The Wanderer

Last year in May (2013 if you forget what year it was), my Photography 101 class was taking its toll on me. This was because I had four other classes, taking 17 units and it was my last semester so I had to make it count. Photography takes up a lot of your time if you're working with film. It's not just doing the photoshoot that kills you, it's finding the time to process everything (physically processing), then transitioning the film to a print in the Dark Room, buying the right supplies and making sure that you do it all right or else you're pretty much screwed.



 Leonard: What would you be if you were attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis? Sheldon: Screwed.

But don't let this discourage you from doing film photography. It's one of the best experiences. It gave me plenty of opportunities to listen to albums I didn't have time to listen to. It gave me space to think about the stories I was writing at the time. I had TIME to just think. It's a beautiful to be standing there shaking a can (in a certain way, mind you) while listening to old school Demon Days (It's by the Gorillaz, you uncultured swine) and to eventually slide into Absolution (Muse). Even more beeautiful when your film or print turns out like you wanted it to. More often then not, I had stunning prints. I still have them!

One assignment was to photograph people. Outside and inside. I planned three different photoshoots, all happened within one or two weeks.

I'm friends with a lot of actors (I don't like the word actress probably the same reason I wouldn't call a female reporter a reportress), photographers and talented artists, so it wasn't hard to find people. When your passion reigns over your time, you find that you're a magnet for its friends.

My first shoot was with one of my best friends, Jenny Cook-Arias. She's one of the biggest nerds in the universe and the universe next to us. Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, she loves them all. But you wouldn't expect her to have such a unique and beautiful style in her every day attire. She's gorgeous and I decided to just grab an old suitcase from my high school drama teacher and we were set.

THE WANDERER (Mementran original - do not steal)

Since I was new at film photography, I had no idea how to tell models how to be. But I figured it out. To get natural photos, you must have your models be natural. Don't tell them to be sad. Don't tell them "I want you to be angry".
That's not good direction.

You have to have some sort of theme in your photoshoots. To me, I have better direction for ME and if you're solid with what YOU want, then you will do fine.

Tell your model something like this "I'm thinking the girl is just happy being wherever the wind takes her." You could even come up with a backstory if that helps (I always do).

And you can slyly do this...but it's hard: talk to your model and have them talk back to you.

For this, I wanted the story to be about a girl who was just happy wherever she was. 'HAPPY' was the key word. So I talked to Jenny about Star Trek and all the things she loves, and of course, making her laugh. In this photo, I got her to laugh by telling her that I was gonna make her laugh.

It helps when your model is naturally in tuned with the photoshoot, that they WANT to be there. If you're fighting with them on doing the shoot or not, then chances are, they're too busy but don't want to let you down or they don't want to.

WHEREVER IT TAKES ME (Mementran original - do not steal)

She was and is absolutely gorgeous.
When you capture a genuine emotion, it kinda stirs your heart a little. I'm glad I had the opportunity to shoot this wonderful person.

Recommended movies of the week:
Waiting for Forever (2010): A heartwarming story of two childhood friends. The guy was always in love with the girl, even while traveling around the world as a bum, he returns, only to win her heart. It has that indie feel to it that I love.
Silver Linings Playbook (2012): This is one of the most brilliant films I have ever seen. It's very awkward but remember that people are awkward. It's all about letting go of circumstances you can't control and learning to be happy.