thursday was a lot of work. dave's wife mary and i prepared and organized a storage room for inventory. the room was PACKED with women's clothing. the clothing company is based in London so they ordered a ton of wool and corduroy. needless to say, Los Angeles is not the ideal market for wool or any other heavy material. dave's wife was really kewl and she was wearing an awesome shirt that she made. it was a black long-sleeved shirt with this beautiful silk swan she stitched on the back that was originally part of a vintage kimono. although the work was tedious and tiring, it was rewarding to SEE the result of our hard work. we moved A LOT of stuff.
friday i worked for john again, assisting a shoot for his friend's clothing line. the day started off pretty hilariously. we were halfway to pick up his friend who was also assisting the shoot when john realized he forgot the seamless (big roll of paper for the background) so we had to turn around to get it. we were a bit more than halfway to pick up his friend the second time when john realized he forgot his laptop which we decided wasn't really a big deal. thirty seconds later, john realized we HAD to go back to his house because he forgot his camera. haha. it was a rough start. to top it off, a model tripped over a tripod and broke john's camera and lens the day before so john had to rent a camera for the shoot. but O'Quinn was an easy job. there were four, young semi-professional surfer guys modeling the clothing, mostly tee shirts. they weren't the most polished models... but at least they were all really chill and cooperative.
i might be doing some photoshop/retouching work for john this monday which i'm pretty excited about. on tuesday i'm assisting dave for a small shoot for a magazine. and the ebay lady is getting back to town on tuesday so hopefully she'll arrange some times i can go in and work again. i'm really satisfied with having a bunch of different jobs because the work is always new and fresh. i get bored easily and hate even the slightest bit of monotony. i would go going nuts if i was sitting in an office doing data entry. schedules don't agree with me, but appointments do. nearly every day i am thankful i never got that job i applied for in the leasing office. office politics and getting all dressied up to go to work just doesn't appeal to me. i want to be DOING something, CREATING something, BEING A PART OF A CREATIVE PROJECT whether it belongs to someone else or myself. that's where my passion lies.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
great quotes, new polaroids.
"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go." ~William Feather
"In my view, you cannot claim to have seen something until you have photographed it." ~Emile Zola
"In my view, you cannot claim to have seen something until you have photographed it." ~Emile Zola
opportunities and gratefulness.
today dave called, offering me a two-day job helping his wife. dave's really been looking out for me and i really appreciate all of his help. he figures if he keeps me busy, then i won't go get a full-time job which means i can assist for him whenever needed. that sounds pretty ideal to me. so tomorrow i am working 9-4 for his wife mary, doing inventory at a warehouse for a clothing line she manages. should be tedious, but i'm sure i'll manage to have some fun. i will only be able to help out tomorrow because...
on friday i will be assisting john hildebrand again (this time for cash) in huntington beach where john will be photographing his friend's new clothing line called O'Quinn. expect more updates later... now i must run off to dream because i will be getting up EARLY tomorrow.
in the meantime, watch me morph into a chimp.
and an ending thought/story/rhetorical question:
my cousin broke his ankle and his foot fourwheeling on sunday and finally told someone about it today. his parents are visiting his grandmother in florida and he "didn't want to bother anyone" so he's been driving around using his left foot!! what is it with guys and their stong adversion to medical help?!!!
on friday i will be assisting john hildebrand again (this time for cash) in huntington beach where john will be photographing his friend's new clothing line called O'Quinn. expect more updates later... now i must run off to dream because i will be getting up EARLY tomorrow.
in the meantime, watch me morph into a chimp.
and an ending thought/story/rhetorical question:
my cousin broke his ankle and his foot fourwheeling on sunday and finally told someone about it today. his parents are visiting his grandmother in florida and he "didn't want to bother anyone" so he's been driving around using his left foot!! what is it with guys and their stong adversion to medical help?!!!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
i got paid to take photos of maggie gyllenhaal's shoes
"Linear thinking does not come naturally to me, moreover it kills my imagination. nothing happens. no bells rings. no moment of HERE and NOW. no moment that says YES. Without those moments i am not alive. and so, rather than driving at a goal, i like so much better to go thru' a spiral." ~courtney love
the quote above is an excerpt from Dirty Blonde, one of the many half-read books i have been hoarding from the library that i had to return today. i have a bad habit of checking out waaay too many books at the same time and then never getting around to finish any book completely. this habit really bugs rick... especially if i rack up late fines on books that i checked out with his card. but that only happened once and it was $3 (big deal) and i paid it.
i don't recall anything extraordinarily eventful occurring on monday... but who's to say my actions on that day have not set the wheel in motion to a plethora of future significant events. ha, you never knows. anyway, today i worked for dana (a nice lady who runs an ebay store that sells used designer clothes... most which were previously owned by celebrities). my job was to write descriptions and take photos of the items. it was more or less a trial run to see if i'd work out and if she'd like me.
i photographed a bunch of crap from maggie gyllenhaal like prada, mui mui and louie vutton heels, some blouses and a few jackets. nothing too wonderful but there was a retro-looking pair of LAVENDAR (i refuse to spell lavendar "correctly") synthetic lizard-skin prada heels that i dug!! they were pretty kewl, but they were a size 9 and i doubt they were comfortable. miss gyllenhaal appeared to be the biggest name there. i didn't recognize a lot of the other names i saw. the work went well so once dana returns from her mini-vacation i will be working for her again. and once i get the hang of how she wants things labeled and shot, then she will just give me a key to her office so i can come and go as i please. (yay for making my own hours!! i really needed that).
the quote above is an excerpt from Dirty Blonde, one of the many half-read books i have been hoarding from the library that i had to return today. i have a bad habit of checking out waaay too many books at the same time and then never getting around to finish any book completely. this habit really bugs rick... especially if i rack up late fines on books that i checked out with his card. but that only happened once and it was $3 (big deal) and i paid it.
i don't recall anything extraordinarily eventful occurring on monday... but who's to say my actions on that day have not set the wheel in motion to a plethora of future significant events. ha, you never knows. anyway, today i worked for dana (a nice lady who runs an ebay store that sells used designer clothes... most which were previously owned by celebrities). my job was to write descriptions and take photos of the items. it was more or less a trial run to see if i'd work out and if she'd like me.
i photographed a bunch of crap from maggie gyllenhaal like prada, mui mui and louie vutton heels, some blouses and a few jackets. nothing too wonderful but there was a retro-looking pair of LAVENDAR (i refuse to spell lavendar "correctly") synthetic lizard-skin prada heels that i dug!! they were pretty kewl, but they were a size 9 and i doubt they were comfortable. miss gyllenhaal appeared to be the biggest name there. i didn't recognize a lot of the other names i saw. the work went well so once dana returns from her mini-vacation i will be working for her again. and once i get the hang of how she wants things labeled and shot, then she will just give me a key to her office so i can come and go as i please. (yay for making my own hours!! i really needed that).
Monday, March 19, 2007
the weekend.
saturday: (st. patrick's day) rick and i went to his parent's house and did some laundry. rick washed my car :) and i rode on tim's kick-ass longboard skateboard (i soooo want one!!) rick's dad made us delicious BBQ chicken and tritip and ribs. tim and aldo and jen stopped by and we all bought chocolate bars from rick's neice isabel for a school fundraiser. it was funny because we originally bought the chocolates from rick's mom (who had previously bought a whole bunch) so when isabel showed up, rick's mom gave us our money back so we could "re-buy" them from isabel, hehehe.
adorable photo my mom took of roxie:
sunday: aldo came over and i finished his haircut. rick evened up the sides and back with some clippers and we all went to the mall. i redeemed a coupon for a free pair o' underwear at victoria's secret (i never pronounce the 's in victoria's...) and i got some hemp hand cream at the body shop. i also bought a really cute wallet at pacsun for $3!! (it was 70% off). it's gwen stefani's harajuku brand. and although i'm not "just an orange county girl," the orange is highly adorable.
we watched Little Miss Sunshine, which is semi-predictable and way overrated. i can't believe it was nominated for "best picture." i hate when pseudo-indie B movies get over hyped solely because the movie SEEMS unique to the average viewer. perhaps i am too harsh because i expected a lot more from the movie, but instead it turns out to be a tragic national lampoons road trip.
how to identify a pseudo-indie B movie:
*characters are extremely stereotypical (or purposefully anti-stereotypical) and their characteristics are extreme. example: moody teenager who won't speak, father who is more preoccupied with work and business than his own family, grandfather who curses and snorts heroin.
*what could go wrong, goes wrong before the characters' goal is attained. example: car trouble, emotional setbacks, business setbacks, death of most amusing character, they just miss the deadline.
*characters appear to be stuck in a time warp although the rest of society is in the present time. example: clothing styles, dance moves, lingo, vehicle.
*at least one main character is played by someone well-known who is in role that appears drastically different from his/her previous roles.
*at least one main character is played by an actor/actress who is an unknown and after the movie is release he/she is over hyped.
*there is no happy ending. there is not even an unhappy ending. the ending leaves you in the same mental state you were in when the movie started which makes you feel as though you just spent two hours walking in a circle...
proof that just because it's labeled "not mainstream," doesn't mean it's GOOD. beware, the following movies are NOT "indie" movies, they are merely B-rated movies (at best) in disguise:
"Little Miss Sunshine," "Napoleon Dynamite," "Party Monster," "Punch-Drunk Love," "Swimming Pool," "The Last Kiss," "The Virgin Suicides," "11:14," "13 Moons." (there's plenty more... but those are what currently come to mind).
adorable photo my mom took of roxie:
sunday: aldo came over and i finished his haircut. rick evened up the sides and back with some clippers and we all went to the mall. i redeemed a coupon for a free pair o' underwear at victoria's secret (i never pronounce the 's in victoria's...) and i got some hemp hand cream at the body shop. i also bought a really cute wallet at pacsun for $3!! (it was 70% off). it's gwen stefani's harajuku brand. and although i'm not "just an orange county girl," the orange is highly adorable.
we watched Little Miss Sunshine, which is semi-predictable and way overrated. i can't believe it was nominated for "best picture." i hate when pseudo-indie B movies get over hyped solely because the movie SEEMS unique to the average viewer. perhaps i am too harsh because i expected a lot more from the movie, but instead it turns out to be a tragic national lampoons road trip.
how to identify a pseudo-indie B movie:
*characters are extremely stereotypical (or purposefully anti-stereotypical) and their characteristics are extreme. example: moody teenager who won't speak, father who is more preoccupied with work and business than his own family, grandfather who curses and snorts heroin.
*what could go wrong, goes wrong before the characters' goal is attained. example: car trouble, emotional setbacks, business setbacks, death of most amusing character, they just miss the deadline.
*characters appear to be stuck in a time warp although the rest of society is in the present time. example: clothing styles, dance moves, lingo, vehicle.
*at least one main character is played by someone well-known who is in role that appears drastically different from his/her previous roles.
*at least one main character is played by an actor/actress who is an unknown and after the movie is release he/she is over hyped.
*there is no happy ending. there is not even an unhappy ending. the ending leaves you in the same mental state you were in when the movie started which makes you feel as though you just spent two hours walking in a circle...
proof that just because it's labeled "not mainstream," doesn't mean it's GOOD. beware, the following movies are NOT "indie" movies, they are merely B-rated movies (at best) in disguise:
"Little Miss Sunshine," "Napoleon Dynamite," "Party Monster," "Punch-Drunk Love," "Swimming Pool," "The Last Kiss," "The Virgin Suicides," "11:14," "13 Moons." (there's plenty more... but those are what currently come to mind).
Friday, March 16, 2007
busy. busy.
yesterday i worked for dave. he rented out a studio in hollywood and held a casting call. i wound up an hour early because i didn't expect traffic to be so light. there was a good turnout: one hundred twenty-five actors/models showed up... almost at once. we were there from 9 to 5 but the majority showed up around 3. and of course there were about a dozen girls who showed up and said they had to be at work/another audition in twenty minutes and expected to be able to jump in line. i only allowed two or three to cut ahead because it really wasn't fair for all of the other people who had been waiting.
overall, it was an easy day. i love working for dave because he's so down-to-earth. at one point a model was asking dave which comp card or headshot he wanted and dave said something along the lines of "it doesn't matter, i know they're all retouched and like four years old anyway." hahaha, i couldn't believe he said that but i was so glad he did because it's true!! and although dave's blunt, he's a lot of fun and likes to talk, so the models instantly warm up to him. a lot of models were relieved once they saw dave shooting the people ahead of them. he had something positive and nice to say to everyone, even the people he knew he'd never hire.
i got lunch on melrose and the warm city of los angeles welcomed me by issuing me a parking voilation. that's right, my first parking ticket. :( i was too damn worried about the hours on the NO PARKING signs and almost getting sideswiped by a truck to notice that there were meters. (PLUS i'm from jersey... we don't pay to park!!) but i should have figured there's no such thing as free parking in LA. luckily for me, dave is such a nice guy he let me keep the $30 that was left over from lunch to pay for the ticket.
of the one hundred twenty-five people dave shot, he's going to choose fifteen to shoot for his stock images. up until the shoot, i'll be helping with office work and once it's time for the shoot, i'll be his second assistant. AND Spike TV wants dave to do eight photoshoots a year now, so he's going to let me do all the preliminary work like contacting agencies and models and booking locations for those shoots!! so i'm really excited to be getting involved with the entire process.
rick and aldrin were waiting for me at the apartment. when i got there, we ran to costco, got some grub and then i cut aldrin's hair!! it's short!! and it came out pretty good. i just have to even out the sides with a pair of clippers. here are some photos of the drastic transformation:
BEFORE
AFTER
soooo then i checked my email and noticed i had an email from john hildebrand's representative asking if i would be interested in helping out with a shoot tomorrow. and so i did. i think i got john confused with another photographer because i expected him to be older, light-haired, married with children. to my surprise, he was like the bam margera of the photo world: he's young, has a rocker-ish style, a pseudo mohawk and LONG doe-like eyelashes. his friends are either starting their own clothing line or production/party company and most of his shots include girls in bikinis.
anyways, the shoot is part of an ongoing project for a swimsuit calendar to raise money for Surfrider, a nonprofit organization that protects our coasts, and might possibly raise money for Heal the Bay. in other words, nobody got paid-- the shoot was strictly volunteer. there was also another assistant, a Brook's student who graduates in September with a degree in "oh-shit-i-shouldn't-have-went-to-Brooks." john went to Brooks as well, he graduated in 2001. the impression that i get from Brooks is that you don't need to go to Brooks and here is why i hold such contempt for Brooks...
"I would like more information about the class action lawsuit against Brooks. My husband graduated from there over a year ago and has yet to work! We are facing over $100,000 in student loans and all he has to show for it so far is a $2,500 large format camera (that he obviously does not use!) We were told upon his entry that they had a 97% placement rate with a starting salary around $75,000. BIG LIE!!! He even attends their "job fairs" which promote placement into jobs such as...starbucks - no joke! $100,000 in student loans and they want him to work at starbucks!"
and there's more complaints where that came from!! the red-flag for me occured while i was attending college. i called Brooks to request more information and they called me within an hour. what school is THAT desperate for recruits?! perhaps i shouldn't talk too much trash about Brooks but look at where Brooks is sending its students... to work for Brooks graduates FOR FREE without giving the students any sort of course credit. hmmm. seems to me that Brooks is just fueling the unethical practice of established photographers getting away with "hiring" assistants as "interns" to work for free or next to nothing.
but anyway, the shoot was extremely laid-back. it consisted of two models, a make-up artist, john, his two friends, me and the other assistant. the location was AWESOME. it was on some guy's beachfront property in malibu. the layout was insane though... we had to carry equipment down (and back up) 107 steps... and through narrow pathways. (and of course the other assistant grabbed the lightest items). there was a sand pit, a sauna, a little shack to get changed in, a small blue-tiled bathroom and a surfboard bar... all right near the beach. definitely an ideal party location. i found it funny that, although we were together for four hours, none of the crew made it a point to learn each other's names. all of the guys just refered to me as "sweetie" or "sweetheart" because they had no idea.
overall, it was an easy day. i love working for dave because he's so down-to-earth. at one point a model was asking dave which comp card or headshot he wanted and dave said something along the lines of "it doesn't matter, i know they're all retouched and like four years old anyway." hahaha, i couldn't believe he said that but i was so glad he did because it's true!! and although dave's blunt, he's a lot of fun and likes to talk, so the models instantly warm up to him. a lot of models were relieved once they saw dave shooting the people ahead of them. he had something positive and nice to say to everyone, even the people he knew he'd never hire.
i got lunch on melrose and the warm city of los angeles welcomed me by issuing me a parking voilation. that's right, my first parking ticket. :( i was too damn worried about the hours on the NO PARKING signs and almost getting sideswiped by a truck to notice that there were meters. (PLUS i'm from jersey... we don't pay to park!!) but i should have figured there's no such thing as free parking in LA. luckily for me, dave is such a nice guy he let me keep the $30 that was left over from lunch to pay for the ticket.
of the one hundred twenty-five people dave shot, he's going to choose fifteen to shoot for his stock images. up until the shoot, i'll be helping with office work and once it's time for the shoot, i'll be his second assistant. AND Spike TV wants dave to do eight photoshoots a year now, so he's going to let me do all the preliminary work like contacting agencies and models and booking locations for those shoots!! so i'm really excited to be getting involved with the entire process.
rick and aldrin were waiting for me at the apartment. when i got there, we ran to costco, got some grub and then i cut aldrin's hair!! it's short!! and it came out pretty good. i just have to even out the sides with a pair of clippers. here are some photos of the drastic transformation:
BEFORE
AFTER
soooo then i checked my email and noticed i had an email from john hildebrand's representative asking if i would be interested in helping out with a shoot tomorrow. and so i did. i think i got john confused with another photographer because i expected him to be older, light-haired, married with children. to my surprise, he was like the bam margera of the photo world: he's young, has a rocker-ish style, a pseudo mohawk and LONG doe-like eyelashes. his friends are either starting their own clothing line or production/party company and most of his shots include girls in bikinis.
anyways, the shoot is part of an ongoing project for a swimsuit calendar to raise money for Surfrider, a nonprofit organization that protects our coasts, and might possibly raise money for Heal the Bay. in other words, nobody got paid-- the shoot was strictly volunteer. there was also another assistant, a Brook's student who graduates in September with a degree in "oh-shit-i-shouldn't-have-went-to-Brooks." john went to Brooks as well, he graduated in 2001. the impression that i get from Brooks is that you don't need to go to Brooks and here is why i hold such contempt for Brooks...
"I would like more information about the class action lawsuit against Brooks. My husband graduated from there over a year ago and has yet to work! We are facing over $100,000 in student loans and all he has to show for it so far is a $2,500 large format camera (that he obviously does not use!) We were told upon his entry that they had a 97% placement rate with a starting salary around $75,000. BIG LIE!!! He even attends their "job fairs" which promote placement into jobs such as...starbucks - no joke! $100,000 in student loans and they want him to work at starbucks!"
and there's more complaints where that came from!! the red-flag for me occured while i was attending college. i called Brooks to request more information and they called me within an hour. what school is THAT desperate for recruits?! perhaps i shouldn't talk too much trash about Brooks but look at where Brooks is sending its students... to work for Brooks graduates FOR FREE without giving the students any sort of course credit. hmmm. seems to me that Brooks is just fueling the unethical practice of established photographers getting away with "hiring" assistants as "interns" to work for free or next to nothing.
but anyway, the shoot was extremely laid-back. it consisted of two models, a make-up artist, john, his two friends, me and the other assistant. the location was AWESOME. it was on some guy's beachfront property in malibu. the layout was insane though... we had to carry equipment down (and back up) 107 steps... and through narrow pathways. (and of course the other assistant grabbed the lightest items). there was a sand pit, a sauna, a little shack to get changed in, a small blue-tiled bathroom and a surfboard bar... all right near the beach. definitely an ideal party location. i found it funny that, although we were together for four hours, none of the crew made it a point to learn each other's names. all of the guys just refered to me as "sweetie" or "sweetheart" because they had no idea.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
hair.
i'm cutting aldrin's hair this week!! :) (finally!!) so i was browsing for some ideas and i got sidetracked (big surprise huh) and started looking at girls' hairstyles. i found one i really like... but i highly doubt my hair would behave if it were that short. but it's really tempting, oh so tempting. for some reason, whenever my hair reaches the length it is now, i feel compelled to chop it all off.
sidebar/jena factoid: my hair has been: blonde, brown, orange, black, dark red, multi-colored, chunked, layered, highlighted, permed, short short (in 2nd grade) and loooong (past my butt!!). i thought i liked it best when it was blonde, but i'm currently satisfied with the dark color it is now because once you start dying your hair lighter, you're sucked into dying it allll the time.
so today i was supposed to meet with the ebay lady and she pushed the time back from 11:30 to 3:45. i am soooo glad i checked my email BEFORE i left the apartment... that would have sucked. i wish i knew ahead of time so i didn't get up so early today because now i feel and look like a zombie. ah well.
sidebar/jena factoid: my hair has been: blonde, brown, orange, black, dark red, multi-colored, chunked, layered, highlighted, permed, short short (in 2nd grade) and loooong (past my butt!!). i thought i liked it best when it was blonde, but i'm currently satisfied with the dark color it is now because once you start dying your hair lighter, you're sucked into dying it allll the time.
so today i was supposed to meet with the ebay lady and she pushed the time back from 11:30 to 3:45. i am soooo glad i checked my email BEFORE i left the apartment... that would have sucked. i wish i knew ahead of time so i didn't get up so early today because now i feel and look like a zombie. ah well.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
sights and sounds
why my grandmother's computer has viruses:
"yeah, all her jokes say 'spyware' on them... i thought that was the name of a company." ~my grandmother
new additions to my flickr...
i'm working for dave this thursday!! i'm going to be acting as a "model wrangler" while he's casting for a stock shoot. should be fun!! i'm also meeting up with a lady who is in need of a photographer/assistant to list designer clothes on ebay. she is offering $12/hour so if all goes well, it will be a great spare-time job. i am also hoping to do some office work for photographer Dorian Caster (whose travel and fashion photos are lovely!!) AND perhaps i will get a chance to work PA for CJ Burton if his regular assistant cannot. hopefully all of these opportunities will pan out because i really want to remain working in the creative industry and not in a stuffy office (and i really need some rent money). so keep your fingers crossed!!
songs to add your playlist:
*Angels and Airwaves - Do It For me Now (i swore it was a blink182 song...)
*Blue October Into the Ocean (don't worry, this song is waaay better than "Hate Me." i can't stand that one).
*CSS - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above (a gem from 2004).
*Incubus - Punchdrunk (new incubus... i dig it).
*Lily Allen - LDN (incredibly catchy).
*Muse - Starlight (expect KROQ to overplay this one).
*Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks (check out the video too... it's awesome!!)*Stars - Elevator (very chill).
"yeah, all her jokes say 'spyware' on them... i thought that was the name of a company." ~my grandmother
new additions to my flickr...
i'm working for dave this thursday!! i'm going to be acting as a "model wrangler" while he's casting for a stock shoot. should be fun!! i'm also meeting up with a lady who is in need of a photographer/assistant to list designer clothes on ebay. she is offering $12/hour so if all goes well, it will be a great spare-time job. i am also hoping to do some office work for photographer Dorian Caster (whose travel and fashion photos are lovely!!) AND perhaps i will get a chance to work PA for CJ Burton if his regular assistant cannot. hopefully all of these opportunities will pan out because i really want to remain working in the creative industry and not in a stuffy office (and i really need some rent money). so keep your fingers crossed!!
songs to add your playlist:
*Angels and Airwaves - Do It For me Now (i swore it was a blink182 song...)
*Blue October Into the Ocean (don't worry, this song is waaay better than "Hate Me." i can't stand that one).
*CSS - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above (a gem from 2004).
*Incubus - Punchdrunk (new incubus... i dig it).
*Lily Allen - LDN (incredibly catchy).
*Muse - Starlight (expect KROQ to overplay this one).
*Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks (check out the video too... it's awesome!!)*Stars - Elevator (very chill).
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