The night started off with a random drive, not quite sure where we were headed. We found ourselves at the docks in Long Beach. Peaceful and calm... except for feeling paranoid of having the tripod fall into the water off the narrow dock... or my backpack smelling like barnacles... It was a unique challenge trying to avoid rocking the dock and making waves.
In celebration of the premiere of the hour long documentary "Sou Da Bahia" on BYUtv nationally and internationally, there will be a conjoining multi-media art exhibit this september 16-30th at Brigham Young university. Paintings, photos, sculptures and film will explore six themes that are uniquely Brazilian. I should be in town for the opening social on the 18th. Come eat Brazilian food and celebrate everything that is Bahia! I have six photographs in the show.
This is crew 071. (minus one member) Last summer in Brazil this graffiti crew took part in a documentary that I was working on called "Sou Da Bahia". In a very short amount of time we became good friends and learned so much from each other. It was difficult leaving them, unsure if we would ever cross paths again. Strange that a year has passed. More recently, however, I have made some amazing local friends - despite that my days in Provo are numbered few. At times it makes me sad to meet such wonderful people and leave so soon afterward. Was the investment worth it? Become attached only to leave? The answer is yes. Every day is absolutely worth it.
I miss Brazil so much, and Bahia even more. This photo is a year old. Shame on me for not sharing. However, I will admit something...I envy this guy today. I'm graduating a week from friday. Two majors, internships, ridiculous general education classes, and some insane part time jobs have left me a little tired. I have no regrets though. Friday, after I get that fake diploma (they send the real one in the mail) and before I head off to LA to start all over again in grad school, I am going to lie in my hammock (perhaps the most neglected thing in my life right now) and take the most carefree 20 min nap of my life.
I promised some time ago to post more from my seven deadly sins still life series. Here is sloth. Ever feel like you are stuck with a mess that you didn't make, yet it becomes your problem? The most disgusting roommate I have ever had moved out about 5 months ago...It took Christine and I about 4 hours to clean out the fridge...imagine two bags of rotten ingredients for japanese food. As of late I realize that there are different types of messes that can be left for you to clean up and sort through - not just physical but emotional, social or something much more complicated. We should do like our mothers tell us and leave rooms better than we found them.
I had overlooked these two portraits for sometime now, until i randomly saw them side by side. Something struck me about them. I think it is more than just their confidence, but that both of their countenances radiate total honesty. They hide nothing and exude no shame. I hope that one day I can embody similar traits to such an extent.
I took these two photos at very different times in my life this summer. It occurred to me that I approached the same subject differently in very subtle ways... What does it mean? Perhaps it reflects my state of mind? Represents the start and end of a journey? A new outlook on life?And if so, have the trees been placed on the wrong sides? What could it be? perhaps...just maybe...the light was different...you decide.
We taught the kids in this small Lugazi school how to play the game hangman on the chalkboard. I really enjoyed the energy in the room against the beautiful texture of the wall.
I shot this on my Dad's old 135 prime lens for his Pentex. Vintage lens = very cool. This is one of those magic candid shots that isn't perfect in the technical sense, but has some nice light and a very interesting feel. I have a few more good shots from this day that I will have to add to this post in the coming days.
This picture was taken at a small school on the top of a hill about 30 min from Lugazi. I had just gotten stung from a strange African bee on my thumb. Of course my natural reaction was to get out my camera and shoot until I forgot about the pain, not to mention thoughts that my thumb might fall off. Again, I framed this photo up candid and waited until the second the boy noticed me and snapped before he could react.
Another in my portrait series. The night I spent with the kids at Gulu I was impressed by their firm focus on religion. Their time in the Lord's Resistance Army seems to have been quite coupled with very interesting beliefs. I have heard stories were soldiers were conditioned to think that holy water could make them impervious to bullets or that they could throw rocks that would function as grenades. I saw a much less fanatical version of them, I was invited to sing songs of worship and pray with them before we slept.
During the last 6 months or so I have fallen in love with night photography. She is a shy mistress and takes time. But she doesn't sass me and will never leave me or cheat. So I promise to start sharing with everyone more of our romantic nights. Here she is...
More fisheye happiness...
Some of these exposures were as quick as 5 seconds, others closer to 30. The noise does not build up that badly for digital. Although I hope to be shooting on some 35mm later this week for a tight grain structure. The best part of night photography is how peaceful it can be alone in the forest at night. I was reminded of dear Stan Brackage (film theoretician) this weekend. He claims the medium of film allows us to see through new eyes as we wouldn't normally see - for instance, as a baby or a bee might see. In a round about way, night photography validates some of his ideas.
Out of all my experiences in Uganda, the time I spent in Gulu was my favorite. We spent the weekend with formerly abducted child soldiers at the Laro boarding school. I was invited to spend the night in one of the boy's dormitories. The kids shared experiences of the atrocities that they have witnessed and were forced to take part in. I shot portraits of them with the physical objects that they treasure the most. The boy above said his most prized possession was his Bed - his only personal space.
My hero in photo history is Pierre Verger. He spent his life traveling and focused on African Culture in Bahia, even taking trips to Africa to understand with greater clarity the roots of the Candomble religion. I felt so close to Verger in Uganda, almost retracing his steps and tasting in small bites, the adventures he had. The above photo was on my last day in the country and is strikingly similar to a photo he took. It was an oddly special moment for me.
I have had a few friends recently ask me how I or any other portrait/doc photographer manages to take photos of so many random people. Do you ask permission for everyone or just shoot and let the person deal with it. How do you get such direct honest shots verses subtle candid moments. I tend to subscribe to the rule of shoot first then apologize/play dumb, if the person notices you: then snap before they can react or encourage them to look into the lens and go for directness. There is no law against public photography in any country I have been too...unless the person has a gun...thats trouble and another story. (Never shoot anything near a bridge in Uganda, this is bad mojo)
For the last assignment in my portrait photography class we had to do a series of portraits around a person. (my person happened to be a fantastic makeup artist) I really wanted to shoot some classic Hollywood style monsters in very enobling ways. This is what I came up with.
For my color photography final I photographed interpretations of the 7 deadly sins in still life shots. This is wrath...
I'm sad that my friends Laurel and Nate are moving...However I was excited to get the chance to take Laurel's portrait before she left! They are one of the few married couples my age that I can genuinely hang with (perhaps because I was good friends with them separately before I knew them together!) Laurel is an actress and singer!
I took this picture with location lights at mike's firestation. Mouse was getting tired when we took it so he was a little restless.
I took this picture of my friend Raphael for a Low Key portrait assignment. My goal was to make it look like an old film noir image.
For my most recent portrait photography class I decided to shoot an extreme self portrait. My bro's good friend Brad did a fantastic job with the tattoos on the neck. The hair was tricky too!
For my color photography class I turned in this image for the analogous color assignment. Working with live bugs was quite the adventure.
The first assignment for my portrait photography class is to shoot a full length bridal. Kelsae was nice enough to model for me. Again there are one or two more I will post soon...
My last portrait assignment was to take a High-Key Headshot for an actor. I asked my friends Natalie and Matt from Divine Comedy to sit for me.
The first assignment for my color photography class is to do a monochromatic image. This is what I came up with!
Tonight the short film I directed, "Unhinged" played in the 8th Annual LDS Film Festival. There was a big crowd there who seemed to really respond well to the film. At the conclusion of the film there were quite a few gasps at the surprise ending. I even overheard a group of people after the screening talking about how much they enjoyed "Unhinged's" last few moments. The best part of the night was at the awards ceremony when we found out that a panel of judges gave us an honorable mention! Not shabby!
