Sequoia National Forest

I spent the weekend prior to the Beloved Collective workshop in the Sequoia National Park.  The workshop was being held in in LA, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to experience a moment with the largest living things on the planet.  It was also the weekend of 9/11.  As I was wholly unprepared to revisit all that happened 10 years ago, a day alone in nature - away from everyone and everything else - seemed like the best way for me to get through the day.

I arrived late on Saturday night and found a nice little campground to spend the night in.  I got up early Sunday morning and headed straight into the heart of the park.  There is so much I  could say about the day... I made some notes about what I had experienced that day, which you'll see as the last of the photos.  I spent a lot of time soaking things in... it was so refreshing to have the time to just sit and absorb the world around me.  I had to leave early the next morning, but I did catch the sunrise over the mountains.  

There are a lot of photos here, so consider yourself warned ;)

The Ever-increasingly Challenging Challenge: Results Part 1!

So... I had to stop shooting for a couple days because I couldn't get the camera open after I finished a roll of film.  O_o

Everything is fine now (thankfully) and I'm excited to show you the first round of results.  It's interesting to see what came out of the camera because it's not what I was expecting.  Some shots in the same light are different colors and it seems that the plane of focus is different from what I see through the viewfinder.  This is very grainy film as well.  Makes for some crazy stuff, but I like it.  Maybe now that I know what I'm working with I'll be able to use it to my advantage :)

For the record, this film was a 400 ISO Sensia slide film and most of the shots were taken with a 50mm with a macro extender ring.  I have not modified these digitally at all - I had the film developed and scanned at a local lab.

The 30-day More Challenging Challenge - BRING IT!!!

Here's the scenario going in:

- me
- a nice old film camera (a la 1965)
- the camera does not have a functioning light meter
- the camera may have a light-leak problem

Here's the scenario as it now stands:


- me
- a nice old film camera (a la 1965)
- the camera does not have a functioning light meter
- the camera may have a light-leak problem
- the more challenging challenge begins with film in the camera that may be black and white OR color, i can't remember (ok, even more challenging than first anticipated)
- the first roll is shot and taken to be developed.  turns out it's blank because it didn't catch right when I first loaded it into the camera (the camera tries to show me who's boss, clearly it is not me)
- the second roll is loaded properly, shot, and dropped off to be developed.  it's color, by the way.  hopefully there are actually exposures on it.
- the third roll is loaded (properly, I hope) and just started.  also color.
- i forgot to buy more film today while i was at the photo lab

The more challenging challenge seems to be increasing in challenging-ness almost daily, but I'm going to fight through it and post some images in the end, damnit!  Watch out world!  And please be patient.

:)

Sarah & James | Beloved Engagement Session

Wow.  That's all I can say.  This shoot was fantastic.  Sarah and James are so open and so appreciative of each other and the relationship they have built together... it's inspiring.  It's clear that they have something really special.  Something deep, something meaningful.  They're in it to win it.

I took some artistic liberties with these photos for Sarah and James and found it to be a rather wonderful processing experience, which was a pleasant change from being so obsessive about the white balance that all joy is lost.  I've been doing a lot of self-education recently about the direction that I want to take my photography in and my most recent sources of inspiration are Samm Blake and Dan O'Day.  These two Aussie photographers are truly groundbreaking.  They create art, something unexpected, something that doesn't look like every other photograph of a couple.  If I could even get one step closer to that, I'd be a happy camper.

Without further ado, the amazing Sarah and James:

The Beach!

We had a lovely day at the beach just recently - it was our first trip to the beach in several months.  We were accompanied by the fantastic Erin and Nick and enjoyed a lovely little picnic after frolicking in the waves :)

The 30-day More Challenging Challenge

Some of you may recall my 30-day challenge back in January when I posted a photo each day for 30 days.  It was a good exercise for me and I felt like some learning and growing happened in the process.  It has been decided that it is about darned time that I do another 30-day challenge.  This time, however, will be with film in a camera without a real, functioning light meter.  Hence the more challenging aspect of this challenge.  I have been meaning to get back into film for a while (it has been quite a long time... since before digital cameras were the norm...) so this seems like a good way to do it.  Of course, I will only be able to post after the film has been developed, so I'm guessing about once a week.


Today is day 1... wish me luck!


And because every post needs a photo... enjoy this one of the interior of a century plant/agave/maguey: