With that out of the way, I would like to express my concern for Flickr’s Explore feature. I’m an amateur photographer and cinematographer with great intent on becoming professional. I refer to Flickr and other sites to illuminate ideas for my own work, yet I’ve found that as their tenure for online portfolio showcasing increases, the creativity becomes commonplace. The term original becomes a bastard in a pool of stock memory on celluloid and disk. When I click on the Last 7 Days Interesting, there is an overwhelming amount of images that I don’t necessarily identify with. Of course, there is no problem with that, but I still wonder what justifies such images to be chosen as Explored, or Interesting. Let me elaborate. Last 7 Days Interesting page comes as a random reload page of 9 images at a time. At any given “reload” one will most definitely find the following in proper ratio: 1/9 flowers and puppies, 1/9 random still life, 2/3 self-portraits of teenage girls, and sadly, 1/9 actually interesting and well composed images (maybe after a few clicks). That specific 2/3 group I unveiled is what I think hurts me most these days. They have so much talent, yet their drive is dragging at the ankles.

Now before, the argument starts, I must confess. My photostream is also repetitive, slightly unoriginal, and lacking the depth that a true “portfolio” expects. So, I’ll take the position of: I am one of them, therefore I can speak for the sake of enlightenment for all. Perhaps I have become a product of the dull images I stumble upon each day. The teenagers and twentysomethings that take square-cropped and photoshopped portraits of themselves in fields and forests with nice cameras and remotes. The even more bitter portion of the platter I’m dishing out is the fact that most of these many young photographers have the gift of taking great pictures, yet they just keep doing the same self-portraits, hanging their heads down low and writing some over-dramatic poem that demands the reader to click on a link to their Tumblr or song of the day. Try something new. I know you have it in you. I know you have friends who can model for you. I know you have more interesting clothing and accessories to include in your shots. I know you have more than one background to feed from for each after school shoot. I know this, because I tell myself these things every day when I pick up my camera. Together, we can make that “reload” button actually exciting again. Well, I have to get on Explore first, but someday. What’s right around the corner? Something fresh! Interesting! Artistic! Original! Personal!

I’m not attempting to be callous or impertinent. I just want to see the creativity expand, develop, and soar to the highest reaches of one’s ability. I want to be wowed by Flickr’s Explore again. And so I say once more, Flickr is a place for everyone…But, Explore should be reserved for those artists that produce gorgeous and meaningful images that are worthy of heavy public rotation. Spin it like I’m the coach’s pep-talk at halftime when the team is losing the championship. Let’s see more, because I know there is more. Don’t just snap the same shot (which was great the first couple times) and sit back to watch yourself get clicks and ho hum hoorays by fans. Tell me a story. Tell it well.

You first, though.

The beautiful lady and I have taken a grand nest in the Silverlake hillside.

It’s a spanish hut with white walls and wood floors. Birds live here.

The walks are on a slope and the sun can touch the ground in some places. The trees do in most others.

I’ve been shuffling between hard and soft images a lot lately.

Opening the fridge, I can find an equal share of celluloid and fresh greens.

This hill is a new canvas. Every walk is a new picture…painting…thought…expression.

Building shoe racks and buying time.

Strange dreams are comfortable, but only when lucid.

I’ll be on the resting drive.

*

Would you like to see?

Ahhhh,

My friends. How it’s been so long. If you have followed my photostream at all, you probably noticed that I was posting like a mad-man, but then suddenly stopped a few months back. So what happened?

My primary digital camera was stolen. Home robbery. It was tragic, and many things were lost.

So after a while of sulking and insurance claim failures, I decided to whip out the Nikon n8008 35mm SLR camera that my father gave me. Film has always been my favorite looking medium for photography, but I never had proper training for using it and it seemed so far away from me.

Well, I taught myself how to pull it into gear and here is my first test roll! I will be posting finished images as the days progress, but here’s the neg sheet…

Give it a week or two, and I shall have my new digital and I will be back in full daily action, but after this round of 35mm shooting, I think it’s safe to say I’ll be shooting both formats frequently from now on. Easy peasy.

I’ve added a lot of very talented contacts over the months of photo-purgatory and I hope that they will add me after posting some new shots!

peace.

“We want to let  faces speak.”

Facity is a photo/art project in Berlin by Hannes Caspar and Alexis Vabre.

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Posted in art, photography Tagged: art, berlin, faces, facity, flickr, people, photography ]]> http://peaceinvisible.com/2009/08/25/facity/feed/ 0 peaceinvisible http://peaceinvisible.com/2009/08/03/allyson-kalie-on-flickr/ http://peaceinvisible.com/2009/08/03/allyson-kalie-on-flickr/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:05:12 +0000 peaceinvisible http://peaceinvisible.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/allyson-kalie-on-flickr/ ]]>

Name: Kalie Garrett

Age: 18

Occupation: One of Flickr’s top young photographers

Style: Self Portraits

I’ve been heavily influenced by Kalie’s work lately. She has a lot to say about life (though too emo at times) and her work stands right next to it.

Check out her photostream

Check out her blog

It was in my head for eons.

And now I’ve been told via one moccasin telegraph.

I’ve been told that I am no longer here, nor there.

I feel terrible for leaving you in the dust.

6 posts in 3 months? Shame.

I know it is too much to say that I am simply back. I must earn it. I must get you back. One post at a time.

How are you?

I have so much to say. Maybe it was a break well deserved for reasons of gathering thoughts, images, information, etc.

Here’s my rundown for the Summer

1. Had more surgery. All better now.

2. Got the bike in full force. Riding plenty.

3. Going broke. Enough is enough.

4. Finding that photography is becoming a part of my life, more so than cinematography lately.

5. Cleaned up my flickr

6. Still lovin’ the one I’m lovin’. It’s a wonderful thing to be given.

7. My ear feels funny.

8. I miss you.

9. My hair’s getting long.

10. I’m increasing social experiments.

Here comes a new wave of posting. Don’t let me let you down.

-peace

The Double L bar is definitely a place to visit. Cheap booze and funny people. The locals were so inviting for how freakish we were. Those city-folk. One special feller wanted my splatter jam pants right off my back for $10. The owners are lurchy people with kind hearts. They respected my taste for drinking scotch neat, while the other city-folk stuck with vodkas and beer. We brought the music with Devastating Karate.

Lone pine consists of a main street that holds about 30 shops and restaurants. They love fishing gear and Minnetonka Moccasins. There is a film commission and museum located on the main street. There have been hundreds of films made in Lone Pine, from wild western classics to Iron Man. There is no Starbucks here. A blessing for the conservation of pure Americana.

Don’t ever go to the High Sierra Cafe. It’s the most disgusting thing ever. Moldy toast (I found out a few bites too late), dirty silverware, and undercooked food (my eggs were sent back and came back with burnt edges and unsafely runny insides).

I’d suggest going to the Alabama Hard Rock Cafe. One of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had away from home.

We stayed at the Mt. Whitney Motel. Owned and operated by a sweet family from India. $49 per night with maid and room service. The bed was stiff as a board and the shower was a little quirky, but all and all for the price…good stuff.

The mountains and desert flats around the area are some of the most beautiful sights I’ve yet to see in California. Going in the winter is perfect because there is enough snow to make your teeth chatter and your eyes glisten, yet not enough to make the fingers and toes sting against the cracked concrete trails.

Lone Pine…I’ll see you again.

So many thoughts on so many things and I’m hiccuping inside my eye sockets

Writer’s block, lover’s block, home songs and still clocks…tick/tock

Lingering pedestals and empty pews are aligned in my veins

Old words feeding on my capilaries

I’m collecting secrets to put under the lake-bed rocks that align the front of my home. some hold keys, others hold locks.

Decode these braille dots but don’t mind the mess

Think like a child and paint the rest with your fingers

A mess only for those that are too old to understand how clean it really is

All the lord’s work they take in stride.

I tried to show you images.

Images of people we’ve never met.

People that play passenger to their lives inside celluloid strips of history, love, virtue, and all that children turn to when Summer dies on Autumn’s doorstep.

Alas, they wouldn’t let me. They wouldn’t let me dash across their indexes. They wouldn’t let me cut out strips from their scrap books for my own.

Color me black and white. Dear lord. My, my.

Flickr is unresponsive to my requests to give you more…

…soon enough, for our unknown relentless eyes.