Geeklog Site

New Year, New Directions

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:02:00 +0000

It's a bit into a new semester and new classes. I've also been playing around with a Holga, and 120 black and white film. I think I might possibly upload one shot from that experiment. I have only two photography courses this semester. One is actually a Graphic Design class, so it doesn't really qualify. The other is an advanced color class taken after my intro one. The jury is still out on what the project will be, but that's alright. I'm hopeful that the next semester will be an interesting and challenging one. I'll try and work on uploading some view camera images as I can. That's all for now folks!

Prestige Camera Ripoffs

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 23:14:00 +0000

Well, a good tip would seem to be avoid doing business with Prestige Camera. Many people have been annoyed at their bad (fradulent) business practices. To read an article about the issue, go to: http://www.newstarget.com/020780.html. Or simply Google it. Prestige Camera may also be doing business under the following names: A&M Photo World Broadway Photo Cameratopia Digital Liquidators LLC Ghu, LLC Preferred Photo Regal Camera Tronicity And their ratings are quite skewed on DigitalSaver.com, don't go there.

2008 Minumental Exhibiton!

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 22:30:00 +0000

Well, considering I'm updating the site, and I have more time to write... It's almost Minumental season! Yes, it's that time of year when patrons of the arts are just itching to see what new creations will be popping up in the gallery on Amherst St. With more students this year, more work will be on display! For those who aren't aware of the monumental success of the Minumental Exhibition, read on: A minumental is a work of art no larger than 2X2" (or 2X2X2 inches for 3D artists). Both students and faculty display their art, and all work is for sale. The prices aren't too expensive considering. All prices are set at $44.95 and under. The majority of work is priced at about $30 and under! In its sixth year, the exhibition has remained a popular tradition in the Institute community. Even if you're not planning on buying anything, I encourage you to go should you be in the area. Work will be displayed from 1/2/2008 through 1/24/2008. If you're thinking about purchasing minumentals, get on it quickly because these little works of art are extremely popular. Go view what's for sale before the opening reception, and that way you've got at least a fighting chance! The opening reception is Jan. 17th at noon in the Amherst St. Gallery, and sales are opened immediately after an awards presentation. After all, who doesn't want to cherish something small and unique?

End of Semester News

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:45:00 +0000

I've had a productive and even busy semester. I apologize for not taking the time to update the site with news of my photo projects. Right now, however, I'm gearing up to put one of them on the site soon. My Intro Color work will be up sometime in the next week! I don't know about getting my View Camera work up, but we'll see. My previous post was worried about getting photographer's block, but I didn't . Things got going, and eventually they got going faster and faster! The last few months have gone by so fast! And I've got some wonderful work to show. Also, I'm thinking of changing my self portrait on the site to something else. I've got some interesting candidates, but haven't quite made a decision. I've also got some single images accumulated while trying to complete my assignments which I might post. As for new work on the horizon, I'm bringing back a Holga for winter break and plan to play around with it. Although I may be a junior, I still haven't had the Holga experience. It's certainly simplistic and easy enough to operate. Winter isn't exactly a good time for most photography, but I'll be trying to squeeze some good images out of it. And my Color II class is on the menu for next semester, so I'll either be forced to shoot in the cold, or in the studio. I don't particularly like either choice, but we'll see what happens. I have to make a choice sooner or later!

Back to School; Overcoming Photographer's Block

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 22:14:00 +0100

I can't believe it! The school year is already here. I'm looking forward to a semester full of classes and a job somewhere as well. I have 27 hours of class time, almost a full-time job. All of my classes are photography classes, so hopefully I should have some great artwork to post before the end of the semester. My ideas for color photography include abstractions of night scenes. There's some large format work in the pipeline as well. Possible options for my other classes include self portraits, fake science fiction stills, found objects/scenes, or anything else I happen to think of that strikes my fancy. I find that it's good for me to just get out there and take some pictures, and the ideas will follow. It just helps to get out there; similar to writing anything in a notebook when you have writer's block. I find that the more I think about my artwork beyond the technical aspects, the more blocked the flow of inspiration becomes. Unfortunatly, some of that thinking includes doubting and second-guessing. But soon I'll be out of the dorm and off shooting again. I think vision, inspiration , and emotion are the most important parts of any photographer's tool box. Without that, the artwork fails to move people and connect with them. In my opinion, better to have some lukewarm negatives shot than none at all. Anyway, thanks for listening to my pep talk! It's as much for me as it is for anyone else who seems to be temporarily stricken with photographer's blcok.

Bob Maynard

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 23:39:59 +0100

I'm going to find a fitting way to say bon-voyage to one of my friends, Bob Maynard, who died on June 2nd. He meant a lot to me and was quite a unique individual. I'll place something fitting on the site soon.

Philip Glass' Akhnaten

Sat, 26 May 2007 16:01:00 +0100

I love the music to this opera, although I haven't seen the opera itself. I would like to some day, but I think the music is more than capable of standing by itself. I couldn't resist including some of the lyrics from this epic opera. Philip Glass has said that this opera was the tragic one of the three 'portrait operas' (Einstein on the Beach, Satyagraha, and Akhnaten). Basically, it depicts Akhnaten's reign and collapse of the empire. This time in Egyptian history was unique in that the whole kingdom was united under worship of one god, the Aten. This god was depicted as the sun with rays coming off in all directions. Each ray had a hand attached. After Akhnaten's reign, the old pantheon of gods was established again. This soundtrack has inspired me with its mysterious and ancient quality. But don't take my word for it! :) Give it a listen yourself. �Open are the double doors of the horizon unlocked are its bolts clouds darken the sky the stars arain down the constellations stagger the bones of the hell hounds tremble the porters are silent when they see this king dawning as a soul.� -Prelude, Verse 1 �I breathe the sweet breath Which comes forth from thy mouth. I behold thy beauty every day. It is my desire That I may be rejuvenated With life through love Of thee. Give me thy hands, holding thy spirit. that I may receive it and may live by it. Call thou upon my name unto eternity And it shall never fail.� -Akhnaten and Nefertiti

Inspiration and This Old House

Wed, 23 May 2007 23:47:00 +0100

Yesterday I was lounging around bored, with nothing productive to do. Thank god for inspiration. And ancient darkrooms. I was getting some banannas from the fridge upstairs (which is 20 years old, yet never used before...another interesting topic) and I noticed the light falling on the walls of the room. And I got out my camera because I wanted to. That's been a rare occurance lately. But it's good. After all, photography doesn't need to be my whole life. Soon I'm going to capture more of the great afternoon light upstairs, along with the weird rooms. I've worked it out that there are thirteen rooms in the main house that I can explore. One of my goals is to document: (wait, holding breath and listening raptly for effect): the old darkroom on the third floor. Yes, it's pretty old. Like 30 years old. My dad and his brother used to do photography as a hobby and make giant batches of prints to sell at the fair. (Actually, there's an interesting story with that, but for another post). The old glass jugs of chemicals are still there as well as about six cameras and negatives hanging from coathangers. They're pretty well faded if you ask me. I'm waiting for sunrise some day so I can capture the light I want in that room. I'm going to be getting up around then tomorrow so perhaps I can do some shooting. And maybe I can even judicioulsy exploit it for some good negatives. I've been trying to do that for a few years now; yet I haven't been motivated enough. Ah well. Must go and get a water bottle and some sunscreen for my new job.

Really See What's In Front of Your Eyes

Mon, 21 May 2007 21:26:00 +0100

Observation, observation, observation. This is the tip of the day. Yesterday I went for a walk and made it a goal to pay strict attention to everything; all of the details that I happened to notice. This was part of my awareness practice, but it helped me spot things I never would have. When I've got my camera and am in the mood, there's always a zone. I bet it's the same "zone" athletes talk about. Anyways, going for a simple walk and becoming aware of what I was actually surrouned by was a great excercise. I noticed an interesting telephone pole, and an alley that looks as though it belonged in some other country. I can only assume that it used to be an an arch to let the train through. I think this is one of the reasons that I'm good at capturing found objects. I'm aware and looking for them. I just go wandering about the city or town and scout things out. The only objects I find in Gilmanton are trees, rocks, and occassional chipmonks. The city has more of what I'm interested in. I like simplicity, geometry, specular light and coherent compositions. Besides, I find peeling paint and rusty metal beautiful, and the countryside has precious little of that. Unless you go to a junkyard. The right enviornment helps. But once you get there, remain aware of every single impression you have. Intuition will help with seeing something worthwhile. Happy travels! (This season demands it!)

I'm Alivvvvvvvvve!

Sat, 19 May 2007 16:34:00 +0100

Well, here I am online again. I HAVE found a way to do this internet thing. Actually, I'm going with the library internet setup. I don't want to have to pay the measly $19 a month to set up a dail-up account. Then again, I don't want to have to deal with dial-up either. Is it just me, or am I being stingy? I'm stingy when I try to buy food, and when I go clothes shopping, although that is a rare occasion. Yup, I hardly ever go clothes shopping. The truth of it is that I am more than just a little cheap. It costs a lot just to keep my body going. That may sound strange, but it's true. And I'd rather not lower my fuel quality, so it seems I'm stuck in my thinking. BUT- I'm not stuck in fact. I just had an interview with a traffic control company and I'm planning to take a job there. It's $9 per hour and they reimburse you for the gas you buy. Sweet! And for those who don't have a car, or happen to live in the U.S., gas prices are up to $3.07 a gallon. As of the 14th, prices in the Netherlands were $7.75 a gallon. To see a table of depressing prices, click here: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/gas1.html. Anyway, now I have a way to use the internet. And I can probably stop here on my way home once I get a job. Living with my grandmother isn't too bad. I don't have to pay for anything but food. All I have to do is take out the trash and mow the lawn. I have been working on a shared garden in the backyard, though. So far we've planted some peas, spinach, and pole beans. And some tomatoes are on the way! For those of you who are tomato lovers, feel free to check back for info on that later in the season. I'm sure to have some post up later raving about how they're growing.