BOC: Self Portrait

For this week's BOC I decided to take a self portrait as a funny photo.  I just wanted to make some funny faces so I took a few and I decided to post this one.  This highlights me as I try to look funny but not creepy.  Well, maybe just look at those eyes...maybe borderline creepy! lol  My facial expression here could be ambiguous because it looks like I am either scared or going after somebody or just plain comedy.  Do you think this maybe an award winning photo? Maybe not, but it was just fun to do.

I did not really care so much about the lighting in this one as I just wanted to make sure my whole facial expression can be seen.  This picture was taken in my office at my house.  If the viewer did not know me they might think that my eyes could be hypnotizing.

As a matter of fact I thought about taking some pictures with my DSLR but I just could not come up with any idea on how to present it, so I just opted for this simple one with my iphone.  This is a very handy gadget I might ad as not only does it provide considerably amazing quality pictures but always readily available.

BOC: Photojournalism

This week's BOC assignment is about photojournalism.  While driving on the 215 freeway there were a whole bunch of emergency lights.  Obviously, this created a lot of traffic on the road, especially since it was nighttime.  Since nobody was allowed to get out of their cars due to curiosity, I just took the picture inside my car.  Apparently, it was a motorcycle accident and there were police and paramedics around. The location was actually on the ramp coming from the airport tunnel heading south onto 215 east.  As this turn is pretty sharp, this was not the first accident I have seen.  A lot of drivers tend to drive around this bend pretty fast instead of slowing down to make a careful turn.

EOC Week 10: List of things I have to do...

- my business plan is mostly finished.  I just have to make sure that each topic is in narrative instead of having different points.
- additional information will be provided to each topic, such as references from the book and other source materials.

- web plan summary - color photos, fix website
- create a business card
- promotional pieces, flyers, magnets, keys, etc.

BOC Week 9: "What becomes a Legend most?"

This week's assignment involves fashion, particularly Blackglama.  It is about handcrafted mink created with the highest quality, world renowned for their unbridled luxury and elegance.  Each Blackglama skin is hand selected with exquisite attention to detail and less than 2% of black mink deemed worthy of the name.  As a matter of fact the name Blackglama refers to the mink not the designer or manufacturer.  It is a play on word of its breeders, Great Lakes Mink Association (GLMA) and the word 'glamor'.  It was 1968 and American fashion was experiencing a major shift and new marketing concepts were being conceived.  Therefore I took a picture of these ladies wearing nostalgic outfit, mainly from the 60's.  They were proud to pose as they were ready for the fun night out.  It's funny how they posed in a row of from the shortest to the tallest.  Since Blackglama used celebrities as spokesmodels, these ladies have that famous celebrity-vibe by dressing up and being more noticeable.  Even though these ladies were not wearing mink, or even fur coat (as it is still warm in Las Vegas), to me this picture works to represent what the Blackglama were about.  The celebrities that wore the Blackglama in photoshoots had a sense of impeccable style, beauty and sophistication and these ladies wanted to look the part.  They look trendy and style-savvy.

For the photo editing tool I used Lightroom 4 in which I turned the picture into black and white and added some grain in order to make it look nostalgic. Additionally, because the fur is the richest, deepest dark mink all of the advertising photographs were in black and white.

Week 8 EOC: Bang Bang Club

First of all, I thought the movie was great.  It really showed how the photographers work in conflict areas.  We only hear and see what happens in war torn countries, but these photojournalists really go through great lengths to provide us with their vision.  This movie delves into that kind of situation and showed us what goes behind the scenes of these interesting photographs.  Needless to say, this is a very dangerous job.  To me, this is more dangerous than being a soldier, because photographers only shoot with cameras, not guns.  What kind of protection and training do they really have as far as being the the middle of war?  The men and women in uniform go through intensive training before being sent to conflicts and they wear the proper gear for protection, but photographers do not have the appropriate training needed to survive the fight.  Additionally, most of these photojournalists are freelance, which makes protection more challenging.

These pictures are frightening in real life as there have been too many deaths in which photojournalists are involved.  With the Bang Bang club, the name in reference to gunfire and the violence that occurred in different communities, showed devotion to their work.  This witness the brutal killings right in front of them.  With Greg Marinovich's pulitzer prize winning photograph of a man being hacked with a machete, he says, “This was without doubt the worst day of my life, and the trauma remains with me, despite some twenty years and a lot of coming to terms with the incident, my role and what it means to be involved in murder...I neither saved him, nor redeemed myself, though at least I did not act shamefully.” (Wordpress)

Two of the four members of the Bang Bang Club are now dead which goes to show how dangerous it is by being a photojournalist.  I probably would not have the heart to do what these men and women do and I am sure this type of job are just for the special ones.

BOC: Nude Photography

Art Deco Nude - Artistic study by Walery Laryew 

I chose the picture of Art Deco Nude from Walery Laryew taken in the 1920's.  It is a very elegant vintage nude picture that is artistic and pleasant to the viewer.  The model's pose is very simple and not in a risqué pornographic way.  However, the Laryew composed the picture with the model directly in the middle and the stand she is leaning against is dead center as well.  This ignores the rule of thirds aspect in photography and I'm not too sure if this was the intention.  Nevertheless, this picture looks magnificent and could very well stand the test of time when collecting vintage pictures.  Who knows, if this was in color it could pass for a modern picture.

After searching through various photographs that are classic, I chose this one because it was appealing to me.  To make it more of my own, I edited the picture, changed the color from achromatic to monochromatic and added border around it.  I used Lightroom 3 as the editing software as it is a straight-forward editing tool compared to photoshop.

The other reason I chose a vintage photograph is that it was a challenge to look for someone to model artistic nude or boudoir.  Maybe in the future when I would know more people that are open to photography models will be lining up to do it for a favor, but that is in the future!  Still working my way up the field of photography. I know I could have paid a model to do it, but of course the financial situation will not allow it, for maybe I could have done as TFP (Time For Print) but do not know too many people in the industry yet nor models available.  As far as my comfort level with taking nude photography I have no problem with.  I do love art and photography so my pictures will be artistic.  There is probably very little chance of me getting into the pornographic world.

As of now, I will just stick to editing vintage photos and it is easier and that I do not need permission to use it.

EOC: Week 7 - Adult Content

Gentlemen's Relish Film

I think the film promotes how pornography first started.  Although the main photographer sees nude photography as artistic, his assistant realized that there was a black market available for pornography as he was making a lot of money selling it as such.  These days there is an abundance of money to be made in pornography.  Being in Las Vegas, people would definitely have an easier access to pornography as it is everywhere and is generally accepted.  Even just walking on the Strip nude cards are handed to tourists.   Additionally, this city is filled with gentlemen's clubs and are open every night and are only closed for a few hours in the morning for cleaning.  There are billboards, posters everywhere with sexy pictures of models.  Sex sells.

As far as my comfort zone with adult content, because I am a guy, I basically accept it and be willing to photograph ladies in the nude, especially if it is artistic.  As far being associated with pornography though, maybe not, as I may have a political career in the future.  The past may bite your ass.  So yes to taking boudoir and fashion pictures, no to pornography.

There are adult content that I do not mind in movies, although some have sex scenes just for the hell of it and it makes the film boring.  I just want to story to move on.  This is usually the case with movies from the 80s when there was at least one sex scene in the movies.  I think directors would add in sex scenes because they know sex sells, but if somebody wanted to watch nudity would not they rather watch porn instead?

BOC Week 7: A Collage of my life

This is my collage or story of my life, what I am about.  In this picture what I wanted to show were all the things I own, use, and some of my artwork.  Most people that know me have learnt that I have a blue sportscar and that I love sports and art.  Therefore these are the collection of stuff that I have in my life, from my car to sports to paintings.  I have been doing art all my life and I would use different mediums, hence in this image we could see the brushes and the spray cans I use to make my art.  Just behind them are some of the paintings that were made a few years ago.  I was interested in abstract and experimented with different ways of making creative paintings.  Expressing my creativity have always been a factor in my life.  The first thing viewers of my paintings would notice are the bright colors utilized.  I love using bright colors instead of dull monotones.  Additionally, there are spray cans that could be seen here.  What I love doing is called sprayart.  Most people that have not seen nor heard what sprayart is think that spray cans are just used for graffitis.  Of course this is not the case as one could create beautiful artworks with subjects such as seascape, dolphins, and space.

I regards to sports, I have been very sporty all my life as I must have played most of them, from basketball to soccer and even cricket!  Here, we could see my bicycle and a basketball to represent some of the sports I love.  Moreover, there are shoes here as I do have a large collection of shoes since I used to work for Nike.  Last but not the least in the bottom left corner we could see a Playstation 3 and a keyboard.  These things represent my love for gaming during my spare time.

Since this is supposed to be a collage, instead of pasting together different pictures of my life, I decided to just take a picture of materials that surround my life.

EOC: How has Art changed me?

First of all, I have always loved art.  As a kid I used to draw and paint a lot.  Then I really started doing it as a hobby.  I never thought much about it and I would just play games, play sports in my spare time.  However, as I got older, I used art for relaxation and hung up the paintings on the wall in my house.  Additionally, I enjoyed taking pictures with just regular point and shoot cameras.  Consequently, a couple of years ago I bought my first dslr for a vacation.  I learnt to use this camera every which way possible and my passion for it just grew.  The major change for me is applying here at the Art Institute in which obviously the tuition cost a lot of money.  No matter though I am pursuing the career of photography and doing my best not just to get top grades but learn as much as I can.  This will eventually help me with running my own business, which I know is going to be very difficult, but at least I would not be going through it blindly and funds going to waste.  Since buying that camera, I would bring it with me in all occasions and usually I become the de facto event photographer.  Even with events from work, my co-workers love seeing my pictures.  When we have family outings I bring my camera to take photographs of my family. 

There are other reasons how art has changed me, even with the clothes I wear (which is the fashion side of art), and the fact that I bought my sportscar because of the blue color, not only because it is my favorite color but matches most of my clothes .  Whenever I watch movies I enjoy analyzing the visuals involved and how they were made.  I must say that art has definitely changed me a lot and I would continue art as a career because it is something I love doing.

BOC: Editing a photo

This is a picture of me editing Las Vegas pictures for Diamond Resorts International.  I made it look as if I was working really hard, with my sleeves rolled up, and as if I was supposed to be on the phone with a client while reviewing the photographs I was editing.  You could see the clutter on my desk and important notes on the computer monitor.  You could see the hand sanitizer nearby so I would have clean hands before and after I shook hands with my client.  The picture I was editing is of the Las Vegas casinos with the world-famous sign and another picture I was getting ready to paste over it.  If you look closely, the phone line have two clients I was dealing with.  The other computer to my right is vacant which probably means that I was working late at night trying to finish up a deadline.  The Office Depot boxes are filled with much needed paper for printing and other office supplies.  If you notice in the background are stack of boxes of Ghirardelli chocolates that I would hand out to my clients to entice them to hire me and keep me in mind for future projects.  There's a water-cooler all the way in the corner for those days that the office feels like a boiler room.

So this is what I would look like if I were to work as graphic designer for a company.  As a matter of fact Diamond Resorts International is actually where I work, not as an editor but as a concierge.  So I posed on front of a computer while a co-worker took my picture.  I just used my iphone to take the picture because that was the easiest device to use at work, and that I did not have to explain to my friend how to use my Canon DSLR.  In regards to composition, I had her fill the entire image with me and the computer with little background.  The computer is on the left side of the rule of thirds and the viewers' eyes are drawn to it.  My staring at the monitor also creates implied lines, therefore, once again the computer screen is the subject.  This was a fun picture to take especially getting a co-worker involved with helping me take a picture, and that now they know that other than working full-time, I go to school full-time as well.

EOC: Best part of my Business Plan

"We describe our type of wedding photography as romantic, simple and traditional"

My company is called Love Always Photos.  It's a wedding photography business and is based in Las Vegas.  I like this part of the business plan, because it describes what it is about in one sentence.  Brides really do look forward to having romantic and traditional weddings.

Week 5 BOC: camera store photo

This is picture I took of in front of Ritz Camera in Henderson. It was a beautiful day and instead of taking the picture from inside the store, I decided to take it from outside.  I wanted to make the photo look cheesy, which is the reason for the cheesy smile and the Hawaiian shirt with a camera around my neck.  This makes it look as if I'm a tourist!  Of course I edited this picture to give it a more vibrant color.  Also, I used my iPhone to take the picture utilizing instagram because I liked how it made the picture look old.  The colors I used are more of a yellowish tone to give it a sense of warm, inviting feeling.  I took this picture early in the morning so it has the early morning glow.

EOC: Where am I at 50 years old

Since I am in the photography business, I see myself running a successful studio.  I will have my studio here in Las Vegas and since I am into paintings also I will have a few galleries opened.  They will be located locally here in Las Vegas, then in major cities like Los Angeles, and New York.  I will exhibit my artwork, paintings and photographs for the world to see.  I will be famous because of my work and be earning a lot of money.  Different businesses will commission me to do work and work will come so much that I would have to be selective about the clients with which I work.

On top of my photography career, income would be generated through different investments such as stocks and real estate.  My kids would be well taken care of and even their college would have been saved up for.  I would not have to rely on them to take care of me for the reason being that my businesses produce residual income.

I could take time off whenever I want as I will have an assistant who will take care of the business while I am gone.  Be sitting on the beach enjoying the sun or even skiing in the mountains, be on my expensive yacht, just taking the whole family out for fun.  Regardless, all the hard work I have done would definitely pay off.

In time, I will be holding seminars, even teaching classes in my spare time and even write a few best sellers.  Movie producers and executive businesses will hire me for consultation.  My group of friends will now be of the famous, successful kind as we share our thoughts and actions.  One thing for sure is that when I am 50, I will not be struggling to survive.

You Incredible!

Me relaxing at Lake Las Vegas during sunset

I took my family out to the Lakes for this assignment. It was a gorgeous day and the sunset was beautiful.  This is a shot of me looking out the lake with a Canon T3i.  I had my nephew help me as he's the one that took the picture.  We rushed to the lake because I wanted to take the picture in the 'magic hour'.  I wore an orange shirt so it would be bright enough and also because sunsets have that reddish-orange glow, so I could match the colors.  I composed myself at the bottom right of the rule of thirds because I was facing to the left of the picture and that I would still be looking within the picture.  This makes it the viewer follow where I was looking, instead of being lost looking at it.  I am glad that it was a quiet peaceful day and so nobody was in the background to spoil the shot.  Overall, this was my National Geographic assignment and I enjoyed working on it.

About me...

I have always loved ART…it’s in my blood.  As a kid, I would draw, paint or design something.  I would always appreciate artwork that’s around me.  Whenever I could, I would visit art museums and see the paintings and different designs.  I wanted to be just like the person who created that piece of art, and be famous like them.  And just like everybody else, I wanted to make some money doing it.  So it had to make sense financially.  Sell my art, sell my stuff, and grow it as a career.

Then photography came along.  I bought my first DSLR and have never stopped using it.  It would be with me in parties, weddings, different events, just about anywhere.  So it caught my interest and I started reading books on photography, watched videos on the internet and learned from professionals.  I know I could be just as good as them or better.

I am here at the Art Institute because I want to turn photography and art into a successful career.  I want to learn the different fields of photography.  Since Las Vegas is a wedding town, I should be able to profit as a wedding photographer.  Fashion photography is another interest of mine.  Eventually, I want to get into landscapes and present my work in art galleries.

I work a full time job and now full time in school and I want to be a professional photographer.

Week 3: EOC

Japanese Maple, Oregon

by Fred An

The reason I chose this picture is for several reasons.  The composition, color combinations, and the way lines are used make the picture very impressive  One can see the bright red and orange colors frame the main subject which is the tree trunk.  The leaves in front are out-of-focus creating a natural depth-of-field.  Also, it seems like the leaves that shroud the trunk do not allow too much light to come through making the main subject dark in contrast to the bright leaves above. 

The other reason I chose this picture is the color combination.  In regards to the color harmony of the color wheel, this is an analogous as we have red, red-orange, and orange.  Its combination makes it attractive enough that some may use as a desktop wallpaper.  The lines are mainly curvature and evidenced by the tree trunk.  The viewers' eyes start from the bottom and would follow the lines of the tree outwards.  However, the leaves will direct you back towards the center of the picture and the whole observation will start again, leaving your eyes to stay focus on the picture.  As the smaller branches are dark, they separate the color of orange leaves giving them texture.

The trees in the far background are green which makes you wonder if this tree is unique to this field.  With that in mind, the green definitely complements the red color.  The high contrast of the complementary colors provide a vibrant look especially since the picture is at full saturation.

When it comes to rule of thirds, the placement of the tree is right in the middle, so in essence it is breaking this rule, but it is still very effective.  There is no other way that I would take this picture other than this if I were to take it myself.  Overall, I enjoy looking at this picture, even with the bright vibrant colors it still has a calming effect.

Work cited:

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com

Week 2 BOC: Weekly Photo

This is a picture of Jin-jin Reeves of Hitzville Motown Revue.  I work as a concierge for Polo Towers so we get to see some shows for free.  I took my nephew along with me and Ms Reeves was kind enough to allow me to take a picture with her.  She is the main star of the cast of Hitzville shown at Planet Hollywood.  They perform songs from Motown, from Gladys Knight, Supremes, Diana Ross and the Temptations.  This is an amazing show that the guests at the hotel enjoy watching.  They have a lot of fun performing the show, which is almost daily.

Week 2 EOC: La Dolce Vita

I thought the film was ahead of its time.  If you compared the movie to some of the ones out today, other than new technology in movie-making, this is brilliantly made.  I loved the composition and how the film maker effectively utilized light and dark.

What I think of paparazzi is that they work very hard to get the picture they want.  However, some of them do go overboard and really bother the celebrity.  I guess it is because the consumer demands it.  We buy everything from magazines, newspapers and we even watch different shows on tv based on candid photographs of celebrities.  It is incredible that consumers just admire or even worship celebrities even if they are at their worst, which was depicted in this film.  The director showed how paparazzi will  push each other out of the way and do whatever they can to get the shot.

On a personal level, I am probably not going to become a paparazzo as I intend to work in weddings.  Although one may never know because anything can happen to your career and pursue where the money is made.  I never thought I was going to be a car salesman or a concierge at a hotel, but that is what I did for a few years and made some money doing it.

Being a paparazzo might end up being enjoyable even though it seems like a stressful job.  So as a paparazzo for the assignment what I am planning on doing is to go to different clubs where celebrities hang out, or even check out different shows.  Maybe just hang out on the Strip and photograph a famous celebrity there.  Las Vegas is known for having several celebrities party here and I will be wearing the Press Pass I will make from this class.

Week 1 BOC: Constructed Self Portrait

Constructed Self Portrait

GHOST Peter Lik

This is one of my favorite works of Peter Lik.  In this, sand was just thrown in the air to create dust and a ‘ghostly’ figure appeared.  I used my picture from the Phantom of the Opera as I thought it was appropriate to the setting inside this cave with a ghost, especially as my picture was taken with the word ‘Phantom’ above me.  Figures like the phantom or ghost have been frightening people for centuries.  Not really a fan of musicals but I enjoyed the show immensely and also not a huge fan of films or pictures that remind me of the dead but I love this photograph from Peter Lik.  I have visited his galleries in Las Vegas and this had always been one of the attractions.  Lik’s picture is probably never going to be duplicated by another photographer or even by Lik himself.  This was just by pure chance that the dust under the perfect beam of light presented itself this way. 

As a matter of fact Lik’s Ghost has won a prestigious award and had been displayed at the Smithsonian.  In the future, I would love my work to be displayed in well-known places for everyone to enjoy.  Although there are thousands of entries each year in any competition, if I strive hard enough, hopefully my work will be chosen as well.  Lik is self-taught and he is one of the world’s most awarded photographers, and as I progress in my field, I will travel the world and create unique, stunning images.

I was looking diligently for the right self photograph and suddenly I realized that I had this picture all along from a couple of years ago.  I made my photograph to what I believe is in size comparison to the ghost figure.  One thing about watching the Phantom of the Opera is that the theatre is very dark other than the stage, similarly here in the cave except for the light shining down on the canyon floor.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

Before I became part of the phenomenal world of photography, the most exciting part of my day was serving the hotel guests  to help them make most out of their vacation.  This customer service has transferred to servicing my clients in the field of photography.

As a photographer I strive well in everything I do and create breathtaking images.  Always looking for different angles, unique pictures to provide the best story for that moment in time.  However, it is not just simply photography, but to capture those amazing emotions as well.  Whenever I can, I pick up my camera and just shoot whatever I can, and practice every chance I get to help me improve my skills.  I used to only see photography as a hobby, but now I see it as a career which helps friends, family and clients bring back memories.  It is always my goal to capture candid, unforgettable moments that tell charming delightful stories.  Each and every time, clients feel very comfortable in front of the camera, and the pictures I take are truly memorable and to be treasured forever.  I am flexible and truly listen to clients so that their needs, time and budget are met.

Week 1 EOC: Stallions not Unicorns

My goal as a professional photographer is to pursue a career as a wedding photographer.  We live in Las Vegas that sees numerous weddings daily.  I know initially it is going to be tough to succeed, but I am willing to work hard with great determination.  I will market heavily online, bridal conferences, bridal shops and magazines.  I want couples to discover that I am a very good photographer and that they could refer me to their family and friends for their big day.  Since weddings are special events to remember another major goal is to help plan wedding photography from start to finish and provide my clients images to be treasured forever.  I enjoy overcoming challenging situations especially in photography where they suddenly surprise you.  I will strive to produce the most professional, artistic images to be preserved for a very long time.  Although traditional photography is usually the case, I will consider myself a wedding photojournalist as I love capturing candid moments.