SUNSHINE+love

It’s been an exciting few months. I thought it was time...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:47:00 -0600

It’s been an exciting few months. I thought it was time for an update on my blog about Las Fotos Project in my community. When I started sharing the mission and vision of Las Fotos Project with my friends and contacts, there was an almost automatic response of support. We were able to get enough cameras and magazines donated to cover the initial workshop series.

Then something awesome happened. One of the Art Amiss board members expressed interest in supporting the project. Art Amiss, Inc is a non-profit art collective based in Fayetteville, AR. They provide services for artists living in, working in, or from Arkansas. I was asked to submit a grant proposal and soon after their review, we were awarded enough funds to run our initial workshops!

Then another wave of awesomeness came when Bedford Camera & Video became sponsor of the project as well. Not only did Bruce, one of the Fayetteville Bedford’s team members, got on board as a mentor, but they are also gifting the film development and prints for the project.

With all that support and a great group of mentors, it all came together beautifully. The NWA Workers’ Justice Center has given us a venue for the workshops and access to all the audiovisual technology we need.

I don’t think I have ever been so proud to be part of this community. I’ve bragged before, but now this is next level!

So, after all the work, I thought the workshops would run smoothly and was really excited about starting them. And finally, last Saturday (Feb. 12), seven Latina girls became the first Las Fotos Project students in Northwest Arkansas. My expectations were surpassed. I’m not so sure who got more of the first day, if the students or the mentors. We were all so happy!

We had brutal weather (below freezing temps) so we rearranged the workshop schedule and started out with learning some history of photography and cameras, we learned to use photography to see our world in a different way (or angle), we learned about the different uses of photography, and we had the first crafts project.

None of the students have any experiences with cameras or photography. And the way they got involved in the lesson and the activities… It was just awesome.

We have two more Saturdays of the introductory workshop series. The students will have the opportunity to learn artistic process from professional photographers, experiment with film photography, curate their work, and prepare a gallery exhibit for their work. Everyone involved is giving their time on a volunteer basis. And everyone is loving it.

If you’re reading this and have given me a camera, a magazine, moral support, or gotten me connected to someone who did… THANK YOU. You rock! You really do. Not in the rock, paper, scissors way… in the super star kind of way! Thank you!

P.S. Check out Bedford’s blog

Every day is a good day to love. Happy Valentine’s Day! In...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:10:24 -0600

Every day is a good day to love.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

In El Salvador, we celebrate love and friendship on this day. Go hug somebody.

Another write up for the Lomography Magazine. This time, I...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:32:25 -0600

Another write up for the Lomography Magazine. This time, I expanded on something I had shared here before, experimenting with expired film.

Friends, if ya’ll have film saved up and will never use it.. pass it on! :) Contact me!

Today is my lovely mother’s 50th birthday. This is my...

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:02:00 -0600

Today is my lovely mother’s 50th birthday. This is my favorite photo of us. She’s Wonder Woman. We’ve celebrated so much, she deserves the best in life. Cheers!

Inspiration: I can’t wait to see this documentary....

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:59:00 -0600

Inspiration: I can’t wait to see this documentary. I’m a fan of Emmett Malloy’s work, his film and photography. When I heard he was part of the Rail Road Revival Tour, I knew the end result would be fantastic.

Here’s my most recent contribution to the Lomography...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:40:48 -0600

Here’s my most recent contribution to the Lomography Magazine. Check it out! I had a lot of fun writing this one, made me want to get on a plane.

Venice Beach sunset with one of the shitcams. October 29th,...

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:00:36 -0600

Venice Beach sunset with one of the shitcams. October 29th, 2011.

Pomegranated sink » Something tells me you need a...

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:43:05 -0600

Pomegranated sink » Something tells me you need a photo of the mess I leave after peeling a pomegranate. Yumsters!

I caught this burning sunset with the Black Slim Devil (a toy...

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:06:05 -0600

I caught this burning sunset with the Black Slim Devil (a toy cam). This is the first time this camera gave strong light leaks like this one. I couldn’t be happier! This is how I dream of sunsets. They’re always extra vivid in my memories.

The Mount Magazine Tree. I have several versions of this view,...

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:00:06 -0600

The Mount Magazine Tree. I have several versions of this view, this is the most recent and the only one in film.

I visited Summer 2010 and Autumn 2009 (that was the first time I went there). I’ll try to go in the Spring, when the landscape starts to get back its color. I’m on a mission.

From a summer evening, catching the sunset afterglow.

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:47:27 -0600

From a summer evening, catching the sunset afterglow.

January 27: the start of a collaboration project in 2012. Last...

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:48:00 -0600

January 27: the start of a collaboration project in 2012.

Last year, I set out to take a self portrait on the 8th of every month. I don’t get many photos of myself, since I’m usually the one behind the camera, and the few I get are reflection photos. So I wanted to challenge myself to get a better self portrait. And, well, let’s just say I didn’t do so well. Click to see last year’s set.

So I want to try it again. This year I’m turning 27 in March, so I thought that would be a good date to set: the 27th of each month.

This year I’m not alone, though. My best friend Paulina is joining me (she turned 27 on Dec 27th). I’m really glad to have a partner in crime this year! My main goal: no more mirror shots, at least for this project. I should also set the goal to find my wireless remote control. Where is it?!

2012 set.

Collaboration at the end of December. Update: the photos.

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:22:00 -0600

Collaboration at the end of December.

Update: the photos.

At my local sunset spot. The light leaks on the Black Slim Devil...

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:40:05 -0600

At my local sunset spot. The light leaks on the Black Slim Devil can get quite dreamy, to me.

This corner of paradise is in Arkansas. Near the small town of...

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:29:45 -0600

This corner of paradise is in Arkansas. Near the small town of Danville.

I have a friends who loves swimming holes. He guided us here.

Here’s to so many lovely sunsets for you in 2012.

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:21:05 -0600

Here’s to so many lovely sunsets for you in 2012.

Since I got on the analogue wagon and started telling my friends...

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:40:00 -0600

Since I got on the analogue wagon and started telling my friends about it, something keeps happening: my friends (or their parents) have given me rolls of film they’ve had for years. The first batch of film I got was from Coger’s dad. He gave me a few rolls of Kodak TMax 100 that expired in the 06/2006. Then I got film from Sandy, a few rolls of Kodak Gold 200, expired 07/2006. Then I got 3 rolls of Kodak Ektachrome 100HC from a film swap, those expired in 1994 and 1995! The last batch of film I got from a friend, is still to be reviewed… but it’s expired as well.

I’ve been taking it easy at shooting with all these. I used some of the Kodak Gold 200 in California (this sunset was shot with one of them) and it yielded this beautiful aqua tones. It’s so dreamy! Here’s the rest of that roll (click)

The Kodak TMax 100 is going to be for portraits only. I’ve used one of the rolls, I have two more to go. Here’s that set (click)

I used two of the Kodak Ektachrome 100HC in California in November 2011. They were the first rolls I used on my LC-A+… BUT I made the mistake of asking my lab to cross processed them for me. And after developing the rolls, they decided the images weren’t good enough to scan for me (gasp!). So they just gave me the film developed. Since I don’t really give up until I’ve tried it all, I’m on the mission of finding my own photo/slide scanner and bringing those images to life with a little help from my friends.. I mean, Photoshop. I’ll report back on this soon.

Because you never know what you will get when using expired film, you have to have a good attitude about it at the moment you take the shot. I wasn’t so heartbroken when I found out about the two rolls that my lab decided not to scan for me. Not because I don’t care about the images, but because when taking them, I was letting them go and just trying to catch the moment. I’m pretty excited about experimenting with all this old film. And I hope my friends keep passing around their film on to me.

Viva la vida!

I did some charcoal drawing last night. This is the...

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 13:16:00 -0600

I did some charcoal drawing last night. This is the model’s view. (via @darbyi)

Summer in Film

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:24:00 -0600

My Indian Summer Jr. seems to be gone from Northwest Arkansas. But don’t worry, I got exactly...

The Tree at Mount Magazine, AR. A friend showed me how to get...

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:39:00 -0600

The Tree at Mount Magazine, AR.

A friend showed me how to get to this tree a few of years ago. It’s one of the best sunset spots in Arkansas.