Black and White.

I've been working on my photography portfolio a lot lately. I'm starting to apply for jobs and I figure it would be a great addition to my video resume. Here are a few shots I took in black and white. I really think the subjects' personalities show through better without the distraction of color.

New song

So Long Geography!

I've been thinking a lot about culture gaps in geological regions. For instance, how different culture can be on two different sides of town but then people of certain racial or socioeconomic groups share a culture all over the country. Before the internet/television/etc. culture was reliant on location. You know, southerners had one culture and yankees another and the west coast had one all to themselves. While yes, those still exist, I've seen more of a cultural connection between members of the same socioeconomic groups than of people who simply live in the same region. Urban blacks, for example, have developed a similar cultural stereotype across the country. Things as small as large headphones, baby phat clothing, and ranch dressing have been linked through this phenomenon. Many are found present in music videos, lyrics, and television shows. This just shows how advances in communication and transportation have made socioeconomic and racial factors more important than geographical factors (which usually dictated a culture). So like, poor urban blacks in Atlanta are more similar to those in Oakland than to their white neighbors. It's interesting.

Hard News

This was my first shot at doing a real hard news package:

City life

I am alive.

The thought courses through my veins like electricity. My heart begins to beat rapidly with excitement. My senses tingle and I'm on edge. My mind goes over what just happened. How it happend and why. I can't help but smile a crooked grin.

I am alive.

The wind picks up and the air gets warm and thick. It begins to rain. It's not a cold rain and it's not a warm one. It's a degree in between and it's coming down in sheets. I pull my coat around me as I walk out of the dark alleyway into the street lights. I pull a cigarette out of my coat pocket and fire it up with my dad's old lighter. I take a long, slow drag before blowing out the smoke. Feels good. Feels like it used too.

I take a walk. My feet have a mind of their own and they lead me where they want to go. Cars go by and the sounds of the city fill the air. The rain stops for a few moments before continuing on in it's usual, unpredictable fashion. How I got stuck in a dump of a city like this I'll never know. But the pay is good. And the company ain't half bad either. As long as you know where to go.

lullaby

Can't sleep
heart beats
eyes blink
breathe deep.

stop.

slow thoughts
turn on tv
soak in distraction
close eyes.

lather
rinse
repeat.

It's Time...

This commercial aired on television in Australia.

I'm obsessed with this ad! It's incredible the way they hid the protagonist behind the camera -  it really put the viewers in his shoes. I think it was important to the moral of this ad for the protagonist to remain anonymous until the very end. That way every viewer, even those who are not in favor of marriage equality, can see past the politics of the issue and agree on the real issue: love. Everyone can agree on love. And having the sex of the protagonist revealed at the last moment shows that someone's sex is just that, one small detail in the big picture.