HERO: Cultural 2

After deliberating on whether to stay with an ethnic cultural theme or a popular culture using rock and heavy metal related items. I found a musician that loves to collect band items, posters, clothing, patches, and instruments. Not all items are music related as one could see few items of Star Wars memorabilia and figurines.  

Here I have all the items laid out on the bed composed of all of his favorite items that shows his personality and identity as a musician. 

This is the secondary hero shot that I had thought would be strong to show him with the bass. 

HERO: Change

This was a unique project attempting to show change. Using the Polaroid camera with a series of CSUN hats with balls from each year dating from 2014 to 2016. Thought it would be visually interesting to see the progression of the CSUN baseball hat design and ball over the course of the years showing change along with the Polaroid camera that instantly produces photos that changes in matter of minutes after exposing the phonograph.

The plan was to use the Polaroid camera to capture the photo however after taking a few shots the individual film got jammed in the cartridge foiling the whole plan to capture the film coming out of the camera as it developed in front of the camera. Several attempts ware made to recover the film but no success. 

HERO: Up / Down

"Up" was the chosen shot of of the series of "UP/DOWN" holding the camera angle directly up looking overhead or looking directly below the photographer showing what is in the extreme directions.

Having several attempts during the days of direct sunlight made it difficult to shoot as the sun was setting while the jet was landing in the same direction. The cloudy/ over cast day made it easier to capture the aircraft through diffused lighting making the speed light easier to use.

The hero shot taken of the jet flight directly overhead using a speed light at maximum power 1/1 ratio to highlight some of the undercarriage of the aircraft. 

Pre-Production: Change

For this production I was thinking of a series of Polaroid or a photo of a camera dispensing a photograph that phases through a change while developing instantly. The Inception of this idea was through the Colloidan demonstration in class that provided some ideas of instant change while the photograph was seen developed on a metal plate.  The Polaroid camera it self produces film that changes over a short period of time developing "instant prints" fitting for this assignment.

Pre-Production: Up-Down

For this production I was thinking of going to an airport that had an interesting ground image that has my feet in the view while another view looking directly overhead as a plane landing over head or taking off.

Some possible locations would be Long Beach,  Los Angeles, Burbank and Santa Monica Airports however the larger airports will have the more desirable option of larger jets that cast unique shadows. 

HERO: Cultural

I have created a Diptych of two images into one symbolizing Filipinx culture using a Filipino male and cultural items found in different regions of the Philippines.

Here are some of the additional images taken that were leading up to the hero shot. 

The Philippines is comprised of several islands in a cluster with different cultural backgrounds making each style unique. 

Pre-Production: "Cultural"

                                                                               

For this production I will try to find a Chicano native in their Native American regalia shot with a dark background and either one or two modern day Chicano youth with a Diptych design. This will hopefully show the cultural differences over a period of cultural integration to modern day society and hopefully show how some of the cultural traditions have been held while others fade away. I will use dramatic lighting effects using harsh fill light creating stark shadows without the use of Soft Boxes and will consider using a roll of film for the Native American regalia. 

To find models that fits right in the balance between gangsters and people with cultural pride may be proven a challenging task however it can be done without creating an overly used stereotypical image of "Cholos" or "Mexican Mafia".  

HERO: TIME

Photo Credit: David J. Hawkins

This is the final production photograph of the Time concept using Lego pieces constructed by each section of bricks from a pile that was found in the center of the image. Starting with the top left hand corner the eye naturally flows around in series from 1 through 10 leading up to the large final image with the fully constructed Fighter Jet.

The secondary hero photograph shows the final Jet Fighter assembly pictured alone with all the pieces intact however proved to be a little too static thus using the larger photo with the speed brakes located on the top part of the wings in the up right position deployed showing more action of the flight controls of the aircraft. 

I used one light with two pocket wizards, two white boards situated like a V-flat and a red table top to position the Lego pieces on the surface.

HERO: Direction

I chose this image as my hero shot because of the direction of travel and the inversion of two of the Blue Angeles FA-18 Hornets. Every year the flight demo team prepare a variety of tricks and a different series of aerobatic maneuvers that continually impress the crowds. 

This is the other Image I found fascinating with an approach that started off as a tight cluster that broke off into several different directions while rolling creating a likeness of a flower blooming. 

These are the shots leading up to the hero shot for the direction assignment. No artificial light sources were used. I narrowed down a selection of 400 images to the top 4 images that best related to the direction assignment using only sunlight. 

HERO: MUSIC

Here is the final Shot for the Music Production post taken moments after the sunset over the horizon producing a beautiful blue hue in the sky.

I had a love-hate relationship between these two images being my first and second favorite images due to the locations and how the reflections were shown in the images. 

These are the alternative selections of the shoot session. I used 3 speedlites with one blue, orange, and grey gels that produced the desired look. The orange gel provided warmer tones on the body filling in the shadows across the back side of the face while the blue gel was positioned on the opposite side cooling the scene to blend in with the background. The grey gel was positioned near the center in the back to provide a gentle fill flash. 

Pre-Production: "Time"

For this assignment creating concepts and design ideas for the "Time" production theme I decided to incorporate a series of images in one frame similar to a diptych or grid showing the progress of creating a lego airplane with a time lapse of a clock in the back ground and the time of day outside the window using mixed Lighting.

This will complete section E also known as "Build it/ Make it" method taking a photo of something that I constructed. This will have a similar set up to this guy constructing the airplane but without the face or body just hands constructing piece by piece.

The final image would be a collection of smaller images building up to the final larger image in the lower Right hand corner with the completed aircraft. 

Pre-Production: "Direction"

This project is focused on the emphasis of Direction which I had thought of using just daylight exposures of an airplane or two traveling in the same direction. There were a few airplanes flying in formation from Van Nuys Airport that fly in one direction forming an arrow or shape. LAX offers several great opportunities of airplanes landing giving a unique perspective of airplanes traveling in the distance with the post creating a sensation the plane in a direction of travel.

Fox Field in Lancaster, California also offers flight demonstrations that will provide powerful images of planes in motion with the direction. I plan to capture planes moving in a direction showing an arrow formation or spire pointing to one direction with the sun to the back of the camera with saturated blue skies with smoke trails behind them.

Pre-Production: "Music"

While brainstorming for this first production assignment with the theme using "Music," that will have to incorporate two things in the process. One is the musical element in the design and secondly apply one of the five shooting methods (Sun in/Daylight/Mixed sources, Overpowering Daylight, Dusk/Dark inside view, Analog/Silver Film, and Make-it/Construct) as mentioned in class.

Alex Aguilar playing with the guitar. (Photo Credit: David J. Hawkins © 2015)

The idea of the shoot will be done on location using this concept of using instruments creating sound that is identified in color as the viewer would perceive sound interpreted in color patterns or shapes. As one who is deaf is unable to hear sounds thus creating a visual element of making sound visible as color through black and white images.

The set location would either be in a band garage, stage, bedroom, or a music appropriate environment that would represent a visually interesting background.

The model would be the same person as the previous session using the same vibrant guitar and will have him be more animated as he was playing in a Rock and Roll band or in a concert.

Window lighting showing the sun setting or evening sky lighting the interior with Speedlites. 

I will be using a Nikon D700 with a 35mm 1.2 lens with 3-4 Speedlites lighting up the subject and the background highlighting elements that are music related. One or two modifiers will be used such as a Octabank or Brollyboxes depending on the amount of light needed on the subject. Post production will desaturate the fore image and the base image will contain color for the visual image phasing process.

Producing the Hero Shot

After shooting a series of self portraits using a tripod and timer I was forced to narrow down the selection to one Hero photograph. Below is the collection of photographs leading to the final "Hero" selection shot.

 I used a tripod to mount the camera with a timer that was triggered when pressing the shutter release button on the camera. The arrangement of boxes and cylinders provided different levels for the camera items to be displayed as rolls of developed film provided a unique feel. Modifiers ranging from Soft Boxes with Grids to Beauty Dishes were used in different moments adjusting the amount of light on the cameras and my self in the photographs. I used both the painted and black seamless for my photo session to provide more dramatic feelings or more of a photo studio feel. 

The set up in the studio using 3-5 lights, modifiers on each lights, and 2 flags illuminating the photography items.

Originally I wanted to pose for the camera looking directly at the camera hiding partially behind the coffee mug designed like the actual Canon lens. However after reviewing the images I had felt like they were not as strong as I had envisioned so decided to experiment with using film cameras, film, stainless steel kettles, and layout arrangements of the items to create a feel of a photography studio. Adding and subtracting objects was the most difficult part of the whole shoot knowing the concept of "less is better" while having too much can be distracting but at the same time an actual studio has a variety of items that create the overall studio look or feel. 

Collection of self-portraits by David J. Hawkins/2016

After a long tedious process of elimination has provided the top 5 favorites making the selection of the "Hero" shot more practical. Arranging the studio set up with several photographers tools, equipments, and cameras allowed me to effectively create an avatar that shows my love and passion for photography. Also including a funny notion that I do enjoy a hot cup of tea during my day.

As you can see in the two photographs pictured above the changes made between the original and the post production image using adjustments in Camera Raw. 

HawkinStudios avatar photograph "HERO" by David J. Hawkins / 2016

After completing this assignment I was able to review the images and think on other applications of which I can apply the other images to such as profile images for my portfolio or other blog entries of my self discussing my passion for photography. 

Pre-Project Proposal

For the first assignment the avatar will be needed for the blog in which I will like to use for my website and branding for a profile picture.

Inspiration for the assignment 

The idea and concept was compiled after a few ideas based on other photographers using a camera identifying the profession they are in. Most photographers use burred out backgrounds or solids which seems like an over used practice however I was thinking more along of the lines showing some visual elements in the background such as a studio or landscape that best suits for photography like the downtown Los Angeles skyline or a University campus roof top.

My Selfie using a Samsung galaxy Note 3 in San Francisco, Calif. 

Here is one of my favorite images of me looking through a camera lens showing my love for photography and travel. The new concept I was thinking of along the lines of having me in a studio with different types of cameras hanging in the background with my self drinking a cup of tea or coffee in a mug that resembles a camera lens.

Should be on a white or grey backdrop with 2-3 cameras hanging from C-stands behind me in juxtaposed positions to draw a nice image around my head as I have a coffee mug in my hand drinking from it. Another pose with me having it close to my face then hiding playfully behind the mug.

Proper Introductions

David James Hawkins (DJ) is a photographer that has been working for California State University, Northridge (CSUN) 2 years. David has completed an AA degree in Graphic Design at Santa Monica College in 2013 and is currently Majoring in Photojournalism with a Minor in Sustainability. DJ has been awarded 5 Journalism Association of Community Colleges Awards for Photography before attending CSUN. Overcoming several obstacles in life as a Deaf Student that will graduate in May 2016 with plans to attend Graduate school in photography to complete his goals in being a Professor teaching photography.