture quality is not so good!  Darn!

The Tree is Trimmed!

Taking pictures of Christmas trees is still somewhat of a mystery to me.  On one hand you can take the picture with a flash and get the ornaments in all their glory but the lights don't show up or you can take a picture with no flash but then the ornaments don't show up.  I need to figure out how to get both in one!!  I guess I might need to use a tripod or something for a long exposure.  I chose to take a portion of the tree when there was amazing light hitting it.  What was really cool was that the light bounced off the garland and reflected all over the room.  Magical!  We got our tree at Costco this year.  I am quite pleased that for a mere $45 you can find noble firs that are up to 9-10 feet tall.  We opted for a 7-8 footer -- which was perfect because another foot and our tree would be without the ever important tree topper!  Phew!  The whole experience was a lot of fun!


This picture was taken with my camera phone.

90% Chance of Practice Golfballs

I had forgotten about my digital image from my strobe project.  We had so much fun shooting strobe together.  This image was taken with Maurice's fancy digital camera -- which he kindly set up so that I could just push a button.  (Thanks for being a great assistant Maurice!)  Jerod and Lan were modeling.  I loved every shot I got this day.  It appeared on film like it was as much fun as it was to be there in person.  I knew I wanted to stop motion balls but I didn't know until that day how I was going to combine that with people.  It worked out magically!

Blinded by the Light

I metered for the walls in this picture in order to have the light at the end be blown out and ambiguous.  I really like how the effect turned out.  I think the image can go several different ways -- scary, heavenly or captivating.  For me it is captivating.  I purposely do not want to contextualize this image only because of the various things people could see in it.  I like it when viewers are left with the task of imagining what they are looking at.  Every imagination creates a new story.


This image was taken with film and the Hasselblad camera.

Lights Out!

More love from the Union Station series.  This is the same room that is in my previous digital image that I posted.  However, in this version I used film and metered for the light in the windows rather than the ambient light of the room.  I really liked the results.  The floor was so shiny that the reflections almost look like they are on water.  The room itself is quite breath taking.  This portion of the station is cordoned off to the public.  To the left of this part of the room are ticket booths from yesteryear.  The way the room has been preserved, easily lends itself to envisioning what it must have been like back in the height of it's use.  


Again, this image was taken with the Hasselblad and film.

Union Station

This is the digital version of a previous image from the photo adventure Chuck and I went on in Los Angeles.  We had so much fun poking around Union Station and Olvera Street (home of the world's best churro).  I was shooting for my calendar.  

Land Before Time Leaves

Thought these leaves were pretty and needed some attention. I found them in the same spot as the black and white photo of the brush.  The seemed prehistoric to me.  I guess I watched a little too much Land Before Time when I was younger.  This image was captured with my camera phone.

Shipping LBC

A night shot of the Port of Los Angeles.  The reflection on the water was serene.  It was quiet.  The image portrays the quiet beauty of the lights bouncing off the reflective surface.  This image was taken with my camera phone.

Lan's Triangle

This is another from the series of pictures I took at Union Station in Los Angeles.  At first I wasn't very excited about this image, but my friend and fellow photo nerd, encouraged me to print it because of the triangle she saw in there.  I was very happy with the unexpected results.  I really like all of the shapes and lighting in this image.  In a way  it almost looks like a collage of different images pasted together.  It has now been added to my pile of calendar images.  Thanks Lan!


This was taken with the Hasselblad camera and film.

Party of Two

Chuck and I spent an afternoon up in Los Angeles so that I could shoot for my calendar.  This was one shot I took in Union Station.  I loved the way the light was hitting the empty chairs.  Their stillness was so apparent especially while surrounded by the hustle and bustle of people trying to catch trains, buses, and taxis.  In the middle of the madness the chairs just seemed so serene.


This image was taken with film and a Hasselblad camera.

Camille the Cat

Meet Camille the cat.  She's my friend Randy's cat.  She is as mean as she is beautiful.  One minute your petting her soft gorgeous self the next your bleeding because she randomly bit you.  Pretty funny.  I happened to catch her in a good mood, although I kept my distance just to err on the side of caution.  

Through the Woods

Just got done in the darkroom printing this one. I had a solo adventure this past Saturday exploring the wilderness off of Harvard and Michelson in Irvine. While it doesn't sound that exciting, there were some pretty cool textures and patterns. I was happy that I didn't find a dead body. My imagination is out of control when I'm all alone in a secluded area. Suddenly I flash back to every scary movie or episode of Dateline I've ever seen.


I'm happy with this print. It feels like madness to look at. Just can't figure out where you want to focus. I took this image with the Hasselblad and film.

Big Girl!

This is Chuck's niece, Chloe, I've written about her previously, her nickname is Ladybug.  I think it suits her so well.  She's a lover of all things girly.  Her favorite item of choice right now is purses, big and small.  She has these incredibly big brown eyes with beautiful eyelashes -- and really who can say no to a little face like this!?  I'm amazed every time I see her at how much and how quickly she changes.


This image was taken with 35mm film.

Sunset

I think sunset is my favorite time of day.  It just emotes that sense of accomplishment -- you've made it through the day and your reward is a slower pace and relaxation.  As you drive home or take a walk after arriving at home smells of dinner waft through the air and a kinship is formed with other survivors of the day.  

This image was taken with 35mm color film.

Let's go fly a plane!

Meet Clint.  In his spare time he fulfills his childhood dreams of flying.  This is an environmental portrait taken at the Riverside Airport this morning.  I was really nervous about my first on location portrait, but to my surprise everything went as ideally as I possibly could have hoped.  The environment was assigned to me by my teacher.  She had everyone pick one random one and I was fortunate enough to get "pilot".  Clint is my friend's husband.  He's just about as sweet as can be!  I think his expression and kind demeanor are readily apparent in the expression on his face.  This is one of my favorite portraits I've taken this semester!

Stop! Motion.

Another Hassleblad picture.  The assignment was to catch stop motion or blurred motion by using a high shutter speed and strobe lights.  This was one of many fun and hilarious shots.  It's not my favorite of the bunch, but still pretty funny.  Here my models, Lan and Jerod, are being pummeled with practice golf balls.

Night Strobe Shoot

This was my most favorite shoot of the entire semester.  We laughed so hard and had so much fun playing on the playground we all forgot it was an assignment.  Best photography night to date!  This shot had a Super Mario Brothers feel to it.


I used strobes and the Hasselblad.  It truly is a magical camera!  

To Infinity and Beyond

I was pleasantly surprised during a recent trip to the Santa Ana Train Station.  The inside is so unexpected.  I realized it was an older building but I didn't expect this grand entrance.  The number of shapes were endless.  

This image was captured with a Hasselblad using film.

Downtown Circus

It was a very warm day in Downtown Orange. The awnings were gifts providing shade. I looked up and saw this image before me. I'm drawn to lines like a moth to a flame!

I used a Hasselblad camera to take this image.

More Human Impressions

Saturday night Chuck and I went to one of our favorite places to eat -- Phillipes in Los Angeles -- home of the best beef dip.  I love the nostalgia the restaurant embodies.  Every inch of every brick inside the space has become a time capsule evidencing some mysterious person who's been there or someone's love.  Can't help but wonder if "Brian & Judy '01" are still going strong.  Chuck and I were discussing the walls on the way home and he was saying he plans to bring his Dremmel next time so he can write "CHUCK" in big letters.  The visual of hearing the high pitch screaming noise of the Dremmel in the middle of the restaurant made me laugh.  I guess the pictures I take next time we go will be far more entertaining.

Voluptuous Shadow

Although this could be a cartoon-like woman with some serious curves wearing a tightly fit dress, it's actually the shadow of a fountain. The pattern of the bricks leant themselves as the perfect background.

Tree House

This image was captured in Downtown Orange with a Hasselblad. I liked the urban look the fire escape had. It seemed like a good place to sit and read a book for awhile.

Palm trees

Friday the 13th, seems like it should be scary but it's always just another Friday.  


I'm frustrated by this image.  I feel like it should have been more interesting than it turned out. I tried printing it several different ways but this ended up the most interesting of all of them.  It might have been something that just worked better in color.  I had it included in my mid-term version of my calendar but have not 100% decided that it will be strong enough for my final.


This is an image taken with the Hasselblad and film.

Optical Illusion

I like this image because the water in the center is a bit ambiguous.  At first it's hard to tell if it's water reflecting light from the sky or a hole in the bushes.  It's water.  This image was captured with my camera phone.

Human Impressions

I love looking at the way people leave things.  There's an innocence and unawareness that I find incredibly interesting.  Every item you see was touched by human hands at some point.  A series of events have to happen just so that one item reaches that very point at that very second.  Nothing is planned.  It is just because it is.   This happens to be one corner of my boss's office.  This is his war table.  At any given moment it could be surrounded by stress, or people discussing things, or a hearty laugh (which is most common). The light that was falling into the room through the windows and making the chairs look soft and the room so quiet.  

Apples & Cinnamon

This is two different images I took at the grocery store last night.  One of apples and one of cinnamon.  At the time I was taking them I just really liked the repetitive patterns in each item -- then later realized the two are kind of friends in the food world.  After that, I found a new feature in Picasa to experiment with and tah-dah!  Apples & Cinnamon!  The cinnamon caught my attention because of the aromatic power it had.  I love this time of year because everywhere you go it smells like spices and reminds you of warm, fuzzy holiday feelings.

Shoesies

These shoes and hat were one portion of my friend Seth's Halloween costume as Steve Zissou.  My friend (and his wife) Megan made his costume which turned out perfectly!  The shoes and hat were simply the icing on the cake.  He looked adorable as did she.  I had a lot of fun helping Megan get dressed as a Geisha that day.  I couldn't believe the artistic things we were able to do to her hair thanks to about 5,000 bobby pins and 2 gallons of hairspray.

Feels Like Home to Me

The end of a long day there is nothing more that I like than sitting on the couch relaxing with Rowdy dog.  I love this image because to me it is a moment that was not manipulated or set up.  It was Rowdy snoozing on the couch.  His little paws relaxed and doing nothing juxtaposed by the little indentations in his pads evidencing his very busy day of trotting around.

Nostalgic Rides

I think rides like this are actually time machines connecting youths of today to their parents or grandparents as it may be.  They are so nostalgic by nature and I think pictures communicate that nostalgia.

Tungsten Portrait

Last night I made my first print of my first studio portrait session with my gorgeous model Alejandro Maldonado.  We had so much fun during our shoot and I just wanted it to come through in the pictures.  I like this one in particular because he looked relaxed and debonair.  I still have some work to do on the shirt being too white but I'm pretty proud of it!  Hopefully, my teacher will agree!  

Jelly Belly Ouchy

These were my delicious snack this morning.  I was looking at all the beautiful colors and I couldn't help taking a picture of it.  I do have some pointers for enjoying them as much as possible though... 1) Do not place jelly beans in a coffee mug next to another mug filled with coffee, it inevitably (at least from my very recent experience) leads to half a hand dipped in really hot liquid.  This is not as enjoyable as a mug full of jelly beans.  2) Eat the jelly beans one at a time so as to keep track of the gross flavors especially if you do not have a container to sort out the colors!

Farm Dog at Heart

This was a really fun day.  We took Rowdy to my friend Linda's house.  She has a ranch with four horses!  I think Rowdy found his calling.  He had a blast.  This was a moment when it seemed that he was soaking it all up and appreciating the beauty.

Surf Story

This is one of the first creative images I've gotten to take with the Hasselblad camera.  I am in love with this camera and the medium sized format film.  It just makes for really amazing images.  I really liked the story that this scene was telling.  To me it was a couple local surfers who rode their bikes to the beach to surf.  You can see them in the distance getting ready to catch a few waves and relax.

In Studio Portrait

This is a digital image from my very first in studio portrait session.  I like how professional and dignified Alex looks.  I'm really hoping I got some good stuff on film too!

Rowdy Dog & Ball

Rowdy with his favorite and most beloved toy -- the tennis ball.  It also acts as doggy gum.  Rowdy enjoys chewing on the ball like it's gum as much as he enjoys fetching it when thrown.  Pretty funny guy!  This image was taken with my camera phone.

Night Boat

I took this shot to remind myself to go back and shoot more!  In my head this is a sketch of a shot I'd like to get with film. It is a boat docked in Long Beach close to Ports O'Call.  Chuck and I had just finished dinner and were exploring.  I think most of the images I am fortunate enough to find have been a result of exploring.  I'm glad to have such a great adventure buddy!

Labor Intensive Weekend

I really like the chaos at the top of this image.  Right now I feel like it depicts how my school projects are currently organized.  I am all over the place just simply trying to get my time management in order.  Tomorrow I shall print my Old World portrait and Sunday I shall shoot for my calendar.  I think it's going to turn out great.  Can't wait!

Getting close...

It's getting close.  To the left is the raw shot.  To the right is the cropped version.  These images were captured during my shoot the other day.  It is from my film based contact sheet.  I still need to spend some time in the dark room printing this image and then toning it properly.  I wanted an idea of which image I wanted to use and I think this is the winner.  I plan to tone it in a more believable way.  I just needed to get an idea of how it would look post toning.  Megan did such a fantastic job!  Best model/assistant a girl could ask for!  She quickly caught on to all the steps I naturally forget and would promptly remind me.  So patient!  I will only post this image one more additional time and that's when I've processed it completely.  Fingers crossed!  Hope it comes out fantastically!  I know I've already posted a version of this so I promise not to post more than one more time as the finished product.