For now - a familiar theme, a few photos from Christchurch City. I wonder what the urban landscape will look like in five years time, I wonder if I will still be here?
Showing posts with label IDEAS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IDEAS. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Scenes from Christchurch
It has been way too long since my last update, it's amazing how working in a camera shop can dampen your photographic spirit. I've taken lots of photos since October though, there are heaps of great photos from a trip to Asia with my Dad in January, I like so many of them that I wouldn't know where to start if I shared them.
For now - a familiar theme, a few photos from Christchurch City. I wonder what the urban landscape will look like in five years time, I wonder if I will still be here?
For now - a familiar theme, a few photos from Christchurch City. I wonder what the urban landscape will look like in five years time, I wonder if I will still be here?
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Impromptu Pictures
I'm in the mid-semester break from university, and for a short while I am going to ignore the applicable matters at hand (assignments, studying for tests and catching up on lectures I have missed while hurriedly doing other assignments). On Tuesday I slept in for quite a while, and had a series of interesting dreams, and while these alternative realities were nice places to be, when I was thinking my experience a short while later in the shower I realised I'm actually quite content with my life. I was relieved.
This week I snuck into my Granddad's flat and took some pictures. He hasn't lived here for that long, so the place is by no means "this is Granddad", I just thought it would make some interesting photos. I got a bit bold with the exposure and overcooked the film, so I'm going to go back another time and be more careful.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Impromptu Pictures
Last Friday I drove away from the city to take some self portraits. I started doing these 9 months ago, I'm not sure why, and I don't know what it's all about either, but I enjoy it and the series seems interesting.
I went back to the same place I used for last month's competition, and took some pictures with strobe since I was no longer shooting under the competition's constraints. It's nice to have some sharp pictures to play with!
I went back to the same place I used for last month's competition, and took some pictures with strobe since I was no longer shooting under the competition's constraints. It's nice to have some sharp pictures to play with!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Competition
Remember a couple of posts ago, when I was talking about my entry into a competition and I said "Unless it is the rare case that an artist will select the winning pictures"?
Surprisingly, that turned out to be the case. And I won the camera!
When asked to judge this competition, I agreed with caution. I'm aware how opinionated the staff at Photo and Video can be and know an undertaking like this is always going to be dangerous. Everyone has an opinion, an aesthetic bias or even some kind of technical criteria on which to evaluate photographs.
Having said all this, it is with great enthusiasm I judge Andy Tan's entry, "Me and the Milkyway," winner of P&V's grand prize. For me, Andy's photograph is a perfect example of what I love about still photography. It is personal and intimate in vision, hints at a broad range of human emotions, and makes me think about the infinite possibilities of the world (and universe?) we live in. In short, the photo affects me. It makes me feel very human.
Congratulations Andy!
It can be hard to organise the ideas that I put into a finished picture. Often I'm not sure what they are. I had a look at the other post below, I mostly talked about the physical process that I used to make the photo, mainly because they're far easier to talk about, and I stayed away from the mental processes. The first night I was out taking photos I had a voice recorder with me, using it to keep myself company, and at one point when I turned my attention to the sky I ran out of intelligible words to describe what I saw. There are many experiences which can make a person feel very small, and I had such an experience. Trying to cram this feeling into an image seemed like an impossible task, so I did what I often do - I approached the subject with a little light-hearted humour.
Here stands a traveller, on Earth, though whether he is an Earthling himself or from another place remains ambiguous. The photo, in my head, sits in an album of travel photographs, and they're all captioned. There's a pride in this collection of interesting places, and each addition brings some satisfaction. This character is a curious fellow. Of course, I can stare at this photo and ponder many different possible meanings, for instance yesterday I was thinking about how we are nothing but visitors even in the places we call home, for we live for such a short time compared to 'our' planet. Would that make every photo a travel photo, then? Perhaps a snapshot from this life to carry into his next.
Anyway, the prize - An Olympus E-P1!
I have been walking around university this week with it and it's fantastic. The last time I used an Olympus digital camera was in 2004, when I would often borrow one from my school, I took that one everywhere (even on holiday). For some reason other digital cameras never seemed as entertaining to use. This new camera has a familiar feeling. I'm starting to wonder if using an Olympus digital camera is an emotional experience.
Surprisingly, that turned out to be the case. And I won the camera!
When asked to judge this competition, I agreed with caution. I'm aware how opinionated the staff at Photo and Video can be and know an undertaking like this is always going to be dangerous. Everyone has an opinion, an aesthetic bias or even some kind of technical criteria on which to evaluate photographs.
Having said all this, it is with great enthusiasm I judge Andy Tan's entry, "Me and the Milkyway," winner of P&V's grand prize. For me, Andy's photograph is a perfect example of what I love about still photography. It is personal and intimate in vision, hints at a broad range of human emotions, and makes me think about the infinite possibilities of the world (and universe?) we live in. In short, the photo affects me. It makes me feel very human.
Congratulations Andy!
It can be hard to organise the ideas that I put into a finished picture. Often I'm not sure what they are. I had a look at the other post below, I mostly talked about the physical process that I used to make the photo, mainly because they're far easier to talk about, and I stayed away from the mental processes. The first night I was out taking photos I had a voice recorder with me, using it to keep myself company, and at one point when I turned my attention to the sky I ran out of intelligible words to describe what I saw. There are many experiences which can make a person feel very small, and I had such an experience. Trying to cram this feeling into an image seemed like an impossible task, so I did what I often do - I approached the subject with a little light-hearted humour.
Here stands a traveller, on Earth, though whether he is an Earthling himself or from another place remains ambiguous. The photo, in my head, sits in an album of travel photographs, and they're all captioned. There's a pride in this collection of interesting places, and each addition brings some satisfaction. This character is a curious fellow. Of course, I can stare at this photo and ponder many different possible meanings, for instance yesterday I was thinking about how we are nothing but visitors even in the places we call home, for we live for such a short time compared to 'our' planet. Would that make every photo a travel photo, then? Perhaps a snapshot from this life to carry into his next.
Anyway, the prize - An Olympus E-P1!
I have been walking around university this week with it and it's fantastic. The last time I used an Olympus digital camera was in 2004, when I would often borrow one from my school, I took that one everywhere (even on holiday). For some reason other digital cameras never seemed as entertaining to use. This new camera has a familiar feeling. I'm starting to wonder if using an Olympus digital camera is an emotional experience.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Competition
I've been outside experimenting.
There's a night-themed competition at my local photo lab and they're giving away a neat wee camera, and I'd like to win it, but I'm not sure if I agree with the opinions of New Zealand photographers/judges (especially the photojournalists), because I suspect they might be drawn to the brighter, tackier and perhaps shallower photographs. So I doubt that I am going to get anything for my efforts. Unless it is the rare case that an artist will select the winning pictures. I did have the opportunity to show off a little though! One of the constraints was that competitors are not allowed to use flash or strobe light. Things like torches or car headlights were perfectly fine, though.
In these two photographs I had my Mum helping, she would light-paint me with a torch while I posed, and then I would step out of the frame and leave the camera to photograph the sky for a while. In the first photo below a car drove back and forth (we were in a very remote place too), and lit up the scene a little, which was nice, but I was still standing there and couldn't keep still enough as it drove past. Those two lights in the background are small flame-torches that I added for a little ambience.
Here I was flashed with car headlights, and then I took off my blazer, and was flashed again.
This is the photo that I entered in the competition. There's room for improvement, and I'd like to have another try one day. I am not as sharp as I would like to be, one of the drawbacks when you're using a flashlight to light a scene, if I went back I'd use a strobe instead. I'd also like to try pushing the film, because the lens I used it not quite as fast as would be useful (I was shooting Portra 800).
It feels to be like a bit of a travel photo, and it kind of was, because I was some distance out of town. I played with this a little bit, and added a caption, written on a clear film with black ink, which I put between the negative and the scanner glass.
I have a flat-profile lined up to shoot tomorrow, which is the last day of the semester break before I go back to university on Monday. At the moment I'm trying to get myself organised while I still can!
There's a night-themed competition at my local photo lab and they're giving away a neat wee camera, and I'd like to win it, but I'm not sure if I agree with the opinions of New Zealand photographers/judges (especially the photojournalists), because I suspect they might be drawn to the brighter, tackier and perhaps shallower photographs. So I doubt that I am going to get anything for my efforts. Unless it is the rare case that an artist will select the winning pictures. I did have the opportunity to show off a little though! One of the constraints was that competitors are not allowed to use flash or strobe light. Things like torches or car headlights were perfectly fine, though.
In these two photographs I had my Mum helping, she would light-paint me with a torch while I posed, and then I would step out of the frame and leave the camera to photograph the sky for a while. In the first photo below a car drove back and forth (we were in a very remote place too), and lit up the scene a little, which was nice, but I was still standing there and couldn't keep still enough as it drove past. Those two lights in the background are small flame-torches that I added for a little ambience.
Here I was flashed with car headlights, and then I took off my blazer, and was flashed again.
This is the photo that I entered in the competition. There's room for improvement, and I'd like to have another try one day. I am not as sharp as I would like to be, one of the drawbacks when you're using a flashlight to light a scene, if I went back I'd use a strobe instead. I'd also like to try pushing the film, because the lens I used it not quite as fast as would be useful (I was shooting Portra 800).
It feels to be like a bit of a travel photo, and it kind of was, because I was some distance out of town. I played with this a little bit, and added a caption, written on a clear film with black ink, which I put between the negative and the scanner glass.
I have a flat-profile lined up to shoot tomorrow, which is the last day of the semester break before I go back to university on Monday. At the moment I'm trying to get myself organised while I still can!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Snapshots
It's nice to have a smaller camera that you can trust to take a good picture, because lugging around a big SLR can be a pain, and if you drop one they can be expensive to fix! My small camera of choice is the Olympus Stylus Epic, which has a reputation for its simplicity and a great 35mm f2.8 lens, not to mention that it's also weatherproof and quite inconspicuous (mine is the champagne colour which is harder to take seriously than a black camera). These cameras are also easy to find, and cheap. As great as this camera is, I'm sure I'd be using a Leica Minilux instead, if I could afford one!
I usually keep a roll of cheap expired film in my Epic, so it's ready for action in the event of an unplanned outing. I'm try to be selective with my pictures though, as film = money.
Here are pictures from a film that I just had processed, it had been in my Epic for two months:
I usually keep a roll of cheap expired film in my Epic, so it's ready for action in the event of an unplanned outing. I'm try to be selective with my pictures though, as film = money.
Here are pictures from a film that I just had processed, it had been in my Epic for two months:
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Flat-Profile
A selection from the second film in my flat profile project. I try to limit my shooting to about 18 pictures per flat, which I snap quickly on 35mm film. We are never there for long, at most an hour for the main magazine-shoot and interview, and I would like the extra pictures to reflect that - I'm an outsider, looking in. I'm still in the research stage, I have a pile of printed and photocopied texts to read, which I will get around to after my exams in about three weeks. I hope that by the end of the year I will know more about what I am doing.
There's a lot of love to share. We're made up of Canterbury students and Lincoln students - it's charity work on the part of the Canterbury students. We're doing a lot for inter-varsity unity.
We moved in on February 12th. We got the flat one day out from O-Week; we'd just run out of options. It was a bigtime lack of organisation on our part. We've only just sorted out our flat roster tonight, and our internet still doesn't have a password. We are quite possibly the laughing stock of Ilam. I'm sure Facebook doesn't take ten gig in one night; I'm sure the neighbors downloading Iron Man 2 does. We've got someone doing a computer skills paper at Lincoln so he can figure it out.
Cooking hasn't been too bad. There's always grass, you can always eat grass. This is what the Lincoln students are trying to bring to the Canterbury society; there are more things to eat than just off the plate: grass, plants... times are tough.
We had a big flat warming called "Livzapalooza". The name has nothing to do with the flat, but we made it on the premise that the person who shouted the keg was called Liv, so it was good for both parties, really. We had a DJ on the roof, which was just a complete OSH hazard waiting to happen. The whole roof was moving there were so many people on it. It could indeed be said that our flat has a roof fetish, yet the only thing in our tenancy agreement about parties was just "Don't run on the roof, the tiles won't hold you". We've now found two spots where it leaks.
We did a trip down to Lake Wanaka in late March, and succeeded in stealing the logo from Shooters Wanaka. That was our proudest moment as a flat. What were we doing in Shooters? Let's not go there.
We're in the middle of our first red card at the moment. It comes with a free day off work; free day off uni. Police hopefully won't be involved. In the morning, there'll probably be a bucket half full of spew, nobody waking up in their beds...
By the end of the year, hopefully we'll get a reality TV show out of it: Ilam Shore. It'd be great if we got a celebrity appearance for that; a celebrity visit to the flat. Preferably Nicole from Home and Away. Or Leigh Hart. Jason Gunn. The door's always open, because it's never locked! And if the door's locked, then try a fucking window.
Above - just before shooting the flat profile in the previous post. The garage had been converted into a bachelor pad of sorts, tv/playstation/stereo in one corner, gym in another, bed at the back wall, sitting beside it was a costume rack.
Here is the interview, as told to Sebastian Boyle:
The best part about this flat is the love.
There's a lot of love to share. We're made up of Canterbury students and Lincoln students - it's charity work on the part of the Canterbury students. We're doing a lot for inter-varsity unity.
We moved in on February 12th. We got the flat one day out from O-Week; we'd just run out of options. It was a bigtime lack of organisation on our part. We've only just sorted out our flat roster tonight, and our internet still doesn't have a password. We are quite possibly the laughing stock of Ilam. I'm sure Facebook doesn't take ten gig in one night; I'm sure the neighbors downloading Iron Man 2 does. We've got someone doing a computer skills paper at Lincoln so he can figure it out.
Cooking hasn't been too bad. There's always grass, you can always eat grass. This is what the Lincoln students are trying to bring to the Canterbury society; there are more things to eat than just off the plate: grass, plants... times are tough.
We had a big flat warming called "Livzapalooza". The name has nothing to do with the flat, but we made it on the premise that the person who shouted the keg was called Liv, so it was good for both parties, really. We had a DJ on the roof, which was just a complete OSH hazard waiting to happen. The whole roof was moving there were so many people on it. It could indeed be said that our flat has a roof fetish, yet the only thing in our tenancy agreement about parties was just "Don't run on the roof, the tiles won't hold you". We've now found two spots where it leaks.
We did a trip down to Lake Wanaka in late March, and succeeded in stealing the logo from Shooters Wanaka. That was our proudest moment as a flat. What were we doing in Shooters? Let's not go there.
We're in the middle of our first red card at the moment. It comes with a free day off work; free day off uni. Police hopefully won't be involved. In the morning, there'll probably be a bucket half full of spew, nobody waking up in their beds...
By the end of the year, hopefully we'll get a reality TV show out of it: Ilam Shore. It'd be great if we got a celebrity appearance for that; a celebrity visit to the flat. Preferably Nicole from Home and Away. Or Leigh Hart. Jason Gunn. The door's always open, because it's never locked! And if the door's locked, then try a fucking window.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Impromptu Pictures
Today I thought about doing some study but went to take some pictures instead. The light seemed quite neat and I wanted to make use of it, so I walked around my university campus and took 10 pictures (5 are below).
Last month I was looking at the work of German photographer Thomas Struth. I will borrow some words from Guy Tosatto - Thomas Struth has, for more than twenty years now, dedicated himself to recording the urban landscapes of the New World, which were born with photography, and those of the Old World, haunted by the ghosts of history. ... in this austere and dispassionate mediation on towns, we find an inquiry into time, a time that only photography seems capable of revealing. I find the camera's ability to investigate very fascinating. To portray a subject without some sort of predisposed view can be hard (like when positioning the camera), and I find the objective style of German photographers to be quite curious.
I'll talk more about Struth later. For now, some pictures, the blurred people are a reference to Struth's Museum Photographs.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Canta's Cover
The students at my university are back to lectures this week. We had a three week break, and it demolished what little rhythm I had accumulated in my studies. Having said that, I am a mere first-year student and I have not yet been introduced to the concept of hard work, and I imagine some other students would have welcomed the respite. Time off did give me the opportunity to begin researching artists who take group portraits. To start with, I have been looking at the work of Thomas Struth. I enjoy the objective style of some of the current German photographers, they can be impersonal at times, but this can be compelling, and gives viewers the opportunity to view the subjects without too much of a prior discernment by the photographer. In later posts I will discuss some ideas that I have learned about in my research.
This week, I allowed Canta magazine two options for their cover picture, for their 80th birthday issue. They used the first photo, I'm glad, I preferred it.
This week, I allowed Canta magazine two options for their cover picture, for their 80th birthday issue. They used the first photo, I'm glad, I preferred it.
From a flat last week:
Friday, April 16, 2010
From the Archives
Architecture is one of those subjects that I enjoy, but don't understand. I often take photos of the inside and outside of buildings, and I like them, but it's difficult for me to figure out why I like the pictures. Buildings have lines and shapes that make them interesting, with symmetrical and asymmetrical aspects that change with our differing perspective, depending on where we're standing. Buildings can be appreciated in reality and in pictures, but often in pictures we isolate certain elements of interest, and we can eliminate the context that is the surrounding area.
HSBC Building (under construction), Christchurch
2008
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