The End of This Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Ten.

Yup, another year down.  So for your viewing pleasure or displeasure, here is a link a few photos from the beginning of my digital photography path and even one from a medium format film camera.  Progression.

As I am writing this I am editing a photo-shoot for my sister-in-law and her man (which was fun!), listening to mellow music and waiting for my coffee.  Ah, it's done.

As I was saying, I'm in mellow mode.  Not necessarily a good mellow, more of a melancholy mellow.

A friend of mine took off from his house this morning without telling anyone where he was going, he only took his wallet and ipod and left a note, "I don't belong here".  I want to let out a stream of swear words because I hate to see and know people feel like that.  YOU DO BELONG!

I can be tough about a lot of things.  I can do what needs to be done under any circumstance, amongst horrible tragedies and violent events.  But I can not stand to see friends hurting emotionally.  Unfortunately that is more likely to occur than horrible tragedies and violent events.  I care about people.  Without that what do we have? A rat race, literally, a mindless race to get to the end of the maze, consume the consumables and die.  No art.  No creation.  No love.

To quote a movie, "Life is pain, we need to squeeze every minute of joy out of it we can" - Hot Rod.

So here is my little joy.

-dg

 

29th Birthday Blog

Hi all.  So today is my 29th birthday.  Wow.  This one has made me contemplate things a lot.  I do not know if it is because of the craziness these last couple years have brought, or if it is because 29 is almost 30.  30 is an age that I figured certain things would be in place, certain goals would be accomplished.  So as I stand here at the end of 28, looking over the edge at 29, I find myself re-evaluating goals.  I have a good job, I have an amazing family, great friends and I have endured and survived curveballs that life has thrown me.  I guess my new goals to accomplish by 30 are really to continue the pursuit of creativity, joy and love in the face of adversity, pain and suffering.  To live a life worth living.

Thanks for reading.

-dg

That Sucked

Have you ever written a letter to a Judge hoping that it will have some sort of an affect on a friend's sentencing?  It ain't easy.  In fact it sucks.  There are so many things I wish I could say, things that I want to believe would make all the difference in the world, but the reality is the Judge may not even look at one letter.  It is so frustrating because I love this friend and his family and wish that it could be as easy as one letter.  I would not leave my computer and would type a letter detailing every way this man has influenced me and how it has helped me navigate the stormy waters of life.

I would explain how one of the very first lessons I learned from this friend is that you should be honest even when it can hurt yourself.  He told a story of a man he worked for, this man was a chemist who apparently garnered the attention of a particular branch of the government who wear black suits and investigate things.  These government types called and talked with my friend.  Shortly afterwords my friend received a call from the chemist who said that the suits would be calling.  He said they would say horrible things about him and that they would ask questions.  The chemist recommended that my friend not talk with them then invited my friend for a drink.

My friend became nervous and asked the advice of his mentors.  He asked if they thought he should lie if the chemist asked if he had talked to any suits.  His mentors recommended that he be honest.  This chemist had made hints and threats that he could mix chemicals in such a way that they could be mailed and the recipient would die from opening the letter.  But my friends mentors still suggested he be honest.

He met the chemist for a drink not knowing the outcome but expecting to be asked if he had spoken to the suits.  My friend was prepared to be honest even though the outcome may harm him but the question never came up.

The situation my friend is facing a Judge for is very similar in the sense that he was honest despite the harm he and his family now face.  At least now the harm that they face is no longer a physical harm.  Unfortunately the harm they face will affect them for the rest of their lives.

My friend and his family's situation is that of a tragedy.  It is easy to sit back and come up with a simple to solution to the problem he faced a little over a year ago, yet it is an entirely different situation to actually be in his shoes then.  There are failures and were failures in the systems that were designed to protect people.  As a result of that my friend was faced with a choice that I would not wish on anyone.

There are those of us who have faced that choice, those of us who know we may face that choice and those of us who have never considered that choice.  Those of us who know we may face that choice can understand a little bit.  We will never fully understand the gravity of that choice until we are faced with it.  I imagine that once you are in a situation which requires you to decide whether you want to continue or not, you really have no option and the last thing on your mind is that you may face a Judge for wanting to continue.

On one hand I want to cry for my friend's situation, but I think those tears would be fruitless.  My friend understood the rules.  He was aware of the risks.  He chose to participate in this arena.  I know that he will soldier on because that is what a warrior does.  Pull out the arrow so you can live to fight another day.

If there is anyone that I should grieve for it is his family.  I only hope that they are able to move forward and recover from this heartache.  My friend was protecting them in the best way he knew how.

I wish that I could have fit that into a letter to a Judge and I wish it would make it all go a way.  It is not going to go away though, so I have choice to make.  To go on and do my job better than ever, to not be dissuaded by the choices of others and to honor my friend by doing what is right.

Friend, you know who you are and if you by chance get to read this, I'm praying for you and your family, hang in there and soldier on.

Daniel

Preventative Maintenance

Sorry for the long lapse in blogs.  I've been thinking about writing for a long time, just did not get around to it until now.

First of all, you'll notice there are no numbers in the title.  My once a week blogging project spiraled into oblivion and will not make a return.  I am still going to make an effort to blog consistently because I do enjoy it and it is therapeutic in a way.  Ok, on to the meat and potatoes.

This year we have let go of two cars.  In turn we purchased two cars, but in doing research and trying to decide on which cars to get, I began to really understand the importance of preventative maintenance.  The interesting thing about preventative maintenance is that it applies to nearly all aspects of our lives.  Mechanical preventative maintenance can actually relieve stress, I don't know about you, but I have driven many miles in cars that I was not sure if they were going to make it and it is stressful!

The more I thought about mechanical preventative maintenance the more I realized how similar it is to all the other types of preventative maintenance, emotional, physical, spiritual, relational and so on.  I thought about how it is really hard to spend $200 on your car that seems to be running fine and how I used to think of all the other things I could spend the money on.  Physical preventative maintenance is the same, I could spend a couple hours working out, which is hard, or do nothing and wait until I have a physical problem to do something.

Recently I applied the preventative maintenance concept into my relationship with my wife.  After having a kid and being married for 6 years, being romantic takes a herculean  effort!  We decided on a night to have a date and I secretly began planning a few things.  It was difficult and took a real effort to plan the evening, order the flowers, clean the house and have enough energy to enjoy the date.  All that effort paid off though and I noticed a difference in our relationship.  The date was what we needed.

Now I am trying to be vigilant and stay on top of preventative maintenance, it is worth the effort for the peace of mind.

-dg                      

Quitting Facebook. (#17)

Well, I pretty much failed at the "once-a-week" blog thing, but it should get better soon.  I just deactivated my Facebook account.  So now instead of posting one line thoughts every 10 minutes, I can save them all up and post bigger blogs.  I've been toying with the idea of quitting Facebook for some time now.  It isn't that I think Facebook is evil,  it is definitely a cultural phenomenon that has changed the way the world communicates.  I have just been thinking about how much time I spend on it when I could be calling, texting, talking, thinking, blogging and creating.  Every time I would sit down to write a blog or edit a photo, Facebook would be running in the background.  So now if you want to know what is going on in my life just read the blog, or call me.  Pictures will still get posted to my Flickr and here.  So really we won't be missing anything without a Facebook.  

I'm going to go do something now that I am free from the Facebook tether.  See ya.

-dg

Rough day (#16)

The last few days have been interesting.  My commuter car has not been doing well as of late.  It started with an oil leak that drops oil onto the motor and exhaust, thereby creating a cloud of smoke that an Army Ranger battalion could use to conceal their movement.  Ok, maybe not that big, but definitely annoying!  Then the air conditioning went out.  Not good in 106 degree weather.  Lastly, the a/c compressor started making a horrible grinding noise.  I was able to stop the grinding noise by removing the a/c, alternator, crankshaft belt and replacing it with a shorter belt, bypassing the a/c compressor all together.  So now I am trying to sell an old car with an oil leak and no a/c.  Oh yeah, and I'm selling the Porsche too.  I need a shop before I get a project car.

Man today has felt rough.

Last night I watched "Stranger Than Fiction" with Michelle and I thought it was an awesome movie.  The story was great, the actors were incredible and the movie moved me.  It reminded me how much I appreciate creativity and wish I had more of it in my life.  I went to bed impressed and thinking.  Then I dreamt all night about weird things.  Woke up and had to start reality.  A project that I like, my spouse doesn't.  A problem I don't want to deal with, but must.  The reality that I'm responsible for me.  I don't want to be responsible for me.  Maybe that made today rough.

Here's to a good tomorrow.

-dg

Finally Some Photos! (#15)

After what felt like eternity, I finally got out and captured some photos.  First I was able to get out and get some basic portraits for my good friend Tyler, then I grabbed some head shots of my sister-in-law Carissa.  In both shoots I tried out a few different lighting set-ups.  For Tyler's stuff we started outside with natural light and a reflector, then moved inside a dirty garage and set-up two strobes.

It was nice to push the shutter button a few times, I missed it.  Keep an eye on my Flickr for the final edits of both shoots.  Both Tyler and Carissa want to do another shoot, so I'll get on it and not let nearly as much time go by before the camera gets out!

Thanks for looking!

-dg

Mobile Update (#14)

Alright, trying out this mobile blogging deal. On my work days I struggle to find the motivation to write blogs, but I have a long commute which allows me time to think. So as I sit here in the passenger seat, I decided to blog.

I'm getting excited about the next couple of weeks. After taking a short hiatus from image capturing, a couple people have asked if I would do a photo shoot with them. I can't wait!

Now it's time to come up with a focus for the shoots...

-dg

Sent from my iPhone

Lucky (#13)

Well I missed a post last week, but there is no better way to recover than to jump right back on it. This last week was, um, productive. I was not selected for that job I applied for, I had a couple of really good conversations in which some things I needed to say got said and some things I needed to hear I heard.

Also, this last Saturday, Michelle and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary. Well, we actually celebrated for three days and nights at the beginning of the week sans baby! It was great to have a little "staycation" at home. I love my son, but it was nice to be alone with my wife. I think we both forgot how simple life was before a child. I'm sure those of you with more than one child are thinking, "I remember how simple life was with one child". Oh well, I guess that is the way of life. Always being challenged at whatever place you are on the path of life.

I have been really lucky(read blessed) in my life.

Hopefully there will be some fresh photos to post next week, there are a few chores that need to be taken care of next week, like a transmission replacement on a PT Cruiser. The photographic itch has been acting up.

-dg

TANSTAAFL (#12)

Mr. Gilbertie wrote that strange combination of letters on the dry erase board in micro-economics class one day and posed the question, "Any one know what that means?" Then he curled his lips into a wry smile partially obscured by his magnificent mustache, "Anyone?"  We students sat in silence knowing that he was about to explain a new concept that we would be tested on in some formidable pop quiz.  "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch".  In my head I caught myself thinking, "Ain't ain't a word!"  Mr. Gilbertie, oblivious to his egregious grammatical error, proceeded to explain success, work ethic and various other life principles that were always woven into his lessons about supply and demand graphs, capitalism and Adam Smith.

In that classroom, I connected with that acronym.  I was very blessed growing up, my parents and grandparents were of the old school variety, valuing hard work and the good old fashioned tenacity of the American Spirit.  I felt like I understood TANSTAAFL.  Since that day in economics class, it has become apparent that I did not really understand it as well I as I thought.  I assumed that because this acronym was used in economics class, it pertained to money.  Somewhere, the connection of TANSTAAFL to life was disrupted.

This topic came up in the last few days because I applied for a position at work that will be coming available soon.  The last time I filled out a resume was when I applied for this job nearly four years ago.  So I asked a few other guys I work with, who are also applying for said position, if I could take a look at their resumes to get some ideas on formatting and what is important to include.

One look at those resumes and I knew that my chances of getting this position were greatly diminished.  On paper, these guys blow me out of the water.  In person and actual quality of work, I think the playing field is much more even.  Unfortunately, I think this position will go to the person with the most lines on his/her resume and the most time on the job.  Meaning I do not think I really stand a chance, but I applied anyway.

After realizing how lame my resume appears and how much time I have left in my career, I decided that now is the time to start pursuing some things.  A phone call to a person who was very influential in my life for about 6 months, a talk with a supervisor about a few things, and TANSTAAFL popped into my head.

There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

If I want to try some other things out in my career, if I want some specialized training, if I want to improve my work quality, no one else is going to give it to me.  I have to step up and volunteer for things.  I have to work a little extra to pursue training on my own.  I have to put myself in positions in order to make a difference and become "known".  That's how I get what I want out of this career.  Nobody is going to give me a damn thing.  No Free Lunch!  If I want it, I'll ask for it.  If that doesn't work, I'll demand it.  Still not enough?  I'll show you why your making a big mistake for not giving it to me.

I'm coming to get my lunch.

Do work son.

-dg

Who You Are vs. What You Do. (#11)

So I fell off the horse and missed a blog last week.  I have had a concept rolling around in my head for a long time and last week I decided I wanted to blog about it.  In my opinion, knowing your identity is very important.

I guess I should throw in a disclaimer.  Considering that I am male, and therefore all my experiences which dictate my opinions are from the male perspective, this blog may only mean anything to males.

In my line of work there is a lot of machoism.  In fact, in my family there is a lot of machoism.  I was raised around construction workers and spent most of my childhood picking up nails, stepping on nails, picking up scrap wood and smashing my fingers with framing hammers around beer swilling, beam lifting, hard working manly men.  I should have known then I would enter a career path where you are measured by how willing you are to "be a man".  Jump into the fights, show up to help your co-workers out and never turn from the scary, the difficult or the messy.

I have noticed, unfortunately, that a large number of males in my workplace are not secure in their self-identity as "men".  That is not a reference to sexuality.  It means that there is a validation that they missed out on as a young man.  In most cultures, there is a defining moment when a boy becomes a man.  After that moment, the boys are treated as men.  We do not really have that in the American culture anymore.  

Luckily, I had an experience where my dad called me out and said, "From now on you are a man."  I was no longer just a 16 year old.  I was treated like a man.  Allowed to make my own decisions and held responsible for those decisions.  As a result, I do not feel like I have to do anything to prove my manhood to anyone.  My father recognized it and validated it.  Done.

All my life experiences, the choices I have made and the principles my parents instilled in me created my character.  Those things define who I am.  Not the job I chose.  Not the amount of fights I have fought.  Not the sports I play.  Not the art I create.  Not the instruments I play.  Who you are should not be defined by what you do.  What you do should be enhanced by who you are.

I believe that knowing who you are increases your ability to process what is going on in your life.  It makes it ok when you realize that you can not control anyone or anything but your self.  I choose to perform what I do with honor and respect.  The way my dad taught me to live, that is who I am.

What I do sometimes calls for me to physically control people.  The way I do that is determined by who I am.  When I gain control of a person, there is no need to belittle them.  To trash talk and act like the toughest guy in the world.  That does nothing for me.  However, if a person is defined by what they do, then every time they accomplish a task, they do everything they can to show how good they are.  Calling out to any one around to validate them as a person, as a man.

As I write this, I do not really know where to go from here.  I guess I just want to say that I hope you fathers out there will validate your boys.  Teach them what it means to be a man, to be a warrior.  Being a warrior is not always about beating people up.  It is about not ever giving up, taking responsibility for your decisions and treating everyone with respect.  Do what you enjoy.  Learn to appreciate the "artsy" stuff.  Some of the toughest warriors in history did things often considered "not manly".  Samurai studied poetry, King David played the harp.

Who you are should enhance what you do and what you do should not define who you are.  Make sense?

-dg

iMac (#10)

Post #10, the first post from our new computer.  Michelle and I finally decided to take the plunge and buy a desktop computer.  I really do not know why we resisted for so long.  Maybe it was my way of being ready to move at a moments notice.  Not feeling comfortable with things that have semi-permanent psyche.

Our laptop, a 5 year old 15" Powerbook, has done an outstanding job as our main computing machine.  It even handled Lightroom and Photoshop CS4 processes, not fast mind you, but handled them.  Once we started getting excited about the possibilities available with the new iPad, thanks in a large part to our good friend Jesse Rosten, we looked into picking one up.  Looking closer at the system requirements, it became clear that our laptop would not be able to sync.  If you are syncing with Mac, it needs an Intel chip.

That's not the first time I have not been able to do something because my computer was getting too old and decrepit, so we went all out.  My face is being light up by a 27" iMac screen that takes approximately .5 seconds for my eyes to travel from one side to the other and it is glorious!  It makes me wonder why we waited so long to do this.  My neck and back no longer hurt from leaning forward in order to view the screen and the photos look amazing on here!  I can not wait to get some new shots to edit.  In fact, I may have to revisit some old edits and see if I can't improve on them now that I can see details.

Work time is quickly approaching, so I must head off, but I'll leave you with a photo comparison of the old and new.

eBaying It Up (#9)

Howdy Ya'll.  This post is going to be on the simpler side of things today.  I sold an item on eBay for the first time, so now I need to get it to UPS before work so I can get some dollars!  eBay is a pretty cool tool if you are willing to put forward a little effort in getting rid of unused things around the house.  The next item going on the auction block is going to be an oil pan... don't ask.

In other news, I recently started taking advantage of the piano we are "storing" for my sister and printed out some sheet music for a piece I used to know pretty well.  Reading music is a very perishable skill!  I think I drove the wife and kid nuts while attempting to play what was written.  I'll keep trying and just call whatever comes out "indie jazz punk rock", it's a genre most of you just won't get because it is so cool and emo.

The Porsche project made some slight progress this week.  I put an actual car cover over it instead of the black plastic tarp that was taped on.  If enough items sell on eBay, a new timing belt and water pump may be put on order soon.  Not necessarily because the Porsche (it's insulting to call it a car I guess) needs those items, but the motor is dismantled to that level and the experts recommend replacing it as a precautionary step.  I can't wait to get that thing on the road!

Ok, short and sweet and simple.  Must drink 8 more cups of coffee, shower, play some indie jazz punk rock, go to UPS, then finally head off to work.

-dg

New Project (#8)

Well I picked up another project.  With this new project I am trying to stay realistic on goals to accomplish. It seems like goals that are accomplished, no matter how small, help build momentum for the next goal.  This project is no small task, in cost and time, but it is a step closer to a childhood dream of mine.

My grandpa used to tell me stories about his old cars and timing races at various race tracks in the bay area.  Maybe that is when the bug got me, but for nearly as long as I can remember I have wanted to drive a race car.  The first time I actually got to drive on a closed circuit was during the academy and all that did was increase my desire to get on a track someday.

Recently, while searching for an used pick-up, I came across a little red car on craigslist for next to nothing.  Originally I figured I could pick it up, do some cleaning, put the interior back together then drive it around on the weekends.  Then I started looking into the costs of materials for this particular car and quickly discovered that to make the interior "nice" again, it would cost more than I could sell the car for!

So to keep with the accomplishable goal way of thinking, I plan on turning this beast into a street legal track car.

If your in the area and your handy with a wrench, or if you just want to drink some beer and make snide remarks at my feeble attempts of mechanicatry (I made that word up).  Hit me up and we'll do a work date. 

Wish me luck!

-dg

Head-shots(#7)

This last week has been a productive one for me.  I was able to get a lot of yard work done, complete a minor repair on my car and take some head-shots for a local hair stylist.  Of course I had the most fun doing the photography stuff.  It was nice to bust out the lighting gear and get some decent results.

I tend to be the kind of guy that likes to have all the high-quality tools, gadgets and sometimes unnecessary equipment.  So I have been trying to challenge myself to get good results with simple stuff.  Part of the reason for the challenge is that photo-gear cost bucks and if I spent the kind of bucks I would like, I probably would be adding alimony to that list of expenses... Love you honey!

This last week is the first time I feel like I got some of my best one-light head-shots to date.  Michelle wanted to try out some make-up techniques and see how they photographed and I wanted to practice some more one-light stuff.  I busted out the Vivitar strobe light, stand, shoot through umbrella, ebay cactus wizards that I am borrowing and some white foam core board for reflectors.  Michelle acted as a model and a VAR(Voice Activated Reflector) stand all in one!  One of our trusty pub chairs acted as a second reflector holder and away we went.

Please forgive my photo-editing errors, my computer runs like a VW Bus trying to climb a mountain pass over the Sierras when running Photoshop.  It makes for really long editing sessions then I get frustrated and stop.  I need to work on that.  Anyway, this is one of my favorite photos I have taken to date.  It's hard to tell in this blog, but you can jump over here to check out a large version on flickr and see some more detail.  I was really pleased with the overall sharpness.  It seems like it has been a long road to sharp photos.

After this session, Michelle told me that our hair stylist, the awesome Ms. Joanna Montemayor at Razors Edge Salon, needed head-shots for their website.  Joanna wanted Michelle to do her make-up for the shoot and Michelle figured I could take the photos.  At first I was a little apprehensive, but decided to give it a go.  You don't know what you can and can't do until you try.

So Joanna came over and brought her friend Zac.  Little did he know he would be put to work as a VAR holder.  Michelle rocked the make-up, then I put her and Zac to work and we came up with this.

I feel like it came out pretty well for one-light and a couple reflectors.  I'm anxious to see how it looks on the website.

Next lighting mission, high-speed syncing with a medium format camera...

-dg

Life Imitates Art and Some Other Random Stuff (#6)

Ok, got my coffee brewing on the stove, the house is quiet, Lightroom is open with some decent looking head-shots of Michelle and it is finally time to blog.  These last couple blogs are getting published a little late in the week, I'm going to have to get on top of it!

About a day after I posted the last blog, I was driving to work and had a journey of thoughts for about 15 minutes that followed no apparent course.  It went from thinking about family drama to what makes life good, contrast in photos to what defines good art and finally to the quote, "Life imitates art [...]".  The whole gist of everything is that without contrast in art, what ever you define art as, there would not be anything interesting to look at or experience.  Without contrast in life, the experience would be bland.

Generally, I do not want to feel pain.  I do not particularly enjoy experiencing heartbreak and unhappiness.  But with out those unwanted experiences I would not know how good being healthy feels, or how good it is to experience joy.  I have been trying to learn how to experience the bad parts of life, the contrast to good, in a way that will let me completely appreciate when times are good.

When I get to the end of my life I want to look back and know that I experienced the hell out of it.

Film, BMX, and Sacramento(#5)

Phew, this has been a busy last few days!  Sunday I attended a really cool event at the local BMX track and got a couple good photos.  Then Michelle and I jumped into the car and headed south to Sacramento for two nights of alone time.  While down there I got flipped off once and mean-mugged by a gangsta wannabe in his 300M with chrome fool!  Good times.  We also spent a few hours at Ikea and brought some organizational items home.  Upon our return to Redding, I immediately began assembling shelving units and hunting screws that little Daniel wandered off with.  After much grunting, sweating and hammering the Swedish furniture was completed and it was already time for a birthday party for Lyn.  I'm worn out just from writing all that! It was a lot of fun and I would do it again in a heartbeat, bad Sacramento drivers and all.

On the photography side, I didn't take as many photos in Sac town as I should have.  I was thinking about bringing a Mamiya down, but didn't really want to lug around a 6 pound camera plus tripod, plus the Canon for metering with out a clear idea of what I wanted to shoot.

In short, it stayed home.

Since receiving the two medium format cameras I have run a roll of film through each, but only developed a roll from one.  The results are fantastic, meaning no light leaks or major problems with negatives.  As for actual artistic value of the negatives, well, there is room for improvement!

It was a lot of fun to process film again.  Once the chemicals were mixed and in storage containers it was really simple to knock it out at home.  In fact, I may process another couple rolls today.

The duties of father-hood and husband-hood our calling so I must be off.  I'll leave you with this picture of Kevin Suttmoeller, 43 years young and still rocking BMX!

Don't let the lens distortion fool you, that gap was 20+ feet!  There are few more pics of BMX over at flickr.com/ihatecrashing and I will be posting more up as I get them edited.

-dg

Medium Format Here I Come... (#4)

After the last blog I began scouring the internet for a deal on a medium format camera.  I was really hoping to find an older Hasselblad for a deal on ebay, but quickly realized they don't go for much less than 1k and accessories for them aren't cheap either.  While checking a particular online camera forum, I stumbled across a gentleman selling two complete Mamiya RB67 Pro S models for a price I couldn't resist.  After sending a few text messages to a friend that has a similar model and exchanging emails with the seller, I decided I was going to take the plunge.

I decided to give medium format film a try for a couple of reasons.  One, I feel like with film you have to slow down and really considered what you are about to do.  Once you release the shutter, there is no "delete" button.  Sure you could throw the negative away, but that negative cost you money.  Two, looking into the viewfinder, at least a waist level viewfinder, makes you look away from the subject and down at the focus screen.  In a small way it helps me look at the negative I am about to make in a more objective way.  Three, the shutter makes the coolest sound ever.  Ok, that last one is a little cheesy but it is true!

The goal is to get a scanner and do most of my developing at home for black and white, color stuff I will send off for.  Hopefully the process of making film photos will help improve my digital photography and maybe I can get some good art out the whole ordeal!

-dg

Crossroads... (#3)

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a little bit obsessive-compulsive when it comes to things I'm interested in.  Cars, boats, motorcycles, biking, skating, surfing, sailing, radio controlled airplanes, photography, backpacking, shooting...  It is a long list, really long.  Unfortunately my time and money isn't as long as my list.  Maybe someday I'll create something that becomes wildly popular and produces enough income to be a full-time adventurer.  But for now I have to create a hierarchy of importance.  Decision time.

BMX (Bicycle Motocross) used to be on top of that hierarchy, it had a long reign in fact.  I rode BMX bikes from the age of 5 until 22.  Really getting serious around my sophomore year in high school.  The JV soccer team cut me and I pretty much swore off team sports and jumped on my bike.  That same week I completed a four foot tall launch ramp and landing, shoved it into the street and started jumping.

Working all summer for my dad, I was able to save up the $575 it cost me to build my "dirt jumper".  A beautiful chrome GT Fueler with Profile three-piece cranks, 48 spoked double walled rims.  It was a beast. When we moved to northern California it was all about racing.  My Fueler was cannibalized for the cranks and a very expensive 20" racing machine was built.  It's pretty amazing how much money I spent on BMXing.

Now, as I'm sure you have gathered if you have read the past blogs, photography is right up there in importance to me.  When I think about it, I was always the one trying to get pictures and video of my  friends when we were riding.  Maybe photography has always been that important to me but I just didn't recognize it.

Here is where the decision comes in.  I have a limited amount of fundage to spend at will.  So if I buy a bike, I have to wait to get camera gear.  What makes this decision difficult is that the emotional satisfaction of creating images is nearly identical to the satisfaction of riding.  The riding requires more physical work, but when you manual through a rhythm section, flow through a skatepark, or float a simple table-top over a smooth double, there is a feeling that you just created something pleasing.  It is art.  People enjoying watching it, you enjoy making it.  Just like photography.

So last night,  I was telling Michelle about my dilemma and she said I should go after photography.  Initially I resisted and stuck to my guns about buying a BMX bike.  But last night I couldn't sleep.  Sad, I know.  Seriously every time I woke up, which was often, I was thinking, "BMX or Photography".  Part of what I am afraid of is that if I don't get a bike now, the opportunity will never come again.  Talk about an irrational fear!  So after that sleepless night.  And this blog.  I think I am going to stick to photography.

Maybe I can do some stuff for the local BMX track with my photography.  Plus I have a son I can live vicariously through...

-dg

The Journey. (#2)

Last week I had an awesome opportunity to hang out with few really cool people and get to help out on the set of a "fashion film shoot".  My friend Jesse has been turning his Red One digital camera on its side lately and filming stuff in portrait format.  You can read more about it on his website jesserosten.com.  Anyway, Michelle was the make-up artist for the day and I tagged a long to help lug lights around.  It was kind of a date for Michelle and I because we both got to hang out and do things we love! 

I try to jump at every opportunity to be involved with things that interest me.  Lately that interest has been heavy in the photography department.  I'm not really an aspiring cinematographer, but a lot of principles from film-making bleed over to photo-making.  Even when moving light stands around there are little concepts that I pick up and it encourages me to stretch my own creativity. 

Speaking of stretching, our friends the Skinners asked me to take some photos for them and I agreed.  It was a little nerve wracking considering this was my second time doing a photo shoot with someone other than Michelle and Daniel!  They seemed to be happy with the results which is what really counts, but I definitely was not breaking any molds.  

As a novice photographer, I am noticing how it is a journey to find my own style.  It seems that some people pick up a camera and have a distinct view on the world and it shows through their work.  Someday I'll have a signature look.  In the meantime it is a lot of copying and experimenting, which is kind of fun and frustrating. 

I guess the whole purpose of this post is to say that I am on an artistic journey, although it doesn't always feel that way, and I am grateful for the opportunity to participate.  What journey are you on?

-dg

52 Blogs.

With all the "365" and "52" projects I see on Flickr and Photography-on-the.net, I figured it may not be a bad idea to do one of those for blogging.  Part of the reason is because I think that this trend towards online communities and social networks is going to be an important part of society and I for one do not want to be left in the dust!  The rest of the reason is that I believe writing (typing) your thoughts increases the flow of creativity.

You may have noticed that photography has been a recent hobby for me and it is slowly growing into a pretty important part of my life.  Lately I feel like I have been hitting a wall in the creative department and would really like a break through.  After a few conversations with some friends about art, creativity and life, I decided I need to commit to do something to get the juices flowing.

So here are my ground rules for this project.  I am making a commitment, starting with this one, to write a blog per week for 52 weeks, a full year.  They may include photos, they may not.  It may be about photography, it may not.  We will just have to see how this all pans out.  I feel like this is going to be a good journey, tough, but good.  

-dg

Michelle's New Hair

IMG_9355
Originally uploaded by er_gold

Alrighty, I'm trying out this blog from Flickr thing. So here is a recent picture of Michelle that I took with our new lens. I'm trying to learn more and more about photography and it is exciting to see small improvements as I go along. I really need to start learning some Photoshop stuff. Anyway, I'm really proud of this photo, I think Michelle looks stunning with her new hair style and I feel like I was able to capture an image that shows how stunning it is! Thanks for looking people.

-dg