Lights of the Bay Area

How To Find Peace

It seems everyone in our world today is trying to find inner peace. Actually, this is no new thing. Humans have longed for such an ideal state of being since the beginning. And yet modern culture seems to be moving us towards the polar opposite of tranquility. Perhaps peace is no longer attainable, and is only present on the face of tombstones.

 If humans are incapable of grasping and retaining inner peace until the afterlife (Wherever or whatever you may believe that is), then we must hunt for entities on this planet that are capable of embracing solitude. Three such entities that come to mind include Nature, animals, and children.

Studies show that petting a dog lowers your heart rate, thus causing ones body to relax. I believe that when a person stands within the deepest depths of Nature's bosom, and breathes in the fresh, pure air produced by the surrounding trees which so delicately envelop, we brush up against true, authentic peace. There is something about being in Nature that just puts our minds at ease, reminding us of what's important in life.

Although children aren't always viewed as the most peaceful of creatures, there is something about their careless- yet not apathetic - outlook on things, and the sheer curiosity which seems to lead their lives. It could be that children are more innocent than peaceful. Kids have not been embittered by this world. They are like a freshly washed napkin free of blemishes.

Most people would agree that the longer one lives on this cruel planet, and relentlessly battles with time, the colder ones soul becomes. We are like fish in a pond, aimlessly flopping our fins every which way, slightly aware of some superior being who resides above the surface. The truth is that behind every morsel of food, a rusty hook just may be waiting for us. There is no distinguishing one from the other.
At times there seems to be little difference between good and evil in these murky waters in which we float...

 

Union Square, San Fransisco

The Importance of Inspiration

     I believe that everyone must be inspired by someone or by something they personally do in order to truly carpe diem (To seize the day). This especially applies to artists. In order for us artists to output unique and fresh art, it is very important for us to be inspired. Beautiful art is rarely produced when the producer is not attached -emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually - to his canvas.

     By witnessing another human being who has made that connection, we are inspired. Why do people pay money to go to orchestras? To watch and listen to the upshot of countless hours that the musicians spent transfusing with their instruments.

      As a photographer, I have a number of sources from which I glean inspiration. One major source is looking at other photographers' work. Two very prominent photographers who influence the way I shoot are Steve McCurry and Henri-Cartier Bresson. Ironically, these two fellows were friends, until Henri passed away in 2004. Both of these men are extremely talented,  and have contributed largely not only to the world of photography, but to the world in all of its entirety. http://stevemccurry.com/  https://www.facebook.com/dewittjonesfanpage

Endless Lights

The Bay Bridge; Shot at ISO 400, f/7.1, and exposed for 10 secs.

Although I am a strong supporter of the idea that people are what truly defines a city, I feel that architecture and the infrastructure of the city should still be considered. During my recent trip up to the Bay Area, I focused on taking photographs of people; this is one of the few shots that is void of humans. 

Confessions on Fire

My church has a tradition that we like to do every year at our Good Friday Service. After a message and some hymns, we write down a confession or something that is keeping us from God on a piece of paper and nail it to the cross. The ironic thing is that these special papers are also used by drug dealers, since they completely dissolve when lit on fire. I really enjoy this part of the Good Friday Service. Have a wonderful Easter! He is risen!

   

Skies of Blue Hues

Last semester, one of the highlights for me was bringing my camera to hiking class, and documenting our adventures.
There is something about hiking in the wilderness that really pushes humans to new limits, both physically and spiritually, while also reminding us that life is not meant to always be busy and loud. Silence and rest are two vital, yet rare necessities that are fading away in our world. Spending time in nature, either alone or with companions, puts things back into perspective for me.

                                                                                

                                                                                 

                                                                                                             

The Decisive Moment

Shot @ ISO 1250, 1/1600sec, f/3.5

     "Photography is not like painting. There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative. Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever." - Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1957.

 H. Cartier-Bresson coined the term "The Decisive Moment." This phrase contains the quintessential difference between the masters of photography, and the mere hobbyists.

     If a sports photographer is shooting an LA Lakers basketball game, and he clicks the shutter a second or two after Kobe dunks, the photograph might as well be deleted. That is how important seizing that golden moment can be. 

   
     One way that I have been able to sharpen my skill of capturing that instantaneous moment is taking photos in the passenger seat of the car. This simple visual and mental exercise trains my mind to see a few seconds into the future, thus allowing me to imagine the image in my head before I see it on the LCD screen of my camera. More often than not, I smack on my 18mm lens, and either roll down the window, or I open the sun roof, depending on the environment. Sometimes, if the window is dirty enough, and I am trying to capture a grungy or morbidly urban image, I keep the window rolled up, to add to the grotesqueness.

Late-Night Entertainment

Shot on a Konica Minolta Dimage A2. Exposed for 1/20 sec (handheld) at f/3.5 and ISO 64 (Unedited).

Turkish Delight

     

The Summer of 2009 changed me forever. My family and I went on a missions trip to Antalya, Turkey with a program called IMPACT. Our purpose was to encourage the Christian Turks who are being persecuted and oppressed by the tyrannical Muslim government. The country is 99.9% Muslim, and 0.01% "Other"; Christians fall into the latter category. Turks are truly hostile to the Christians there; the pastor of the church we visited, called the Antalya Evangelical Church, has had numerous near-death experiences, such as a man walking right in the church with a knife, heading towards the pastors office. 

              
     That month long trip impacted my family and I so much, that we just had to go back. Sure enough, God provided a way and we returned for a month, during the summer of 2010. I cannot put into words the marvelous impact that those two missions trips had on my life. I will never forget them. 

     Here is a link to the flickr page of Melis, a beautiful Christian who was one of the first to befriend us, and is a great photographer :      http://www.flickr.com/photos/46017406@N05/

     Here's a video that gives some context to the situation in Antalya, and talks about the church: http://youtu.be/NibzGSm7hs8

Trumpets of San Francisco

     One of the things I love about cities is the creative and talented people 
who inhabit them. I feel that a single image of a native does more justice in 
portraying the vibe of a city than a plethora of snapshots, void of people, could ever bring to the table.

     The bright colors of this trumpeter's outfit caught my eye, and the festive noise that ensued from the combination of his trumpet skills and his tap dancing hit my ear-drum. I talked with him for a bit, and he seemed very mature for his age. He's going to go far, and already has (Apparently he's playing the trumpet at an upcoming Giants game!).

Check out his blog @   gabrielangelotrumpet.blogspot.com 

Library of the Mind

My Uncle Cy has a plethora of knowledge. He's got a fantastic taste for literature, evidenced by a wide range of books spanning from classic novellas, to quintessential American writing, and beyond. Every conversation we enjoy together is catalyzed by his wealth of wisdom. Not only does he know a thing or two, but he also possesses some mad handball skills. And this isn't your everyday tiddlywinks handball league.

Over Spring Break 2012, I visited some colleges up in the Bay Area. My Aunt and Uncle happens to live up there, so I got to stay with them for a few days, which I always really enjoy. 

During my stay, I wanted to capture one of his 2 libraries in an image that implies a sense of reverence. I got my image by using my wide-angle lens and holding the camera up against the ceiling. With live-view mode I was able to frame the image correctly, and thanks to the Canon 7D's insane ISO, I was able to expose properly. And voilà! 

All Things Vintage

     I have a fetish for all things vintage. There is just something about vinyl, film/analog cameras, tapes, and ghetto blasters that really blow my mind. They're all so neglected nowadays.

     Recently, however, I've been stoked to see records, film cameras, etc. coming back into style! Slowly but surely. Maybe the "next best thing" isn't always as great as the last best thing. Vinyl records are way better than CD's, at least in my opinion. Similarly, film cameras have capabilities and unique qualities that exceed those of modern DSLR's.

     The problem is that the majority of people want instant gratification, and don't want to wait for their film to be processed in the lab. In economics they call this condition subjective time preference rate, which basically says that someone with a high time preference rate wants things immediately. I feel like our culture is flying through each day much too quickly. However, I am not advocating that we revolt against the fast-paced lifestyles that we as 21st century humans lead. If we were to try to change the system, Social Darwinism (Survival of the fittest) would catch up to us, and we'd be screwed.

     All of that to say that this photo is of me wrapped in a cassette tape that I found on the beach a while ago. :)
#gettothepoint

People's Passions

Everyone has things which inspire them; part of human nature is the need for sustenance. Some of the things I am passionate about include my Christian faith, my education, music, and photography. What are you sustained by?

Mystery Baller

Funny how quickly we change, us humans. One day we follow a certain dogma and the next day we have adapted to a new philosophy. I find this true in my own life even when I look back just a couple years.

Back in 8th grade, I was so wholly committed to basketball, and I loved game time with every fiber of my being. Every day I would spend hours upon hours improving my skills and perfecting my 3-point shots. Basketball was my passion.

Now I am a Junior in high-school. I think I have a basketball floating somewhere around my house (probably flat). Every now and then I will play a pick-up game with friends. My present priorities sharply contrast with those which used to determine my day-to-day life. I say this in neither a negative nor a necessarily positive tone. I am simply stating the facts. Musing, you may call it. Perhaps I am just avoiding studying for my tests tomorrow...

I am unsure what will happen in the future, as I'm sure you are, too. Regardless, I know that my future is in God's hands and all I can strive to do is live in the moment, giving back to God all of the glory which He so deserves.

- L3N5@RT1ST
 

Discover

 I've had my external flash for almost a couple years now. For the most part, I have just used it for studio work, and for shooting events (Weddings, dances, etc.).

Recently, I've been looking at all kinds of interesting and extremely creative flash photography. I am starting to fall in love with it. Like to the point where I might only take photos with my flash. There is something uniquely creative about having a portable and off-camera flash that you can put anywhere. One photographer who uses flash in a very creative (Yet somewhat dark manner) is Luca Pierro. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sottounponte/

Although the above shots are more dark and pessimistic than all of my other work, I still am drawn to it. I've talked before about duel nature, and how everyone has a good side and a dark side. Being a Christian, I won't delve much further into this sort of creepy photography, but I like the concept behind these images.

We're Going to Be Friends

Do you have a friend who is so close to you, that sometimes you feel like (s)he is your long lost brother/sister? That's how things are with me and that guy in the gray shirt. 

Taken in Solvang, CA. 

The Diviners

The night before the performance, weary actors run through the play, scene after scene, just "one more time" to deal with any kinks. I was truly impressed by the quantity of lines the actors/actresses had adopted, word for word, intonation for intonation. 

Here, Buddy Layman nestles under a blanket, fearful of the "rain." His fear of water came into existence when his mother drowned. Ever since then, Buddy has been terrified of water, even bathing. Eventually, he gets so dirty that he needs to face his phobia and immerse himself in water.

Blue & Yellow

 The unification of colors in the images above portray the bond these two birds at the Santa Barbara Zoo seemed to share. Sometimes I feel like we as humans could learn a thing or two from animals and their behaviors. 

Limitless

There is something about the stars (and space in general) that fascinate me. Sometimes I will go outside late at night (midnight even) and just stare at the stars while my camera's shutter is also absorbing the beauty. Try it sometime.

Golden Gate Bridge From 4 POV's

Trees

This past weekend I finished creating a hardcover photo-book titled Trees. This 20-page coffee-table book contains some very evocative & emotion-filled images that I've created in the last couple years. After all, emotions are what we feed off of, in a sense; emotions are at the heart of what it means to be a person. It's what distinguishes us from machines of all sorts.

I am very excited to get my photo book in the mail any day now! This will be my second photo book. Here's a couple images that are in the book...

P.S. - here's the website that I used to make my photo book: http://www.photobin.com/ (Not nearly as good as blurb.com , in my opinion at least. But hey, maybe some of you out there will try it out and enjoy the site more than I did!). Also, if you'd like to grab a copy, just shoot me an email @ daviddobreski@yahoo.com.

Self-Affirmation

The performing arts program at my school is putting on a play soon, so I coordinated with the director the logistics of photographing the rehearsals and such. The director also told my best friend that he could also photograph it. So far, the director has had my friend do the photo-shoot(s) for the play, and I've been pretty bummed about that. So after school one day, I grabbed my camera & drove my scooter to the skate-park to take pictures, in hopes of reaffirming my skills as a photographer (in my own mind, at least). This image did just that.

"The Shadow Proves the Sunshine" -Switchfoot

I took this image at the end of a really long week. I had several tests, and in my Humanities class we're reading The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, at a really fast pace.

On another note, if you know anything about this book, you know that the characters are all cheating on their spouses, and backstabbing their friends. To me, this image represents the duel nature of humans. The dark side is portrayed through the shadows, while the light side (or good side) is represented by the objects creating the shadows. Often times people only reveal the good part of them, and tend to cover up their evil side. I believe everyone has part of them that wants to do good, and part of them that wants to rebel. 

Lights. Camera. ______.

I would rather not say how I created this image. A magician can't reveal his tricks!
However, I will say that it is straight from my camera (aside from a small tweak of white balance in post-processing).

Eager

An eager customer awaits his late-night treat.

I shot this photo on a missions trip to Antalya, Turkey a couple summers ago (The summer of 2010). As I was walking along the luminescent yellow pyramid of corn caught my eye, and I composed this shot in about a second or so. I was pleased with the anticipation portrayed through the customer, and the innocent simplicity of the vendor. 

Awestruck

          The times nature has had its greatest impacts on me is usually when I am alone, in peaceful quietude, and pure bliss. One experience that juts out in my mind whenever I think of nature's grandeur is a saturated and humbling experience I had while surfing at Butterfly Beach in Montecito. It was twilight, the last array of colors were lingering in the darkening sky, and the smell of oceanic pleasures aromatized me. Every second the sky and the sea were metamorphosing into unique colors ranging from cantaloupe-like orange hues, and eventually transitioning to the deepest shades of purple. 

The Forming of a Storm

Airborne

Paragliders are duel-natured in a sense. As graceful as they are in the air, drifting along with the current of the wind, their landing is something quite different. While not quite as bad as falling out of the sky, paragliders plummet to the ground; when the person in the image above landed, he fell flat on his butt, causing his butt to suffer the full impact of the descent.