Burnt out in Apple Valley

On June 17, 2011, I was back at this burnt out place for another look.  I wanted to do a model shoot here.  A wanted a kind of contrast with beautiful (the model) and ugly.  But this place held more than that.  It represented yet again lost dreams and hopes of a family or of a person.  And it was also a testament to the people who inhabit the Victor Valley – people who maintain a ‘no matter what, we’re going to keep on moving forward’ attitude.  Well, that’s at least how I felt seeing this place.  I took some liberties with Photoshop on some of these too.  I just wanted to render a different feel.  I shot it all with my Canon PowerShot S5 IS.  For a “point and shoot”, that’s an awesome camera.  So, have a look.

Gas Prices

Gas prices on June 16, 2011, in Fontana, CA, on Foothill Blvd – old route 66.  I was out and about with my PowerShot S5 IS and captured this for posterity sake.  Just thinking about the price of fuel is enough to make your head explode.  Don’t think so?  Have a look.

Cajon Pass Site Survey

On June 16, 2011, I was out and about again when I had to take a detour (of my own choosing) while travelling back up the Cajon Pass back to Victorville.  I was smack dab in the middle of the San Bernardino State Park.  It’s a really cool looking place and I was in no place in particular.  I used my PowerShop S5 IS on this and a bit of level tweeking (just a few moments ago) with Photoshop – because I like to tweek my shots.  This was basically a survey for a future model shoot but I have yet to shoot in these areas – though I have shot in the park.  Have a look.

Huck Finn’s Jubilee Setup

We’re still bringing up the rear to get this photo blog current.  The sad thing is when its current I won’t have nearly as many post going in.  But that’s some time away and for now I have a year’s worth of photos to show you.  These photos were taken on June 15, 2011, at the setup for the 2011 Huck Finn’s Jubilee at Mojave Narrows Park here in Victorville.  The stage company belongs to one of my cousins and though he wasn’t on site (at another event) my brother and crew were there (along with another cousin who works for him too).  The company is ProfoundEntertainment – that’s a plug for my cousin.  Since they were in Victorville, they thought it was a good idea to call me over to record their activities.  And I did.  I did not attend the Jubilee though – I missed Roy Clark – because I had other plans but the link to it covers pretty much what goes on during the event.  I photographed this with my Canon Rebel XS, with the kit lens, and did my minor corrections with Photoshop.  Oh, on some I used the lens correction feature to eliminate the geometric distortion and the chromatic aberration.  How they do that stage and lights frame is pretty cool to watch too.  Have a look.

Grocery Shopping in Victorville

Oh look, it’s time to go grocery shopping.  Well, at least it was back on June 14, 2011. 

California State University, San Bernardino

There is nothing much to this entry, just a part of the campus at California State University, San Bernardino.  This is where I go to school and in particularly this is the Visual Arts building.  I spend a lot of time here.  I think I mentioned before that my major is photography.  I took these with my point and shoot – PowerShot A540.  I shot this last summer right after finals and I was done with my first quarter at Cal State.  I think I was just happy to be back in school since we left Texas almost a year earlier.  Ok, have a look.

Victor Valley Sites, Victorville

As I often do, I will reshoot someone or someplace many times.  Sometimes I’m just testing and other times I’m trying to get it right.  And still other times I’m resurveying a site just to get a different look at it.  Like the difference between how it looks at sunrise versus sunset, for example.  Take this place that’s right off of 7^th Street (part of old Route 66) heading towards old town Victorville – just a few steps away from the library.  I’m captivated by this place.  I shot these photos on June 10, 2011.  By now, today in 2012, I have shot here probably 10 times.  Including photographing here twice for model photo shoots and once because I was showing a friend around the place who is also a photographer.  I have used the location for my Victor Valley Project also.  It is like the buildings are speaking to me, trying to tell me what it used to be like here.  Or I am just attracted to decay and aging.  I don’t know but I’ll shoot here again and again until I feel like I have had enough.  So, have a look.

This place, though at the time was empty, is being used for something periodically now.

For rent, I wonder for how much?

This place has a new name now and looks like the hall is once again being rented out.  I’ll have to get back with you with the new name but it’s no longer the California Banquet Hall.

The “La Herradura Night Club” sign has long been gone.  “Reflections” is still painted on the side of the walls though.  I read somewhere that the place was used to film a scene from Quentin Tarantino’s movie “From Dusk till Dawn”.  I should ask George Clooney if he remembers the place.

I am a huge fan of California style Chinese food.  I wonder if this place was good or not.  Nonetheless, I’ll never know.  But I’ll be back with my camera’s in hand.  Oh, these were shot with my PowerShot S5 IS.  Though its old it’s still an awesome little camera, especially for a “point and shoot”.  There’s that aging thing again.

Oh, and a big thank you to Robert Ivan Langdalen for following my blog here.  If you’re a fan of all things make up, you’d probably like to check that guy’s web site out.

Site Survey, Storage Place

Ok, June 5, 2011, I was at our new storage facility (we’re in an apartment so we still have too much stuff) just looking around the place with my Canon PowerShot A540 in hand.  What I saw was a lot of stuff that you had to wonder why someone would pay to store – you know storage places are a relatively new thing.  Do you remember any in the 1970’s?  Just the same, these things also made for an interesting photo or two.  And today, I decided to “cross process” them in Photoshop.  I just redid the post production this morning.  I’m getting very interested in the cross process look.  I think I will use it in my project for school this quarter.  I’m not sure yet but I’m thinking about it or a couple of other looks.  But that’s something else.  Here are some of the outside things stored at my local storage spot here in Victorville.  Have a look.

Site Survey, Victorville, Part 2

Here I am in Victorville.  This was shot on June 4, 2011, the same day as the previous entry.   And a correction on the previous entry – that’s not Victorville, its Apple Valley.  But this entry is what we’re on.  Wow, I’ve been living here for almost a year now.  I like Victorville though; the air is a lot better and I’m back in the high desert.  Plus, something is happening here, a sort of regrowth.  It’s slow in the making but things are starting to happen.  This town is in the right place for the future.  The whole of the Victor Valley is, for that matter.  And I’ve been capturing parts of it.  But these are photos from last year (remember, I’m catching up to the present).  And again, I’m laying the ground work for my “Victor Valley Project” but I’m not aware of it at this time.  I call these survey shots for future projects.  This day was my first real Victorville/Victor Valley survey.  I have done many site surveys since these.  I have done quite a few actual photo shoots and project work too since then too.  I’ll be posting some of that in this blog too but these are from last June.  I shot it with my PowerShot A540 too.  Have a look.

Site Survey, Victorville

The day is June 4, 2011, and we have settled into our new apartment in Victorville.  Among other things, I’m out and about getting to know the lay of the land and scouting places to do photo shoots.  I’m also laying the ground work for my “Victor Valley Project” though I’m not aware of that at this time.  I found this place off of Bear Valley road east of Apple Valley.  I shot this with my Canon PowerShot A540 – this camera has been my pocket camera but my phone, a BlackBerry Torch, has slowly been taking over in that department.  That is a nice “phone” though.  But this entry is about this place which was once someone’s home.  Have a look.