inside\\out

For my aforementioned photo class, we are starting a campus-wide public art installation in the style of the anonymous street artist JR. We visited his show at a gallery in Long Beach after he was announced the winner of the 2011 TED Prize, and received large prints of ourselves, which we then installed on the art building, following his "wish" for his project to be continued world-wide in our own communities.




(they look better in real life now that they are dry)




Now, we are expanding to the entire community, including students, faculty, and staff. We started publicity and recruiting passers-by last Tuesday and today, and uploaded some of our results to our blog: http://www.biolainsideout.tumblr.com As the project progresses, we will upload every picture and start installing them on walls, buildings and steps across campus! It's so exciting to see both the diversity and individuality of my school in such a dynamic way.

more happenings!

Here is the promised result of my 1000 Shot project for Contemporary Photo. This is probably one of my favorite projects so far, despite how much I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out/originally dissatisfied with it. Goes to show how much a project can push you.



Additionally, here are two images I have done prompted by an assignment in the same class. Each week we are given a noun and a verb and produce an "impulse" image based on those words.



elope the literature



approach the space

happenings

These past weeks have been pretty busy...but I've managed to stay on top of homework and even work ahead some days, which is nice. I also found/am in the process of applying for another exciting internship. I can't wait to find out what I'm going to be doing this summer! Jumping into doing what I can see myself doing long-term is both intimidating and thrilling at the same time. I suppose that's to be expected...

Here's some more of what I've been up to, still from the 1000 shot project. I'll post my final end result after tomorrow, which is the critique.

1000 shots...starting now

For one of my photo classes this semester, we have to shoot 1000 pictures in 10 days, which obviously means at least 100 shots a day.  This is a pretty crazy concept for me, because I only like shooting what I want to shoot, and only the perfect shots at that; I don't like excess or "mistakes".  But, for the sake of the project, I have to deal with it and move on.  It's a good challenge, I think, but very overwhelming for someone like me who stresses out over imperfections. :)  Here's something from today's 100.

"The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer." - Elliot Eisner (National Art Education Association)

“Photography to the amateur is recreation, to the professional it is work, and hard work too, no matter how pleasurable it my be.” - Edward Weston

diptych of relations

Another venture with the Toyo 4x5. Even though this took more than one attempt, it was so worth it. There's nothing like the darkroom. This is supposed to be a diptych, but when the images are horizontal they are much smaller (as I'm sure you've noticed) and small is just too small for this one; they are printed 16x20. There is very much a story here. December 2010.

audrey and elisabeth

Though I will never be Audrey, this is my take on Karsh.

Shot with a 4x5 view camera and Tmax 400 film...not sure about the developer, I borrowed someone else's. Cheap Arista RC multigrade paper, unfortunately. It's funny because I used one before with a Polaroid back and I thought it was cool, but eh. I just really love the darkroom. A lot. November 2010.

a different kind

Next to people, the other subject matter I have an affinity for is the quiet and unnoticed. I think that there is something about those spots of light or shadows or corners or floors that is worth seeing, especially if its something you don't see often. Or something that you used to see. Recently, I have had a preoccupation with memories and how they are stored in your head. I've found that hard to express photographically, however, for that very reason; they are almost all simply in my head. Taking a picture of something you remember can be both fulfilling or deflating because it either lives up to the memory or it doesn't. This one does. July 2010.

another another fairytale

In May 2010 another one of my good friends got married. This shot is kind of considered "the" shot among such friends.

isolations and consolations

I have always been intrigued and challenged by the elusive "square crop". Sometimes I feel like it just all fits better that way, as in the case of these. January 2010.

west coast 2009

My first semester in California was one of many different events, but they all seem to be best summed up in these images. I normally don't shoot landscapes, but there are a few definite exceptions to that. November and December 2009.

like vines we intertwined

Right before I left for school in LA...I had been eying this weeping willow for a good year or so. As I continued my definition on self, it had grown into something I did when I couldn't do anything else. August 2009.

tired of chasing a ghost

I had always wanted to do something with rain, so I decided to wrap my camera in a plastic bag and suck it up. Turns out plastic bags with holes for lenses aren't waterproof. Thankfully, nothing happened. June 2009.

another fairytale

In May 2009, two of my closest friends were married.

"like a dance"

A little out of order here, but I felt like this one should be included too. Another one of my favorites; taken on a trip to California, Coronado Island. July 2008.

"covered in your grace"

These images were inspired by a song a friend of mine wrote, "Falling Into You". I looped the song and heard it over and over as I covered myself in white tempra paint. April 2009.

icy

These two images were taken the same month, and they both "feel" the same to me, both now and when I took them. The weather was cold and I paid for it. January 2009.

"we're all strangers here"

More from portraiture developments. This shoot was especially enjoyable, considering this piano was outside in her backyard. November 2008.

"rejection"

Out of the entire body of my work, this is perhaps the piece I am the most attached to. It was prompted by one of my professors mentioning "phobias" as an idea; immediately this was in my mind. I resonate so strongly with it mostly due to the fact that it paralleled quite closely my life at the time, and also because the finished product was as close to the image in my head as I have ever managed to achieve. November 2008.

the mystery of self

What is "self"? What is identity? How does my perception of myself change (or not change) who I am? How does visualization alter my emotions? These were issues I started exploring - though mostly unconsciously. It took me over a year to fully realize what I was trying to do. However, I use the word "fully" with trepidation; I am still not exactly sure what I am trying to explain or fulfill. But experimentation reigned (and still does). June and August 2008.

human form

As I started venturing into more deliberate portraits, my results were a blend of what I saw around me and how I perceived the models. I am really partial to all three of these, for different reasons. June, May, and April 2008.

point of view

This was a quick shot that I ended up really liking. I loved what I was seeing in the moment so I held the camera up to my eyes and clicked. May 2008.

"the garden"

This image, I believe, marked the beginning of my transition (in some ways) into a pseudo-conceptualist frame of mind. I sketched this idea during one of my photo classes, and stopped along the side of the road on my way home because I noticed these magnolias outside a doctor's office. I quickly took these shots of them. I hoped no one saw me...but the passing traffic probably couldn't avoid noticing someone wrestling with a bunch of flowers. I pieced this together after I got home. April 2008.

darkroom beginnings

The umbrella image was used in my final project for my first darkroom class in college. It was originally a narrative of 5 or 6 images (depending on what I chose to include in the moment) but this is the strongest piece. The hands with the leaves was for a project in the same class; both images feature my younger brother, as does the majority of my beginning work. December 2007.

Defining

In starting this blog, I am attempting to define the past couple years of my photographic explorations. This task is quite difficult, especially because my style and concepts have changed and grown. However, the following series of posts will include what I would consider my "best" pieces to date, starting with the oldest and moving on to the most recent. In the future, I plan on posting works of interest, quotes, works in progress, and anything else that I may find inspirational.