Anatomy of a shot: Alien Abduction

I recently put together a fun shoot with some family. We went out to the desert and took some photos of us being abducted by aliens. It was pretty fun, and I thought it might be fun to break down how I did it.

First, here's an overview:

That pretty much sums it up. But as you can see, it was a pretty fun setup. i did discover that i needed at least two shots to make the foreground and background come out in one seamless photograph. So I had to do one with a model, +Sean Clark , frozen in air. And another exposed so that I could get the faint mountains in the background. As far as the initial lighting setup was concerned, it was pretty straightforward. lots of duct tape, improvisation, and the right tools. the flash itself had to be modified a bit as well:

As you can see, this is all pretty advanced stuff. (Har Har). Just some good ol' tape and tin foil. I did a lot of experimenting to find the correct shape for the pool of light. And then came the actual image production in Photoshop:

Looks easy, takes FOREVER. I wanted to give Sean a bit more height so I had to cut him out and place him where I wanted him. Then I had to make sure the images fit together. So there was just a little tinkering with the lighting on each layer. In the end a pretty fun image was produced:

Hope you enjoyed!

Abduction finals!

Well I finished this one a while ago, but here are the images! I've been a bit busy buying a new house quitting my job and beginning a career in photography so please excuse the lack of posting!

Abduction Project

So, while I'm still very active over at www.flashrecord.tumblr.com, I've started another project! I always have so many. Anyhow, this one is just a fun photo shoot about being puled up into a space ship old school style. These are some test shots for the official stuff which I'll be doing out in the desert somewhere. I played with some light in my living room to do these:

Outside

Outside
A Mural Print by Daniel James Clark

Through my artistic development, my work has drawn from a common theme: the blending of reality and fantasy. I’ve made the association between childhood fantasies, and the adult need for wonder, excitement, and adventure. My thesis is that as we age, our thirst for the magical, the fantastic, and the “otherworld” just out of sight does not diminish. As adults we still need to believe that anything is possible. I feel that the way we can satisfy this need is through exploration: going “outside”. Whether exploring takes us just outside our comfort zone, or thrusts us into something wholly immersive does not matter, so long as we are outside.

“Outside” examines that conclusion by drawing the character, and thereby the viewer to peer outside through the window into a universe of possibility. Printed as a 40x26 inch piece, “Outside” is intended to place the viewer in front of a scene they can immerse themselves in more effectively than a smaller print would allow.

Urban Decay

This series, titled "Urban Decay" draws from my stencil archive. This is the first black and white series I've done in quite a while. It also draws from more narrative than conceptual roots, which is almost an about face from my standard techniques.

Update on Projects (II)

Another brief update. Projects, many of them. More than I have time for and a growing list.

- Las Vegas Project (This semester?)
- Urban Decay (This semester)
- Mobius Tree Sculpture
- Re: All Things
- Consumer Carcass
- The kiss.
- "The stars fell like snowflakes from the sky and soon we made snowmen of stardust."
- Behind the Glass
- Party Perfect
- Unnamed Female Portrait Diptych:
|__ Bust shot of girl in front of a field of stars.
|__ Close up of lips exhaling a thin breath. Stars behind.
- Untitled History Project

Artwork in Strega

So I've finished an epic amount of work. At least it felt epic. The final project for photo is complete. Not only is it complete, but it's on display at Strega. Yep, that's right, I have an outside show. And it's not even only for the book. I have other art up as well. Lets have a look.

Update

I haven't updated for a while. And while I think I'll update this soon I don't think saying "I'll update this later today" is going to stick. I'm about to pass out because I haven't slept quite well for a very long time. In fact I didn't sleep at all last night. Still up. Anyhow. Photos. Pretty time. I hope they translate from browser to browser and screen to screen... The official link is here.

Commit to Memory: Introduction

I'm starting a personal project. I'll be revisiting memories that have impacted me during my stay here at the University of Nevada. Each post will talk about a different memory. I hope it will ease in the process of leaving this place.

See it here at:
www.commit-to-memory.blogspot.com

Was, is, will be.

They're strong. Words, that is. I've come so far. My words from the past have come back to... remind me.

I was talking to Deanna when my phone cut out. I was talking about my past. I'm really sad I can't talk to her right now. I tried to find another phone but I can't. It's times like these that I feel how far I am from her. I wanted to apologize for how blind I was. The whole time, during all of that turmoil in my life. She was there and I didn't even stop to look.

I used to do this a lot, I feel I was better off for it. I'd write and see what happened, you know.

In 2006 my art took a shift. I've been doing highly personal work that has been lost to most audiences since then. I think it may have culminated last semester in a journal I have yet to post here. I made the switch in 2006 away from political art. I think I'm ready to move outside of myself now. I think as a final step in my college career I need to do the last thing that scares me. I need to arrive.

I've put myself out there.

That says it well: I've shoved a "me" out there for people to view. But. I haven't been out there myself. I once told Deanna that I see my art as an extension of myself. I feel like I need to stand beside it. I think what I need to do is something that is, me. My class calls for me to pose a problem to myself. To attempt to overcome a challenge. I don't quite know what it is yet. But.

My challenge involves standing next to my work. It's large. It's immersive. And it's intimately connected to me, and as a strange turn of events, to the outside world.

My art WAS a reflection of the world.
My art IS a reflection of me.
My art WILL BE my reflection on the world.

I miss her so much.

Remnants: An Introduction

I've been asked to do a journal in my photography class. Since I already do a photo blog this seemed relatively easy. I'll expand the idea a bit later, but the journal is titled Remnants. In it there will be "entries" which are more like sections. The first one will be Remnants: Tracks about things i find left along railroad tracks. The idea of the whole project is to study what we leave behind. I'm starting with concrete objects but may delve into psychological remnants.

Photo J assignment

So I shot an an assignment for photojournalism basically just supposed to be high low and medium angles. And I included one random. Please enjoy.








And here's the random one I liked.