Capture it! Photography and more...

New project

2010-09-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

I am embarking on a new big project.

Boudoir is for women and I have a target market in mind. Why women in lingerie? Well, I did a photo project for a friend and I saw how happy she was with her pics she used for personal gift for someone special.

I did the make up, hair and post process of this, but a friend photographer took this for my friend here. My friend's boudoir will be my next project. Then I am offering the project to Vegas women.

What is exciting is that I am doing this with a new buddy and I am also excited about the new prospect to create something of value and beauty. The product will be intimate, elegant and very sexy.

We are starting test shots hopefully next month. I give myself until next year to master the studio lighting and working angles at the same time develop my target market. My goal is to launch it January 2011.

My schedules are very tight right now, with lots of things happening other than photography..but... my energy is inexhaustible.

2010-07-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

I am back again. I have not blogged for a while. Already been back from India and have not posted my photos adventures. I got plenty.

Anyways, went to the airport yesterday..McCarran public parking is accessible and I found out I can take pictures of planes in action from there, so that would be a good place to explore one day. It was super hot yesterday, so a good cooler box with bottles of green tea is definitely a refreshing idea. I like to plan my shoots with my comforts to I can take my time and enjoy every moment. I do not want to be rushed taking my pics. But i definitely prefer to be outdoors in Summer.

I want to explore more photo ideas, just got to put in time to do it! Damn it! so much things to do so little time! I want to upload that one shot I took of AeroMex with the MBay in the back.

Updating all my soci

2010-07-21T20:57:00.001-07:00

Updating all my social network and blog pages in one place. I am using Hellotxt.com Stay tune for more articles, updates and local events that I will be posting regularly.

Setting the goal

2010-01-12T19:33:00.000-08:00

Amazonia Sunset

I attended a talk by Rick Sammon sponsored by Nevada Camera Club last Friday.

He talked about setting goals when taking the shot. This lesson could have been handy many times during my travels. When I went to the Amazon, I had that ideal picture of the great river, although much of my expectations of the river were viewed from Nature shows I have seen in PBS and never really had a goal how this picture can be captured.

But Rick made a very good point. Setting goals is a normal undertaking in everything that I have accomplished, and it cannot be different as taking a picture.

Rick said that when he went to Mongolia to watch the annual warrior show, he had this picture of a mongol warrior on a horse galloping on air with all four hoofs afloat. That was his ideal picture, that is what he came for in Mongolia. He planned the shot before he went there. Where he will position himself, the camera settings, and the output.

Well, actual events can take a life on its own. Then, there was the overcast weather, or that a luggage was lost. What to do? You still stick to the plan.

The main lesson I got from this talk, is that, when I plan a shot, I can replicate it. If I have a similar subject, environment, mood I want to capture, I can start from the original plan and improve from there. It is replicable and flexible and it will serve as the basis of a signature shot.

I hope to create my own signature shot and my specialty, and a planned shot with copious note-taking can be a tool in my toolbox.

Ahhhh.... we learn something new everyday.

Life is sweet, it is an adventure, a journey, a discovery..

Udo Shoot

2009-12-20T07:32:00.000-08:00

The Udo shoot was super boring. I sat for hair and make up for 5 hours, and spent 30 minutes being photographed. This is the reason print modeling is not my favorite gig. The make-up and hair part was ok. The prep times for the shoots are just too boring for me. But like in all gigs, a book, listening to Podcasts in my Ipod are very helpful pass-time tools of the trade. Sad to say, conversing with fellow models are not really that interesting, the subjects are usually diets, Ephedrine, stories about what other models did, where they went to party, and sad what they cannot eat in a party.

I have learned some interesting lesson on Udo's session. When Udo was shooting movement, I was wondering in my head how it was going to be captured, thinking like a photographer. I was a bit curios, because in my own limitation, it is quite challenging for me capturing movement with clarity. He did the moving shots really well, all clean and crisp. He hand held his Nikon camera and he let me do my own thing. The movement segment was actually fun to do, now that I have seen the result, I can imagine how to play with it when I do fashion shoots. I can see how this is very useful, because the great shots of a face are the intense and candid ones, and it is best achieved when a model is not thinking about her pose. Fashion photography is about the clothes, and when a model is confident about the clothes she can play with it, have fun with it and showcase it with personality. Plus, with movement, it shows the behavior of the fabric and clothes. I can imagine a chiffon dress bend and flow or a skin tight Lycra stretch with the body contorting. Udo shuts off all sound feature in his camera, it can be distracting by the way. I know it can sound glamorous to hear camera clicking away, but that is only hollywood, when it is real work, quiet is better. Udo used the speed multiple frames, so it helps not having to hear the motor. Like shooting wildlife and models, we animals want to concentrate and silently do what we naturally do. LOL. I thought of asking Udo to send my data in RAW so I can process it, but when it came in, only few needed color adjustments. I think he did a good job, I liked the skin tones, the rich colors, clarity. I doubt that he did any processing on these, the raw shots were just taken the right way that it did not need anymore work. Some insights being on the other side of the camera; as a trained model, I do not wait for Udo to tell me what look he wants, I do my own thing but Udo verbalizes so it helps a lot just by saying.. "perfect", "fantastic", " hold that look", " "i want more of that", "that's nice, hold it"..communicating with the subject (model), in a form of immediate feedback, so the subject can keep doing whatever product that the project needs. A lesson learned, there has to be good rapport between the photographer and the model. It always helps that there is communication, like everything else in life. I enjoyed the photography side of this gig.

I have heard from several fellow photographers, that fashion or print projects are not their favorites because it can be tough to work with a person. I can relate to that, especially if a photographer is dealing with an untrained model. As an example, when Udo was shooting this gig, he brought along with him his fiancee who was also a model so she can coach the models what to do. She told me that most models just stand and do nothing. She assists Udo because he bends and twirls many times to show the model what he wants, and that is not really what photographers need to be doing. Hurt his back, she says...ha ha ha ha. Models might consider work hazard insurance for that. Udo wears the knee pads, which I think I should consider in shoots. That was not in my tool list, but I can see now where I can use it. Visit Udo's portfolio www.udophotography.com

Well, which side are you really on???? Some wondered, am I a model or a photographer?

I started photography in college and I loved my first camera, Nikon SLR, I started with film, cooked films in a dark room and I produced my own prints. I have a stronger yearning to improve my photography because it allows me a wide latitude of creativity. I see myself taking pictures until I am 90. I have worked as the advertising and promotions officer for a clothing company as my first job, part of my job is hire photographers, models and crew to produce our advertisements. Modeling for me is an extension of my photography. I appreciate the subjects ability to embody the message of the picture, but ultimately, it is the photographer's eye and creation.

My camera is in the shop!

2009-10-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

For a week, I was feeling separation anxiety. I left my camera at Casey's and had Jeff diagnosed it, while on the phone with him, he almost said, he cannot save my baby.

The lens was not coming off my camera body, so Jeff gave me the choices, camera or lens?

Thank goodness the lens was cheap, and I will not say which brand, but I can quote Jeff,
"never buy Quantaray", there you go. So, I gave him the go, to dismantle the thing to free my camera. Just like an ex-boyfriend that will not let go, I have to make the tough decision! So, I told Jeff to dismember the damn thing. It turned out that of the lens' pins came off and lodged on the threads. So, Jeff said later on, if you must find a non-compliant boyfriend, get a Sigma.

Hmmmm... so I will be looking at Sigma lens soon. And, why not another Canon? Because Sigma just sounds better to my ear. In any event, I will be researching for something that suits my needs.

I figured it out!

2009-09-27T11:15:00.046-07:00

I attended the NCC workshop for Judging yesterday. It is a workshop that discusses what judges should look for in competitions, and since I do not intend to be judge for now, the information was very helpful for self-assessments.

It is funny how things come about sometimes. In my earlier posting< i was rambling about this elusive satisfaction in my subjects. Notice I sought dissatisfaction in the subject not the content. I thought of far-away places to capture an impressive image.

Yesterday, I realized it is not going to far-away places to capture a memorable picture. Well, it can, in many ways such as photographing a very unique habitat, or culture or event. But, what I was grappling about was found in understanding the methods of photography.

Let us take one heavy criterion of judging, Impact/Appeal : what is the first impression? Did it hold the viewer's eye? Did it affect the viewer emotionally? spiritually? Did it communicate a meaning? Some pictures can be so strong, but in many cases may not be appealing. It is not something one would hang on the wall and see it everyday. I think of war pictures. Urban depression. Human turmoil. Subjects like these impacts, but are not appealing.

It was impact that I was struggling with, but not finding it in everyday subjects is a limitation that I brought upon myself. I can capture impact from a cup and a saucer, if I manipulate lighting, apply technique, create a story with my composition, use my own style, highlight the character of the subject..there are many methods to make an ordinary subject possess impact. A cup and saucer is ordinary enough, and subjects that people do not think about, but the challenge in great photography is capturing ordinary subject in a perspective that creates strong impressions.

I was impatient with my craft due to my own limitations, that inhibit my creativity... I am glad I attended the workshop that did not cost me a penny. A well-spent Saturday with my fellow photography enthusiasts.

Dream of far away places and faces

2009-09-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

I just updated some photos.

It has been challenging for me lately to find subject that turns me on. After my trip to China, I have been looking for more dimension and stories that comes with the pictures. Yes, there will always be still subjects, flowers, sunrise-sunsets, they are all beautiful. Tibet was absolutely glorious, I want more of that.

I have been thinking of starting a project (great, here is another one). Something about people, it seems, People, photojournalism subjects are full of stories. I do not know why, India has always been on my mind. We had a culture photographer come to present her book in our group one evening, her pictures were amazing. She photographed India and Borneo. She traveled and lived in India for 6 months, lived and breathed the culture... she became the adopted daughter practically. I cannot remember her name now, her book on Vegas was just released.

Anyways, I do not know where this yearning and discontent is coming from. I do not know if photographers go through this discovery stage... what their language is, what they speak for, what they dream of. Something about human drama always moved me. The picture of a girl walking on the road, naked, after her town was just naplamed, is a bit too strong. I remember going to the museum in Ho Chi Minh city... there are more dramatic pictures to be seen there. I am not talking about that intensity. I guess I am talking about any emotion, captured in picture. Capturing, is what photography all about.

Perhaps I will explore this idea further.

Background, Foreground-DOP

2009-09-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

When we were in Tibet. the innocence of a child and a an aged person can be seen in both faces. It is in their culture, the sublime spirituality and the serenity is unfathomable. Yet, it takes a great eye to see this as a photographer, this is what separates photojournalism, looking at your lover's face is different as you would look at a stranger. But, the connection is deep empathy. If a photojournalist have empathy, she can detect the subtle stories in the faces. If I can only spend at least a month in Tibet, and just take pictures, and really immerse in that culture. It would show me a lot of human character and journeys. Lots of story. Wow.

Thomas (guy in red jacket) took great pictures while we were in Nepal, Tibet, he had a knack on capturing stories in the picture. He would take pictures of beggars, children. He was a novice, sometimes his exposures are not right, but I can tell from the he angles, the subjects he takes and the surrounding symbols in the picture. I told him he is great in photojournalism, and not everyone can do that. There are landscape, commercial, still, many types. But, I gravitate between nature and photojournalism. I like stories. Even nature, depending how you shoot it, tells amazing stories.

And photos can capture that, or that is if the photographer has the eye to recognize the story behind a face.

When you take a picture, the foreground is your main subject and the background is your support characters. The main subject is the main story and the background tells what the subject is doing and where it is happening. This is why DOP is important, it relates, links your main subject to its surroundings, and supports your story in the picture. But, there are faces and subject, persons that can tell ages and ages, dimensions of humanity, with just a glance. I remember one picture of this face on Life magazine, the piercing eye of this woman, and it just blew me away. Her picture is her story, her face is the muted voice. I cant help but remember the vision, and guessing what the real story was, but the emotions that it evoked must have been riveted forever to many people that have seen that Life Mag cover.