Aura of Composition

     The environment in which an artist composes his work is essential to the final product. This means that whatever the composer may be hearing, feeling, tasting, smelling, or seeing at the moment he is creating art will affect the outcome of his efforts.

     Now apply this concept to the act of editing photographs (Whether that may take place in the darkroom or on the computer is not important right now). Does the music a photo-editor listens to while doing his job affect the outcome of the photo? Absolutely. Although the musical intonations may not be directly translated into the mood of the photograph, I firmly believe that whatever is inputted into an artist amidst the process of creating art (Or in the artist's past) will affect what he is outputting.

     Consider this rather blunt example. A boy who lost a number of loved ones at a young age eventually becomes an artist. What are the chances that he will adopt a more melancholy style of art? Quite high. In this scenario, the history of an artist (The input) impacted the art he created (The output).

Jack and Jill

In the book, Love's Labour's Lost, Shakespeare concludes that "Jack hath not Jill." (5.2.390) Interestingly, Shakespeare also says in A Midsummer Night's Dream, "Jack shall have Jill." (3.2.461). Perhaps Shakespeare was addressing the multi-faceted nature of true love through his writing.

The Rough Course of Love

Shakespeare poetically summarized a quite simple fact that is oft forgotten: "The course of true love never did run smooth." What does this mean? It means that true love isn't really as perfect as Hollywood makes it seem. People often picture themselves as one of the lovers in a romantic movie, and when that person steps back into the real world and experiences true love, they are shocked that it isn't as smooth as the movies make it out to be.

So why is it so hard for two people of the opposite sex to connect and fall in love, and why does it so often end up in an unideal way? Same reason people argue and dispute. As humans go through their day to day lives, they are welding together the infrastructure of their very beings. Each person has a unique and dramatically different view on life and on relationships than the next. Thus, for two people to understand where the other is coming from, to see each other in the light of authenticity, and to get out there and radiate their essence takes a lot of time and communication. If you're the type of person who has a 'To-Do' list, the task of spending time with your special someone should be cemented into your list.

Sweet Disillusionment

“If anyone is going to start finding his way in the world, he has to admit that he doesn’t know where the hell he is.” -Stellan Skarsgard, playing Dr. Erik Selvig in the film Thor.

     When a person looks at life through the lens of complacency, with the self-appointed crown of penultimate understanding and knowledge, he is blindfolding himself. If one desires to begin scraping at the surface of the permafrost called life, he cannot successfully break through ice without first opening his eyes. If man is to learn, he must realize his place in the whole scheme of history and of eternity. If humans are to grow, they must start asking the right questions. Humans are pupils, apprentices of Time. As Einstein once said, “Time is the greatest teacher, but unfortunately it kills all of its students.” Cultivate a garden of apprenticeship in your mind; learn to be a life-long learner.

Smile, Your'e on Camera

     There is a lot of psychology behind the fact that when someone is being observed or when there is a camera nearby, their behavior changes. The majority of stores are well aware of this fact, so they put up a sign that says "Smile, You're on Camera". Whether there is actually a video camera in the store or not, the possibility is presented, thus lessening the likelihood that customers will steal.

     In times of yore, when a film photographer would take pictures of a person, he implemented the same psychological concept as mentioned above. At the beginning of the photo-shoot, he would start taking pictures of the person with no film in the camera. The subject was totally unaware. After about five minutes, the hope was that the person's unnatural and fake facial expressions would vanish as they became more comfortable in front of the camera. Once this veil of artificiality melted, the photographer would load film into his camera and start taking pictures that would actually reflect the subject's personality. Although this unique method of portraiture was not too common, it speaks volumes against the common belief that a 'Say Cheese' snapshot is acceptable.

Video: On the Streets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m3i-XVobhpQ

My friend Austin Harris and I made this video over the summer. In Santa Barbara, there is a large homeless population, and we got face to face with a nice homeless man named George, who shared with us a little about his life. Please enjoy the video!

The Shadow Proves the Sunshine

"The shadow proves the sunshine." -Jon Foreman of Switchfoot.

     When I found this vantage point, I knew that I was about to take some good photos. If I had taken these pictures at almost any other time in the day, your eye wouldn't have been drawn to the elongated shadows cast by the anonymous citizens. In photography, viewing the subject in a different light can lead to wonderful images. Similarly, in life, viewing a person or situation in a fresh, exquisite light can help change your attitude towards that person or situation. Attitude spawns from the choice of an individual, and is not directly derived from the situations which that individual has been subjected to.

Light vs. Dark

How does light differ from dark?

Light exposes, darkness envelopes.
Light reveals, darkness conceals.
Light wakes us up, darkness puts us to sleep.
Light causes ones guard to go down, darkness makes one aware.
Light inspires, darkness terrifies.
Light is the enemy of imagination, darkness encourages it.
In light we are prideful, in darkness we are humbled.