Drought

You may notice, i haven’t updated in a while.  So what’s been up?

My project photographing immigrant families in America has gotten some changes to it.  I haven’t really posted the photographs on the net because I feel its not ready yet.  I spent a lot of time printing in the darkroom, but as of late, just been too tired to do anything.  I feel like i’ve run out of material, but this is what happens when you invest yourself in a project.  You have to be able to accept the setbacks, the failures, and the strength and determination to continue through with the project, and remember why you started it in the first place.

Anyway, I’ve been walking around with my film SLR lately, and i’ve been shooting in black and white, so here’s some of my new stuff.

These shots on the Williamsburg Bridge were shot while i was riding on my bike, and shooting at 1/1000th of a second at f/5.6, soo if you didn’t understand that, i was taking the picture with one hand and camera to my eye while the other hand controlled my bike and hoping to avoid dieing.





These following 2 were shot on my Hasselblad, with spot metering, because that week, Allen broke the tripod i took out from school and so I had to just focus on where the light was, i think it was pretty cool results.


So if you guys have any inspiring ideas, please throw it at me, and leave feedback, because it’s always welcome.

Love, An Rong

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Starting and Ending the Day

Last week I headed to Maryland with my friend to pick up some stuff we won in an auction from NASA. Got some good stuff, if you’d like some camera equipment that had been used by NASA, meaning it might have been up in Space, get at me. Anyway, funny thing bout the trip… I learned a lot from my friend Jimmy, who i met at school, and saw D.C. for the first time, but didn’t take any pictures around Maryland, and nothing good out in the other states. But I did get pictures of the BQE around Sunrise and Sunset, so enjoy!

Sunset-ish

Many of these pictures were taken, while Jimmy, my friend, was driving, and i was standing up and looking thru the moonroof of his SUV. So as we were moving on the BQE, i was out the moonroof trying to take pictures. Also, with the really long shots, such as the one with the Willamsburg Bridge, i really like them, especially with the little tiny details. For example a bird flying through the sky that might look like a dust speck, also the city skyline. I enjoy how minuscule they look, but in reality, their enormous. Enjoy!

Comments are always welcome!

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Beauty

Beauty,

I don’t know who or what you are, but when I see you, I know it’s you. You take the forms of many different things. I find you most in human form, you have hidden yourself well in some and it is apparent you are in others. There really isn’t anything that is truly ugly. You just hide well in them till someone actually takes time to understand that persons beauty. Ugly is just what we find displeasing, and we use ugly to give it a name. You, beauty, will always be around and will aways be amazing even when least apparent. Unlike your very hot sister, lust, you stay, and I don’t regret you the next morning. I’ve learned from her that she just gives and goes, and that if your happy with her it won’t be for long. Beauty I can’t describe you because you are too vast, wider than the world’s oceans, and beyond this world, something i will never truly grasp. I’ll never truly understand you, but each time you appear, I’ll try to say hi.

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Vloggage! and Photos and a Story

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFZCzaFWf94[/youtube]

So this weekend, was pretty hectic. Went to Boston with Taiyo Na and Magnetic North to photograph their tour of Beantown. It was pretty cool, these guys are really passionate about what they do, and what their doing is ground breaking for other Asian Americans. Well I followed them around and documented their tour. So here are some of the photos from the tour.

Go View the rest at http://flickr.com/photos/anrizzy/sets/72157614235955063/.

crazy weekend though. On Saturday the first show was at BU. I had gone to the Marc Jacobs store before and bought some stuff. Right after the performance by Taiyo and Magnetic North ended at BU, we rushed out because we needed to get to Northeastern in time for the show. When we get to Northeastern, i realized i had left my bag at BU, but i said whatever, its just material goods, i got work to do here. So i photographed the whole show and such, i gave my homegirl Lucy a call to see if she could find it, but she couldn’t so i was like SHIET. Then after the show, i remember Kevin So had been sitting in our area, called Kevin So, he gave us the number of one of the coordinators who was still there, got in touch with her, and then she said if she gets word, she’d let me know.
The Northeastern show was really good, the crowd was very good, wish they wouldve gotten up instead of sitting down though. But we did go out with some of the crowd to eat after the show, at this spot Peach Farm, the food was good, barely tasted the MSG.
I decided that i’d go to BU this morning and try to see if i can check for myself. I get there the front door of the building was closed. So i being determined, said “F that!” found a back door that was open and found the auditorium it was in, but my bag was gone! So i decided the stuff wasn’t too expensive, so i went back to the MJ store to re-buy.
The store wasn’t going to open till 12, but i was able to talk one of the employees into letting me in to get the stuff, cause of what happened, and he was really cool about it, his name is Van, tall Aussie, and he’s a pilot! So i had some time before i had to meet up with Taiyo and T Vu and D Kan, soo i decided to walk from Newbury Street all the way to South station. It was a good walk, i was using my brand spanking new 50 mm lens. I finally got to walk thru Chinatown, it was pretty cool, nothing compared to NYC, but hey we are the city that was so nice they had to name it twice. I get there, i’m still using the 50mm lens. But i see a shot of the Chinatown sign that i would need my 18-200mm , soo i went inside the station sat down and then changed lens, and took some of the shots. Barely made it onto the bus back to NYC. I swore i had the 50 mm lens in the camera pouch with 3 memory cards in my bag. It might have been me moving shit around in my bag often, cause i kept switch books and rearranging shit, the camera pouch might have fallen out. So when i got home, i couldn’t find the pouch and the memory cards =(, i was soo pissed, but its my fault i guess. I called MegaBus, they said the driver didnt find anything, but they also told me to call again tomorrow. So im crossing my fingers, and going to pray to whoever, can help bring my baby and babies back! The MJ bag of stuff i lost at BU, it was found btw, home girl carrie is going to pick it up for me <3. UGH yea, soo crazy weekend.

BUT!!! it was fun, it was an experience, taught me, i need to stop being a cheap wad and buy a camera bag, if i dont get the lens back, ima need to start saving for a new one. UGH DAMN RECESSION!

But keeping my head up! hope this wasnt too much to read haha.

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New Photos

Hey all, I’ve been uber busy with school and such. I got home at like 1 last night cause i was in the color dark room printing till like 12 ish hahah. I’m still working on my project involving immigrant families in America. So far I’ve only worked with 4 families, and they’ve been turning out pretty well. I think i need to spend more time with each family in order to really get to the essence of each. Anyway here’s some new photos.


This photo was inspired by the amazing clouds i saw that night. I was coming out my school building, and all of sudden i see these awesome cloud formations, and inspired, i stood on 3rd Avenue, just trying to capture these clouds.


I took this at the Comic Con last saturday. It was inspired by a shot that I saw from Allen’s portfolio. This is inside the Javitz center.


Shot this on lafeyette and spring, right next to John Mayer’s apartment building haha. Just something bout lights on columns that really draw my attention.


Inside my grandfather’s apartment building on Mott. I’ve walked down this hall hundreds of times, and this was the first time i really noticed something bout the lighting of it.

While waiting for the 7 train, i saw the cloud formations, along with the Citi Building, the clouds were calling me, and i could not deny them. It was hard to shoot with the train station thing over head, but it gave me a weird effect i kind of like.

Well i hope all is well with everybody, enjoy! As always feedback is welcome!

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It’s not as bad as it could’ve been

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ksbQewSzrQ[/youtube]

It’s how we do…

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Whispering Gallery

-Hey go stand over there
-What?
-Just do it.
-Okay, weirdo
Girl walks down to other side
-Hey, can you hear me?
-Yea, wtf? how is this working?
-It’s a whispering gallery
-Haha, wow your suck a dork, how do you know about this?
-I don’t know i just do, hey…
-What?
-I think your cute..
-haha, you bring me here to tell me that?
-No, but i just wanted to show you something special
-Well, it’s alright, haha, its pretty neat.
-Hey, you want to get away?
-What?
-Let’s get out of here, go somewhere,
-You mean run away?
-Na, i mean we’ll come back, i just don’t know when
-Haha, your ridiculous, cmon i gotta get home
-Alright, but hey, keep this our secret okay?
-Haha, who would i tell?
-I don’t know, just our secret
-haha your such a dork fine.

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4k0IlX8kI4[/youtube]

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Goodbye 2008

So tomorrow is December 31st, that means the new year is around the corner.
Shiet, that was a fast year. I dont rememeber half my resolutions from last year. But i did remember that i’d get into art school, and 3 1/2 would make something.
I’m not going to make any new year’s resolutions this year, cause i know ima be doing this again next year, hopefully.
But here’s a year’s worth of images. It’s going to be my 12 best images one from each month. I hope ya’ll enjoy.

The Man Who Broke A Dragon's Heart

January- This is quite possibly one of my favorite pieces. It’s a lot of my childhood dreams, of believing in all these crazy sci-fi things with the light sabers and my chance to become a jedi and such.

The Heart Of Chinatown
I guess this is pretty self exclamatory, but for those of you who don’t know. This is the heart of Chinatown, or what i consider the heart.

March- Janet cut school to go to the Met to help me with my museum report. This part of the museum, was covered in tiny little aluminum foil wrappers all making this weird looking pattern. Photography was prohibited, but being the daring motherfucker that I am, I was able to snap this one shot. I guess i partitioned art? Thanks Janet.

Taiyo Na

April- This was from my first encounter with Taiyo. That day his song Lovely To Me (Immigrant Mother) had me tearing, the song was quite powerful and touching. It was the first time this ever happened. I enjoy listening to his music, and I have had the luck to hang out with him, when i had a photo shoot with him. Another thing, the day i met him, I didn’t have money to buy his album, so he gave it to me, and said “Pay me back next time.” None the less, I paid him back when I saw him at Lincoln Center. Thanks for all the help Taiyo.

In The Congo

May- This was from one of my last days at the Brook. It was the beginning of the hot weather. Being spontaneous, me and my brothers decided to have a bbq. This photo evokes many memories, and I personally love it. Pertaining the title as Avedon said, “…All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth.”

June- This is where the photographic talent well had a monsoon. Also when i began encountering, clouds. Before this, I never particularly noticed clouds, and the interesting forms and shapes and such. I had entered this photo in American Photo’s Photo of the year competition. I guess it didn’t have much relevance to popular media. However, i still love this photograph.

July- Independence Day, this was my first time going out and trying to photograph the national holiday. I had staked out my spot and went with Allen and Janet. It was pretty muggy that day, got there like 7 hours early, sat talked, did retarded things (light drawings, slap jack, ask Allen if he was going to finish that, Etc.) The wait was well worth it, we got a bench and moved it under a tree so the rain couldn’t get to us, but enough so that we could see the fireworks. It was pretty swell day, besides losing my nice Sennheiser headphones.

August- Me and Kingston had just recently joined the M.A.D. dragonboating team. It was much different from our previous team, ConEd. Things were more intense, practice was more frequent, and they had their own fancy marina! Before practice one day, Kingston and I had arrived early and I saw the cloud formations, and it was really interesting. This was the beginning of the end of summer.

September- Taken on September 10th. This was the day before the 7 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11th. The two beams of light that pierced through the night sky were up. I tried my best without a tripod, but looking back I wonder if the image would’ve looked better with a tripod or as it is.

October-Grandpa, I had just started SVA. the assignment was the photograph someone you loved. So I photographed the man who had raised me for years, my Grandpa. This is my favorite photo of him that i have ever taken. He is in his last year of being an octogenarian, and may he keep living on.

November- I was working on a set of photos with an idea, that was experimental and not yet refined, and i need to further refine it. But, i got this shot of Janet at 1 in the morning underneath the BQE in Williamsburg. * Originally i had another photo chosen for November, however, it was a bit risque for the internet, and I did not want to cause trouble with my friend who the photo was of, so if your curious, ask me and i’ll show you, i guarantee it won’t disappoint.

December- It ain’t over yet, but December, had brought a lot of odd things. This was from my therapeutic walk down the Hudson. Happenly, I ran into more clouds, but this was just amazing, how nature was on display. Also, this was my first photograph I have ever sold. The price doesn’t matter but it was SOLD!

Photographic Resolution: Get better, Keep learning, Understand Color, Get better at portraits, and never give up.

Special Thanks to everyone who’s helped me with my photographs this year!

Posted in Daily, Happy | 9 Comments

GNR goes to Boston

This past weekend, i headed to Boston, with Ryan. I had a photo shoot, he had business to handle.

The photo shoot went alright, didn’t really get any amazing shots. Gotta re-shoot, pressed for time, and i guess that’s quite ironic, me trying to relive the past with her, and her running away faster that i thought. Anyway heres some shots from Boston.

This is the reflection pond, Carrie showed it to me on Friday. It looked really nice, but me being cold and lazy, didn’t want to go and get the tripod and a camera. Went back on Saturday with Lucy, she braved the cold with me, that day was mad cold.

This might be the most epic photo of Lucy ever, she might disagree, but i think its very representative of who she is.

In Boston, they have an inferior transit system, called the T. Shit is WHACK, the thing is mad shady, and shit is sorta confusing, but being the New Yorker that i am, i was able to read the map and take the T with ease.

BTW!!! I spent time in Quincy, Mass. with my Great Uncle. Then later on, i found out, from one of lucy its pronounced QuinZy, not Quincy, WTF is that fucking Bostonians.

Outside the restaurant, where lucy took me, a group of kids were sk8 boarding. One of them i noticed was nosebleeding. I thought that was hard core, soo I when we were leaving i asked if i could take a photo of him, and he said sure. I should’ve taken a few more shots, but wasn’t really thinking.

I spent my Sunday afternoon with this cool cat, Jess, who wouldn’t let me take a photo of her, cause she was afraid she looked bad. It’s cool Jess, I capture reality, i dont liek to hide shit haha.

Boston was pretty decent, need to go for a longer time to get more photos and get more of an experience.

Shout outs to Long for letting me stay at his crib, and showing me a good time.

And this is lucy getting blown away by the wind. Click it to see it animated

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