Don't Be Afraid To Kill Your Children

Mothers. They're fierce when it comes to protecting their offspring. I have seen videos of women free their pinned down kid by lifting a small car off the ground and the last thing you want to cross on any hike is a mountain lion, especially if she's being trailed by her litter. Artists are also quite protective of their work. Maybe far too protective.

I have lost count as to the many unintended arguments I've had online when a photographer post their work and ask for some critique. I get it. I too can get defensive when I feel someone unfairly criticizes my work, but through the years, I've learned to grow a thicker skin. We are creators and our works are our children, so we will always be ready to defend should the need arise, but sometimes we may put a little too much pride into something that wasn't all that great to begin with.

Case in point:

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I took this photo at the Venice Beach Skate Park in March of 2015, but I'm just got around to develop this roll last week and am finally seeing the photos for the first time today. For the most part I really like this image. It's an action shot. The boy fills the frame and I really dig the angle and stance of his body. That being said, there's a head growing out of the boy's left shoulder.

Most of the time, things like that are real sticklers for me, including this instance. Whenever I see photos that would be considered good to most people, I end up seeing something awkward in the photo (and sometimes pointing it out which I may need to stop doing). "Oh, that's a nice engagement photo, but there's a palm tree growing out of the groom's head."

Last year, I saw a documentary series of photographers called Contacts which detailed some of the artistic approaches photographers used with respect to their work via contact sheets. In the episode I saw, Helmut Newton said something profound that has stuck with me since. 

"Personally I always say you have to sacrifice your own children. An ugly photo shouldn't be protected."

That really speaks volumes. Newton would go on to say that he felt that "young people often protect their children far too much," and Newton has a very good point. Artists have great pride in their work, but sometimes that pride can cloud their vision and stop them from seeing their work objectively, me included.

Since hearing Newton say that, I've been ready to kill (read: not publish in my website) a photo if I see something in that photo bothers me and photographers should take that same approach. Now, obviously I noticed the head growing from the kid's shoulder, but is it that big of a deal to kill the photo?

With the example of a palm tree growing out of the groom's head in a photo, that can be easily fixed during the actual shoot by either the photographer move a couple steps to the left or right and reframe the photo, or have the subjects move and then frame the photo. This photo is different. It's a street photograph. I didn't have any control with the subject and the moment is gone the moment I depressed the shutter button on my camera. There is no way I will experience this moment ever again. I take challenge as a virtue to keep this photo, amongst the other good qualities of the photo. Still, he's got a head growing out of his shoulder.

I could do a bit of photoshopping and totally remove the head (and subsequent legs of the person behind the main subject), but I'm no Steve McCurry.

Other than this entry, I probably won't publish this photograph in my website, but if we're going to put our works out there for the world to see, we really should put our best work out there. And we should be ready for any sort of criticism of our work from people.

Seen In The Wild

Street photography is one of my biggest passions. This particular style of photography allows me to document life as it happens. Nothing is staged and I have little control over the subject outside of exactly when I decide to click that shutter button. It's the essence of what is raw and what is chaos. 

I like to go out into the city during the weekends, and when I can, during the weekdays as well, to hone in on this craft and to perfect it. I try to start my day off in the center of downtown Los Angeles and then venture out to other areas. Sometimes I would run into photographers who I know and follow their work, either from Instagram or other outlets, and sometimes I run into photographers who I have never met before, but I know of their work.

A couple of months ago, I was in downtown Los Angeles doing my street photography thing in front of Grand Central Market which is probably my favorite places to photograph and document. I normally stand outside in front of the eastern entrance to Grand Central. If you go to Grand Central a lot, there's a very good chance you've seen me doing my thing. When there's nothing of interest to me outside, I'll venture inside and do some shooting before heading back outside again. That's pretty much my routine at GCM.

During this one day at GCM, I had my fill of the outside scene and ventured inside to get some shots and if you've never been to GCM, it's a pretty happening place. Many photographers like to go to GCM to photograph it so it's not out of the ordinary to see so many people with cameras around their neck. When I do run into said photographers, I do a quick size up and check out their gear. If you have a Leica, some sort of film, or a unique and rarely seen camera, I'll do the small head nod of approval.

One photographer I noticed on this day had an all black camera with a wide, black and yellow camera strap. I believe it was some sort of Canon A1 (or AE-1) or Nikon F model. It was a brief encounter but we made eye contact and I did my head nod of approval. After the encounter, I went about my business and captured some moments inside GCM and then headed back outside to see if I can catch something interesting in the new scene.

As I stood outside, the same photographer I had a brief encounter with, came out and took a quick photo of me before leaving the area. I didn't mind it. Didn't even flinch. After his snapshot of me, I smiled and I hoped he got a good shot worthy of the film frame he just used. 

Before leaving GCM to my next area of documenting, I hopped on my phone and opened up Instagram to see what new stuff the photographers I follow had to show me. In one of the photos, I noticed a photo of a black camera, with a wide black and yellow strap. I instantly knew it was his, so I sent him a direct message asking if it was him that took the photo of me at GCM and indeed it was.

A week ago he sent me this...

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Portrait of a street photographer

This photo is by ric_81. I don't know his full name sadly but we've been following each other for a good amount of time now. He's a film photographer based out of Los Angeles (I believe) and he's got a great gallery on Instagram. I recommend you check out his account and follow him. I'm sure to run into him in the future and it's always great to meet someone who share the same interest and passion for film and mutually follow each other's works.

I do dress like this when I do my street thing.

Analog Love Letter: Speed of Life

Taking long exposures and getting a photo that works can sometimes be difficult. Because the lens will be open to let the light in to get the proper exposure, you'd generally use a tripod to keep your camera steady so you don't get blur due to camera shake. If no tripod or a level area to rest your camera on is available, you'll have to shoot handheld and hope you don't get a lot of camera shake blur because chances are, you'll get them.

I shot this handheld with a Diana Mini and I was quite pleased with the result. The exposure was long enough that I let enough light in while still getting motion blur from the subway train moving into the station. You can also still make out the subway train if you pay more attention to the detail.

The one thing I'm disappointed in is not getting enough of the people that were waiting to get on the train. I was able to get some bodies but not full. The photo would've been more stronger if I was able to capture that but it still works.

"Redline subway car" / 35mm Ilford SFX 200 / Circa 2014

Analog Love Letter: Dancing With Herself

There was a saying that was used back in my earlier days of partying and I believe it's still being used today which is, "dance like no one is watching."

I kind of followed that saying as a mantra. There was once a time when I felt self conscious of my dancing in public; at parties and what not, that I used to be relegate myself with enjoying the music as a wallflower. In my early 20s, things began to change and I slowly began to let loose a bit and stopped caring about what others thought about how I danced. I started having fun.

Some of my friends see me as a bit weird when I tell them I would often go out to clubs alone just for the sake of dancing or when they see me dancing by myself. Is it really such an odd concept to see someone dance alone because they enjoy dancing?

I find myself drawn to people who are able to freely dance and not letting whatever self conscious thoughts they may have stop them from having fun and expressing themselves. It's really liberating in the sense that you just don't care what others think. I feel like I can easily get along with people like that because I can relate.

At Outside Lands 2014, while I was at the main stage, enjoying the musical artistry of Run The Jewels and having a bit of dance in my feet, I took a brief moment to take in my surroundings and saw this (relatively) tiny woman just having the time of her life, dancing by herself and it brought a smile to my face. I took a photograph of her while she was in her dance frenzy and frenzy is an understatement. She was really in her own world and getting down like nobody's business.

"Tiny woman dancing" / 35mm Adox CHS 100 / August 2014

Analog Love Letter: Sunworshipper

The Venice Beach Drum Circle has received a bad rep through the years. Not sure where it came from but the Los Angeles Police Department often break up what is basically a peaceful gathering of community locals, musicians and dancers.

If you've never been to Venice Beach and experienced the drum circle, it's something I recommend checking out. In the past, the drum circle normally took place on Sundays (if I'm not mistaken) but the drum circle happens almost every day from what I've heard.

You walk down (or up depending on which entry point you come in) the boardwalk, perusing the various vendors that line the boardwalk and the deeper you walk down, you start to hear the rhythmic beat of drums and it's really subtle at first but the further you walk, the beat starts to get louder and you start to wonder where this is coming from. Eventually it becomes loud enough that you know you're close by and as you search for its origins, you look on the beach side and you see a group of people and you start to walk over there. You'd like to think that you just want to know what's going on but really, the beat has you.

One day, while spending some time with some friends that lived not too far from the boardwalk, I decided to venture out to the drum circle to take some photos because for some reason I was bored at the party and wanted to photograph something other than people being or getting drunk. So I walked out of the party for a brief moment and headed towards the drum circle and I noticed a man dancing to the beat the drummers were producing. He was really into it, arms flailing and his body swaying to and fro. I shot him from behind as he reached towards the sky during the climax of this particular set. The drummers go through various sets, all different beats than the last.

I always have a great time being at the drum circles. If I had it my way, I'd let the drummers go until their arms and hands grow tired and swollen but I can understand why the LAPD would shut them down at a certain point in time. That being said, they really shouldn't be so hard on the drummers and cut them some slack.

"Sun worshipper" / 35mm Ilford Delta 3200 / July 2009

Analog Love Letter: A Vigilante and Protestors

I shoot a lot of street photography. I also shoot a lot of protests. It's rare when I get to capture both styles in one photo.  

Me and my friend Calvin were looking for something to photograph one Saturday and I told him that there was a protest going on somewhere in downtown Los Angeles over the shooting death of Mike Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. The freeway was jammed in Hollywood so I told him to take the surface streets. While driving, I heard some yelling out of the car window and I noticed that people were protesting something and it hit me, we ran into the protest we were looking for.  

We got out of the car and started shadowing the protestors. At one point, the protestors hit Hollywood Blvd. where there are people dressed as characters of all sorts trying to shake down tourists for a dollar or two to have a chance at having a photo with said fictional character.  

On the corner of Hollywood and Highland, I noticed one of the Batmans (yes, there is more than one Batman there) about to cross the street while the protestors were marching towards him and the thought of having these two forces cross paths would make for an interesting photo opportunity.  

I waited until they both met and shot this photo. In hindsight, I probably should've developed this roll instead of cross processing it which is why it looks so grainy and contrasty. Oh well. It kind of works.  

"The caped crusader meets actual crusaders" / 35mm AGFA Precisa 100CT / November 2014

Mikiko Hara

As part of the Getty Master Class, students are supposed to produce photographs inspired by the works of Japanese photographer Mikiko Hara who currently has her work on display at the Getty as a part of the In Focus: Tokyo exhibit. 

Hara's approach to street photography is very simple. She shoots from the hip, skipping the process of framing her photographs by looking through the viewfinder of her camera. During the initial class meeting, it was reasonable to photograph in this style. She shoots on a vintage Zeiss Ikon 6x6 medium format camera and the viewfinder on that camera is a basic square, not much different than the sight of a gun just in square format. Really rudimentary with little function as parallax is a big problem with such cameras. Shooting from the hip is just a natural approach and she pre-focuses the photo, or rather, she knows the focal length prior to shooting her subject.

I decided to approach this project the same way so I'm shooting film on a Mamiya which is much newer than the camera that Hara uses but the functions are the same. I pre-focused the camera to about 3-5 feet away which I think is a good focal length to capture a great photo. It seems easy in concept but it's much harder in practice. Hara has shot more photos in this style than I have and if I remember correctly, she'll go through multiple rolls of film and her success rate is very low as she has said. I've shot in this style plenty of times before and for this, I've gone through one roll of 220 film (which is a bigger roll of 120) so of the 24 photos that I'm able to take, I think only 6 came out in focus and the most was heavily out of focus. I was disappointed after I received the roll because I thought more of the photos would be in focus since I pre-focused but apparently that wasn't the case.

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Out of focus photo shot at the Universal City Redline station

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Out of focus people jogging during the Walk for Life event in Northridge.

As you can see from the two images, when I started through the first couple of frames, the photos are REALLY out of focus. If these images were more in focus, I'd have more to work with as far as submitting work for the Master Class. Speaking of which, students that are a part of this class will have the chance to have their photographs on display. Still don't know when the deadline for submissions are as of this entry.

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A man attending an art festival at Gladys Park in Skid Row.

As the day progressed, I became more used to shooting from the hip and the photos were more focused than the ones I started the day with. I'd post more in focus photos but I don't want to give away what I may be submitting.

Although Mikiko's photos are shot on color negative film, I have a new roll of black and white in the camera so I'll probably go forward with the next set of photos for the class in black and white so that'd be interesting to see. For the next couple of weekends until I find out the deadline, I plan on dedicating my free time to producing more content for this project so I'm really excited to see what I'm capable of producing.

-Q