Poop Flavored.

So this blog isnt going to be about any photos i have taken lately. In fact, i havent taken any Fine Art photos since my last series. It makes me a little sad, but on the bright side its because i have been busy with work and whatnot. I am going to start a new series soon. Not quite sure what yet, but it will come to me eventually.

Anway, I'd like to start about my thoughts on Adobe. I have always had a underlying hatred for the company that rules over all us photographer with an iron fist. Its such a shame that no other company even compares to the offering adobe has for us. If they did, i would use that instead...actually in a heart beat i would switch. Im not sure if you have heard this, but adobe has decided NOT to produce physical copies of there products anymore (besides lightroom). If you want to read the article, go to my fb, its there. or dpreview. But basically, you can only get the subscription based products through the cloud from now on....We saw this coming. I saw this coming a while ago. Once they announced Cloud, i new it was inevitable. OOOOOOOooooooOOhhhhh Adobe....you make me so depressed. I will buy it...i know i will. Im coming up on "my" upgrade time...So i will have to. But that doesnt mean ill like it. ​

I did do some research, and i feel better about it...but im not happy. I guess you can work offline, which is nice. I was afraid of that, due to my internet going nuts every now and then. ​

I'd like to know everyone elses opinion on the matter. ​

NEXT

​I have been doing some work lately, mainly with Marie and Glenn and of course paier, but also with InnerWorkings. Innerworkings is a graphic design company that gave me a very fun and full of potential freelance job. It was great. Cant wait to work with them again.

Soon enough the season will be starting at the studio (www.curtisphotographystudio.com) and it will be a fun and interesting summer. ​

Alright. Now i have to rant. ​

This guy: Mike Jeffries. Some one needs to punch him in the face. Look at that face.

He just wants it. I know he does. He has upset me to a very high degree this morning. You know that REALLY smelly store that is Waaaay to dark, waaaay over priced, and smells soooo bad that after walking buy it you have a headache? Sounds familiar?

Abercrombie & Fitch? ​yeah. them. Jeffries is the CEO apparently, and he doesnt want "fat" kids and uncool kids wearing his clothes.

​I hope no one ever wears his clothes again.

He is part of the reason why there is so much segregation and hate in our nation. ​

"Oh! you cant wear our clothes, because your fat...which makes you uncool. which makes you ugly...and we dont want ugly people wearing the same clothes as our cool clients."​

​:-|

​:-|

​:-|

Like there isnt enough bullying going on in school. Lets have a CEO start in on it too...​

​and just because you are a XL girl, doesnt mean you arent beautiful, cool, or unworthy of an article of clothing.

UGH

So mad. ​

You dont even know.

I really wish i already wore A&F. So i could stop. ​and BURN the remains.

The Impaired Vision of the Broken World (working title)

This week i have been very involved with my project. If i wasnt photographing, i was questioning its relevance. Yes, all the images are tied together because everything is broken. But why? The series needs more of a statement. In fact, I think i have found it: that will come at a later date. Right now however, the title is being shared. The Impaired Vision of the Broken World. Its still a working title. I havent fully decided on it yet. I like the sound of it. and it seems to fit what im going to be attempting to create emotionally.

Photographically, I am at war. This was probably the most challenging week i have had in a while in terms of crafting my internal image. I had 3 separate photo sessions. Each session had its ups and downs. But let me tell you. I hate Christmas Ornaments. These particular ornaments just dont seem to be working out; which is a shame. 3 different shots. Im only going to post one here. but there were three (just goes to show you how bad the others were). I dont hate the images. but i dont particularly love them either. They just dont sing. Perhaps if i spend more time in post or something ill enjoy them more. Im not sure. I threw them out though. So i cant reshoot them. (I did it on purpose. I obviously wasnt getting anywhere, and i had to separate myself from them). So they might not be part of the final series. But heres the one i liked the best: 

You see....this isnt how i planned it. When i started, the shattered ornament that is scattered through the image, was whole. It looked great like that. But i was impatient and moved to hastily, and broke it. :( Oh well. Im glad i had the top part of the ornament in the shot, or you probably wouldnt know what it was.

Like i said before, this was a productive week. Too bad the second half (or friday through TBD) is all about being snowed in and feeling trapped. But anyway, NEXT.

This picture was first perceived as being about a torn up shirt. Sure, it still is one, but its more about tourism i feel. Its not about the shirt, even though it adds great texture and shadow/highlights. Its more about the rips and holes around I <3  NY.

I actually broke this car a few weeks ago. it has been sitting on our dresser in a torn up rag since. When inspiration finally struck, this was the result. Its the only picture (so far) in the series that has quite a distortion and isnt flat. I wanted to achieve a feeling towards a car crash, but from a childs perspective (hence why the camera angle is more on the ground with the car, rather then above.

This picture seemed to work out well. Not in terms of any outstanding image. I dont hate the image, but i like what it stands for even more. When looking at this image, i know its about age. Growing old, feeling broken. It even helps that the single on this 45" is called "Young Girl." That was planned. especially with the rips and cracks going through it. The fact that its a record also really helps. An old 45" being disregarded.

Again, an old piece of technology, but this one is more literal stance against old technology. Its a old crt tv. One that isnt cared for; no one is even interested in it. I actually bought it for $5. Sad. But the great broken screen. Cracked front. Damaged sides. Texture galore.

Broken, pt. 4

This series is really starting to come together. The count is now at 15 (with todays images). Sure, some are better then others: but thats how all projects go. And i still feel plenty of motivation to continue this, so im no where near done yet :) 

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This was an idea i had since the start of the series. I wanted to break a vase with a broken flower. The stem almost looks surreal from the way its lit. Also, the flower is more about the separation from the stem then the actual peddles which is nice. I wanted it to be about the break. 

At first i wanted to add a ripped up tennis ball with this. But it seemed to cluttered;  hence why its removed. I also wanted some separation from the background- so that it wasnt surrounded by a dark shadow. The shadow is on the background, but it adds to the texture rather then the sleek lines of the racket.  

Out of all these items today, this one was by far the most troublesome. I broke the necklace in the air....not thinking. They pinged and bounced all over the room. I had to search for quite a while, and im sure i still missed some. Then during the actual shoot, i bumped the table and a bunch rolled off. I really like the grouping and framing of this shot. The top heavy two thirds makes it different. 

The tips of this cup remind me of devil horns. Also, the nice gradation of black to the gray background adds to the clear, glass cup. Thats water in the glass surprisingly... even though it looks like champagne. 

I made this image the other day, fyi. I photographed it after i had already posted about the clock image. So i figured i would just wait till now to share it. Its quite comical. The rip looks like a mouth and its either happy or yelling. At first there was a speck of glass (left over from the clock) right in between the dollar, and it looked as though it was eating it. I removed it. I want the smile to be an after thought. 

From this set of photos, this is my favorite. I love the texture of the pillow, and i feel the lighting only adds to the magic of this sad, torn up pillow. The dark shadow around the object feels like a frame rather then a distraction. And the crop is very odd. The tones are exactly how i imagined them while photographing and it seemed to work out.

So that was todays bunch. I hope you liked them. If you would like to see them together as a whole or would like to view past images, they are under "broken" in the Gallery section.  I wont be photographing again till the earliest Friday. But remember to check back then (or saturday). Oh! one more thing. My dad sat down with me today after i showed him all of these and looked at me very seriously and asked "Are you angry?" The answer by the way, is no. :) In fact, im excited for this series.

"Broken" Pt. 3

In the process of making these images I:

1. spilled vegetable oil everywhere
   
2. cut my thumb
   
3. burned my hand
4. shattered glass onto a floor
5. attempted to make a tent with a sheet
6. became extremely frustrated due to being in a sheet fort
   
7. Completely destroyed my room
8. wrecked a puzzle jackie and i made a long time ago (ok i didnt really wreck it, but the glue came off and i didnt realize it until i moved it.)

So...its been an eventful day.

This guy is a piece of glass from the next picture. I love the shape of this odd piece of glass. Including all the smaller cracks on it. Totally worth cutting my thumb on :)

This was the official picture i set out to produce today. Im not entirely sure if im going to keep those wires there or not. for right now, they are there. but who knows. i might take them out. Actually, at first i did take them out, but decided to put them back in at the last minute. With the wires, it feels more chaotic rather than without. Of course, the crop doesnt help with that feeling ;). This crop makes me so nervous. Which i wanted it to...so it works out. Tension is pouring from this image. But i guess thats what this series is all about anyway. Being broken. Feeling trapped. seems to fit quite well.

So hope you enjoyed these two. Sorry there wasnt more. but i kinda got snowed in. lol i might go out and get my next items later. but perhaps not. It also depends on if im working this week. (I am at paier. but my other job.) If im not- ill probably have another post tomorrow. We will see.

Oh and again- If you want to see the images larger, or would like to see the entire series as a whole, head on over to "broken" in the gallery section :)

"Broken" pt. 2

Lately, I have been coming up with ideas to continue this series of broken objects. Sure, some ideas are better then others, but at least the gears are turning again. It feels good to be back. I think this was my longest hiatus...since I started photographing "seriously." But anyway, In this post i will be showing 4 new images and explaining them a little bit. I hope you enjoy :)

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This little guy was the start of my adventure. I had a great idea to break a cracker and take a photo of it. Of course, i thought of a "Ritz" cracker, and we didnt have any in the house. So, instead of compromising (which i never do when it comes to art) i ran out and bought an entire box of crackers: which i used 2 from. Any one want any? :)

The Ritz cracker was preferred here due to the exterior vs. interior coloring (in this case tonality). The other crackers i had were very bland and didnt have that nice contrast i was looking for in the break. I broke the cracker down the middle and began to position it...when i realized i didnt have enough crums. So, thats where the other cracker came it. I pulverized that poor guy...and placed all those little crums around the cracker.

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I've noticed something about myself through the years. I'm not one to photograph on white, unless the object that is on the white seamless is also white (just like the Free Eggs series and various other things i have done). But I really wanted to rip a piece of paper into interesting shapes, and photograph them all on white. The tonality difference between the background and foreground is very compelling..along with the dark shadows from the raised paper.

White on White again. Except this one is a wonderful little playing card. Poor guy has a broken heart :(. I wanted to photograph one of these playing cards from a deck i have had since i was very young. Apparently through the years, some one dropped some juice on them. They were sticking together and the box itself was completely destroyed. Why did i keep them? im not entirely sure. But they did come in handy today. Instead of worrying about wrecking a deck, i just used this one :).

I wanted to do a throw back image. This reminds me of Irving Penn's Cigarette pictures. (which i love) But instead of using beat up cigarettes, i broke a pencil. Also, i wanted a nice dark background- which definitely plays in favor of the pencil. It appears as though i colored the background with the granite (which would be a lie if i said i did). 

So there you have it. 4 more images in the Untitled Broken project. 7 total as of right now (i might take another one today- but you'll have to wait to see that ;). If you want to look at them all just scroll down to the next block or head on over to the gallery page "broken" to view them.

Thanks for viewing and reading

Sal

roke the stove, broke the pot.

Truth be told, I have been even more lost photographically since the last post. I was hoping to have a spark of inspiration by now, but life happened. I'd rather not talk about that though. Instead, I'm here again on a mission.

My mission is to start creating again. So today i made some images. This series is code named "broken." Im sure by the end (if i continue it) i will come up with some other more conceptual name, But for the moment: Broken it is. Hope you enjoy :)

The soup smells delicious but I can't have any 'till mommy comes home :(

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this is how i feel

The title of this post, and the picture to the left are pretty good indications of how i am feeling right now photographically.

The problem that I'm facing is equivalent to writers block i guess. Its normal. It happens to me every time i finish a project. I tend to wander around aimlessly, take some various photos with no series attached and feel down about life and myself. Its pretty awesome.

So lets move on. More recently, Organic Revolution came to an official close. Now all that is left is to tweak the artist statement. I actually thought it was already up on the website: its not. I thought i had finished it: i didnt. oops. But thats ok gives me something to do. Eventually i would like to start producing books of all these series, but thats just a side note.

After that was completed and i began the pathless few weeks, and  fiddled with a few new ideas. They didnt work out. I took a few here and a few there, but nothing seemed to catch me and really drive me to make more then 4 or 5. Heres some images though, First one is the concept project "wrapped" in which i wanted to relate the still lives back to consumerism (right in time for christmas).

So i take back what i said before. this will probably be my new series. In fact, looking at them again really makes me want to photograph bags. I hate bags. yet these pictures seem to talk to me. But this is all just jibber jabber right now. Who knows what will be my next "official" project. But i do think this project has potential. especially if i bring in a human element into some of them :)

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I love the texture and the way the light plays off of those wonderful wal-mart bags. I think if i continue I'm going to use various store bags instead of just that one.

Ugh. I really hate feeling like this. I need a plan. I need direction. At least im working through it and still photographing. But it doesnt make me feel any better that there is still no plan! Soon. Soon i will have a plan. ill inform you when i do.

Well thats all for now. i will leave you with a few more images i have taken more recently. there enjoyable. but they still arent really part of a bigger picture......yet :(

The Overview.

For this blog post i would like to talk about the past few years. Like i mentioned in my previous post, i havent written in a while- so i would like to catch up on that.

The original Sal's Famous Photo Soup was centered around a singular photo project called Story of the Lost Sole. 

Here is a gallery of the images, or you can go to the actual gallery page and view them there: 

I would credit this project with being my second cohesive photo series. I had more before this one and the very first. But these are the ones with the substantial amount of images (this one has around 30, only 20 of which are available for viewing pleasure). 

In this series, each picture represents a particular story about various characters. Usually, they are shown with the little Flash Fiction i wrote to accompany them, but I do not have them available at this moment (might change in the near future). The pictures center around the characters shoes- placing them in different situations and mundane acts.

As a whole, I loved working on this series. There were highs and lows, but I really grew while working on it. My thought process changed: i was able to work through stress, or issues. I was able to keep going, knowing that i had a goal. And for that, i am very thankful of this project.

Up next is a small series I worked on: simply titled Carnival.

In Carnival, there is only about 8 images (here there is 6). A Very small series done with a Holga/Diana cameras*. It is my favorite body of work i did with the cameras. The series really centers around the loneliness of the carnival attractions. Forgotten by time. A world that doesn't appreciate them like they used to. Very depressing images.

Moving on: Free Eggs

*Holga/diana cameras are plastic lomography cameras. Very fun. Not sharp-and analog plastic body's. All images are scanned.

Free Eggs was a series i worked on during a difficult summer. I had a lot of doubts about myself and photography. In fact, i think it was the longest hiatus i have yet to take on the craft. I remember, i was working at Target Portrait Studio and was feeling overall drained by the lack of appreciation by its clients. The series idea came to me while working. Target had just opened its grocery store area and was giving away "free eggs." All week people were coming up to me asking about these free eggs and where they could get them. I knew that was it. It was inspiration i wasn't even remotely looking for.

The subtle tonalities of gray vs. white, with harsh blacks made this a great experience. I was shooting white eggs on white paper (that most of the time i allowed to change to a slight gray. But their is always they separation from falling off into the background.

I have a concept based off the photographs stating that the eggs are actually symbolic for humans and life. More or less the fragility of existence. The situations and spaces i crafted around the eggs represent our environments, or worlds that we collide each other. I actually have different interpretations of each picture, but im not going to go into that here.

So where am i? Oh yes, i finished Free Eggs in October of 2011, and started working on much smaller projects (for classes and what not)

The next major project to come about was in Feb. 2012: The Clown Variable.

Out of all my projects, this is by far the most daring for me to accomplish. Not only did it revolve around other people, but i needed a team with me more or less for each image. Usually, I sit in a dark room by myself and play with items. Big Step for me in this Project.

Let me talk about the background of this project before delving into it. I was in my senior year at Paier College of Art. I was about to embark on my final semester as a student (well....for a bfa that is). Senior Degree Project is basically your senior thesis project. Usually, with these types of projects you have all semester to work on them, but thats not the case with Paier. We had about 2 months. And let me tell you...i worked my tushy off in those 2 months. Well, prior to this, i never really worked with portraits. So i figured, it was time. I really wanted to go out of my comfort zone; knowing that i was leaving school and these opportunities wont come as often. So, when asked about what i wanted to do for my senior project- i responded (regrettably) with wanting to center it around clowns. (Its down regrettably because right before that, my professor said, he doesnt want it down on clowns...) But continuing with my idea, its about anything but clowns. Sure, at face value its all about the creature- but can you take things at face value anymore? you shouldnt. :)

I knew for this to work, i would need a team. Specifically, i needed my cousin Harmony Chamberlain to be on board with the project. She had done plenty of work regarding makeup, so i knew she was my team mate in making this work. I forced and bribed alot of people to model for me- and some were willing just cause. It was a great time. I am really pleased of how it came out.

The Clown Variable is about human interactions and taking things at face value. We judge by the external characteristics or surrounding rather than the overall true perception. The entire series is asking the question if this is right? Why must we be so quick to judge one another.

At the same time as working on the above series, i was crafting another: Naked. 

Naked was a great series. It allowed me to work on my still life work as well as still have time for The Clown Variable. This series of simple still lives are centered around objects owned by people very dear to me. In fact, one could say that the entire collection is more portrait that still life. My mom, dad, grandma, girlfriend and myself are all apparent in these images through our objects. I can feel us flowing through each and every shot.

The next series was my summer. Majestic Monuments

Going around the cities and towns, i found various places of decrepit environments.

I have always loved this kind of photography. where emotion is gathered from the objects: or in this case, the buildings. Easily my longest series (roughly about 42images), and longest spanning body of work (took from May to October). 

The final series that will be in this post (and my last finished one) Organic Revolution.

This series spawned from Naked. Fruits and vegetables have always been a prop i tend to use in various pictures, but never really centered an entire series around them. In fact, i didnt understand how i would, until this idea came to mind. I am a futurist. I feel technology will eventually be the downfall of the human race as we know it (as in, we might end up being augmented in some way that we dont necessarily represent the human race anymore). These pictures are about the transformation of this. At first we are coexisting with the machine, but near the end we will become one.

So thats my journey to this point. Im in search of another series right now. Actually, i have tried some "leads" i had on my next series, but im not sure if they will span out. I'll let you know in coming posts.

Sal

The New Flavors of Photo Soup

Hello everyone. Today is a very special day: Sal's Famous Photo Soup will be back online. Ok, it never actually went offline, but I'm going to start writing again about my various projects through the year. In fact, if you google my name (salvatore privitera) or Sal's Famous Photo Soup, you will probably get the original blog titled that (through blogspot). It is quite old, and I have deleted all of the galleries off of my drop box, so there isnt much to look at. All the writing is still there (yay...) but you obviously can't check out the photos for yourself :(

I have decided to blog again for one main reason: I missed it. For those of you who don't know, or know me- let me explain. The first "Sal's famous photo soup" was a class project. It spanned the entire semester, with every week receiving at least one blog entry with new photos and an explanation of why or your own opinion of the work. I enjoyed it immensely. It gave me a reason to go out and shoot (even when i was feeling particularly out-of-it). I'm very honest about my own work. So if i begin a project and start posting on here, I wont tell you every picture is a masterpiece. In fact, you will probably read more complaining about the image then anything. I tend to nit pic and tear my own photos apart.

This blog is really convenient too. I have always been one to waste my time and code my own websites. I decided this time around to forget about doing that, and instead put my efforts towards someone else's website woes. :-) This website is run by square space. Great place. Its alot like wordpress i guess, but i don't have to do much coding to get what i want, so its all good.

Side note: I havent typed on a physical keyboard in a while. Feels very strange. I actually miss using the touch screen on my iphone. Even though i always tend to have horrible mistakes, for i dont proof read my messages before sending and my auto correct has it out for me. :(

After this post im going to add a few more with previous work and explanations. The work will also be available for viewing (with a less candid approach to the explanation in the galleries section. 

Thanks for checking out my blog, hope you come back when i update again

Sal