Also, I've changed some things about the way comments are organized from here on out. Hopefully it will improve the whole commenting experience. Let me know if it works or doesn't work for you.
Black and White, What Do You Think?
Also, I've changed some things about the way comments are organized from here on out. Hopefully it will improve the whole commenting experience. Let me know if it works or doesn't work for you.
Gesture
The great Jay Maisel always says that the aspects to look for in a photograph are 'light, color, and gesture.' I think he's completely spot-on. And to my detriment I think on average I spend more time looking at the first two than the third, which is arguably more evocative at times. This photo is an attempt to bring the three more into balance and start capturing some of the gestures all around me.
Somewhat related, the rather whimsically name photographer Miss Aniela has a good recent post about the nature of photography and the tension between 'contrived' vs 'natural' shots. Worth reading, I think, if only for a look at her images which are quite good, and mostly fall into the 'contrived' category.
More Leaves
Also: if you're still on the fence about making New Year's Resolutions (which I am for, honestly, because why not?), you might want to check out Gretchen Rubin's 6 Tips for Sticking to Your Resolutions or (the more photography-appropriate) The Online Photographer's advice about what kind of resolutions you'd be better off making.
And it's not too late to get on Jim M Goldstein's list of photoblogger's best of 2010. The deadline is January 8.
Plus, a look at the question: is digital cheaper than film? Not sure how I feel about that, honestly.
SF MoMA - Henri Cartier-Bresson
Wow.
Yesterday that was all I could say. I felt like I had been breathing in the essence of photography. A bit like pure oxygen, it left me slightly light headed and a little euphoric. Why? I went to the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit at SFMoMA with my mother and her boyfriend , and it was incredible.
Room after room of amazing black and white prints, gorgeously composed. After about one or two rooms I kind of got it. I started to abstract his photos in my head into the lines they were made up of. Triangles, diagonals, one photo I remember clearly was arranged like a kite: a rhombus of four gentlemen sitting at a table in the foreground, and then a line leading us into the background. And of course, the images are not pure exercises in geometry. They all captured a moment that meant something probably to the world and then also something intensely personal to the subject.
We all know of HCB as the coiner of 'the decisive moment'. But he was also an excellent portraitist. In particular I loved his portrait of Camus, and his photo of Coco Chanel I found quite insightful as well.
The exhibit runs until January 30 and I whole-heartedly recommend it. There's something about seeing the prints in person that just can't be experienced seeing images on the web. If you live anywhere near San Francisco, you have no excuse.
I took these at the museum. It's a gorgeous space. Processed in B&W as kind of an homage to HCB. They don't hold a candle to his work, as they are not as personal or arresting. But I thought I'd post them anyway.
Yesterday that was all I could say. I felt like I had been breathing in the essence of photography. A bit like pure oxygen, it left me slightly light headed and a little euphoric. Why? I went to the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit at SFMoMA with my mother and her boyfriend , and it was incredible.
Room after room of amazing black and white prints, gorgeously composed. After about one or two rooms I kind of got it. I started to abstract his photos in my head into the lines they were made up of. Triangles, diagonals, one photo I remember clearly was arranged like a kite: a rhombus of four gentlemen sitting at a table in the foreground, and then a line leading us into the background. And of course, the images are not pure exercises in geometry. They all captured a moment that meant something probably to the world and then also something intensely personal to the subject.
We all know of HCB as the coiner of 'the decisive moment'. But he was also an excellent portraitist. In particular I loved his portrait of Camus, and his photo of Coco Chanel I found quite insightful as well.
The exhibit runs until January 30 and I whole-heartedly recommend it. There's something about seeing the prints in person that just can't be experienced seeing images on the web. If you live anywhere near San Francisco, you have no excuse.
I took these at the museum. It's a gorgeous space. Processed in B&W as kind of an homage to HCB. They don't hold a candle to his work, as they are not as personal or arresting. But I thought I'd post them anyway.
Some Resolutions for the New Year
A couple of posts ago I talked about my 2010 resolutions and how they worked out (mostly pretty well, actually). Inspired and hopeful for 2011 to surpass 2010, here's my list of photography resolutions for the new year:
*Post one self-portrait on the blog a month
*Write one personal story about myself on the blog each week
*Make my photography business profitable (in the black! this is a big one)
*Create 2 more photo books, mostly just as an exercise for myself
*Write an ebook
*Get my photos and Lightroom catalogs organized
*Have another swap on the blog (soon! look for it in the next couple of weeks)
*Give away one downloadable desktop wallpaper a month
*Get my website up and running (this one will happen this week, come hell or high water)
*Learn how to light, well
*Create my own Photoshop actions, so I don't spend all my time doing the same few things, over and over
*Continue Anatomy of an Image, make it better and more informative, and then actually do it every week!
*Have fun with it all. Because in the end, that's the most important thing.
What about you? What are you resolving to do, or resolving not to do? Or are you just not resolving?
Best of 2010
It's been quite a year. Last year about this time I had just come back from Thailand, and I was settling in, finding work, and transitioning to being back in the Bay Area, and not in Asia any more. It's amazing, it seems like so long ago, and also strangely present. I still talk about Thailand a couple times a week, and I think about it probably even more. Really though, it's just another item on the list of places I've lived, loved, and then sadly, left. (Montreal, Budapest, and most recently New York City are also on that list.)
The main differences between Thailand and San Francisco?
a) I can understand and have conversations with people on the street! It was like a sigh of relief when I realized I didn't have to use the 20 or so Thai words I know but can't really pronounce for all of my communications with strangers any more.
b) The food is not as spicy, and maybe not as delicious. When I came back I could eat anything spicy and not even notice. Now I'm back to my usual puny taste buds. Despite the 14 pounds of curry paste Evan and I brought back with us, we haven't cooked much Thai food since our return.
c) The weather is so much more livable. I can go for a walk during the day without being drenched in sweat, and at night without being attacked by wild dogs, and also without concerned Thai people pulling over to the side of the road to offer the crazy farang a lift. (very awkward to try to explain that I just like walking when they can't understand me, and culturally it's a bit taboo to just go for a walk).
d) No more beautiful beaches! Or gorgeous jungle. And certainly no more elephant rides.
Anyway, I love living in San Francisco. Cities get my blood moving, and I love public transportation and being able to walk places. Plus there's a vibe here that you just don't find anywhere else. And a kindness and generosity, a willingness to try to do the right thing that I find inspiring. Not a perfect city, by any means. But a pretty good one. Much easier to live in than Bangkok, certainly!
It's been a great year. And also a year where I really feel like I've improved my photography skills, and started branching out into a few different genres. Sure, I still have a ways to go, but I feel like I'm making progress. That's huge.
This year I:
-lived in New York City for 6 weeks
-spent waaaay too much money on new camera gear for
-the new photography business I've just started! (so exciting)
-lived in a construction zone pretty much the entire time . . . still waiting for real progress on that front
-made a book using Blurb, which was very satisfying
-started singing again, after a few year long break, which was great (I'm not a soloist, but a pretty good choral singer, if I do say so myself)
-made some great new friends, and reconnected with old ones after being out of the country for so long
-discovered an affinity for Goat's Milk Caramel in my coffee
-got a picture published in a newspaper
-learned how to use a tilt-shift lens (mostly. some more practice certainly couldn't hurt), and
-had a blast!
Anyway, here's a few greatest hits from the year. I tried to narrow it down to ten, but I just couldn't. So instead I arranged them by month. I can't tell if it's just attachment or progress, but I love the later photos so much more than the earlier ones. (I think I'm going to call it progress until someone stops me.)
To see my best photos of 2009, click here.
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
The main differences between Thailand and San Francisco?
a) I can understand and have conversations with people on the street! It was like a sigh of relief when I realized I didn't have to use the 20 or so Thai words I know but can't really pronounce for all of my communications with strangers any more.
b) The food is not as spicy, and maybe not as delicious. When I came back I could eat anything spicy and not even notice. Now I'm back to my usual puny taste buds. Despite the 14 pounds of curry paste Evan and I brought back with us, we haven't cooked much Thai food since our return.
c) The weather is so much more livable. I can go for a walk during the day without being drenched in sweat, and at night without being attacked by wild dogs, and also without concerned Thai people pulling over to the side of the road to offer the crazy farang a lift. (very awkward to try to explain that I just like walking when they can't understand me, and culturally it's a bit taboo to just go for a walk).
d) No more beautiful beaches! Or gorgeous jungle. And certainly no more elephant rides.
Anyway, I love living in San Francisco. Cities get my blood moving, and I love public transportation and being able to walk places. Plus there's a vibe here that you just don't find anywhere else. And a kindness and generosity, a willingness to try to do the right thing that I find inspiring. Not a perfect city, by any means. But a pretty good one. Much easier to live in than Bangkok, certainly!
It's been a great year. And also a year where I really feel like I've improved my photography skills, and started branching out into a few different genres. Sure, I still have a ways to go, but I feel like I'm making progress. That's huge.
This year I:
-lived in New York City for 6 weeks
-spent waaaay too much money on new camera gear for
-the new photography business I've just started! (so exciting)
-lived in a construction zone pretty much the entire time . . . still waiting for real progress on that front
-made a book using Blurb, which was very satisfying
-started singing again, after a few year long break, which was great (I'm not a soloist, but a pretty good choral singer, if I do say so myself)
-made some great new friends, and reconnected with old ones after being out of the country for so long
-discovered an affinity for Goat's Milk Caramel in my coffee
-got a picture published in a newspaper
-learned how to use a tilt-shift lens (mostly. some more practice certainly couldn't hurt), and
-had a blast!
Anyway, here's a few greatest hits from the year. I tried to narrow it down to ten, but I just couldn't. So instead I arranged them by month. I can't tell if it's just attachment or progress, but I love the later photos so much more than the earlier ones. (I think I'm going to call it progress until someone stops me.)
To see my best photos of 2009, click here.
January
February
March
May
July
August
September
October
November
December
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