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.

Sunday Afternoon

As I was walking around the Four Seasons Hotel, I was trying to capture the essence of it, namely, its grandiosity. Although this is just about half of the hotel, I think it does justice to the tremendous hotel.

Renewal

The hummingbird is a unique creature. These angelic birds seem to hover to and fro, never causing anyone harm. Although these little animals are usually really timid, they can be tamed to a certain degree. If you put a hummingbird feeder filled with nectar right by your window, keep your eyes open for a little visitor.

As I was walking on this trail right by my house, I noticed this little hummingbird watching me from a tree branch. His interest in me was overtaken by his addiction to nectar.

Muses of Nature

Why is it that so often when we look at elements in nature our imaginations wander and we begin to see things that are not really there? For instance, people gaze up at the blue sky accompanied by white fluffy clouds and imagine them to be a small dog or the face of a loved one, or some other figment of their imagination.

Within the frame above, my mind chisels out dozens of figures (faces, animals, designs, etc.) from the rocks. As an artist, I draw a significant amount of inspiration from nature.

Welcome Home...

A mysterious, locked door. Built in the early 1900''s, this once-attractive cottage is now fading away, almost as quickly as our memories of the past.

Inspiration Point

Hiking is an interesting sport. Sometimes you feel like passing out and just giving up, and other times you feel like king of the world. Personally, I find inspiration and motivation whenever I come across sweeping vistas, grandiose panoramas, and other  tremendous sights. Going on hikes really puts everything back into perspective for me, and I realize how puny I am compared to the grand scheme of it all.

Stars & Peace

What's the most effort you've ever put into a single photograph?

One  of my most hard-earned images is this one. Out of a dozen or so I took late at night, amidst sub-32 degree weather, this one stuck out to me most. I subtly portrayed 3 different light sources in this photography: the lights from inside the house, the illuminated green forest in the background, and the myriad of self-illuminating stars. Stars are fascinating; so distant and isolated, yet constantly they radiate so jubilantly and brightly.

A Dog's Delight

Lately I have been dwelling on an interesting concept: people can use cameras to create images that are otherwise impossible for the naked eye to record. For example, the photo above of my dog Baci is a sliver of time that is unobtainable via sight. The human eye is far more spectacular than cameras in every other way, but the fact I mentioned above is one of the only assets that cameras have over the eye.This is the power of photography.

Bliss

A couple of my favorite images from a photo-shoot with the Young family.Sam enjoying grass half his height.There is something really special about young kids; the worry-free and lighthearted spirits of kids is often rejuvenating. There is something special about people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6. After all, they are the ones that are closest to Heaven.

Shattered Reflections

One of my favorite subjects to photograph is this eerie, old, abandoned house which is concealed by years worth of unkempt plants that now surround it. Although I have not yet had the courage to go there at night to capture ethereal images, I know I need to do it soon, if ever, because this house is more and more damaged every time I visit it. People have been vandalizing this antique & dread-filled  cottage; this is one of several shattered windows which used to complete the house.

Casa Esperanza

Sometimes symmetry is unnecessary. This idea is depicted by this building. However, the architect designed this highly asymmetrical building in such a way that does not make it look sloppy. Asymmetry adds interest. An example of this statement is the human face; human faces, in fact, are slightly asymmetrical, thus making them more interesting.

Urban Overcast

Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall is truly magnificent. This creation is just one of his fingerprints that he has graced us with. The majority of photos I took of this vivacious piece of architecture were solely focused on the building itself. What I like about this particular image over all of the others I took is this one gives the viewer context of the location of this concert hall; amidst dreadfully dull buildings, this unique masterpiece graces its surroundings with an unearthly presence.

Time's Toll

I composed this image in Pleasanton, CA. As I was driving amidst the rolling green hills, and antique tress wrapped in veils of moss, this particular barn caught my eye. Most material things become unattractive and unsightly with time; however, there is just a small handful of things which acquire more beauty as they age (For example, this barn).

Folklore Galore

Often times when I am photographing a live concert, I try to mirror the sound which the band is producing through my images, in hopes of giving the viewer of my images a taste of what the performance was like. Here I tried to create a climactic, yet playful photo to mimic the vivaciously individualistic group. In this photograph, a Santa Barbara-based band called Finger Folk electrifies the crowd with one of their most popular songs.

Ethereal Entity

One afternoon after school, I felt inspired to create a surrealistic image (I had been looking at surrealistic artwork prior to this photo being taken). I closed all of the blinds in my room, shut my door, and turned off all my lights. Now that I had my personal chamber of photographic exploration, I experimented with several different kinds of materials until I finally found the right one (wax paper). I took about 130 images, and this image attracted my attention  with its ethereal mood.

Season Treason

Have we forgotten the true Reason we celebrate Christmas?

The Biltmore Hotel lobby embellished in lights.

Two by Two

While staying at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, CA earlier this December, one of the employees told me how to get on the roof of this 12-story hotel. This certain door down the hallway, he told me, was the only door with roof access that would not set off the alarm. As I took my first steps on the roof, I looked down and saw these businessmen rushing off to work. Amidst the relentless chaos, I framed a relatively harmonious image via precise placement of my subjects.