Here is a shot of Allen from our weekend excursion to the cemetery and the river. I have been trying to get out and shoot more spontaneously. So much of my work is studio produced are specific shots that I envision beforehand, part of my development is knowing more about natural lighting situations, being faster on the camera, and becoming more adventurous with studio lighting, luckily for me, Allen has some skills in those areas, I can foresee this being a very beneficial friendship.
I’ve been feeling like I am going against the current. Everything has been a struggle. Like they say, when it rains it pours. Its usually the case this time of year. Work has been hard on the nerves, just because the sleep schedule has been very wacky. Some days I have to be up at 4am to drive two hours and other days I get to sleep until 9. As much as I enjoy being behind a camera, and the legitimate excuse to call my self a photographer, it still isn’t the ideal situation. I am actively looking for work elsewhere however…
Spent the weekend spending time at really hip photo store in paradise. I had to bring my D60 body there for some minor repairs but it gave me a change to geek out over all the cool photo gear that I cant afford. Tiana came with me and humored me as I drooled over new lenses and medium format bodies. I did end up buying some new vivitar strobe filters that I think I can DIY into some cool gels to go over my bower flash, I also looked at projectors and mini flashes. I ended up spending more than I wanted, but I think I made out like a bandit. I also finally got the prints back from the studio for my portfolio. Some of the color correction was off, but most of the images turned out great. It means that I finally have something that I can take in to show galleries.
Speaking of galleries, I have been working with a local place, and there seems to be some great reception of my work, which is great! However, the process has been dragging on for quite sometime now, and I really want to finalize all the fine details. Right now, things seem to loose, and I want to make sure this is going to happen. Keep your fingers crossed…
…I am not someone who effectively uses the internet. I kinda poke around but don’t actively find cool things. But I have recently gotten into using stumbleupon, which totally rules. If you haven’t started using it you are missing out. On a recent stumble binge I came across photographer Janine Gordon. Her mosh pit series portrays male testosterone in a particularly dynamic way. As a man who grew up loving other men, and being somewhat of a hardcore kid myself, its fascinating seeing someone photograph the male form with the care and sentiment that I feel for the hardcore scene and the boys who helped shape my own values and passion. Her images evoke an unabashed male identity, one that is not self conscious, or commercial but viscerally real and powerful. There is also a really good article by the blog homoneurotic, (for my straight readers, don’t be scared of the website, it wont bite) that covers Janine’s creative process as well as her illustrious rap carrier, definitely worth a look.
In connection with my own work, the image of Todd (above) made me think about my own relationships with the men in my life. Often shortlived, as this shoot with Todd was, they drift in and out of my life, facing my lens in often a very conservative way, almost like a catalog. Is there more to these relationships, and furthermore where does the hesitation lie, with the artist or the subject?
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