Summer Road Trips

Once upon a time before I became a College Photo Lab Tech I would look forward to Summer. Summer was when I would take a 6 to 10 week ROAD TRIP by myself to Photograph and see New Things in America and Canada. One Summer I drove to different Major League Baseball Cities to watch games and to also take some Photographs along the way. This Photo is a Multi Exposure on 120 B&W Film in a Holga Camera. I went to see The Detroit Tigers play a game in the old Stadium before it was torn down for a modern one. Baseball has always been a way to know that summer was here. Growing up in Los Angeles my Dad always took me to see the Dodgers every summer and we always sat at the very top of the stadium because that was all he could afford. Those were GREAT TIMES.

Happy Birthday Magenta

Today Jerry Burchfield Would have turned 63. This Image is from a trip I did with Him and a few others from Cypress College a Few Years Ago. He Took us out to EL TORO MARINE AIR STATION which was no longer in use and is destined to be The Great Park in Irvine . Jerry always talked about how light and color worked in tandem along with many other factors that made up a photograph. Well Jerry you are no longer walking among us but all the lessons and wisdom and Friendship you gave me will Live on. I too share the things you taught the many students you touched. Jerry you were always a wonderful Photographer and Teacher but most of all You are still a valued FRIEND.

Graciela Iturbide on Polaroid 600 Film 7-24-2010

I went to see Graciela Iturbide's latest Opening at the ROSE GALLERY in Santa Monica last Saturday. The show is called asor. My Friend Veronica got to work with the gallery on this show and also drove Graciela around Santa Monica on Saturday too. I met Veronica at the Gallery Opening and was able to take a photograph of the Two of them on Polaroid 600 Film. I also took a PORTRAIT of GRACIELA !!

I asked Graciela to sit on the planter thats full of white roses by the front door of the gallery . I had seen her sitting there smoking earlier and thought it would make for a good location. I only took the One Photo you see above. It came out better then I hoped, along with the Polaroid of Graciela & Veronica. I Did a 3rd Polaroid of Veronica by the Roses that I like too!

Overall It was a GREAT NIGHT OUT!!!

Thank You Veronica for getting me out of my funk and out of the HOUSE!!!

One Eyed Wonder

It always amazes me how much women put themselves through just to impress us men.

LOCATION-LOCATION-LOCATION!!!

Sometimes you look and look for a cool location and end up with NOTHING! Then you find something GREAT ! This Polaroid is from a empty office building in Orange next to a Pipe company. This was Done on a Saturday when all the surrounding offices where closed. Wish I could find more Locations that worked as well as this one!!!

It Died

This is what happens when you use LONG EXPIRED POLAROID SPECTRA FILM.. All the colors are GONE ! I was left with yellowish and brownish tones only. I do enjoy the way this image works but it raised hell with some of the other objects I photographed. Oh well I didn't pay for this box of film so its a WIN FOR ME!!!!

GOING GOING GONE?

Color Negative Printing used to be my speciality back when I taught Part Time at a Community College. Now I sit behind the counter at CSULA and Run the Lab. Very few students today want to make color prints using the enlargers and color negatives or the color processor. They want to have someone else make them a LIGHT JET PRINT or make a INK JET PRINT off a DIGITAL FILE that was made on the computer. Color RA 4 Printing at college is a thing of the past and we here at CSULA will join the Digital Color Print only Future Soon. For me it will be a SAD DAY but for the vast majority of Photography Students they will not miss it.

Ode to Helmut

Helmut Newton has long been a Favorite Photographer of Mine. I have read his Autobiography and Bought many of his Books. I wish I could have bought his book "SUMO" when it came out but I couldn't afford it then or to spend even more money to own a Helmut Newton Photograph . I still cannot afford to buy anything by him except for the small version of "SUMO" that rests on the bookshelves at home. That's OK I think I would have a Nervous breakdown by spending over 30,000 Dollars to Hang a Helmut Newton Photograph on my Bedroom Wall.

The Photograph above was done by me in the late 1990's. When you look at it you can tell that I was Trying to make a Homage to Newton. When I show this Image to my Helmut Loving Friends they all Smile and start talking about their Favorite Newton Images. I too have many a Favorite Helmut Image in my mind when I think of him. I hope you have some too!

A Touch of Green

When is a Holiday not a Holiday? For me its when they do not give you a day off Work!!. Saint Patricks Day is Just another day for me as I'm not a Drinker and not a Fan of the Corn Beef and Cabbage. So here's a Portrait in Green to help celebrate tomorrow's BIG DAY!!

Mom

Mom is almost 80. Here she is right after getting her hair done. I take Mom every other Saturday to have it done. I wait while the 2 ladies who run the small shop fuss all over Her along with the other old ladies using Walkers!!. Sometimes the shop looks like a rush hour traffic jam from Hairspray Hell.

When it Rains it Pours

Things have been so WET this winter I thought I would post a Image I did on the 4th of JULY at NIAGARA FALLS. Yes it RAINED on me that day too!! I Took this Photo with my Mamiya 6 Camera when I walked across the bridge that connects the USA and CANADA. Later that day I took the "Maid of the MIST" boat ride to the base of the Falls and it was GREAT!! You get soaking wet even though you are wearing the plastic rain poncho they give you. Yep when it RAINS it POURS when your on Vacation.

Digital Photobooths SUCK

I LOVE photobooths! Its all about closing the Curtain and making something FUN! Its waiting 5 minutes for that slice of time to drop into a slot for you to remove!! Sometimes they are still wet and SMELL of photo chemistry.. WHAT JOY!!!

It looks like that experience will soon be no more. Digital Photobooths are spring up and the old chemical booths are getting harder to find every day. I hate the new digital booths. Sure they take 6 pics instead of 4 pics per strip. But the format sucks its a stupid square that's almost a close up and the paper feels and looks FAKE.. Plus its dropped into the slot 30 seconds after the last flash goes off in the booth. Wheres the anticipation of something magical about to appear in the drop slot!!

UGH!!!!! Progress SUCKS!!!!!

Just need One

There is just one Sun to Light your film outside so I like to use JUST ONE LIGHT when I shoot Polaroids in the studio. Hot Lights give the skin a nice warm glow plus you can play with the Barndoors and the direction of the light to make the Light HARD or SOFT.

FUJI LAND

I'm starting to use my Fuji Instax Camera as I approach the end of my stash of Polaroid 600 Film. I think I'm down to my last 6 boxes and will try to make each box a special event when I use it. I know there is still 600 film out there on ebay and amazon but I can not pay the 40 dollars a box of 10 exposures they are asking and the price will keep on rising. I Really like the Cool Blue Color Values of the Fuji Film but I'm getting FRUSTRATED by the CHEAP ASS FUJI 200 CAMERA. You can not get close with it and the Rangefinder Viewfinder is a JOKE!!!!! But on the bright side the film is cheap at 12 dollars, for a pack 10 exposures. I think its time to finish up the Polaroid 600 Film I have before it goes bad then move onto my stash of Polaroid Spectra Film. I will then have to decide if thats it for me or go ahead and move on over to FUJI LAND where THE COLOR SPECTRUM RUNS TO THE COOL SIDE.

Road Trip Back in Time

I think I have been to this spot in Cabazon at least 4 times. Each time I stopped it was to take a Photograph. The most recent was 1-31-10. The first time was in the 80's and I used a Widelux camera to take Panoramas. Terry Muggier happened to also be there shooting a fashion spread and they told me don't point my lens that way, which was fine with me as I was to busy laughing as they tried to hang some model from the Dinosaurs Head. Poor Girl was not happy about that as it was very windy that day and the cherry picker was swaying as they were trying to get her in place to set up the shot. It was not windy when I took Photos this time. Tons of people were around and there was even a park with grass around the Dinosaurs. How different from the barren dirt lot back in the 80's.

I NEED to ROCK my TRAY

I miss the Darkroom more then I thought possible now that we live in the digital age. I long to go into the Darkroom and make me a stack of tasty FIBER PRINTS when I mix chemicals for the students every morning. Nine hrs later when my day is done I'm so sick of looking at crappy student RC 8x10's I could PUKE!!!! My mind has turned to mush after looking at poor student work and I just want to escape and go home. I haven't given up on making me some FIBER PRINTS in the

the DARKROOM I just need to find where I placed my FREE TIME.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

The Photo Lab I work in is down in the BASEMENT. I miss the sunlight and looking out a window. Instead I have a View of a creepy hallway and the elevator door. When I'm by myself and turn off the radio you can hear the building make noises. yes this place would make a wonderful Haunted House come Halloween.

Fake Fur-Real Smile

I live in SUNNY CALIFORNIA but Damn its been cold. Plus its been raining cats and dogs!!. There was even a tornado warning in the OC. The only bright spot for me is everyone is breaking out the WINTER COATS! This makes for great PORTRAIT opportunities.

Alexandra has a wonderful SMILE and I love the way the Coat Hood frames her Face...

This Image was a can't miss as long as I remembered to wait for the SMILE :-)

NO FEAR

It was cold and damp this morning in LA so I think this Photo of my Nephew will work. A few summers ago I took Him on a Summer Road Trip up the 5 fwy to Seattle. We took PCH back down the coast to see Redwoods, Dirty Hippies and of Course San Fran. After riding all day in my 2006 SCION Xb I don't think we smelled that good either. It was good to get out and stretch our Legs.

Me Myself and I

This has to be the best self portrait I've ever done of myself. It was shot in Edwards driveway in Paramount. I borrowed his sunglasses, set the self timer, then quickly ran around to the front and counted to 10 and tried not to laugh. The lens distorted my forehead but its ok with me my hair is going away and theres not much you can do about it. I promise you I WILL NEVER EVER SPORT THE CLASSIC DONALD TRUMP HAIR SWIRLL!!

Pixel my ASS

I use Film Cameras. That's Right Film! So if I take a photograph of you I must Develop the Film then make a contact sheet and pick out which frame I want to PRINT!! None of that looking on the back of the camera to see your digital image. I have the MONEY to join the Future but choose to make photographs as I always have. I get a certain satisfaction to hear and feel the click of the shutter. I enjoy the tactile feel of FILM and the PHOTOGRAPHIC PAPER.

There is nothing like the smell of Photo Chemicals as you WORK to make a PRINT. Yep I'm old school and LIKE IT!!

The Futures So Bright...............

Edward is the BEST. We talk photography,art,music,food,fashion and that silly topic LIFE... He even shares my Lust for Polaroid Cameras and using them. Poor Edward will even stand RIGHT THERE!! and wait while I fool with the Camera. He then waits some more till I think it's the RIGHT MOMENT..... Then I Quickly Press the button.

... FLASH-CLICK...

Another Cool Polaroid 600 Portrait.

WINK-WINK-NUDGE-NUDGE

I Enjoy a good Laugh. If you can make me LAUGH or play along with a Silly Idea, Your my kind of people. Sometimes the Ideas work and sometimes they are real stinkers!. I was thinking the bubbles would show much more! But I could not have asked for more out of Sarah and Kara. They were a real hoot and the nicest girls to work with. The polaroids are goofy and the expressions still put a smile on my face. Overall it was a Great Day!!!!

The Roof

Paulina was her real name and she was such fun to work with. I took tons of Images of her. It was hard to understand her sometimes due to a really think English Accent. We also did some on the Roof of the Royal Academy of Art in London but we had Crappy weather and it started to Rain!! I laughed when she said " HEY YOU CRAZY AMERICAN LETS GET OUR ASSES INSIDE MY HAIR IS GETTING WET!!!" That I understood as a bolt of Lightning lit up the sky!

This is one of my Favorites of her that I did in the studio before we tried to do it on the ROOF.

MM meets the LINHOF

Its not every day I get to Photograph the #1 Marilyn Monroe impersonator in all of Great Britain. This was done in the mid 1980's when I did a study abroad trip to The Royal College of ART in London. This Image was my Idea and I set up the studio to look like this. I used the schools Linhof Technorama 120 camera. It got only 4 shots per roll of film.  It was a Fantastic 3 months spent Studying Photography and Photo History.

Don't worry I spent a lot of time having non photo fun too!!!!!