Some outtakes

Here are some of the outtakes that didn't make it to the final edit in my 3 Weeks After 3 Years story. I seriously considered to keep this first image here and the last one down below in the story, as they were the first and the last photos I made of the trip, as they showed and intense emotional reaction from my mother who hadn't seen me in a while. After talking to a few friends, I decided not to keep these in.

 

The  geek in me secretly wished that there was separation between that finger in the background and the window.

Seconds after I shot this one, mom walked up to the snowman and posed with him for me. An unexpected move from her. 

And there it goes. Farewells are never fun.

Takbir vs. Free Kisses

"Dear passengers, please be sure to comply with the rules of morality."

This is the announcement that triggered a  protest at Kurtulus Subway in Ankara. Earlier this week, this announcement was made at the subway to warn passengers who interact, supposedly, against the rules of morality. 

A group of protestors gathered at Kurtulus Square and protested this announcement with public kisses and hugs. 

This protest was important for me to shoot. I got my journalism education in the States. I had never practiced my profession in my home country before. I wasn't hired by any media organization. i went there just to get myself shoot some and to see how things work at home. 

It was quite fascinating to observe. It is almost a show business where all parties are aware of the rules of the game. 

The protest was supposed to start at 6:30 p.m. I got there about 40 minutes before. All four subway entrances were held my multiple security guards along with several police officers. I could see quite a few people with cameras waiting for the protestors. This protestor in the above picture came out, put on his costume and started posing for the cameras. 

This is how many cameras were directed at him. I could hear journalist telling him what to do, where to look etc. 

Finally, a small group of protestors showed with signs, reading "free kisses" and " kiss me."

Shortly after the kiss protestors, an opposing group came out. Their sign read "Kissing is subjective. Kurtulus is not a private place." They also chanted "Allahu Akbar" and "Kurtulus is not a brothel."

Between the two groups, there was a crowded group from the police force. There were probably more cops than the total of two groups of protestors. 

Finally, all the protestors went down to the subway along with all the cameras and cops. In my prejudged opinion, I thought I would see a large group of people who would kiss all at the same time. Instead, I saw random couples who are asked to kiss for the cameras. 

And these two guys who needed to blow condoms to protest. 

The whole thing lasted less than 30 minutes. After we all came out, I saw everyone running in one direction. Sure enough, I followed the crowd. It turns out that one of the kissing protestors was attacked with a big knife. There was only one reporter who was there to document the attack. She was cool about letting everyone film or photograph her shot.  She also e-mailed everyone a series of her shots. 

Sushi

I got to do some food photography couple days ago. This was the first time I actually paid attention to styling and lighting. This is my favorite from the whole take. Thought for being my frist try, it turned out pretty good.

Greasy pig run

So I shot five assignments today and yesterday. Here is my favorite photo from all five shoots.

Geraldin Barquero, 17, left, and Leonel Chavez Suazo, 13, try to tie a pig during a greasy pig run Saturday afternoon, Feb. 16, 2013 at Pelada Beach in Costa Rica. The pig was owned by Barquero's older sister and she was helping with the ring and greasing the pig.

Playa Guiones Sunset

Couple nights ago, I went to the beach right after sunset to try out some slow shutter exposures, inspired by surf photographer Morgan Maassen's work. I haven't gotten what I had in mind yet, so gonna keep shooting. But here are some shots from the first night.

Nick Rodriguez aka NicDanger

I got to photograph NicDanger, a young Columbia rapper yesterday. We ended up running this one photo. But here are some of my outtakes.

Fall fun

This weekend I made another trip to West Plains, Mo. On my way back, I wanted to go to this brewery, Piney River Brewery, that my friend, Ben Zack, has recommended. I had to drive on gravel roads for a good while to reach this place that used to be a barn and now an amazing place with some amazing ales. On the way there, I had to make several stops to appreciate what fall has to offer.

Sunday portraits

I got to hang out with some good friends and met some nice people yesterday. Here are some portraits of those who crossed my path.

This is Becky. She is the bartender at Lucy's in McBaine, Mo. She is pretty much my favorite bartender. That little roadside bar has the best afternoon light ever. I made this portrait in the kitchen as she was preparing a double cheeseburger for one of the guests.

We made friends with her over the summer as we started going there almost every Sunday. She is one of those people who is hard to get close to. But once you are in, you are in for real. It is a quality that I admire in people.

After we became regulars at Lucy's, she lost her house to a fire. She and her family are still in the process of recovery. You are always in my prayers, Becky.

This is Han Cheung, a good, old friend of mine. He was in town to work on the Missouri Photo Workshop's website and to defend his MA project, which he successfully completed. He had couple free days before he heads out to Portland with his girlfriend. So we went for a hike in the morning, which was really refreshing for both of us, before we went to Lucy's.

Han and I started the program at the same time. And it took both of us a lot longer than our classmates. We both are hopefully graduating this December. Fingers crossed.

I hope your girlfriend and you find good jobs soon. Wish you both luck with everything.

This is Jimmy. We met him yesterday at Lucy's. While we were playing with the good light, making each other's pictures, he walked up to us and asked us to photograph him. He said he is an ex-Amish. He left the Amish community when he was 26. He said, because  he wanted to be a singer and make music, the community asked him to leave three times. And the third time they asked, he did it.

This is Martin Wulf, another new friend we met yesterday at Lucy's. He is certainly a character. He said he is married to his wife for over 50 years. He wanted to make sure that I wouldn't put his picture on the paper, because his wife would be really jealous. We talked about his farming and this year's drought that hit the Midwest. He lives down the road from Lucy's. When I asked him if he drove there, he said, "Heck, yeah!"

Nugget

Here is another sample from my holga boy. This is probably one of the best pictures I have ever made. And I really mean it. Pups are the best.

Excited for Holga

I got my first two rolls of holga films developed last Friday. Love the feeling they give. I had a lot of fun shooting these.

Shot this one during a summer afternoon bike ride. Country roads are always very poetic.

This is the big tree in McBaine, Mo. I triple exposured it. Just playing around with my camera while on the wheels.

I don't remember this guy's name. He was at Lucy's with his friends and wanted us to take a picture of him. He surely had some cool tattoos.

This bizarre image, my friends, was made last year in the small town of Rocheport, Mo. I was there on assignment to shoot this monster bike bash, that was organized for the Halloween. Besides the assignment images, I snapped couple pictures with my Holga guy.

From the same bike bash. Yes, what you see on the background is a group of beer bottles (six pack) and a bunch of smurfs.