franky

LIU BOLIN

2009-04-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

I already posted two photographers but I thought this was so cool, so i had to post another one. Liu Bolin is a photographer who incorporates painting with his subjects. They blend in as if they arent even there. I think this is inspirational as well because it forces you to think outside of the box about your images and see how far you can take your environment. Just because we are photographers doesnt mean we cant simulate imagination as well.

this series is an exploration of human nature and animal instincts which features chinese
citizens painted to blend into their surroundings.

BRETT WALKER

2009-04-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

for my second photographer I chose Brett Walker. I saw him on ABDUZEEDO and thought his work was so intriguing. Now, im not a fan of HDR at all. in fact I hate it however with good contrast of black and whites it makes his photos look amazing. One of the reasons I was drawn to his work was because of his use of black and white and how he made it look less typically elegant. His work is dark and has a level of mystery in each of his portraits. Also, being a drawer I always appreciate a good use of black and whites and the color variations that come between them. I want to get more into portraits and black and white so I thought his work was perfect because it is something I can try to emulate within my own work.

FUNES

2009-04-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

here are my entries for the funes..

scott schuman. the man.

2009-04-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

scott shuman has to be one of my al-time favorite photographers. The reason is because he incorporates both fashion and photography in a more candid perspective. He takes his eye for fashion and applies it to people he sees on the streets. As if, no one dressed these people, he just catches them on a day when they are wearing their normal wear. This normal wear just happend to be awesome. He blogs about his travels to milan, moscow, and nyc for fashion events and the people he sees on the streets. He talks about the style of their clothing and tips and ideas about each fit. The reason I like his blog is because he puts whatever he sees fashionable. No one is telling him what to photograph or what to write about, just what he finds appealing about regular people. I would like to be able to have the courage to go up to just anyone I see that i find intriguing and photograph them. Also, have the ability to be confident about all of the images i capture or like when i am on my travels.

"Shortly after 9/11 I closed my showroom and began focusing more on photography. I didn’t want to become a “fashion photographer” but I knew somehow that my loves of fashion and photography would eventually merge. I just never guessed it would be in the form of a blog." scott schuman

MoMA

2009-04-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

during this spring break I went to New York City with Alex. we went around looking at possible graduate schools to apply to after we graduate next spring. We looked at at the School of the Visual Arts, and Parsons. Because we were staying in manhattan we didnt have a chance to check out Pratt becuase it was over in Brooklyn and we didnt have time but that is the third school I am planning on applying to. We had a busy schedule but thoese schools were amazing. One of the days we were walking around looking at the sites and we came across the MoMA (museum of modern art) it was huge being 5 levels high. There were pieces from jackson pollack and monet. There were also many from dali and picasso.. it was amazing. There was also an exibit featuring Even Roth, a parsons graduate who also made the typographic music video from Jay-Z's "Brooklyn Go Hard". It was amazing that his work was being showcased in the same arena as jackson pollack and picasso. We also saw the same exhibit featured in the parsons school gallary when we visited it. They let us take pictures in side the museum which we thought was wierd, but here are some of the photos we took while inside.

EARTH DAY

2009-04-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Alex and I went to earth day and helped out at Plant With Purpose. we passed out flyers and information on the program. So when we first go there it was about 100 degrees. One of the hottest days in san diego, really. It took us about an hour and a half to find parking and we ended up parking a couple blocks down the road from the park. Then we had to walk across the bridge to get to the actual festival. Immediately when we got there we noticed all of the people and the dogs. We also saw an amazing booth of Indian spiritual books. Im really interested in Hindu and Buddhist spirituality so I thought all of the images that were along with it cool. They were 20 percent off but I was too broke to buy anything. After we waited in line for the ATM for another 15 minutes we bought some burgers and fries and shared a water. It was really good bbq food. Im getting hungry just thinking about it. While we were in line, we noticed that along with the images of recycling and pro earth images there were many that were pro-life and "GOD CREATED EARTH" I thought It was an interesting arena to display those kinds of "advertisements" seeing as how this was an earth day event. I fully understood how there were about 15 medical marijuana booths but not pro-life ones. I duno that was just me. After we helped out passing out information we spent the rest of the day walking around and tried to catch a movie at the KEN cinema however plans changed. We were trying to see the film TOKYO! by michael gondry. possibly this weekend we will be able to go.

san fran.

2009-04-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

so this past spring break was intense. first alex and I drove down to Temecula to spend the night at his parents before stopping in LA and then driving to San Francisco. the next morning we woke up and flew to NYC to spend around 5 days. then when we came back we went to the city to I could show alex the sights. we ended up going to the precedio by the golden gate bridge and found ourselves on a trail. The battery trail to be exact. They had many different kinds of plants as well as discriptions of the plants and their scientific names. I assume they are all native because they said california _______ plant. It was cool because the trail went from the top of the hill to the beach where there were a lot of families posing in front of the bridge. as I edit the photos i will update them, but until now here are some of the images we captured.

indian rock.

2009-03-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

For this class field trip we went to Indian Rock in Vista. Im not sure if it was a graden or a trail or what it was but it was pretty interesting. There were some guides and a few residents who provided sandwiches and lunch for the class. I thought that was really thoughtful. They talked about the different kind of native california plants and there was a giant rock over looking the entire place. I guess this was a rock that had been painted on by the native luiseno people but had also been painted on by local kids. I think its interesting that the two cultures collide on this one rock. I don't consider it graffiti because there are always negative connotations that go with the word graffiti. I more or less concider it two different forms of art on one local traditional site. I think that the area was nice and it was good that they preserved that one piece of land so that the native plants and flowers could grow freely. Like a little national park. =)

Rincon Tribal Hall

2009-03-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

rincon tribal hall.
well it was hot. my first impression was, oh empty land. But then I found out that we were getting a chance to plant some trees and flowers. I think it would be interesting to go back in the future and see how much the garden grows. I also thought it was kind of scary how there was only one road to and from the place.

Pechanga

2009-03-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

the trip to Pechanga was interesting. I thought the drive was long, and I was getting tired on the way. I thought the oak tree was cool. It reminded me of the movie Little Buddha.. I dont even remember if there was a tree in that movie but for some reason it reminded me of it. I thought that was the coolest part of the trip. The shuttle ride was kind of weird haha but nice at the same time. Only because the class was taking a casino shuttle to a kind of more serene and natural place. Every time I looked back at the bus it kind of took me away from the whole experience.

I think it is good that people like our guide were keeping some of the native traditions alive. Its hard for people these days to keep somethings traditional but I think that every effort made to do so is a good thing for the communities.

Im interested in industry type stuff so to see the use of wood and nature as a means of construction and building I found really interesting. Almost as if it was an ancient city.. in ruins. I thought the construction of the houses and the baskets were amazing. To be able to know how to put that all together and utilize it through all types of weather circumstances is incredible.

Sally insane.

2009-03-02T18:31:00.000-08:00

Sally Man is insane.

dont get me wrong, her photos are amazing but she is crazy. It appears to me as if she exploited her children so she could make a name for herself in the art world. After that she said she just wasn't interested in photographing her children anymore.. interesting coincidence, sally man. she seems as if she is interested in things that arent very conventional which is cool. however she is the perfect example of how you have to be an artist sometimes to get away with things. I mean if she wasn't an established photographer, we would consider her to be publishing child pornography. I mean really whats the difference. Im sure her children didnt concent to that, and even if they did they probably couldn't grasp the concept of what was going on. Her children, to me, seem to have some sort of repressed feelings about everything. The girl was a model and felt that she HAD to be taken photographs of in order to be seen, or noticed. I dont know. the best artists are the ones that are crazy right? I better hop on that insane wagon if I want to make it in the art world.. =) you be the judge.

more tierra miguel images.

2009-03-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

2009-03-02T16:33:00.000-08:00

in no particular order.

1) create a sepia-like image using the load red channel mask to bring back the whites

2) bw but leave one color; add edgy text

3) frame one of your images

4) perfect color: how to achieve balanced highlights and shadows

5) split toning in camera raw: first bw, and then create wildly colored image: add a vignette in camera raw; open in photoshop, edit and save for web.

6) combine two of the images on one canvas: I will show example

tierra miguel.

2009-02-28T16:54:00.001-08:00

Tierra Miguel. well the trip to tierra miguel was interesting. first it was about a 40 minute drive from cal state. we drove from civilization to literally to middle of no where. I thought it was cool how there was a little community within the mountains kept like a little secret in the center of southern california. On the other hand it made me feel claustrophobic. There was only one road for about 20 minutes of the trip out there and if anything happened, there was no way out. On the highway there were millions of orange trees and little houses. Tierra Miguel. well the trip to tierra miguel was interesting. first it was about a 40 minute drive from cal state. we drove from civilization to literally to middle of no where. I thought it was cool how there was a little community within the mountains kept like a little secret in the center of southern california. On the other hand it made me feel claustrophobic. There was only one road for about 20 minutes of the trip out there and if anything happened, there was no way out. On the highway there were millions of orange trees and little houses.

If anything I would have liked to take picture

s of the communities, they interested me. So finally after we discovered the farm, we parked and walked over to a little shed were a presenta

tion was being held. A lady began to talk about the farm and its purpose and why she was doing what she was doing. Not really my cup of tea. It kind of caught me off guard because I believed we were going there just to take pictures. I had to leave early because I had another class at 7 so I only got to shoot for about 30 minutes.

My plan of action was to take pictures of the farm but also signs of human interaction with the land. The idea that these people wanted to to everythin

g naturally and not contribute to processed foods

yet used man made machinery, cars, and other things, that in a way, seem to contradict everything they stand for. Unless its only food, then the other things dont matter. I know that you have to use that stuff to cultivate the land and get better re

sults by using tools however, i just found it interesting. It just represents what their agenda is, food. Cars pollute, there was trash on the ground, Im not bashing what they are doing. I think this whole idea is great and i support it 100% but I think its unrealistic to believe that we can all contribute to the idea of only eating local natural foods. Im pro-organic and I dont like the idea of random ingredients in my food, but I am also a college student who enjoys living in the city. Therefore I try as much as I can to buy good foods that are healthy and good for my body, but Im not going to live on a diet of vegetables. So in the end, I believe people who have the opportunity to survive of a natural diet shoul

d, but I also believe in realistic circumstances.

adios.

2009-02-28T10:09:00.000-08:00

here are some framed images.. i will add more as I adjust them. The bike one is from the tierra miguel field trip. as i was leaving i saw it tucked next to some shed and it captured my attention. When i was playing around with it in photoshop i accidently moved a layer and it made it have this blurred look. and i liked it so i kept it.

the second one is from the bike race in escondido last weekend. i didn't get to see lance armstrong. oh well.

the third one is a sunset at the tierra miguel farm. I wasnt sure if i wanted to black and white it or keep it colored. Both options looked really nice

not really a fan of frames, unless you are making some sort of p

ostcard.. they always end up looking kind of crafty to me. like you made them with paper and a glue stick. =)

Sepia tones.

2009-02-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

I dont like sepia tones.

I love this picture, but I dont particularly like sepia. I wonder who thought an orangey khaki color was interesting? I wonder why people didnt choose blue, or purple.

Just a thought.

Eddy.

2009-02-16T17:46:00.000-08:00

Edward Burtynsky is a photographer who specializes in landscape space. I usually dont find landscape art appealing but there are a few works of art that he has done that I do in fact find intriguing.

For example this piece. I remember watching the video from last semester and he spoke about how this red stream was only about a foot or so wide.. you could jump across it. That was amazing to me. To be able to take an image and transform it.. doing almost nothing. I also like how he takes destruction and makes it beautiful. I like when people make untypical things interesting for all people. It makes me more interested then say, your everyday picture of a hill and some clouds.

what I ate today.

2009-02-09T15:18:00.000-08:00

this morning I had a cup of coffee. I get my coffee from trader joe's and its ethiopian blend. It says its free trade coffee and I'm not sure what that means but apparently its important if they put it on the label. After that I ate a bowl of cereal with soy milk, both also from Trader Joe's. the cereal is called Trader O's. I dont like sugary cereal so I like the boring bland cereal. And I was still hungry later that day.

For lunch I had a turkey burger because I made extras the night before with some cran juice. My apples were mushy so I decided not to eat them. They are organic and from trader joes also, i think they go bad extra fast because they are organic.

I am pretty much always aware of the stuff I eat. I'm sure its because of my mom (she likes to shop at trader joes and whole foods)

tonight i get home late so I will probably make some chicken, rice, and greens.

I believe being healthy is more important than any

thing. I think people should be concious of what they eat and dont abuse it. There are plenty of ways to eat better foods that taste just as good as foods that are bad for you. You just need to know where to shop. Although sometimes the organic foods can be more expensive than the generic non-organic food you have to ask yourself if its worth it. if not then you can still buy cheap health conscious foods.

yum.

Mark Dion

2009-02-02T18:28:00.000-08:00

Mark Dion is one with nature

he captures the images of destruction and rebirth of nature. I liked his sculpture like pieces, however nature isnt one of my favorite subjects so I think that what he does is unique to him as well as others who are interested in ecology.

pure sunshine.

2009-02-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

Scott Calhoun uses the connection of writing and photography to display his works. In the article "A Lake of Pure Sunshine, he describes a photo journey he took in various places along California. He talks about the poppies and the joshua trees he photographed. I think its interesting the way he describes the things he is photographing and the various things he did before and after. It gives his pictures context and I think that is intriguing.

This makes me want to write my blogs with a little bit more emphasis on the process of photographing rather than only about the picture or its meaning. I believe that photographic works are sometimes a process and I think its interesting to hear and read about what that process was. As if it was a journey or is.

an my.

2009-01-26T17:47:00.000-08:00

I thought it was interesting how she used a vintage camera to photograph something so relevent to today. In a sense you can say that war has always been current so I think that is cool how she can take vintage and mix it with current images.

I think it was interesting how she got a chance to photograph something so important in world history. The Vietnam war was something that was brought to americans via new medium such as television and photography played a crucial medium as well.

robbie adams.

2009-01-26T17:08:00.000-08:00

I think this class is going to be a challenge for me because its hard for me to grasp the art of landscapes. Don't get me wrong I think its an amazing ability to be able to take images of the earth and give it quality some people don't see just by looking. However, Im not sure if i really liked robert adams work. To me, it didn't seem to have that certain attractiveness that I like. Thats just me. Personally I like close, in your face, tight shots and I think thats why I struggle so much with landscape. Im ready for the challenge though. =)

On the other hand, I am finding black and white print more and more appealing. I want to further my knowledge and experiment more in the b&w field of photography. Because I love color so much, I want to be able to take a picture and make it pop without color. I think that would be a challenge I would like to pursue. So if anything I liked robert adams use of black and white. specifically the one picture with the white sky and black cloud of smoke (above).

magnifico.

exhuming andrew.

2009-01-26T16:49:00.000-08:00

I really liked the music video.

I thought the artist had a great voice and a lot of personally. Her emotion was strong and you could tell that what she was speaking about had a lot of meaning to her. I thought the landscaping was great as well. After a while I started to prefer the scenes when she was outside. The colors were what attracted me most to the background especially the canyons. Normally I am not all that interested in the landscapes of things because I feel like they take a way from the performer because the scale of the size is so enormous compared to the artist themselves. However, in this video it was relevant to have her surrounded by the land because that was the focus of her song. I also noticed the buffalo and how they were being treated poorly. That brought the tone of the video down to a personal level.

On the graphics side, I thought the drawings were also interesting and captured my attention. I liked how they transitioned from flat 2d drawings to animated. It gave them character.

Overall i like how she incorporated all kinds of medium from photographs to animation. All the different elements helped impact the viewer in many ways.