This is serious.

2011-02-21T10:01:00.000-08:00

I'm in my truck right now. I'm at that spot downtown Puyallup between the two fields in that really rocky lot. I went to that place in Kent tonight where you climbed the tree that day and I shot a photo. The road is closed now but I drove around the sign over a curb anyways. I kept going down the road in the pitch black and there was this fence all along side of it that wasn't there when we visited it two years prior. I kept driving and driving until I thought I was at the spot where we both parked and we drank the coffee we'd just gotten at the Starbucks inside Safeway (you bought me an Americano. I didn't know what that was until we met.) I took a picture of you slyly by setting my camera on my car. It turned out. You looked amazing. Cold. With hair over your face. Your hoodie sleeve was sticking out past your jacket. I think you told me it was your mom's jacket.

We walked into the field and you told me how you climb trees. I told you to climb this one and you did and then I shot a photo of it. It was on my Mamiya on black and white film and you were looking to the side and smiling. I remember you didn't know how to pose and I just snapped it when I saw fit. It did fit.

We were excited back then. To do nothing even.

I miss sitting in parking lots and drinking wine and talking for hours. We got jaded after living together for a little while. We found distractions that didn't make us nearly as happy as each other had just months before. Smart phones, laptops, booze, and weed. I wish we still talked like that. For hours. About anything and everything. I can't believe I had the nerve to drive to Seattle and meet you back in January of 2009. But I did. And I'm so happy I did.

XA is summer.

2011-02-14T19:23:00.001-08:00

I just rediscovered these photos on this very blog. Summer is so amazing in Washington. I can't wait.

These photographs lit another needed fire under my ass to shoot my XA again. That and some Kodak Gold and you can't go wrong.

Bring me summer light.

East and back.

2010-06-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

A new posting on this blog was long overdue. I gave myself a reason to make one yesterday. Said reason follows:

So I finally got a new vehicle. The Jetta got t-boned back in March and my brother in law Matt was able to get me a really nice '96 Chevy S10 for a great price. It's only got 88k miles on it and is really clean.

Being that my new rig has such low miles and is so much more reliable than the Jetta I was driving, I felt compelled to take it out for a day trip and an article in the newspaper that caught my eye at work had me wanting to see a bit of Eastern Washington. Now I've been all over this state throughout my 19 years living here including over most of the passes but I'd never made the drive myself and all those childhood camping trips are somewhat vague memories.

I decided I'd head out east from down in Puyallup so that I could take Chinook Pass and then come back west over Snoqualmie Pass. That's the extent of the details I planned. I asked my good buddy and fellow photo advocate, Brockton Bensch, if he'd feel like accompanying me on the condition of paying for half of the gas to which he obliged. So we agreed to meet at my parents' place at 4:30AM on Monday morning.

Sunday night I was out in Lakewood for a bonfire at my buddy Andy's place on American Lake and I knew I was going to be a mess the next day but the prospects of being out on the road in the sun kept me going.

Said bonfire activities commenced until about 2:30 in the morning and I set out to sleep for an hour and a half until 4:00 when I'd drive into Puyallup and meet Brockton. I ended up sleeping sloppily until about 4:30 and then had to haul my bedraggled ass off the recliner and into my truck. Keep in mind the day before, Sunday, I was up at 4:00AM and had worked an 8 hour shift. So I was already running only on fumes. Brock also was a bit behind schedule and we both arrived at my folks' place about 10 minutes to 5:00AM.

I had hoped to actually pick a destination or grab a map from my parents' but they were obviously sound asleep and I didn't have a way into the house. So we set out blindly and figured we'd grab some breakfast and coffee once we found a cool spot. First mistake was not eating something and fueling up with caffeine when leaving Puyallup because we ended up having to drive all the way to the Whistlin' Jack Lodge which is in the town of Cliffdell and was easily 3 hours into our trip. Needless to say, by the time I finally got a cup of coffee in me, I was on the edge of passing out at the wheel. But prior to making it to Whistlin' Jack, our eyes were graced with some of the immense and startling beauty that this state has to offer.

We grabbed a couple egg sandwiches and continued on our way.

...

this never got finished and I'm pissed about it. Started off strong. This was last summer. It was amazing. There's more photos on my Flickr if you care.

Villager: defined.

2009-07-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

I'd like to use this blog post to describe, explain, and brag about my unique and amazing group of friends. First came Matthew Decker Nielsen.

I met Matt through my cousin Andrew something like 8 or more years ago. Matt and Andrew are both 2 years older than me. They went to school together in Issaquah and became friends through skateboarding, etc. Early descriptions of Matt consisted of things like "yeah he ollied the Pine Lake 9 stair first try!". I was pretty impressed. Matt is easily one of the most unique and creative people I know and he never ceases in inspiring me with everything that he does. Matt and I became really close in the next few years as my cousin slowly stopped skateboarding and I was then introduced to Jake Ryan Knapp through Matt as they'd become acquaintances also through an Issaquah-ian school and skateboarding.

Jake, at the time of our meeting had already begun his interest in skateboard documentary and editing. I remember being thoroughly impressed with his Sony VX1000 and fish eye. Matt and I were in the process of finishing up a shitty ghetto little video we called O.C.D. (Obsessive Compulsive Destruction, taken from a Brad Staba Toy Machine ad) and we immediately started filming with Jake. The production quality of this video was already leaps and bounds ahead of O.C.D. even at the very beginning. Don't get me wrong here, we were all friends thick as thieves outside of skateboarding as well. We did everything together. Partied hard. Explored Washington. Literally grew up together. The film Jake had taken upon himself at that time became known as Magnum Opus and is locatable on the internet. During the 4+ year process of filming for this video I made contact with a fellow on a skateboard forum with a user name set as TacomaIsBetter. Being that Tacoma is a city roughly 15 minutes from my home town I queried to this young man as to his whereabouts and if it were indeed the Tacoma I knew. This young man was Eric Alan Logan.

Eric and I began corresponding with instant messenger just talking about skateboarding and local spots and people we both knew. The day finally came for me and Jake to go meet up with Eric and shred around different spots. Both Jake and I were thoroughly impressed. Eric has raw talent on a skateboard that reflects the decades he's spent shredding the mean streets of Tacoma. Genuinely good dude who's shy as hell at first but after years of knowing him a car ride is never the same without him. Around this point in history I was about 16 and I fell into this opportunity of riding for a local skate shop out of Seattle called the Prime. To be completely honest I haven't a clue if this shop even still exists. I only was in the shop one time and paid full fare for a board. After skateboarding with Eric for a little while I was told that David Clifford Waite, the manager of 35th Avenue skate shop in Federal Way was interested in having me come around the shop as Eric had apparently told him good things. So one day Eric took me in there to get a new skateboard and I was formally introduced to the man I now know as Dave.

The day I met Dave I knew I had come in contact with one of the most dedicated, down to earth, and amazing people in skateboarding within this state. I stand behind that belief to this day. Dave has more compassion for skateboarding and the friends in his life than I can relay in words. So good natured. So friendly. Just an awesome dude all around. Dave has put up with a year long hiatus from me and just general madness from the 35th team for years and seems to genuinely enjoy every minute of it all. After visiting 35th that first time I instantly was scrawling Thirty Fifth across my grip tape and backing the shop more than anything else I'd known in skateboarding. It wasn't long before Dave asked me to officially ride for the shop to which I obviously answered hell yes. Not too long after this happened Matt, Jake, Eric and I decided to take a trip down to Oregon to skate some spots and just get out on a road trip. Tagging along at the last minute was Joshua Donald Peterson, a good friend of Eric's for many years.

It doesn't show in any way shape or form in present day, but at the time I met Josh he represented sort of a thug like gangster vibe. Tall-T's and baggy jeans all the way. Upon meeting Josh I was thoroughly unimpressed. For some reason Matt and myself took a dislike for him right from the get-go. But it wasn't probably an hour and a half into the car ride that my opinion started swaying. And by the end of the trip he was one of my best friends. Josh has an infectious sense of humor and addicting laugh. He transforms anyone with him and the conversations easily become outlandish and ridiculously fun. Him and Eric together...well that's something special. Matt, Jake, Eric, Josh and I finished up Magnum Opus somewhere around the end of 2004/beginning of 2005. Such a great period of my life. So much skateboarding. So involved. We ate, slept, and sweat skateboarding. We all got to know each other really well in those years.

Thirty Fifth gave us a focal point. We all sort of revolved around that one idea and Dave was the captain for sure. I can't speak for everyone but having Dave as a directional has affected my life in so many ways in and out of skateboarding. He's the kind of guy that isn't afraid to step in and tell you when you're screwing up in life. I can say that from experience.

Years went by and Jake was asked to head up a Thirty Fifth video which took on the title "Sorry We're Open".

This video can also be found online. Once again a great period of my life that only bolstered a bond with these five guys that I can't ever see faltering. My one year skateboarding hiatus took place during the filming for this video and though it seemed to me like everyone had given up on me, not one guy was hesitant in welcoming me back into the sessions and being hyped on me again. That's something I'll always be grateful for.

Which brings me to my favorite thing about being involved with this group of guys. The session. Once a week (for the most part) most of us guys make a solid effort at all getting together to shred some parks or cruise the streets. The beautiful thing about so much of the footage that we end up capturing during these days is the fact that we get out and roll just to do so. Plans are rarely made to hit a certain spot so one guy can try and film a trick. It's always just about enjoying each other's company and seeing what can happen along the way.

Don't let the laid back vibe of all these photos fool you though. Some insane stuff goes down every single time we skate whether it's on film or not. Which is a segue into my next topic: the newest video courtesy of Jake Knapp in association with Thirty Fifth Ave. Somewhere along the line the name Balsamic Villagers came about and it's stuck ever since (hence this post's title). We all sort of morphed from being 35th riders into Villagers. This collective consists of a group larger than those mentioned above. Newest additions include Joseph Calvin Kouba and newly appointed 35th team rider Cody Lee Sewell who both relocated to Washington from Texas and have more than integrated with the crew.

So here we are now. Present day. Matthew Decker Nielsen, Jake Ryan Knapp, Eric Alan Logan, David Clifford Waite, Joshua Donald Peterson, Joseph Calvin Kouba, and Cody Lee Sewell. It never fails that when I manage to get out and cruise with these guys I'm left in a great mood and I'm fully aware of how fortunate I've been to have met such a great group of people.

There you have it. The Villagers. Be happy. Be jealous. Look out for the Villagers video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BCgEuF59as

More leftovers.

2009-06-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

The leftovers.

2009-05-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

Weekend via XA

2009-05-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

Here's what I think...

2009-04-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

I've been putting a lot of thought into my photography lately. Two main aspects: (1) not being a conformist and simply shooting what I like and for the reasons I deem appropriate, and (2) where I want my photography to take me and why.

A lot of my contacts on Flickr (and I mean no disrespect here) shoot what seems to be the same thing. You see so many abandoned cars. So many uncompelling portraits. So many dull shots of light coming through blinds or windows. I'm a victim of all of this too. Some of it interests me. Why else would I shoot it? But I think the fine art aspect of photography generally just bores me. I'm trying so hard to find specific examples but I'm drawing a blank. What I think really drives me and inspires me to shoot photographs, is the simple documentation of life. I believe that's what got me started doing it in the first place. Browse my Flickr and you'll see such a wide range of subjects and directions my photography has gone but presently, all I've really enjoyed shooting and really felt compelled to use my camera for, is the documentation of progression and different facets of my life.

What really possessed me to go back to school after graduating high school is finding out that to simple apply for the National Geographic Society as a photographer, one needed a bachelors in fine art. So I worked my ass off, got started at community college and pushed hard in that direction. But then along the lines of getting busy with school I stopped browsing Nat. Geo. magazine and focused more on closer peers photographs mainly through Flickr. And I emulated the style mainly because it was so prominent in what I was viewing. But when FINALLY browsing through a new Nat. Geo. recently, which I hadn't done in months and months, I was inspired again to be in the midst of life and be shooting at whim the things taking place in front of me. For a while I thought I would really enjoy just being a fine art freelance photographer who sells prints for a living. But the more I thought about it, I saw that having an assignment, a purpose, and a mission towards a subject that NEEDS documentation for a specific cause, is all I want in a career. So basically I've come back under the realization that I want to pursue working for the NGS.

So with all that said, my photography might be considered boring but I'm doing it for myself. I've greatly considered selling my Mamiya RB67 to invest in a nicer 35mm set up because to be quite honest, that's ALL I've felt like shooting lately. And the results with my OM10 are photographs I'm so proud and fond of.

It was this photograph that brought all this to mind. Realizing that all the foresight and planning in the world couldn't have made this photograph. What was necessary to make this happen, was a quick camera (in hand), a split second decision to hit the shutter, and sheer luck.

I apologize for the incoherence and inability to convey what I'm saying with all of this. I just tried to sputter out all my thoughts in the last couple months.

Life (currently).

2009-04-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend, Lauren, moved into a three bedroom house in Sand Point near the University of Washington in Seattle a couple weeks ago. She has two roommates, Katie and Sara. It's a great old house. For some reason I think I remember hearing it may have been built in the 20's. It's on a nice quiet street that has an abundance of Volkswagens parked on it constantly (especially counting both mine and Lauren's Jettas).

The house receives such good light at so many different times of days which is obviously a dream come true for me. This past weekend I stayed up in Seattle with Lauren Friday night through Monday morning. I shot probably 50 some photos and documented what was easily one of the most enjoyable weekends of my life thus far. So much relaxation and fun.

Katie, who is also Lauren's coworker, has a boyfriend named Brantley who I've had the pleasure of making acquaintances/friends with. Both Katie and Brantley are awesome people.

With a bit of luck and good fortune Brantley might be able to get me a job with his dad's painting company near the end of the month. This would mean much more time spent at the Sand Point home with these good people. I've really got my fingers crossed.

I told Lauren about 15 minutes ago that I'm not sure I've ever been so happy and content with all aspects of life.

Weather.

2009-01-07T21:41:00.000-08:00

My second quarter at college I took a class called Atmospheric Science 101. My instructor was a man who I'd taken the previous quarter in a class titled Environmental Science 101. This instructor's name is John Rosenthal and he's a geologist and climatologist. Aside from teaching at Pierce College, where I attend, he is a professor at the University of Washington. It must be said that this man inspired me in more ways than I can put into words. His love for nature is addicting. Now, I'm already an outdoors-man, but after taking his two courses I'm a full on addict. He was able to open my eyes to beauties I might have missed. Down a few posts from this one you'll see my photos of the lenticular clouds over Mount Rainier. Without Atmospheric Science 101, I may have never seen those as the drastic weather formations that they are.

John liked to proclaim how unique and diverse our weather system is here in the north west. How there's no place on earth that shares these qualities. Being sandwiched between two massive mountain ranges as well as being right near the Pacific coast, provides for some amazing stuff. Most people have heard of the weather phenomena known as the Pineapple Express. Until taking that class I didn't really know what all it entailed or how to spot it. Well recently, here in Washington, in my opinion, we are definitely seeing one. The temperature warmed from in the 30's to the 50's in as little as two days and we're experiencing some drastic rain. John showed us this website called Unisys which has really scientific weather data including satellite images which we somewhat learned how to read in this class.

I was really curious as to if we were really receiving a Pineapple Express, so I popped on that website and checked out some GOES-West satellite images and lo and behold, there's a massive flow coming up from the waters around Hawaii. This photo is from today but yesterday's was even more drastic. The green of the rains was running almost all the way to the Hawaiian Islands.

Right now this city called Orting near where I live, is completely evacuated because the Puyallup river is flooding so heavily. All of this (aside from the misplaced people and troubles for them) excites the hell out of me. I love seeing how powerful nature can be. How little it cares about human life. The inconveniences put a grin on my face. Seeing road closures and hearing all these reports of record rains in the mountains is awe-inspiring.

I truly love living in Washington state. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to travel the world and live as many different places and humanly possible, but this place is definitely home.

I went out tonight with my Canon Prima Zoom Shot loaded with some Fuji Pro 800z and documented some of the flooding in my city. Tough to do at night but I'm sure tomorrow will provide for some epic photo opportunities. Here's a taste:

My bed.

2008-12-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

I love my bed. Queen sized, super comfortable, soft, warm place of peace. Waking up I usually feel so good it's hard to pull myself out of it. It doesn't hurt that I've got a huge down comforter and 2 heavy blankets on top of that. And looking out my window to see the middles of the massive evergreens in my front yard. As small as my room is, I'm definitely going to miss it when I move out. It's never really been a place that I spend a lot of time aside from sleeping but those peaceful hours are definitely blissful. Here's 3 photos that I shot while I was painting my room recently. All three on the same roll of Kodak Portra 160NC through my Mamiya RB67 ProS with my 65mm f/4.5 C. The last was shot the night before the second. I loved the way the shadows looked created by all the Christmas lights outside my room. I guessed at a 13 second exposure and used the flashlight on my phone to help illuminate the left hand side. The second photo was set up from scratch, as I had taken down my tripod and camera after shooting the night photo. I'm surprised how close I composed the two images.

Randy Rivera.

2008-12-23T17:14:00.000-08:00

Many many months ago I had an inquisition towards the purchasing of some of my prints from a fellow out of Surprise, Arizona. He had expressed his desire to see the beautiful state of Washington that I was so lucky to live in and photograph. This fellow's name is Randy Rivera and he's 21 years old. Randy purchased a few of my prints and we began random correspondence, first through Flickr, and then started chatting on AIM. Over the next few months Randy and I established somewhat of a internet friendship and his desire to see Washington seemed to grow. Well back in November we both decided the time had come to get him out here and show him what Washington was all about. Yes, it may sound a bit strange, two guys meeting on the internet and one flying to meet the other but what came of this visit is something I'm certainly happy with.

Being that my dad works for United Airlines I was able to get Randy some companion passes and he flew in on December 12th, a Friday, and left on December 16th. During Randy's trip I was able to give him a glimpse of what it's like living in this grand state. We drove 500+ miles in my Jetta to and from places like Carbonado and all the way up to Snohomish. When his visit sadly came to an end he was more than convinced he wanted to relocate to the Pacific North West and I'm surely anticipating the day. I gained a really good friend through the whole thing. Yes, it's a bit like e-harmony for boys but I have to admit my friendship with Randy now is one that will be long-lasting.

My spot.

2008-12-22T20:54:00.000-08:00

So there's this place. It's only about a 5 minute drive from my house. It's down a private road but the residents have never minded my presence. I've talked to a few. This place is magical. Vast open fields. Tulips in the spring. Pumpkins in the fall. And not only that, but there's a spectacular view of Mount Rainier. Second to my home, it's easily my most photographed place. I frequent it without a camera too. It's serene. No cars passing but the occasional neighbor on a bicycle. 360 degrees of open space. I've found myself down there a lot lately. During our recent cold here in Washington, these massive puddles froze over and provided us with some fun.

Recently I was driving back from Lakewood to my home, which is about 25 minutes away. From the freeway I saw these amazing lenticular clouds over Mount Rainier. I had learned of this weather phenomena in an Atmospheric Science class I took last quarter in college. I was absolutely awe-inspired by these formations. Not even in photographs had I ever seen such beautiful defined clouds. I immediately punched the gas pedal to the floor and raced into Puyallup to try to make it to "my spot" before it was too late. I arrived with plenty of time to spare and stayed until dark watching the changing sky and drifting clouds. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life for sure.

A few cars pulled through to stop and take a gander and I had a nice chat with an older gentleman who told me he lived just nearby. He was carrying a Nikon D70 and a rather large 300mm lens. I found the difference in our gear choice slightly humorous but it makes sense. The older guys who have seen this film stuff all their lives are intrigued and excited by digital cameras and their ease of use. While a lot of us young guys are inspired by the original means of making pictures. I shook his hand and asked for a photo before he left.

After that I laid on the back of my car just watching the sky turn from blue to orange to dark.

More baby.

2008-12-06T15:13:00.000-08:00

Camp.

2008-12-01T22:05:00.000-08:00

Ahh camping. Such an excellent outlet. The greatest way to escape life while at the same time truly experiencing living. Most of my closer friends and family know that I'm pretty anti-urban. I don't enjoy being in the city or shooting photos in the city. I really love the solitude of the woods. It's out there that I truly feel relaxed and content. Nobody unwanted nearby. No pressures of regular life. No insecurities or self-doubt. Just me and nature. If it were up to me I'd build a cabin deep in the forest and never leave. Of course I'd need an internet connection and a few select visitors from time to time.

I get the great privilege of being able to visit the Larimore's property on the Cispus River. Matt Larimore is my sister's boyfriend and we've been going out there to camp for about 4 years now. It's such a epic location to just get away. Not to mention there's loads of property to explore and shoot photos. Matt and I discussed heading out there this winter. I can't wait.

These photos are from the camping trip we all went on in September. The camping trip that is responsible for reuniting Dani and Matt after a 2 year separation that many of us assumed would never end. Needless to say, it was a pretty awesome trip.

All shot on my Mamiya RB67 ProS using my 50mm f/4.5 and Kodak Portra 400NC.

More.

2008-11-30T10:44:00.000-08:00

Kash Prihoda Larson.

2008-11-26T18:17:00.000-08:00

[The birth of my nephew.]

I may be more proud of this group of photographs than I am of any of my past work. And I would say 90% of it is because I captured what I wanted, the way I wanted. The technical aspects meant nothing. Shooting these photographs was mostly about timing and reflex. Seeing, shooting, and being there. So much emotion.

We got the call that my sister Katie's water had broken on Monday night around 9:00 PM. My sister Dani had answered the phone and apparently all Katie said was "I need to talk to mom". Dani, being the jokester that she is, while handing the phone to my mom said "Better get your bag packed!". And had everyone worried. My mom got on the phone with Katie and hears the news that it actually was go time. Everything went into a panic. Katie lives in Snohomish which is an hour and fifteen minutes away without traffic. The hospital she was scheduled to deliver in is in Monroe which was probably an hour and thirty minutes.

So franticly everyone started getting their things together. Me, being the photographer that I am, loaded some Neopan 1600 into my Minolta and pushed it a stop to start documenting this amazing experience. For some reason my sister had written this saying on our white board and it seemed extremely fitting during the circumstances.

We took three cars up to the hospital. Me in mine. My dad in his. And my sister and mom in hers.

I was the last to arrive at the hospital. The waiting then commenced for a few hours. I couldn't stop shooting.

Around 11:20 PM my dad, Lisa (Josh's stepmom), Randy (Josh's dad), Venisha (Lisa's daughter), and I went and stood outside Katie's room. The door was open and we could hear the event taking place inside. In the delivery room was the doctor, nurses, Katie, my sister Dani, my mom, and my brother in law Josh. We could hear them counting during contractions and urging her to push time and time again. It was definitely a life experience that I can't quite put into words. I would look around at the people outside with me and watch their faces light up as we all assumed Kash was just about to be born. My dad would grimace when my sister would cry out in pain. Everyone was on edge but so excited none the less. And then finally it happened. After a long contraction and pushing/counting we heard "He's out!". And everyone's faces went into giant grins.

I quickly shot a photo of the exact time that Kash was born. For some reason I was compelled to shoot 2 and lo and behold, one of the frames was missing the time. I'm not sure what happens with digital clocks but sometimes they aren't captured properly.

What commenced afterwards still gives me chills. Seeing the joy on my family and my extended family's faces is something I will never forget. I'm so glad I captured it the way I saw it.

The time finally came for the family to go in and see the newest addition to the Larson and Snyder families. Such an amazing little guy. In such awe of the whole experience.

Much more to come.

Scratch.

2008-11-22T17:01:00.001-08:00

So here's the story:

I shoot a full roll of Delta 3200 at 6400 again on my Minolta SRT MC-II and today I blew off the last couple shots so I could develop it and load something new. So I go to wind the film and there was no tension. I hit the shutter again and advanced the film and tried again and same deal. So I put the camera in my darkbag and find out that I had pulled the film straight out of the canister somehow making it impossible to wind back. I wasn't too worried. I went and fetched my 35mm daylight tank and reel and threw it in the darkbag with the camera and proceeded to try to reel the film. So I'm basically terrible and reeling 35mm. I can do 120 in like sixty seconds but I'll fumble around with a roll of 35mm forever trying to get it on there right because in the past I'll end up making some stick together which will ruin frames. So I can always feel when it's not right cause the the negatives won't be circular around the reel. They end up like an oval or just bent. I struggled for honestly about 30 minutes in the darkbag all the while stomping my feet and growling in anger. I was so completely frustrated.

I ended up reeling it and un-reeling it so many times just to try and make sure it was on right because every time I could just tell it wasn't. Needless to say, all that handling, scratched the living hell out of my negatives. I'm so bummed. There's still a few that I like though despite the scratches. I think I'll invest in a plastic tank and plastic reel for my 35mm stuff from now on. I absolutely hate struggling in the darkbag like that.

Gas is cheap!

Rainier and a stogie. Doesn't get much better.

Brockton, Ellis, Timmy, and I took a hike along Chambers Creek the other day. I didn't really shoot much.

My good buddy Andy James had some people over last night.

Mr. Brian Dahl.

Brett texting. Typical.

Sarah and Brian.

Brett and Rianna.

This is Jenny, my super good beer pong partner, Brian, and Blake.

E100VS.

2008-11-20T18:27:00.000-08:00

I really wish I had some inspiring words to fill this blog posting with. Unfortunately my mind is completely cluttered with some terrible thoughts right now that I'd rather not divulge to the internet world. But besides that, I picked up 3 rolls of slide film that had been processed. 1 and 1/2 went through the RB67. I say "1/2" because it was the roll that I broke my 50mm during so I had reeled it to the end and pulled it out. The third roll had gone through the Holga.

These two shots were taken overlooking the top of Victor Falls. I underexposed them by about a stop each because I'm still getting used to using the Sekonic L-358 but in due time I hope to be nailing my exposures.

Here's two more shots from Victor Falls. I should probably stop hiking down there unless I plan on doing something a lot different than I have been. Seems like I come back with a lot of similar photographs.

Fall at my home.

Shot with a graduated neutral density filter.

I don't shoot my Holga a lot. For some reason I'm usually disappointed with the results. I think I'd be happier with a glass lens on it. The major problem, I believe, is that I always forget to set the focus on that little plastic lens and it actually does affect my image. This shot was taken at my friend Andy's lake house on American Lake one morning.

I love the leaves.

X-PRO.

2008-11-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

I dropped off 4 rolls of slide film at Robi's in Lakewood to have cross processed. Boy, looking at those negatives on their light table is so awesome. Just to see how radical the colors are before they're scanned to positive images.

Getting back photos from my RB67 makes me miss that thing even more. Especially cause these are some of my favorite images taken with it in a while. Definitely one of my best portraits.

This is Mr. Matthew Decker Nielsen at his home in Seattle, Washington. His landlord gets on him about mowing the lawn and so when he told me he was going to do it that morning, I just knew I wanted to get some shots. Especially because of the push mower.

I was discussing with a friend on how I think the cross processing works well in this shot with the depth of field. I think it adds a surreal feeling to it. And the oddity goes well with Matt's character. He's a very original fellow. Note the sweatpants, Zip Zinger sweatshirt, and old man shoes. I'm very proud of this portrait.

For some reason this image reminds me of Hunter S. Thompson. It could be the fact that I just watched an Annie Liebovitz documentary and they were discussing Hunter's writing and just overall way of life during that Rolling Stone era. That and the part in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas where Johnny is on the beach with that American flag waving it around. I love that. This was shot on my Tower Reflex TLR with some Kodak E100VS slide film.

I've shot almost this exact photo before. Oddly enough, also on my TLR. I didn't even think about it at the time. The composition is stronger in this and the cross process I think adds a lot to it. I love that tree.

This was my very first legal beer, shot at the Powerhouse brewery on my 21st birthday. I didn't expect the photo to come out this sharp because I had to shoot wide open and the shutter speed was still like 1/15. Taken with an Olympus OM10, a Vivitar 28mm f/2.8 and some Fuji Provia 400x slide film.

Thirty Five.

2008-11-14T20:07:00.001-08:00

I've been loving shooting 35mm lately. The combination of the aspect ratio, the small camera size, and the quickness and ease of use is what get me. I love shooting with my RB67 but sometimes I just really enjoy only carrying something reasonable around my neck.

This batch of photos is from a roll of Portra 800 that went through my Olympus OM10. Most shots were taken with a 28mm f/2.8.

I really wish I would have re-shot this but as I remember I was at an intersection and when I pulled away, the self timer was going and the camera slid so I went to grab it and caught my hand in the frame. Haha such safe driving activities. The balloons were for my sister's baby shower.

What the men folk did during the baby shower.

I really like these portraits of Brockton. They were shot not long after he got jumped in Tacoma and his lip was still pretty swollen and scabbed over. I had urged him to shoot some self-portraits but he never went through with it. These were shot outside Ellis's house. In the second he's standing in front of his family's truck.

These two photos were shot at my sister, Katie's house in Snohomish. I really like that wind chime because I so vividly remember seeing it in their window in Kauai before they moved back home. In fact I probably have a black and white photo of that very same chime, in a very different scene. My mom gave Katie this frozen turkey which she cooked, for nothing special. It was so good. I'm getting two Thanksgiving meals in one year!

Two very fall Washington photographs for me.

Yes.

2008-11-14T11:23:00.000-08:00

So as a few of you who frequent my Flickr might know, I recently broke the 50mm f/4.5 that I had for my Mamiya RB67 ProS. It was the only lens I had for it and I was pretty content although sometimes I could definitely had gone for a longer lens. So I sent it out to KEH to see if they could give me any money for it and it turns out the cost to repair it wouldn't be worth it for them so it's being sent back to me currently. If anyone wants a broken 50mm f/4.5 they feel like trying to get fixed, hit me up.

So I was surfing eBay looking at lenses recently and found this 150mm f/4 SF C lens which is a soft focusing lens great for portraiture and pretty versatile because apertures smaller than f/8 render the whole image sharp. Reasonably cheap lens I figured so I went ahead and bought it.
The reason I jumped right on it is because my older sister, Katie, is ready to have her baby any day. Literally. Everyone was saying he was gonna come last night. So of course I'm frantic and want to make sure I've got the means of documenting this life experience.

Well, I sold my D200 body recently and just got the money deposited to my checking account and was on KEH's website cause I've been wanting to order a prism finder (which will be great for that 150). And I started looking at lenses thinking at how sweet it would be to have a long lens and another wide angle. The 50mm was great for so long but I concluded, after months of using it, that it might just be a little bit too wide for my taste. Granted it would be great to have every focal length that they make, I think a 65mm would be just PERFECT. So I went and found one and tacked that onto my order.
I should have 2 new lenses and a prism finder for my RB67 by Monday! Gah, can't even explain how excited I am.

So I'm gonna put off buying the C330 and hopefully win this tripod on eBay that I've been watching. My medium format set up is gonna be so fun to shoot! Now if only I had an additional back.

(Yes it does sound like I have money but keep in mind I'm selling my digital set up, including flash, and think I deserve to treat myself, especially because I've been without my RB for a while now.)

Push process.

2008-11-13T15:31:00.001-08:00

I greatly enjoy pushing black and white film (and color too but that's another blog entry). I usually shoot Kodak's Tri-X 400 film. Depending on what I'll be shooting I'll rate it at 800 or 1600. The latter being my favorite. In D76 diluted 1:1 it comes out so nice. Recently I was given a couple rolls of Delta 3200 35mm size for my birthday. I'd only shot Delta 3200 once and that was on 120 and I really didn't shoot the roll well. For my first roll I decided to push it to 6400. Originally I wanted to shoot it at 12,800 but I figured 1 stop would be sufficient experimentation for now.

I pulled out this Minolta 35mm SLR that I've had laying in my closet forever. The model is the SR T MC ii. It's clunky, large, and quite heavy especially when compared with my Olympus OM10. I've only got the standard 50mm f/1.7 on it and the meter is extremely inaccurate but since I've got my Sekonic L-358 I decided to test this old camera out.

Brockton and I went on a night shoot downtown Puyallup near all these barns. We were walking around this one building that handles vegetables. I must say shooting that fast at film at night, is so fun. Half the time I didn't even need a tripod.

This cat walked up on Brockton when we were still next to my car where it was dark. It rubbed against his leg and freaked him out. It continued to rub against both of our legs and our sketchy tripods until we left.

Procrastination.

2008-11-12T20:44:00.000-08:00

I've got this school paper I should really be working on right now but I just can't seem to motivate myself. I'm writing on scientific parts of photography, mainly the chemical makeup of film and stuff. I'm like REALLY behind.

But anyways I was wanting to make another post with some images made with my Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim.

I got this little guy off eBay for 12 dollars shipped. One of my favorite cameras for sure. It fits in a front chest pocket of shirts and is super lightweight. It's got a crazy 22mm lens on it with a standard aperture of f/11 and standard shutterspeed of 1/125 of a second which is just perfect for most daylight photographs. The more film I get back from it the more I'm compelled to shoot it. It's got magical qualities. I love the glares it gets and the ever pesky fingers sneaking into the frame.

Ellis and Brockton out at the cabin.

Cabin neighbors.

Brock loves being shirtless.

Images like this make me love the Ultra Wide & Slim. Sure there's tons of grain and it's horribly underexposed, but there's something about it that I'm just drawn to. The lighting I suppose. This is my sister.

This little camera and the pictures above prove to me that I wasn't wrong in selling my D200 and going all film. I've been wanting to make the plunge for a while but I couldn't convince myself that I wouldn't miss having a DSLR. But I got to the point recently where I hardly ever touched the D200 and my film images made me ten times as more excited as any of my digital images provided. As of right now my set up is a Mamiya RB67 (no lens but a 150mm f/4 soft focus is in the mail), an Olympus OM10 with 50mm and 28mm, the Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim, a Tower Reflex TLR (soon to be replaced by a Mamiya C330), and an Olympus Stylus Epic. Things are looking good.

Epic finds.

2008-11-11T22:05:00.000-08:00

One thing I love about shooting 35mm lately is the quickness at which each frame can be made. Especially with a camera like the OM10 which shoots primarily on aperture priority (though I do want to buy the manual adapter). I love seeing something and being able to capture it before it's too late. I love having something in my hands so small but so capable of making an important image. Another thing that I take joy in is how freeing it is to only carry a 35mm SLR. No handheld light meter, no tripod. Just the SLR and a wide angle. It makes images like this possible. Something that I might have passed up if I were lugging a Mamiya RB67, a large camera bag, and a tripod with me.

It feels like lately I've been more focused on simply capturing life. I seem to be putting off making concentrated efforts at creating an artistic piece and instead just shooting the things presented to me in my daily life. The more I grow in photography the more I realize how big of a role the nostalgia factor is.

Night

2008-11-11T21:44:00.001-08:00

I've never had much luck shooting photographs at night. I'm not sure what it is. For one, I'm always in my car, which completely kills the vibe for me. I really need to invest in a bike. Finding a location to shoot which also happens to have a spot to park my car, and no neighbors who might become concerned with my presence, is tough for me. Sometimes I drive around without ever even getting out of the car. A few times recently me and my good friend Brockton have decided to go out on a couple night photo missions which have turned out to be fairly productive. I think it's better when I've got someone else motivating me to just park the damn car and take a walk.

Shooting with the Mamiya RB67 is another thing that prevents night photography. Partly because it's massive and I don't want someone to see me out there and get worried that I'm up to something suspicious. Another thing is that the Mamiya doesn't have a bulb setting. To do long exposures you have to use the "T" setting which means opening the shutter with a cable release and closing it by turning the shutter speed ring, which obviously presents the problem of camera shake. I've learned to cover the lens with a shirt sleeve before ending my exposures which works quite well but using the bulb setting on my 35mm has shown me how much of a convenience it is.

This group of photographs was shot on my Olympus OM10 using Kodak Gold 200 film and a cable release for bulb exposures.

Beginning.

2008-11-11T21:22:00.001-08:00

So I've become unhappy with how free people are to look past images on Flickr. I'm guilty of it. You open someone's stream, browse down the line glancing at the thumbnails until you find one that catches your eye, and then you click. I don't like that. Each photograph made has purpose, at least I'd hope so. There's something behind each. The phrase a picture is worth a thousand words, in my opinion, is best suited by *good pictures. Pictures that have content and context.

So in short, this is a place for me to control my viewers' eyes. A place to assemble my images the way I want and with the verbal expansion they might need. This is a place for creative outlet. And yes, some may still just skim through but I hope those who appreciate an artists ideas will give the time and thought to each photograph or statement found on this blog.

Thank you sincerely,

A. Snyder

This is serious.