Exploration with Culture
America’s recycling program. It’s fantastic in my city, sucks in others. So I took the idea of recycling into the studio, and placed one shot in context (above) and took the other two slightly out of the box.
Composting. Try it, you’ll cut back on your weekly load of trash and also create a healthy garden
CPS: Child Protective Services or the Department of Social Services. Putting children through America’s foster care system since 1974.
I had the opportunity to shoot some promotional material for Bainbridge Island Boxing Club. The owner, Ben (i.e. The Bear), is an ex-pro, coaching his students in both traditional boxing as well as Muay Thai, or Thai boxing. It was thrilling to spend a couple of evenings with them, watching as they used every muscle in their bodies with agility and speed. Next time I step foot in the gym, hopefully it will be without camera and only gloves.
After traveling to Ambergris Caye in Belize, photographing various artists utilizing the skill and exactitude of their hands, I purchased one of the wooden bowls from Graniel’s Dreamland as a gift, gifted, took it back and brought it into the studio… whew. And now it’s done.
Full bowl studio shot
Close-up bowl studio shot combined into catalog spread with on-location workshop shot
As prophesied throughout the Western world, 12/21/12 was thought to be the last day of civilization, the last Friday, the end of the Mayan calendar. But as expressed via the wisest of the oldest known cultures (i.e. Hindu culture, i.e. Mayan culture), civilization does not come to an end, but embarks upon a new era. Within tens to hundreds of thousands of years, humanity lives through periods of certain growth. The Hindu calendar currently resides within the Kali Yuga, which according to ancient scriptures began in 3012 BC and is expect to last 10,000 years. The Mayans have a similar system. December 21st, 2012 was the end of an era, specifically the 13th Baktun, a 5,125-year cycle overall. The Mayan Long Count Calendar continues.
And so, we embark into a new cycle of life (according to the Mayans), and on that fateful day of Friday, December 21st, 2012, we visited Lamanai, the one of many Mayan ruins located within the jungles of Belize. We found plenty of old, and many things anew.
Visitors standing atop the largest remaining temple dedicated to astrological research.
A local rum distillery, located directly next to a rehabilitation center for rich foreigners…
Welcome to the jungle
While traveling to Ambergris Caye in Belize, I reached out to local workers and artists about creating captivating imagery about their careers or passions. Below is a taste of what came to be while visiting.
Local handyman and contractor, Landy T. laying tiles in a vacation home.
Workers at Graniel’s Dreamland build furniture, piers, bowls and anything wood out of locally harvested trees from the mainland of Belize.
Glenn Schwendinger is an entrepeneur extraordinaire. Fourteen years ago he landed on Ambergris Caye with his wife and chef Colleen, opened the fabulous Rendezvous Restaurant on the north end, created it’s own wine label and became the world’s largest conch pearl dealer. Conch pearls? you might ask. The world’s rarest gem found in 1 of every 10,000 conch shells.
Belize… heaven on Ambergris Caye for 10 days underneath the Caribbean skies.
After weeks and months of design, storyboarding, preproduction, shooting and post, the following seven catalog spreads are finally complete.
Bee vs. Bee-keeper: Above is a shot of a Northwest bee-keeper harvesting the season’s honey, while to the right a bee flies, stinger ready, protecting the colonies winter surpluses.
Foote Board: Inside his mobile shaping room, PNW surfboard shaper Kelly Foote sands down a new design.
Carlson’s Imagination: Internationally-renowned glass artist Robert Carlson prepares the next phase of his creative process, applying paint to the artforms.
Prince Rolex: An early 20th century Rolex watch worn in style.
DDT Apocalypse: DDT, a pesticide banned in the US, explodes with devastating consequences.
Lang Tattoos: Woodblock print artist Tracy Lang transforms her career as a tattoo artist.
Kelly Foote Surfboards: A new design, a new board, more waves.
With the summer gone and while shuffling through imagery for a short film I’m putting together, these images remind me of what warmth use to feel like on the coast of Washington. However, come the cold water arrives a beautiful swell. As the season turns on in the PNW, the last thing I want to do is sit on the shore and shoot. ‘Til next summer.
Location: Somewhere on the West Coast
Camera/Lens Specifics: Canon 5D Mark III with Canon EF 500mm f/4L II USM Lens
various settings, tripod.
Post: Adobe LR4 & PS6
The other day I had the chance to photograph Tracy Lang, an accomplished woodblock print artist. But she wasn’t doing woodblock. Tracy was doing grapefruits, practicing her new tattooing skills on the skins of this fruit with the inspiration of the late writer and watercolor artist Henry Darger, painter Maxfield Parrish, and tattoo artist Musa
Location: Bainbridge Island, WA
Camera/Lens Specifics: Canon 5D Mark III with Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Lens
16mm, 1/5 sec at ƒ/18, ISO 100, tripod.
Post: Adobe LR4 & PS6
Internationally-renowned glass artist Robert Carlson recently spent one week as the Artist-in-Residence at Tacoma, Washington’s Museum of Glass Hot Shop. Here, he worked with the shop’s artists and interns to create the next line of imagination: 10+ orbs of glass weighing from 5 – 25lbs, each unique with twisting sculpted tentacles and bulbous knobs and hooks. They now await to be adorned with color.
Location: Carlson Studio
Camera/Lens Specifics: Canon 5D Mark III with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens
100mm, 1/50 sec at ƒ/22, ISO 100, tripod.
Post: Adobe LR4 & PS6
Cameron Karsten's Imaginarium 