I Get a Haircut!

This weekend I decided I couldn't wait any longer for the haircut I've been itching to get since winter break. After Sam had done a wonderful job buzzing Mike's hair, I decided how terrible would it be to have her cut mine when she did such a good job? All I needed was my sides buzzed, with the birth of a sort of mohawk.

First, we had to section off the middle part and put about one million bobby pins in so we could decide which part of my hair wasn't about to get cut.



I looked really fashionable as you can tell. After this it only got worse (or more badass, if you call scissor chopped hair a badass look). She cut my sides so buzzing it would be easier, and it looked choppy for a while. Then we finally started the real deal, much thanks to Kait for letting us use the handicapped bathroom where there was a bench, and a floor easy to clean.




Mike helped hold the hair bag (whenever else in life will we get to use this term?) and buzz the hair close to my ears to have an even trim. Before Sam even had to go on duty, we were golden. My hair was decidedly too thick in front, and we thinned it out somewhat. Though it may be a choppy look, it was awesome by the time 'd finished playing with some hairspray and other things.

Afterwards, I helped Sam bleach her streak, and she helped me bleach streaks in mine so the pink could once again be pronounced (it had grown out so much since summer). I was able to have it all dyed and dried by twelve, and though the shower looked a little murderous, it turned out well!




In the end, it looked fantastic! I was super happy I didn't go to a fancy salon where faces would be made, and I'd get an overpriced haircut for just some buzzed sides. Thanks to Sam for the cut, Mike for the help, and Kait for the space and cleanup! It was super fun!

Delayed Opening!

Though I didn't have classes today to be cancelled, and still had to shovel out my car to go to work, the prospects of this day seemed bright already when I walked by this on my way to the parking lot.



Creative thought matters at Skidmore, yes it does.

Moods of the Dreary

During class last Thursday, I took the opportunity of a workday to go around and shoot. Driving around with Grady gave me several images to work with, and we visited some places I've been eyeing to shoot at.

Amongst many was a field I'd eyed since last year - some industrial property close to Route 50 and the mall. Eye catching for it's odd pipes that stick up here and there, I parked across the street in the ice rink lot and trekked across the road to enter the rusty gates. Though I didn't dare wander too far in forbidden property, I went in enough to catch this rusted out sign I rather liked. None of the shots of the pipes worked out thanks to the cold and the darkness of the afternoon, but this was a fun stop for this sign. Once it gets warmer, maybe I'll get the guts to wander in farther.



Another was a falling apart house in a square just off the main road of town, much past it's prime and marked with vicious Keep Out signs. Though it looks like it was once beautiful, an odd blue and brown house of Victorian architecture (seen a lot in town), it's falling apart in it's muddy yard, and therefore of course attracts me.



The last location we stopped at was the parking lot of the sketchiest motel I have ever seen. The Gateway, advertised just off the highway with a paint-chipped sign claiming the novelties of color TV, looks like it belongs in a horror movie. I have yet to see anyone stay there, but we stopped in the parking lot for a few quick shots before heading back to campus. Exiting the lot we may have gotten a few looks, but it was worth the single slice-of-life kind of shot I managed to pull.



Photo adventuring in the winter is a hard task when the light is low and the cold numbs your fingers, but I've managed to capture a few images I feel fit in a category of some sort of dreary, quiet lifestyle. The mood is always a bit off, and I find that oddity perfect when you want it, and though these are three shots of many, I just chose my favorites to display here.

Light

Tomorrow, my first assignment is due in photography. Since the whole art of it is actually as simple as "capturing light", in the literal sense of the word, this was of course our first test. We were asked to bring in a final based on three types of light - Hard, Diffused, and Mixed. Though it seems simple, not every picture is easy to put in one of those categories. After many hours editing, some deliberation, and trying to put them in the right categories, I came up with three images I liked best for each category.

Hard light was the first category. Though Skidmore campus at 2:30 am (a photo found in a previous entry on this blog) was a contender, the ultimate that won out was one of the several photos from NeedleWurks. Originally intended for my internship, I never got to use these for prints so I in fact doubled over and decided they'd be fitting in this assignment. Similarly, I chose those shot with the seeming perfect light, but kept it in color this time.



Next was diffused light. Since this is winter, this is the easiest light to find. It's all about light being reflected or coming through surfaces, or that soft natural look you get on a cloudy day. After an outing with Grady, I was under the impression I'd choose a shot from around town of some of my favorite locations we drove to. However, The simple shot of my dirtied hands won out over the mansion stated with KEEP OUT, or the creepy motel a few streets over. And this one was simply taken in my bathroom. For my own purposes, I converted it to black and white. This I doubled over however, tomorrow in prints review for my internship I plan to present it also as a self portrait. We'll see how both classes take it.



Last was Mixed light. Until this weekend, I had nothing. For some reason, I struggled most with this one. Not because I didn't know what it was, but because it was hard to find something aesthetically pleasing and actually interesting while physically thinking about finding mixed light. The clearest way I could think of was outdoor natural light, which is diffused most days this season, paired with indoor tungsten light. Since they are different color temperatures, captured right, the blue and yellow contrast each other in a nice way. While I happened to be out shooting Alissa this weekend for my internship (yet again), I happened to catch some of this in the music center where we were taking photographs. Edited this morning, I found this to be the perfect mix, and my ass was saved.



Review is tomorrow afternoon in class, and I hope all goes well. Though I had a hard time choosing these, and kind of feel like I'm cheating when I am using the hands for both photography class and my internship, I think I have started in a good position.

Shooting at Needlewurks

I've been asked - but no, I do not mean the knitting and sewing store downtown. I'm talking about the tattoo parlor.

When Emma first assigned us to go on an environment portrait shoot - this was my first idea and choice. However as we know, prints are always due Fridays, and my appointment to come in to the shop wasn't until Monday. Though the weaving studio saved my ass and got me a shot in my portfolio in the end, I wasn't about to just blow off the opportunity to go to Needlewurks, even when the assignment was over. I figured it'd be good for personal fun, and maybe even useful for my photography class later.

This past Monday I went in around 12:30 to hang out for a bit, waiting for a client to come in. After all the explaining was said and done, the tattoo artist I followed was easy as can be when I told him to just pretend I was invisible, and go about his job. His client - a woman beginning to work on sleeves, was all too happy to comply and didn't mind at all. She showed me all the previous work she'd had done in the shop, and explained to me a summary of the ideas she had for her arm. It was neat to see all the designs she had on her body already, and what she was choosing for that day.



I was excited to be able to see part of the process myself, and though her sessions may span months and I wish I could see the end result, my pictures came out fantastic. Several were blurry - indoor light is difficult, but I was still able to nab some perfect lighting. The feeling of getting a perfect shot is always fun.

I watched as he prepared her arm with a stencil and sharpie, and was only able to stay for about an hour and a half (including wait time while they planned) before I realized I needed to go to work. He'd only successfully stenciled a bit of her arm with tattoo ink by the time I'd left, but with a thanks I left with some great shots.



Me being in love with color, it was hard not to ignore the contrast of her arm marked up in pen, and his fully sleeved with so many colors. My favorite shot above was just to get that point across, and I had a good time. In the end, if I submit any to Emma, they must be black and white. For the sake of lighting, I managed to nab one perfect shot on account of luck and timing - the tattoo artist's hands weren't blurry (like several others where he was moving), and the moment was just right.



Between chatting with other customers, Paul - the owner of the shop, and a few other people hanging about, that Monday afternoon has been the highlight of my week. I enjoyed listening to Paul's stories of some of his tattoos and plans for the future (which fantastically includes markings inspired by Maori warriors, which I learned about in art history last semester), as well as chatting with another guy who'd come in to plan an idea of his with one of the artists. Though the time at work that followed was not near as fun, I had a great time at Needlewurks' chill shop and hope to go back sometime, definitely to drop off a good print or two when I get the chance.

Skidmore at 2:30 am

For the first assignment in my photography class, we must focus on three types of light, and produce one image for each type: Hard Light, Diffused Light, and Mixed Light. Though I have a library of images to choose from already, I went out to experiment tonight with long exposures.

I need a real tripod, but I have to rent one of those some time this weekend. As for now, I went and found somewhere with an easy surface and used my friend's small tripod, and since the parking lot didn't work so hot, I chose the stairs near my dorm.

With a total exposure of half a minute, here's what it came out as, a fun experimental shot [I only got in about three before my batteries died... again].

Trial and Error - A Hopeful 4th Author Photo Shoot with Alissa

After photographing Emma, and then Sam twice, this week I was given this assignment once again. This time I enlisted Alissa to work with me for a few minutes, shooting in places where I struggled to find natural light on an overcast day. Hopefully, I've got the moment (my boss) Emma is looking for this time. My favorite highlight is actually something I kept in color and cropped a bit, and though this won't be submitted, I thought I'd share it.



As we all know I miss working in color. However, here are my black and whites I've edited and will be choosing from this time:







Due monday, I hope to impress Emma more this time and FINALLY move on to some of the more exciting shoots. I hope.

Concepts are Awesome.

Now that I'm taking a photography class with a teacher who's in love with new inventions and concepts, it's recently struck my interest as well. Of course, he may be talking about liquid spray-on glass (if you haven't heard of this yet, google it, you'll be wowed), but I'm talking about something else new and helpful as well.



Thanks to stumbling upon this shot on modblog, this concept is for a hearing aid, but a fashionable one. It'd be a great opportunity for those of us with gauged ears to have something functional and still aesthetically pleasing. A lot of people are self conscious about their hearing aids, and this might be somewhat of a help. Maybe it's a small group overall that has modified ears and hearing issues, but it would certainly be neat for those that do.



Check out Design Affairs to see how awesome this post is!

The Weaver

This week our assignment was to photograph someone in their work environment, follow them about, and be invisible. Though my official arrangements of surprise are taking place Monday and elsewhere, I needed something for Friday. With the connections of Ariel, (the other intern and my partner in crime) we dropped in to a weaving studio and store on the edge of town, surprised and pleased to find one of the owners very willing to let us shoot. Going about her business, we snapped away just a day later at the store.

I had lots of photos to go through, a lot blurry due to the poor light (and her hands moving so fast). But in the end, I found two favorites, and an added third I find ok. However, in a place full of colorful yarn, I miss playing in color. I will keep around this one shot in full bloom just for personal use, while the three following are the final prints. I'm crossing my fingers all will go well - and if not, I've got another shoot Monday afternoon.

T-Shirts! Part II

After the disastrous pink thing that was supposedly a bird, I fixed up the Native American design shirt for tomorrow's critique. Though the pink may still look awkward, I believe I turned this shirt around. I am rather fond of it now, after spending some time fixing it.



Seeing as I'd wasted hours fooling around with that, visiting friends in the ceramics studio across the hall, and going upstairs to see some other people while I waited in intervals for things to dry, I decided to steal another screen and use it to make something personal. For those of you who know my newer character Boone, you will be vaguely familiar with the nautical tattoos I designed and complied for him, his collarbone amongst my favorites. Deciding to put it on a shirt of my own so I could wear it almost as he does, I successfully created this:



I almost wished I could have kept the screen, but sadly I discovered after using it that someones name was indeed on it, and it wasn't as anonymous as I'd thought. I washed it like I'd never used it and let it sit to dry. I plan on, however, adding more to Boone's shirt than I planned. Though that was going to be it, if I have the time I might ad the "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" hymn on the back - which Boone usually has inscribed on his right arm. For now though, I'm hoping critique will go well, and I can resume making t-shirts very soon [though this week and weekend is looking quite stressful thanks to my internship once more, so we shall see].

T-Shirts!

Textiles has been super fun these past two weeks, our first priorities learning silk screening and mono printing. These are two very easy processes, and they make fab results and cheap t-shirts. If anyone likes this as much as I do, it's also a great gift idea - I've got some people waiting in line for a shirt as well!

My first assignment was to do research on designs from a specific area of the world - and what did I pick but Native American? Using designs to make a bird-like creature like what might have been seen in one of many Native American cultures, Out of my three designs this got the approval. After the process (including a few failures here and there), I finally printed my first t-shirt tonight with this design.




For those of you who are familiar with my Julian, you might recognize this bird from one of his tattoos.

However, when I tried to print this same bird on a darker t-shirt, I miserably failed after realizing I didn't use an opaque formatted pigment (work ok on white since it's light, but not on dark shirts). Since I tried to use light pink, it's barely visible, but still there. I might put a black bird over it tomorrow, just to make a mistake look cool, and an overlap might look interesting.



Overall, the shirt-making process is really easy and fun, and with a few DIY shirts under my wing now, I might start making a few to sell and even wear myself. Last class, to keep myself entertained, I made a mono-print while waiting for my screen print to dry. I sent it to several people as an exclamation of finding out how to make shirts, and several relatives agreed I could sell, and these are fun, easy designs to make with an artistic and abstract quality machines cannot reproduce.




This week I will be continuing to make several more, including more trips to AC Moore with friends, and designs for a few people once I get their size. If you have ideas, please let me know! I might even make one that says Erosion of the Mind.

Cheers all, and it is time to mentally prepare for Monday.

Failure and Success

With prints review having been Friday, my trees were sadly shot down for having no sunlight, and the other one for having fluffy clouds and shooting into the sun. I've come to the conclusion my judgement is off, and our tastes are very different, which doesn't help. She seems to love the shots I don't like, and hate the shots I love. However, despite my tree and author photo failure, two assignments both us interns must do again, she seemed to love our house portraits. Both me and the other intern Ariel were so surprised we spent all of lunch break talking about it, and we agreed neither of us were very fond of our house shots.

Though we couldn't shoot just any house, it was a specific house she loves on a street near our school, and gives this same assignment out every semester. Though my other two final prints are buried somewhere in my hard drive, here is the one I liked most out of the least I suppose.



Though I am glad there is ONE thing we don't have to re-do, it's a shame this was the easiest assignment yet, despite her words that this was the hardest for others. I could drive by this house forever. But if I have to find someone else to suffer through a model shoot again, or go out and get lost in the cold looking for trees again, I am totally taking her up on the shooting her with a watergun option.

The Search for the Lonely Tree

After a week of extra assignments and many photo adventures, I've come across a few trees perfect for this assignment. This week, my boss sent us off on a journey to take a "tree portrait" with several more rules. Though the author photo is (hopefully) done, this assignment was much more "romantic" - at least in the words of my boss, Emma. She wanted us to get lost, go wander around, and find a tree surrounded by none others, full of feeling in its absence of leaves.

Of course, in an area surrounded by woods and constantly in the low digits, searching for a tree is not as romantic as she thinks it sounds.

After a day trip up to Lake Placid, two drives into the rural country, and a drive out to the Saratoga Battlefield, I came up with several tree photos until I had a hard time choosing which three two present in the end. Tomorrow is prints review, and here were the three I chose: