Do You Know Your Visual Signature – Part 2?

So, I have been doing some work with the 50mm focal length after watching that “What is Visual Signature?” on YouTube.  See previous post for details.  I think I mentioned this before, but I use to shoot mostly at 50mm until I gradually moved away from it.  As I said in the previous post, I’ve been at 300mm for my Kinetic Ambiguity Project and 135mm for my Motion Project for a while now.  Well, I did not only experiment with 50mm, I also photographed with 1x1 aspect ratio as well.  I made some interesting self-discoveries in doing this that I will share with you on the next post.  I’ll say this though, 50mm is a proven focal point.  Still, we need to keep in mind our own visual signature.

(Designation, Objects 457 – not named at this time.)

MOCA Los Angeles

I am the new director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles!  Ok, not yet but I should be.  Let me tell you why.  I have leadership experience (over 20 years in the Army – I was a platoon sergeant for crying out loud!); I can handle pressure and stress (did I mention the Army thing – tours to Iraq); I’m educated (a BA in studio art and a minor in business – and I graduated with honors); I love art (see the BA in studio art thing); museums like to have older folks running things – I’ll be 56 within weeks; diversity – I’m black; need to show some love to America – I’m a #vet and you know this (from above sentence); I support the #metoo movement (I’m married to my beautiful wife who is a college professor and we have 4 daughters between us and my mama lives with us – I’m no position not to support women in all of their struggles – and again, I can handle pressure and stress); management potential (see everything above); and I really want to work in the art world – really, really want to.

So, please contact MOCA Los Angeles and let them know I’m the perfect candidate.  Really.

Kinetic Ambiguity

So, before I had said, “I want to see more than what we see at the moment because more is going on that what is seen.”  Hey, that was kind of goofy and made little sense but my Kinetic Ambiguity Project is in line with the point I am trying to make.  I’m not after the “Jackson Pollock” photograph but this project works towards where I’m going.  I know, you want to see where I’m going with this, not where it came from.  You want to see that #image I’m alluding to.  Soon, but I need to mull over what I have done to help me focus a little more.

Oh, and I did a lot of this Kinetic Ambiguity Project in Las Vegas – love that place.

Sentinels

They look like sentinels guarding something.  Or maybe they look like large cranes in the shipyards.  Then again, it could be robots waiting for the menacing dark robot that is advancing on their position.  They are just #mustard and mayo dispensers unless you let your imagination go.

Kinetic Ambiguity

Have you ever wondered how slot machines make you want to play them?  I know how.  I captured some machines reaching out to the souls of these people as they passed by and it got them.  It was the scariest thing I have ever seen.  Ok, that’s not true.  But I call this this project where this photo is from, “Kinetic Ambiguity”.  I also have more on my new web site, www.EdwardLanceMontgomeryPhotography.com, along with some other shots.  It’s a work in progress but an essential step in the right direction.  Enjoy.

Poohstock 2011, The Ride There

Last summer my brothers and I took a ride from southern California to southern Oregon.  We were going to our cousin’s event – Poohstock.  It was a lot of fun.  These are just some shot from my point and shoot of the trip up.  I did some Photoshop work on them a bit too.  Enjoy.

Apple Valley Plaza Site Survey, Part 3

Wow, being sick really sucks.  And you fall behind on so many things like these blogs.  Ok, I’m back from the dead so let me continue where I left off.

For these last four photos, I threw in a black and white layer in between my crossed processed layers and some Gaussian blur (refer to part 1 and 2 for details).  I also used the shadow/highlight effect.  The only thing I didn’t do was throw in some HDR.  Of course, this was all done in Photoshop.  I really like how these came out – abstraction and all.  Have a look.

Oh, there is no black and white layer on this particular image.  Still looks cool though.

Apple Valley Plaza Site Survey, Part 2

After doing a shadow/highlights adjusted layer, I applied a ‘cross processed’ layer to all five of these photos because I love that look/effect.  I did this just last week with Photoshop though I took these photos last summer.  And the last three shots I again went for the abstracted appearance.  Have a look.

Apple Valley Plaza Site Survey, Part 1

Moving on to June 18, 2011, I was out and about again doing site surveys (no, I don’t have a regular ‘9 to 5’ job) and exploring my new habitat.  Again, I was motoring eastbound down Bear Valley Road.  I passed through Apple Valley heading to the outskirts of that town and stopped when I got to Central.  On my left was a big strip mall that never quite became what it was supposed to be – the Apple Valley Plaza.  Ultra Star Cinema was completed and operational but the rest of the site was never completed.  It looks as though on the day someone said there was no more money to complete the work, everyone just walked away.  I can only assume that happened after the market crash of 2008.  The Victor Valley seems to have suffered more severely than other parts of California but it seems to have gone somewhat unnoticed, unless you live here.  This is another location that I’ll return to and shoot again.  This time, I shot this with my PowerShot S5 IS.  The Photoshop work done was minimal but I did that just a few days ago.  Have a look.

In this shot, I’m trying to abstract my subject with this from the bottom up angle.  I’ll do a lot more of this here.

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.

It is still cool looking to me

Tuesday (June 14) I was at school (California State University, San Bernardino) taking two final exams.  I have another final tomorrow, Thursday.  After that, the spring quarter for 2011 is over for me.  I will not be back in school until September.  Want to guess what my major is?  We will save that for another blog.  On my way back to my minivan, (yeah, that’s what I drive and I like it) I was popping off the camera left and right.  I actually walked around the campus for a short while and took some shots for the sake of taking some shots.  I will show you that later.  OK, on my way back to the van I was taking photos.  At the van, I shot these because I thought the effect was cool.  And I am using my Canon PowerShot A540, my veteran point and shoot since 2007.

This is the stop sign next to where I am parked.  It is interesting all by itself with its graffiti and bird droppings.  However, it is only important in this set as a reference though.

Now this is the reflection shot – cool is it not?  You see my A540 too.  And that devilishly handsome gent in the red t-shirt that looks like Denzel Washington is me.  Oh, have you noticed the red theme?  Look how you can see the inside of the van and the parking lot.  You can see the “POTS” sign too.  This looks like something done in Photoshop but it is not.  I just thought this was so cool.

Here is another reflection shot with a lot of sky.  In the top sky portion, you still see inside the van.  Man, this was an awesome concept.  I am sure there is a name for this somewhere and the Annie Leibovitz, Steve Szabo, Ansel Adams and or so on have all done famous ‘something, something’ shots like this one – I just never heard of it.  It is still cool looking to me.

Flowers

Imagine the world without cameras – what a strange place it would be.  No photographs.  No films or videos.  Painters, sketch artist, and the like would be highly sought after in this commercial world we live in.  Well, that was a random thought for the sake of thinking about something that does not matter because there are cameras – quadrillions of them!  They are on everything – your phone, the ATM machine, your computer, traffic intersection, the grocery store, police cars, racecars, and that is not counting the cameras that are just cameras you hold in your hand.  Wow, I love cameras!  I love photographs even more.  One of the subjects I like photographing are flowers:

This is a photograph that has been ‘rendered’ in Photoshop.  What do you think?  I do not know the names of these flowers but that is no reason not to shoot them.  I shot this with my Canon PowerShot S5 IS.  For an older camera, it works really well.

Does this photo look familiar?  It is the background photo for my blog.  I shot this back in February in Rancho Cucamonga.  I shot this one and the previous shot that day chilly day.  More Photoshop work.  I shot this with my S5 IS too and took liberty with Photoshop.

I shot this shot in my aunt’s back yard in Fontana while these annuals were blooming in April.  Then I did some creative stuff with Photoshop to create this.  I should print and frame some of this stuff and sell it at show.  I shot this one with my Canon Rebel XS using the 18-55mm lens.

I took this shot in Texas last year.  I have this thing for these wild sunflowers.  At least I know the name of this one.  These things are really weeds – they grow just about anywhere.  No Photoshop here save for the watermark.  The affect was done with my PowerShot S5 IS shooting in the color accent mode.  Cool, huh?

Here is another shot taken with my Rebel XS.  I took this in Las Vegas last year.  Again, some Photoshop work and it looks like a painting.

Ok, I will be back.

Entry 12: 10 Photographs

Ok, where was I?  Oh yeah, this is a photography blog – not a _____ blog.  You can fill in the blank with whatever comes to mind.  I just finished an article on examiner, “Food and Thyme the Art Show”.  A bunch more folks were present at this event than before.  However, the art on display was just as impressive as the previous art show there.  Go peek at that examiner article to see some of the photos of the artwork.  Photos here?  No, I’ll put up some of those photos here on another blog.  This time I’m going to show you something different.  But before I forget (plug time), don’t miss the art show coming up at the Bordello Bar, 900 east 1^st Street, Los Angeles, Wednesday (tomorrow), Jan. 19, beginning at 9:00 p.m.  The event is titled “Wicked Wednesday”.  It’s being put on by my buddy Kendra Cryan of Liquid City and will feature art and ‘80s music.  And if you come out to the event (and let me know when you see me), I’ll do a mini photo shoot of you in the Bordello – very sexy, very wild side kind of place – the kind of place Anne Rice would love to hang out at (I think – I don’t know her actually).  Of course I’ll give you a copy of the photos, silly!  Ok, this entry is about 10 photographs.  Nothing in particular really, just some things I have shot that I think look cool for one reason or another.  Here they are:

LA City Hall from an Angle, shot on Oct 27, 2010, Canon Rebel XS, monochrome, no flash.

A Telephone, shot on Jan 9, 2011, Canon Rebel XS, monochrome, no flash.

Bird of Paradise, shot on Jan 4, 2011 Canon PowerShot A540, with built in flash.

Some Rocks, shot on Sep 22, 2010, Canon Rebel XS, monochrome, no flash.

The Way, shot on Oct 27, 2010, Canon Rebel XS, monochrome, no flash.

White Rose in the Sun, shot on Oct 11, 2010, Canon Rebel XS, pictures style was landscaper, no flash.

Metal Flower, shot on Jan 9, 2011, Canon Rebel XS, monochrome, no flash.

Off of Sierra Ave, shot on Oct 11, 2010, Canon Rebel XS, my own defined picture style, no flash.

Sunset on Foothill, shot on Sep 20, 2010, Canon Rebel XS, picture style standard, no flash.

Purple on Green, shot on July 14, 2010, Canon Rebel XS, picture style standard, no flash.

Wow, I did it.  Less talk and more photos.  I know, sometimes people would like to know a little more about the shot and so on.  My apologies to those folks.  Make a comment or email with your questions if you have any and I’ll answer them.  Too easy.  Have to get back on the phone right now though.  See you tomorrow night.

Oh, thank you DeanO for following my blog.  You know I’m a lascivious liberal though.  Just the same, thanks!