the things we think but do not say

Strobist_Turns_One

Originally uploaded by strobist.

A few weeks back I came across this fantastically helpful online resource called, “The Strobist”, a blog dedicated to the wonders of photography using small flash units, or strobes, as they’re commonly called.

I’ve blogged this photo directly from the Flickr photostream of the writer himself and I hope he doesn’t mind.

The site does a fantastic job of unraveling the mystery from using off camera flash units (meaning flashes that are positioned be away from the main camera body). The basic premise if that fancy, schmancy flash units and elaborate lighting setups are nice and all, but when it comes to working on a pressured photo assignment, working with flexible, inexpensive stobes become very valuable.

For me using a flash has always left me cold. And that’s mainly from the dreadful examples that I have seen when using the flash unit that pops up on top of my camera.

Typically, the people I shoot in these poorly lit photos look like deer in the headlights, at best. At worst, they look like a American Apparel models.

The best parts of the evolving blog is the Lighting 101 and On Assignment sections. Here you can get a complete break down of the lighting setup.

I can only hope that through lots of practice and sites of this nature will help me get over my fear of using a flash.

The Strobist. Dig it.

diane arbus interview

Originally uploaded by georgeaye.

Photography is becoming more and more important to me but the world of serious work out there by past masters, luminaries and legends is all too overwhelming. But a name that often that gets mentioned amongst the best is Diane Arbus, and today I heard her voice for the first time.

Presented by Almanac magazine is a recording at a student lecture in 1970, a year before her suicide and at the height of her career.

Arbus was almost as much of a curiosity as the subjects from which her work is best known. Fascinated with the overlooked and underappreciated sub-cultures in the world, her fine art photographs are as remarkable to look at now as they were when they were first presented in the 1960s.

I was never fortunate enough to see the enormous exhibit at the SF MOMA a few years back, but produced in conjunction with the show was a phenomenally thorough book, “Diane Arbus Revelations” which I have the pleasure to own.

The story goes that after her death, her entire estate was closed off to public view for over thirty years. Not a peep, not a reprint, not a word. But after years of seclusion, her daughter Doon Arbus released all her mother’s work. All her old prints, contact sheets, negatives, diaries. Everything. And this book does a fantastic job of presenting the complete works of this complex artist.

Listening to her voice, though, gave me insight into an entirely more human person. Her voice giggles and lilts its way through anecdotes and stories as that of a school girl. I feel that much closer to knowing this person and I think that it can inevitably help me understand her work and her motivations that much clearer.

The Diana Arbus recording is here.

Battles 05

Originally uploaded by georgeaye.

Last Friday my friends and I went to see the a heart pounding, electric show by the band called Battles. They filled the Empty Bottle to capacity. They played many tracks from their new LP released on Warp Records, including their first single, Atlas.

To get the most complete band info, look at this entry on Wikipedia.

My strongest memory is seeing the drummer, John Stanier, with his head down, smashing his drums to pieces for 90 minutes straight. Damn that guy was amazing. Almost machine like in his precision and metronome like consistency.

Check out this video to get a glimpse of their music. Go Battles!