New Photos uploaded on site

Short blog action on this Friday afternoon. Just got into the PRS office and wanted to drop some blog love before I head into a meeting where we talk about Jung's Conception of the Structure of Personality in Relation to Psychical Research.....yea thats a mouthful.

I did manage to upload a new portfolio on my site: Zen in Nature

Anyone doing anything fun this weekend? Seems like the weather is getting better and better each day. I hope to explore a new park that is maybe half an hour away from here.

Well folks...off to the meeting...

Cheers,

Serg

Gettysburg Field Trip

Hey Everyone,

Sorry I missed out on some of the traditions of this blog, but for those that are unaware, PRS and I held an event at Gettysburg. The entire trip was a blast and everyone was awesome. Thank you to everyone that came out.

First lets start off with some video action. Some of the PRS members decided to pull a prank on one of our friends, Alan....enjoy. Sadly, I was not there, otherwise...there would have been photos.

Enjoy these group photos, you field trippers. I know I have a bad habit of posting them up rather late.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to snap as many photographs as I wanted, I did take some that I am happy to share.

Anna Bell, the creepy doll that was demonically possessed.

Rene - a gentleman man of sorts. This doctor resides in Gettysburg and awaits his son to return from war.

Sam - wife to a general. She longs for the war to be over so that she can give her children a chance for a better life.

Cheers,
Serg

A photographer can dream

Just a quick post. Someone sent me an email with this photo and my mouth dropped and began to excrete a lot of drool at the same time. I quote Alex from A CLoCKWorK OrANGE, "Oh bliss! Bliss and heaven! Oh, it was gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh. It was like a bird of rarest-spun heaven metal or like silvery wine flowing in a spaceship, gravity all nonsense now."

Unfortunately, this is just a concept and is not being sold...but a photographer can dream. It's almost the weekend and I need to get ready for the Open House this Saturday. Well me fellow frontier photographers, I wish you well and I shall see you all...well, you shall see me on Sunday.

Peace,

Serg

Post-Edits

Leaving some room for post-edits of various links I will probably put up.

An Interview with Serg - I

I sat down today to ask myself some questions.

Sergey: "You seem to be getting a lot of questions about your passion for photography. Tell me, when did you first discover photography?"

Sergey: "I got my first digital camera in late May of 2003. My friend owed me some cash at the time, and rather then paying me back I asked that he get me a digital camera. Digital cameras were becoming rather hip and in order to maintain a "cool" status I thought it would great to have one.

Sergey: "So the moment your camera, you were hooked?"

Sergey: Laughs* "Honestly the first real photo I took with it was not until the first of June...I mean took the camera out of the box and was a little intimated by it so I charged the battery

and took some shots that were greatly underexposed...I felt a little disappointed with it at first but then I went to a museum with two friends and photographed their sneakers. For some reason I still wasn't feeling it. I didn't touch the camera for about two weeks, until I went out again and decided to bring it along for the ride. It was at that moment that I started to really develop a relationship...heh...develop...eh, not funny; ok stick and move, Serg, stick and move. So, as I was saying...I started to enjoy carrying the camera with me and taking photographs of whatever I found interesting. Over the summer, when I worked as a freight elevator operator, I would bring it to work with me everyday. The job was lonesome, but my camera kept company. I recall exploring and photographing every inch of that building...there were even times when I would sneak up on the roof and just be mesmerized by the buildings.

S: "So what kept going? Were you taking any photography classes in college?"

S: "I wanted to so badly...but beginners photography class was an easy A class in college. And any easy A class gets filled up quick. Sure there were some people who genuinely enjoyed the subject, but others took it to bump up their GPA. But looking back at...I'm glad I didn't take the class. I took the time to explore the path of photography they way I wanted to do it. It was healthy outlet for me. Looking back, I think it helped me appreciate life."

S: "What were some things you enjoyed photographing?"

S: "At the time I was photography whatever came to my mind. I didn't really have a subject, I just grabbed my camera wherever I went. If I was going for a hike, I would bring me camera; sometimes I would drive in my car at odd hours...exploring every inch of a small town....I recall photographing some fog on a field at nighttime and then thinking...how creepy would it be if I saw someone out there. So I did it. I set my camera on a timer and ran into the field to take a picture of my thought."

S: "Well I know we are out of time, thank you for answering a few questions. I would love to have you back to continue our discussion."

S: "It was no problem at all..hey I love talking about photography so lets definitely continue this."

Some photos Sergey decided to share with Sergey

first photo I took

sneaking on to rooftops

sometimes I would have to jump from one rooftop to the other

here we are discussing photography at the freight elevator job

another rooftop pic

Erie gave me a chance to get away from the city and explore nature

the shadow figure

Lake Erie was amazing during the summer and winter

i recall chasing this squirrel until it finally told me to bugger off

Happy 420 Everyone

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to stop by and wish you all a happy 420 day. Ryan pointed this important video out to me and I though I would share it with everyone.



Time to get lost.

edit:

How does the drug war affect American children?

• Nearly 2 million minors have at least one parent behind bars in the U.S.(1) Fueled largely by the drug war, the incarcerated population in the United States has ballooned from 500,000 in 1980(2) to more than 2 million people in 2000.(3) There are now nearly half a million non-violent drug offenders in federal, state, and local prisons and jails for violating a drug law(4) - a greater number than Western Europe incarcerates for all offenses. Many non-violent drug offenders are first time offenders, and an increasing number are women - 7 out of 10 of whom have a child under the age of 18.(5)
  

• Juvenile arrest rates for drug law violations continue to rise - up 86% between 1989 and 1998.(8) While the Office of National Drug Control Policy says that one of its top priorities is to prevent children from using drugs, it spent only 10% of its fiscal year 2000 Federal Drug Control Budget on drug prevention programs, while nearly 50% of the budget was allocated to criminal justice and an additional 10% was spent on interdiction.(9)
  


• The drug war unfairly limits young people's access to higher education. The Higher Education Act, passed by Congress in 1998, restricts eligibility for any federal grant, loan or work assistance program for students convicted of a drug related offense, including simple marijuana possession.(10) Murderers and rapists are not subject to sanction under the Act.source
  

This is a war. A war that goes beyond just guns and death. This war is costing us a lot more then we can ever realize. First of, any person who thinks that the illegalization of marijuana helps protect you and your children, then I can only assume that you may want think about taking up another cause. How to illegalize things like alcohol and tabacco as well. But why stop there. Lets look at the effect fast foods have on the population. How many people are becoming dangerously over weight every year. ( Between 1962 and the year 2000, the number of obese Americans grew from 13% to an alarming 31% of the population.source)

A war, that when finally is over, can help us put our efforts into something so much more productive. But all this comes with due time. When the world is ready for a change, it will come. I apologize if this came by unexpectedly; I am not looking to enter this war. I am just sharing what position I take up and why.

Horoscope Fail

So I can definitely say that the horoscopes were an absolute fail. The current estimated population of the world is 6,773,000,216. There are twelve zodiac signs, so if we do a rather simple calculation we can say that there are about 564,416,685 pisces in the world. With so many pisces someone had to have the same horoscope those days.

As fun as this way, I think I would like to look more internally rather then externally. That is why I think I would like to start meditating.

But like I said in my report; I have been keeping busy with building up and putting together my photographs for my website. I don't want to just through a bunch of photographs on there. Each one has have some meaning behind it. Its gotta be done just right.

Other then that, just trying to enjoy some peace and quiet. Hope you all have a good Monday.

April 12th

Horoscope.com

The focus for today will be on romantic matters, thanks to an obstructive aspect. Fortunately this aspect fades tomorrow, but today it’s likely to cause a certain amount of confusion and mixed signals from a member of the opposite sex who has the potential to be a friend, but nothing more!

Yahoo.com

A person you see a lot but don't know very well has a unique energy that you admire -- and they can help you build that same kind of energy inside of yourself. Try to spend more time with this person. Open up and accept the advice they give you. Their encouragement will buoy you to a new level of excitement and make you see that your life isn't boring -- it's just a work in progress. You can change the direction you're going in and spice up your romantic life with one or two small changes.

What did I do?

Today Ryan and I spent sometime cleaning up the house and the backyard. Saw Fast and Furious. Movie wasn't that bad at all. Nice mind numbing action.

Horoscope Fail!

April 11th

Horoscope.com

Frustration is unfortunately likely to be the key word for you today. Some challenging influences from a number of planets and emphasized by Uranus mean that any attempts at making practical progress towards your goals will meet a number of small but effective obstacles!

Yahoo.com

Doubting yourself is absolutely normal -- in fact, it's healthy. When you doubt your actions, you apply a healthy skepticism to your decision making and help perfect it. Luckily, today, any doubts you have will be quickly erased. Today will be full of signs and affirmations that you are on the right path -- despite what other jealous people might be telling you. You are swimming with sharks now, but you are in no danger as long as you keep moving forward.

What did I do today?

Worked on a portfolio for my website. Went on a hike and chatted with my Dad.

Horoscope Fail!

April 10th

Horoscope.com

You will be hugely popular today, not just with your friends but also with those who are in a position of authority. Your positive energy will impress everyone around you right now and may lead to some kind of formal recognition of your efforts. Definitely a day for celebration!

Yahoo.com

You might be in a more relaxed and passive mode right now, but that doesn't mean you should let yourself be treated like a doormat by anyone -- for any reason. If you feel like you're being taken advantage of today, stand up for yourself! Do not worry that you will come off as too aggressive if you push back when someone pushes you. If you let someone put one over on you even once, they will immediately assume that they can always push you around.

What did I do?

Went out and splurged a little. Got me a another monitor for the photo studio. Now I have two monitors hooked up to the computer. Also got a Western Digital firewire Harddrive. I cannot believe how much faster it is compared to the old harddrive. Spent sometime organizing my photos and transferring all my data to the new drive. Also chatted with my two friends from NY, Mike and Nicole.

Horoscope Fail!

April 9th

Horoscope.com

You will find that you are full of energy today and will feel inclined to take part in some kind of intense physical activity. This is partly due to the fact that the moon has now altered its influences on you. Do be careful not to overdo it though as you will easily get carried away at this time!

Yahoo.com

It looks like things are going to start picking up for you romantically speaking, because a bunch of new people are entering your life. You're in the perfect position to build something bigger out of this momentum! You can finally build a partnership that will last longer than a few dates. You've been spending more time with people who stimulate your mind, and one of these people might be ready to get something going. Pick up the phone and get something social scheduled with them.

What did I do?
I was lazy.

Horoscope Fail!

April 8th

Horoscope.com

Today’s planets will partly reverse what yesterday’s planets unsettled. The communication lines should improve, but not fully, although you could find that you’re in receipt of some useful information. By the same token romance could be simmering nicely by this evening!

Yahoo.com

You've stepped back and have been letting life move on around you without getting involved, and that was smart -- it kept you out of the current drama. But today, you might need to consider getting back into an active role. But if you decide to rejoin this rat race, just be sure to take things slowly. Baby steps will lead you down the right path -- and possibly into the right person's arms. Let yourself be taken care of a little while longer -- you deserve the attention.

What did I do?

Today was a rough day. I had to go to the office to take care of some taxes work for PRS LLC. Had a kind of a late start on the day; woke up at like 2PM. Got all frazzled by the late start and the taxes. Definitely needed a break later some time later tonight. Went out for a few drinks at the bar. Chatted with Mom. Not in that order....

Horoscope Fail!

I tried to put my adventures in a box but the box was too small...

Hey Everyone,

Thank you for being patient with me. The last few weeks were nothing short of non stop, in your face craziness.

So I was thinking of playing around with astrology for like week. I always found it interesting when my horoscope would match up with how I was feeling and I would very well easily forget the countless times when it hasn't. So I thought, let me see how many days of a week my horoscope would be accurate.

I guess the next step is to pick a place to get my horoscope. And in this day and age those places are a dime a dozen. If you guys have any recommendations let me know. I was thinking I could post my horoscope in the beginning of the day and then write how my day went at night time. Although I was never a fan of horoscopes. I much preferred BioRhythms. We will see; maybe I can do both. After this little bruhaha is over we can move on to some more photography talk.

Link from the past about an amazing robot artist. (Click only if you need to laugh)

Well I think I hit you all with enough stimulation. I feel like I should have eased the Serg back in your life a little bit more carefully. But I am sure you folks can handle it.

I would love to answer some of the questions you guys post on my comments; now that I found my Magic 8 Ball, I will restart posting answers in the comments section.

Enjoy your Thursday, oh and I almost forgot...do remember to smile.

Serg

Choose your own adventure...

Hey Guys,

Anyone remember those choose your own adventure novels? You read up to a certain point and you get a couple of choices. Somehow I always stumbled upon the ending where I would die. Then because I skipped to the middle of the book to make my choice, I would lose the the page I was on. Somehow I thought it wasn't fair that the writer didn't prolong the boring ending.

"You decided to skip out on the adventure to find the ancient temple with your friend Rick. Rick went on the adventure to come back a hero. He is now offered a movie and book deal that is close to 23.5 million dollars. You have to apply for a job because your parents are kicking you out of the basement.

If you choose to work at a fast food restaurant, turn to page 34.
If you choose to apply at the law firm, turn to page 56.

"You decided to apply at the law firm. When you arrived to your job interview you saw that you were competing against four recently graduated college students who have much more experience then you do. You sit next to Sally. She is trying to get a job so that she can pay for college. She tells you that she this is her second job she is applying for, as her first job will not cover monthly tuition loan repayments for her. You guys make small chit chat about the economy. Your mind starts to wander on how she looks naked and as you are about to ask her for her number, the boss calls you into the interview."

If you choose to lie about your resume, turn to page 43.
If you choose to tell the truth, turn to page 29.

Well lets try something....You are surfing the internet when you stumble upon an interesting blog. You notice that there are numerous links on this blog, and the writer, for some crazy reason decides to write some choose your own adventure nonsense. Upon closer examination you see the following:

click here if you want to feed the world...
click here if you want to save a child's life...

Well no matter what you clicked, as long as you clicked, you are a hero.

In photography news, I submitted some photos to editors from photography magazines. My hope is that I could write some articles. I feel like I could inject new blood into them. Not literally though; that would be gross.

Click me to check out the portfolio. Comments would always be appreciated.

And speaking of comments. Remember guys, I write things for many reasons...for laughs, to strike conversations, to share with you my passion for photography...

But don't ever feel scared of voicing your opinions. The whole black and white photo thing was a joke with some truth. I am glad to see that some people were stirred by that. There are some amazing black and white photographs out there, but likewise there are also some people who overly abuse the black and white feature in order to create artistic photographs. I won't lie, I use that sometimes. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I still have a long way to go before I can teach people photography, and I am thankful for that. Life would be very boring for me if I was great photographer right now.

Now if you will excuse me, this photography gangster is off to unwind with an episode of the Office.

All the best,
Serg

Heading out...

Hey guys...



Bio Photo


Currently rereading: The Prophet by Khalil Gibran....among other books as well.

Video Blog

Hopefully this works for everyone. Just some news and seeing how this video blog thing works.





Good night...or good morning if you are looking at this tomorrow morning.

Change: We can believe in.

So how did you all feel last night? 

Its amazing how yesterday had such an important impact on our lives. How will your life be effected? 

By working together we can do so much. But where do we start? It starts... with you. Yep, that one person who thinks they can.  As we count down the days till the inaguration what will you do? Will you loathe the results and stew in negativity, or wait and grow stale? Or, will you start to do? To make yourself a better person and make this world a better place? 

Who can I become?

There is a change unfolding,

Who can we become?

Perhaps it is time we start to part ways from an individualistic idealogy. Forget the me, myself's and I and start to consider the us, together and we. What will happen when we start to work together? What will happen when we start to do something positive?

This is the change that I believe in.

This is what I got from Obama. What did you?

Opinions please.

Trying some changes for the future.
Logos 1 - 6

Thoughts? Comments?

LOGOS

ISO 400

This last case that we just filmed was pretty darn sweet. I think the biggest dose of awesomeness came when the client gave me an old camera that he had bought at an antique store.  Its an Olympus OM-1n. I did a little wiki reading about the camera and it was a pinnacle for film SLRs. It started this with a huge reduction in size, weight and noise. 

The camera works...at least it sounds like it does. I have 400 ISO black and white film loaded and I am ready to take some photographs. I think the beauty of film cameras is that one can double or triple expose on the same piece of film to create some really nifty shots. Thats kinda what I am aiming to use this. Only thing that sucks is that I am used to the digital camera metering the light for me. This allows me to pick the appropraite settings to properly expose the photo. Without metering one runs into a chance of over or under exposing the photograph. 

Now the camera does have the capabilities of doing it but it requires a battery that I cannot find. Bugger....Well I figure I can go with my guts. Not guts no glory, right? So I am gonna take my digital SLR and set it to ISO 400...then I am gonna set it to manual and see what aperture and shutter speed I need in a given amount of light. I figure if I do this enough times I can get the hang of naturally figuring out what aperture and shutter speed I need to expose a photo.

Anyone have any halloween plans? We are stopping by Long Island this weekend for an event that we are throwing. Its at Kaitys Bar...the same place where we filmed our season 1 episode. We are throwing an early Halloween Bash. I am going as an old school journalist. I have the camera and the hat that would work great.

When I was young...

...I would love reading Calvin and Hobbes on rainy days with the window open.

Now its may not be raining where you are, nor is raining here in State College; in fact its rather sunny.

But I thought I would share with you guys a little bit of C&H and what they are all about. This goes out to the bored office workers, the stay at home peeps, the after school students, and whoever else wants a smile put on your face.

Sit back and let the imagination of Calvin and Hobbes take you for a mini trip. 

My math students would love this one.

If only I could take photos as awesome as Calvin...

Thanks for dropping by folks. Stay tuned, I am planning on posting some photos from the first episode we filmed last weekend. 

Where has Sergey been?

So….its been awhile since we last interacted…this is kinda awkward…

I…auhh…what? Did you say something? No? Ok, let me start then…

Its that time again. FILMING! That’s right, Paranormal State was picked up for 13 more episodes and we are on the road. It always feels strange to go on the first case of the season. I get these brief thoughts that I may have lost my game. August was the last time we did an investigation. That is why for the past few weeks we have been prepping up for the future. 

But anywho, that is where most of my time has been put into. Although don’t fear my dear reader, I made sure to devote some time towards my progression for becoming a professional photographer. Like what you ask? 

Well at the counter at the grocery store I flipped through Shutterbug magazine….ok ok I know that sounds pointless, but hear me out.

I got to thinking. I need to make contact with the photography magazines that are out there. How does one become a writer for them? How can I get them to display my photos so that I …oh look a cookie…sorry I got distracted.

Well...I reached out and got two magazines that responded: Shutterbug and PC Photo. The editors told me that they would be interested in a couple of my ideas, but they need to see the photos first. So that is where I am at right now. Hoping that I am able to show them some photos that will rock their world, that will blow their socks of their feet, that will blow their feet off, if they aren’t wearing socks. Something truly amazing.

Hmm...I was just playing with my Rebel and I noticed something odd. The lower I set my ISO the more photos I can take. The higher my ISO is set at, then the less photos I can take. I need to investigate this mystery because its honestly making my brain hurt. How could this be? Do higher ISO photos take up more space? 

So I journey into this first case of the season with just my Canon ELPH and a 50mm Prime on my Rebel, hoping I can blow some feet off.

I will share some of the photos with you all when I return.*

*Sharing may not occur if images taken during case come out unfortunate.

In a hotel room in ny...

Hey Everyone,

The following blog is brought to you with limited interruptions by water.

There are times when I think how cool it would be to have a carbon copy of myself; who will do what I say when I say to help me out with life. Unfortunately that scenerio only exists in my head.

My photography was partially put on hold as PRS and I are working on show promotions and

Univ-Con, our 7th annual paranormal conference. Ryan, Heather and I are in New York. We are going to do the CBS Early Show tomorrow. And its gonna be live. That's right live! Talk about pressure. Watch me trip as I go walking towards my seat; remember Serg, "right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot, left foot, right foot...no wait...damn it." See, I better write this on my hand so I don't screw this up.

But while I am here I can at least stop by and saw hi to me 'rents. It has been some time since I've seen them and I miss them. I feel bad, because I want to see so many of my friends but I can't. Russians I am so sorry...well I am sorry if you are reading this blog. If you are not, then I take that sorry back. I will buy you guys a drink, next time we are out.

The one thing that I love about New York is that it has a great cast of characters. All for me and my camera to observe and capture them. And that will be on my to do list after I get all this work stuff out of way.

Water: Just drink it.

Also, quick side note. Google just release a beta version of Picassa 3. This is one amazing program for PC users (they are working for a mac one), that will help with browsing through and organizing your photographs. You can check it out here: just because serg said click here, will you really do it?

Have a great weekend everyone; I need to go have a chat with myself.

When All Signs Point to No: Part 1

I can't remember exactly when I started to think that all things happen for a reason, but I think it was a combination of certain events that led me to be open to that idea. And so, without further ado, I will tell you guys why, within a year, I received all the wrong signs for pursuing photography.

When Ryan and I moved from the townhouse to a new neighborhood, it was kinda exciting. Best part was that we had a pool in the backyard. The day after we moved into the house, I was taking Xander for a morning run through the new neighborhood. It was then that we bumped into another dog owner. Little did I know at the time, this dog owner would prove to be an essential part of photography .

Thinking I would never see them again, Xander and I continued on our run. By that I mean, Xander dragging me as he chased the squirrels of the new neighborhood. But for some reason fate had different plans for me. We kept running into them, the dog owners not the squirrels, always exchanging a few bits and pieces of one another. After months of 3 minutes, and 22 second conversations (I carried a stop watch with me), we finally decided to walk the dogs along the same path. This really gave us a chance to get to know one another. Kinda scoop out if any bond would be established. This was a bold move, because one little slip up can turn, "Hey Serg, how are you?" into "Hey Serg.... I gotta go that way. Oh, are you going that way too? I meant to say I gotta go the opposite way. You see... the thing is, don't follow me please."

I told her of my participation in a paranormal society (she didn't look at my funny, sweet I was in), and more importantly of my passion for photography. What I got was a sign. She told me of a photographer friend in the area who was always looking for help. I was blown away. It was at that time I needed a job. This was perfect, not only would I get to do something I love, but I would get to work underneath a professional. I rushed home, and checked this guy out. His website was amazing, his portfolio was unique, and I really thought that my photography career was about to come together.

I emailed him and explained who I was, and who told me about him.
I got a response that day that he would save some time for me for a phone interview. This is where we reach the climax folks. Thinking that this is it, that the roller coaster of life is about to begin, I was ready to jump into this photography business. Unfortunately, someone forgot to mention that this roller coaster was no longer in service; as I got a huge disappoint bomb dropped on me.

I called him the next day, at the time that he specified, and got the assistant. Apparently he was not in the studio and would be back later on. Ok, maybe he was busy? Four hours later, I decided to call back. He was in the studio but couldn't talk at the moment. He said he would call back in half and hour. I waited, perspiring, wow this guy must be a really awesome photographer; what with being extremely busy and all.

Thoughts raced through my head, as I panicked on what to say to him. After all I want to be grateful that he took the time to speak to me. "What do I say? How do I impress him? Should I tell him a joke? Whats that one about the chicken? No! Leave the chickens out of this. Hmmm, what about us photographers and our big lenses. *wink, wink ladies* No! This isn't high school Serg. Come on, think!!!"

The phone rang!! Its him, its him!

Now how do I write this without making him look like an ass? Well I'll summarize what he told me: You need to go to photography school; I don't want to be teaching, I want people to already know the skill. My dreams and hopes crushed. You know what happens if you leave a grape out in the hot sun for like 3 days? Now speed up that process into 30 seconds and replace that grape with my heart. Its ok, I survived. That's what bear wrestling as a child did to me; it made me stronger.

But I later faced another sign, just like later you guys will receive a second part of this story.

Updates: I recently had an interview with a model. I am rather excited to work with her and I hope to have a photo shoot with her within a week. I

Minor Updates

Hey All,

While traveling I got a talking with a really great photographer. She suggested that if I wanted to be a serious photographer that I should get a domain name with my name on it. At first I was worried that this might be troublesome for people who wanted to either get in touch with me or type out my website. If you have dyslexia when it comes to letters and you want to write my name out...you are screwed. I mean did you guys ever check out my last name?
P O B E R E Z H N Y.
But, she did make a good point that if you are a great photographer, people will want to learn your name and in turn you will want them to know your name.

So....coming soon to a web browser near you....will be: www.sergeypoberezhny.com
I have a new email as well: info@sergeypoberezhny.com

Other exciting news include....

I am renting a Canon lens for two weeks to help improve my portfolio. I am rather excited because I haven't gotten a chance to fully experiment with other Canon lens other then the 3 basic ones that I own. What separates this one from the standard one I own is that it is F-ing awesome. In all lens review sites, the basic one that I got when I first purchased my camera is rated between C- and D. Kinda like my grades when I took classes that weren't interesting (sorry mom and dad). This lens that I rented, however, is rated at A to A+. Kinda like the grades my parents wished I got in the classes I wasn't interested in.

I also put up a couple of ads looking out form some people who would model for me when we are done filming and I return to State College. I want to take advantage of this lens as much as I can.

Here is to two weeks of rocking photography.

Stay Kosher everyone.

Oh and for your viewing pleasure...here is another photo...




Soon I would like to offer desktop versions on my photographs. But for now I put up what I can and just lower the quality.

August 17th, 1996

We ran, like bandits...the perfect crime...all this candy and the best part was, that it was free.

My friend and I would often walk to a nearby airport. There was an entrance in the back into a parking lot. Before you reach that parking lot, you pass by office buildings and warehouses. Salt dunes and gravel pits. A dock with police boats. This was my backyard. Not, fields or forests. A place, and then a time, where one can walk past the "do not enter" sign, without any fear of repercussions. For during that time, there was plenty of undiscovered territory in the eyes of a 12-year old.

On one of the many trips through the "backyard," we decided to be spontaneous. Sometimes, I think a little spontaneity is good in your life, healthy even. So we were passing by the usual dilapidated hanger when the bay door felt a little more inviting that particular day. Perhaps it was because the usual route that we took started to become too repetitive. Whatever it was, we decided to just peek through.

-man talk about a typical intro to a horror movie. my friend and i should have died-

The hanger hid five small propeller planes; their surface reflected hypnotically over the fluorescent lighting. This was not a good sign. The reflection was actually bird crap and by the amount, it did not bode well for the person in charge of cleaning it up. But like troopers, we drudged on through.

We kept on walking; so did the fear of someone catching us. It walked beside us during that adventure, but I guess it was because I wasn't alone, that I wanted to keep on moving. Knowing that a friend is by your side is a big thing for a kid. It almost seems that we forget about the old friends that were by our sides as we get older.

The hanger was connected to an office. The key lime green hallways contained the wooden doors that lead to tiny little work stations. The plastic plant in the corner stood there like a feng shui reject. This place was beginning to look...boring. I suppose it was time to head back. I glanced at the desk, as we moved along, and saw that someone was reading PhotoPC magazine. Interesting, I wonder where that person is now?

As we headed towards the exit on the other side of the office, we saw a vending machine. The sweets that lay inside called to us like drugs. Chocolate, gummi bears, Oreos. Don't parents understand that these are essential for a kid to survive. But something was wrong. There was glass on the floor, by the machine. Oh my god! Someone broke the glass and ran off with some candy. We froze. We just stumbled across a robbery that went wrong. "Vendi" fought hard to keep all the goods to herself, but unfortunately she wasn't strong enough. My friend reached inside and started cramming the remaining sweets into his pockets. I...joined him. The Twix chocolate bar shined like a brick of gold, and I bet it would have tasted better too.

"Don't get greedy. Dude! Let's go. Come on...what was that sound? Oh shit, runnn!!"

We started to sprint through the hallways and down the stairs. And although it sounded like there was something dark coming towards us, it was nothing but our fear...or a mouse decided to get in on some the action. My memory is a little vague about that part.

When we got the safe house, we decided it would be best to destroy the evidence. It was time to eat. I bit into the chocolaty, caramel goodness but the flavor was off. "Twax?" "Made it Peru?" What kind of over the border food was this? My friends gummi bears turned out to be Japanese men dressed in panda suits, or more commonly known as, "Manda Men." In 1989 the Japanese nation tried to unleash this cultural wave upon the American people. Their failure allowed them to comeback with, Pokemon. True story.

I want to say the morale of the story is that you should always look before you steal. I think the saying goes something like, "If you steal before you look, then you're probably a crook. If you look before you rob, then you must have done your job." Or something like that. I'm not a quotationist. You know...the person who studies quotations...*

After typing this little number up, I realized that for a photo blog, I have few photos on it. Lets make that change. For the next blog, I will take requests. Throw a word at me, any word. And I will do my best at capturing that word as a photograph.

*Disclaimer: Please note that certain parts of the story have been changed for creative reasons. I could tell you which parts and how they were changed but then the story would become less entertaining. No, the friend in the story was not imaginary.

No ponies were harmed in the writing of this story.

So I Turned 24....

So I Turned 24…

“Nurse!” yelled the doctor as he stood their sweating; his hands shaking. He had asked her to retrieve something very crucial otherwise; one of his patients might not make it. “What was I thinking?” he muttered in to himself. He couldn’t let the patient know that he was starting to get nervous. The trembling hand, holding the needle, inched closer and closer, when all of sudden, the nurse burst through the door holding a bottle of Russia’s best, 40 80 Proof Vladimir Vodka. Everything was going to be ok.

The doctor took three swigs and preceded with the delivery. He poured a shot for the mother-to-be. She was getting a little cranky and needed something to calm her down. The father-to-be came prepared. He drank in the car while he was driving them to the hospital. The nurse took a baby bottle with warm milk and began to mix it, drop by drop with the vodka. This baby was going to be thirsty when he would come out of the womb.

This common misconception of a how Russian’s give birth is a false. The hospitals can’t afford to use real milk, so they use powdered milk instead.

Twenty four years later the baby is now writing this blog. He, of course, is no longer a baby, but he has yet to earn the title of being called a man. In Russia he would have wrestled a bear when he was 14. It was hard to find a bear to wrestle in America. My parents took me to the circus, after a failed attempt at the zoo, but things didn’t go as planned there either. Police were involved, but by the time they got there, I had only managed wrestle with the bear for a mere 11 minutes and 32 seconds, instead of the full hour and half that was needed. The bear came out alive, but not unscathed. He hobbled away with a broken paw and a chipped tooth. Embarrassed by the entire situation he now sells medical insurance in Madison, Wisconsin.

Life is too short and I need to start completing my goals. Mark my words, by the time I turn 25, I will have wrestled a bear.