October 30, 2006

October 27, 2006

Exploration...

Music | Razor Sharp by Collide

This year hasn't been a successful year for business growth, but I've been staying busy creatively like I haven't been in quite some time. I ran with the flow, pushed to keep the ball rolling when things slowed down, but in the last few months, I've been feeling somewhat empty on the creative end as well. I've tried a few techniques to get me going again, but I seemed only to be following a path, not intended for me.

The other day, my brutha from anotha mutha, Randy sent me an email recommending this movie for me to check out. I hadn't heard of it before and all he sent was a netflix description. Maybe 5 sentences at most with who the 2 main characters were the only thing enclosed. The story line was intriguing and suddenly, the light bulb lit up. How brilliant would it be to create my own interpreted story line with just still photos from just the description. The brilliant part of this is that it creates multiple photo opportunites for me to complete, forces me to collaborate with others and allows me to create a story within an outline that everyone involved in the shoot will have some understanding of.

I've always loved looking at movie stills. I've spent hours dissecting them and trying to define what makes those stills have that cinematic aura? I've been trying to discover that secret to somehow instill in my own photographs.

This project will enable me to physically start my own exploration into this mystery.
When the idea came up, I immediately posted ads on the internet for people that might be interested in this project. The ad reads as follows -

"I'm going thru a creative journey where I need a woman and man, attractive with some time on their hands and don't mind being photographed, usually separately. There is no sleazy connotations I'm trying to capture, only to recreate thru stills a description of movies I have not seen.

This is an exercise I'm trying to work on to get me behind the camera and think in a new way. I'm hoping this will enable me to come up with a body of work, a project that has a beginning, middle and end.

So, if you have time on your hands, have a sense of style and would like to be photographed, send me photos of yourself. I'd love to have your input as well.

Thanks for reading... "


The responses are not flooding in, but all ready I've had some interesting interested parties. I'm excited at the prospects of this idea and where it will take me. New territory!

October 24, 2006

Close

As we head into autumn, quickly falling daylight, the rainy season, I reach one last time...

October 21, 2006

Fall

Music | Mu-Getsu by DJ Krush and Toshinori Kondo

The day was fantastic. Not a cloud in the sky, the tempurature hovered in the low 70's, an amazing autumn day...



October 20, 2006

Sonny Rollins

A living Jazz Giant from the 50's Sonny Rollins has enlightend and led the jazz scene from then and now. I encourage you to listen to the audio in this article, both short cuts from an interview and his music from an upcoming album. I personally can't wait!
Sonny Rollins - Music - Report - New York Times

October 14, 2006

...

Music | Into my Arms by Nick Cave

Salvation

Music | Ujamma by Archie Shepp

The blue of the oncoming evening was enhanced by the amber lights along the St. John's Bridge. It is still early, but the dark comes much earlier than the last time I wrote about this typical ride I often did in the middle of summer. I hit 3rd and 4th gear flying over the Willamette. The air is brisk, sharp against my cheeks where the wind hits the bare skin. I'm all ready prepping myself for a bone chilling cold, the type where you can only experience with self inflicted wind chill. It is dark, only my head light lighting the ever turning road, climbing up. I'm not at all familiar with this ride. I'm overly cautious, due to slower reflexes from the cold and the limited view. I keep the fear of deer crossing out of my head. There has been a spill of some sort, tracking the middle of the lane. I have no idea what it is, only using all my concentration to not be ontop of it thru a curve. "It isn't oil," I keep telling myself, but the fear keeps creeping in my head. It seems this streak of liquid lasts for miles, but finally, suddenly disappears. Finally a sense of freedeom, I open up the throttle, smooth transitions thru the gears, up shifting, down shifting, braking and throttling. A few miles go by and I don't remember a thing.

I'm enjoying myself, high off the last few miles, but getting colder. I still opt for the longer ride to my destination, my café on NW 23rd. I'm imagining the Americano, inside in the warmth. I can't get back into the groove, the road is being repaved and I can barely see anything. Ironically, the ride is suddenly over as I hit the stop lights where civilization abruptly begins. I'm glad it is over. A mile or so down the business strip, surpriingly not crowded for a Saturday night, but it is still early. I write, I drink my americano and I warm.

October 11, 2006

Blondie Boy...

Music | All Blues by Miles Davis

Asta is getting back to normal. He not only had pneumonia, but had some sort of vicious worm in his system as well. If you knew Asta, you would never know him as being lethargic. For more than 3 weeks, the little energy ball had no inclination to do anything, or eat anything. According to the vet, it wasn't looking good for him to even survive. But with medication, he slowly has come out of the veil. His energy level isn't where it used to be, but he also is 9 years old...



October 10, 2006

Knowledge is Power

I haven't read an article in such a long time that had me reading and thinking so much at the same time. You can't help but to be opinionated while reading this, either strengthening or bringing down your own ideals. I'll have to go over this one a few times.

Susie Linfield: The Treacherous Medium

October 01, 2006

Irrational and Emotional...

Music | Now That We Found Love by Heavy D and the Boyz

I am a member of various forums that relate to motorcyles, jazz, Volvo's, computers and of course photography. I rarely post, except to threads that I strongly disagree with or for ideas and concepts that aren't in the limelight. I think for the signal to noise ratio, which is always in favor of noise, I still believe there is often much to learn from various voices.

For once, I started a thread, for the sake of starting one. You know my relationship with my new printer is all ready a strong one. I wrote in my thread a post similar to what I would write in my blog. My experiences with my printer and how much joy it has brought me. I don't need to expound here...

Now I have to admit, I was trying to steer the thread to a creative path and how others feel about the output of their similar printers. How much it has inspired them as it has inspired me. I had the gall to think I would be able bring about creative communication... And in trying to "steer" the thread in that direction, I guess in the eyes of at least one reader, I was being irrational and emotional. At least that is what I got out of his response when I first read it. I suddenly got on a rampage and knew I shouldn't respond immedietly. After a few minutes, I did respond, much LESS emotional than what it was the prior minutes that I had let pass.

Anyway, I guess I could have been called many other things that I really wouldn't have appreciated. But as I think of those words in context to what the thread was about, I see it more as a peripheral compliment. I don't think the poster was trying to be insulting either. But when emotions run high, sometimes you don't see things clearly.
 
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