Re: Corner
My old favorite corner to shoot in. The dark dirty corner of a now abandoned building. I shot a handful of different objects in the corner and this is almost all thats left. The only thing left to post form this series is a book, Green Eggs and Ham to be exact and they were my favorite of the bunch. There is just something perfect about this natural lighting set up that not only did I enjoy shooting in but I got a few ideas for future shots in the process. I just love the way they came out with no post processing at all outside of really subtle contrast change.
So enjoy the desktops and please, no commercial use of these images is allowed so give the terms of use a look over in the zip. To download just click the image you would like to have desktop size (or right click and save attached zip file).
Late
In my digging through old photos I came across these that I don’t think I ever got around to posting as desktops. Really dark and moody I know but Im sure some of you will appreciate them. I shot these while wandering the streets with my brother late one night. I just try and imagine this thing in use because as is in this dark alley its sort of menacing looking. Anyways, I threw in a black and white slightly modified one at the bottom here for those of you that may want that sort of variation of the idea.
Simply right click or right click the images and save the zip file they are linking too. Please, no commercial use without asking please, otherwise, enjoy!
Afternoon
I know I mentioned getting some film shots up here for desktops but the scanner I was going to use to scan them is broken and will not communicate with my computer… pretty frustrating really. At any rate, I dug around and found a handful of nice images for desktops and decided to start with something colorful. These windows were in the house my brother just moved into in Memphis and while I was there I happened to snap a couple of photos but forgot about them until now.
Click/right click the images to download the zip files. Please respect the terms of use found in the zip file and don’t use these for any sort of commercial work without asking, thanks and enjoy!
On The Hi-Fi
Its been a while since Ive gotten a music post out and I think I’ve got a few good suggestions to be made so what have I been listening to lately?
Note: The band/album name link to the bands website which is just me being lazy. I used to use affiliate links but stopped doing that a long time ago. I will also add an itunes link at the end of each post but they are for the US store and im not sure what will happen for those outside the US. Still, read on and hopefully find something new for your ears. I will try and add album art if I have the time later..
Beck – Modern Guilt
This was just released I know but Ive been listening to it a lot and while I would have to admit on the first listen I was trying to figure out what he was trying to do with this album I soon came to really enjoy it. It’s easily one of the most straightforward releases from Beck in some time. Almost a straight up rock album really which is a nice change of pace actually. On his last two albums it seems like he was a bit lost and trying to put out another odelay or something and while I did enjoy them they seemed a bit forced to me. This album feels more natural in a way and to me makes for a more honest album form him and its what I have wanted to see him do for a long time now. Just as a bit of reference, my favorite albums from him are Mellow Gold, One Foot in the Grave and Midnight Vultures. Its one of those artists that I have been listening to as long as I have been serously listening to music if not longer.. (iTunes)
Jamie Lidell – Jim
It’s no secret how much I love Jamie Lidells music. I’ve been listening to him since his first solo album on Warp which is a far cry from this most recent album from him which is essentially a soul record. A brilliant one at that. This album just feels so natural all the way through and I wonder if there is anyone out there who would not enjoy music like this. Like the first single from the album suggests, its a feel good thing. Its a perfect summer album that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. (iTunes)
(also, be sure to check out Jamie’s earlier, more electronic work with super collider, I finally picked up the first of the two albums they released and its GREAT funk/soul meets IDM. Be sure to check the song Take Me Home from that album.. iTunes)
Ryuichi Sakamoto – Tony Takitani (OST)
I have been a fan of the author Haruki Murakami for some time now and when I discovered that one of his short stories had been made into a film I went out and rented it as soon as I had the chance. The film/story was Tony Takitani and I really enjoyed the film. Part of what set the quiet mood of the film was the great film score full of beautiful, subtle piano. I later discovered that it was made by a musician/composer that I really enjoy Ryuichi Sakamoto and found the album and really have enjoyed it. There is a clear theme within the composition and can sometimes feel repetitive but I guess thats the nature of a soundtrack with repeating themes but unlike some soundtracks a number of the songs are longer than a minute long bit so plenty of music to go around. (iTunes)
Xanopticon – Psicicite
Sometimes I’m looking for something a bit more alive and aggressive and this release has filled that hole the last few weeks, although its just a short ep its great. Just imagine Venetian Snares but not so lazy sounding. For those of you who are not familiar with Breakcore think drum n’ bass meets metal meets IDM meets a hyperactive little boy that cant stay focused on anything for more than a few seconds. (iTunes)
A Weather – Cove
Sometimes, ok, more than sometimes, I need something a bit calm in my ears and while I find I often end up going back to a handful of favorites for this sometimes something new comes along that sticks and thats what happened with this album. I can’t remember where I came across the group but they are great. Peaceful songs with lyrics that sometimes border on strange in a cute way with their choice of metaphors but I really love the music and its perfect for a late night in the bedroom or morning in the sun with a nice breakfast feel to it. (iTunes)
Peder – And He Just Pointed to the Sky
While this is not a new discovery, its one that I don’t think I ever mentioned here or on twistedsun.net. On this album you will find hints of Portishead and Cinematic Orchestra but it certainly holds a style of its own with songs that feel like they are straight out of a soundtrack because of their cinematic / percussive feel. Really wonderful, tight production adds to the great feel of the album. Please do yourself a favor and AT LEAST check out the second song on here The Sour, it’s what sold me and its just a brilliant song and will give you a great idea of what to expect further along in the album. A seemingly under appreciated gem of an album. (iTunes)
The Chap – Mega Breakfast
One more this go round and that comes in the form of Mega Breakfast. Its like… you know, I don’t know what its like. Different would be a good word to start with. It’s electronic, its indie rock, its like beck only cleaner? Im really at a loss of words for this one but I have always enjoyed their albums and this is the first one apparently to be released stateside which is crazy to me but have a listen to see what I mean. Really bizarre lyrically and all over the map musically and not one to overlook because its a lot of fun to listen to. (iTunes)
Film
I have had a number of questions and comments from readers lately asking about my film work and wondering why I am not making desktops from it. Its something I have talked about in the past but its been a while since I have brought up the subject so I thought I would make some sort of statement about it. I don’t mind at all when people ask for anything, in fact, I encourage it really. Any time any of you readers have any questions or requests or something you feel like talking about just ask. I’m just me, there is a person behind fifty foot shadows and I certainly don’t bite.
So about my film work. When I first started to shoot film again I was getting some shots that I thought would make for great desktops but the scanner I had was just no where near good enough for me and I simply was not satisfied with its ability to scan things at a high enough resolution to make desktops out of. Then as time went on something started to change about the way I looked at my film work and I came to feel something for a lot of the photos I was taking and I started to feel more and more guarded about the photos.
I started to shoot film because I started in photography learning in a darkroom and eventually I found that I really missed shooting this way. After buying my Canonet rangefinder I found I was in love with film all over again. It helps me focus more while I am taking photos and I feel like I am re-discovering the world around me. The photos I am getting with film are wonderful and they feel so alive to me. I have finally found that soul within the photos I am taking that I have been searching so long for.
While some of my film images would lend themselves to make great desktops I find that I am not quite as willing to give them all away at higher resolutions. I have started to see a collection building in my mind and maybe, finally, a chance to bring ideas together to build something from the images I am taking. In order to keep the value of these I feel I need to reserve the way they are distributed for printed methods. As a collection I would be able to present the images not simply as a random assortment of nice looking photos but as more of a work as a whole.
All that said, I still love my readers and so I will pick a few of my film shots commonly requested as desktops and see what I can do. I will do that as soon as I have time to re-scan them with a nicer scanner that I have around now. Sorry if this seems long winded, I would love to talk more about my personal connection to film and my plans for photography in the future but its still forming in my head. So check back soon and again, thanks for the interest and support.
C-41
So before I shot a roll twice through with those double exposures I shot a roll of fuji slide film and processed it as negative film (cross processing). It was a long 36exp roll and like the double exposure roll it was mostly an experiment. I wanted to try and shoot in as many different sorts of light sources as I could to see how the color and contrast would be affected. Knowing this, many of the shots were kind of boring but I did get a few that I really liked a lot and thought I would share a random assortment here. Its another experiment I look forward to messing with more in the future…
Seeing Double
I recently decided to try out some of the classic film tricks and one of the ones I wanted to try was some unpredictable double exposures but rather than just take two photos at a time I ran a whole roll of film through a camera then loaded it back into the cartridge but not all the way so I would be able to pull it back through and shoot it a second time.
The thing I love about this is that I was not the one who shot the roll the second time through. After I shot the photos on the roll I gave the camera to my brother to shoot through the second time. So two different perspectives on the world captured in one place. Its kind of like folding time. I love the abstract and interesting things that happen when shooting like this and I will be doing this again with other people in the future! At any rate, I posted a few on flickr but I thought it would be nice to post them here as well plus a couple extra that did not make it to my flickr stream
