Winter 2010 and a fabulous studio

I don't have a studio. That would be fucking awesome if I did. But, a counter on the kitchen with a standing floor lamp, a flashlight, a bowl, and a tripod made of books and a chair work for now. (At least now I have a real tripod). Low lit macros are really difficult to take without a tripod, which is why most of my pictures are a bit fuzzy. Not having a tripod or the best lighting has actually created a color scheme and light balance that wouldn't have occurred otherwise. Hurray for amateurism!

Winter 2009 - remembering winter in summer

These were taken on different dates throughout winter. The first two pairs on different occasions in Santa Cruz: on the UC campus during a forage and in the city at a park near my home. The last one in Uvas is of the feathers from a dead hawk. These photographs don't at all look like Santa Cruz or Uvas because they build on absence of place to create the feeling of winter through use of cold colors, rain, fungus, decay, and death. It's odd for me to be reminded of winter through feeling because I feel that I am now separated from that season/feeling, but somehow through looking at these photos, winter seems to be a place I can go visit in memory until the season comes around again.

Yellow shades - the new black and white

This was a very happy day for me. There is definitely a connection between the use of the yellow filter and my mood, especially for this set of photos which conveys the memory of the sun, the afternoon, and my best friend. I didn't take a picture of him. Everything is in the lighting, shade, shapes, and warmth. In a way, this seems corny, but I can feel friendship from these pictures. For everyone else without this background knowledge, they're nature or perspective photos. Usually when I see a photographers work, and there are no visible people in the photos, I assume that artist was alone. A lot is missed from outside the frame when the viewer is forced into a composed perception.

2009 - the forgotten year

These are a part of the forgotten year not because I misplaced them, but because I don't exactly when I took them. I know the time was during 2008-2009 and that these few photos are from a roll that spans over a year. I didn't take many pictures for some time because the camera was pushed to the side to make room for school. Thinking about it now, I wish I had kept the camera more active and stayed in practice because that year was a strange and difficult year. Photography would have helped me cope with life better.