NYCWLK Recap: Aka #HeroSquad

I attended the inaugural NYCWLK in mid-September and I have to say that I think it was a resounding success. The weekend, organized by Johnny Patience, Rebecca Lily & Bijan Sabet,  included a three hour workshop about general film photography principles and the creative process lead by Johnny Patience, a leisurely photowalk from SoHo to Brooklyn capped off by dinner and drinks. Attendees could choose to attend a combination of the three portions of the day and I gladly went for all three.

The three hour workshop to kick off the day was a laid back and informal discussion about the virtues of film photography, general techniques and practices as well as a more  discussion of the creative process in general and how a photographer can establish their voice and push the evolution of their work. It was also filled with tidbits of Johnny's philosophical genius delivered in a until then unknown incredibly entertaining (to me) accent. German born with a long stint in Ireland makes for a fantastic linguistic style and all the more reason to meet this man in person. His commitment to sharing the breadth of knowledge he has accumulated about photography and life with others is an incredible asset to the global photo community, and the impact of those efforts could be found throughout the entire NYCWLK day. The instant camaraderie, humility and the genuine interest in each other shared amongst the attendees was easily my favorite aspect of the walk. It just goes to show that building a solid community around your core values and interests will attract likeminded souls no matter where you go.

RAMMYs InFocus Part 2: Toki Underground

My day at Toki Underground was typical of pretty much any shoot in that it presented a pretty major change in plans. The original framework for the day was to start with the staff around 10:00am as they prepped the restaurant for the day’s lunch service, followed by a portrait of founder & head chef Erik Yang with additional photos of a few menu favorites during the slow hours between lunch and dinner rushes. Then came the last minute email: “Erik won’t be available tomorrow afternoon so can you be ready to take his portrait right at 10am?”

Just Ask!

Great opportunities start with very simple conversations.

"Hey man, is that a film camera you're using? I used to print in the darkroom all the time!" was the observational introduction volleyed by Robert Romano as I motored past him while out shooting with my rangefinder a bunch of month's ago. After some follow up in the form of meetings, chats, and collaborations we finally teamed up to do some fun headshots for a company earlier this week. And that's how opportunities come to fruition.

Multiple Exposure Portrait of Rob, taken by me

Multiple Exposure Portrait of me, taken by Rob

Darkroom Days: 10+ prints in less than 7 hours

I am in the midst of putting together my first ever physical print portfolio and the "first draft" is just about finished. As with any presentation, ones work has to be carefully (and stringently) filtered down to their absolute strongest materials that best apply to the context in which they will be used. A portfolio is a presentation of who you are as a creative and the work you aspire to produce. The images included cannot simply be good pictures, they have to represent the realm you are attempting to work within. A collection of beautiful landscape images could be great but might not be the best fit for when applying product photography job. The images have to be sequenced in a flowing, logical manner and depict content that directly corresponds to its intended audience or viewer.

I am building this portfolio for potential editorial commercial & event clients, so the photos selected (and printed, in this case) have to not only be technically superb but also sell my abilities as a commercial photographer and demonstrate how the techniques deployed throughout previous assignments can translate to whatever scenario envisioned by the potential client that is reviewing the portfolio. A pretty tall order for any major edit, personal or otherwise, especially when put together in a week's time.

Rita Moreno, July 2014

As I started to assemble small sections and ideas it dawned on me that I need a collection in this portfolio of strictly personal work. The work that gets me out of bed every morning and not the commercial work, or lack thereof, that keeps me up all night. The work that's made simply because I'm driven to do so. For me, that work is found on the streets of nearly any city while roaming around with a simple 35mm rangefinder camera and Tri-X B&W film.

Daily Carry, regardless of where I'm going

I joked last week that I am completely obsessed with taking pictures no one will ever purchase on a medium that no one will ever publish. That was right before the Veterans Day Concert for Valor on the National Mall. Those photos will be ready sometime soon, well after anyone has any interest in seeing them but that's just the point of personal work. Photographing something because you simply can't imagine yourself not doing it. No deadlines and no expectations other than my own, coupled with the flexibility to experiment with my own vision and interpretations. It's like a proving ground for new techniques, new compositional experiments, new concepts and it all seems so very selfish, really, when you think about it. Just doing something because you yourself are driven to do it and the only real benefactor. Interesting concepts.

So, the images that made up the heart of my portfolio were identified, culled, touched up, sequenced and sent to the printer. 40 of the 48 images that will make up my first portfolio were of a digital origin, most likely taken on an assignment of some kind, so printing from digital archives did not present much of a problem. But the B&W film stuff? Different story altogether.

My personal work, which involves shooting, developing & scanning 35mm Tri-X film at home and sharing the results via the web has created a pretty efficient hybrid workflow that involves a V500 scanner, Kodak HC110 developer and fleeting moments of free time. The V500 provides relatively adequate scans of my 35mm negs for use on the web but would not be able to produce files large enough for 8.5x11 portfolio prints. So what's an entrepreneurial hipster photographer to do??

A trip to the darkroom! I gave myself the insane goal of producing 10 prints (from scratch) within a single 7 hour session. Oh, and it was only my second time printing in the darkroom. An INSANE endeavor for sure, but people like to hear of that sort of drive and motivation in a person, right? Maybe.

In any event, it was a fantastic experience and I think I kind of pulled it off. I did learn just how difficult my recent photographic tendencies are to print though. Most of my B&W film work from the past year involves harsh, contrasty, heavily backlit scenes that lead to my negatives being pretty cooked straight out of camera. Those take a while (and quite a bit of paper) to work through.

Another lesson? These are some of my favorite photos in my portfolio and should be printed much more frequently. If only for continued education, posterity and experimentation. Final lesson: keep relatively logical deadlines! YIKES!

Volunteering is the Mother of Invention

I think volunteerism is one of the ways in which photographers can have the greatest impact on their community, surroundings and audience. A couple years ago, I volunteered my buddening event photography skills in support of a fundraising gala hosted by Action Africa, a local non-profit that was closely associated with a friend of mine. The event took place in a perfect location overlooking Washington, DC and a number of friends were in attendance so it was a pretty great night.

Like a number of non-profits and NGOs working in Africa, Action Africa serves the rural populations of Sierra Leone and Nigeria in a variety of ways, including facilitating the delivery of medical and school supplies, provision of micro-loans for small enterprises, sponsoring students, etc. But it was throughout the dinner that I learned of what differentiates Action Africa from a number of other organizations that conduct similar work; Action Africa employs a number of key representatives on the ground level of the communities that are served by its work who ensure that the donated goods reach their intended recipients.

Meetings Meetings Meetings

I have had some very cool photo opportunities over the past couple weeks (DC Mayoral Candidate David Catania even used one of my accidental double exposures from the Adams Morgan Day Festival as his new Twitter banner)

David Catania Double Exposure

..and I have organized a few meetings for this week about photography projects that I have been conceptualizing for a number of months. Projects that will test me in new shooting scenarios and introduce me to the topics and stories that I want to be focusing on for a number of years now.

I have already come to the realization that these meetings are the key to gaining access to the types of photos I want to be shooting, and properly communicating my vision in a way that's mutually beneficial to all those involved will make it possible to undertake the projects that made me want to quit my job in the first place.

Envision. 

Communicate. 

Execute. 

Share.

This approach and mentality has been working through my mind endlessly for the past few months once I first started to consider the possibility of leaving my job and pursuing photography as a full-time endeavor. "If I were to take a crack at full-time photo, what would I want to work on, be associated with, be known for, make a living out of?"

I am a firm believer in David Hobby's Ecosystems 101 on the Strobist Blog, which generally revolves around the theory that if you go out of your way to photograph the themes, topics & subjects that you wan tot be involved with, those efforts will open doors to even greater opportunities in the future. But this doesn't necessarily mean shoot a bunch of things for free in order to get publicity/views (the go-to justification of all people looking to exploit a photographer for free photos), but rather start to build relationships with the people that are associated with the subjects and stories that I want to be involved with and see where these new threads lead to.

Working on these projects are going to introduce me to a whole new collection of scenarios, subjects, shooting conditions and expected outcomes, so I will be learning A LOT while I do them. Some are way outside of my comfort zone too but I guess that's how you start.

Envision. 

Communicate. 

Execute. 

Share. 

And repeat. Like, a million times. 

Gear Ramble: KatzEye Split Focus Screen for the Nikon D700

For once, I modified something and didn't screw it up! This is a big deal folks because whether it be car, bicycle, household appliance or piece of apparel, once I start tinkering the item is on borrowed time. The viewfinder of my D700 has been transformed, but first, a little back story.

The KatzEye Digital Camera Transformation Kit (tweezers not included)

The Last Two Weeks, Today

What an absolutely amazing two weeks.

Over the past few days I have; hosted a fundraiser in support of Action Africa's efforts to send a 40ft container of medical supplies to Sierra Leone. Highlights include my friend donating his locks of hair for the cause;

"Chomp" - Special Thanks to @wiseowlclub for the buzz

Organized a viewing of the street photography documentary "Everybody Street" at The Leica Store DC and photographed a great night of awareness for Jennifer Tress's #NotPrettyEnough project;

Jennifer Tress with her panel 

Took some photos of one of the best Story League shows at Busboys and Poets I have seen;

Made a few portraits of my amazing friend Jamie Corley;

Joined a band (first show is September 5th at The Pinch!) and shot some very special rolls of TMAX400 at muralist/artist Eric B's going away party.

Edy Blu performs with some keys

Oh yea, and I quit my day job of the past four (4) years. An eternity in young professional terms. I had the chance to work with some great people in order to deliver practical training courses to government representatives from a diverse collection of emerging market countries. I traveled to Africa a few times and learned A LOT about an unquantifiable number of things, but it's time. Time to start devoting more energy towards photography and collaboration with likeminded folks similar to those listed at the top of this post, and most importantly, work for myself.

I will cherish so many memories from that job though:

Up until this point my life has been a constant experiment and I can't wait to see what the odd-ball variables of running my own business has in store for me.

YIKES!

Advantages of the Digital Workflow

Sometimes I am really blown away by the speed and capabilities of the digital workflow. Last week, I took a new idea from concept, testing, execution and distribution in less than 8 hours of actual work, and that blows me away and so counter to my philosophy to shooting film.

Film taught me how to trust my gut and instincts in any given exposure situation. The patience to hold off on seeing the results until long after you have taken the exposure and, unless you're being financed by an outside source, the patience and discipline in your shot choice so that you don't become swamped with mediocre rolls of film. When I review my film work, I usually have a bit of flexibility in my predetermined expectations and the actual results; maybe that backlight was a little stronger than I thought or the shadows in a certain shot a bit deeper than my initial estimate.

This mentality is all well and good for 99% of my personal work and is actually a great exercise in training both your eye and brain, but what about when a new idea or concept calls upon the complete opposite set of objectives or working process? What if I have an idea but need to quickly and "cheaply" (as in, already spent money) test the results?

Due to the restraints and responsibilities of my current daytime job, I have about 2 hours per day available to photographic pursuits. And that time is split amongst taking, planning, developing, scanning, editing, researching, learning, networking, marketing & sharing my work. So that's not just two hours a day of shooting, that's two hours a day for everything. Hell, I wrote the initial copy of this blogpost at 4am because I had the words in mind and knew I wouldn't have another chance to put pen to paper until at least the weekend.

So when I am completely wrapped up in the possibilities and variables of a new technique and I'm presented with a quickly approaching opportunity to try it out, I unpack the D700.

At some point last week I found myself skimming through one of those "top 5 ways to incorporate lighting in your photos" lists when I started riffing on an idea. The section involved painting stationary objects with a flashlight during a long exposure and I thought "hmm..I wonder what it would look like to paint a portrait subject with a flashlight.." I'm sure it has been done in some capacity before, but I hadn't seen it or done it, and I wanted to learn, so off we go. This brainstorm inevitably lead to the realization of a perfect application of this yet untested technique; a four day DIY scene music/art/creative festival in DC that was to be headquartered at a local church.

The characters and the church setting could (and did) provide a perfect backdrop for the painterly ghosting effects I was envisioning. The only problem was my only opportunity to do so was two days away, which left for no time to test in film, develop and scan said rolls and come up with a committed solution. After a few rounds of tests (and a bunch of beer/wine) I had a system in place to deliver the effects I was going for. I could remotely fire my camera for a two second exposure while simultaneously rear curtain triggering a gridded off camera flash. The flashlight would flood various areas of the scene while I bark out weird instructions to willing subjects, sometimes even freezing parts of the subject halfway through their movements for a multiple exposure effect.

The participatory nature of the setup was a perfect complement to the, in my opinion, participatory mantra of punk; the subject and practitioner were equally involved with creating something different.

International Kodak Film Photography Day 2014 and Philly Street

It's 2014 International Kodak Film Photography Day and as an avid Kodak shooter, I am going to celebrate with some initial favorites taken on a recent trip to Philadelphia with fellow DC street photographers Matt Dunn, Chris Chen, Bill Bramble and Mahan Talebian.

I packed two cameras for the trip; my BessaR rangefinder with the Voigtlander 35mm f/2.5 Color Skopar lens and Olympus EP1 digital camera. The BessaR served as my primary camera and the EP1 took care of random additional stuff. I shot 8 rolls of Tri-X over the two days checking out the city and upon initial review, it looks like I can group the few keepers into three general categories; Street, Portraits, and Places/Things.

Rita Moreno at the National Portrait Gallery

Every once in a while I like to sign up for an event gig in an effort to explore a new venue, meet new people and stretch my muscles a bit in an area outside of live music and the Streets. Some events prove to be really rewarding and present me with ample opportunities to achieve all objectives,

Rita Moreno's interview and showcase at the National Portrait was such an occasion.

Rita's personality is truly addicting and inspiring, and the humor in which she dispatches the numerous life lessons she learned on her at times shaky road to stardom reminds the observer that nothing comes easy, especially if you're breaking the mold.

There were times throughout the evening when I just flat out stopped photographing so I could listen and laugh.

DC to Philly, aka #DCpassyunk is in the Books

The first road trip of the summer, aka #DCpassyunk, my is in the books and on my scorecard it was a resounding success. A group of us rented a house in the Passyunk neighborhood of South Philly (near Gino's Steaks, kind of) and set out on our photographic and food related explorations throughout the city. Let me say right here that Philadelphia's food and people are both absolutely amazing. And we barely scratched the surface. Chris Chen acted as our resident food connoisseur and guided us to some epic meals.

Photographically speaking, we could all work as a group or explore a theme or area on our own. The early reports come Sunday afternoon indicated that everyone managed to work on something for themselves while still enjoying the camaraderie of the greater group. 

Planning the day's itinerary

A group mentality can backfire though, like when three of us telepathically understood that "this old woman in Chinatown with a gigantic umbrella is definitely going to lead to a photo" and we all descended upon her at once. It wasn't planned, but we all saw it and went for it. Thank God umbrellas can also double as a shield. 

I didn't arrive with any specific areas of focus in mind so I decided to check out Philadelphia for what it was and photograph whatever presented itself. Love Park was sought out though and I managed to hang with a few guys filming a skate scene. In total, I went through about 9 rolls of Tri-X and I'm in the process of developing and scanning those negatives, but I did shoot some random b-roll stuff throughout the weekend on my Olympus EP1. These are just interesting buildings, bits of nice light and compositions that I noticed along the way but didn't want to spend a frame of film on. The additives, if you will. 

I should have a couple more follow up posts with the film stuff in the coming weeks. 

Next up; Atlantic City! 

Report from the basement: My first trip to the Dougout

I finally made it up to the Dougout a few weeks ago, which is, in summary; an un-airconditioned DIY music venue in NE DC that serves as a small stage for local acts, an outpost for various associates in the scene.

Steve-O Par

Also an impromptu barbershop for anyone that needs a cut.

In essence, it's everything I couldn't get together but would have loved to be a part of back when I was focused on trying to make music.

The menu that night consisted of The Obsessives, Boardroom Heroes and Kill Lincoln. The temperature in the basement viewing area was somewhere around 80ish degrees but all the bands powered through and took care of business.

Kill Lincoln

As per my new usual, I loaded some Tri-X into my BessaR and looked to add some artificial light to the mix. This time mounting my SB-600 on-camera and making some Hail Mary exposures. I'm still getting used to this adding flash without chimping a digital playback screen and I think I am making some progress.

The Obsessives

The Obsessives

Boardroom Heroes

Kill Lincoln plus audience members

The film was then souped in Kodak HC110 and scanned with my PrimeFilmXA film scanner.

DC Street Photography Roudtrip Part Uno: Philly!

This weekend is a big one. Philly; the first stop in my set of summer road trips around/up/down/near the East Coast of the United States for DC Street Photographers.

The concept materialized a number of months ago when I was recollecting the old days of skate team tours, where a team of skateboarders would load themselves into a van and conduct a number of demos, skate sessions, meet with fans and generally cause a high quantity of impromptu mayhem along the way.

I thought that this could be an interesting activity for street photographers and immediately started looking into the details associated with loading a bunch of street shooters into a minivan and tear-assing through a few cities sometime this summer; shooting street, eating foods and checking out live music/art happenings along the way. The idea is to show the strength of the DC area Street Photography community by bringing them to other cities. That way, people from outside of the Beltway get a chance to check out what we capture throughout a number of cities and eventually dig into our work from the Nation's Capital.

A quick survey of known conspirators led to some very positive reactions to such plans, but I soon realized the logistics of lining up a van, the schedules of 4-5 people, and  adequate places to stay throughout multiple cities into the same week would be almost impossible. Especially with the amount of time I could allocate to formulating said plans (almost none) and available budgets (next to nothing). So, the concept morphed into a new plan:

Three cities on three separate weekends throughout three (or four) months of the summer. This way, different photographers can pick and choose what weekend works for them. First up is Philadelphia with Matt Dunn (@MattDunnDC), Chris Chen (@furcafe) and Mahan Talebian. My main objective of this particular weekend is to finally check out the venerable LOVE park, home to one of the most influential skate scenes in the US. I know it's but a shadow of its former self, but still...

Love Park via Blabac Photo (check that dude out; he's on point)

Anyway, Part 2 will be Atlantic City Boardwalk in late July and hopefully NOrleans in mid-September (30% chance of me surviving that trip).

Get at me in the comments section or on twitter @DGDCphotos or via email andy@dgdcphotography.com if you are interested in any of the trips or want to provide some tips about each location.