Lucky for me, my friends abuse the hell out of Instagram.

1. I obviously sleep like a caterpillar, so it's nearly impossible to wake me up.
2. It was really nice out the other day. My friends and I sat outside and chatted for a bit before shooting.
3. We lazed around and I decided to try shooting with a Mamiya!
4. Casually modelling, you know.

5. The result of said modelling.
6. I hadn't seen my friends for almost a month, so I'm glad we all met up.
7. We decided to make cupcakes! Even though I kinda fucked up the recipe because I have no clue how to "whip" anything.
8. But then I left the kitchen and voila, the cupcakes were made!

Untitled, a photo by Jayson Carter on Flickr.

Peek, a photo by Jayson Carter on Flickr.

I really should get a Mac. The colors look so different than on a PC.

Case in point, I am red.

Untitled, a photo by Jayson Carter on Flickr.

I'm thinking about starting a series of tilted photos like this.

I don't really know if there are any themes or ideas that I particularly try to express in my art. I want to say foremost that I do believe that art should have some sort of relationship with beauty. It should either demonstrate it, negate it, or a mix of the two. A lot of my pictures reflect what I find beautiful at the time, be it a particular color, shape, or an actual item. I guess you could say that they aim to be an appeal to the aesthetic.

I like to try to set specific moods with my pictures, regardless of what the subject or concept may be. In some of my pictures, the interpretation of the piece has a lot to do with the color palate or color editing that I use. I normally try to go for grayed darks and very bright lights -- that much is constant. The temperature of my colors tends to reflect the overall concept; curious, introspective, observant -- they all can be reflected with color. I also have a tendency to use colored clothing to convey purpose.

I want to start doing more digital manipulations. Even though it's not particularly my style, having the know-how would make my artistic ventures that much more intricate. And in the long run, I may end up needing those skills. Wishful thinking, but that's what keeps me going.

I hope that answered the question, I usually start rambling when I run out of things to say.

I just realized that the files I scanned for this assignment were deleted when I formatted my SD card. That probably was not very smart of me. Well, at least Ellie Goulding's album is out. 

It's too early to function.

I will now obsess over the late, great Irving Penn.

The triangular shape of the figure is naturally what draws people to the image, but her expression is what is so magnetic. Gripping her neck, she expresses what seems to be a concern. If you wanted to be imaginative, you'd say she was a woman of esteem who has just been poisoned. You might say that she's a woman who overdressed for her diner date. The background is just abstract enough to leave the setting up to the viewer. It's a very clean image, although being slightly overexposed.

This image is framed not only by the white negative space, but the space between the woman and the veil frame her even more. Her big eyes seem to pierce through the screen itself, and she has the almost iconic Vogue scowl on her face. The simplicity in this is what makes it so elegant. I'm very drawn to her neck and collarbone, and the definition in her cheekbones creates enough shadow to accentuate her lips and eyes.

This image is one of my favorites. I love the distortion the bottle creates, and it complements the slender figure of the woman. I love the way her face pokes out from behind the bottle, pursing her lips to her cigarette. Her padded shoulders add interest to her attire, and there is a mystery surrounding the man with the lighter. The bottle being half empty fills the negative space, and also adds purpose to the wineglass on the left side of the image.

Sometimes I like to pretend that I'm a photographer. I wish I had more pictures I was happy with at the moment. I don't want to be one of those people who blames everything he does wrong on his camera, but I certainly wouldn't be complaining if my camera could pick up a few more megapixels.

I didn't come to class today because I couldn't shake my overwhelming sense of doom. Here's a picture to make things all better.

Mark Powell is an English illustrator whose preferred media are vintage envelopes and a Biro pen. He usually does black and white portraits of elderly men and women, but his illustrations featuring small animals are also extremely impressive. I love how the use of the Biro pen makes the portraits feel so rightly engraved into the envelopes, almost as if they were already designed that way.

Marcin Karolewski is an illustrator from Wrocrlaw, Poland. He labels his work as mostly "comic book concept art". He does not have a full biography, but the majority of his illustrations depict a penchant for adventure and a strong interest in fantasy. His use of color is very subtle, yet effective. He pays very close attention to detail, which gives the viewer an endless supply of things to discover and analyze.

Jin Joson is a photographer/illustrator based in the Philippines. He does a lot of client work, but I find his personal work (as is usually the case) to be the most intriguing. He uses a lot of oil and acrylics, and the majority of his work is conceptual. His portraits are usually very aesthetically appealing, and he uses a mix of shading and light colors to create very light, almost fairy-like subjects.

I think Jocelyn and I are going to start shooting every Friday. What better way to kick off the weekend?

This picture represents my psychological denouement upon facing the gravity of the proverbial "adult world" and how the metaphorical "party" has ended...

Kidding. It's me in a party hat, guys. Let's be real.

I am starting to experiment with Photoshop a bit, and wanted to create a sort of "wet plate" look. A lot of what I see on Flickr is starting to bore me -- I can only take so much heroin chic and overlayed film textures. 

Thus, I'm going to sit in my room at 4 AM, read about the stupid election, and do dumb things on an expensive computer program to show to kiddies on the Internet.

Lately, I've wanted to take a lot of pictures of my stupid face. However, being in a dorm definitely inhibits my creative flexibility. I don't like doing self-portraits anywhere but where I live just because it's a very personal thing for me and I only do it in a personal space. But people are gonna start getting reeeeal sick of seeing that stupid window.

Welp, I just sold my 30mm. Now to sell my 24-70mm (which no one will want to buy because it's the outdated version and apparently the new version is so much better) to be able to afford LA in December.

I also figure that I'd start uploading pictures that I liked from shoots that I've already posted from. If that makes sense. I have a huge Temp folder and don't want to let them just sit there.

IT'S MY BLOG I'LL POST WHAT I PLEASE

I think this is the last picture taken with my 30 f/1.4. I'm still debating on whether or not to sell it. It's just so disheartening when you waste time styling and arranging a shot and you realize while you're editing that it's not exactly in focus. I don't know, I might be the only one who's neurotic about it.

I've been shooting with a digital camera for about 2 years now. I began shooting darkroom 4 years ago, but it became much too difficult to process film and create prints. So, I figured (although I wasn't exactly thrilled to be working with computers) I might as well start shooting digital. I usually shoot and then post-process in Photoshop. My work is a lot more accessible now, so I suppose that's the biggest plus.

A lot of photographers I know call themselves "conceptual photographers". I've never really understood the label. I do know that the majority of my photos come from random, spontaneous inspirations. I like pushing boundaries of beauty. I like shooting things that aren't exactly "pretty" or "normal". Most of my photos are a bit unflattering. But I like when things look a bit off or uncomfortable or strange -- that's what keeps them interesting. 

The Internet is one of the most powerful methods of communication. Through it, we've learned to actually convey emotions and feelings through a medium once viewed as cold and mechanical. I believe that it will soon be the most commonly utilized way to advertise and promote oneself. I hope that with this blog (along with several other websites), I'll be able to say and do something noticeable, meaningful, or powerful. I also hope that I can create something we'll both like.

We're all cognizant of the flurry of musicians, actors, and artists that have suddenly risen from sites like Tumblr, Flickr, and YouTube. We all recognize that there is ubiquitous talent around the world that, without the aid of the World Wide Web, would not have been given a second glance. Pretentious or ambitious as it may sound, I want to be one of those people. Not exactly for the fame and fortune (although we'd all be liars if we said we didn't care about those things), but for the ability to produce something frivolous that people can appreciate. Art makes you feel. Or think. Or understand. Art becomes a therapy -- for both the artist and the viewer. And I rely much more on the visceral reaction of the public than their money or praise.

In short, this is my therapy. Enjoy.