got this website. [link]

how to...

a few people have asked me how i do some of the things i make a point to claim i do with "no photoshopping whatsoever."

this is how, enjoy.

cloning -
you need a camera that can be set to not advance a frame after a picture is taken. also, to protect the front element (first peice of glass in lens) i use a UV filter.

compose a shot with motiviation for someone to interact with themselves. use dark colored post-it-notes. have the model stand on one side of the frame, then cover have the lens (uv filter) with a post it note. take a picture.

before removing the post-it-note that you put on first, place another note over the other half of the lens, lining the notes together as best as you can. take a picture with the model on the other side now. allow frame to advance.

-how it works-
the post-it-note on the first side will prevent light from reaching the covered side of the frame. it will not be exposed. The second note will prevent the first half of the frame from being double exposed. this makes for a consistant density across the entire image. done right, this will be seamless.


text -
first, think of the text you want. take for example the line "isn't life supposed to be perfect?" (see photo titled 'perfect.') type it up, and print it out. print on white typing paper. tape this paper to a window, with the sun coming in through that window. take a picture of the paper, with your camera pointed into the light. do it from different sides/sizes to give yourself choices.

in the darkroom, print the first text first. i usually set the apureture on an enlarger 3 clicks back from all open. i print the text where i want it to be for about 4 seconds. take that photopaper out from under the enlarger and focus your main image. i usually print those for about 12 seconds.

the text will have a slight ghost look, but still be dense.


negative -
make a print of a picture you like. once that image is properly fixed, washed and dried put it face down on another piece of photopaper. the papers should be emulsion to emulsion. (print face down, sensitive side of unexposed paper up). line the to papers up as best you can, and then use (clean) glass to hold them down/in place.

on the enlarger, set the apureture all the way open, and use unfiltered white light. expose to light for 50 seconds.

-how it works-
the light will pass through the first print where on the first print it was black, your negative image will be white. (hence it is a negative.)



while i'm sure im not the only one to ever do these things, i came up with these processes on my own, with out help from a book or professor.
if you're in a black and white photography class feel free to try these. its fun.

-also i almost always use either an orange filter (for contrast in black and white) or a polarozer filter (brings out color, makes nuetral density in black and white, cuts out a stop of light, reduces reflections). see photo titled 'God's House' for a good example of what it does for color.

some people....

I became some what frustrated by my art class earlier today.

In a crit of 5 pictures, i showed some of my recent experiments. I had been doing experimental photography as of late to sort of test what i could and couldn't do in a darkroom.

first everyone loved the "heated discusion" picture, and requested i explain how to do that trick. then after seeing my negative image and other stuff, like a print of a print reaching into a print, they harped on one picture and wouldn't let it go.

about a week ago, i tried an experiment wherein i took a roll of pictures (36) completely blindfolded. no one was there to guide me. i found an even light meterage and i blindfolded myself and slowly walked through the middle of campus taking pictures, while swinging the camera and changing the focus.

from this trial, i actually got 3 or 4 good pictures. by good i mean, well composed, aesthetically pleasing, and in focus. keep in mind that there are those in this class that haven't mastered taking focused pictures with their eyes open.

they attacked the process of taking pictures blindfolded. they asked me how dare i put this up and call it art, or myself an artist for doing it. (to set this up, i study media, in a class full of art majors or art minors). i explained i didnt claim it to be art or myself an artist.

the class debated the nature of art and what it means to be art or an artist, then took a second swing at me.

the two main people going at this took it like they had to defend art against me, when i hadn't acused it of anything. i just wanted to expand what was being done.

eventually one art major played devil's advocate and backed me up. one art minor (who takes pictures of the same house over and over) commented that anyone could do what i did. to which i replied, "if anyone could do it, how come i'm the only one who did?" this only seemed to fuel the fire from those who take pictures of their neighbors junk, or pans in the sink.

what i dont understand is why they will praise an image where i talk to myself, but shit on one where i tried a new technique. i had never taken a picture blindfolded, it sounded neet to try. to me, its no different. there is no difference between being blind and taking a picture, and making a good looking picture where i clone myself.

i thought people would appreciate this sort of experiment. guess i was wrong.

gallery showing

two of my photos, "my eye" [link] and "slow dawn" [link] will be shown in an art gallery downtown coming up. Thursday, april 7th, a show of uncg student's work will open up. i think it goes for a few weeks. anyway, its just cool to have work publically shown.

also, will have two peices in the show.

i have now taken quite a few black and white pictures, and completely developed the negatives and made prints all on my own.

it really is neat to do the work on your own after a life time of having a store develope your photos.

i'm in the process of posting pictures from my last 4 projects/ series. the "addict" series, "lonely" series, "self portraits" and the "self portrait" series of which i am in none of the pictures. so i guess that last series is really of just crap i have.

but yes, have a look, and please do tell me what you think, i really do want opinions on my work.