graffiti

Prior to my purchase of a Nikon D60, I had labored with the old-school Nikon SLRs of my father's day. I say "labored", not to mean disrespect, but rather, to draw attention to the precision and skill necessary for serious photography, pre-digital era. That, and the fact that these cameras are HEAVY (durable, but still). It goes without saying how the photographers of old (again, no disrespect) had to truly master their craft, having far less "perks" and user-friendly features we in these digital days are spoiled by. Yes, spoiled. I'm not complaining. Merely stating that we have it good. In fact, my favorite feature right now on cameras is still the delete button. THEY did not have that luxury. How their pictures would turn out was a surprise. As was the case, with this shoot...(and then, I turned to basic photo-editing software so I can live with the finish product)

The following set was taken with my old 35mm Nikkormat (Nikon) SLR. The shoot took place in an alleyway behind Melrose Ave., in Los Angeles. It must be noted that by no means, am I a "graffiti" or "bombing" afficionado, nor do I necessarily support its illegal proliferation on wall upon wall of private property. BUT, I do enjoy art, and this is art. AND, it is free for our viewing. And I definitely enjoy free. Plus, I love hip-hop, and I respect all of its elements, with graffiti being one of the four, for those of you who may not know. It helps that I shot this set with film, creating a warm, older quality for the images that really does feel a bit reminiscent of the "back in the day". And so, a little ode to free art, to hip-hop, to old school photography, and to the streets...

my friend Josh, serving as my model for the day. thanks bud.



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