Drifting...

Today over at The Time To Get Mr. Nick did a little post on the new Camaro... Well if you care to know my thoughts on the subject, or his for that matter, check out the post here.

So I don't much care about the new muscle cars such as the Camaro or the Mustang but some how, not quite sure how, I ended linking into the ford's site and found this video series of Vaughn Gittin Jr. over in the land of the rising sun, home to the birth of car racing called "drifting". If you don't know what that is just watch and it becomes very clear very fast. It does not matter what car it is this is just some good ol fun time driving....



Now go make something...
Cheers.

Archive: Spike Jonze Interview.

If you have seen it great... if not go check it out here.
Also check out the trailer for one of his movies coming this October here.

Cheers.

Need To Know: Mr. Glover

In life we meet many people. Some we meet just in passing and will never see again. Some end up sticking around for a while and then slowly move on while others come and go. And some come into our life and we can never imagine life without them.... Well my good friend Mr. Glover is one of those people that has stuck around. It is so awesome to have a friend that you can relate to on so many levels, that push you to build and listen to your silly rant and raves. Well I do not want to get all mushy but this young man is awesome! I still find it funny that we never hung out while we were in High School but ended up sitting next to each other at our graduation and then hung out and skated, snowboarded, shot photos and got into trouble and stayed out of trouble almost everyday since. We had some good times...

With all that, you need to get to know this guy cause not only is he my bestfriend (besides the wife, of course) he is a super good picture taker (He has shot our engagement, our wedding, my sisters wedding and most if not all of our family photos) and has super mad skills with the photoshop to make any hum drum image look like magic. I took the time to do a little interview so you might get to know him a bit. Cheers...

Who are you?
Jonathan Glover

Where are you from?
Utah born and raised, Farmington represent

What do you do for a living?
Well my official 9-5 is detecting Replica and Counterfeit issues on eBay.com. When I’m not at work or sleeping I’m taking pictures or at the computer doing post production work.

Where do you live now?
Currently residing on the West Side in West Jordan, Utah

How long have you been interested in doing photography?
I’ve been interested in taking pictures my whole life, from the second I got my first 110 camera as a youngster I was hooked and loved taking pictures.
What is it about photography that attracted you to it? Or how did you get into doing photography?
Everyone see’s the world through their own view made up of their unique experiences and personalities. My personal mission all along has been making the ordinary extraordinary by picking out objects or selective scenes that are all around us that we may look at all the time but never appreciate or even notice the small components that make up our environment. I love the idea of what I refer to as “ugly beautiful”. It’s difficult to explain because beauty is so subjective that this concept has a unique definition to everyone. Things that may not fit the worldly ideal of beauty but when looked at in a different context or deconstructed always have significant value and can be appreciated and admired. I suppose it’s loosely related to the idea of Yin/Yang where all things have an equal but opposite and each contains the other.

My Grandpa was a photographer and has had a big influence on me. There is a photograph of Temple Square taken at night right after a winter snow storm that has hung in the dining room at my Grandparents house for as long as I can remember and I have spent countless hours studying that photograph trying to reverse engineer the angle and location. Something about the mood of the photograph and its unique perspective offered a totally new experience which I still am fascinated by. This is the same philosophy that I have tried to bring to my own work.
During High School my Grandpa gave me his old Nikor 35mm camera and later gave me an old Minolta Twin Lens Medium Format camera that he had taken on trade at one of his gas stations many years prior. Apparently someone couldn't pay for their gas and had given the camera to him as payment. This tradition and heritage has been a huge influence on me and without my Grandpa I wouldn’t be doing any of this.

What or who are some of your influences?
This is a tough question because I am interested in so many different forms and subjects of photography including fashion, editorial, commercial and automotive. I could easily list 100 influences but here’s a few that have inspired me.

Steve Demitt, Scott Dukes, Evan Klein, Wes Allison, Randy Lorentzen, Chase Jarvis, Tim Kent, Bryan Niven, Dave Hill

What is your favorite part of shooting?
Every shoot is a new challenge that incorporates the relationship between the environment, the subject and the photographer. I really enjoy the spontaneity of that relationship and being very “in the moment”. As much as I try to plan ahead, most of my preconceived ideas usually get thrown out the window in the first 2 minutes and I’m left to create on the fly which is the part I really enjoy. Problem solving but also having the ability to let go and just flow with what’s happening is key to my style. Some people like to control every last detail and force the idea or image they have in their head. My approach is very spontaneous and I try to capture and enhance what’s there instead of making it something that it simply is not.

What don't you like?
There are never enough hours in the day.

What is your favorite subject to shoot? Why?
While I certainly do enjoy shooting cars and bikes, my favorite has always been shooting models. I enjoy working a single subject and the balance of give and take to create something unique that shows a mood or an emotion especially one that is closely guarded. This is the area I would like to make more time to pursue in the future. I always seem to be working on a project for someone else and have not made enough time to create my own art.

When did you start shooting automobiles?
I started shooting cars back in 04-05.

What is it about automobiles that drew you in to start shooting them?
I’ve always been a car guy and spent a lot of time around cars of all types. It was really about pairing up the two art forms of photography and the automobile. Automobiles have long had a great balance of form and function and just like great architecture they lend themselves to be studied, explored and shared. I think great photography adds another layer to convey a message and emotion about the machine. Certainly around here this was a niche that wasn’t over saturated and that I was passionate about so I jumped in and haven’t regretted it, well….maybe once or twice but I got over it.

What do you hope to do with you photography? Or what are some of your goals?
I am always seeking to improve my technical and post production skills and I think that will be my pursuit as long as I’m still shooting. I am always studying and researching all the great work constantly being produced by all the great photographers out there. I’m a long way from where I want to be right now but hopefully if I keep studying and working hard eventually I get to a level of work that I’m happy with. Right now I’m just looking for opportunities to hone my skills and get more exposure. Some days I want to take over the world and be the best of the best and other days I’m ready to hang it all up but I think that comes with the territory of being passionate about what you do. I’m not sure what the future holds right now for me and photography but one thing’s for sure is that I will continue to take pictures until I’m six feet under, it’s just part of who I am.

What are some other services you offer perspective clients? Like, do you do catalogs, print media, web work, or product shots etc.?
Prior to getting serious about photography I was interested in web/graphic design so I’ve done some work in those areas. Mostly out of necessity and I like to know how to do everything. At this stage I’ve just about done it all from catalog work, print work, web site design, headshots, weddings, product photography and everything in between. I feel like I’ve had a pretty well rounded apprenticeship. I’m always willing to take on any challenge but right now I’m really trying to stick to my guns and focus purely on my automotive and lifestyle photography.

Any big projects in the works we should be on the look out for?
I’ve constantly got 4 or 5 projects in the works so finding time for one “big” project has been difficult. I’d like to get my portfolio updated and work on some new personal work so stay tuned.

If someone wanted to contact you or see more of you work what should they do?
I am a marketing nightmare. I’ve never liked the spotlight or promoting myself. I prefer my reputation and word of mouth do the talking for me. The coolest thing I’ve ever seen is from Ocean’s Eleven when Danny Ocean hands his biz card to somebody and all it has is the embossed name “Danny Ocean”, no phone number, no address, no email, nothing. I’d like to get to that point.

Anything else you want to say or mention?
Just thanks to Mr. Ray for all his encouragement and support over the years. Who knew that the Paul Mitchell project would lead to all this.

To see more of his work or to get in contact for possible shoot with Mr. Glover go here.

Legend With A Light Box

Long hours at the office take all my energy so I will not write any snappy verbiage just do'n it like they say....
" a picture is worth a thousand words"

Go check out the goods from Mr. O'Meally here.


Also if you have not done so in a while you need to go check out Mr Pommier and his picture taking here. Did a shout out to his work way back in May 008 here.

Now go build something and have some fun.
Cheers.

Vintage Ball Jersies.

As the temp starts to rise here in the northern hemisphere it is time to roll out the BBQ and spend more time in the out of doors. In the good ol USA it also means that baseball season is around the corner. Now I am not a big fan of baseball but going to the ball park every once in a while is a good time be it with the Dodgers, the Angles, the Giants (my fave team when I was younger) or now the Mariners. With that comes the search for some old ball jerseys. Here is a little collection of goods found around the internet.






Don't miss the all wool headwear. love the small brim


Cheers.

In The Factory.

Wow my new position in life has taken way more of my time than what I have been use to having the past few months but I am super excited to be in the position that I am right now. With that said I must apologize in my lack of posts, by the time I drag my carcase home I am to worn out to even flip open the mac let alone search for interesting tidbits to share or even work on any projects of my own....

So with that said I am a little behind in seeing all of the amazing things going on out there. But if you have not seen the post form ACL about his trip to the Post O'Alls factory then you need to check it here. Good stuff.

I hope to get back into the swing of things soon.... once deadlines are past and I have moved into our new home for good. I have heaps to share of things coming down the pipe that I hope you will enjoy. So bear with me.

Cheers

An Old Town.

I may have already talked about this company or I saw their goods someplace.... I can not remember. None the less I am a fan. Now is it wrong for one to long to be in someone elses shoes? In this case I am guilty, for what the fine folks over at Old Town Clothing are doing not only excites me but their shop space and its interiors push me over the edge to a point of almost obsession. I pulled from their site a little description of what they are doing. In their own words.

"Old Town is a clothing manufacturer producing approx. 50 garments per week from our own workshop using British cottons, woollens and linens wherever possible.Garments are selected from an evolving range offered in various sizes, fabrics and colours. Items are individually cut, sewn and finished before despatch by post.The process takes about 4-6 weeks.Garments are made to order as opposed to made to measure - giving the customer the opportunity to return the items if not satisfied."

They have their own styles taken from actual garments built in the late 1900's. They have their own collection of cloth to choose from for each style and they have a nice little shop that they build them as well as sell them in. One day I hope to be so lucky in offering and having something similar..... One day.

To see more of their offerings go Here.

Cheers.

The Del Pueblo.

I recently turned the big three zero and for my birthday I received not one but two treadle sewing machines! It may be a strange gift to want especially when opening a new decade of life but as I have been moving forward in my desires to build quality goods based off of inspiration from the past I figured why not learn how to use one of these machines to build some of my own garments. There is something special about using a machine that uses your own power to drive it and the rhythm is somewhat mesmerizing.


Here is one of them that I got. This is what I think of as a work horse, the 'Del Pueblo' which my wife bought for me. I like that it is clean and simple, ready to work. As I have done a little research online I can not find anything about this machine. I have found on the machine its self that it says "made in Japan"....?


I have not yet had a chance to mess around and get to know her very well as we have moved shortly after I received it and so she is packed away in some storage warehouse somewhere in west Seattle. But I tell you I am very anxious to play....
Let you know how it goes once she is out and running.

Cheers.

Keep Em Short.

I have been away for a while as I have been mov'n the family and I up to the Pacific North West...
More on that later.

As the weather is changing and the sun seams to stick around much longer I find that as much as I love the cold seasons were layering is vital, I must eventually give in and face the hard facts that change is part of life and that with that change comes warm and hot weather.... *sigh*
So I have been thinking a lot about short sleeve woven shirts.
While poking around Blackbirds online shop I have found a few very good examples of what I have been dwelling on.
A nice solid from Band of Outsiders.

and this lovely plaid shirting from Gitman.

Now this piece I love cause of the longer sleeve that is then rolled. A must do style detail for sure. Here is a nice excerpt from Blackbirds blog post on this very shirt.
"The Gitman factory has been operating since 1948, producing signature high-quality shirts.... The sleeves are slightly less than half-length which allows a good amount of room to roll them up for a cool relaxed look. The bright summery fabrics go great with a preppy or Americana style or as a feel-good accent to any other outfit you might come up with.
With the Gitman Vintage collection was created as sort of a reinterpretation of the original designs that Gitman became first known for. The team behind the designs studied old linesheets and designs to come up with the cuts and recreated the original fabrics to achieve this authentic historic collection."

Spot on.

Cheers.