Things I suck at, part 2. Street Photography continued

So it has come to note that some people may think I'm being a bit too harsh on myself, I probably agree with you - I am a bit harsh, but I think I have mislead you all with the premise of the argument.

On a philosophical level I don't feel like I have street photography down to where I can say, yeah, "I'm good at it" I feel like there is so much to learn, and going out on my walk tonight revealed to me how much I still have to learn, so in that regard, yes, for now, I still suck at street photography. As Zach Arias so eloquently put it "Everybody sucked at one point."

So the other side of this is the stuff that I know, doing things that are not necessarily ground breaking, but abstract and/or interesting. I find that so much easier to shoot because it doesn't involve directly pointing a camera at someone.

But I still stand by my statement, street photography is something I suck at, only because I feel like there are so many questions to be asked - it such a subjective area, as is art - what interests me may be absolute shit to you, so what then? What makes what I shoot right? Is my image still a worthy image if there is no real intent behind it? What if I take a shot that I look at and someone on here says "this is the most incredible work I've ever seen!" Yes, highly unlikely I know. How can I truly be honest about my work when I don't really know what I'm doing (in terms of street photography).

How do I know if asking these questions before you see the images is going to change your view and opinion on these images?

Sometimes all I want in the world is to take photos, but it's the questions that I have aforementioned that hinder my experience - it's quite frustrating but I guess any artist goes through that type of thing, I have the same blocks as a jazz musician.

Enough questions now pictures.

So I like throwing off the perspective with my abstract stuff. Twisting it diagonal, turning it upside-down, turning it sideways... Is it wrong? I dunno, but it works in my mind:

Things I suck at, part 1. Street Photography

So I thought today I might head out for a walk, and maybe walk into the city, bring my camera, take some photos of stuff that I find interesting...

DAMN that's hard. I found myself so preoccupied in my mind of what to take that I wasn't really taking anything of real relevance. I found myself in positions where I would question the moment, then walk away thinking "I should have taken that shot - it was a moment right in front of my eyes and I didn't capture it right then and there" Case in point after the break:

Playing with light

So last weekend I went out to see some mates play, their area of expertise is mainly dance music and thought this could be an opportune time to show you some stuff I have been playing around with long exposures and on camera flash.

Most of these shots you see are set to a slow shutter of about 1-2 seconds, blurring most things, with the on camera flash set to burst thus capturing the subject completely still. It's a great effect I never get sick of...

I have also been inspired by JJ Abrams' use of lens flare on his movies, so I've been experimenting with a bit of backlight, as you can see in some of the following :)

Graduation Day!

My girlfriend Virginia had her graduation from her music education course last week, of course I had to bring my camera, so here are a few little keepers for you to check out! Happy graduation Gin! 

Who needs a DSLR?

So many people have asked me "what gear are you using"? with the implication that having good gear makes good photos.

Chase Jarvis coined the phrase "the best camera is the one that's with you" and has developed an online ecosystem of users submitting photos developed from their iphones.

This theory that you don't need a pro level camera to take good photos is something I have been testing out lately and it has made me more aware of the sheer fact that photography is all about what we see and interpret, it's a way to capture our thoughts visually and share those with everyone.

Here is some of my own stuff taken on my iphone, enjoy!

more after the break...

In tradition...

In the Filipino tradition they have 40 days of mourning, which involve prayer on the first night, then prayer every Sunday until the 40th day, of which there is a final prayer and then celebration. Here is some of the pics from the final night. Thanks to everyone who have messaged me privately with their condolences and words of support and love. Mum has since gone back to Philippines to be with her brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and cousins for a bit of R&R - something that is definitely needed. This blog ends my series on the tribute to my father, I hope that I can carry his spirit and his legacy of love for art through my photography and through my music. Thanks for reading :)

Final prayer 

Prayers and Preparations

Over the last two weeks I along with my family and friends have been helping to prepare my dad's funeral, here are some images from the preparations and evening prayer sessions held at my mother's house in Frankston. Thank you to all who helped in the preparations, and to all the people who played and participated in the funeral service. It was a beautiful, unique service, full of music and love, with a special appearance from our family friend Gil Askey, who put a New Orleans style twist at the end of the service playing trumpet and singing "what a wonderful world" and "When the Saints Go Marching In". My dad would have been so happy.

My Dad's remembrance table, surrounded in flowers sent from friends

more after the break