Monthly Archives: January 2010

Weekly Photo Round Up – Jan. 30

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To update quickly, I DID NOT get that writing job. I received a “do not reply” boiler plate response that didn’t even give me a reason why.

Thank you for your interest in {REDACTED}. At this time, we are unable to bring you aboard. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and passion with us.

So there you go. I admit was a little disappointed, but I think I’ll reapply in a week or so, maybe for a different category. I also didn’t do any research to determine what kind of writing style they like. That might have helped.

Let’s talk about something awesome: This week’s photo round up. I managed to get 5 out of 7 for the week and noticed that I actually looked forward to looking for something to shoot.

If you’re interested enough, you can find the daily images as they’re posted to http://ping.fm/user/photokristen/media/ – the most recent will be on the first page at the top. You can also RSS the page using this link. I give the images funny titles.

An article I wrote applying for a writing job

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I love writing almost as much as I love photography. If I can find a way to do both in my life, I will be truly happy. Here is a short article I submitted applying for a writing job for a multi-topic website. The site is along the lines of About.com, but you get paid for submissions. I’m not sure it’s my best work, but we’ll see what happens. I’d settle for “good enough”.

The world is changing. Now, more than ever, families are taking into account their impact on the planet. Regardless of these strides, many still find it difficult to remember to put recyclables in the bin and not the trash. While the world is moving towards a Greener tomorrow, we’re not there yet.

Kids today are inundated with games, electronics, and social networking. More often than not, thinking Green falls on deaf ears. In this wham-bam-thank-you-mame society, how do you get kids excited about saving the planet? At their tender ages, they are invincible. The world only ends in movies or when that cute guy doesn’t like you back.

Parents know that kids require constant reminders for just about everything. From picking up their clothes to putting cans in the recycling bin. Instituting new house rules is often like pulling teeth. Let’s face it, sometimes kids just forget no matter how good their intentions are.

Never underestimate the power of posted signs. Kids aren’t always aware that these days, just about everything is recyclable; from Styrofoam to cat food cans. Kids also like to participate in grown up conversations. Talking to them, asking their advice, and opening frequent dialogs is a good way to keep the planet on their minds. Kids also like new information. Saying things like “Did you know that that water bottle will end up in landfill and it will take 450-1000 to decompose?” gets their wheels turning. Furthermore, fun activities like a family garden give them hands on experience in living self-sufficiently. Get creative and most importantly, make it fun and engaging. Before no time, you won’t have to dig a Coke can out of the trash ever again.

Conquering Eco-Guilt and Saving Money

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Several years ago I signed up with a company called Green Dimes; they’re a company that does all the hard work of removing you from marketing and catalog mailing lists. It was around $36 a year and I figured it was worth saving me the aggravation.

Sometime at some point, our subscription expired and we started getting a new influx of catalogs and marketing mailers. This time, I figured I’d bite the bullet and make the calls myself. I started this morning and made 23 calls. I was surprised at how easy it was. Most companies have easy to use options via phone for removing your name and address. Often, you don’t even need to talk to a person. The majority of companies were pleasant and never once did anyone try to dissuade me. Each call, except one or two, only took a minute or less.

Some are harder than others. Target, Kenneth Cole, West Ways, and Trader Joe’s don’t make it easy. Target makes you visit their site, log into your account, and update your settings. The lady I talked to wasn’t able to help over the phone. I’m still not sure if we’re off their list. The catalog comes to AJB so I have no idea what his account info is. That one will have to wait. Kenneth Cole makes you dig through their website and fill out a form. West Ways requires a written request (see address at bottom). Trader Joe’s apparently, does not have a phone number. I couldn’t find one in the Fearless Flyer nor on their website. I ended up submitting a general inquiry form on their site asking to be removed. We’ll see if it works.

All in all, it wasn’t an unpleasant experience. It was a lot easier than I thought and I’ve done two very valuable things: I’m saving trees and reducing clutter in our home. Truth is, AJB and I are both catalog junkies, even though I know better. When they come, we both ooh and ahh over furniture and gadgets, but we hardly ever buy anything from them. I figure, if we want to actually buy something, we can visit the store or buy online. Besides, out of sight, out of mind. It helps us conquer our American-bred addiction to consumption.

Since I was 11 years old, I’m always trying new things to reduce my impact on the planet. It’s just what I do. I don’t do it because it’s trendy. I mean, please…since when do I follow trends? Not often, I can tell you. Green Dimes (now called Precycle) is a great idea if you just don’t have the time, but it really didn’t take that long and I just saved us $36 dollars. I’m keeping a spreadsheet of the companies I called and will watch the mail. This will be an ongoing process, but it beats eco-guilt over all the useless catalogs that pile up in our home that just end up in the recycling bin anyway. I figure, it’s something I can do as the piles accumulate and over time. It makes me feel better and it helps the planet. Hooray!

How To Tips:

1. Grab all your catalogs and make a pile
2. Locate their phone number (usually 800 or 888); most times it’s on the back or somewhere inside the catalog. I found that the inside numbers were usually on every page at the bottom or top or near the front.
3. Look at your address and find your customer number. Most companies will use this to identify you. 9 times out of 10, it’s in a blue box near your address.
4. Call and ask to be removed. Simple.

Because mailing labels are pre-printed, you will continue to receive up to two more mailings before you’re permanently free from their list.

Some companies want written requests, like West Ways Magazine. I’m going to send a postcard which saves on a full price stamp. Ain’t I thrifty?

Attn: Jim Dooley-Green
Westways and Journey Publications
3333 Fairview Rd., A327
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

I met this kid at a party…

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Last week, I met this kid at my cousin’s birthday party. I say “kid” because he was 24 years old. That’s 10 years younger than me, turns out. That’s scary. When did 24 years old become younger than me? We chatted for a while about cameras and photography in general. Come to find out, I really like talking about that stuff which concludes that I actually like being a photographer. Go figure.

I told him about Chase Jarvis’ new book “The Best Camera“, a book I haven’t read (actually, I think it’s just a photo book) in which the author uses his iPhone camera to capture some amazing photos. The title of the book is an old photography teacher mantra stating that the best camera is the one you have with you. Further meaning: You don’t need a fancy camera to be a good photographer.

Whenever the youngin’s ask me what camera they should buy, I always tell them what Chase says about the best camera; although I should note, as it’s become a Chase Jarvis phrase, it’s not new. You can be an awesome photographer with your camera phone. I then have to justify why I have a fancy, expensive camera and explain that it’s basically about fronting, looking like a pro, and making myself feel better when I’m on a shoot. It’s about vanity. Oh well, and I couldn’t rightly shoot actor headshots on a camera phone and then charge what I charge. That said, I recommended the kid get one of the Canon Rebels. I love those little guys and they’re actually pretty amazing cameras; you know, if you want to step up from the camera phone.

That said, this kid told me how he’s working on a project in which he takes one photo a day and then at the end of the week, uploads the lot to Flickr. I thought,by jove, what a novel idea. Alright, so all us photographers dabble with that idea from time to time. Some of us do it, some of us don’t. Some of us start and never get anywhere. I actually tried to do the picture a day thing and only made it through a few weeks.

It’s an exercise in seeing more in your environment and dumbing down your gear, living with limits. It’s about stepping away from the main picture and using a camera without a lot of bells and whistles. I do indeed like this idea and realized that I had a lot of fun when I did it the last time. Problem was, I didn’t do anything with the photos and felt it was gratuitous to upload one photo a day of random crap. However, a weekly posting on the week’s shots might be a bit more palatable and easier for me to handle.

I managed to get three this week. The last image is a random one I took while writing this post. It’s not bad for a start. Also note, the two photos of my yard cat, Pierre.

An open letter to Anderson Cooper

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Dear Anderson Cooper,

I’ve watched you on CNN for years, mostly because you’re always on, you’re charismatic, good looking, and you talk smart stuff. Like a good journalist, you rushed to Haiti and were one of the first on the scene. You’re fairly thorough in your reporting and you seem to try and bring in the human aspect of crisis stories, which is admirable. Tonight, however, I watched in horror as you talked at the camera as family members of a young girl desperately dug her out of a collapsed building just inches behind you. They dug with one shovel and their own hands. There you stood like some talking head, reciting the events as they unfolded. At one point, you put the microphone INTO the opening in which these men were digging so that we at home could hear this girl’s muffled cries.

What the fuck is the matter with you? I understand that due to the nature of your career, one might need to grow a thick skin and close themselves off to human suffering. In order to do your job, you have to shut out the cries of children and report like a disaffected robot. You have to get the story. I understand that. It’s your job and it’s why you get paid the big bucks. However, how cold do you have to be to stand there and watch while others frantically work to save a life? How far have you buried your emotions? Where is your humanity?

Over the course of the evening, I heard you relate that many people there are asking for your help. You are but one man and can only do so much. You can’t help everyone so you don’t help anyone. I understand you’re there to do a job and you probably think it’s best to leave the humanitarian work to those better qualified. You might even think that you’re providing a valuable service. Regardless, this isn’t about you quitting your job and joining the Red Cross. It’s what you didn’t do in that moment when when you chose to sensationalize pain rather than get your manicured hands dirty. What did you think you were doing? Did you think you were helping? You were getting in the way.

When it comes down to it, you and your kind capitalize on the suffering of human beings. It’s what you and the other media whores do. You offer nothing in regards to making the world a better place. You report about the bad things and you only watch as horrors evolve. You are a sadist. Did it not occur to you that you had crossed a line? As I watched this, I quite honestly thought (because you come off as such a nice guy on TV) that you might actually help dig. No, you just stood there, talking.

Reporter or not, you’ve shown the world that your ratings are more important than a human life. Your emotions are, like the unfortunate people of Haiti, buried under rubble, trapped and dead. You are an automaton and you have no soul.

Sincerely,
Kristen

P.S. I don’t know what you do in your free time. Maybe you volunteer at a soup kitchen or something, but tonight was reprehensible. You should be ashamed of yourself.

I’m a photographer, dammit.

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I like to pretend I’m brave and a go-getter, but when it comes to my art, I’ve always been a little chicken shit. During my formative years, I faced so much criticism from people that I learned to stop showing my work. I knew I was talented and part of me even knew it didn’t matter what people said, but I found that whenever I showed my work, people always told me what was wrong with it; as if they thought I could take it. You’d think someone like me would use that information to improve. I tried, but after a while, I felt like I was the only person who appreciated my work. I spent many years wondering what the point was. Should be an artist at all? Was I a sham? Did I want so badly to be an “artist” that I continued to make crap nobody liked despite my worst critics? No matter how much I told myself that their opinions didn’t matter, it wasn’t true. It did matter. It matters, but some people are simply assholes.

Unlike a lot of artists, I never had a mentor and my internships have all turned out to be huge let downs. I’ve read books and articles hungrily searching for tricks, tips, and advice. I’ve taken classes and even walked up to photographers to ask them questions about their techniques and equipment. Nothing has been handed to me. So when I see other photographers, people who have done far better than me in less time, I can’t help but feel inferior. They’re out there making names for themselves and I’m sitting at home wondering how to make a name for myself.

During my 1st year out as a freelancer, I worked hard and did a lot of “pay your dues” work. I learned a lot, but found that I still didn’t know how the system worked. How were my friends making money, getting printed, and showing up in galleries? How does that work?

The hardest facet of being an artist is learning how to sell yourself. My friends have photo blogs, they talk constantly about their work, and they’re always working on something. Now, let’s not forget, they’re also in their 20′s and can live on Top Ramen and Red Bulls. Had I been more focused, a bit smarter, I could have done what they have done. So now I’m married with step-kids and while that’s not a valid excuse, it does add a certain level of complication to the matter. The other issue is that I carefully release my work, only showing the work I’m totally positive will get a good response. I don’t ever show my mediocre work, or at least, I’m afraid to. I seem to have a heightened sense of good or bad in own my work. My friends, they show everything…even the bad stuff. Are they better photographers than me? In some cases, yes. In others, no. They’re putting themselves out there and perhaps it doesn’t occur to them that someone might say they hate it. Frankly, I haven’t seen that yet. They seem to get a good deal of affirmation in their work, even the work that I wouldn’t consider good; if it were mine.

It took me a year to start telling people, with confidence, that I was a photographer. When I started doing that, my life started making sense. I’ve always been a photographer, but felt that since I wasn’t making money and didn’t have the portfolio to back it up, I shouldn’t rightfully call myself one. It sounded pretentious and I was worried that I would appear to be egotistical. That was then. I now have a pretty decent portfolio and I’m more determined than ever to make a go of it. This is what I want, this is who I am. I am a photographer, dammit. This is the year that I will hype my shit and show my work. I’ll find a way to stay respectable and not come off as an egomaniac.

With that said, I took a leap and submitted 7 of my recent Polaroids to a one night gallery showing in Santa Monica. As many of you know, Polaroid is one of my favorite film types. I just love it. I put off submitting my work to this show because…you guessed it, I was afraid. When the deadline drew near, I fought my inner critic and eventually won. I sent them out and felt as though I was throwing caution to the wind. Let the chips fall where they may. Turns out, they’re using my work. In what capacity, I’m still not sure. My name is on the list of contributors and I’m attending the show tonight.

Let the chips fall where they may. I figure, some things work and you can’t please everyone.

Organizing a Digital World

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It’s 2010 and hundreds of nano-robots have entered my brain and are accessing my organizational programs. We also have that *big thing coming up, so it’s time to get busy. Trepidation? You bet.

Since around 2004 when I got my very first digital camera, I’ve simply loaded images onto my computer willy nilly. With hardly any regard to structure, it’s one of those things I told myself I’d do later. 40,000 images later, I’m at an important juncture in my career. I have too many images, don’t need access to them all, and need to find them faster. Furthermore, iPhoto isn’t meant to handle 40,000+ images. It’s meant for Mom and Dad’s photos of birthday parties, Christmases, and the Grand Canyon. Now, don’t get me wrong. This is not a slight on Mac or anything. Mac and I are good friends, but iPhoto really isn’t the high-octane photo organizer a photographer like me needs. It bogs down, chokes up, and fades out.

The problem now is that I do indeed have 40,000 photos (maybe more, not counting everything on my laptop). I’ve done some research and have come across a lovely $300 application called “Lightroom”; it’s made by our friends over at Adobe, the people who brought you Photoshop. Lightroom is like iPhoto on crack. It’s got quite a few more advanced features and really seems to take organization seriously. In addition, it makes me feel more grown-up.

Problem is, how do I integrate 40,000 photos into a new application using new organizational methods? I have no idea. I thought I’d import everything and then organize, but I couldn’t figure it out. I thought the best way to do this was to import everything at once. Once I got everything in, I couldn’t figure out a good method. I thought about starting over and importing folder by folder. That was until I realized iPhoto isn’t necessarily organized that way. Besides, I don’t think I can import image by image one by one. That would take forever. I deleted everything I’d just imported. Not the original files, by the way. The added bonus came when I cleared the trash bin. I then realized I could indeed organize the way I wanted to within Lightroom, except, now I have to start over.

Yesterday, the import took around 4 hours. At present, Lightroom is acknowledging that the images were there but cannot find them. Yeah, that’s because I deleted them. I’m not sure how to get the ghost images out of there and a second “delete” is taking forever. Good thing I’ve allocated the entire day for this project. And I have to do it. It’s integral that I stay organized, can find images, and can get my workflow working. Up until now, I haven’t had an efficient workflow and I’m pretty sure it’s hindering my work. I’ve come to hate downloading images and I have hardly any desire to work on them, work through them, or put them to any good use. That’s because the current method doesn’t work. I need things that work.

We’ll see how it goes. I’ve got 4 hours to kill. I guess I’ll do laundry or something.

UPDATE: When tried to re-import the images from the iPhoto Library, the entire library was gone. Yes, this means what you think it means. Everything. Gone. We still have no idea what happened, but are hoping that by using Time Machine to restore the internal drive to an earlier date before the Lightroom debacle, this will fix things. I hope. Of course, this means I must also face the fact that all my images might be gone. Forever.

*Note to self: Five years from now, you won’t remember what you’re talking about. Hint: 320