Ghostified

So, for one of my 30-Day, month of January photo challenges, I was supposed to do a "faceless self portrait." I went on a multiple hour photo spree that evolved from things replacing my face, to me using a ND filter to long-exposure blur my face, to using that, plus light manipulation, to create multiple me's. I have also been noticing that I have developed a very grungy style when I use my make-shift studio equipment. Im fond of it for the most part. I think its because I am still transitioning between Lightroom 3 to Lightroom 4, plus Im using VSCO here and there. Needless to say, I had a blast, and here are my favorites from my photo escapade.

 

Polaroid Virgin

This weekend, I was graced with an extra day. An extra day for photography, no less. I decided, with the incredible change in weather we had, it would be a perfect weekend to start dabbling in instant photography. I wanted to know what I was getting in to and just get my feet wet a little bit. I had no idea what to expect especially because of the spontaneity of Impossible Project film. Saturday, I shot a pack of PX 70 Color Shield film (One frame was from New Years, though) on a Polaroid OneStep Sonar. I walked around my neighborhood and spent some time around my house. About half of the shots turned out pretty well. On Sunday I shot a pack of PX 100 Silver Shade COOL film in a Polaroid "The Button" Land Camera. I "instantly" fell head over heels in love with the black and white film. It had a dreamy ghosty, yet clear effect. I am still messing around with the exposure and light conditions and dont exactly know what Im doing. Im just doing what feels right to me as a photographer, just with totally new tools. Nevertheless, here are the products of my totally zen weekend:

This is my favorite shot of the whole bunch. The patio and street is never this empty, and the lighting was speckled and super cool. It was meant to be. It has such a magical quality.

Sushi downtown Mountain View

It was getting dark, and then I dropped the frame as I was trying to seamlessly trying to put it in my sketchbook for it to properly develop. Either way, its abstract and cool.

My first exposure of the B&W film. Classic plaque with a vintage look.

This was me experimenting with how it would be shooting in very low light. This was "supposed" a tree with lights on it in the dark. Didnt turn out as expected.

This exposure, I also dropped on the ground...

This is another great ghostly building shot.

So, this was my first actual attempt with the color film. I was trying to shoot something cooking in the oven. Sadly, the 450 degree heat messed with the exposure and left it distorted. 

This was a perfectly planned shot, but it was too close for the focus, and it was a bit off. So, it was a dud.

This was a really weird self portrait that I took, and I was ironically stunned by sunlight just as the photo was taken. I look like a complete tool, but somehow, I kind of like it.

Another dud. The cassette-tape scarf and the vinyl wall clock were supposed to juxtapose each other, but it didnt work out...

This is one of my favorites from my color pack. We have some pretty funky awesome houses in our neighborhood. Great shapes :)

This a tree in our backyard. I like how the sunlight highlights everything.

This photo I also love. I feel like it should be on the cover of an Italian cooking magazine. Wine, lemons, a knife with a washed out warm hue. This is definitely another favorite.

This photo is another favorite from my black and white pack. Its of my favorite coffee place building in Mountain View over on Castro, Red Rock. The way this photo came out reminds me of an old WWII photo of war-time buildings in Poland or something. Dreamy.

THE first photo I took. It was taken exactly on New Years. Memories.

I really enjoyed doing this. The wait of a developing Polaroid is THE best feeling in the world (Exaggerated). Sadly, these two packs of film cost me 50 bucks, so Ill have to dabble sparingly in the art of Polaroid. Either way, this was a fantastic weekend with my new cameras. 

There is another post to follow shortly.

Parisa

Test Dummy

I live in a little sunny town, in a little blue house, in a little messy room. In this messy little room is a messy little Parisa who loves photography, portraiture to be precise. That messy little room is where most of the magic happens. Granted, it is no studio, by far, but I make it work. I have light stands, umbrellas, a tripod, and my camera with a handy-dandy Speed-light. Sadly, I dont have models on demand, just hanging around in my room, however lovely and pleasant that may sound. So, in lieu of this recession of models lounging in my abode, I take it upon myself to test creative ideas, lighting, equipment, etc. I am my own test dummy to say the least. This can be a difficult task due to the fact that a human arm is only so long or that getting the focus adjusted correctly before setting the shutter timer is a pain, and not always accurate. I wish I had a helper monkey that could be behind the camera (If only my cat, Shakespeare could be of use in that area). Despite these difficulties, I manage to get a few good shots every once in a while. In the past year, here are some of my favorites: