About a month ago, began asking folks for photographs of loved ones that are no longer with us.

"I have asked people to note me with pictures of people who will no longer be with us this Christmas. It is to be a (I hope) tasteful tribute to those we have lost. I would like to add a few words (about 25) to each shot if I can work out the logistics on my css. If I can't, then the shots will be presented as sympathetically as possible."

Please take the time to visit is journal [link] and consider contributing to this very special project to remember loved ones lost this holiday season.



So next week is the last of the semester, the 19th to be exact, and even though some of it has been difficult I've really enjoyed going back to school. I'm getting fair grades so far. Need to bring up my grade in my Photo History and Concepts class just a hair, but I'm still in the passing zone.

Next semester doesn't start until Feb 1st. It's a bummer actually because I'm really looking forward to my next set of classes; Photoshop for Photographers, Color Photography and Film: Post-1940. The film class is a liberal arts course, I have to have so many credit hours in LA for my degree. I had my choice of Color Photography or Visualization, but since I struggled with a visualization/communicating a concept assignment in two of my classes this semester, I decided to put the visualization course on the back burner until my 3rd semester.

Anyway, off to do my finals and work on my Artist's Statement that's due Monday. Plus I have about a dozen and a half photos due, hoping for a few more clouds tomorrow so I don't have a lot of blasted/blown-out images. Wish me luck.



I'm going to try to start keeping up with this weekly spotlight after the first of the year. I've been seriously neglecting it for far too long. But this "week", in honor of `photonig's Christmas project, he gets the spot light.

Considering doing a Christmas feature. So for any of you who read this, if you find a Christmas or winter themed photograph that really catches your eye and would like me to feature it, please drop me a note with the link or thumb and I'll make sure it gets in the feature.

I'm just about to enter my 8th week of classes. From what I can tell I'm doing pretty good, but there's still half a semester to go, so we'll see.

In starting this 8th week, my Photo History and Concepts professor has given us 8 topics from which we can choose one to do our term paper on. I'm kind of leaning towards the Postmodern photography topic. We have to create five of our own photos in a postmodern context and find five examples from other artists.

So, here's my question to all my photographer friends... where the HELL do I start?!?! He says we can either work in a series of related, cohesive photographs or make five very different types.

It's either this topic or "Choose a photographer and then make at least five images, borrowing on the style and/or ideas of that photographer." I just don't know which photographer, I've studied about these last seven weeks, to choose from.

I'm waffling like Brett Favre between these two subjects.

Decisions, decisions.....



Not sure how many of my watchers know of , but recently he had a "senior moment" when he decided it was a good idea to chuck his camera and other odds and ends into a lake (No, not literally...it was a just an accident):



( List provided by =damien-c )

Well, it seems that and have started a chip-in fund to help get the "old lady" (Hey, those are Nigel's words not mine) back on his feet and gracing us with his amazing photographs.

If you know of Mike Shaw AKA and would like to contribute to helping get him shooting again, just follow this link - [link]

Right now the fund has $748.25 USD which makes them about 62% of the way to their target of $1,200.

I know times are tough all around, but if this community is anything they're a giving lot and care about their fellow artists.

If you can chip-in, please do. If all you can do is spread the word with a journal entry, then you can do that too.



I figured I would take this opportunity to tie in the spotlight with the above journal. As such, I will be featuring 5 images from the artists mentioned above...damn it's going to be difficult picking just 5 pieces.

Not sure how many of my watchers know of , but recently he had a "senior moment" when he decided it was a good idea to chuck his camera and other odds and ends into a lake (No, not literally...it was a just an accident):



( List provided by =damien-c )

Well, it seems that and have started a chip-in fund to help get the "old lady" (Hey, those are Nigel's words not mine) back on his feet and gracing us with his amazing photographs.

If you know of Mike Shaw AKA and would like to contribute to helping get him shooting again, just follow this link - [link]

Right now the fund has $643.25 USD which makes them about 53% of the way to their target of $1,200.

I know times are tough all around, but if this community is anything they're a giving lot and care about their fellow artists.

If you can chip-in, please do. If all you can do is spread the word with a journal entry, then you can do that too.



I figured I would take this opportunity to tie in the spotlight with the above journal. As such, I will be featuring 5 images from the artists mentioned above...damn it's going to be difficult picking just 5 pieces.

So I'm on my way home from Forest Park after taking pictures for one of my classes. I pulled up to a stop light and happened to look over at one of the buildings of Washington University. It was in interesting shot that I thought might work for the assignment so I grabbed my camera from the seat next to me and took the shot.

Then I hear, "Hey, are you a professional photographer?"

I look over and there's a woman in her 20s in a mini-van.

I tell her that I'm not, but that I'm going to school to become a pro. She asks me for my number just as the light turns green. So were side-by-side going down Forest Park Parkway, I'm yelling my name and phone number to her through our open windows. She falls behind for a minute, when she catches up she says "I have a band and we need someone to take pictures if you're interested." So I tell her to call me.

Why does crazy shit like this happen to me? We'll see if she calls and where it goes from there. Hell, I'm not even sure what I would charge...anyone have suggestions?

I bet I catch a little hell from =evile33 after her latest rant journal.




On Hiatus

I get a Yahoo! Groups digest for Adobe Photoshop Techniques. Usually it's just random questions or some little tip or trick...but I just got one tonight that set me off when I read the title of the post:

"how to remove a watermark tutorial"

It has a video attached and a link to this jackasses blog.

Here was my reply to this idiot:

"Why would you even show someone how to do this?!?! Like you said, watermarks are put on images for a reason.

This message should be deleted and never brought up again. People like you that show others how to do this are who myself and artist I know are fighting an uphill battle against.

We're trying to protect our work from being stolen and used for someone else's personal gain. I can't tell you how many of my friends on DeviantART have found their art posted on eBay by some loser trying to make a buck off something they didn't work hard to create."

He even says in his little post:

But remember there is a reason way a picture has watermark, it means its copywrited, be becareful to use this tool.

Then why post the damn thing in the first place if you KNOW it's wrong to do it. How stupid can you fucking be?!?!?!

Now, I'm not going to tell you to go bombard his blog [link] with hate posts. But if you'd like to go there and politely give him your opinion about him making a video telling people how to steal others hard work, I can't stop you.




On Hiatus