Starting With the Basics

There is a beautiful aesthetic feeling when a photographer develops photos that he/she is proud of. Especially when they were shot with a film camera, where you couldn't see what frames you shot in an instant. We've all grown up with technology at its peak, where smartphones are able to do what computers can do and intentional leaks about celebrities spread like wildfire.

I recently watched a video by the Fine Bros, two brothers on Youtube who get volunteers of a certain demographic to experience the world of today or the past. The latest one was "KIDS REACT TO GAMEBOY". 

If you don't know what the first gameboy looked like, you're too old to understand how marvelous the thing is. Basically, if you haven't watched the video, kids (that were born the year 2000 or later) react to an old game console, mostly reacting in ways that were astounding and kind of expected. The thing is a brick.

ANYWAYS, my point is that we do take the older things for granted. Which is why I wasn't a real photographer until I used my father's old film camera.

I attended my community college for two years before transferring, so most of the classes I took there were terrible because they were the general education classes that made me want to tip my hair out. At least I was saving money.

The one silver lining I found was when I took Photography 101. Little did I know that this class involved developing real film, so I discovered that my father still had his film camera. It's a beautiful vintage Canon AE-1. It's one of the most beautiful piece of machinery I had ever seen. It was one of my favorite classes because I actually spent endless hours in the dark room and the developing room, making my prints and scheduling shoots with my actor friends.

The greatest thing about this camera was that I couldn't look at what I just shot. I had to force myself to learn everything about the camera's settings and buttons, force myself to learn about lighting and composition. I already had a creative eye, as told by many of my teachers but also from my photography professor.

Professor Romano was a difficult professor in terms of critique. He was very harsh and raw, unfiltered. But it was the best thing about the class. I felt like I was at a university learning film instead of being at a community college. I improved. A lot.

It's always good to start by learning about the history of your passions, where they started and who was a conduit of them. You learn things that make you better. I'm glad to have experience with film cameras and to connect with the past.

Here are a couple of film prints that I created during that class:

Trudge (Mementran films, original. Do not steal.)

My first assignment was to capture still shots, which is to capture things that are not moving. My professor said this was a very cliche shot, and it MAY be, that's his opinion, but I shot this because shoes remind me of 'trudging', 'struggling', or the miles and miles of land that pioneers walked. I've had these pair of Converse since my freshman year of high school and I still have them six years later. I dirted the socks myself.

Eve Before the Warring (Mementran films,original. Do not steal.)

This is a chess set that my brother got when he and my dad went to Vietnam together on a trip. I absolutely love the detail and the stone pieces. They not only remind me of Jumanji, but also remind me of war. I love the cinematography in films that have the beginning of a battle where the two side are staring at each other, waiting to start. The camera will focus from the foreground to the background, a subtle but powerful move.

This is a still of my very own violin. I named her Violet. I have been playing the violin since I was in elementary school. I played in all my school's bands except for high school. I stopped taking lessons when I was a freshman because I was so focused on getting into BYU that I felt school was more important. But I never forgot how to play. I recently picked it back up again, but that's an entry for another time.

IN HER NATURAL STATE (Mementran films, original. Do not steal.)

FAMILY PIANO

The last still is of my family's piano, which has been there ever since I can remember. It was my first instrument I ever learned to play. I took lessons, but never did anything with it beyond that, but I do play and very well, might I add. Let me just tell you, that ALL ART IS SUBJECTIVE. Professor Romano (and many others) believe that photographing the light source of a photo is very bad for photography, but to me, I framed the piano this way just so you can exactly see the light source. It bothered him for some reason, but it didn't for me. So moral of the story is to continue doing what you love despite what people say about your passion. (Mementran films, original. Do not steal.)

Whatever you are into, make sure to stick with the basics of it first and never forget them. It' be helpful to you now and in the future. Good luck in whatever you are pursuing!

See you next time, bros.

Recommended movies of the week: 

The Pianist (2002) - Prepare for emotional feels and focus on the desperation of a man who only wants to do what he loves: playing the piano. It made me think of how valuable our passions our and sometimes they're so powerful that they move people. Not physically, though. That'd be kinda cool.

Memento (2000) - This film involves using a polaroid camera where Leonard uses polaroid photos to keep his life in order as he battles short term memory loss.

Hero (2002) - This is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. The choreography, cinematography, story and use of color is absolutely brilliant. There is a scene where two men fight in a chess court, which is my favorite because it consists of water, creating depth in movement where there may be none.