These shots are actually from a little over a month ago. I went on a trip with my school's photography department to Havasupai. I am not a LOVER of outdoor photography (too much light! I can't handle it), so I wasn't all that happy with them. But, some people have been bugging me, so here they are. The trip was a blast, and Havasupi is gorgeoes, naturally (ooh, a double meaning :).

One of the most fascinating things to observe were how quickly the colors shifted. When we arrived, the water and the waterfalls were the color that Havasupai is famous for - milky aqua. It stayed that color for most of the trip. However, there was a lot of rain on the 3rd day and the water turned a deep green. We then watched the water rise and turn thick, dark, and brown, and hiked out with muddy waterfalls and foamy water.

Labels: Camping, Photos

Click the image above for Infected Mushroom show photos in SLC. The show was off the hook: my arms are sore from relentlessly, joyously trying to punch the air above my head, I can barely walk, and going down stairs hurts. Unfortunately, their contract stated that photos weren't allowed during the set, so the shots above represent build and anticipation.

For people who read this site for information on how to light and photograph raves, shows, and clubs, I've had a few thought that I wanted to share. Photographing this show was unusually challenging, and so I've been thinking about how to get better results in similar situations.

The problem with the Infected Show was that the fog machines were just pump-pump-pumping non stop. When there is that much fog, it interferes with light from any direction and destroys contrast. Usually there are down-time moments when the fog lifts and good, clear shots can be made. Fog itself generally is both a bane and a boon because, although it makes the lighting look great, it's hard to see people. If anyone has come back from a party with a roll full of white clouds, you know what I mean.

A decent way to reduce the effects of smoke or fog is to light subjects from the side. Using an on-camera flash shows every foggy particle and is why most rave and club photos are simply ruined by its blatant visibility. Light bounces off fog microdust and straight back into the camera, so you SEE every particle. From the side, only a sliver of the surface area is reflected back into the lens. You wouldn't want to backlight, either, as that would create a halo around each fog particle, creating contrast destruction much like a frontally lit image.

An interesting photo usually provides many different details about an environment: texture, atmosphere, lighting, detail, and contrast, as well as emotion and subject matter. What fog can do is give the idea of a thick atmosphere as well as bring out vibrancy in the lights. So, it would be very useful to be able to compose an image so that fog is located in less interesting areas but is out of the way of any photographic subjects that you want. If you look at the following picture, you can see that the haze is there but subjects still are visible.

My second thought relates to the strobe setup I'm using. An 'advantageous' side-effect of using the very piss-poor st-e2 wireless transmitter is that one is constantly flirting with “the happy accident.” What I'm saying is that quite often what is in my head and what would make a perfect photograph is ruined by one of the external strobes failing to trigger. But take this image:
In a perfect world I would have wanted the foreground lit. But, the strobe didn't fire, so I got, accidentally, some interesting silhouettes. I know that this image isn't by any stretch perfect, but it's given me some ideas on how to bring the ideas of silhouette and form into the photographic piece. It seems that interesting hairstyles and shapes could be used to frame a lit subject area, and also create a kind of interaction.

So anyway, silhouette framing seems like it might have some potential. I'd encourage anyone to give it a shot.

Labels: Photos, Raves

Photojojo, a site which scoures the net to give give photo enthusiasts neat little tips and tricks, posted a solution for an inexpensive photo stand today. Basically, the idea is to go buy a bag of 100 teacup candles for $8, throw away the wax, cut the metal holder in half, fold along the cut, turn it upside down, and you have a sleek little photo stand. The way I presented it, the job sounds a little involved, but it does look simple. Here, a photo is a much better explanation:



But I'm not here to do what the jojo has already. I've got to say that the German site they linked to was filled with neat ideas. The point of the projects seems to be, since I don't know German, to find innovative ways to use household appliances in new ways. They range from the functional to the absurd, and of course the absurd AND functional. I mean, I have on more than one occassion wished for something like this to have existed, but never thought it possible.



But to carry it around on a regular basis would be a joke. And the people who actually do bring those things are the same type of people that already carry pillows around with them. But not all is in jest. The site exhibits an upgrade to the chopstick which is nothing short of marvelous. Couldn't you see this as starting a utensil revolution?



But, there was nothing that would prepare me mentally for their last creation. I might be more responsive to it than most, because I have an irrational fear of sharp needly things. I can't even look at rose bushes without wincing, and actually, while I'm typing this I'm trying to avert my eyes (rolling them back in my head, yes) because I'm thinking of the thing on that site. I'd describe it more but I'd have to learn to type backwards and in the fetal position. You'll just have to click this link because there's no way I'm having it on my homepage.

I love it and I fear it.

Labels: Essays, Writing