Graduation

So now it really is over. The biggest hurdle in my life (so far) I have cleared. And now what? I wonder if I am where I am supposed to be. I keep thinking that I am a slacker, and need to be out constantly taking pictures and should be freelancing in addition to the job I have. A part of me is kinda scared to move forward.
Then there is this other part of me that doesn't want to move forward just yet. I'd like to spend the summer working on projects I have always wanted to do, but have never had the chance. I'd like to be self-motivated. So, in the future, you'll see some pictures of things I'll be working on my own. It will be nice to do something not because it is for class, a teacher, or an editor. I'll be doing it for me. I'll be doing it to get in touch with why I decided to become a photographer in the first place.
Of course, I have to finish watching the Sopranos first. Right now I am at the beginning of Season 6, via Netflix. I used to waitress on Sunday nights, so I never got a chance to get into the show. Now, every Sunday night I watch it with my friends Glen and Meagan. During the week, I watch the other seasons. Like Glen, I believe in setting realistic goals. Btw, I have a movie I did of him that I plan on wrapping up over the summer.
Enough of the rambling. Click on the Harry Potters below to see the my flickr site of my graduation.

This is the end...

My only friend the end. For some reason this song by the Doors was in my head when I was editing the photos for this entry.

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end

Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again


This is the end.




Click on the picture to see more pictures of the last PJ Class.
As for the last Picture Editing Class, that is here too.
Don't forget Thesis Hanging.

So now, no more Photojournalism class. Two and 1/2 years with the same people, minus 3. I'm not one for nostalgia. There is a part of me that is like big deal. Then there is another part of me that is like, now I have the rest of my life to look forward to. It has taken me 10 years to get to this point. To take the last class of my Bachelors Degree. My dad and I were talking about it today, he mentioned how he was proud of me for not giving up. He had suggested years ago I switch my major, or join the Navy. I never did. I remember in high school him telling me I was as belligerent as my mother. Maybe. Maybe even more.
Things never get accomplished by giving up.
These past two 1/2 years have seen me more stressed and tearful (especially the past six months) than at any other period in my life. I wasn't sad, just nervous, stressed, anxious, upset, worried, etc.
I used to be ashamed of the fact I was so sensitive to things around me. I cried a lot when I was a kid. But now I realize:
We never get great things from insensitive people.

Finality

I'm doing my finality project on landscapes. I'm trying to tell a story with color. I was driving past Middleburg on Sunday, down a country road with no markings when I passed the remains of what looked to be a dead dog. All that was left was its fur and bones. I'm not going to show you those pictures, because they are too gruesome.
Walking back to my car, I noticed this in the ditch beside the road:

So much work so little time...

So technically this is my last week of class. Well I have class next week, but this week is the last week of actual work. Work work (my job) is keeping me busy. Right now I am in my El Salvador class, wishing a certain person would stop talking. Harry just showed up with food, so this post is now finished.



One of the many protests being held today, this one outside of Republican National Headquarters.

booooook

so for my class we have to make a book. i am choosing to do my love project, aka "el salvador". previously when i printed, i used watercolor paper. this time i am using luster.
i used to make fun of denny for using luster, and going to the darkside. watercolor saturates the colors just the right way. pinks look really pink, and bright colors are just eye candy. unfortunately, watercolor only comes in 13x19. as much as i love el salvador, i am not ready to make a book that size. since i don't have a paper cutter, i am kinda s.o.l.
so i bought a package of luster, 8.5x11. i admit to succumbing to the darkside.
when my book is finished, i'll post pictures of it. the cover is truly el salvador.
btw, i need to go back there. i keep trying to make my breakfast "tipico" and i fail miserably. i mix chicken broth with the salsa, i bought crema for my beans. nothing tastes like it did down there. the coffee is close, but the rest is bland. maybe if i had a cabana boy to serve me in the morning....
i need sunshine and lots of color. i need people to say "buenos" as we pass each other on the street. washington dc is so monochromatic. i feel used up in this town.



Merecedez, the sweets seller whose products are "con amor y carinos."

For you Struthophiles

The NY times (who has brilliant assistants I hear) published this article regarding Thomas Struth. Apparently this guy is a good photographer or something according to Eggery and Colin.

Multimedia

So for this weeks core class we will be going to the washingtonpost.com. As I am sure you all know, multimedia is a big part of news on the web. The thing that I was pondering as I was browsing through their multimedia site, was just how much of this was entertainment. Is there an entertainment factor that goes into deciding what to post on their website. News has always been a form of entertainment, especially now that entertainment has become the news.
I'm glad that multimedia allows the viewers to be informed, while being entertained. If entertainment is what is required to get people to pay attention to what goes on in the world, then I am all for it. But does news have to be serious in order to be considered news? Is it still news if Bozo the Clown was on network news? Will we need Bozo to tell us the news in order for us to watch?
I think I have had enough of my ramblings. I am beginning to sound like Eggery on LSD. I think it is time for me to go to bed.

Graduation

I'm not as scared of graduating as I was before. I think I'll land on my own two feet. As my wise grandfather - aka "Grandmaster Potentate" (no, he's not a Freemason), put it, "People do it all the time. You'll be ok." In other words, a lot of people get jobs and survive with no problem, so I shouldn't worry.
But now I am bothered by something else. What am I going to photograph? The other night I was driving to a friends house and I felt that I had used up all this area had to offer me. I don't feel stimulated. I feel like a robot who goes to work and school.
For our final project, "Finality" I feel that nothing is ever final or finished. Things always continue in one way or another. For instance if you get your tarot cards read, the death card isn't a bad card to receive. It actually means a new beginning.
A new beginning is how I feel right now. I just feel like I have photographer's block. My mind is in a fog.

It was if all of mankind was leading up to this moment

In tonights class during critique, the only person not wearing spectacles was the photographer.

Street Scenes from Suchitoto, El Salvador

Here are some pictures I am thinking of including in my love project for photojournalism class.

Colin, you would have liked El Salvador

Tecate is everywhere.







Its $.086 for a six pack of cans or $0.97 for the bottles.

i'm back

el salvador was amazing. i swam in the pacific, enjoyed 90 degree weather, ate the freshest fruit, and met the friendliest people. i've never felt so healthy in my life (except for the mild digestive holocaust).
sorry i didn't post pictures on my blog. i had a weird internet connection when i did have it. i also have an incredible amount of photos to go through. but you'll see them soon.
but this is the beach we went to on sunday, march 11.

Sorry for lack of posts and pictures

We've been super super busy here. Plus I haven't had an internet connection I could get to on a regular basis. Plus when I have had it, it is ridiculously bad.

San Salvador

They say the sense of smell brings back memories more than any other sense. Before coming to DC I lived in Hawaii until the age of 7. Since moving away twenty years ago I haven't smelled burnt sugar cane or seen the fields. As we were coming to San Salvador from the airport we saw field after field burnt for harvesting the cane. The smell I immediately knew and memories from my childhood were brought back.
Today we are going to the El Zonte beach. I've seen the Pacific, though haven't swam in it since I left Hawaii. In a way, coming to El Salvador is like a homecoming for me. I've always wanted to go back to Hawaii with its warm climate, amazingly friendly people, and happiness everywhere. It seems like I found it here.
Its the dry season here, so it isn't as green as I was expecting it. When we landed I remarked to Muriel that El Salvador reminds me of Southern California.
It hasn't hit me yet that we are in a different country. The only thing that seems different is the language. The landscape and the commercialism. We went to one of the malls here and a lot of the signs were in English.When we went out to eat last night, the band was playing rock music (Pink Floyd!!!) in English, and the crowd was singing along. I'm sure once we get to Suchitoto I'll feel different.
Btw, the food here kicks butt. Very cheap compared to the US. Last night I ate fish covered with crushed macamias and a sweet curry sauce on top. With it I had two margaritas, coffee and desert. Including tip, my total was $27. This morning I had eggs over easy served on a tortilla and covered with salsa. The salsa had the ripest red tomatos and was made with chicken broth. Breakfast came with a side of beans, coffee and fake oj. Total was prolly around $4.50.
I'll be posting pictures soon, once I go through them. I'll also post some audio as well.

El Salvador Part Uno

So for those of you who don't know, this Saturday I am leaving with my documentary class for El Salvador. We'll be gone for a week. We're staying in this little town called Suchitoto.
For our class assignment this week we were supposed to take a picture of what we thought El Salvador looked like. I plan on waking up early tomorrow to photograph again. Here is my first attempt in Mt. Not-so-Pleasant.

Photography in the Art World

So for my photo-journalism class we got this article "A Quarter Century of Photography" by Vicki Goldberg. To sum it up very quickly it is about photography in the art world and everywhere else. The state of photography you might say. I feel this is something we covered in Andy Grundberg's class, "The Photo in Contemporary Art." Not to insult Andy, but I had a very hard time staying awake in that class when Mike Corcoran wasn't there.
I know I go to an art school and I should probably know a few things about fine art photo, but to be honest with you, I could care less. I used to be into it, but once something becomes an assignment and you wind up over analyzing it, you get bored with it.
Not only that, but for the most part I don't really study other photographers. There are a couple that I really admire, like Irving Penn for example. His photographs don't just look pretty, they effect something within you that you didn't know existed. Every time I view his work, it has a different effect on me. It is like I am seeing something new. I can't explain it. All I can say is that I collect his books and his photographs from Vogue. If I had serious cash, instead of buying a Mercedes, I'd buy one of his photos. Then I would take a couple days off of work just to stare at the photo. I remember reading this article on him in Vogue a few years back. He said that he refused to use the word shoot or shooting when it comes to photography, because those words were harsh. For him photography is a love affair. I feel the same way.
Like I mentioned before I honestly could care less about the art world. Creators interest me, but the art world in general doesn't. If I want attitude and trends, I look at fashion. To me they are basically the same thing, except fashion changes quicker and I can wear it (though affording it I can't do).
I really feel that the rest of the semester should be focused on photographing. Building up or solidifying our portfolio. Working on slideshows or web sites, not just listening to lecturers but doing what they talk about. I want to learn how to use the software and the tools were given or supposed to buy. That is what I am paying for in my education. This is photo-journalism class. Discussing on what photography is, the state of it, or what we feel about our photography, yadda yadda yadda is what we have been doing for the past two years. We have 2 months left of school, and those two months are almost gone.

Me Habla Espanol Mui Shittito

So in a month I am going to El Salvador. Right now I am trying to learn Spanish via this book and these CDs I bought. Learning French was easier.
I took Latin (Lingua Latina vivit!) my entire highschool career and then a couple semesters at NOVA. My Latin teacher, Ms. Bartelmes always said the French were D+ Latin students. I beg to differ. I took French for a semester at NOVA and I had a much much easier time picking up French than I did Italiano or Espanol.
That being said, I have completely forgotten both my French and Latin because I never used them.

Thank you all for coming.

So Thurs. we had the opening of our thesis show. All went well. My friend Glen was there to take pictures, as usual. I, being the brilliant photographer I am, didn't bring my camera. Click on the pict below to see more photographs he took of the opening.

This is me and my dear friend Gary:




This is my dad and I:


One of my friends, Vinh, couldn't make it. Being the honorable Frenchman he is (I say this because I doubt an American man would do this without prompting), he sent me flowers to my school. On the left are the yellow roses he sent me, and on the right is the orchid my dad brought me.







This Sunday at 5 we are taking the photographs down. I want to thank everyone for showing up. It meant a lot to me. I also want to thank both of my teachers too. As you have read in the previous post they are the picked up tab after a long night of drinking.

In other news I decided I am going to try to post one photo a day that I have taken. I really want to get in the habit of photographing on a daily basis. Taking pictures is a kinda zen thing for me, and it relaxes me. Especially when I am taking the pictures I want to take, and am not doing an assignment.

The End.

I never thought I would be upset that they closed school.

I am upset. Tonight was supposed to be our critique of our thesis. I was prepared to get creamed. I was prepared for Denny to get back at me and tell me that I suck, in front of everyone. My boss was even gonna come and crit. Alas, they closed school, so now crit is rescheduled for tomorrow morning. BOOOO! Who wants to be critiqued when you should be in bed sleeping.
They better not close tomorrow, or I will be pissed, as will the legions of people who have been promised free beer.

Don't forget, tomorrow 6pm, my opening reception, and your chance at FREE BEER! Use the NY ave entrance.

Btw, at work we listen to CNN or the other channel that is owned by some Aussie megalomanic who wants to own every piece of media out there. The only thing that those two channels are covering is Anna Nicole Smith, and what they are going to do with her body, who gets the kid, etc. I'm not sick of it yet, because the story gets crazier and funnier every day. In fact I love it. Its the tabloidization of our news! YAY! Somehow though, I am afraid this Anna Nicole stuff is warping my brain and I might wind up naming my first born Anna Nicole, even if its a boy.

Its hung.

Well we did it. Denny is the most hardcore creature I have come across. He threw up in the middle of us hanging our stuff, then goes back to hanging. When I told the Crow, he was amazed. Denny's pict is below. It pretty much sums up our experience hanging our stuff. Mine wasn't too bad though. The person who was supposed to be there to help us out didn't do too much helping us out. Though he did hang half of my stuff. His attitude wasn't the best I have seen. My favorite quote of his was, "Hopefully after four years of school we know what art is."
Colin got shafted. He got 12 feet of space for his thesis instead of 26. Cute huh?
Anyways, I'd like to thank Jared and the other Susan for their tremendous help. They are the harbor in the storm, the light at the end of the tunnel, the picked up tab after a long night of drinking.
Click on Denny to see more photos of our hanging experience.

I have my doubts.

This is an interesting article in the Post about the Corcoran's upcoming modernism show. Right now the Corcoran is dark (except for our thesis show - go see it!) and preparing for this huge exhibit. I have my doubts. It isn't that I think that our new director has bitten off more than he can chew. It is that I think the Corcoran b.s. bureaucracy will in some way screw this up. I hope the show does well. I also hope that our new director can include a greater focus on the student's needs than has been done in the past (see Colin's post about this).
I could rant and rave about the lack of communication and concern from the Corcoran bureaucracy, but that would be a post that would take days to read. Besides, I think Colin's post sums it up.

Ahhhh.

Today was a good day. Lemme digress:

Upon driving to my web design class which I have already missed two of (see previous post ), I hear over the radio the very last verses "American Pie" by Don McLean. This happens to be one of my father's and my favorite songs. As I am doing this, I am on Rt 1 going through a stop light and I see a Toyota MR2. My father's MR2. Realizing if I honked he wouldn't notice me, so I settled for continuing on and calling him to leave a voice mail. Turns out later my father was in my neck of the woods to go to a meeting.
So then I arrive in class. A few minutes late, but that is ok. No disruption. I say hello to my teacher and introduce myself. He doesn't ask me where I have been or what my major malfunction is for missing the first two weeks of class. Instead he hands me some papers, asks me a question or two, and I set down for catching up with the rest of the class. By the end of class I was already ahead of some of my classmates. Phew. I like my teacher already. Plus, he might come to the opening. It is amazing what the temptation of free beer does to people.
Then I set out to pick up my pictures. Excellente. Mui Bueno. They are lovely.
Then I go to the Italian Store for some pizza. I thought I needed a # since the line was so long. I picked #26. They were calling #83. I waited. Patiently. Then I saw some people walk up to the side of the counter and just get a slice. Turns out you didn't need a #. WOOHOO. I ate my Sicilian pizza, some gelato thingy (which wasn't real gelato), washed down with Pineapple Orange Papaya juice. Yum.
Come home, post stuff on my blog, take a nap. Later I shall go to a friend's party opening thing (I don't think they are having free booze.).

You can tell that I am in school

because my desk/work area looks like this:

sometimes i get a little stressed

things that happen when i get stressed are:

i forget everything. normally i can keep a running track of things in my head. unfortunately for me (but not for my boss) the only things i can keep track of right now are work related, and even that ability isn't where it normally is.
in school i have forgotten almost everything. i have been so focused on printing and wrapping up my thesis, nothing else matters. case in point: i missed my first two classes of web design. they are sat. mornings 9-2pm. i knew i forgot the first one an hour after class started. the second one, i forgot that i forgot until monday night. not good, i know. i know. so this saturday i am going to put on my prettiest smile and beg my prof to forgive me. if not, at least i still have two weeks to drop the class.
that is if i don't forget.