Baby Steps!!!

And There Ya Have It....

All I need to do is figure out a function for the buttons on the right maybe switch between photo style, we'll see.

Work Included

There was a period of time where i put photography as a professional option on the back burner. during this time i stopped keeping track of exposures i used for my photos so all i have are month year and location. Recently, since my future seems to revolve around photography i have been keeping much better track of the important information of my photos.

Since I don't want to take all the time in uploading all of the photos that will be included in my "Work" section here is a link to my flickr. An assortment of these photos will be included in the slide show as well as a few new photos and some film shots that i have to scan in and upload.

Final Concept

The final concept for my portfolio is going to be based around the body design of a canon SLR I'm still undecided on which one though. I'm torn between the EOS Rebel XTi which is the camera I use with a simple button layout in two columns and the EOS 5D Mark II which has much fewer buttons to keep the navigation of the site much more simple and less confusing. naturally i will be adding my own swing to the design but using one of these two cameras as basic layouts.

The site will basically be a slide show using the scroll buttons of the camera as the advance buttons for the show. The other buttons on the body "menu" "trash" and "info" will be changed to "work" "info" and "resume" and i will figure out a use to at least one of the other switches on the body. Images and Information will appear on the LCD of the camera and maybe a thumbnail in the viewfinder but that is not set in stone.

Portfolio Concepts

I have been doing a lot of thinking about the design of my portfolio since week 1 and have been stuck on two very similar designs. Both feature slide shows with different categories (landscape, architecture, portraits and abandoned) a section for contact information and a section with my resume. The other design is based off Cam De Leon's site style using a lot of his art in a flash site, i know i don't know enough flash at the moment to build a site like that so i don't think this will be the portfolio design i pick for class due to time constraints but eventually would like to build an in depth flash site maybe with two sides, my art work on one side and my photography on the other. Most of my practical ideas relate this these two basic designs mainly differing in color but i think a very monochromatic color palette with my color images on the page to act as accents is a good idea.

Nine Inch Nails Image

"Collision"

This piece was an assignment in my
advanced computer graphics class in
2005, my senior year in high school.
The assignment was to mimic the
style used in a piece of artwork but
put your own twist on it. I used the
inside cover of
Nine Inch Nails [with_teeth]
and called the piece
"Immanent Collision".
Other than for the class and a school
art show I've never shown this piece
because i feel that it was not my own
work

Resume Revised...

Jared S Kramer
Cell: 609-610-7023
Home:609-771-6140

Work
Colonial Sportsmen's Club:
Lifeguard (2001-2007)
Head Lifeguard (2006-2007)
Maintenance (2002-present)

Hopewell Valley Golf Club:
Pro Shop/Bagroom Attendant (2005-present)

Education
Ewing High School:
alumni (2005)
Mercer County Community College:
digital media arts/web design (2005-2009)
The Art Institute of Philadelphia:
will attend for photography (2009-2012)

Skills
Professional when needed
Personable
Committed/Driven to do work
Determined to do quality work
Good management skills

Software
Adobe Photoshop:
Photo Editing
Graphic Design
Animation

Adobe Illustrator:
Graphic Design

Dreamweaver:
Web Design

Photography:
Sports
Portrait
Wildlife
Landscape
Candid

Color Scheme I

This is a custom color scheme i developed using Kuler.
It is not from one image uploaded to Kuler because most of
the upload results had very similar results between different
images. I know that these results being similar is a clue that
i should probably use these colors for my site but i wanted
to try something a little different.
I took the less saturated colors out of a few of the Kuler results
to put together a scheme that i think will work. The design is very
basic but the center dividing line resembles processed B&W film
which, although most of my work is digital now, i still used when i
have more time or think a shot will have better results with film.
I want the colors of the images like this one that will be in this site
to add the brighter accent colors.

Thinking About MY WORK...

Like Meg and a few other people mentioned in the crit of my best work last week i do take a lot of shots of nature taking over, destroying what people have made and growing back after we've taken its natural area. I Do Love The Look Of Plants Growing Around What People Have Added Into Its Environment. I have a lot of shots like these and fallen buildings, but i don't like to think of my work as images of the destruction of humanity or population because that just seems morbid, sad and pessimistic. I'd rather think of my most common work as pictures of the natural determination to survive. It is obvious that i'm not a huge fan of what people have done to our planet and i'm not counting myself out of this but Nature no matter what the circumstances can be made more interesting and even more beautiful than anything people can create.

I also take a lot of shots in unconventional ways, night shots to be specific, to make an image that is not just a picture of a landscape or building but a piece of art with lines that you wouldn't normally see. Hundresds of lines across the sky, one trail from each star in the night sky with one or more trails crossing all of those paths from an airplane in this image, but in others i have trails from shooting stars. This image also has a few very strong lines, one from the highway wrapping around the Water Gap and one from the mountains themselves cutting straight across the picture.
I've found that a lot of my work relies on strong lines and the interaction of nature and man made objects. It is not the dark, hate filled imagery that a lot of people see it as unless you want it to. I don't mind that people see it that way as long as they come back and look at it again.

Thinking About Skills...

I guess i can take a decent picture, at least people who've seen my work, and people who've been with me when i shoot in a pitch black setting say i can. I love seeing the look on someone's face after ten minutes of waiting and talking in the dark while the image processes. Sure, i can shoot during the day of nature, and anything i find interesting but there's no cooler feeling than walking past something somewhere during the day with a friend and saying "damn it i wish i had my camera!!! Oh Well I'll Come Back At Night And It'll Look Even Better!!!" and it does.

Call Me Weird, Call Me What You Will, I Love Not Seeing My Image Until Its Done Processing. Shooting In The Dark Makes Me Feel Like I'm Shooting Film. Shooting film i prefer to shoot in day light or low light because there is enough waiting and enough that can go wrong during processing that taking the chance of an incorrect exposure in the dark and wasting film is not worth it to me.

Photographers Online...

Naturally, as i usually do i first went back to my favorite band to get the names of their photographers. I've known for a while about Camella Grace-Jones' "SpiralEyes" and the work she does. A lot bizzare shots of nudes in odd compromising positions and body paint, things like that. The biography section puts it best "SpiralEyes refuses to be defined. The absence of obvious themes - feminism, deviance, violence - forces the viewer to feel and think for him or herself. Drawing on moments that impact our lives, their work evokes raw emotion without being sexual. To truly experience human expression from any angle, one must disregard pre-conceptions, reservations and restrictions. Allow yourself to be touched, and you will be moved. Challenge yourself. Challenge your beliefs. Challenge your fears. Get emotionally naked. Become vulnerable,any way you can. Only then are you ready to experience spiraleyes." the site uses mainly flash menu bars and javascript fot the images.

Chris Ross i found through the wonderful tool called GOOGLE. Chris' work mainly involves outdoor photos of fishing trips all over the world and industrial photos his photos are used in advertisements for companies that make surf gear, boat motors and in magazunes. His site uses flash and javasctipt to exhibit his work.

http://www.carreonphotography.com/ uses HTML to exhibit their work. Their list of clients include National Geographic, Dscovery Channel, Forbes and Wells Capital manageme

I've found that most photography websites are based around a main slide show of their work, a list of clientele as well as a contact link. There is not much more to a photo site, i would like to see some sort of interaction on a photography site but in order to be professional that isn't possible.

Font Family

LOGO

My Name Is Jared Kramer, I've Used A Version Of This Before, It Mimics My Signature, I Have Another Version Permanently Drawn On The Back Of My Arm...

ViMeO!!!

Cool Stuff Here!!! I definitely like the layout of Vimeo better than youtube By Far! I did some searching around on Tuesday in class and i found this...

Sound from gr-video on Vimeo.
I really dig the way the artist choreographed the music to the video. The Visuals are very appealing and the cues are right on.



A Tribute to Jeremy Lusk from And Art Design on Vimeo.
I know i was supposed to pick only one video but I am HUGE into Motocross, Downhill MTB and all that stuff that "crazy" people do, and i do it myself. I've already posted the newscast on this topic but if you're actually paying attention to this and you have a passion of your own you can understand why i'm posting another video here. I was very happy to see that on Vimeo there were no video's of Jeremy's fatal face plant on the landing of his "Look Back, Heart Attack, Indian Air (backflip)". It shows a lot of maturity and respect for the man who was a master of the backflip-and-then-some. This video is a short tribute to his art and the extreme sport that he took part in. If you want to see the crash you can find it elsewhere as well as his 2007 crash doing the same trick but walked away from. You Can Bet That There Will Be A Few JEREMY LUSK Tattoos On The Bodies Of The Guys In The METAL MULISHA.

Least Favorite

Its very hard to pick one of your own pieces and tag it as your worst piece, not because you think they're all good, or all bad on the other hand but because you know them. YOU took the shot, you were there, you were responsible for every brush stroke on the canvas, you got you hands filthy with charcoal. The piece is yours and you don't see it, you feel it, IT IS A PART OF YOU. Well, at least that is how i feel about my work. Now back to the task at hand, picking my worst piece.

As a digital photographer you go out and shoot and shoot and shoot, there's not to much worrying about running out of film because there is none. If you run out of space on your cards you just flip through find the blurry ones and trash them so most of the worst work are gone before they even had a chance. Then you have the shots that are crystal clear, sharp and on point, the ones that make it to the computer and most likely the internet.

Here we have what, in my opinion is my worst photo. I think the shot doesn't work well because the subject is too centered in the frame, I Shot it with a short lens giving the illusion that the headstone narrows at the bottom, and there is really no motion in the image. the lines are all very square to one another and your eye does not really explore the image, it hits the nearest hard edge and stays there. I think in order to make this shot work better it needs to be shot with a longer lens and it needs more action in it, more to look at. If there was person in the background or another headstone like it about ten feet behind it would work.

R.I.P. Jeremy

This does not have anything to do with class or any assignments but i think everyone who's ever seen a freestyle motocross event on TV or In Person should know. Fan Of Motocross Or Not Everyone Should Have Respect For What These Guys Do For Our Entertainment...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

RESUME

Jared S Kramer
Cell: 609-610-7023 Home:609-771-6140

Work:
-Colonial Sportsmen's Club: Lifeguard (2001-2007)
Head Lifeguard (2006-2007)
Maintenance (2002-present)
-Hopewell Valley Golf Club: Pro Shop/Bagroom Attendant (2005-present)

Education:
-Ewing High School (fall 2001-spring 2005)
-Mercer County Community College: Digital Media Arts/Web Design (2005-2009)
-The Art Institute of Philadelphia: Will Be Attending (2009-2012)

Skills:
Professional When Needed
Good With People
Committed/Driven To Work
Determined To Get Jobs Done
Good Management Skills

-Adobe Photoshop: Photo Editing
Graphic Design
Animation
-Adobe Illustrator: Graphic Design
-Dreamweaver: Web Design
-Photography: Sports
Portraits
Wildlife
Landscapes
Candid

My Work

I mainly do freelance photography and digital imaging for my own entertainment. i have sold some photos of wildlife and portraits of people but until now have stuck with photography as a hobby more than anything else.

Since I am an outdoors man and know how to get close to wildlife interaction with its environment I think I could be a photographer for a wildlife magazine, maybe National Geographic. I am also very enthusiastic about shooting action sports, motocross and mountain biking for the most part so maybe a job shooting for a sports magazine like Racer X would be a good starting point for me. I don't really know where to start but i love taking a picture that when someone sees it they are in awe and once they leave want to look at it again. As long as i can impress people with my work I'm fine with it.

Entry Level

I found an entry level job photographing products for Computer Wholesalers Inc. the job requirements are to be self motivated and enthusiastic, to know computer terminology, to know Excel, Word and Outlook, to have strong organization skills and to be able to work with minimal supervision.

Next, i found a position in advertising for fashion for Retail Convergence in Boston shooting fashion. the requirements are a little more strict, need at least a two year degree in digital photography, experience with CS2 and CS3, knowledge of both Mac and PC and will be working with a team.

I would not move to Boston for an entry level job first of all but that job does seem to be a more professional which is important. Photographing computers and computer parts only and doing it alone does not seem to provide much an opportunity for advancement.

Never Hurts To Ask...

If A Race Photographer Is Needed

If They Need Anyone To Shoot On Scene For Advertising

Sector 9
Contact Top Right Of Window

Giant Bikes

Fox Head (Racing)

Oakley

Things I Hate And Then Some...

Software-I know photoshop very well, i've been using it for eight years and six of them regularly CS3 since it was released, Illustrator, Final Cut and Windows movie maker, Dreamweaver and Flash
Skills and Tallents- I can take a mean picture and make it look good with no manipulation, If it needs manipulation I can do that to, I'm good on a Mountain Bike, I am an excellent shot with most firearms i use and bow as well, and i can also draw.
Favorites- MUSIC, The Shore, My House In Up Sate NY, Fishing, Hunting, Biking, Photography, My Family (Immediate And Extended)
Interests- Astronomy, Anatomy, Architecture, Geology, Things That Look Good, MUSIC, Motocross
Passions- Music, Nature, Biking, Capturing Nature's Beauty And Making Tha Instant Last
Hates- Assholes, I hate people who think they have the right to talk down to other people for no good reason at all. If you have a good enough reason to be angry, please, by all means, get your anger out, let it be known, but if you are just an angry person to begin with quit your bitching and move on, life is too short and there are far to many good things to be pissed off all the time. I also hate Contractors and seeing the destrustion of a piece of woods for someone to build more condos or a soccer field, people are blind and ignorant to nature and what it is. I also hate hearing people complain about there not being enough jobs out there for everyone, have you ever stopped to think that there are far too many people rather than not enough of anything else?

Jobs

Seems as though baby photographers are in high demand. Babies hate having pictures taken anyway, they're like an insecure adult, always looking away or throwing a hand into the frame right in front of their face just as you snap the shutter. I guess thats why it takes a good photographer to take a good shot if a baby. These employers are asking for maturity and professionalism in a baby photographer, I dont see how you can be up tight and extremely mature and expect to get a shot of a baby's bright smile and rosy cheeks. You have to walk into a room joking around and smiling in order to keep a baby from pouting or crying. Keep everyone in the room in a good cheerful mood and the baby will be in a cheerful, good, giggly mood so that when you hold that big, noisy, black (or silver), scary camera up to your face the subject doesn't immediately burst into tears and ruin the shot.

I used Craigslist to find these jobs, only four on this site but there are also web designers needed here. The site is easy to use, you can manually roll through your options by region or you can do an all out search for what you're looking for, the site is also up to date.

My Future...

Eight years ago or so I stole my dad's digital camera and went out on one of my adventures with a few friend. A driver's license was still three years off but we were the local "bike gang" that roamed the streets all hours, day or night. So we took our bikes out and went riding, down behind the street hockey rink there was a set of bike trails that we rode quite often. the trails were on the property of a man, who in our young minds was a mad man, who rode ATVs and Dirt Bikes through the woods and on the streets and all over the place. He built bridges and obstacles in the woods for his own entertainment. Since the area I live in is heavily populated these woods were also a dumping ground for everything from an old couch that smelled very strongly of cat urine to your generic dented steel rim but for some reason every time i took my bike out past that area my eyes would lock onto one "frame" and i had to get a camera and take that picture, that is just what i did with my dad's camera. I snapped the shot and the deed was done, i took the camera home, my dad plugged the camera in, opened the image in Photoshop 6 i think it was, (which makes no sense because he was not a digital artist at the time he is a traditional photographer) when he saw the image he said "Jared that is a good shot." and that was all i needed, photography was my hobby from then on.

I won awards in photography in my senior year of High School and was told by my photography teacher that if i did not major in College that she would hunt me down. My first semester At Mccc i majored in Criminal Justice, second semester Computer Graphics and fifth untill present Web Design. I love to go out with my Rebel XTi as often as possible and just go for a drive looking for an old abandoned building to shoot even if I know its there and have shot it before I Will Shoot It Again. I am not afraid to take the same picture of something if i know i can improve on the previous shot, even if the new shot isn't as good as the one before i just want to learn.

Recently I've grown tired of my major again and was convinced by a friend of mine who goes to The Art Institute of Philadelphia to go in and have a meeting with the Assistant of Admissions. At the meeting the woman tried her damnedest to figure out why i refuse to major in something i love so much. She just didnt understand that I am cautious because i don't want to grow tired of Photography like I have with every other major i've had. In taking a tour of the school and after a bit of talking she convinced me that when i apply i should apply as a Photography major, so i did. The other day i recieved my acceptance letter in the mail and next fall will finally be attending school as a Photo Major. I am excited and still a bit nervous that this will ruin my love but i am taking the chance anyway.

Since i love my hobby so much i only see it as a hobby, i have sold a few shots but never really advertise my work because i think of it as mine and only mine. When i finally get a job as a photographer i would love to shoot sports, mainly motocross and mountain biking, but just to be a sports photographer in general would be perfect for me. I do enjoy taking artistic shots of nature and bands so really any job involving photography will be alright as long as it has nothing to do with fashion, those people make me sick.

Boom Shack-A-Lak

What The People Them Want

I cannot believe I'm here at MCCC again, I Hate This Place And Can't Wait To Be Done With It All. Definitely ready to make the best of this semester though.