To Pluto....🚀🪐

Today is July 17, 2021 (PST) and what I am about to show you is confidential. Top secret type of stuff that only people with high clearance are allowed to see. I’m just kidding, This was a project that I shot back in April of 2019. This was the second time I made an effort to shoot since the passing of my older brother.

I always wanted to do a space theme photoshoot. In some ways, subconsciously, it’s a nod to my late brother who was always fascinated with space. I gathered all the pieces to make this photoshoot happen, the clothing, the fishbowl that I borrowed from a friend who is also an amazing photographer -by the way her IG handle is Kalie , and finally the awesome model Caity . And yes, that patch does say “Space Force” on there. At the time it was the talk of the media etc. so I thought why not just play on it and see if anyone actually noticed.

Though it’s not my intention to shoot during harsh light, it just happens that way, and I welcome it. It challenges me to find the right angle to photograph and keeps me thinking of how, where, and position of the model. Harsh light can be unforgiving if you aren’t aware of your environment and don’t have an understanding of lighting. I’m still learning to this day on new techniques and refining my craft.

Here are more images from this shoot to end this post for now. Be kind, Be Real, and most of all Be You.

The Vanity Love for Film

It’s been a long time coming, after many days spent watching vlogs on Youtube of other photographers photographing people and places with an “ancient” medium, called film. I haven’t shot with film since my college days and even then I was not very good at it nor really understood it since my attention had to be spent the majority of time in my need-to-pass to graduate, Printmaking class.

I’ve been photographing with digital for so long that I never once stopped to think to slow down while shooting. Instead, like many people with a digital camera, it’s the spray and prey mentality to an extent. I needed more meaning, a connection of min and body to the camera, kind of like when you’re driving a car or motorcycle and it’s all manual, just you and the vehicle. That’s where medium format came in, the Mamiya RB67 Pro SD. I wanted something with more details in the negatives than that of a negative on 35mm camera. I fell in love with this 1990s camera, built to last and mechanically should last for more decades to come. So my journey begins and I reached out to an actress to see if she would be interested in shooting with me and she politely obliged.

I have yet to develop the 120 rolls I shot (image of the actress in yellow) since I barely was able to get my hands on the Cinestill C-41 Liquid Chemicals and the Lab Box. I shot the discontinued Fujifilm 400h at box speed and I can only pray that I got the exposure right.

You might be asking yourself, “Why are those polaroids part of this blog post?” Well, to put it quite frankly, I shot them on the Mamiya RB67 PRO SD as well. Whether it was fate or not, I’d like to think it was meant to be, I was able to get my hands on the “Coyote Camera Work Filmback” for the RB67. These were made in Mexico by a team but unfortunately, it looks like they aren’t in business anymore. I was lucky enough grab one off Ebay for half of what it was initially selling for at the time they came out in 2019. There are other versions that will have a similar set-up that uses a custom made SQ6 back and are made in China, but those look like they are going for astronomical prices in my opinion. The quality of the instax square shots look really good since you have full control over the settings and it’s just not a point and shoot camera. But keep in mind, these instax squares polaroids love light, so make sure the scene is lit well. I’ll update this post once I develop the rolls I have and scan them myself. Until then, I bid ya’all a good-bye.