Everything I Build

I didn't actually build this. But the construction of things has always been a point of fascination.

And honestly sometimes you feel like everything you build is breaking down, it happens. The world moves and changes and some things get left behind. Sometimes it's by choice and sometimes it has to be, but you move forward and you grow and you change, and ultimately you are the better for it.

Extra

A while back I had the wonderful opportunity to work as an extra with Jeff Goldberg as he photographed the University of Colorado Health Sciences Library in Aurora, Colorado. As I mentioned previously it was a wonderful opportunity to see how to work with models/extras in terms of directing and ultimately using them to make a great shot even better. Well, I am happy to announce that now you can locate my now oversized cranium on the web! I honestly don’t know who long these have been online, I pretty much forgot about them, so there you go. Jeff has done an amazing job capturing the identity of the space I can’t say I am surprised. His portfolio showcases his prowess and working with him just showcased his passion and professionalism. Be sure to check out his work.

I Found This.

I found this. I actually hadn't realized I lost it. We all know that architecture and I don't necessarily mix well, but I am constantly fascinated by the construction of said architecture. Just think about how much is built just to be able to build a building. Boggles the mind, don't it? Additionally, turns out this was taken just on a day out, before I even began the day out shooting. Nice.

Apparently I have vision

If you’ll recall, I’m not a big fan of taking architectural photos. Turns out I’m rather impatient, which doesn’t explain at all how I can work on pretty much all of the toy shots. It’s weird. Anyhow, I was asked to take a look at Denver and see what I see. Well, even after explaining that I’m not an architectural photographer, it was settled upon that it didn’t matter. I was being given this task because “they” had faith in my skills as a photographer and they knew I had my own vision and that’s what they were looking for. Kinda humbling, as well as kinda scary. Still, I trekked out and these are some of the initial shots. I was pretty lucky that morning that there was a parade on its way: it meant I could lay in the street with less fear of being run over or arrested. You'll notice that there is only one in color. There is a very simple reason for that. I like it. We are rapidly approaching Holga season and I wasn't expecting a great amount of color, but as I did the post processing on this one, it simple worked.

Sitting Around is Work

Over the past few days I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Jeff Goldberg, of Esto on architectural shots of the University of Colorado at Denver’s new-ish Medical Library. I wasn’t assisting, but was actually an extra in order to give the shots more of a feeling of use than space. I, along with several others, sat around, walked up and down stairs, and “pinballed” around the lobby in order to make the library look busier than usual.

Now, I am not really a fan of architectural photography (or at least the process. The outcome however, I find amazing), mostly because I can be rather impatient and waiting for the sun to move to the right spot or a cloud to get out of the way, would essentially drive me crazy (which I have heard is in walking distance of where I am now). As I was saying, I am not a fan, but because of the conditions that those photographers have to deal with, I highly respect them and what they are capable of. The really good ones do absolutely fabulous work, taking these spaces and literally giving them a life of their own.

Anyway, it was interesting talking with Jeff about his background and experiences as a photographer as well as how his workflow normally goes. Such as how extras were not originally planned for this shoot. Well, it turns out that the library is very spacious and finding people just hanging around the library is rather impossible, so extras were required. It was also very interesting in seeing how Jeff directed us as extras. One thing I saw him do, which I think works when working with any model, is setting a point of reference. Many times, Jeff would first have us look at the camera, then from that position, he would have us move, either towards or way or to “our left” or “our right.” I think learning how to direct people is one of the more difficult and subtler tasks that a photographer has to learn and it is a task that can’t easily be taught.

I was also glad to find out that the library had emergency plans in every room, from potential hazardous material spills to hostage situations. They are very prepared.

I’ll let you know when Jeff’s photos are online and you can look for the little blur that is me.

Also, if you get a moment, check out the work of Leo Derks. The guy is amazing.