Saturday, December 15, 2012

Can You Say Procrastinate?

For pete's sake, I can finally cross this off the forever long list of 'To-Dos'!  I shot my friend, artist Brian Ermanski back in the Fall of 2010, and said I'd make him a disk.  It was an impromptu shoot, and consisted of more than one night.  And not being a commissioned work it kept being placed on the back burner.  As I shoot at night, without flash, the photos need some attending to (post-processing, the originals are quite dark).  It took hours and hours, days and weeks, and kept being interrupted with more pressing jobs.  Finally I gave a definitive deadline in order to force myself to get this thing done and delivered, but then Hurricane Sandy hit us.   Soho was in the blackout area for a week.  (I won't go into that).  Once we were back on the grid I had two jobs lined up which I had to finish before I could go back to Brian's photos.  And two days ago I was thrilled to deliver the disk to his Tribeca studio where he's getting ready for a show on Monday.  How great to see his immense reaction as he stopped to look at the 136 images on his laptop with me.  He said he had never seen himself photographed that way, and it was a wonderful feeling to make someone so happy with my photos.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

My Hand-Drawn + Digital Processing Method


Details and more on the sMacVision Facebook page.  There's a link over there in the right-hand sidebar, please consider following!  :)

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Post Hurricane Sandy 20% off Sale!


Rather than go on with my Hurricane Sandy 'war stories', let me just be grateful that I now have electricity, a subway, and heat.  Many do not.  My silly problems were merely temporary, I cannot complain.  Now would be a nice time to take advantage of a rare sale on some sMacVision goodies.  Holidays are here!  The sale is in my Etsy shop only.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

The Summer Of Double (and Triple) Exposures


This year more than any other year I made so many mistaken double, even triple exposures with all of my cameras.  To clarify, in the past, it has always been bound to happen with my roll film cameras; you take a picture, then forget to wind.  The plastic toys don't have much protection or warning to prevent a shutter button from being depressed if the film has not been advanced one frame after taking a photo.  Certainly, this could be a good thing, allowing for artistic license with intentional double exposures, or advancing as little or as much as one wants between frames in order to make the photos spaced well-apart vs. overlapping.  A mistaken double exposure, however, is upsetting mainly because it tends to ruin two potentially good photos, and I am baffled as to how many times I actually did it with Polaroid film this year (like the one above)!  Over and over.  I'm getting forgetful in my old age if I can't even remember to pull the photo out once I've snapped it.  gah!

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Alterations

I am not of those fellow Polaroid shooters who are purists; who believe you should scan, print, or display a photo exactly as it comes out of the camera.  I do do it.  But have no rule against not doing it.  Sometimes a little alternative processing feels more correct for me.  Might have to do with my synesthesia, or might not.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

The Armory: I Wear What I Make

In fact, I made them for myself only, originally.  I couldn't find what I 'wanted' out there, so made these.  I wear them stacked up, like so, and love all the little colors together, like a handful of candies; candied religious medals, only with my quirky illustrations.  :P

People started complimenting me on them, so I started selling them offline.  They do much  better in person.  I've had them listed online before and don't do so well.  I think they have to be seen to be appreciated, and that's fine with me.

This photo of course, does not show off their colorful beauty.  I have another post here, and here, and here where  you can see that.  My sister took this up at the beach house by the ocean one morning a couple of weeks ago.... it's black and white Polaroid film (very expired, note the high contrast, blown out teeth and chin? And it's very schmootzy, see the speckles and stuff?)

Friday, August 31, 2012

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Shooting Film Expired in 1983

Kodak VR 1000 film.  Came out reminding me of a Seurat painting, pointillism and all!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Back From The Beach House

It's the longest time I get to spend with my twin sister (pictured here on The Impossible Project's PX100 Silver Shade First Flush film.  That First Flush batch has given me some dreamy flaws).  We'd get up at the crack of dawn, shoot sometimes before sunrise, after breakfast, then after dinner.

Just when I finished the huge task of scanning the last two years of Polaroids right before I left, I have a new stack to attack.  It's endless... but I've started.  The film is another story.  I will be adding 22 more rolls of film to be developed (development only, no cutting of negatives, no prints) to the 10 long strands of negatives hanging up on the wall still left from last summer.  Each one will be unhung, cut by hand, and I'll scan them into individual prints myself... it's a task which seems overwhelming, but I'll get there!  In the meantime, I miss my sis so bad, so thank golly for Skype.

Monday, July 16, 2012

My Cameras

I've never really photographed them before.  Figured it might be a good idea to at least, not necessarily artistically, but document for others to see my equipment.
Older things, not currently using.  When I do, I'll post the results!

Clockwise from upper-left: Diana, Diana-F (not F+), Polaroid 100, Polaroid 450, Polaroid SX-70, Polaroid One Step,  Holga TLR, Holgaroid (Holga with Polaroid back, back row), Holga BC, Holga Pinhole.


No matter the camera, if Polaroid film (integral or peel-apart), or roll film, I tape a piece of the package to the back of the camera it's loaded into.  Otherwise I forget.

Clockwise from upper left: cardboard pinhole camera (from kit), Macy's Department Store Christmas promo toy camera, Arunas-built tobacco box pinhole with Polaroid back, Brownie Holiday edition.

Friday, June 8, 2012

I Made A Book





Well, you know, someone else put it together.  I had a Groupon for Shutterfly so thought I'd try it out.  I've seen examples of these things at the Photo Expo which happens here every year in October, but always found them to be semi-cheeseball.  However, they allow you to forego their premade templates for full customization.  I am actually really happy about how it turned out.  More pages can be seen on my Facebook page.  I'm pretty sure you do not have to join to see them.... https://www.facebook.com/smacvision

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

What Does Nostalgia Look Like To You?

For me it looks like this.  Yes, that's me, at my friend's loft back in the 80's.  Those were some darn good times.  :)  I recently had dinner with the guy in the photo and I promised to take this down from my wall, unframe it, and scan it for him to see and remember.  I'd love to go back in time just for a day to spy on my life, just for a different appreciation of it.  I guess you can't ever feel that until you get past a certain age.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Out My Door

Essentially.  A thirty-one year old unsolved missing child case reopened, and memories resurface for many of us who remember the news coverage all that time ago.  Six year old Etan Patz got permission to walk the very short couple of blocks from his building (blocks in Soho are very small... we are not on the same scale as uptown) to his school bus stop one day back in May, 1979.  He never made it,  and has never been found.  His grieving parents have been forced to live the nightmare all parents fear.  But now new evidence has suddenly given cause for around the clock blockade of a section of Prince Street which falls along the route taken by Etan as he headed for the bus stop.  A buidling's basement there is being jackhammered and searched.  It will take a bit of time to break through all the cinderblocks and cement, but I do not think they will stop until they finish the task.  I went out there last night to document what hopefully will end in a final closure to his mother and father who deserve so much more, but nothing less.  My prayers to the investigators and to them.
A bouquet left on the police barricade in memory.
NYPD and official vehicles.
Traffic in Soho diverted off of Prince St.
News Stations' vans lined up along Wooster, from CNN to foreign news channels.
ABC Eyewitness News van on Prince St.









Saturday, April 14, 2012

Facebook Timeline

So the 'Timeline' feature has arrived on my sMacVision page, and while it is an adjustment to get used to, I don't find it so visually offensive.  I do think the layout is odd, however.  And it required a new 'Cover Photo' to be whipped up.  Come and follow me there if you haven't already; it's nice to have new fans, and like this blog, I won't be filling your day with massive amounts of posts!  ;)

Sunday, April 8, 2012

The World's Worst Blogger

Or something like that. What can I say? I know many others equally busy or more so are perfectly capable of tossing in a post every few days or week or so with very little trouble. At least it seems. But I am owning the fact that this is just not as easy for me, taking care of business offline, online, updating the Facebook, the shops, keeping on top of orders, shipments, and personal work. I am not a self-sufficient artist, I do have another day job; living in Manhattan requires it. I am going to try to not beat myself up over not being so present like the many blog-owners I love to follow are. I'm doing my best.  Happy Easter, everyone!









These are some of the Paper Mache NYC Racing Puppies still in [slow] progress.  They mostly run in circles, and stop for treats along the way, but they have fun, and they're adorable in an imperfect way.  More on the sMacVision Facebook page!