iPhoneography

This morning I went to Pacific Northwest College of Art to view Mei Ratz's thesis defense, entitled, "#detroitwithmei." Mei is another person who completed the Young Photographers Alliance mentorship with me last summer. Please go check out her work; she very is talented, both a photographer and a designer who creates stunning imagery.

Mei became interested in Detroit when she heard it is a dying city. She thought this negative notion couldn't be true. In response, she traveled to Detroit, interviewed multiple natives, and documented the city as thoroughly and humbly as she could. By the end of her thesis project, Mei debunked myths even she had thought were true, and she created a visual map of the city she grew to love.

Something that interested me about Mei's project was this: whenever she would pull out her DSLR to shoot, she felt out of place. To solve this, Mei ended up photographing the majority of her experience using her iPhone. The iPhone is quick, and it produces raw, humble images that are grittier and more relatable than the photographs a DSLR produces. Yes, there are times when an iPhone is not the appropriate tool to shoot an assignment. At the same time, there are subjects that a DSLR cannot truly capture, that only a smaller camera that is much more noninvasive, like the iPhone, can give justice to.

Mei's project reminded me of the magic of an iPhone photograph, and for the rest of the day, I have been inspired to use my iPhone to document. I shoot with both my DSLR and iPhone everyday, but for the past several months, I have mostly ignored my phone and traded it for its advanced counterpoint, the DSLR. However, today when I picked up my phone again, I was happy to play, happy with the grainy, and sometimes whimsical photos I was able to produce.

Here are some photos I took today with only my iPhone:

Extra Reading:

Greg Schmigel: Schmigel, who believes that most of what makes a great image is what an artist sees (and not the quality of the camera they use), uses only an iPhone to shoot. Most of his street photography looks like it is made with a DSLR, which gives evidence to Schmigel's claim: that photography is great when the artist who makes it has a dynamic vision and point of view. Another one of Schmigel's ongoing projects, titled "We're All Strangers," is composed of many black and white headshots of strangers Schmigel meets on the street. I like this project because it creates connection between the photographer, the strangers, and the audience. 

The iPhone Arts: This blog, which was created by the photographer, Egmont van Dyck, gives a glimpse into the images taken by many different iPhone/mobile camera photographers. It is very interesting to see the results they come up with. Go check it out, and maybe start taking more pictures on your own phone! Who says they cannot be great images, just because they are taken with a cell phone?

Waking Nights

Today I hung out with my friend Scott, and we ate some delicious Indian food at a place called Abhiruchi, which is in Beaverton. After that, we took a long, industrial walk, intermingled with an adventure through an even, and luscious-looking field. Eventually we took seats on a curb in a random parking lot filled with street lights, and we talked for a few hours.

Those walks make me feel incredibly happy. The industrial area, the fields, the random buildings and lights and train tracks and cars buzzing, street lights. Conversations are stigmatized by all of these things, made better by the feeling of the night, the calm, the light breeze on this summery day. These nights are my favorite, made perfect by having gone out to eat (trying new things! Food served to you!). My day was absolutely lovely.

Chandeliers hang in the strangest of places. Little rooms created especially for them by their reflections.

The essence of a walk:

Under streetlights, chatting:

Extra Reading:

Hannah Concannon: This girl is not a photographer, but her work holds a special place in my heart because she is an amazing makeup artist, and I loooove makeup. Also a Portlander, she now lives in San Francisco, and she paints her face every. single. day. The concoctions and characters she comes up with are absolutely amazing! Her work reminds me of being a dancer and doing stage makeup before a show. There would be times I would make my face look so ridiculous, but that is the fun of it. Go support Concannon because she is fantastic and fun!! 

Enjoying My Porch

My stepdad transformed/built the three wonderful porches that I have at home. He put down the planks of wood and constructed the bamboo fences. My mom then made the porches colorful and comfortable. The porches we have at home are some of the best places to hang out in the summer. One has a barbecue on it, and the others have cool seating with umbrellas overhead. Beyond the fences, I have a beautiful green view that I take in and enjoy on many sunny days. I am very thankful for the porches I have at home, and am well aware that I probably won't have any of my own for several years. I try to enjoy the porches now while I still live at home; it's not going to last much longer.
Here's a tribute:

Porch:

View:

Fellow Companion:

My Experience:

Extra Reading:

Mark Thiessen and Becky Hale: Thiessen and Hale, who work for National Geographic, are constantly challenged to make ordinary objects look interesting. In order to home their creative abilities, the photographers shot water balloons in the studio to see the affects they could get. Along with aiming the balloons at the wall, they also aimed them at them at each other! Using strobes that were triggered by the sound of the breaking balloons, Thiessen and Hale were able to get some really interesting shots. Their blog post also talks about the photographer, Desmond Downs, who shoots water balloons in the studio as well. Go check out their work. The images all the photographers were able to capture are amazing!

12

It's pretty fascinating how much an image changes with a few small alterations to the way it's edited. A photograph that elicits happiness can suddenly become creepy; an image that looks sad and dark can be transformed into an uplifting piece. Last night after I got out of the shower, I took a self-portrait, and the steam from the shower fogged up my camera lens. The fog gives the photograph a slightly strange color, while also giving the image a soft focus. When editing this photograph, I noticed that the contrast level drastically changed the image, as well as the saturation level, and the exposure. These three things would change any image significantly, but the soft-focused, foggy nature of the self-portrait I took enhanced the changes made with different contrast, saturation, and exposure levels.

Extra Reading:
Nick Fochtman: I met Nick last summer when we both took part in the Young Photographers Alliance mentorship program. Nick is from Michigan (the state shaped like a hand!), and has a political science background. He has an editorial style (partly due to his experience working for the Oregonian, I'm sure). Nick is one of the kindest and most genuine guys you will ever meet, and you should definitely go check out his new website!


On another note, if you are a photographer between the ages of 18 and 29, you should apply for this year's Young Photographers Alliance mentorship program! YPA has programs in multiple states, so if you don't live in Oregon, it is likely that YPA has a mentorship program in the state you live in (there are even a few international teams). The mentorship experience is invaluable and challenging; you will be treated like a professional, working photographer, and will be pushed to produce better work than you have before. To apply, click here.

This year's theme is titled "Boundaries," and applications will be accepted until May 19th. In order to apply, you must:

• be 18-29 years of age
• be able to commit yourself from June 1st to August 31st
• submit 5-8 images (the images do not have to relate to this year's theme)
• submit a letter of recommendation from an advisor, professor, mentor, or employer
• give a short summary of the photography classes you've taken
• explain how you might approach the theme (these ideas are not set in stone)

Each of the above requirements applies to mentorships in all states and countries. 

Being mentored by professional photographers changed my life, and I would highly recommend applying if you are very interested in photography or want to become a professional photographer. At the end of the summer you will put on your own show in your home state and in New York.

Again, if you'd like to apply to the YPA summer mentorship, click here.

As always, thank you for reading! 

Leprechauning

One of my favorite parts about being home during sunny days is when I walk up the stairs and see rainbows blazing all over the walls, the curtains, and the door. The sun shines through the glass chandelier we have, projecting groups of color in little spasms, all over the stairway and above. As the minutes pass, the shapes change with the sunshine, the spasms morphing into even more interesting groups and clusters. Each sunny day that I'm home and I walk up the stairs in the early evenings, I have the pleasure of enjoying this magical sight. Even though I know the little rainbows are only caused by light refraction, I prefer to imagine myself as a leprechaun who just hit the rainbow jackpot (leading to fat stacks in my pocket, ya know!!).

Extra Reading:

Thoughtful Spot: Here is someone else's blogpost about these little rainbows.

Kumi Yamashita: My best friend's boyfriend sent me a link to Yamashita's work (thank you, Cedric!). She is not a photographer, but her work is amazing. In one project, she takes blocks and organizes them in a perfect form that causes a face to emerge in shadow when a light is shined on the blocks. Yamashita does the same thing with post-it notes and cut paper. The magic she creates is absolutely amazing, enough to boggle just about anyone's mind. Please go take a look!

Thanks for reading, everybody! :)