Paint and Shoot

I’ve never been big on technology. It took me days to understand all the buttons on my camera. Heck, I don’t even play videogames really well. I literally have to force my brain to read countless google articles or watch gazillion youtube tutorials before a simple mechanical or technological concept sticks with me. But when it does, wow. Possibilities are endless.

A few months ago, I started getting really interested in gadgets. You know, the fancy stuff boys always play with? Suddenly, the available settings on my camera weren’t enough anymore. I began to yearn for higher ISO capability, nicer lenses, or a new lighting kit. I even went on flickr to look at images taken with the newest cameras, the ones that can actually take really nice HD footage (a big deal with indie filmmakers). I’m thinking that if you own one of those cameras, it must be hard to mess up a picture.  Oh, the envy that arose within me, every time I saw somebody holding up a big monster like that, snapping away and making everything look good! Aiya! I think I felt the same kind of envy every time I thought about how much money other film schools had just gotten for their departments, and how little my own film school invested in new well-maintained equipment.

And then someone told me of a really famous fashion photographer, whose name I cannot remember. He would shoot the hottest models, newest design lines, and was the talk of the town. He would create his sets, devise an intriguing lighting plan and then…. And then he would take out his point-and-shoot and take the pictures. You know, the little pocket cameras we all carry to go clubbing to take pictures of ourselves partying? Yeah, he would shoot his fashion campaigns on those. And the pictures would come out flawless…

So that made me feel much better. It’s the human being, who is the artist. Not the machine. Well, at least for now.

[if !supportEmptyParas][endif] In the spirit of that, I’d like to share with you the following images, which were taken with my Diana F+, which is a plastic toy camera and uses 120mm film. The rather interesting philosophy using cameras like these is that you almost have no control over the image. You point and you click. That’s it. No fancy buttons. More often than not, it’s not properly exposed. You have no idea if what you’re shooting will really be in focus. And unlike digital cameras, you cannot go back to review your work. And you can’t click countless times. You have a very finite amount of exposures and then you’re done, so you better choose the right moment. It’s a very different way of working, isn’t it?

I also like the painting-like quality these images have. Blur can be good!

My Tho, Streets and Mekong Delta

Streets of Saigon

Mekong Delta

Griffith Observatory

Outside the LACMA. At least I think so. I can’t remember and I don’t recognize any shapes in this one!?!

And here are some fashion images, I snapped last week during fashion week with my regular DSLR, keeping the painting-like quality of the above images in mind. Designs by Le Sang Des Betes.

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Oh, so much fun… Hmmm, perhaps I should take out my oil colors and start painting again…?!?!