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Many posts back I mentioned some work I did for vhcle.com but I didn’t post any images on here. Not that I didn’t want to, but the images weren’t up on their site yet so I didn’t want to jump the gun. The website is about fashion, art, current topics, and anything else that would appeal to the modern individual with an added bonus of presenting articles with a conscious mind towards creative design. My one line description doesn’t do it justice so you should really go check it out issue 1, which just came out. It’s in an awesome digital magazine format which will make it super easy for you to flip back to page 69 (ha!) and check out my images of the Sacramento day trip along with the writing of the very cool Adam Saake.
Please check out my work and all the awesome articles in there. I’d especially like to point you towards the article on and photographs by Andri Tambunan. I know I’ve done this before but he’s in the issue and his work is always worth checking out again and again. Enjoy!
Thanks to a posting by my friend Andri on Facebook I was introduced to Grooveshark. While I could go on at great length about this website I assure you that I won’t (you lucky dogs you!) The reason I mention it at all is because this wonderful site, which allows me to stream almost any song I can think of, was blasting wonderful melodies into my brain meat while I sat in my cubicle at work today and I suddenly thought, “I wonder if there are Disney songs on here…” Lo and behold, there were! From the opening vocals of Circle of Life from The Lion King to the amazing harmony of A Whole New World (from Aladdin, for those of you who are LAME and don’t know) I was instantly transported. Certain Disney movies were staples of my childhood. I take an odd bit of pride in being able to recite almost all of Aladdin and the vast majority (like, 90%!) of The Lion King from memory. Every line, every song, every random sound and motion of the characters, all of it. Sure, it’s not Shakespeare on the London stage, but it’s pretty damn close! Especially to us Americans. These movies helped define my childhood, which was pretty hardxcore (yes, spelled just like that) and was filled with enough issues as to make me cherish the great parts I did have.
This whole experience got me thinking about life and how interesting our brains are. You say you want time travel? You say you want the wonders of steam punk or Star Trek in our time? Look no further then that gray matter you have stuffed in your skull! Unless you’re a zombie and an eager monster has had his way with your lunch box of a head that is. But, that aside, time travel is real! We are all carrying around triggers in our heads that can and will take us back. Smells, sounds, people, songs, you don’t really know what will set you off until you’ve experienced it and once you do you will want to hold on to it. I felt this when I heard those songs and I was instantly calmer, smiling, singing like an idiot, and happy. I was a sorry sight for sure: a grown man doing paperwork while listening to “kids” music, but I was HAPPY with my memories. This got me thinking of other things which could cause this same reaction and I could not help but think of what I am doing personally. Photography, in its most basic form, captures a piece of time. Maybe an image I shoot won’t mean anything to anyone, not even me, but imagine pictures from your wedding. For those of you who are married this won’t be hard, for all you single folk, just play along and stay with me here. Those images, carefully crafted, are a window into your past. The look on a bridesmaid’s face could take you right back to that moment. It could remind you of a quirk you had forgotten about that wonderful person you chose to have you there on your special day. The sight of your family, of all your friends, gathered there and captured perfectly could (dare I say, SHOULD) bring up all the happy memories of that wonderful day. Your memories, though useful, are crowded over with the latest project from work, the chores yet to be done, the disgust you’re carrying for the latest tween sensation (*ahem* I’m looking at you Twilight fanatics), all things which get in the way of really feeling the strong emotions from that day. But when you’re confronted with your wedding album, with all those images, it can take you right back to it. That’s the power of great wedding photographs. They can make you smile, laugh, feel an almost dizzying sense of joy from deep within yourself that you had forgotten even existed. Anything that precious should be seen for what it is. Something so important it’s worth striving for, holding on to, and yes, even singing about.
PS: I’ve actually read all the Twilight books. The first movie was crap, but I want to see New Moon. Yes, I feel dirty admitting it.
MORE STUFF! Just because I mentioned it above, if you want to see some fantastic examples of steam punk and appreciate an amazing photographer at the same time just click right here!
There were a lot of things I heard about in college, from students and professors, that does me no good at all. I took classes that were a waste of time, listened to advice that is pretty much worthless now, and even got a bit of a smug smile from thinking, “I’ll never need this, ever.” Some of these things I don’t care to even mention because, frankly, I was right. What does get to me are the things I was told and knew were important but didn’t give the necessary attention to. Right now, specifically, I’m talking about networking.
It makes perfect sense. Be nice, meet people, leave a good impression. You never know when people will talk about you and what may come of it. This is when you want people to talk about you behind your back. I’ve been a little amazed over the past two weeks at how many connections have come to light. Let’s break it down: Andri, an amazing networker, knew Adam. I knew Andri from college and somehow my name came up since Adam was looking for someone to shoot some photos for a VHCLE article. I went and did that last Saturday and while talking with Adam I found out that he is old friends with a guy named Robbie. The only reason this is interesting is that I know Robbie as a coworker at the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Adam even used to play with Robbie in a sweet Sacramento band, The New Humans.
And then, on Tuesday, I got a smaller dose of this same thing when I went to this amazing shop near my office called Le Petite Paris. I was speaking to Nicole, the owner, and she noticed that I had a lunch meeting with Adam on Monday (we were trying to get my photos to his hard drive, which was another issue all together). I knew that he really liked that place so it wouldn’t surprise me if they had met. I came to find out that Nicole’s daughter did some program at the YMCA, where Adam works, so there was an extra connection there as well.
One week, multiple connections, and so many good things that came from them. I should have listened more. I should have made more of an effort to get to know and keep in touch with so many of the great people I’ve met at various points in my life. I’ve been lucky enough to see first hand just how great knowing people can be. I’ll be keeping that in mind from now on.
It isn’t just a line burned into my brain thanks to television. The more you, or I, know, the better informed we become and the more options we have. And options are something you really want when asking for advice, looking for inspiration, or just taking stock of good things in your life. One of the things I know is that I met a lot of amazing people while in college. Perhaps I didn’t fully realize the greatness of those around me but I’d like to think somewhere in my subconscious I knew. How else could I explain that those who stick out in my mind are still an email away years after graduation?
One of these amazing people is named Andri Tambunan. When I was happily bouncing from photography class to photography class in school Andri was amazingly focused. I remember being somewhat intimidated by how far along he was in his own personal photography journey, and I still am. While I was learning about different kinds of photography for the first time he was doing professional level work living the life of an established photographer. In fact, my first memory of him wasn’t even from a class he was taking. We took a class trip to a local collaborative photography studio and while there I noticed someone quietly hanging framed images. That person was Andri setting up for a solo show. I did my best to help him with grunt labor and was blown away by his portraits. That was the first photography show I ever went to and it left a permanent impression on me.
Perhaps, if you’ve made it this far, you’re wondering why I’m even writing about this. Well, good reader, I have two reasons:
1. This is my blog, about my journey, and it’s going to be filled with stories about fantastic photographers from my past and present.
2. He has a new photography show which will amaze you!
His new photography exhibit kicked off a few nights ago at Beatnik Studios (more on them later) and has a different sort of kick off this Saturday when he’ll be meeting and greeting visitors during the Second Saturday Art Walk. In his own words:
“I am really excited to display this new body of works. I have printed 40 images from my trip last year that embodied many experiences and several documentaries such as Mumbai terrorist attack, HIV/AIDS in Papua, China’s Modernization, Pilgrimage to Tibet, Nepal’s Annapurna Sanctuary, etc. In a way, this exhibition is my debut into documentary and photojournalistic photography.”
Please, if you love photography, art, or just meeting fantastic new people who will change your life, go to this show. Artists who are truly talented enough to find beauty in the face of tragedy are few and far between. I’m happy to call one of them my friend.
http://www.andritambunanphotography.com/index2.php
http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/content?oid=1294045
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