Portraiture: Capture the Essence

     When I take a portrait of somebody, my goal is to portray their traits through my images. I want the viewer of my images to feel acquainted with the person in the photograph. To create such a direct connection between the viewer of the photo with the subject of the photo is quite rare, but that is what I strive for when I am taking portraits. 

Here are some portraits that I have taken over the past couple months. 

Outside the Box

When we think of the definition of a camera, most people would picture their point-and-shoot that they bring on their vacations to Hawaii.

Simply put, a camera is a device that records a moment of time. With that in mind, a number of alternative devices fit this definition. A roll of film in a box with a pinhole is a camera. A scanner, therefore, is also a camera. This idea, inspired by David Hockney, is a skill that I have adopted into my own repertoire.

Taken with a HP psc 2400 Series scanner.

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

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.