Its a toss-up.

So I definitely enjoy shooting on my roof, if you haven't noticed by now.

Today I wanted to take advantage of the weather, my roof and the setting sun. So I took the 'ol Canon out for some fun! I set my shooting mode to Sport, the self-timer to shoot 10 frames in sequence and started tossing. All together I took about 300 frames or 30 sets of 10 exposures, another reason to love digital. I tossed the camera about 3 times with each round. It was so much fun, I could have shot another 300 frames but my battery said, "No."

I then loaded all the photos onto my Mac and went through, deleting a good 80%. I got a little motion sick going through all the frames so quickly during the initial edit. I then edited down even further. I didn't flip or turn any of the pictures. I left the orientation up to the camera.

Here are some of my favorites:












I absolutely LOVE the one with my shadow on the AC unit and the wall. I couldn't have planned that one if I wanted to. This is such a fun exercise. You have no control over the images. You have to let go and throw caution to the wind, literally.

And if you were wondering...no, I didn't drop my camera once!

Link:
JPG Magazine

Rooftop Textures

Alamosa is a far cry from Manhattan but with the right gust of wind from Thai House next door and the ambient noise of sirens screaming outside my window, my downtown apartment has a slight resemblance to the Big Apple. I especially love the rooftop access from our avocado green applianced kitchen. It isn't anything special. No deck with safety railing and definitely no classy patio furniture or fire pit. With all the soft spots, navigating across the roof to drop the trash into the dumpster below is like walking upon a newborn baby's head. Nonetheless, the roof was a major selling-point when I decided to move in. I love plopping down in my folding camp chair with a cigar, a rum-spiked beverage and just watching the traffic below.

10/9/09 Roof Tar

Texture is one of my favorite things to photograph. Smooth, rough, repeating, inconsistent, I love them all.

10/9/09 Dented Texture

Texture is what gives objects character, makes them interesting to look at. I'm not so much interested in the actual object but, instead, its textures.

10/9/09 Rooftop Pipes

I want to make the viewer aware of texture and I want them to think about the textures they see every day but overlook. I have an appreciation for the simple beauty in life and I wish to share it with others through my photographs.

10/9/09 Rooftop

The day I move to New York City is not close at hand. Until then I will just have to close my eyes and imagine that that honking horn is a yellow taxi cab and not a Dodge Stratus.

Links:
Paul Strand
Family Dinner

Show Me What You're Workin With!

I firmly believe that its the photographer, not the camera, that makes a good photograph. I have seen some truly amazing photographs produced from the jankiest disposable camera. I've also seen some incredibly crappy pictures come out of the nicest most expensive cameras. That being said, I am absolutely not a camera snob. Speaking with other photographers is sometimes torture for me. I don't care that you have a Leica S2 Digital SLR, let me see your photographs. Every camera has its place and it is up to the photographer to decide what camera is necessary to produce the desired image.

10/8/09 Canon w/ lenses

For the purposes of this blog, I will mostly be using my Canon Xsi and one of the two lenses that I own for it. This is my newest camera and I have really enjoyed using it. Its great for my purposes which include taking professional portraits, producing fine art prints and even a little snapshot action.

10/8/09 Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

Then there's my powerful little point and shoot. I love this camera SO much. #1 thing I love about it: 10x optical zoom. Such a dream and hard to find in a small point and shoot. I also love that I can set it to "no replay" which makes it possible to shoot multiple shots without a delay. This camera is a little chunkier than many that are on the market right now but it is perfect for me to keep in my purse because you never know when the perfect photo-op will come along. My advice for anyone in the market for a point and shoot:

• don't worry about megapixels: anything above 3 will produce lovely 8x10 prints
• digital zoom is a racket: it is basically cropping and enlarging the frame
• optical zoom is the way to go: this is actually using the lenses to zoom in
• know what is most important to you in a digital point and shoot then do your research
  

10/8/09 Spartus Full-Vue

This is currently the only film camera I own. I borrowed my Dad's Canon AE-1, 35mm for my first few photography classes. I took it out to Rhode Island with me, packed it in a box to ship home when I left and I'm still waiting for that box to show up. It really saddens me that we don't have that camera anymore. It wasn't very fancy, and you can find one on eBay for around $20 but it definitely had sentimental value. I found this Spartus Full-Vue on eBay for $5 (with shipping) and it came with another similar camera. A fantastic deal since it produces georgous pictures. It takes 120 and 220 film and generates large 6x6cm square negatives. The view-finder is a trip to use since you have to hold it at waist level and look down into it. I have gotten tons of comments when going out on the street to shoot with this camera. It has two shutter settings: automatic and bulb and it leaks some light so I can't leave film in it for long periods of time. But thats all part of its charm.

10/8/09 MacBook & CS4

Finally, my post-production tools. I have a basic 13-inch MacBook that I upgraded to 4GB of RAM so I can run may programs at once without it stalling or freezing. When I purchased a new computer after the last one got vandalized in the mail (USPS and I have some issues), I decided to get a Mac because they are the professional standard within the art world. The switch from PC to Mac was a bit trying but now I see the beauty and I will recommend a Mac to almost everyone. I do all of my photo editing using CS4 Adobe Bridge and Photoshop. My Design Standard version of CS4 also came with InDesign, Illustrator and Acrobat.


Links:
Polanoid
Stranger Photos Have Happened
B&H Photo