Tag Archives: seattle

with photography

for the past few months, i havent been able to capture anything significant or worthwhile

its always been like this for me, there will be a few weeks or months of pure energy, passion, and dedication

and then it dries up

like a rasin in the sun

i dont have any desire to take photos

and i lose it..or most of it anyways

ive always been a firm follower of technique and high-techniques

this goes for everything, im obsessive with being structurally adaquet and foundationally secure

i guess there are certain fears that restrain me from not worrying about it

but ive never minded that

until i felt like i had not much more to go

NOW! this is not a sign of ignorance or extreme confidence (cockiness)

it is a sign of worry..worry of plateuing

or even worse, a declination of skill

that fucking bothers me (some times to depression..i know, hella sad.)

but it happens

i forget how to draw or take photographs

not necessarily forget, but will undermine what ive learned

when i believe that my subconscious will be able to deal with the rest if my hands are unconsciously moving

and part of that is true for most of art making when youre “in the mode”

and this is where the best products usually comes from

a spontaneity in the course of your work

but there is also a level of awareness you must have in order to continue your pursuit

as artists, you must be aware..photographers especially

and an open receptivity to your surroundings that essentially “free” us from our binding presets

not aiming for a certain response or ambiguity

neither blocking or absorbing our environment, but simply responding to it

this is my personal cure to artists-block

(or photographers-block..i dont consider myself an artist yet..read the title, ARTIST IN TRANSITION ^_^)

i take my camera outside, without any preset, pre-imagined, pre-anything photograph in mind

simply outside interacting and responding to the environment through the viewfinder

and ive been getting some great photographs doing this

regretfully, when i do have a preset image, i rarely am able to capture it

unless all conditions are in my  favor (light, texture, figure, emotion, camera model*, lens, etc)

that wont be happening anytime soon :(

here are some images from today that i took with an open and clear mind

(i realize there is no solidified way in actually achieving an open mind or any of this, we are all individuals who prefer different methods)

but this works best for me

there is no real conceptual connection between these images (yet? (;)

contextually, they are all black and white and geographically identical in locale

final project 1

final project 1

final project 2

final project 2

final project 3

final project 3

final project 4

final project 4

final project 5

final project 5

final project 6

final project 6

final project 7

final project 7

***these photographs will be used in my foundations class freshman final project at cornish along with others, finished product will be done in 4 weeks along with artist statement***

**also, i never undermine actual technique, so as much as i like to say i have to be aware and receptive to spontaneity…i am also hoping for constant control of my technical skills**

spring is here! or is it? seattle always does this..but the forecast shows that it will be sunny all week

SEATTLE VS FORECAST

will the returning champ be able to outwit the forecast yet again?

im not sure

i dont feel like writing much either..

here are pics from today! (4/5/09)

(emphasis on spring time and cherry blossoms..last year, they bloomed too early and died from the funky winter)

cherry blossoms

cherry blossoms

danny woo community garden

danny woo community garden

danny  woo community garden

danny woo community garden

danny woo community garden

danny woo community garden

danny woo community garden

danny woo community garden

chinatown bulletin board

chinatown bulletin board

chinatown recycles

chinatown recycles

chinatown

chinatown

chinatown

chinatown

officially titled sakura hadouken

officially titled "sakura hadouken"

but  i got around something that i shouldve been doing years ago yesterday

I always went to bookstores to read while i was in the book store
because im cheap and not at all interested in reading at home

but due to extreme boredom
i bought three books yesterday

1) tao of photography
2) how to be a gentleman
3) art and artifice: japanese photographs of the meiji era

they arent considered the hardest or most intellectual read

but its a start right? :)

it feels like its going to develop into a good habit this summer

im even thinking about buying a book case

i also got the chance to meet mark dacascos and photograph him for an interview with the international examiner (or asian weekly?)

the current host and chairman of Iron Chef America and one of the best martial artist actors along with Jet Li (go ahead, type his name into youtube)

mark played in “Double Dragon”, “Legend of Bruce Lee”, “Only the Strong”,  “Cradle to the Grave”, and hella more

having the opportunity to meet and photograph him is still settling in

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

mark dacascos

from posting photos

i should get to it!

here are some photos from the past month (of which ive forgotten to update during that time)

allentown

allentown

allentown

allentown

i-5

i-5

these hands

chinatown

chinatown

chrep moang and her fiance

tsb!

tsb!

jensen

jensen

jensen

jensen

amos

amos

color theory

color theory

color theory

color theory

color theory

color theory

ive been a long time advocate and ambassador for the service board

i first became involved back in 2007 through application as a prophet

when i noticed their booth in my high school cafeteria, aside from the snowboard video they had playing

they showed off their filthy t-shirts designed by pars kid (local artist)

TSBIZZY logo by PARSKID

TSBIZZY logo by PARSKID

http://www.parskid.com/

which caught my attention (ahem) so i came up and asked, “how do i get my hands on one of these filthy t shirts???”

person: just sign up!

little did i know then, it became an experience that i would cherish heavily til this day, im not sure where i would be without them… and i didnt recieve the t shirt til about 3/4 way into the 6-month long program

“In 1994, a young snowboarder named Jay Bateman was killed in a tragic, drug-related murder. Community members saw this tragic event as a call to action: no longer could we sit by while kids grew up absorbing only the messages of consumption and competition. A group of local activists decided to create a program where young people could come together to laugh, dream, think, and explore the true meaning of community: The Service Board was born. Hard work paid off, and in January of 1995 we opened our doors to high-school students from across Seattle. Since our inaugural class, the number of teenage participants, adult mentors and small business sponsors has grown each year. In fact, growing demand for tSB from students, parents, and schools led us to launch a pilot program based in the neighborhood of White Center in January 2005, serving an area that is among the most culturally diverse in the region, with one of the highest per capita populations of young people.

The Service Board provides Seattle area high school-age youth with life-changing experiences that build self-knowledge, skills, courage, and determination. TSB models the power of a supportive intergenerational culture and serves youth in need of its caring community.

The Service Board instills in high school-age youth a deep sense of life purpose based on an ethic of public service and a conviction in their abilities to shape the future.”

http://www.theserviceboard.org/

this past sunday, i had the chance to go up and photograph the new youths second day on the slopes at snoqualmie

i wanted to focus on the learning process, the beautiful day, and the friendships

since they were all mostly beginners, i chose not to focus on the actual riding

although by the end of this season, im sure theyll all be shredding maximumly..

i couldnt make it to all of the other tsb groups so i stuck with a few

and ditched the camera after lunch to ride along

i love snowboarding

and im becoming quite the teacher at it too

8)

jay seo

jay seo

tsb lunch

tsb lunch

matt

matt

adam

adam

molly and lulu

molly and lulu

adam teaching

adam teaching

tsbizzy

tsbizzy

tsbizzy

tsbizzy

more at my flickr:


www.flickr.com/canhsolo

im staying home this year, although i could be out partying…im behind on getting my website up

looks like ive failed ><

its been a good year, though i shouldnt go into details..my new years resolution is to make double my “income” through photography

if i can do that, ill never work a 9-5! screw you working class!

although digging through my old photos hidden in my external hard drive, i found some buried treasure

Bokeh Painting of Barack Obama

Bokeh Painting of Barack Obama

looking back at 2006 when i started photography, i thought i was filthy at it but i sucked majorly

2 years down..i think i’m still filthy at it

i hope 2 years down the road, ill be able to say i sucked majorly now ^____^

back to my website! website up before school starts in a week! you can do it!!!

Chinatown

Chinatown

new lens!?!?! how??? a new style of photos im taking

I love this place

it’s the first place i go to if i know im not doing anything, a thing ive been doing since the 7th grade..

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

After 8pm, $2.49 Sushi!

After 8pm, $2.49 Sushi!

Glowing Buddha

Glowing Buddha

Waji

Waji

Ichi the Killer

Ichi the Killer

Joy to the World

Joy to the World

Chinatown

Chinatown

The Purple Man

The Purple Man

Chinatown

Chinatown

What happens when Garbage trucks cant make it down King

What happens when Garbage trucks cant make it down King

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Ohh man!! I havent seen snow like this in Seattle for about ten years! So you know I had to take it as a golden oppurtunity to do some urban snowboarding on Beacon Hill with Jelani..Drove up to Mclellan and ran into some friends who were already a step ahead of us along with the rest of the neighborhood. Gotta love the south end for that! People brought out their inner tubes, stole garbage can lids, and ripped up real estate signs to get their sled on

I cant believe how many people are dumb enough to be driving too! i mean when else are you really going to call in for a snow day? shit…

after that, met up with the homies on Graham and had a snowball fight for like three hours, then people had to get there daily dose of church..thats when me and conrado decided to cut out

i was stranded!!!! man jelani left me on graham and i thought someone else had driven their car to graham but everybody walked! wtf!!!! so we started walking back to conrados crib..which is like 2.5 miles away

yeah thats not so bad but its hella far in snowboard boots!! and hella bus’s were crapped out on the road, like 5 on the walk back..looked like a scene from I Am Legend or something

cut down columbia street and decided to get some pho (energy booster)

i hate pho (and im vietnamese)

finally got to conrados, watched some tv, drank some heineken, and ate some pancit!! (never too full for filipino food)

woke up..ate some more pancit and then headed out on our quest to salvation

waited at the bus stop on ranier, two bus’s passed because they were full, then finally got on the third bus, got off jackson and departed

ive been trying to get my ninja with taking purely candid photos of strangers, although i do try to balance what is moral and immoral about it..at the end of the day, im taking a picture they never knew had existed and most likely will never see..and hopefully when they do, theyll call me and hire me for a job

then kicked it solo in chinatown and finally caught the 150 back to my lair

i wish i had more interesting stuff to say but im just trying to enjoy the snow as much as possible right now

my hands were freezing their hairs off taking flicks so i stopped with that although im trying to take some more shots to mess with on photoshop over break

hope you’re enjoying the snow as much as i am

Metro Bus

Metro Bus

Metro Bus

Metro Bus

Following People

Following People

Following People

Following People

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

Ranier

Ranier

Conrado

Conrado

Snow Girl

Snow Girl

Guy

Guy

Ranier

Ranier

Ranier

Ranier

Happiness

Happiness

Fergison

Fergison

Pho!!

Pho!!

Ranier

Ranier

Metro

Metro

ive also gotten more into these motion pics

Trees

Trees

More at: www.flickr.com/canhsolo

ive been at home all weekend catching up on naruto..i finally finished today :|

ive been playing alot of video games too

it seems like whenever im on a break, i take it as a full on opportunity to transform into an anime-watching, korean music listening, video game playing, top ramen fiending bum..aka me in middle school ): (i need to change this now!!!)

but i wasnt totally lazy today

i went for a walk out in the snow (what was left) with my camera hoping to find the allentown sasquatch that had been spotted earlier this week

but i was left with these black and white photos of what i like to take pictures of on my spare time (mailboxes, fences, and roads..im hoping to start a magazine called  “mailboxes, fences, and roads” one day)

Snow

Snow

snow

Snow

Snow

Snow

Snow

Snow

Snow

Snow

Snow

Snow

and yes for being super asian!!

SUPERAZN

SUPERAZN

SUPERAZN

SUPERAZN

Buddha just copped a Louis Vuitton polar bear fur coat with the matching beanie

and as always, check out all of the photos i took on my flickr site:

www.flickr.com/canhsolo

ps

www.canhsolo.com will be up and running before break ends! i promise!!