Obstruction #3: "Less is More" Reflection

This is my answer to Obstruction # 3 from [http://www.flickr.com/photos/tamarak2010/] to my original photo Undergound Reflections , which was as follows:

"This one sounds easy...but I'm not so sure it will be! Your response to Obstruction #1 would qualify...so I am confident that you will come up with something fascinating!

Obstruction #3: 
Take a shot of the most confusing reflection that you can...make us have to really look to try to figure out the reflection."

When I got this obstruction, I was a bit wary of just repeating myself from Obstruction #1. It was the easy way out to just do something very similar to obstruction 1, especially since my mind was blank of any creative ideas. I had to start experimenting, first with set up shots and later with natural reflection shots. I did get some useable photos, but nothing that I felt excited about. Some of them just felt too busy and not really interesting. Eventually, I had to think of this obstruction in a different way.

To me, an ideal answer would be fairly simple, where you can actually see all the elements fairly easily, but it also should be challenging at the same time (to answer the part that stated "make us have to really look to try to figure out the reflection")

I always feel happy when I get an idea for a photo (especially a "natural" photo vs. set up) and it ends up close to my original vision. This was the case here. I just had to walk a few block from work to get to this place. I did not realize that the photo was fairly successful until after I went back home and downloaded all the photos to my computer. Other than just processing the RAW file- and little light and shade adjustment and a very slight crop, (B&W conversion of course) this photo is as shot. No photoshop or double exposure. I leave the judgment of this answer to Obstruction # 3 to the viewers.

Obstruction #2: Life Reflections

6/52:

This is my answer to Obstruction # 2 from [http://www.flickr.com/people/tamarak2010/] to my original photo Undergound Reflections , which was as follows:

"Using a reflection of yourself - window or mirror, reflect on some important aspect of your life or to portray some idea or quote...like reflections on a happy childhood or reflecting on the past...or reflecting on something you want, something that is looming…"

My wife Gretchen and I were born on two different continents on opposite sides of the world. We grew up in different cultures speaking different languages. At some point, in both of our lives, we started moving towards each other without even knowing that the other person existed. We were learning about each other's cultures and even embracing aspects of it long before we met. Each of us got to a point where we felt we didn't exactly fit 100 % in either culture. Even when we met--and thank God both of us were living in the US--we still had 2000 miles between us. We had to deal with a long distance relationship with all its difficulties for a while.

Now, we are getting close to our 8th wedding anniversary. We live in neither of the cities that we'd lived in when we met, or the places we grew up in. Gretchen is starting a new career (as a teacher) that, up to a few years ago, she'd never considered. Fifteen years ago, I wasn't sure I could ever pursue my dream of getting back to graduate school and continuing with my chosen carrier. Even 10 years ago, I was going through a tough time that jeopardized my entire future.

Now I look back. Both of us have never been happier and content. We are both extremely blessed. As The Beatles say: "It's getting better all the time".

You never know where life is going to lead you or who you're going to meet along the way. Embrace serendipity. 

Now to the technical part, I created the collage of our old photos in "shape collage" and displayed it in full screen mode on my computer screen. I needed extra strong light for my face to be able to see the reflection on the bright screen. Added the processing and the Polaroid style frame for nostalgia.

[This photo is also used for the 2012: 52 weeks project/ Week 6 Theme: Light]

Obstruction #1: Above Ground Reflections

This photo was created for the l Five Obstruction Photo Challenge Group . Check the group out, you might like to participate.

This is my response to The First Obstruction presented to me by tamarak2010 for my photo Underground Reflections

"For your first obstruction I want you to re-construct this shot, but above ground. if possible make it a "portrait" of you and your wife and "frame" it in some way like this shot is....and, of course, have the reflection as well as something happening inside the reflection window."

When I first got the challenge, I thought it would be extremely difficult since the original photo was shot on The Tube in London and I live in Houston, a city that does not have any public transportation to speak of. After starting to think about it, I had several ideas but wanted to stick as close as possible to the obstruction without making matters too complicated.

So here it is, "above ground" reflection, with my wife and me in a similar framing. This one is a bit tighter so it is a bit closer to portrait but not exactly. Reflections from both inside and outside the restaurant.

4/52: Get Pushed R17

For Round 17 of Get Pushed, the challenge was:

"You have an excellent photostream and you've really branched out into a lot of different areas. You have color and black and white. You have street photography and still lifes. You have captured moods and holidays.

It made me really struggle to think of a challenge. A lot of the pictures of people in your stream are of a more journalistic nature. I challenge you to take a portrait of yourself of someone and I challenge you to take it in the style of Irving Penn."

I would probably make a laughingstock out of myself if I tried to mimic "The Master", but I still wanted to do something in that direction. Most people will probably think of Penn's early work, with the full size portraits, his use of corners, and a simple but striking gray background. He also used other styles. I wanted to take one or two technical things that he used and try to take my own photo. I learned that the vast majority of his photos, although studio photos, were shot using natural light. The other thing I noticed on a lot of his later, tighter portraits is that light comes from one direction with deep shadows falling off very quickly, and there are extremely clean and clear details.

My original plan was to take a portrait of Gretchen, keeping these criteria in mind. The day before, I took a few selfies to test the light and the setting. Eventually, I picked one of those test shots as the answer to the push.

The light is a natural light coming from a big window. This was taken in the morning when the sun is actually on the other side of the house so you get the softer more even light on this side. I read somewhere that if you use a black barrier on the shadow side then you get deeper shadow. Never tried this before and I'm not sure if it works and how this photo would look without it, but I did use a black screen on the right side of the photo. I thought that there was enough detail in here to use the same photo for the 52 project weekly theme "Extreme Details".

What you cannot see in this photo is that elbow area on my left arm was swollen considerably. I've been dealing with it since that day and looks like it is finally getting better. I'll spare you the gruesome details

My Five Obstructions

Underground Reflections

The picture above is the one chosen for me by my project partner from Flickr to do my "Five Obstructions" on. But let me back up a bit and explain....

Recently, I started (for the first time) a Flickr group based on the concept presented in the documentary "The Five Obstructions" by the controversial movie director Lars Von Trier.

In summary, Lars challenged his friend and mentor film maker, Jorgen Leth, who made Lars' favorite short film "The Perfect Human" (1967), to recreate that film five times, each time with a different obstruction (or obstacle) given by Von Trier. The results were really fascinating. I would recommend seeing this movie to anyone who is interested in the creative process even if you are not into documentaries or reading subtitles (the movie is in Danish).

I always wanted to try to do this myself. Of course I needed a partner. I suggested the idea on a message board for my current 52 weeks group (which had a lot of my 2011/365 group members) and I found a few people who are willing to give it a shot so I started a new Flickr group.

The group is still new--only a few members are currently active. I hope it will grow in activity and membership. After pairing everybody who was interested in trying this, leaving myself out, I finally found a partner this weekend. She picked this photo for me to recreate 5 times with 5 different obstruction, coming one at a time.

At first, I thought it would be impossible. This photo was taken on the tube in London, and I live in Houston, a city that does not have any public transportation to speak of. I have never used the buses or the short metro rail that connects the medical center area to downtown, which is more than 30 miles away from where I live.

Then I thought to myself, this might be a much more interesting challenge. After all, the first obstruction made by Lars Von Trier made to Leth is to remake the movie in Cuba.

I already received my first obstruction. The results will be posted on this blog (in addition to Flickr) as they come out.

It's 5 am…. Rise and Shine!!

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to think, to breathe, to enjoy, to love." 
                                               - Marcus Aurelius

This photo was done for round 16 challenge in Get Pushed

For my very first push, I was paired with the talented Jill [ www.flickr.com/photos/24785880@N08/ ] . If you have not done already, please check her photostream for some excellent nature shots.

Her push to me was "For this challenge, I have this quote that I love that I would like to see you interpret into a photo.. let your creativity flow with this one, no rules or restrictions :)

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to think, to breathe, to enjoy, to love." - Marcus Aurelius

This push delves into a personal portion of you... capturing what it is that makes you feel alive :) Have fun & can't wait to see the results!"

(I wish I could have the reader/viewer read the challenge before seeing the photo for dramatic effect). I chose to go the ironic way. I hope it's not cheating, since there are no rules or restrictions. Also, i think I fulfill the second part of the challenge that goes in to "the personal portion"

Living 30 miles away from work in a city like Houston, famous for horrible rush hour traffic, I have to wake up at 5 am in order not to be stuck for 2 hours on the road. That's at least two hours before sunrise. If it wasn't for the rush of getting ready to catch a van pool, and for the prospect of a 10 hour (at least) day at work, I wouldn't mind waking up that early. What adds to my problem is that I have sleep apnea, which is only one of my sleeping issues. (I even tried using a CPAP machine, without success). Many days I have to force myself to get out of bed at 5 (after tossing and turning since 3) and go to work with only a few hours of sleep, if that. So I'm sure you can see where I found the inspiration for this photo.

That said, I am grateful for every day. I'm very blessed and lucky in my life. Killer (the nicer of our two cats) reminds me of that every morning when he jumps lovingly in my lap and rubs himself against my dark dress pants making sure to get as much of his white hair as he can onto my clothes in the few minutes I have to drink my quad-espresso while trying to wake up.

From a technical POV, setting up this photo and having many tries with varying success was great because I always wanted to do a motion freeze photo. I tried a time or two in the past with no success and never had the patience to follow up. In this respect, I think "the push" worked exactly like it should. Driving me to try a new thing.

Thanks Jill. That was a lot of fun. Looking forward to the next round.

The Tower Bridge At Sunset

355/365