I shot this portrait of one of my best friends and college roommate, Eddy, using my 85mm f/1.8 and a single ProFoto strobe with white umbrella. Eddy likes SnakPaks.

I’ve been in Orlando for the past 4 weeks working a contract job for the awesome, interactive agency, Lightmaker (lightmaker.com). The studio space is a great environment to work in. Everyone is full of energy and very laid back. Nerf gun fights are totally acceptable and I think the ability to play rockband on Expert mode is a job requirement (or job description). It’s a great thing to walk in to work in the morning to witness people already shooting pool, playing rockband, or arguing about which color knight is the best one at medieval times. The task i was given was pretty intense but it was an awesome challenge for me. I wasn’t sure if I could complete it, but I had no choice! In 14 working days, I modeled and textured 187 objects in 3d that will be used for a facebook application. No idea when it will go live but i’ll let everyone know.

Anyways… the other night Angelica txt’d me saying there was a full moon with a haze. I was suprised she noticed. She told me that it meant some kind of omen (good or bad) would present itself. Well, i’m not sure if this is it, (i’d like to think so) but today i went to the book store just to wander around the art section. I found one book that, judging by its cover, seemed like it didn’t belong there. The title was “Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers” by Leonard Koren. 

WTF is a wabi-sabi? I read the intro to the book and I still had no idea what it was. now i was curious. i found an empty group of seats where i could sit and indulge in this book. Two hours go by and I’ve read the book, cover to cover. ok….. sooooo….. WTF is wabi-sabi!?!? 

Well… in my perception, its the japanese version of punk (without the music) with a little deeper meaning, MORE contradiction with zen buddhist theory, and more organic substance. The author says the closest English translation is the word “rustic”. I’m not sure i agree with that. But the book says, “wabi-sabi can in its fullest expression be a way of life” and “At the very least, is a particular type of beauty.”

“At the very least, is a particular type of beauty.”

That second part caught my attention. Koren explains that a part of wabi-sabi accepts that there is beauty in ugliness when in the right context. once again… WTF is wabi-sabi!? Reading this book was almost difficult and required rereading certain parts because it SEEMED contradictory. So what does beauty within ugliness means? Well, “when in the right context” something seemingly ugly can in turn be beautiful. 

I need to read this book several more times to take it all in but it really means alot to me because lately I haven’t been satisfied with my photography. sometimes i think i’m being too much of “my own worst critic” and its really pushed me to not know what a good photo is anymore. learning about wabi-sabi gave me a new angle to look at my photos… to an artist, its like having a new tool in the toolbox. 

(straight from the camera. my little cousin collecting easter eggs.)

technically speaking, this is a good photo (properly exposed, good composition, decent color etc). but her head is turned away. its not really a good “snapshot”. i started to imagine if i was someone else looking at this photo and i started to think “who is this little girl”. it started to turn mysterious for me because there was this huge curiosity now of who is hiding behind that hair. i started to look through more photos and i realized something i had not noticed before.

this was the next photo… face still hidden. and now another faceless little girl to further madden the unhelpful. 

another mystery shot of this little girl. now i’m very curious as to why this girls face is not being shown. WABI-SABI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the first photo alone was not a good photo to me (as was the 2nd and 3rd photo). but when you put the 3 photos together… something happens that turns it all into something more meaningful. that moment, or change, is wabi-sabi.

the series of images with a several curves and hue/saturation adjustment layers for the “bad camera with expired film” look.