Problems with Blogger

Okay, so I finally got my images up. I had to join photobucket and upload the images that way. I couldn't get it to work through blogger. I tried both the image upload as well as the file upload links. I just wanted to vent some frustration by letting everyone know what was going on. Thanks Brandi for telling us about photobucket or else I would still be sitting getting mad at my computer and the stupid website for not working the way it is supposed to. Anyway that is my rant for now.

New Images

Here are the images that I had hoped to get posted over the weekend. They have not been altered other than cropping them to the 5x5 size and grayscaling them.

Question of the Week: What decision, event, opportunity have you missed or been unable to take full advantage of during this project? If you had it to do over again, what would you do instead or differently?

Well this question is tricky. I don't know what I would have done differently. I do know that I have tried to use family gatherings to my full advantage. I have not pushed the adults in my family as much as I should have though in order to capture their eyes. This has changed and I have warned them. I'm coming after them. My Aunt that lives in St. Joseph will be over in the next week or two and I will be getting her eyes taken as well as my cousin's. I am going this week to get some of my other cousins that live here in Flint. I think looking at how my images have been coming out that I probably would have started with digital capture but the problem lies with the fact that I like the look of film better but if things don't go as planned turn to plan B, C, or D where ever your at in the process will determine the plan. Anyway that is how things go you wouldn't really learn if it wasn't for mistakes or trials along the way.

Things are better.

I finally made it to Pontiac. I got my diopter filters and I also picked up a monopod, something I've been wanting for awhile now. I'm going to try a few more rolls of film to see if I get what I'm looking for. My last roll of film was a bust. If I don't get what I'm looking for with the filters then I am going to shoot digital, create my digital negatives and then do contact printing as planned. I have shot a few images with the digital camera and have had success with getting the type of image that I am looking for, but I still want to try this on film. I will probably be shooting both formats for the time being. Hopefully I will get all of these kinks worked out. Right now I'm still on schedule so I'm doing okay. I'll post some of the shots from the digital camera this weekend.

(QUESTION OF THE WEEK), where will your time come from that 1) makes up for lost time, 2) allows for any and all changes to your project, and 3) takes into account the SNAFU of the workspace just around the corner in April?

1. I think in reality you can never make up for lost time. Once it's lost it is always lost. You can't go back so you just have to push ahead. 2. The time that comes to allow for any and all changes will have to come from the original time that was alotted in the original plans. So what I may have to spend some extra time in the darkroom or where ever in order to complete my project but I know that I will get it done some how, some way. To be honest, I am not feeling crunched for time yet, maybe that will change over the next week or two. 3. The time that accounts for the SNAFU of workspace well, that I don't know about. I can always be mean and not allow others from outside the class use the darkroom during our "classtime." But I'm not that Mean now am I. ;) HeHeHe

Anyway you all will know when I start feeling pressed for time. I won't be so easy to be around. Besides I keep being told that in another 2 weeks I'll have lots of energy. Even some to make up for the energy that I felt like I lost the last few months.

That's all I have to say for now.

Things look better?

Okay I didn't go down to Pontiac today. So I am going to have to try and crop the images that I shoot this weekend. I will decide 100 percent on the diopter filter after I develop the film from this weekend. I will probably go to Pontiac on Tuesday or Thursday if I decide to go with the filter.

On another note, today was pretty good. I had fun today with my nieces. We went up to Midland, to the Chippewa Nature Center. They were having their Maple Days. We hadn't planned on this but it did give my four-year-old niece more to do while we were up there. It was nice to relax after getting so stressed yesterday over everything that had happened. I am looking forward to shooting at least two to three rolls of film tomorrow if not a few more.

Wish me luck for Sunday's shoot. And for a safe trip to and from Grand Rapids.

What else can go wrong?

Okay so today has been like the crappiest day. Nothing and I mean nothing has gone right today. I should have known when I woke up late that I should have just stayed in bed and called it quits. I had already had a wasted trip yesterday when I went looking for a diopter filter and Bill Meier did not have one. Then today I went to check out a digital camera and no one was there to check it out to me. Things did not get better from there either. We went to my Aunt's for dinner only to learn that she had been drinking again and was really in no condition to be having guests. I had so hoped that she was truly on the road to recovery but I really see now that if she is it is going to be a very bumpy ride. Then the icing on the cake was the worthless trip to Pontiac. We got to Camera Mart ten lousy minutes after they had closed. So now I have to decide if it is worth the gas money to drive down tomorrow morning or just crop the images so that I can achieve my goal. What a dilemma, what a dilemma. Anyone got any easy answers please let me know. I really want to know where to find them. Anyway that has been my life the last 36 hours. Wish me luck.

finally

Latest Image

Okay so blogger isn't letting me post my image right now. I will keep trying and hopefully I will get it posted. So I will include my list right now.

happy
sad
angry
depressed
elated
surprised
conniving
hurt
inquisitive
longing
desire
thoughtfulness
shocked
concern
silliness
fear
loneliness
boredom
appall

That is my list so far. If you have any others feel free to let me know. Thanks.

Answering Darryl's Question

"What has specifically happened in the last month which has altered your project -- IN ANY WAY? What changes or decisions did you make because of this?"

Okay, so I have already sort of answered this question in my previous post. Now that I can fully answer this question, I will.

I have found out that I am pregnant. Hence why my equilibrium has been out of whack. This has effected me in that literally all of my extra energy is not as readily available as it should be. I have felt constantly tired and fatigued. I do have to say that my morning sickness hasn't been super bad but it is amplified due to sinus drainage and mornings are not my friend. Anyway, I am happy and excited about my prospects.

I'll admit that I have not been as focused as I need to be on the project. I have been spending time contacting my family and letting them know what I am up to and that I need their help. I have plans to get pics of a lot of my relatives that live on the other side of the state next weekend when I go to my cousin's baby shower over in Grand Rapids.

Okay now on to some of my thought processes. I have been thinking about the different types of emotions (I'll post my list tonight). I have also decided to change my presentation. I like the idea that I display these images by category. I am trying to divide the emotions into four categories of five imaages each. But as DB will say it is a bit early to be making these decisions but it is part of the process that is on going in my head.

I will try to post some of my images that I have from my first roll of film tonight as well as my list of emotions. If I do not get it up tonight I will have it posted by tomorrow.

Minor Changes

Okay so over the past few days a lot has happened. I developed my first roll of film and realized that I had a huge obstacle to overcome. I was using my C330 twin lens reflex medium format camera. Okay problem. Trying to do close ups with a twin lens not so easy. I only got one image to even line up the way I thought it had. So to solve this dilemma I am now trying to use the Mamiya 645 single lens reflex camera. So one issue has been solved. Another issue that has arisen is my equilibrium being out of whack and not making it fun for me to be in the film loading room for any length of time without becoming totally out of balance and nauseous. So I am now going to try shooting in color and making digital negatives with which I will possibly make contact prints with, if this does not work then I will be printing digitally but this is completely a last resort. I am still going to shoot black and white until I find that I am not going to be able to do this at all. Who knows maybe I can find a willing body to help me out and load my film in the developing tank for me. That doesn't sound like such a bad option. I'll have to look into this a bit more. Anyway I feel that this is enough ranting for now. Thanks for listening or rather reading.

First Roll Shot

Okay so I have my first roll shot. Things have not gone as planned this week. I was hoping to develop today but with the weather I'm not sure that I want to go out in the conditions that are out there right now; maybe later today if the weather clears up. We'll see what happens.