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Imagine you’re a landscape photographer. Now imagine you want to take a shot of the moon with the earth rising over it. Or of a category 5 tornado without being hurt. Or, maybe, you’d love to get a shot of Mars. You can see the issues here right away. Nevermind that man has never BEEN to Mars, even things like shooting amazing natural events here on earth are risky at best. So what’s a person to do? Make it yourself.
Awesome, right? This image was created by Matthew Albanese in his own home. Natural disasters, alien landscapes, anything and everything is up for grabs when he decides to make an image. Crafting these landscapes from anything and everything makes them even more fantastic. The image above was made from tile grout and cotton and then illuminated with light bulbs. Channeling the creative juices of MacGyver himself, Matthew uses his imagination and his kitchen cupboard to create things others could only imagine and just as quickly deem impossible.
As I viewed this images all I could think of was a saying I picked up somewhere: fake it ’till you make it. It seems Matthew took it one step further. He made a fake so great it doesn’t even feel fake. Looks like he made it.
I came across this video a while back and was amazed. I wanted to put it on here but (surprise!) totally forgot. Then I found it again, showed my roommates, said to myself, “I should really post that!” anddddd didn’t. But fear not! I’m here now, video link in hand (so to speak) and ready to introduce those of you who didn’t catch wind of this before to something truly amazing.
Have you ever heard of the show America’s Got Talent? I ask if you’ve heard of it because I doubt I’d be able to find anyone who has actually SEEN it. Well, just like so many other shows this one isn’t just done in the US. There are versions of it all over the world and this video comes from the Ukraine version. It’s kind of long for a random Internet video at 8 minutes 33 seconds, but it’s worth every single bit of that time. I had never heard of sand animation before this but…effing WOW!
This post gets a little more personal then most Thursdays. Not in the I-cry-at-such-and-such-movies personal. More like the this-is-something-private-yet-not-embarrassing sort of personal.
I’ve openly admitted that photography isn’t what I do day to day. Yes folks, I am an office monkey. A Dilbert like peon wrapped in the comforting fuzz of gray fabric that comprises cubicle walls. It’s really not as bad as that sounds, but I love pretending that it is. Mostly for the funnies and to better relate to some of the more subtle jokes in shows like The Office. Anyways, in the daily grind that I get to enjoy there is one fantastic silver lining. There is one constant thing that makes me smile. It makes me laugh, makes me think of fun nerdy things that I appreciate outside of work, and just generally keeps me much happier at work then I would otherwise be.
It’s computer wallpapers. Yup.
Please don’t let that be as anti-climatic as it might seem on the surface. I’m very serious about this. What do I, and those who work in offices like I do, look at all day long? Our computer monitors. This piece of equipment is very important to my daily duty (hee hee, duty) and to my sanity. Unlike some others who just choose the typical Microsoft bit to adorn their screens I actually take a little time (a really little, I’m very good at doing Internet searches) and find something that suits my tastes better.
Marvel wallpapers are always a great start. That is, if the current things they throw up for free are from a series I love. Then there are steampunk wallpapers. With steampunk being my current obsession (and the subject of my next cosplay outfit btw) I regularly use some of my brains back end processing power to think of prop ideas. Lastly, but most assuredly not leastly, I make frequent use of the free items available at Alex Ross’ website. I mean come on, look at this man’s work:
I promise you that this scaled down image that I got from his site doesn’t do his work justice. His style is really amazing and it’s unique in the comic world. Alex Ross creates beautiful work that feels like Renaissance paintings of comic characters. And this is exactly why I love looking at his work and so many other images.
When I see something that fantastic on my desktop it makes me think of art. A well done wallpaper has all the elements that I feel connected to: color, spacing, composition, etc. Being able to see these interesting pieces of art on a daily basis keeps my brain grounded in an artistic world that the usual daily work I do doesn’t touch. By having art in my sight along with the logical workings of my work I am able to stimulate both sides of my brain. This is who I am, and I love it, and I need to feed all of it. Most people probably don’t think this much about the image that stretches itself on their computer screen but I do. It’s like I said: wallpapers, as simple as they are, make me smile, laugh, and generally feel nerdy. Why wouldn’t I appreciate them?
I’m pretty exhausted right now. I spent the weekend at the Sacramento Anime Convention rubbing shoulders with those like me. With those who love anime, comic books, cartoons, drawing and art. I had a chance, with a few bills in my wallet, to support some new talent. Most people might not think of their spending money like that but I do. As a photographer, I understand the difference it can make to some people when others willingly pay for your work.
I didn’t really decide to start buying pieces of art. I have been out to galleries and seen things that I’ve wanted, photographs and paintings and sculptures of various sorts, but the prices there were for serious collectors. At least, it felt that way. I’m by no means a rich man but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to support people and their passion. If you read my previous post you know that I was lucky enough at the Yaoi Con to meet Jo Chen. I knew and loved her work from the Marvel series Runaways and I was able to buy these two pieces:
Pretty cool right? I sure thought so. Jo Chen is well established. Her work is amazing and I was excited to meet her after having already seen her work on the covers of the Runaways and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Serenity issues I already own. This was like meeting a movie star for me; this was meeting someone I appreciate and respect because of their work. By buying her prints it was like me buying a movie because I love a specific actor or director. I know I already supported her work by buying the issues but this was a much more direct way to show her appreciation and to support her in the hopes that she’ll make more.
And that’s the key. To support people. To support artists, local or not, so they can continue to make the great things that I enjoy. This weekend I met plenty of amazing artists and one of them was named Sarah Straub. I walked by table after table of artwork and while I appreciated it all it wasn’t until I glanced down at her prints that I said, “wow.” Even now, I don’t know what it was in those images that made me feel this way, but they did bring out that response in me. There was one, specifically, that made me feel something, and that’s the mark of true art. Her work hasn’t been used as widely as Chen’s but it’s exciting to find her and to think, “yes, she can make it, if she keeps at it.” Being a life long nerd and comic reader doesn’t make me an expert or anything but I’d like to think I found something great. And with that thought came my desire to support her, however I could. So I bought this:
I love this print. Mostly, I love it because I love Gambit. (Quick side note: Gambit, as portrayed in the Wolverine movie, was TERRIBLE. That is NOT how he is and I hope that anyone who reads this understands that!) This wasn’t the piece that made me stop and stare, this was just the one that I wanted to see on my wall. The print that made me stop and stare, the one that made me feel a little weirded out, was this one:
When an image pulls out an emotional response from me instantly I know it’s something special. Both Sarah and Jo do this. One is doing great works for worldwide companies. The other is doing her best to meet people at a small table in the hallway of a local convention. Whatever they may be doing I love having the opportunity to support them, even if it’s just with a few bucks. Money speaks, now more then ever. I want mine to say, “thank you, I love this, please keep going.”
To all the artists. To all the painters, digital artists, photographers, writers, anyone who creates anything that expresses how they feel, don’t ever stop. Ever.
On this, the eve of a new year, I am still here to bring you exciting things from the nerdy depths. Huzzah for me! Let me ask you all something: have you ever wanted to live in a galaxy far, far away? Have you ever dreamed of flying an X-wing? Throwing things across the room with, I don’t know, some sort of force? Do you have no idea at all what I’m talking about? If you don’t just stop reading this right now and go rent Star Wars: A New Hope. Or Empire Strikes Back. Or Return of the Jedi. But NOTHING ELSE with the “Star Wars” name. Especially nothing that claims to be Episode 1, 2, or 3. Okay, let’s move on…
For those of you who dream like me, those who wish for a life among the stars, I’m sorry. I’m not here to tell you that someone built a functioning x-wing. No one has discovered the force as depicted. There is no Echo Base. But fear not! We can now dress a bit more like we belong in that fabled world.
(For those of you with pretty fast Internet, this is basically the same thing but more of a resource hog.)
I’ve been a fan of fashion for a long time. Not fashion like the experimental things that march down the Paris catwalk, fashion like what I find in the pages of Esquire. Which I love dearly, BTW. And while fashion in those pages can be several hundreds of dollars and be geared towards todays professional man I always try to create my own style and would never turn my back on something so amazingly nerdy. Something so deliciously creative. In short: let’s get some shoes!
Some of these items are so different than what I’m used to that I wouldn’t really know what to wear with them. They seem like they would fit more in a hip-hop wardrobe, which is not what I throw on. But some others, like the ones inspired by the Millennium Falcon and the X-wing fighters…well…those are just awesome. My nerdy credentials are already pretty obvious but this would be my shining beacon. Through a pair of these shoes I would flash a spotlight (from my feet up) that says, “Look at me world! I love Star Wars more than any of you! ADMIRE MY AWESOME!”
So there it is. My last post of the year. I avoided any talk of resolutions, any best of lists, and any of the typical things you’ll see all over various blogs and news sites at this time of year. I have nothing against them at all, but I’ll be honest: I’m just too lazy to write one of those. I would much rather talk about Star Wars shoes. Maybe I’ll lost some of this laziness next year. 
Be safe tonight everyone!
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.
I spent yesterday rolling around Sacramento with Adam Saake from VHCLE. They’re an online magazine covering design that will appeal to anyone who loves good writing, creativity, or art.
So where did I go? What did I shoot? What do the images look like? Well that’s the thing, I wish I could tell you. I’m not sure I can’t exactly, but I don’t want to chance it. Adam is doing a write-up on a Sacramento day trip and I shot photos for 5 locations around the downtown area. I’m still working on getting the images to him, which will hopefully be done tomorrow, but until the article goes up I don’t want to say too much. I just had a pretty good time getting it done and I will throw up some images from it this coming week!
I’m an animal lover. To my core I love animals. I love the young puppies and kittens, the old dogs on porches, the old cats who sleep 23 hours a day. I love them all. I’m still waiting with bated breath for the day that I get to shoot a wedding with some hardcore animal lovers who somehow incorporate their pets into the proceedings. I just can’t get enough of our four-legged friends. With that in mind, today was a little bittersweet.
I told Kellie that this year I would get her a new cat for her birthday/Christmas present. Granted, both of those are in December, but I knew that if I got the okay on this from Rayleen (who owns this house and all the furniture which may or may not be damaged by a cat) that she wouldn’t want to wait. So today we went to the Sacramento SPCA to look at cats. They were ALL cute. All of them. But, being a dog man myself, I was able to resist the urge to take them all home a lot more than Kellie was. Since it was her gift I wanted her to pick one up I knew I had to be there to keep her from taking them all.
We walked through both cat areas for a good long while looking for a cat that meet all of our criteria. Eventually, we were able to narrow it down to a few candidates and while Kellie was looking at the last few to decide between them I took a walk across the hall to the dog area. It may be a little…emotional, but by the time I walked out of the dog area I was almost tearing up. I couldn’t take much more of seeing such wonderful animals in these scary places just waiting for someone who would take them home and love them. I wanted them all, but alas, I was there for just one cat, not a dog. If you were waiting to read why today was bittersweet, that was it. I wish I could help them all but it’s just not realistic. I do what I can, when I can. Today, I know I made a difference in the life of one cat.
We decided to spend some time with a cat named Patches. They took her from her private room and put her with us in a much bigger room where she could roam and crawl around on some cat posts. She was four years old and had been at the shelter for just under a month. Right away she was loud, she was cuddly, she loved to be held, and she was very friendly. Once Kellie picked Patches up and I saw how big her smile was I knew our search was over.
So, tonight, we welcomed a new baby into our home. Welcome, Patches England. We’ve been waiting for you.
Lastly, if you’re wondering what my title is about, check out this video. I must warn you though, it’s damn cute, and damn funny. 
Well.
I’m tired.
And I’m getting sick.
I wanted to write a nice long post talking about my Halloween weekend and I still will…tomorrow. For now the comforting shroud of sleep is quickly covering my brain and it will soon bring a deep sleep. The sleep of the just and honorable. Which makes me wonder how in the hell I am getting it, but I am! I can feel it coming!
The small bit of energy and time I had to write my intended post I wasted on preparing some new photos for the web and fixing up some that I already had on here. There will be more later but for now check out the Wedding Photographs tab above. Or, just click on that convenient link! See what I did there?
Keep an eye out for new pages on this blog which will have different kinds of photography. Coming soon!
It really started during a class trip to Old Sacramento. The fact that I don’t remember the name of the class or the professor is in no way a reflection on how much I liked the course, which was a lot, but more an example of how bad my memory is. Anyways, it was on this night that I started something personal that is still going on to this day. I was interested in really getting a unique perspective for my my assignment and I knew it wouldn’t be easy with a whole class full of eager students running around the same block. I wanted to shoot something common in a way that was really unique and broke down the subject into basic elements of color and shape. I was in a hurry since my friends were moving on, but I had one slight spark of inspiration. I had one idea that I ran with almost on a whim. I wasn’t sure what would come of it but I’m so very glad I listened to myself. That night, I came up with this:
Do you recognize it? No? It’s the Tower Bridge in Sacramento. For those of you who might read this and aren’t from Sacramento do a quick Google search and you’ll see what I was working with.
I never realized when I shot this image that it would become a series for me. So you can imagine my surprise when I was thinking of what images to throw on here today and I started to notice a connection between some of my wedding work and this series. I could easily picture a lot of my favorite shots from friend’s weddings and it dawned on me that I had been adapting my art ideas and doing wedding work with the same eye. Change the angle, control the focus, concentrate primarily on the colors above all else, all of these things are ideas that I started using years ago with the bridge. Interestingly enough, I hate driving on that damn bridge. I always seem to get all turned around and annoyed when I’m in the area, so I avoid it like the plague. Anyways, don’t take my word for it, take a look at these!
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