Perspective

Once I was told

2011-04-29T01:51:00.000-04:00

This:

"they're [referring to Gavins] a bit literal. Making the visual declaration, 'Look at me! I'm using Photoshop!' doesn't read as ironic; it comes across as naive."

To which I reply:

Special thanks to the 1990's, the stock market, and people with frank opinions everywhere.

[Cell Art] Porcelin

2011-04-22T20:00:00.001-04:00

Recently Lucy E. (See Digital Portfolio Here) and Adaobi visited me during spring cleaning. And I saw this. Naturally I (and you the readers) need to have it. Enjoy.

[Cell Art] Urban Blight

2011-04-19T16:39:00.001-04:00

Sebastian Diaz, beloved brother of mine wants to reach out and touch your heart. And once you've let him in he'd like to take it out and gently lay the weights of hopelessness, apathy and despair atop it. YES! Submit more Sebastian, it's what the world wants!

[Cell Art] @GavinWassung is in on it!

2011-04-16T16:47:00.000-04:00

Gavin Wassung submitted this piece to continue our celebration of cell art this week. Gavin said that this was the artsiest piece on his cell phone (an HTC Evo).

[Cell Art] Nothing but class

2011-04-16T00:59:00.002-04:00

So in his art blog debut, Josh Beach captures a moment of class... in class. Why isn't anyone raising any commotion? I suspect it's because they are New Yorkers. They've clearly seen it all.

[Cell Art] Top to Bottom

2011-04-15T14:26:00.000-04:00

[Cell Art] He waits unhappily for your reply

2011-04-14T14:57:00.001-04:00

Diego Rodriguez submitted this as part of our blog's ongoing celebration of the art of the cell phone. This was made on the i-pad using an i-phone app. See Diego's portfolio here! He rocks and did the most recent redesign of the Atto website.

A better way to fly

2011-04-12T18:49:00.004-04:00

When I fly, I normally like to take a combination of dramamine (drowsy version) and red wine. This cocktail, combined with sleep deprivation, helps me pass out and avoid the anxiety I usually feel during takeoff and landing. On one flight home from college, however, I found myself in the unfortunate position of having lost my last drink coupon. Thus I was stuck awake and, rather than scanning through the latest offerings of SkyMall, decided to entertain myself by drawing what I saw out the window as we were departing Hartford. I used the "Brushes" app to draw this on my phone.

Let's Cell Art

2011-04-12T18:27:00.001-04:00

Hello Readers,

This post is an open call for a cell phone art feature on the blog! I've been asked recently for exactly specifications of what I mean by cell phone art. Art made on, inspired by, featuring the cell phone. Pretty loose. I just want to put up cool works from talented folks.

Let's share some great stuff with the world.

To submit a piece get in touch with me. Facebook, tweet @gabrielcdiaz, email, phone. We'll get it figured out from there. Here's my submission! Watch out tomorrow, I'll post the next submission.

This one is by Gabe!
Let's all cell art!

Adorable Children, Antique Frames, Awesome

2011-04-01T10:56:00.001-04:00

"You shouldn't photograph children. They don't have anything going on. They've got no baggage." Said my photography professor as I started my first black and white 35mm class. But there's a strong tradition of photography depicting children. Diane Arbus, among many others depicts children (and whatever baggage they might have) in a manner that's clear and compelling.

And also antique frames make everything seem more like "Art."

@GavinWassung: an inspiration

2011-03-29T13:08:00.001-04:00

I've had the pleasure of working with Gavin Wassung (whose portfolio is available here) and been amazed by how his designs capture the essence of commercial messages. I recommended the portfolio for anyone looking for commercial design, or inspiration for commercial design.

Not so long ago, when I was looking at Gavin's artwork via his blog I was inspired to make something similar. Gavin makes me want to be a better artist. Since these types of works have no name, I shall henceforth refer to them as "Gavins." Making a Gavin involves using a circular rotation in the center of an image. I've added reflection (as opposed to rotation) to this technique, but rest assured that all of these images are Gavins.

Gavin the first: Stack

Gavin the second: Rocker

Gavin the third: Cycle

Gavin the fourth: Tree

Subterranean Robot Vacation Takeover

2011-03-28T11:01:00.002-04:00

As many folks might have noticed, going on trips really inspires me to make artwork. Also while on vacation I had some coffee, and during the ensuing caffeine freak-out, I had a vision. What if I could convey to viewers images of the world that were normal, but present them in a manner that made them totally alien. Being the heavy-handed, explicit person that I am, I decided to do this with Arial Black text. So please enjoy being transported to a tropical paradise, which happens to be infested with under-ground robots, whose intentions are questionable at best.

Vacation Possibilities on Prezi

Want to own your own copy of this little story? Print it out an mail it to your relatives in Canada? Sure, download a pdf here.

Absent, but not gone

2011-03-04T16:05:00.001-05:00

Still making artwork?! Having this interobang laid on me over and over for the last three months, I hope here to lay the matter to rest. Yes, art is still being made by me, by Henry, by Sebastian and (indirectly) by Kirk. But some people named above have also been busy starting a company. Said company is called Atto and focuses on web design in the service of education. All of my work, of late, has been channeled toward this effort and I'm thrilled to share it below.

Readers can look forward to future posts by me including: Re: Branding (competing globally for the identity of Gabriel Diaz via google search results), more recent work updates, and some show updates!

For those of you who have gotten this far down the post, Thank you. Please note that these designs are available on T shirts at the Atto shirt store if you are really moved please CLICK HERE.

Inventing Origami

2011-01-04T18:27:00.002-05:00

Answering the question what is it like to be photographed by my brother Gabe Diaz?
　

One: an interesting thing happens for me, he stops being just my brother. He still remains the brilliant little kid who cannot escape the folding of paper with pattern and geometry, that would have you question from what spaceship he just walked out, whom I know. He becomes (if you have seen his photography) each one of those impressive and calculated folds in a paper object he used to create as a child. Now, though, there are no seems, no hard folds, Gabe works with the fluidity of “making photography.” If you have studied the Renaissance painter Masaccio who used a similar technique of collage of repeating characters to tremendous effect, you could draw a parallel . Gabe, with his own ingenuity utilizes this curiosity in character to study his subjects, very much, sculpturally; allowing the viewer as much dimension of the subject as he wants them to experience; his technique is unrestrained and necessary. The effect I gather from his work in perspective is parallel to many of those Renaissance painters that allow you through perspective to feel like you could walk into their paintings. With several of his photographs he will allow the viewer entrance into the photo as one of the subjects--I mean that one could experience the photo as the most repeated subject. In other photos he might taunt you with pure perspective, and bid you entrance into his photo, just to have the first thing out of your mouth be “huh? Wait a minute!” So, first because I know my brother (and he is still showing off a little) I feel pride in him because he still impresses the hell out of me, and asks me to be part of his photos.

Second (the actual photographing): I don’t like being photographed. My eyes roll all the way around the world when that camera comes out. I will spend a good twenty minutes being insufferably sarcastic when he wants to photograph just me. This is my brother, the one I fought over Legos with, the one who zooms into town, “I’ll be in town for twenty minutes, do you want to hang out?” But, then, Gabe does think of something interesting to say about me and to me when that lens is pointed at me. It is then that I get to hear what he thinks of me, in those moments he out right steals with the shutter snap. These things, are things that I often hear from other people, that he told them prior to my meeting them. If he says nothing at the moment, he creates/captures an interesting activity in and around me, and I am introduced, on the occasion of a shoot to the man I don’t know, the brother out in the world. Then somewhere in the middle of the photograph you might see that wonder I hold of what Gabe will do with my image; who and what will I meet in the future of Gabe’s photography?

I have my own art--but what is it like to be photographed by my brother? He let me live a little past forever with each time the shutter bit, I suppose, and I get to be the ghost of an instant of magical sculpture.

The real me?

2010-11-28T18:32:00.002-05:00

Whenever I look at a picture I've taken with a group, my eyes dart immediately to myself. I'm not sure why this happens; I suppose it has to do with checking to make sure I approve of the way I look (I have no clue what I'd do if I didn't approve... snatch the photo from its owner and tear it to shreds?). But the thing is, I always look exactly the same. In my many years of experience being photographed, I've perfected the artificial smile that is guaranteed to convince my future self that I was indeed having a joyful time at whatever event some person had decided to document.

Or maybe I'm intrigued by photos of myself because they're different from the way I usually see myself. When I normally look at myself, I see a mirror image. This isn't what the camera sees. And my face, like most people's, is not perfectly symmetrical; hence the very cheerful Henry I see in the photo is different from the groggy and disoriented Henry whom I see staring at me every morning. The photographed Henry is the one that the world sees, the one they know. But they're deluded; they aren't seeing the real me, rather a very slighted tweaked version of me.

Only by staring at my reflection can you learn who I really am.

Buenos Aires

2010-11-18T22:08:00.003-05:00

In March 2010 I took a two week break from financial services consulting to visit the country from which my mother immigrated in 1974. Buenos Aires, Argentina is only two hours ahead of the east coast of the United States, but is the opposite season. The toilets also flush in a direction opposite to that of the northern hemisphere. My work in Argentina, perhaps influenced by these factors, took a somewhat different turn.

While introspection usually inspires me to make images, in Argentina I made observational photos. In Argentina I was an outsider. Could it be that when outside their element people are more likely to look outward? It makes sense. Outsiders need to observe if they ever have a hope of getting “in.”

Not to mention, I was on assignment for Ali Van, who asked that I bring her back pictures of great architecture. In fact, this request was what first inspired me to make vertical panoramic photos. Well that and the fact that it can be difficult to make a convincing depiction of a WHOLE building using a 50mm fixed lens.
Was I really an outsider in Argentina? My Spanish leaves something to be desired. But my mother lived there for her first fourteen years. Does that mean that I belong there in some way? Buenos Aires is part of my family’s history. As for the rest I’m not so sure.

For those of you interested in seeing more, I have a whole facebook album dedicated to my trip. See it here! And finally, for truly dedicated fans, I am having a show in Greenwich, CT on December 8th. Details to follow soon.

This is a Mistake

2010-11-14T16:48:00.009-05:00

Just as soon as Ken Baldwin jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, he realized that he had made a mistake. He didn't want to die. Baldwin was rescued by construction workers who witnessed his jump, and later that night, he was slipping in and out of consciousness in a hospital bed. The doctor told his wife that he had a 50/50 chance of surviving, "depending on whether he wanted to live." He's now one of the eight million living Americans who have attempted suicide.

Only about one in forty people survive the 220-foot fall into the San Francisco Bay. Most of those folks report having an experience similar to Ken's, in which they regretted the decision immediately after leaping over the rail.

I learned about Ken's story when listening to an episode of Radiolab. Also see this story from the San Francisco Gate.

Best Compact Digital Cameras for Fall 2010

2010-11-10T10:29:00.000-05:00

Dearest blog readers,
in an effort to get more views on this page and provide you with something helpful, I will commit to answer any questions about photographs, photography, or cameras posed to me. Feel free to email, text message, or facebook wall post. I will answer your questions.

So bring it.

Reader’s Demand:

I want a digital camera that I can use on my vacations. I want one that has good capabilities for darker, indoor lit places (but can also do outdoor scenes effectively as well). I want one that can use regular disposable batteries, preferably double A. Let me know your thoughts. If there is one that has a good price (on sale or something), that would be good too....

My Obsequious Reply:

Canon Cameras

The G-12

Suggested Retail Price: $499

I’ve take pictures with the cannon G-series compact cameras, you won’t see better images unless you are using an SLR. This camera is also loaded with features like low light optimization, image stabilizing, and HD video. This one gets the Gabe stamp of approval for camera to buy for trips. The battery is lithium ion.

Get the tech specs for the Canon G12
Buy the G-12 new for $499 with free shipping

Now if you really want something with AA Batteries:

PowerShot SX20 IS

Suggested Retail Price: $399

This camera has more zoom and megapixels. It is a bit bulkier, but it does run on AA batteries, just like you wanted. This one is probably not as good in low light.

Get the tech specs for the Canon SX20 IS

Buy it new for $371.94 shipping included

Buy it refurbished for $285.21 shipping included

Now for some brand balance!

Nikon Coolpix P7000

Suggested Price: 499.95

It’s pretty much just like the G-12 above. It seems to zoom more. Also lithium ion powered. Also specialized for low light. Probably just as good or better. Wish I could have gotten my hands on one, but I have not used this bad boy.

Get the tech specs for the Nikon Coolpix P7000

Buy it new for $439 with shipping included

Nikon Coolpix L110

Suggested Retail Price $279

Great zoom, AA batteries, large resolution. However, it’s a bigger camera, and it probably won’t shock you at night. But if you’re looking for a good deal, this is it!

Get the tech specs for the Nikon Coolpix L110

But it new for $226.30 with shipping included

Buy it refurbished for $187.78 with shipping included

Modeling in Central Park

2010-11-07T12:55:00.011-05:00

By Betty Meng Li
Nov. 7, 2010

It was a beautifully sunny day in early October. Although the slightly chilly breezes served as a reminder that fall was already here, summer lingered in Central Park. There, the sun was still warm, leaves still green, and people were still taking their time jogging, strolling or rowing boats. Walking along the picturesque paths in Central Park in that adorable weather made me look forward even more to what I was going to do.

I was going to model for my friend and photographer Gabriel Diaz. And there he was, waiting already at the Angels-in-America fountain, equipped with his photography set. To be honest, having originally teased him into doing this for my birthday, I did not expect him to actually photograph me. But Gabe had put a lot of thought into how we could make the most out of this modeling session. We had spoken at length about what kind of clothes I should wear for the day. He had sent me on a mission to purchase a bubble gun for modeling purposes, and he himself had managed to obtain a surgical mask, which he also intended to incorporate in the photos. In addition, he had arrived at the Central Park much earlier than I did that day to find a spot and do a few background shots, as he had told me. It seemed pretty clear that Gabe did not get a SLR just for fun.
Shortly after we met, Gabe took me to the spot where he would photograph me. It was an elegant stone bridge with floral designs on its sides. Although it was a new part of Central Park to me, Gabe told me that the bridge was a coveted spot for photographers. Looking around, it was indeed a bustling place for both pedestrians walking above the bridge as well as for rowers who crossed back and forth beneath it. Modeling in that situation, as you might imagine, attracted a lot of attention – all friendly though, and that felt pretty cool.
What Gabe had in mind was to photograph me in different poses and spots, and then place all of “me” together in one photo. With that goal in mind, he fixed his camera on the stand and placed it firmly at one spot, so that he could try to shoot all the pictures with the same viewing angle. In addition, he was very particular about where I would pose and about the relationship between one pose and the next. “Betty,” he told me, “now try to imagine yourself looking into the other ‘Betty’ who was just standing there.” I tried my best to cooperate, and to improvise. Gabe was always honest and straight-forward with his opinions. Sometimes he would favor my improvisation and be very supportive of it, “I love how you squatted just now – let’s do that again.” At other times he would offer an alternative, and he would say, “hmm… I’m not sure that the sunglasses are that great an idea, because they cover a big part of your face that I would rather see on the photo. How about you take them off for now?” We often found ourselves proposing and negotiating ideas like that. Although my ideas developed themselves mostly on the spur of the moment, Gabe often took them over and gave them a coat of professionalism. There was one “professional” suggestion that Gabe made and that I did not take: sitting on the railing of the bridge. “Sorry Gabe, but I just don’t want to sit on my silk dress …” I said with a shrug. “Ah well,” said Gabe, “it’s okay. Let’s do something else then.”
In addition to asking me to be conscious of my multiple poses and positions, Gabe had a reason for advising me to purchase the bubbles. Although I considered blowing bubbles and modeling at the same time primarily a fun thing to do, bubbles served functional purposes for my photographer. According to Gabe, bubbles filled up the distance between one Betty and the next, and thus could better connect the different Bettys and present a more vivid story. On the other hand, Gabe seemed to like how the action of blowing bubbles brought out many different, interesting facial expressions. “Look that those pursing lips,” he burst out, “they look great.” He encouraged me to blow as big and many bubbles as possible, and was eager to capture them reflecting bright sunlight. People who were passing by often looked at my bubbles with abundant curiosity; and it was pretty sweet to see children get easily excited, then jump and run around to chase the bubbles.
The other facilitator to our modeling session, the surgical mask, attracted many curious looks too. It is worth noting that by the time I wore the surgical mask, I had also changed into a long white sweater dress. Gabe had “approved” my choice of that sweater because it would not only go along with the white surgical mask, but would also match the dimmer light cast by the setting sun. He said that he had been interested for a while to work on a composite photo where brighter and darker lights exist side by side. White color, in his opinion, is perfect for a darker background.
I think the white sweater indeed looked great for the last series of photos we took, and we took them in time just before the sun hid its face behind the apartment buildings on the Central Park West. The only thing I didn’t like about the sunset hours, however, were the mosquitoes bites that just bloomed throughout my legs, and they itched as they surely would. Luckily, I was too occupied to scratch them. I was busy imagining what final product Gabe would “recreate” with his computer using the photos that he had created with his camera. In fact, I was lucky to witness that recreation in photoshop take place – before the computer crashed to be precise, but it was still a very interesting and inspiring process. I hope to share that experience soon on this blog too.

Images of Sebastian: lolly pops are the new black

2010-11-05T09:32:00.003-04:00

Sebastian Nicolai Diaz, my older brother. I've always thought of him as suaver and more personable than I am. When I photograph him it's easy because he's relaxed. We're both artists so he "gets it." Most models second guess poses or instructions. Not Sebastian. We've spent a whole lifetime observing each other, it's natural, I suppose that we make art about one another. Of my family members, he's the second easiest to photograph, behind my mom. My father is the hardest. I've only ever photographed my father when his eyes are closed, as if his gaze back at the camera would destroy it.

I wonder if I depict Sebastian differently than other subjects. Choosing images of him that reflect our history together. An interesting thought, but the process through which I create works is so chaotic, that I doubt such a selection effect would be observable.

Vertical Panorama

2010-10-26T17:26:00.003-04:00

Lois Conner carved her niche in photography by using a banquet camera to create amazing panoramic pictures of landscapes. The majority of her work is horizontal panorama, but there are some very beautiful vertical works. Her work inspired me to go out and give it a try.

Of course, a banquet camera, which Conner uses, is a very specialized piece of equipment. I aimed to make a similar product using some digital tech. I started out with the images below.

So now for the technical part: In Photoshop, hit Alt, then F, and then U. (Yes, it's very amusing.) In the Automate menu that opens, select "Photomerge," and there you have it: a menu that allows you to select the pictures that will become your panoramic image. Select them, hit OK, and you're rolling! This process in memory-intensive, so please be patient.

Photoshop, like a banquet camera, is complicated and expensive. I suggest trying out the free version of Photoshop, Autostitch -- a great tool for making panos. Should any of you need help with this, or Mac panorama software, I'll be happy to help out; just leave a comment.

No matter which piece of software you use, your results will probably have some distortion. What I usually do is crop the final product to a vertical rectangle shape that I like. Again, if you need help with cropping, please let me know and I can make a suggestion. Now, for the final product!

I encourage readers interested in this process to make images! I would be happy to post them and share in some reflected glory. But if you have questions, please leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

Central Park

2010-10-24T16:30:00.006-04:00

For a long while I've wanted to make images that contained two different times of day. The white figure in this image is lit by ambient evening light and the colorful figure is lit by direct sunset light. Looks pretty slick in black and white as well. What's the theme? I'd say it's about protecting one's self from cute, transparent contamination.

Several enjoyable, yet educational photographic experiences with Gabe

2009-03-17T23:19:00.011-04:00

by Kirk Portas
http://portask.blogspot.com/

My first interaction with Gabe was shoving him away from a bin of fruit that held the last banana in the room. Gabe has since told me he knew immediately that we would be friends, and in the years following that food-scarce week of crew training that culminated in violence over a banana, his prediction came true.
My first photographic endeavor with Gabe came some six months later, on a day of two plans. I contacted Gabe for help taking a bluescreened headshot of myself for a license photo. After the 2 minutes required to take my photo, I stayed a short few hours longer for my introduction to the world of artistic picture-taking.
The setup consisted of myself holding an iMac, the screen displaying the iMac camera's view, and Jen putting her boot on various parts of me. With the iMac pointed at her or myself, and the scenes portrayed the computer as a window to an alternate perspective –2 viewpoints of the same scene.
Being art, our time (of course) veered toward the erotic. We acquiesced to a series of increasingly compromising positions, culminating in Gabe’s cutting to the chase, “you know Jen, why don’t you just take your shirt off and we’ll take the picture that way?” She said no, but the day was otherwise successful.

A year later we found ourselves under a New Haven bridge. An interesting thing about bridges are the clear edges of light & dark they cast underneath, the dark often concealing the rubbish under the bridge, the light a dually contrasting expanse of cleanliness. Capturing that was one of the foci of our day.

The other contrast of the day was that of clothing and no clothing, a familiar concept in my introduction to art. I’ll spare that photo.

All the Pictures Fit to Print

2009-03-12T23:42:00.005-04:00

Back at the Aldrich Gallery (Where I learned the modernism failed. It did. If you don’t believe me I suggest you ask a tour guide at the Aldrich (http://www.aldrichart.org/) She will tell you that the failure of modernist architecture and philosophy is just a fact; a fact like “the echidna is the only egg laying mammal.” One does not question the veracity of such things because doing so would be fruitless mental masturbation.) I made several composite photographs about which I felt very proud. I never had any trouble showing photographs of myself crawling about the gallery floor, clearly violating good taste.

However, there was one image that I simply did not want to share.

I never even did a test print. Looking at this image makes me feel sheepish. I hate seeing myself as a child all twisted up and nervous. This image is a visual representation of the discomfort I often feel. To see my body recorded in such contortions makes me want to hide from the world. At least it did. Looking back through my archive, I wish I had given this photo a chance. It is a mistake to take myself so seriously.

I think admitting that I can be childish and awkward might make me a better artist or, at the very least, a better person.

Florida, Spring 2006

2009-02-28T23:42:00.006-05:00

Very few people study art at Yale College. Fewer still are male. Demographically speaking, I should not have expected anyone on the lightweight crew team to share my passion (at least not exactly). Perhaps I just missed the boat; most of the other rowers studied history or economics. When the team traveled to Florida for spring break training, I’d just started photography. I carried my camera around snapping shots of oars, and moments between workouts. The guys liked the idea of glory shots, but no one seemed intent on discussing images as art. And as the sophomore known most for my tie died shirts, and who stunk at rowing, I felt the time wasn’t right to start the dialogue.

We jogged to and from practice. Getting there was never that tough, but jogging back always seemed… harder. I was jogging back with a freshman named Henry Agnew. Somehow I got to rambling at length about black an white film photography. Contrary to my own expectations, I heard myself invite Henry to photograph with me after we got back to the hotel. We walked around, eating, talking and taking pictures of exotic things, like air pumps, and trees. Henry (for some reason) listened attentively as I told him about the camera, and how to use the light meter.

I didn’t realize until after hanging out with Henry that I’d felt isolated in Florida. Not to say that SportsCenter isn’t great. When we got back to Yale, I printed copies of the photos Henry took and gave them to him. I also sold prints of the photos I’d taken to the other guys on the team for memories. Henry’s reward for being a good teammate and engaging me when I need it? I started asking him for more help. It wasn’t long before Henry was hugging chairs on the darkened campus of Albertus Magnus college, pouring mango juice for Ani Katz, and waiting in horror-struck silence to see who belonged to the footsteps of that greenhouse we swore was empty.

Thank You, Aldrich Museum

2009-02-02T00:22:00.008-05:00

By Elizabeth Fiedorek
ElizabethFiedorek.com

The Aldrich Museum has line drawings of buildings and shiny purple paintings dripping into nuclear goo. Gabe and I weren't impressed, but we browsed accordingly. Generally I disdain those who meander past each painting, pausing a requisite 20 seconds in front of every name they recognize. Not to say my thoughts are any more elevated, just that I prefer to walk quickly.

Mostly I'm just spinning my wheels.

Gabe once said he wanted his art to make people "look closer at the world." What does he do when there's nothing worth looking at?

The back room was quiet, with good light. Gabe set up a tripod and started asking members of our 7-person group to join him for a project. He directed me and another friend, Ali, to lie on the floor as if reaching toward a painting with a neon-purple-suburban-nuclear-meltdown feel. "Look like you've been conquered" was the advice he offered. He positioned and repositioned our bodies, at times adding his own. He sought feedback and used Ali's suggestion, a pose where she reaches up toward the painting in confusion, as the focal point of the final image. After the image was done and printed, he reminded me to look for it in the gallery, pointing out where he'd fused separate images and how he'd decided what to do.

"Our human debris," he called it.

Small Town, Florida

2009-02-01T19:09:00.015-05:00

By Henry Agnew

THE first time I went on a photo shoot with Gabe was during my freshman year. We had met on the Yale lightweight crew team—both of us were walk-ons, he a year older than I. My first impression of Gabe was that he was a little eccentric, very friendly, had a great big smile, and didn’t really seem like a typical college rower. In reality, Gabe Diaz isn’t a typical anything.

When we went on our first shoot, we were in Florida on a Spring Break training trip with the crew team. I know going to Florida for Spring Break sounds pretty awesome, but when we weren’t rowing, the trip consisted mostly of sitting around the hotel pool and thinking about when our next meal would be. Between the morning and afternoon practice sessions, we had plenty of free time to walk around and explore the area. There wasn’t anything very exciting to see. But that didn’t mean we wouldn’t be able to take some cool photographs.

So one day after practice Gabe asked if I wanted to go take some photos with him. I had nothing better to do other than work on my tan, and Gabe seemed like a cool guy to hang out with, so I happily went along. I don’t remember exactly how it went down, but we probably just began walking towards no destination in particular, with Gabe stopping every now and then to take a shot, explaining why he thought it made for a great picture, what with all the light and the angles and so forth. (Gabe knows a lot about photography and he is always super-excited to share his knowledge with interested folks—that makes him a really great teacher).

Pretty soon the camera was in my hands, and Gabe told me to take a picture of anything I wanted. He taught me the basics of using the camera—how to focus, how to click the button to take a picture—pretty complex stuff. I even learned how to load the film! The first shot I took was of an air-vac machine at a gas station. Later I took a sweet shot of Gabe standing in a wooded area near the highway eating a loaf of Amish strawberry bread. Three years later, I still have the black-and-white printouts of both of those.

After an hour or two, we had to return to the hotel, either for practice or for dinner, I don’t remember which. It was a fun afternoon, but at the time, I didn’t think it represented anything more than that. What really happened that day in small-town Florida was something special—a partnership was born. And a very unlikely partnership it was! I had never had much interest in photography—when I did express myself artistically, it usually involved spending a couple minutes during lecture making drawings in Microsoft Paint. But over the next three years, taking photos with Gabe has created some of the most fun, memorable, and questionably legal experiences that I’ve had during college. I look forward to sharing lots of those memories on this blog.

Proper Social Context

2009-01-21T10:41:00.003-05:00

By Gabriel Diaz

My work focuses on people. Reading images of people stimulates my mind in a manner no other type of image does. Augmenting and shaping interplay of figures after the fact creates a new largely fictitious social world. The events that take place in front of the camera inspire and shape the fantasies I create. Participants on both sides of the camera guide me. I see my work as the product of collaboration between myself and other artists.

I suppose the phrase "participants on both sides of the camera" demands some explanation. First, I often provide models minimal directions, or none at all (as is the case when I photograph a stranger at a party). In addition, I need peers to assist me with logistical and creative endeavors behind the camera. In fact, during some staged events, other folks make just as many images as I do. A usual shoot will involve myself and one other photographer (such as Henry Agnew, who has been my "photographic assistant" for a few years) making images as the model's actions unfold.

The structure of my photographic practice is varied, but illustrative examples of the process I describe above can be seen in the Happenings Gallery. For example, "floor.jpg" is a shot from a happening I orchestrated. Two painters volunteered to paint two models head to toe in latex body paint. Each came prepared with a theme and set to work creating an original work on a model's body. Three photographers and myself worked along with a videographer to document. Afterward I pooled and edited most of the media we made. The models went home to peel off the latex body paint.

I presented media from the happening above as a piece by me, but I never felt that was sufficient. A work of such scope, that requires so much communal effort, belongs to everyone who participates. Sure, I directed much of the action during the shoot above, but I was not the only creative impetus. The painters made their plans with no input from me, and those wielding cameras got only minimal direction. I established goals, and tackled logistics. The magic of the shoot, however, came from the collaboration.

This blog will help my photographs live in their proper social context. Writers who have created images with me (from either side of the camera) or have an interest in my work, are invited to contribute. I hope that as time passes readers will have the opportunity to understand the collaborative spirit behind the work I make. I also hope that contributors to this blog will inspire others to collaborate. I make pictures not only to produce images, but to explore social living. Readers of this blog are invited to join me.