Redscale + FOB

Homemade Redscale Film + My iTunes =

The most time-consuming photography project I've undertaken so far.

The Process

• Step 1: go into pitch-dark bathroom at witching hour and pull out the film of an unused roll.
• Step 2: cut the film, flip it over, and tape it back up.
• Step 3: wind the flipped film back into the canister, and don't forget to cut a new leader.
• Step 4: load into film camera.
• Step 5: shoot without regret.
• Step 6: carefully remove finished roll of film from camera and run to the print lab.
• Step 7: do something interesting for 2 days.
• Step 8: pick up prints and react.
• Step 9: scan prints into computer.
• Step 10: choose sacred lyrics of real music to match prints.
• Step 11: creatively overlay lyrics onto the pictures. 
• Step 12: upload!

The Final Product

          The redscale didn't turn out as I expected. To be honest, I had hoped for more variations with oranges and yellows, but the areas in the photos are basically just black or red. Also, I obviously wasn't in control of the lighting. Many images were underexposed. Some were overexposed. Some I can't even tell what happened... Nevertheless, I am extremely proud of the raw outcome because they don't just look damaged, they are damaged. Yeah, I'm looking at you, Instagram.

          Even the digital overlaying I did is based on how they would have done it in the past with magazine layouts. The point was not to retouch the picture but do the minimal amount of editing, which was simply adding statements to the raw images. 

          I particularly like this project because it merges and reflects many dimensions of my interests - film, lomography, rock music, story-telling, typography, etc. - and because it strongly reminds me of my closest friends.

Happy birthday, Micah.

A Little Help For All You Mean/Rude People Out There...

someecards.com

If you don't think you're mean or rude, you should have a look at this anyways because

78.3958% of you who are mean or rude don't know you are.

Now before you pass this post off as a cocky proposition that underlines some sort of self-perceived superior moral conscience, let me be the first to say that I too have the mean symptom, and that 100% of percent of these lessons continue to aid my existence in humanity.

HOW TO HAVE A MORE ATTRACTIVE PERSONALITY:

1. Don't say to others that your hobby requires more skill, is more meaningful, or is more anything synonymous to superior than theirs. If you must express the divinity of what you do or else you'll die from a blood clot IN YOUR EGO, then talk about your hobby in its own game. What do I mean? Say something like this: "Hip hop dance takes a good understanding of groundedness and improvisation - things I'm good at. I would never make it in ballet like you." See what I did there? If you can manage, extol them in their field a little bit. 
2. Don't be so quick to blame others and exonerate yourself when shady incidents occur. Keep that pointed finger in your pocket. Of course it's fair to say you didn't do it if you really didn't do it, but the execution of this speech is crucial.  Don't get all high pitched and defensive when no one has even said anything against you. This might sound obvious, but think about how many times you've done that. If you suspect someone - definitely not out of prejudice - refrain from saying these 3 words: YOU DID IT. The more respectable way to express your suspicion is to describe what you saw/heard in the most objective manner or to ask the suspect questions about his whereabouts/actions in an understanding tone. Examples: "I remember leaving an uneaten taco there before I left to grab some soda from the canteen." / "Did you perhaps mistaken my concert tickets for scrap paper?" And try not to sound sarcastic when you're doing that. 
3. When someone complains about or mourns over their life, don't compete with them. Telling a suffering person that the worst experience he has ever been through can't beat your worst experience is like kicking him when he's already down in the dirt. Don't you understand that in such state of despair, winning at anything can cite the tiniest glimmer of satisfaction? But what did you go and do? You took away his dream of being the victim of the most traumatic/tragic event to ever occur in history. Geez, let him have his moment. Be the bigger baby.
4. They say honesty is a virtue, but I am pretty certain these philosophical experts didn't mean for you to go around pointing out people's flaws 24-7, like you're some patrol officer for a perfect world. I want Thai society in particular to listen real closely here: telling someone they're fat is NOT how you begin a friendly conversation with them. "Fat" is just always derogatory.  Even people who want to gain weight don't want to be fat. If you must tell someone they seem to have put on weight, say it like that. But be aware that even that can be very unpleasant to hear over and over again, so just try to stick to the "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything" rule of thumb.
5. Don't voice all the corrections your brain conjures. RULE: you can only call out a maximum of 50% of your peers' inaccuracies. SO BE SELECTIVE. I know the urge to share your superior knowledge with the less informed is so biting, but you have to fight it. Be selfish with your intelligence sometimes. Next time someone incorrectly recalls the order of which Voldemort's horcruxes were destroyed, restrain the Hermione in you and just let the loud mistake go. 
6. Make sincere efforts to find out how someone is doing. I stress the word sincere. Don't just ask how are you, wait for the I'm fine, and then leave it at that. If you do get the default answer, specify your question. How's your internship going? So how are you and Ryan doing? How did your big audition this weekend go? It will strike them as thoughtful that you had listened and remember what they might have mentioned ever so briefly in your last encounter. And don't ask with the expectation of them asking how you back so that you can share your "wonderful story". If it's really that wonderful, it'll find its own way of getting told; don't worry.
7. Prone to cursing? I am a bit too, and to be honest I'm not aiming to give it up completely. I do however strongly advocate for moderation. I'm telling you to reduce the usage of your F, S, and B for your own good.  You know that overuse just wears off the impact of those words, which you probably don't intend for because once you've hit that stage you just look a pretentious wannabe with pathetically limited vocabulary and rhetoric. You also want to test your off-switch because there should be occasions in your life when you shouldn't swear. 
8. Don't cut lines. 
9. Don't be late. You know what you're saying to the person waiting for you when you are late? "You. Are. Not. Worth. My. Time." So if you're ALWAYS late, what do you think you are saying?
10. Hoho, and the last one: don't name names in posts like these.