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Call to action!
Call it lack of vision or just plain laziness, I hadn’t dedicated a day for shooting in about month! Like many others, I to can get lost hanging out on the computer, endlessly editing, updating the blog, learning the latest photoshop technique, all the time forgetting why I started photographing in the first place. Granted I take the daily photo for my 365 project, but that just keeps me sharp and on my feet creatively. As photographer/creative I believe I (we) desire something more than just the daily snapshot.
For me, it took a friend of mine to call me up and see if I wanted to hang out, skate, and take some pictures… now I’m turning it into a two session photo shoot!
So if your reading this and haven’t taking more than a few hours in the last month to do you art/hobby of choice… do it!!!
Wandering in LA 2.0
The Black Boots Ink crew is probably downloading the pictures from their days shoot in Guadalajara Mexico as I write this post, I’m sure they captured some amazing stuff. This is their final stop in a tri-city collaborative effort which included San Francisco, CA (December) and Los Angeles (January).
Returning to the streets: Images wheat-pasted to wall in the Arts District, San Francisco, CA
Got a chance to go back and edit some more images from our wanderings last month in Los Angeles. Was an amazing experience, can’t wait to to see the collaborative efforts of the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Guadalajara photographers/writers/etc.
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Charles E. Wright
Recently heard somebody talk about photography in terms of Spirituality. They likened the click of the shutter to that of a prayer, and the viewing of the photograph to meditation.
If this is the case, these images are my offering to those who were fortunate enough to have known Charles “Chuck” Wright. May he rest in peace.
“Old Soldiers Never Die, They Just Fade Away” – General Douglas Macarthur
Home Sweet Home
Have been doing my best to keep up with the 365 project. I’ll admit it hasn’t been easy, however, after reviewing the fruits of my labor, am seeing some positive results. One of the threads I have noticed is a tendency to shoot closer to home. A number of images have just come as a result of carrying the camera while taking Baxter (the dog) for a walk. Instead of taking the same repetitive stroll night after night, have taken some contrary action to get out and explore at different times of the day.
If nothing else, my wanderings have kept me motivated to pay more attention to the details of my surroundings (even while I drive), always keeping a camera close by. Am starting to not be so concerned with “getting the shot,” as to just be in the present. The shots will come and go, but the discipline of going out and taking the action each and every day is where I will see the greatest reward. It may take years or a decades till I have a collection of images that I am proud of, but it’s a journey not a destination…right!
Wandering In LA
Want to thank the Black Boots Ink crew, Emilio Banuelos, Elena Carrosco and Ibarionex Perello for there hard work and dedication. Am astounded at the amount of growth that I have seen in my approach to taking photographs in such a short amount of time. Click on the slideshow link to see more images from Saturdays shoot.
Slideshow Link – Wandering In LA – Dana Barsuhn
For a more detailed description of “Walking In The Company of Strangers,” check out the Black Boots Ink site and Fotoboy Blog
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Walking Forward
Ventured out of my comfort zone last weekend, hitting the streets of downtown LA in prep for an upcoming workshop hosted by Black Boots Ink, as part of there (traveling) Urban portrait series. I have heard so much good stuff about this workshop in the past few months.
Of course I was a little hesitant to sign up at first, considering the nature of the subject matter. As a photographer, approaching people on the street has never been a real strength of mine, however, I am consistently reminded that we must learn to walk through our fears if we want to grow! Black Boots Ink traveling project-based workshop had it’s beginnings in Guadalaja
ra, Mexico last month, traveled north to San Francisco this past week, and will come to Los Angeles later this week. A public exhibition of prints from each venue will follow the LA workshop on Sunday January 31st!
Change
Producing an image a day continues to be an eye opener for me. Have had to find new and creative ways to incorporate the camera into my daily life. While some days an iphone capture is about all I have time for, I have bee increasingly finding time to really go out and explore. This particular day it was just taking my dog for a walk in the late afternoon, exploring areas on foot that I normally just pass through while driving.
Thought these two images worked well together! We may be in some tough economic times, but getting the sense that people are making the best of it! Second image taken at a auto/body shop!
Yogurt and Discipline
Went to get some frozen yogurt yesterday, was trying to visualize a shot inside the store, but was uninspired. Got into the car with melting yogurt and saw this scene! Normally I would not get out of the car and take the image, but this damn 365 project is forcing me to discipline myself into making an image every day! Anyway, I really came away with an image that I was excited about, one that I would not have made otherwise! My only regret to this is not staying 4 minute later, when these clouds turned magenta with the setting sun! Oh well, the yogurt would have melted by then and I would have had one pissed off Fiance… Priorities!!
