Illusion of Truth, less than a week away!

Okay, I have learned my lesson. If I want to be a professional photographer, I am going to have to just print my photos myself. I would say that I have spent enough time in a darkroom to be able to print something and have it come out (almost) exactly how I want it. This whole digital outsourcing thing—not my cup of tea.

I had my images shipped via 2-day US Mail to my job. After the 5th business day I started panicking and went to the Post Office in search of my images. They cannot be found. I had the tracking number and everything. The USPS claims they left notice that they attempted to deliver my package at 11:31am August 11th, but no one was available to sign for it. Umm. I work at a bank. SOMEONE was there. When the supervisor of the Post Office told me she had no clue where my box was I felt so defeated. I had a panic attack, so I called Eric crying and in need of advice. He had me convinced that I was going to go back up to the Post Office once I got off of work and bang on the doors DEMANDING my work. When I returned to work I walked into my manager’s office and once again started crying. I just KNEW I was going to have to reorder my work and spend so much more money (that I don’t have) getting it overnighted so I could MAYBE have it by Monday.

Thirty minutes after I returned to work, the mail carrier walked in with my box of images.

I can hear the voices of the photo-influential people in my life saying something to me like:  ”You put something so important to you in someone else’s hands, when you could have done it yourself with no stress and a better outcome.” Toby DEFINITELY would be upset with me that I didn’t print them myself. 

The images look okay/nice though. They’re a little dark, but with all things considered I am just glad I don’t have empty frames going up on the wall next week.

-Tricia

Woo! Update!

I have never really been the type of photographer that is able to capture the moment. In all the years I have been taking pictures, I have always leaned more towards taking pictures of things that are still or things that I have set up or modeled. Motion is not something that captures my eye, but things that are sedentary, aging and abandoned are what I find appealing. With that being said, I am really challenging myself recently to take pictures at weddings. I thought buying myself a new flash would help me but I am finding that having to learn how to use one (and make the pictures look nice) is another obstacle. By the end of this weekend I am hoping to buy myself a new zoom lens to also assist me with “capturing the moment.” but I know that I have a long road ahead of me.

As mentioned in my previous post, Eric, Marshall and I are working on a show that will be put on at Gallery 80808 this August. I am excited to be working on an artistic project because I have not done anything of the sort since I graduated in December of 2008. Our theme (and title) is “Implicit Memory.” Right now I am doing some research about the meaning of the title to help me develop my ideas. I am going to be shooting with a Yashica TLR on B&W 120 film. I cannot express my excitement for developing film again. Right now I feel as though I will be doing a digital output for the prints, but I kinda feel the need to be in a darkroom to watch the images develop in the trays and get high off the fumes from the chemicals. Maybe if I volunteer some time in the photo lab at USC, I can have access to the dark room this summer…?!?!

I will post pictures at a later time from some of the shoots I have done in the past month… so look for those coming up! For right now, just admire how beautiful this camera is that I am borrowing:

-Tricia

I’m BAAAAAAAACK!

Yes, that’s right. I have decided to get my blog up and going again. I kinda took a break from photography after I graduated because I felt lost without having a deadline or a project to work on behind my camera. I lost my creative dazzle and interest in being behind my camera.

But now I’m taking bridal portraits, shooting weddings, engagement photos etc… as well as putting on a show with Eric and Marshall this August. I am super excited to be behind my camera again and I can’t wait to start blogging about it!

Long time…

Yes, It has been awhile. The show went very well. I think the most important thing about my show was that at least 25 of the people I care about most were there supporting me, and it really made it a special evening for me.  I wish I had gotten some feedback about my work at the show, but my anxiety was so high I stayed as far away from my work as possible.  From what other people told me I had an overall good response to my work… woohoo! So… Pictures!

OchoFoto Crew

At the show

My work hanging

Afterpart At ArtBar

There’s many more, but those are just a sample

-Tricia

Gallery Update #3

The show is getting SO close. I would say that I’m half-way done. I shortened my series to 4 diptychs instead of 4 triptychs (4-16″x20″ and  4-10″x10″). I have 2 of the diptychs printed and I shot the third one tonight. I plan on photographing my last one over Spring Break.  I already ordered my frames from dickblick.com so they should be here any day now!!  I’m glad I haven’t procrastinated this semester with this show. I am doing horribly in my Latin American history class, but at least my photography is going well

I have finished my Artist Statement for the most part:

“In this series, I am photographing couples who are in an unconventional relationship. I think one of the most defining things about who I am is that I was raised by lesbians (my mother and her partner, Edye). It is something that sets me apart from everyone else, but to me it is completely normal. I hold my parents very dear to me because they taught me to love and accept everyone regardless of race, gender and sexuality.

With these images, I want to show the simple beauty of people existing in a certain space together, but also the beauty of simply having someone to share to share your existence with. These images are intended to provide the viewer with little glimpses into the subjects’ lives. I took these pictures with the snapshot aesthetic of Nan Goldin in mind because it is the snapshots of us and our close ones that trigger our memories–more so than the formal sit-and-pose images that merely document our existence. These intimate images are ways of holding on to these moments as something cherished and significant to the people.” 

And soooo are we ready for some pictures? These pictures are unedited because I can’t figure out how to change the file types from tiff to jpg on this computer… Soooo just imaging the images are color corrected and the picture of beds are cropped to squares. Consider this a sneak peek that will make you want to come to the show to see it all put together

   

  

-Tricia

Gallery Update #2

So we changed the name of our show, which I am very happy about. The name is kinda stupid and silly, but we all find humor in it because it is an inside joke with everyone involved in the show. It’s called “OchoFoto” now. When we started coming up with titles, we kept playing around with the idea that there were 8 of us, so we came up with silly titles like “L8rG8r,” and other titles with an 8 subsitituted in place of the sound “-ate.” For some reason whenever we would get frustrated we’d just say “ok let’s just name it Ochofoto” and I guess it just eventually stuck. We all know it’s a stupid title, but we are a fun group of people so it just kinda works, I guess. I enjoy it. Much better than “Auto-Focus off.”

 I feel like I have finished one of my triptychs. Just three more to go. I have also thought of another couple that I could photograph, so I either need to add to my show or subtract one of the other couples. Cost-wise, I feel like I should still only do 4 triptychs, but I will still photograph all the couples I have lined up because I see this as a project I want to continue working on. 

I will post pictures of the triptych later Work calls

Gallery Update #1

I have become obsesesed with the project I am working on for the Gallery class. I am constantly thinking about it, jotting down ideas, reading things for inspiration… It has absolutely consumed me. But I love it. Every minute of it.  It is not every day that you get the opportunity to have space in a well-respected gallery. I know this, and it excites me to no end. I want to have the best work I can do, so that maybe the right person will see some potential in me… or something. Maybe, just maybe this will open other opportunities for me, and I am so excited.

I’m kinda bummed out that some of my classmates do not really care about the class or how awesome of an opportunity it is to have this space at City Art. Today we were thinking of names for the show and some of them were very genuine and thoughtful suggestions, and some of them were the most absurd titles for a photography show. I actually exchanged some harsh words about it with people, because I am taking this show very seriously and I would hate to be part of a show where the name embarasses me. I just really feel that if you see this as a joke then move on and don’t ruin something that I hold very dear to me. So our show is entitled “Auto-Focus: Off” which I kinda hate, but I can live with. It’s much better than “Things that go bump in the light” and “What are you looking at?” Both were about 2 seconds away from being our title.  /sigh

 The project I am working on is going to (hopefully) be a series of 4-5 triptychs. Each triptych will have one 16″x20″ inkjet, with two accompanying 10″x10″ inkjet prints. I am photographing people in their personal space around their home. I am focusing on couples in an unconventional relationship of some kind and I want to show the beauty of people existing together in this space together, but also the beauty of the banalities and the simple little joys of having someone to share your existence with. The two accompanying photographs are of something in the space that is relevant to the relationship itself or of relationships in general (something shared between them or something that shows the insecurities of the relationship, etc).

 So I don’t have any pictures as of yet… I have taken plenty, but I need to reshoot and shoot more because I am being very anal about this project and I want them to be the best I can do.  But please give me feedback on how I worded my project. I spent a lot of time sorting through my thoughts just now to write that so please forgive me if it’s jumbled. I am still trying to sort through my ideas and why I am doing this project, and if you can help me/inspire me…. etc… I would just be so grateful.

Ramble

Now that school is back in session for spring semester, my creative juices are flowing again. I lost my motivation for photography since the stress at the end of last semester of schoolwork and moving out of my parents’ house right before Christmas (what was I thinking?!?!) But now my anxiety has subsided a little, just enough for me to pull out my photography journal and start brainstorming ideas for a series this semester. 

Both of my photography classes this semester are taught by the wonderfully talented Kathleen Robbins (who mentioned me on her photoblog!). I am taking the Gallery class, which means I make a series of work, and I have a group show with my awesome classmates near the end of the semester. I am also taking the Large-format photography class, which I am ridiculously excited about. I think it’s going to be a good semester…

Last Night was the Opening for the Photogra3 show at Gallery 80808 in the Vista. It was a great show with beautiful art by Toby Morriss, Eric Plaag and Jennifer Knight. I invited my mom because she’s a photo-nerd and I figured she would like to go to a photography opening. She met my teachers, and Kathleen invited her to sit in on one of our classes– but only if she brought some of her own work. In my mom’s blog on Myspace (omg yes my mom is on myspace), she mentioned that it means she is going to have to get her act together and start making more prints.  I think it’s great that she will have a reason to get back into the darkroom and print!

 I am afraid I do not have any photos to include this time–unless you want to see pictures of me and my friends drinking… lol! But I will have more work up here soon.

  

/rant

I feel like I’m turning in to the blog-obsessed photographer that Kathleen wants us to be! I just can’t stay away (or maybe I just enjoy this more than writing an essay for my Abstract Expressionism class).

As cheesy as it sounds I have been thinking of my life as a photographer lately and how different my life could be had I not been forced into a photography class by my guidance counselor my freshman year of high school. My life could be so different! I wonder if I would have been a photographer anyway? 

I loved photography from the minute I took my first picture with Edyes Nikon F3, put it on a reel, developed the negatives and made my first print. I was the over-achiever in my class simply because I loved doing it. I think it also helped that Edye had a hidden passion for photography that would further boast my interest.  It helps to have a partner in crime.  Taking pictures felt good, and I felt that I was good at it. My Freshman year in the high-school art show, I had a picture win 1st place and another win 4th place. My Sophomore year, I took an independent study and my one-woman show won an Honorable mention and my Senior year, my one-woman show won 3rd place.

I wish I had that motivation and self-confidence, still. I am surrounded by photographers that I love and respect, but during critique I feel embarassed or shy about putting my work up.  I know I’m not half the photographer I could be. I have a lot on my mind and I have a lot to say visually, I just feel that if I do what I feel I should being doing as a photographer, I will just look dumb or it won’t come out right.  I think the best thing I have done as an artist is keeping my little black photo-journal book in my purse every where I go. I am constantly jotting down ideas, words, lyrics of things that inspire me. I have a book full of images and information of things that could make me a better photographer but they’re just ideas. I’ve yet to put any of that to good use.

I graduate college in a year and I’m not ready. I feel like I have so much to learn and inspiration to find. I wanna be Annie Leibovitz, or Nigel Barker, Crewdson, Eggleston, or Lorna Simpson. I want that. I wanna say something and have millions of people hear me. But right now I’m just me…

 -Tricia

Asylum

Last semester I took my first digital photography class and I fell in love. As I stated before, my photographic background is in 35-mm black and white film. I felt awkward going in to the class because I was one of those people who were like “Eww, digital?” -insert scoffing noise here-

To all those people who think that digital photography is for wussies (like I did), just so you know it can be just as involved as self-processing. You have to worry about archival paper, inks and storage… ICC Profiles, Color Management, and of course, PAPER JAMS! Things that make you say “God why didn’t I shoot film?” I wouldn’t say I’m totally converted to digital photography yet. I still get a rush (or is “high” the word?) from the smell of chemicals on my hands, and the sight of your image slowly coming into view as you agitate the developer. But digital—–I like to think of it as instant gratification. And that is beginning to really tickle my fancy.

So back to the series. At the end of the semester in my digital photography class, I purchased my first digital SLR camera (with the help of my dearest mother). Man do I love that camera.  The weekend after I bought it, I took Edye (my other mother, who is also a photographer) out to take pictures at the insane asylum. I had taken pictures of the exterior before (all shot in black and white film), but I knew Edye would be the perfect person to trespass inside with me. We managed to find a door that was not locked, and I set up my tripod and my brand spankin’ new Canon Rebel and I shot my favorite images I have ever taken.  The picture at the top of my page is a picture Edye took of me taking a picture of her in the building. 

 I claim that I have only been an over-achiever once in my life. This series is my claim.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

 The final images are printed on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag and are 16″x20″.

        

       

-Tricia

Haiku

I figured that I would start this off by showing some of my past work. The assignment for this was to do a triptych, and to kind of think of the images poetically, as a haiku.

I wanted to experiement a little with this assignment.  I had only used 35mm black and white film before, but for this assignment I used medium-format color slide film, and I used my little beloved Holga.

My Haiku, I cleverly decided (clever, in my opinion at least… hehe)

When you’re alone

And life is making you lonely

You can always go

DOWNTOWN!

That is all for now

Hello World!

So here it is! My very own weblog!

We’ll see what happens!