A couple of weekends ago, I went down to San Diego with some friends and shot a music video; the pictures from my grid (previous post) were taken during the shoot. The artist is AR15, A.K.A. my buddy Aaron… Anyway, he obviously worked on the music, but we both shot, edited, and worked on the effects for the video. Check it out below.
I wanted to mention that my grid was influenced by some of the techniques that Julianne Kost spoke about in the video we watched during class. My aim was to guide the viewers eyes through the picture, so that one could easily lead to the next through the use of lines and shadows. The two top-left pictures were taken in my garage; it is certainly not the most aesthetically pleasing thing to look at, but I just love the way the light shines through in the morning. The rest of the pictures were taken in downtown San Diego during a music video shoot, which was a blast.
Downtown San Diego
Last, but certainly not least, is Anthony Coleman’s blog. His freeway lights and grid pictures immediately pop out at the reader. Nicely done.
Another one of the blogs I enjoyed in class was Caitlin Skog’s. Her pictures of nature were amazing, especially the one of the tornado. Additionally, her final project, which was about former gang-members and ex-convicts, was courageous, inspiring, and eye-opening.
One of my favorite blogs in the class is Aaron Katzen’s. I really enjoy looking at vast landscape pictures and Aaron has a plethora of beautiful desert shots. The blog itself is clean and helps to showcase his talents with eye-catching pictures and videos.
I have probably taken more pictures in the last three months than I have in my entire life. As a person who has been involved mainly in video production, I must say that I have really fallen in love with photography. I will definitely continue to learn more about photography and will certainly incorporate it more into my video projects. In the meantime, take a look at some of my handy work below.
Have you ever wondered who your neighbors are?
Turns out I have some pretty nice people in my neighborhood.
Here’s a short video/slideshow about my neighbor Harry.
The past three months have flown by for me. The fall semester is coming to a close and I am feeling the usual pressures that come along with the end of the term; it’s crunch time. Being a father and husband does not make things easier because sometimes I am torn between spending time with my family and getting my schoolwork done. This semester was not much different than the rest, but there are certainly more holidays in the fall, which makes things a little trickier to juggle.
I feel that having a family allowed me to understand What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann a little better because I can relate to some of the difficult artistic decisions she has had to make throughout her career. In no way am I comparing myself as an artist to Sally Mann, I just do not have the experience or breadth of work that she has accumulated over the years, but I do have a family and I have used them in some of my projects. However, there is always the question of whether you should or should not use your family in your artwork.
I can only begin to imagine the amount of criticism Sally Mann received for the controversial pictures of her children. I have to admit that I was somewhat uncomfortable looking at them before I knew the story behind the pictures. Sally definitely has a different way of looking at things than the majority of the population. Sally said many profound and meaningful things throughout the documentary, but one thing that resonated for me was: “You need to photograph the things you love the most.” For me, as with many people, family is what comes to mind.
This was the moment that her photographs “clicked” for me and I was able to understand where she was coming from. Her last project mentioned in the film was about the decomposition of human remains (hence the name of the film). I found myself to be disgusted at first glance, but then mesmerized as I stared into the photographs for longer periods of time. The main thing I have learned about art throughout my life is that anything can be art; it just has to be viewed through the correct lens.
After Effects Files, Graphics, Stock Footage, and more.
Royalty Free Music and Sound Effects
Sebastian Maselli 