because a Reverend can't be wrong.
Saturday night’s party is back on.
It starts at 10pm. Those of you on Facebook got an invite already. Those of you who are not (losers) can get more information at the FaceBook “Xmas-Eve-Eve of Mayhem and Debachery”:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2224161637 event.
If you are on Facebook, just RSVP there. If you’re not, sign up. If you don’t want to do that, call, email, IM, or comment and let me know that you’re coming.
A meme.
1. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
two jackets, a tripod, two light stands, two umbrellas, a backpack (filled with two super clamps, two umbrella holders, two portable strobes, wireless flash triggers, gels, snoots, and other assorted modifiers and accessories), miscellaneous trash, and several mostly empty travel coffee cups.
2.. What’s your favorite curse word?
Fuckity fuck fuck FUCK.
3. Menthol or regular cigarettes?
I like a Menthol now and then, though generally speaking, I prefer regular.
4. What is your favorite episode of Friends?
Episode 2.13, “The one after the superbowl, part 2″ where Chandler runs into an old friend “Susie Moss” (played by Julia Roberts) who has a grudge against him that gets repaid leaving him in a public restroom wearing only women’s underwear. Yeah, I like friends. A lot.
5. Does anyone have any blackmail on you?
Certainly.
A short collection of news in the world of Daniel. Hopefully, each of these paragraphs is short enough to keep your attention.
I’m slowly removing the LJ friends that don’t comment, don’t email, don’t IM, don’t write anything I’m interested in, and don’t see me at least every couple of months in person. It’s not a threat or a call to action or anything like that. Just a process to make my life easier and more rewarding. This is step one.
No, “really”:http://revjim.net/2006/12/15/web-based-tools-facebook-twitter-flickr-google-calendar/! “FaceBook”:http://facebook.com/ is the best Social Networking site ever. “Mario agrees”:http://mario.seraphworks.com/i-got-cat-class-and-i-got-cat-style/. Just sign up. Enjoy. Love the simple life. “And add me”:http://www.facebook.com/p/Daniel_James_Lashua/514942252/! Don’t make me buy your FaceBook friendship. Cause I will if I have to, you know.
No, “really”:http://revjim.net/2006/12/19/two-new-features-at-arranging-light/! It’d mean a lot to me if you’d look at “these photographs”:http://djamesphoto.com/arranginglight/needs-help/ and quickly rate each one. It makes me very sad to see that perfect strangers are more willing to spend a few seconds telling me how much they appreciate the work I share with them and yet many of my friends can’t seem to find the time.
Did you know that every photograph in my “PhotoBlog”:http://djamesphoto.com/arranginglight/ has a “Blog This!” button. I’m just saying.
“LoopNote”:http://loopnote.com/ is cool. The idea itself isn’t novel at all. But, the implementation is. Be notified your way (IM, Email, SMS) of the things you want to be notified about. “I made a loop”:http://loopnote.com/revjim that you can subscribe to if you’d like. I’m not sure what I’ll use it for, if at all.
I’m probably going to stop selling images on-line. It’s a lot of extra effort to jump through the hoops “Exposure Manager”:http://exposuremanager.com/ puts me through just to offer people a highly discounted price on machine prints of my art photograph for such a small reward. I think I’m much better off making print runs and selling them myself in person or in special editions to select markets. Selling like this only reduces the value of my work, and to what end?
No, “really”:http://revjim.net/2006/12/21/christmas-is-near/! I was totally serious about the “New Years Cards”:http://revjim.net/2006/12/21/christmas-is-near/. You know me. They’ll be cool. Very cool.
I’ve made “several Flickr sets”:http://flickr.com/photos/revjim/sets/ that you may be interested in. Most of them are various collections of my work ordered by Flickr popularity. Any comments you have or “favorites” you wish to administer would be *greatly* appreciated. Also, if you’d like to see some outstanding photography that isn’t my work, be sure to check out my “Flickr Favorites”:http://flickr.com/photos/revjim/favorites/. You can even “view them as a slideshow”:http://flickr.com/photos/revjim/favorites/show/ and by clicking on an any of those images you can easily click just one more time to mark it as a favorite. These photographers go out of their way to make images available to you and really appreciate when you take the few seconds required to show them how much you like their work by marking it as a favorite. It’s easy.
No, “really”:http://revjim.net/2006/08/17/lighting-on-location/! I want a lot more practice at making Environmental Portraits. The few that I’ve done have been regarded as some of my best portraits ever. I’d like some more practice and photographing myself is just not the same. If you’re interested in doing some Environmental Portrait work with me please let me know.
A survey I stole from Jess.
1. EVER BEEN GIVEN AN ENGAGEMENT RING
Yes. But she made me give it back.
2. LONGEST RELATIONSHIP?
This one… going on 4 years of marriage.
3. LAST GIFT YOU RECEIVED?
Last night from Nic and Em: A cool box with a clock in the top of it.
4. EVER DROPPED A CELL PHONE?
Yes. But it dropped me first.
5. WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU WORKED OUT?
Last night… on your mom… biotch.
I could use a little advice here.
Self Portraits are hard. Daily Self Portraits are even harder. Here’s the dilemma I’m running into.
There just isn’t enough time in most any 24 hour period to think of a personally valid or appropriate idea, determine how to photograph that idea, set up that shot, photograph it, edit it, and post it. So, I have two options.
1) Post less often.
That’s what I’m doing now, by default. As often as I come up with an idea, I’ll photograph it and post it. If that’s once a week instead of once a day, then so be it. This is what I’m doing now, by default.
Posting less often means that I’ll put more attention on creating interesting images, instead of just any old image. IN the past 19 days I’ve posted at least eight self portraits that I consider to be valid, purposeful, and interesting. That’s not too bad. Of course, new ideas are harder and harder to come by with each new day. But, more than likely, this means a good, well planned, well thought image once a week. Maybe more often than that. Quantity will be way down, but the quality will be greater.
2) Post less interesting images.
The focus will be on taking a portrait of myself. Period. Sure, it’ll be well lit, cleanly produced, and photographically valid, but it’ll just be a portrait. If all else fails, it’ll be on a black or white backdrop. If I happen to have a good day, it’ll be an environmental portrait in my house somewhere. If I have a really good day, it might even be an environmental portrait outside of my house. Of course I’d still work on interesting ideas too. I’d give them time to develop, photograph them when I have a bit of extra free time, and give them extra production attention.
Posting less interesting images means there will be a new self portrait nearly every single day. This means that I’ll be forcing myself to work every day and try something every day, even if it’s the same basic something I did the day before. This means quantity. However, posting every day also means that I’ll be less inclined to experiment and develop more interesting ideas.
*So which do you think, overall, is the more interesting result? Which do you think will help me grow more as a person and as a photographer?* Your input is greatly appreciated.
Christmas is near. Very near. Like, 4 days from now.
Every year I get so excited that it’s Christmas again. I start out playing Christmas music WAY before Thanksgiving to the boos and hisses of most of my friends and family. I just really get into the spirit of giving and sharing.
But, inevitably, the closer Christmas comes the more I begin to loathe it. I start thinking about all the people that may have bought me gifts and all the people I should have bought gifts for. I think about how I wish I could do more for so-and-so, or how I wish I could have gotten that perfect whatever for whats-her-name. I think about how I should have sent out Christmas cards this year and how I’ve said that every year since I I graduated high school and yet have never actually ever sent out Christmas cards.
Then, with the gifts that I’ve gotten for others that I do like, I want to give them away right then and there — I don’t want to wait until Christmas. Often, by the time Christmas day comes, anyone I see on a nearly regular basis has gotten their gifts. I don’t know if I’ve ever given Jess a gift on Christmas day. I just break too easily.
By the time Christmas day has arrived I’m just happy that it’s over and hopeful that next year will be easier. This year, however, has been better than before. A few changes made that possible.
First, I decided that it’s okay to give Jess all of her gifts before Christmas Day and that, if I do, that doesn’t mean I have to run out and find something else to give her on the 25th to make up for giving her everything early.
I also decided that, just because someone buys me something doesn’t mean I have to buy them something. I also decided that I’m not going to worry that giving a gift to someone who didn’t get me one might make them feel bad. If I want to give a gift, I will.
And last, but most importantly, I realized that many people already have everything they want that I can afford to give them. There’s no point in stressing out trying to find them something they’ll actually use. Just a simple gift or something handmade to let them know I thought of them along with my companionship should be enough — and it is.
I’ve also decided that I am NOT sending out Christmas cards this year. But I am sending out Happy New Year cards. Some of you are getting them whether you like it or not. Some of you I don’t have an address for, though. So, if you want one, be sure to email me your mailing address.
I’ve added two new features over at “Arranging Light”:http://djamesphoto.com/arranginglight/.
The “Most Popular”:http://djamesphoto.com/arranginglight/most-viewed/ feature shows you Arranging Light’s most popular images allowing you to see the viewer selected best of the best.
The “Needs Help”:http://djamesphoto.com/arranginglight/needs-help/ feature shows those images that have a small number of views or ratings (not the score itself, but the number of people who rated the image). By visiting these images and rating them you can quickly and easily give me valuable feedback that will help me grow as a photographer.
70…. err 63 random questions that I stole from Kristy. 7 of them were missing when I got this. I don’t know why. I’ll replace them with the first 7 questions asked.
1. Initials
DJ Bitch
2. Name someone with the same birthday as you.
I have no idea. But according to Wikipedia, I share a birthday with Wolfgang Puck, Beck, and Kevin Bacon. 6 degrees to Kevin Bacon? Shit, i got it in one. Plus, on my birthday, in 1099 was the start of the first crusade.
3. Last thing you ate:
Toast with Peanut Butter.
4. There was no 4.
5. I say Shotgun! You say:
Wedding. Shotgun Wedding.
