At some point in the next 23 hours, I will meet, interview and photograph my person of the day for Day 300. Cue the self-congratulatory pats on the back, e-celebrations and then my return to normal. (Or as close to it as I ever get.)
300 days. By the end of today I will have meet or gotten to know better, 300 people. Actually more than that. Because one day I met four people (only one interview was on the record but I spoke to four people). It’s not uncommon that I get to hear answers from not only my interviewee but their friends, family, dates, or random strangers within earshot. So I’ve met... a lot of people.
And now.. I’ve a little more than two months till the completion of the interview and photography portion of this project. Then of course there’s the huge task of typing all the interviews, uploading all the photos, all the post processing, e-mailing the people I’ve met with their copies of photos and organizing all of it in some presentable way. But for now- I shall celebrate how far this idea has come from the whim that I cemented into place with the creation of a logo, blog, business card and butterflies in my stomach last August. Thanks for being here for the ride!
Song(s) of the Week:
Sunshine Lady - Two Spot Gobi
(How far we've come - Matchbox Twenty ... more in regards to this post)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Observations - Living in Labels and 365 Faces of the Year
I’m working on two projects which are very different: 365 Faces of the Year and Living in Labels. One is a portrait project that seeks to compare first impressions with assumptions from a stranger and the other is a portrait project that seeks to compare first impressions when seen with assumptions from strangers. Wait...
365 Faces of the Year is a noteworthy project not due to the quality of the photographs or the answers received, but rather for the sheer number of photographs and answers. The similarities and differences, the unexpected answers and unusual perspectives... they all contribute to some greater whole that is hard to define (given that I’m not done, I don’t think I can or should try to define it now). But everyday is a new day, and it’s hard to push the envelope when everyday is a new quest.
Meanwhile while working on Living in Labels instead of starting on a fresh page everyday I come into the studio with a goal and go from there. Weeks before a shoot I start collecting the labels, organizing them, and when I go into the studio my model is ready to face how other’s perceive them while taking a portrait. There’s a lot of preparation involved in the shoot and rather than being a snapshot portrait, the photos are legitimate portraits.
Both of these projects look at what is and what appears to be within an individual. One asks others how they judge and then presents the individual with those judgements. The other asks individuals questions and presents them for judgement. The central theme of identity seems to be something I can’t get away from, especially given that it wasn’t something I consciously thought I should shape my major projects around.
Something I’ve noticed especially with Living in Labels is the difference between what people assume people think, and what people do think (or at least what thoughts they present). Despite the fact that people are given the chance to provide anonymous feedback, the amount of negative feedback has been almost non-existent. Although I received a some negative labels when I tested the project on myself, less than a dozen out of 150 labels I received were slanted in a negative manner. In fact for the latest model I had labeled nearly 50% of those who submitted labels said she was beautiful. My models were pleasantly surprised to discover that rather than being given offensive slurs, they found ego boosting compliments to their positive actions.
While doing 365 Faces of the Year the thing I’ve been most continually surprised by is how easy it is to meet someone. In line for coffee, in bookstores, at shows, through friends, at parks, on planes... it really doesn’t matter. I’ve been turned down for interviews by people who were busy or just not in a particularly talkative mood, but despite the fact that I’m 281 days in, I would say the TOTAL times people have rejected my requests for interviews would be less than 100. And that’s including a few bad days were I’d get turned down by 4 people in a row. Almost every person I’ve asked to be in the project seems interested and I hope (though I can’t speak for them), they enjoy themselves as much as I do. It truly amazes me how easy it is to meet people, and how after meeting someone once the doorway to a friendship is opened. The vast majority of people I’ve interviewed were total strangers when I began, but now when looking down the list I see more friends than strangers. Furthermore, appearances don’t seem to matter, approach and attitude is everything. When I started this project I had long curly hair and was much more “socially acceptable”in appearance. However now I’m sporting a mohawk, and despite the fact that some perceptions of me have changed, I noticed no difference in how people have responded to my project. Even if people make an initial judgement, this in no way seems to affect their willingness to change their minds.
I guess if there’s a point to this reflection it is to share my current optimism. In my experience with these projects, strangers are willing to give their time and aren’t as judging as society says they are. And the barriers between us and the people we encounter tend not to be due to a lack of interest in new relationships and friendships or due to judgements and prejudice, but rather because we’re too lazy to initiate them.
Song of the Week
Breathe of Life by Erasure
or Butterfly by Jason Mraz
365 Faces of the Year is a noteworthy project not due to the quality of the photographs or the answers received, but rather for the sheer number of photographs and answers. The similarities and differences, the unexpected answers and unusual perspectives... they all contribute to some greater whole that is hard to define (given that I’m not done, I don’t think I can or should try to define it now). But everyday is a new day, and it’s hard to push the envelope when everyday is a new quest.
Meanwhile while working on Living in Labels instead of starting on a fresh page everyday I come into the studio with a goal and go from there. Weeks before a shoot I start collecting the labels, organizing them, and when I go into the studio my model is ready to face how other’s perceive them while taking a portrait. There’s a lot of preparation involved in the shoot and rather than being a snapshot portrait, the photos are legitimate portraits.
Both of these projects look at what is and what appears to be within an individual. One asks others how they judge and then presents the individual with those judgements. The other asks individuals questions and presents them for judgement. The central theme of identity seems to be something I can’t get away from, especially given that it wasn’t something I consciously thought I should shape my major projects around.
Something I’ve noticed especially with Living in Labels is the difference between what people assume people think, and what people do think (or at least what thoughts they present). Despite the fact that people are given the chance to provide anonymous feedback, the amount of negative feedback has been almost non-existent. Although I received a some negative labels when I tested the project on myself, less than a dozen out of 150 labels I received were slanted in a negative manner. In fact for the latest model I had labeled nearly 50% of those who submitted labels said she was beautiful. My models were pleasantly surprised to discover that rather than being given offensive slurs, they found ego boosting compliments to their positive actions.
While doing 365 Faces of the Year the thing I’ve been most continually surprised by is how easy it is to meet someone. In line for coffee, in bookstores, at shows, through friends, at parks, on planes... it really doesn’t matter. I’ve been turned down for interviews by people who were busy or just not in a particularly talkative mood, but despite the fact that I’m 281 days in, I would say the TOTAL times people have rejected my requests for interviews would be less than 100. And that’s including a few bad days were I’d get turned down by 4 people in a row. Almost every person I’ve asked to be in the project seems interested and I hope (though I can’t speak for them), they enjoy themselves as much as I do. It truly amazes me how easy it is to meet people, and how after meeting someone once the doorway to a friendship is opened. The vast majority of people I’ve interviewed were total strangers when I began, but now when looking down the list I see more friends than strangers. Furthermore, appearances don’t seem to matter, approach and attitude is everything. When I started this project I had long curly hair and was much more “socially acceptable”in appearance. However now I’m sporting a mohawk, and despite the fact that some perceptions of me have changed, I noticed no difference in how people have responded to my project. Even if people make an initial judgement, this in no way seems to affect their willingness to change their minds.
I guess if there’s a point to this reflection it is to share my current optimism. In my experience with these projects, strangers are willing to give their time and aren’t as judging as society says they are. And the barriers between us and the people we encounter tend not to be due to a lack of interest in new relationships and friendships or due to judgements and prejudice, but rather because we’re too lazy to initiate them.
Song of the Week
Breathe of Life by Erasure
or Butterfly by Jason Mraz
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The adventure continues...
Over 248 days have passed.
And my backlog is still atrocious though I've not missed a day. And as of this weekend, I can call Edward Lucas of the Economist by the preferred nickname of Laser Brain.
And the number of CF cards in my pile to upload keeps increasing as every time I run out of memory while continuing to lack time, I buy another 4gb and keep shooting. As a result the photos seen on my other blog are almost entirely film as those aren't as effected by the backlog. Though my computer is running out of space, my shelf still has room- though lets be honest it also needs to be organized.
I just returned from the World Affairs Council conference at Asilomar and as a result I'm no longer preparing for it. Which means more time- and hopefully this will translate into greater productivity. We shall see though.
The joy of this project is even if there's a backlog here, so long as I'm actively meeting people and shooting photos during the daily interaction the spice is not lost on my side.
Thus as always the adventure continues...
Song(s) of the Week:
Coyotes by Jason Mraz
Make it Mine by Jason Mraz
(both of which have not been released yet but I've been listening to them on his myspace - and if you've got time I'd urge you to hear them too.)
And my backlog is still atrocious though I've not missed a day. And as of this weekend, I can call Edward Lucas of the Economist by the preferred nickname of Laser Brain.
And the number of CF cards in my pile to upload keeps increasing as every time I run out of memory while continuing to lack time, I buy another 4gb and keep shooting. As a result the photos seen on my other blog are almost entirely film as those aren't as effected by the backlog. Though my computer is running out of space, my shelf still has room- though lets be honest it also needs to be organized.
I just returned from the World Affairs Council conference at Asilomar and as a result I'm no longer preparing for it. Which means more time- and hopefully this will translate into greater productivity. We shall see though.
The joy of this project is even if there's a backlog here, so long as I'm actively meeting people and shooting photos during the daily interaction the spice is not lost on my side.
Thus as always the adventure continues...
Song(s) of the Week:
Coyotes by Jason Mraz
Make it Mine by Jason Mraz
(both of which have not been released yet but I've been listening to them on his myspace - and if you've got time I'd urge you to hear them too.)
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Following Your Advice
I was recently told:
"Worry is pain suffered for something which hasn't happened yet"
And on that note, I'm not going to worry about the lag. I'm going to continue to do things on a daily basis with meeting, interviewing and photographing people. That was the project statement and I've stuck with it. After all nighters, during finals week, when busy with work, when socially awkard... I’ve kept going with the daily commitment. And I don't want to ruin the results by rushing the post processing. Every time I stress about the backlog, and then try to do edits I find the results are atrocious, and I'd rather do it right. I feel like every person I’ve interviewed has trusted me to do my best, and to half ass a portrait is a disservice to them as well as myself. So I’m going to take the advice offered to me and not worry. The next month will be insanely busy as I’m going to do some traveling to figure out where I’ll be for the next two years while simultaneously taking a full course load, TAing a course, and working on a side project (which while it takes time away from this project, aids me in keeping myself visually aware so I don’t go into auto pilot). I will be trying to organize the files so when I have time to properly post I have everything laid out in order, but I’m not going to worry. Thanks for your patience.
Song of the Week:
I’m Yours - Jason Mraz
or
Childlike Wildlife - Jason Mraz
"Worry is pain suffered for something which hasn't happened yet"
And on that note, I'm not going to worry about the lag. I'm going to continue to do things on a daily basis with meeting, interviewing and photographing people. That was the project statement and I've stuck with it. After all nighters, during finals week, when busy with work, when socially awkard... I’ve kept going with the daily commitment. And I don't want to ruin the results by rushing the post processing. Every time I stress about the backlog, and then try to do edits I find the results are atrocious, and I'd rather do it right. I feel like every person I’ve interviewed has trusted me to do my best, and to half ass a portrait is a disservice to them as well as myself. So I’m going to take the advice offered to me and not worry. The next month will be insanely busy as I’m going to do some traveling to figure out where I’ll be for the next two years while simultaneously taking a full course load, TAing a course, and working on a side project (which while it takes time away from this project, aids me in keeping myself visually aware so I don’t go into auto pilot). I will be trying to organize the files so when I have time to properly post I have everything laid out in order, but I’m not going to worry. Thanks for your patience.
Song of the Week:
I’m Yours - Jason Mraz
or
Childlike Wildlife - Jason Mraz
Friday, April 4, 2008
The Backburner
The backburner is the name I have given the folder of photos that been uploaded to my computer but have yet to be color corrected, cropped, backed up in their edited form, uploaded to the web and posted on the blog. And it is huge folder... October 26th - December 15th and I’ve still got to add everything from mid-December til now. I spent most of yesterday organizing the interviews which had been sitting in my camera bag. Which although that sounds like very little, double checking the photos with the interviews to make sure I put the right names and faces in the correct order takes a fair bit of time. For every photo I’ve not uploaded that means figuring out which of 9 CF cards to look at, and where in that 14.5gb is the single image of the person I’m looking for. The logical solution would to be of course, upload the photos. However until I organize everything in the backburner, there is no space on my computer because I’ve acquired a sizable backlog. Somewhat of a catch 22 here: If I want to get ride of the huge back log I need to catch up on uploading. In order to have space to upload I need to be rid of the backlog. And in order to have enough free memory to run photoshop and do the postprocessing necessary to get through the backlog, I need space - which can only be found by getting rid of the backlog. So as it stands I have barely 1% free on my computer to process things, I have 9 CF cards waiting to be uploaded, I have 161 interviews to type and I still have limited free time. I beginning to think this project will not finish in the 365 days, but rather that plus a few weeks to sort through all the files. Anyways, I just wanted to inform you all that I’m still alive, still shooting portraits and interviewing people daily and hopefully will have updates here in the not so distant future.
Song of the Week:
Jenny Don’t be Hasty - Paulo Nutini
Song of the Week:
Jenny Don’t be Hasty - Paulo Nutini
Friday, March 7, 2008
Back in Inaction
You’d think things would change? Or you would if you were me and an optimistic pessimist. I hope things get better, expect they’ll get worse, and am shocked at either result. It’s been nearly a week and a half. Since then, not much new has happened as far as the backlog is concerned. But on my side things have gotten a bit worse. My sleep debt has gotten dangerously bad, to the point I’ve had to ask a coworker to drive me home. After 13 hours of sleep total last week, I assumed, “It’ll get better. I’ll pass out the moment I get a chance to and things will improve. I’ll have time to do everything that was neglected, and things shall resume.” But alas, a bout with insomnia is winning, my classes have not happily vanished, and deadlines still loom on the horizon.
Additionally little things irk me, like the fact that every time I open the document where I’ve save the interviews, it changes the margins. Somewhere a few days in, generally around Day 6, the inch at the top becomes three or four, and the bottom margin increases to five or six inches. Thus every time I open the document to begin typing, I find myself cursing the computer as I reset everything so each day fits neatly on one page. This problem is a rather silly thing to be irked over, however the time it takes would be enough to type an interview or two, and often that’s all the time I have when I come to the computer. Or by the time I reformat I’m distracted by another item on the never ending to do list, and I end up not typing anything of relevance. Like this post.
Alas. I’ll hope for change, but first I’ll hope for sleep.
I just finished day 188. And I’ve not yet missed a day (knock on wood)
Song of the week:
I’m a Loser - the Beatles
Additionally little things irk me, like the fact that every time I open the document where I’ve save the interviews, it changes the margins. Somewhere a few days in, generally around Day 6, the inch at the top becomes three or four, and the bottom margin increases to five or six inches. Thus every time I open the document to begin typing, I find myself cursing the computer as I reset everything so each day fits neatly on one page. This problem is a rather silly thing to be irked over, however the time it takes would be enough to type an interview or two, and often that’s all the time I have when I come to the computer. Or by the time I reformat I’m distracted by another item on the never ending to do list, and I end up not typing anything of relevance. Like this post.
Alas. I’ll hope for change, but first I’ll hope for sleep.
I just finished day 188. And I’ve not yet missed a day (knock on wood)
Song of the week:
I’m a Loser - the Beatles
Sunday, February 24, 2008
An apology to those taking the time to read this.
There is no photo post today. And there wasn’t one yesterday or the day before. And I’m absurdly far behind on the posting part of this project. I’ve thus far interview 176 people. And posted ... not enough. My laptop is cluttered and my workflow method obviously needs to be modified because I’ve got 6 full CF cards to upload, a binder full of interviews to type, and I just started a second binder earlier this month.
I keep thinking, as soon as I finish (insert school/work/social activity on my agenda), I will upload and post. But inevitably what came in the parentheses involved a computer, and after hours on end staring at a screen I feel that I cannot do any digital photo work because my eyes are tired. And I feel like to do the work in that state would be an insult to those who’s photos I’d halfheartedly churn out in order to post sooner. While waiting for a time when my eyes aren’t drained, when my head is in the game, and when I can do this project justice, I’ve ended up letting the presentation part wait on the back burner.
So time passes. And my sleep debt gets worse, the backlog increases, the exams never stop and therefore the potential excuses never end. Which needs to stop. Many people advise: Enjoy life. (Specifically my day 55 and 56 ... both people on the page my binder is open to) and I do, or I try to. But perhaps enjoyment at the cost of productivity should be warned about. Because eventually you’ll end up over 120 days behind with a pile of photos, interviews to type, and people to contact with apologies for the wait.
I am sorry. Not for any specific delay because I do have my reasons. But rather for letting the delay get this bad. For the fact that the majority of posts recently have been my rambling comments rather than the images you’d expect to see. I know my schedule is ridiculously busy so I can’t promise it will change soon, but I will try to get some more stuff posted in a more timely manner. Thanks for your patience and for still being here to read this.
My songs of the week:
I’m Happy Just to Dance With You - The Beatles
Take My Hand - Dido
I keep thinking, as soon as I finish (insert school/work/social activity on my agenda), I will upload and post. But inevitably what came in the parentheses involved a computer, and after hours on end staring at a screen I feel that I cannot do any digital photo work because my eyes are tired. And I feel like to do the work in that state would be an insult to those who’s photos I’d halfheartedly churn out in order to post sooner. While waiting for a time when my eyes aren’t drained, when my head is in the game, and when I can do this project justice, I’ve ended up letting the presentation part wait on the back burner.
So time passes. And my sleep debt gets worse, the backlog increases, the exams never stop and therefore the potential excuses never end. Which needs to stop. Many people advise: Enjoy life. (Specifically my day 55 and 56 ... both people on the page my binder is open to) and I do, or I try to. But perhaps enjoyment at the cost of productivity should be warned about. Because eventually you’ll end up over 120 days behind with a pile of photos, interviews to type, and people to contact with apologies for the wait.
I am sorry. Not for any specific delay because I do have my reasons. But rather for letting the delay get this bad. For the fact that the majority of posts recently have been my rambling comments rather than the images you’d expect to see. I know my schedule is ridiculously busy so I can’t promise it will change soon, but I will try to get some more stuff posted in a more timely manner. Thanks for your patience and for still being here to read this.
My songs of the week:
I’m Happy Just to Dance With You - The Beatles
Take My Hand - Dido
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