Photo Blog

Monday, October 31, 2011

Light Painting.

Hooah! Prepare to be possibly offended.

Image Un:
Where would you go if you only had the time?

 It was absolutely freezing outside. Because I had to wait equal time from the shutter length for the image to process, it was like the time to make twice as many images. And it was bloody freezing out there. So I only had the chance to make a few shots.
 For this image, I wanted clocks everywhere, lit up in yellow. I wanted them to be like a forest or flower bed floor of clocks. The shot that had more clocks in it was okay, but I liked the floating clocks in this one better.
 To make this, I taped down the shutter with a twig and some duct tape. And by 'I taped it down' I mean Lucas (the one in the image) taped it down because my cold fingers couldn't make it stay. After that, I took a small LED flashlight and painted over the background trees, leaves and the ground. I learned right away to face away from the camera or there would be light trails when I moved. From there, I took the yellow light, a headlamp actually, and flashed the clock. I would paint it in one spot, then move to another, and another and so on. I also learned to keep my feet away from the flashlight beam, else ghost feet appear. Lastly, I had him peer from behind the tree and painted over him, before releasing the shutter and waiting while breathing on my frozen fingers.
 Result? Wonderland clocks! :D
 I would like to try this again when it is not 30 degrees outside.


Image Deux:

Here lies the previously silenced commentary on religion and humanity.
(Inspired by lyrics of my favorite band, Green Day, and their song "East Jesus Nowhere.")
This image was a blast to make. I came up with the idea and tried it myself, which did not work well, because while painting ones' self, one moves and therefore looks like a zombie with their face melting off in the final image. So what did I do? I recruited help. And by 'recruited,' I mean I begged and pleaded with people I trusted to help light paint me in my underwear for a blasphemous image.
 I finally found a wonderful assistant and we had a spectacular time light painting at 2:30 in the morning. I first tried painting the words on a black canvas in front of the lens, but it sucked up the light and you couldn't read it. So I tried pointing the laser at the camera. However, you could imagine it difficult to write backwards. Then, I decided to write on the wall behind me. Totally worked. However, lesson learned: Make sure not to point the laser directly straight at the wall or it covers the red lines! I had to make it on an angle so the camera caught the light. Anyway, I did that, then stripped off my warm, dark outer layer and stood as a scantily-clad Jesus to have my lovely assistant make me glow. Then I had her draw the stigmata blood on me and that was that.
 I tried several different ideas with this. I wanted to look seductive or evil. Hopefully that came across. Anyway, another phrase I tried (many times) was 'VISIT ME IN HELL' scrawled across my lower limb area. There were lots of images that were nearly successful, but had little things I was displeased about - my expression, a finger cut off, the laser missing my head just a little, the words not quite straight... Anyway, this turned out pretty good, and I am pleased to offend in the name of art.

~JD

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Words.

Because this is also a personal blog outside of my classes and there may or may not be followers actually interested in my life, this will be an all-text post under the break. Sorry there is no photo, but you can read (if you so choose) about my reaction and class discussion of an excerpt from the "Surrealist Manifesto."

"Everything is valid!"

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

"Follow your heart"

JRN 422:

A counter culture story.





Kylee Meade and Nick Royal are a happy couple of 14 months, but 'typical' may not be the right way to describe them.

Kylee Meade of Roseville is a fifth-year senior at Central Michigan University. Kylee was also born "Kyle." Meade is a transgendered woman, in the process of hormonal therapy to change her body to match the gender she feels inside.

"I'm not trying to be a different person," she said, "I'm just trying to be me - Just a girl."

Meade and Royal met through Facebook, having no actual connections. Meade found a mutual friend and said they had met before. Royal accepted it at the time and they began to chat. They started having four- to five-hour phone conversations. Once they moved to the same town, Mount Pleasant, they began officially dating, not having an actual date, but deciding two months later that their anniversary was Aug. 1.

Royal said he identified as gay, attracted to boys only. He tried dating girls and it didn't work.

"Kylee is the exception," he said. "I fell in love with her before I knew, and that's kind of why."

The day before their three month anniversary, Meade came out as transgendered to Royal.

"I said, 'Well, I'm gay and I date boys, so we have to break up,'" he said.

"We had been dating for a couple of months and it was getting serious," Meade said. "I knew I was getting strong feelings for him. So I had to tell him soon. ... And so I told him. We were basically just crying for hours and hours that night."

Royal said they ended on nice terms, but he couldn't get her out of his head the next day. He bought her three roses for their three month anniversary and told her he was unsure what would happen with their relationship, but he wanted to try.

"He basically said, 'I don't want to put my love in a box anymore,'" Meade said.

"I said, 'I don't know how this is gonna go, but I want to try,'" he said. "And since that day, she has been breaking through my mind compartments."

Meade said she was tentative and something would probably eventually happen, but they have since been dating for more than a year and he has been supportive.

"Love is love, it doesn't really matter, but for some reason, society wants that label." Royal said.

He said right now he identifies with Queer, saying it is the only label he feels comfortable with because it is such an umbrella term.

"In my head I'm attracted to more men than women," Royal said, "but I don't see us breaking up, so it doesn't really matter."

He said he really doesn't see Meade's  physical changes as becoming a problem.

"In my head, she's a female," he said. "There's no question about it."

Meade said this summer or next December she is going to have facial reconstructive surgery to reduce her brow bone and jaw and to reshape her nose.

"I don't really have any fat, but the hormones will place the fat in a different area," she said, moving her hands over her thighs and hips.

Meade is a vocal major and the hormones affect her every day. Her voice is always changing. She said she is concerned about the vocal shift.

"I want to keep my singing voice," she said. "It's my life."

But whatever changes Meade is going through, Royal is by her side and plans to stay. He said he wants people to ask questions and not to make assumptions. He said there is really only love and has one piece of advice:

"Just follow your heart."

Monday, October 17, 2011

Fashion

JRN 420: Fashion!


Simply who we are.
Lighting:


Men's rings: Built tough.

Lighting:
And flip the person to the left side for the second shot.


~JD

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Word Art

I made this last week and though I would share. My favorite quote from the artist Jerry Uelsmann.

It's also printed and hanging on my wall so every day I can see it and remember that the world is ours, whatever I see becomes mine and that photographs are a window to memory, to lives and to someone's heart.

"By our cameras," we shall live.

~JD

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Counter culture Single

JRN 422: Counter culture single.

For my assignment, I am shooting a couple - Nick Royal and Kylee Meade. The two became a couple several years ago as gay men. Kylee later came out as a transgendered woman and is now going through the hormonal therapy process, with her boyfriend still faithfully by her side.

Kylee Meade, left, laughs as her boyfriend, Nick Royal, tries to attack her with kisses on Wednesday evening, Sept. 28, in Kylee's residence hall room.


~JD

Cafe Rocker

JRN 420: Fashion Practice.

Cafe Rocker.
On the stairs in the EHS Building. Umbrella to the left, pointed up at his face.
Backlight one floor down, pointed at wall.
Splash rimlight behind his head.


~JD

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Football Champ

JRN 422: Sports feature picture story.


Brandon "Champ" Champion, a Cadillac senior, is known for his love of sports.

"Brandon is football," said John Manzo, Clinton Township junior and friend of Champion.

On Saturday, Oct. 1, Champion went out to watch the Central Michigan-Northern Illinois football game at Kelly/Shorts stadium with his roommates and friends. After about an hour drinking with his friends in the tailgate lot and passing out Monster energy drinks to other tailgaters, Champ strolled into the stadium with his arms around his friends' shoulders, straight down to about the fourth row in the student section.

Brandon Champion, senior of Cadillac, watches the Central Michigan-Northern Illinois football game Oct. 1 at CMU's Kelly/Shorts stadium.
Brandon Champion of Cadillac, right, and his friend Shonda Smith of Detroit cheer for the Chippewas in the Oct. 1 Central Michigan-Northern Illinois football game at Kelly/Shorts stadium at Central Michigan University.

The smile never left his face, despite the chilly wind and small student section present at the game. He cheered with his friends, danced to the music and never quite stayed in one place during the game.

His friend, Detroit sophomore Shonda Smith, looked up from the game at one point to find neither Champion nor his roommates around her.

"They'll be back," she laughed. After about 15 minutes, she realized the boys were in a completely different row, two rows back. Once Champion saw her, he squeezed between other students to come to her level, only to leave again after about five minutes.

Champion and his friends left the game at half time to watch Michigan State football from his apartment at Lexington Ridge, U12.


Cadillac senior Brandon Champion throws his arms out in exasperation while watching Michigan State football on Oct. 1 at his Lexington Ridge apartment, U12, in Mount Pleasant.

Not only does Champion watch football, he also plays on two Intramural teams; he plays quarterback for the co-ed team the Honey Badgers and is also a part of an all-male team.

"I'm like a die-hard sports person," Champion said with a large grin while describing himself.

He also covers soccer for the student paper, Central Michigan Life.

Quarterback of the co-ed Intramural flag football team the Honey Badgers, Cadillac senior Brandon Champion runs with the ball on the cold Oct. 3 night game at Central Michigan University IM fields.
The Honey Badgers lost 19-12.

After a game of Intramural flag football, the Honey Badgers team's quarterback Brandon Champion, of Cadillac, looks over the Central Michigan University IM fields.
His team lost in the 19-12 game.

Brandon Champion and Ashley Scheetz walk away from the Central Michigan University Intramural fields after the co-ed flag football team, the Honey Badgers, lost a game Monday night, Oct. 3. The final score was 19-12.

After his co-ed IM game on Oct. 3, Champion headed away saying he was mad they had lost 19-12. He went home to watch baseball on TV.

~JD

Monday, October 3, 2011

Location Lighting

Brooke Whitten enjoys a chilly autumn afternoon outside Sept. 30 at Papa's Pumpkin Patch, 3861 S. Summerton Road.

Missy Davis sneaks around Warriner Hall with Secret Agent Perry Sept. 30. Missy collects Perry the Platypus things from the Disney cartoon, "Phineas and Ferb."
Perry is both a pet and a secret agent.
~JD

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Location Lighting Practice

Lesson learned: A reflector to the right would have brightened the shadows on his face.

Lesson learned: Don't be afraid of direct light.
Kent Miller helped set up this shot.
Things learned:
  • Gold reflectors are your best friend. They give a sunshine color!
  • Teammates are great. More heads=more possibilities and more ideas to improve the shot.
  • Put your strobes on Manual. Better control!
  • Ask passers-by to model; it's surprising how many people will do it if you look like a pro.
  • Ask your teacher for help! There's a reason he's the teacher and we're the students. He knows what we're doing wrong.
PS, thanks teammates Meagan, Brooke and Brady! We rock.

~JD