Author: derekwoods14

12.30.14 Julie. Downtown LA.

So much of this project became a look into my personal life in a way that I didn’t quite expect. It became a vehicle to show my life, and, the most surprising part for me, a place to write about my life. I didn’t think what I wrote would become such and fundamental part the project; but somehow it did. So to that regard I take this final chance to write about Julie.

It may seem that by looking at my photos Julie is a passive physical muse to which I point my camera and snap pictures of her beauty and glorious booty; for those of you that follow me closely you know I hate that term “muse.” She is far more than that. What Ive learned this year, and in this project, is that the saying “behind every great man is a great woman,” although my greatness I would question, is a fundamental truth for me.

We as human beings depend on the love and affection of other things; like it or not, thats why we all have social networking. No matter how strong, independent, stoic, you think you are (and I think I am), we need support. Men often focus on being the strength in a relationship, but the true strength comes from the woman that intuitively know when their love and support will make all the difference. The comfort in knowing if you let down your guard your partner will be there to hold up theirs, liberates you from the fear of failure. Julie and I started dating as I began my photography again, and she has been the largest driving force in pushing my work and developing it. She’s the support that gets me through the times when I look at my work and think “fuck! what am I doing.”

The truth of the matter is we accomplish nothing in a vacuum. Those around us friends, family, social networking, all push us, inspire us and shape us. Julie is the woman behind the curtain helping this “Oz” keep moving forward and looking like I know what Im doing. For me age has shown me that this is what I need from a relationship. Sex, music taste, fashion, politics, and everything else is meaningless in a relationship if you don’t have the support structure in place. Ive said it before, and Ill always say it: relationships only make sense when both people are made bigger, better and stronger by being with one another; and so let me say here an now, I am who I am because Julie rights the ship this is my mind, guides me when Im lost in my thoughts, and is my strength when I didn’t even know I was weak.

Julie you’re my everything, I couldn’t be who I am without you and I love you madly for it. You’re the best partner, co-conspirtor, trouble maker I could ever asked to be paired with and I can only hope I bring you a fraction of the joy you bring me.

I love you!

Whats next!! 

For those of your RSSers Im going to change the url to 365daysoflomography.tumblr.com. 

For those of you following Im just going to change the URL so you won’t have to follow anything else. 

derekwoodsphotography:

365 Days of Lomography!

So it’s official my next 365 Day project is going to be all about Lomography cameras. Lomography is an analogue camera company that is really holding up the torch for the survival of analogue photography. Much of what they do is about restoring historical camera equipment to bring them to a new generation. 

For those of you that have been following my work for the 3ish years I’ve been shooting again, there was LOTs of Lomography in my early work. 

So, why do a 365 day project if I haven’t shot much Lomography lately?

Because the style of shooting that Lomography, and it’s cameras, inherently promotes is what I love about photography. It’s about run and gun. It’s about getting up close and personal and stealing the shot. It’s about capturing life in the moment. It’s about the picture not the gear. It’s about the subject, not what you’re shooting with. 

Those camera aficionados of you are scratching your head thinking right about now thinking “wait asshole you just shot a Leica for 365 Days and you’re saying gear isn’t important.” And the short answer is: yes.

Whats great about Lomography cameras is they are simple, yet amazing in their simplicity. They have few features and few controls to keep you from being distracted by the camera so you just shoot. 

All, but one, of the cameras Ill be shooting with you can get for a under $300. What I didn’t like about the Leica project is I felt like it left a lot of people thinking, “if only I had a Leica.” Well with Lomography you can get ALL of these cameras. Throughout the project Im going to be shooting 5 different cameras, each for 2 months, and then shooting  2 wild card months to explore the more toy-isn cameras of Lomography. Like the current project Ill have the cameras with me at all times (I’m gonna need a bigger bag) and will shoot my everyday life and incorporate the cameras into the photo shoots I do throughout the year. 

I wanted to add in more of a technical element into this years 365 by talking about the different cameras, how to use those cameras, and how you, yes YOU, guys can get into film photography. 

The lovely folks at Lomography have been gracious enough to help me with this project by sending me some stuff, and Im excited to have them helping to take this project to new places. 

I hope you all are as excited as I am to jump onto a new 365 day project to learn, to experiment, and to see if I can manage to take 365 great photos. 

I hope you’ll participate with me, grab yourself any film camera and lets make this project about a collaboration and celebration of film photography!