Today the world is as globalized as it could be - - yet we struggle to find meaning in our daily existence.

31 January 2012

Cali '11: 5. NYE in Palm Springs

Wait a minute.

It's Jan. 31st (at the time of this post in Seoul). Already a month has gone by since I was out in Palm Springs with the Donuts celebrating the end of 2011 and bringing in the new year. Those three days out in the California desert with great company was exactly what I needed to get me rejuvenated and back in the life game.

Unfortunately, I didn't take as many pictures as I thought I would.
Other activities kept me preoccupied.
Two trees for a brick anyone?
enjoi

Camera: Leica M6, Olympus XA2
Roll: Fujifilm Pro 400H, Kodak Portra 400,

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The view was nice up there. Even better jumping off into the pool.

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DJ Tomofumi and JapAtk

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Btw, that bed was so majestic when you woke up you were max health.

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"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

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Why not?



Not to use the New Year's as an excuse,
but this year do everything you ever wanted to do.





pax | previously : [ Cali '11: 4. Venice Beach and Melrose ]

24 January 2012

Cali '11: 4. Venice Beach and Melrose

Venice Beach is an excellent place to take street photos. As is Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.
They're both so fantastic that I went to each place twice.

enjoi

Camera: Leica M6, Nikon FE2
Roll: * Kodak Trix 400, Kodak Portra 400 pushed 1 stop, Kodak Ektar 100

         * Dear Kodak,

            I still use three distinct films that you make,
            please don't discontinue any of these and get your ish together, thanks!

            from,
            a loyal fan

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Be aware!

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But peace

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She was dancing her way into the light when she turned and smiled.

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When I grow up, I'm going to be...

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The facade of choices


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Dinner with Jungle at Umami Burger. Highly recommended!

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Lunch at Blu Jam Cafe. Also, highly recommended!

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Do you see the dude?

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My Beautiful cousins!

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Dang, I miss the California sunset.

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Just be aware of what's going on. That's part of it.



Is it too difficult to have both freedom and peace?
Maybe I'm asking for too much.




pax | previously : [ Cali '11: 3. Of Prose and Punchbowls ]

17 January 2012

Cali '11: 3. Of Prose and Punchbowls

As always, (or perhaps just these past two winters in Seoul) the build up to Christmas faded as quickly as it had arrived. After attending the midnight service with my parents and decided to wait until the morning to drive out to the Devil's Punchbowl fearing that would be sending the wrong message to Man upstairs. Well not quite, but you get the picture. So the next morning, I joined Louis and Chris at LT's sweet bachelor pad in Studio City, before taking off for the California highways towards the San Gabriel Mountains to meet our seven adventurous friends at the Devil's Punchbowl.

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I had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

As much as wandering the streets with my film photographers here in Seoul is enjoyable, I genuinely wanted to go on these photo missions with my friends from back home. Maybe, it's because I do the same circuit route in Seoul nearly every weekend. A change of scenery was much needed. Every time I saw a blog post about a trip made out in the American Great Outdoors, I can't help but be envious of their adventures. Usually I am out with one or two other photographers, and so in many ways, shooting with a larger group was refreshingly difficult. What I mean is that when there are only one or two other photographers with you, the wolf pack moves much faster and effortlessly, covering more ground with decisions processed quicker than with a substantially larger group, of say ten or more photographers. You are a bit limited to what you can do, especially when time is of the essence. Nonetheless, I had a fantastic time exploring the great California outdoors, hanging out with my friends, and snapping photos across the beautiful, scenic, and fascinating rock formations that make up part of the Punchbowl. Really though, check out Andrew's (inhousegoods) incredible video from our trip.


Wow, don't you wish you were there?

I am thankful to have come across many talented, artistic, and creative people in my life. I definitely wouldn't be where I am (artistically) without the influences of some of these good people. In essence, we are all artists. We paint our experiences, draw our stories, and share ideas through vast mediums that include photography, videography, and writing (to name a few). Before picking up photography, my strongest artistic medium was writing. However, after focusing most of my raw and creative energy into photography, I am not so sure. They say, "a photograph is worth a thousand words," and yes, to a certain degree that may be true. And thus, perhaps, by taking hundreds of photographs throughout the years I may have tricked myself into thinking that I have been saying hundreds of thousands of words all along. Or, perhaps my photographs have not been saying much, if anything at all.

(Side note: I couldn't help but laugh at myself for adding text to my photography. I didn't realize at the time that I would be writing about writing. Perhaps, I should have left it out.)

Writing is an important part of what sets us apart from the rest of the species that inhabit this planet. A single thought cannot become a reality without becoming a word that we speak, which in turn are structured into poetic sentences and justified paragraphs that have the potential to become speeches that move nations. It is necessary that we pass on these invaluable inheritances to future generations. Without it, everything will be forgotten.

Now for some photographs,
enjoi

Camera: Leica M6, Nikon FE2
Roll: Fujifilm Pro400H, Kodak Portra 400 pushed 1 stop, Kodak Trix 400

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If only Rocky was positioned to the left a little bit more...

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Richie, Jungle, and Chris.

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No really, that thing looks much bigger in real life.

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Moar rocks.

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Doesn't he blend in so effortlessly?

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Chris G. says V

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The light was harsh.

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Ridiculous, I know.

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What you see from the Viewpoint.

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Having been separated from the group, we sat here for a good fifteen to twenty minutes trying to figure out which direction they had gone. With the sunlight receding, we thought maybe the group had continued down the path. But, the path itself seemed to be taking us back to the parking lot and away from the jagged rock formations that we were trying to get to. We needed to make a move, and quick. So we decided to continue down the path until Jeff stopped us, and said, "Wait, is this the right decision?" Then we started laughing hysterically, because we had been sitting at the viewpoint for a good fifteen to twenty minutes only to be at the same predicament, just thirty meters away. Eventually, we went back to the viewpoint, crossed over the wooden railing that said "Do not enter" and made our way to the jagged rock formations through uncharted territory. Suffice to say, we made it. But, dang I wish you were there to experience that uncontrollable explosion of laughter with us.


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There they are!

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Just look at that light!

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Rocky conquering the steep grade.

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Pretty colors.

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Loving the background, and I feel like a rocket is going to fly out of Keny's Mamiya.

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Searching for answers.


"Write or Die." - pdhl


Christina Jung [ http://telltalecity.blogspot.com/ ] [ her post ]
Louis Trinh [ http://www.louistrinh.com ] [ his post ]
Garrick Fujii [ http://garrickfujii.com/ ] [ his post ]
Ken Radomski [ http://haserad.com/ ]
Jeff Tang [ http://12fv.com/ ]
Andrew Truong [ http://inhousegoods.tumblr.com/ ]
Rocky Halim [ http://visualfool.blogspot.com/ ]
Chris Gayomali [ http://chrigz.tumblr.com/ ]
Richie Kim [ http://richardkim.tumblr.com/ ]



pax | previously: [ Cali '11: 2. A Study of Light and the Library ]
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