Who would of ever thought that a hipstamitc camera phone image could be transfered to a tangible polaroid? The impossible Project is ahead of the game and already has the ball rolling to create an updated version of an older process to the masses. The original polaroid transfer utilizes slide film or negative film, Polaroid and a Daylab. Which is still available to purchase and specific instructions for various methods are available here.
+ home
+ about
+ calendar
+ rental
+ delivery
+ assistants +
+ PIX (est. 1990) +
Los Angeles Photo Sales/Rentals
Open 7 days a week
Mon - Fri 6 am to 10 pm
Sat + Sun 9 am to 5 pm
211 South La Brea
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.936.8488
323.936.5209 (fax)
For blog info, contact pixfeed@gmail.com
The ICON :www.iconla.com: @theiconLA
I had a chance to talk to both LA artist here is what they had to say.
Joe Schmelzer:http://www.joeschmelzer.com/: @treasurbite
PixFeedLA: When did photography become apart of your career path?
Joe S: I pretty much knew I was going to be a photographer - after taking a photo class in junior high school. It all just clicked, and than that is the path that I chose and pursued. I then went on to earn by BFA at Rochester Institute of Technology (where I actually met David Vincent Wolf - who is doing the show with me.) So we have known each other over 20 years, then I also earned by MFA at California Institute of the Arts.
PixFeedLA:I hear you have a show coming up at the Icon in LA on the 18th. Does the work your show mirror your commercial work or is it more for a personal endeavor?
Joe S: The work in the show - at least my portion - is all new work - produced only this year (2012). I wouldn’t say it mirrors my commercial work - it is definitely more personal and quirky - which much more mirrors my personal work of the past. Many images were taken on the side on some travel assignments - but I think in the end the work definitely feels more autobiographical to me - but maintaining the compositional and color aspects of my personal work - and certainly the use of natural light and natural - if not, banal moments.
PixFeedLA: Tell me about your process in putting together a body of work.
Joe S: Putting together and editing work is just as much of the process as actually making the photographs. I guess I always have strived to make my personal work feel like some sort of non-linear narrative - with clues and moments of my life. Its always hard to know which pictures to show and how to present them - but it just works like a puzzle - and I keep shifting and changing them until it comes to together and feels right. The big difference is that without a client to please - all the ideas have to come from within - and as with most artists - am my own worst enemy and critic. Certainly will be interesting to see the response.
David Vincent Wolf: www.davidvincentwolf.com/:@allofthisforyou
PixFeedLA: When did photography become apart of your career path?
David VW: Photography has always been a part of my life, so it’s hard to say, really.
I started taking pictures when I was around 8 or 9. My dad gave me his old Yashica 126, and I set up still-lifes in the backyard using things I had collected.
The first elective I took in high school was Graphic Arts because I knew it was the earliest I could get my hands on a camera. I was fortunate enough to have an incredible photography teacher in high school, who encouraged me to experiment…. I ended up making prints in the darkroom using acetate overlays with original handwritten poetry on them to mask areas of the prints I was making…. For years, I’d think back on them and cringe, but now I realize how privileged I was to be able to do such a thing, and be encouraged in the process. I’d give nearly anything to see them again.
My oldest memories are tied to Polaroids my mom keeps in a shoebox…. I literally can’t remember anything before those pictures.
Through the years, every job I’ve held has had a photography component in varying degrees. Shooting, art directing, art buying… I’ve kind of done it all.
It will sound morbid to some - but I hope to photograph from my deathbed!
PixFeedLA:I hear you have a show coming up at the Icon in LA on the 18th. Does the work your show mirror your commercial work or is it more for a personal endeavor?
David VW: My commercial work is different than the work in the show - but mostly because it comes from a completely different place.
There are definite crossovers between the two, but ultimately, commercial work just isn’t as “pure” as fine art, because it has to serve a larger goal, which is: to make people buy shit.
When working for a client, my task is to give them what they need, and assuming a best case scenario: I get to do my thing.
With my personal work, I am free to do whatever I like…. so, I’m showing the work I love to make, in the hopes that I get hired to do “my thing,” as idiosyncratic as it may be.
Anyone with half a brain can throw someone in front of a seamless and shoot them… I’m not interested in making easy photographs.
PixFeedLA: Tell me about your process in putting together a body of work.
David VW: I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately, and here’s is where I’m at:
I believe that beyond a certain level of technical proficiency, photography is nothing more than editing. When I shoot, I am cutting things away, and hopefully, what remains are moments of truth and beauty. That probably sounds ridiculous, but it’s how I genuinely feel.
I haven’t exhibited in Los Angeles before, so I wasn’t sure if I wanted to show a single body of work, or show selections from several projects. I eventually opted for the latter in the hopes that it speaks to a larger audience. I picked some of my favorites over the past few years and used them as anchors, building the rest of the show around them.
My photographs let me say what my words can not. The best result I can hope for is that my work, in some small way, speaks to someone.
**I would like to thank both Joe and David for their time. I hope to see you all there!!!
Definitely a documentary to check out. Beauty is Embarrasing will be premiering theatrically at the new Sundance Cinema in West Hollywood, 9/7 - 9/13.
WIth Beauty Is Embarrassing, a documentary about his career opening in theaters this September, we spoke with Wayne White about creating the look ofPee-wee’s Playhouse, New York in the 1980s, and why freedom is oxygen to an artist. Via
“So when people ask me what it has been like making this movie, the first thing I tell
them is that it has been the time of my life. I hope audiences get that sense of joy that
Wayne has about what he does everyday. That’s the lesson I learned from him…spend
every day doing work that makes you happy. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past
three years, and I can’t wait for everyone to see what I’ve been up to.”
Neil Berkeley, Los Angeles CA
All images created by Andreas Franke. To see more of his work please visit
Three Weeks left to see Cradle of Mankind by Joey L at the Stephen Cohen Gallery. His work is pretty amazing. He has worked with many large clients like Coke-a-Cola, Nickelodeon, FX Channel and many more.
I know sometimes people look at portrait’s of tribesman and don’t see anything special or different from the other images. Joey L did do something different he connected with his subject very well and lit the images unlike most other photographers have.
When traveling he uses a Profoto 7B 2, and Rotalux and a Phase One Camera. A product that PIX Inc rents in Los Angeles California. Some people scoff at fancy equipment when doing documentary work. I think his imagery speaks for it self. What do you think?
Does anyone deserve to Die? Interesting angle for a campaign about Lung Cancer.
Stating the facts doesn’t hurt either. Such strong imagery is used to draw in the target reader.
“Many people believe that if you have lung cancer you did something to deserve it. It sounds absurd but its true. Lung cancer doesn’t discriminate and neither should you. Help put an end to the stigma and the disease.”
For more information or to donate to a great cause go to noonedeservestodie
To support download and change your facebook photo.
Mark Allen Johnson, a man who wears many hats in the creative field; an active still photographer, producer, and director of photography are just a few of them. He was kind enough to take a few minutes to answer a few questions I had for him.
@pixfeedla : That being said, was there any specific project you were working on
where you were uncomfortable getting your story?
@MarkAllenJohn:I am so busy…. I am headed overseas for 3 weeks where I am working a story on illegal animal poaching. I was never one of these guys that wanted to change the world with a photo… Photography is/was purely a selfish thing for me. An excuse 2 be anywhere and everywhere. I just was lucky enough to squeeze a living out of it.
I basically have hired a 4x4 and will travel to some of the most remote regions in search of cooperating criminals. That’s my life in a nut shell.
@pixfeedla : When you travel what are your photographic staples that you carry with you.
@MarkAllenJohn: Equipment… I’m not an equipment snob or photo geek who wants to discuss lens clarity or film vs digital bullshit. It all starts with composition. You can be a photographer and swing your expensive camera and lens at everything…. But unless you have the knack for composition well…?
Now days I shoot less and less… I use the skills I learned in producing stories and projects to move away from the still camera and have got closer to video and hopefully to a point where I use no type of camera at all. I am more and more moving to a role of a producer and that to me is freedom! I Able to access those moments that took a camera to enter before… Gain cooperation and let other people capture the images. Am I still taking mental images? Yeah of course every moment of the day till I take my last breath…. But now these images are memories burnt into the darkroom of my mind and they are private and precious.
@pixfeedla : If you could shoot anything this year what would it be?
@MarkAllenJohn: If I was to shoot anything this year… Anything at all? Hmmmmmmm it would probably be an advertising gig I guess. My imagination has been running marathons lately and I feel an advertising job is just the exercise it needs.
To see more of Mark Allen Johnsons work look here
K5600 Joker Bug Rental Special Good Through June! Click Here to view
DESTROYING EVERYTHING Seems Like The Only Option.
A Few Words With :Ricky Adam
Place of Birth: Northern Ireland (12 miles outside of Belfast)
Current Residence: Leeds U.K.
@pixfeedla : Age Picked up a camera?
@rickyadam : I first discovered photography at the age of 16 after I took a few photos with my friends dads camera. I grew up with photography in my blood but frustratingly never had the money to buy a camera of my own until I turned 19, as soon as this happened that was that, I was terminally hooked.
@pixfeedla : When your not being “forced” to photograph BMX what is your favorite subject?
@rickyadam : I’ve never been ‘forced’ to take a BMX photo. I’ve always had a great love of street & documentary photography. It’s really good for me to have a few different projects going on so that if I get burnt out doing one thing, I can focus on another. If I just shot one particular thing I’d get burnt out for sure. I have a few long term projects on the boil that I like to work on when I get the time. If something genuinely interests me I’ll take a picture of it which in turn can turn into a bigger project.
@pixfeeedla : What is your favorite city in the US you have been on assignment in?
@rickyadam: I wouldn’t say that I have a favorite U.S. city. I did live on and off for a few years in Minneapolis which was a great experience and brought a whole new meaning to ‘winter’. I like a lot of cities in the U.S. they all possess different qualities.
@pixfeedla : If you could leave anywhere right now armed with a Profoto 7B pack and Canon 5dMIII where would you go?
@rickyadam : ..I wouldn’t get too far, those things weigh a ton right? I’m not that much of a ‘gear’ person and have always viewed a camera as just a tool. You don’t need expensive equipment to shoot decent photos. It’s all in the technique leading up to the final execution. I have had a lot of shitty cameras over the years and have got good photos out of all of them.
Check out more of his work Here
A Bit About the Workshop
LEARN HOW TO OBTAIN THE FUNDING YOU NEED AND COMPLETE THE PROJECTS THE WAY YOU WANT
Photography projects require money. Many photographers produce work at their own financial cost. There are, however, plenty of funding sources available from different organizations. These organizations are ready to support image makers providing funding for research, creation, production, travel and living expenses.
There is a definitive technique to grant writing, learn this and strengthen your chances of reaching the top of the pile.
Photographer Donald Weber has won nearly $200,000 through grant funding over the past few years, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Paul Lange - Dorothea Taylor Documentary Prize, the Magnum Foundation and multiple Canada Council for the Arts grants, amongst many others. He’s used the funding to create award-winning projects, on his own terms and own time.
WORKSHOP INFO
1) The Proposal. Don will examine some award winning proposals, including his Guggenheim Fellowship, Lange-Taylor and two Canada Council grants. We will also look at other award-winning proposals, including Robert Frank, Garry Winogrand, and other contemporary artists. We will look at why he wrote what he did and why it was successful. We will talk about the overall structure of writing a proposal, breaking it down into simple steps.
2) The Portfolio. After the proposal, an integral part of a successful grant is the portfolio and the editing of the photographs you choose. We examine what to look for and how to make the portfolio support your proposal.
3) The CV. Many people underestimate the power of a strong CV and its impact on a successful grant. We will discuss what makes a strong CV and how to turn your ordinary CV into extraordinary.
4) The Grants. Don will show various websites and calendars that list grants and their deadlines. We will also look at websites that help you in the preparation and finding of grants that apply to what you want to do.
About bit Donald Weber
@pixfeedla What moved you from the architectural world over to photography and film?
@Donald_Weber : I realized I loved the art of architecture more than the practice of architecture. I wanted a medium to explore the realm of ideas that was also about communication. However, as I mature photographically, I realize what an important role my architecture experience has played in my career. Interrogations, my current book, is certainly influenced by a very architectural feeling of spatiality and the understanding of how space can influence human interaction. When I worked for Rem Koolhaas he said something which I love, “OMA is designed to allow others to have their Eureka moments.” A feeling that has stuck with me, this idea that we can only move forward creatively when we are inspired.
@pixfeedla : How long have you been photographing?
@Donald_Weber : Long story, so I will abridge it! In high school I always wanted to be a war photographer, the romance of the leather jacket and danger was (is) incredibly appealing to a 16 year-old. But in my final year (I went to a special arts high school where all we did was study art, did nude life drawing, painted, drank coffee, called our teachers by their first names, etc.) my teacher Robert said - and this is verbatim - “You sick as a photographer. I recommend neither College.” So I ended up at art school studying sculpture and public installation… vaguely architectural. Right after graduation in 1996 I left for Rotterdam, The Netherlands and got a job with Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture. It was there where I picked up the camera again, just to simply document my time there. I loved how it felt in my hands, I loved roaming the streets, I felt like a French flaneur, I married my architectural interests with photography. It wasn’t until 2001, as I was preparing to ride across Africa on my motorcycle (something I did in a big three axle truck in 1998) when I was hit by an elderly Greek lady in a Lincoln Continental. Sliding across the pavement on my back, my motorcycle in a broken heap, I just said to myself - “Screw it. I’m going to be a photographer.” And I’ve been working ever since.
@Donald_Weber : Long story, so I will abridge it! In high school I always wanted to be a war photographer, the romance of the leather jacket and danger was (is) incredibly appealing to a 16 year-old. But in my final year (I went to a special arts high school where all we did was study art, did nude life drawing, painted, drank coffee, called our teachers by their first names, etc.) my teacher Robert said - and this is verbatim - “You sick as a photographer. I recommend neither College.” So I ended up at art school studying sculpture and public installation… vaguely architectural. Right after graduation in 1996 I left for Rotterdam, The Netherlands and got a job with Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture. It was there where I picked up the camera again, just to simply document my time there. I loved how it felt in my hands, I loved roaming the streets, I felt like a French flaneur, I married my architectural interests with photography. It wasn’t until 2001, as I was preparing to ride across Africa on my motorcycle (something I did in a big three axle truck in 1998) when I was hit by an elderly Greek lady in a Lincoln Continental. Sliding across the pavement on my back, my motorcycle in a broken heap, I just said to myself - “Screw it. I’m going to be a photographer.” And I’ve been working ever since.
@pixfeedla : Do you have a favorite camera?
@Donald_Weber : Not really, but I do love my old Canon 5D, the original version. I love the slight crappyness of the image, a nice warm palette and nothing too perfect. I’ll stick with it till it seizes, freezes or flames out on me. I have gone through quite a bit of them.
@pixfeedla : What is the first project you worked on that you decided to get outside funding?
@Donald_Weber : Well, again, my architectural past has come back to me! It was there where I learned the value of trying to create a sense of freedom and control over your work. I also began my photography career as a photojournalist in the early 2000’s, the perfect timing to experience the death of the editorial market. What a liberating experience! I don’t have this yoke of how things used to be or should be, I just have a very personal experience and a desire to make the make the work that I want to make on my own time and my own terms. For almost 10 years I have relied exclusively on outside funding from a myriad of sources from government grants, awards, private foundations, institutions, etc. There is money to be found, the trick is learning how to find it and how to successfully propose an idea.
@pixfeedla : What is the most important thing in the workflow of funding and art project?
@Donald_Weber : Knowing who you are and what you want to say. Creating a vision and clearly and concisely expressing your vision. An organizational structure of getting everything down to its basic components and learning from experience that as photographers we are at an advantage against writers - we are visual people by nature, so all we have to do is express ourselves through visual cues. Realizing that a blank sheet of paper is not a block at all but is quite liberating. It takes no time to write 500 words, the average length of a proposal. Address the needs of the grant and get down to the very basics of your work - it’s not about creating a complexity but rather clearly definign what you’re all about.@pixfeedla Thanks Donald!
@Donald_Weber My pleasure! Hope to fill all the seats! Come on LA!
Jim McCrary, Rock & Roll Photographer and Co-Founder of Pix Inc. passed away at the age of 72. Born and raised in Los Angeles County, California, Jim McCrary was a self-taught photographer.
In 1967 he joined A&M records where he became the chief photographer.
According to the LATimes, record producer of A&M Lou Adler stated "He was so
important both to me and my artists. Conceptually, he always understood what
the person was about and was able to photograph their personality. A perfect
example of that is the 'Tapestry' album.... The idea of having the cat, that brought
a personal feeling to it."
During the 70s Jim also attended PasadenaCity College and Art Center College of
Design where he also started a teaching career. You can see his work here.
In 1974 he opened his own photography studio on La Brea Blvd. He lived above
his work space which remained open until 1990. This is the year that he began Pix Inc.
With Chris Ford. Together they changed professional photography rental history by having
the equipment readily available 24 hours a day. Chris Ford states" In April we lost one of the
great photographer's that laid down the groundwork for many other music photographers who
later followed. His conceptual work and uniquely bright personality will always me missed."
When creating the perfect image or at least a decent one you tend to look at a few different qualities in a photograph. Lighting, composition, shape, are a few of the basics. Imagine, not being able to tell if the image is printed in the wrong profile or if your subject was out of focus. The basic concept of light painting has been around for some time. Many of these light masters have the image planned out before they even begin. The same with Pete Eckert he plans every image out before he photographs them. The difference between Pete and many other photographers is that he is blind. He doesn’t have the chance to check the end result. You can read an interview with Pete Here.
And see more of Pete Eckert’s work HERE
With only 38 Days to go “I am not a Hipster” needs to raise funds to share this movie and enter film festivals in Cleveland, Nashville, Newport Beach, Philadelphia, and Seattle. The object is to share the film with as many people as possible.
Destin Cretton, writer/director of “I Am Not A Hipster,” a feature film revolving around San Diego’s indie music and art scene, made by the wonderful people there. Destin has started a kickstarter project that needs help being funded. The movie has been made and was shown in the Sundance Film Festival already.
“ Set in a wannabe-cool, art-and-indie rock scene, I AM NOT A HIPSTER is true to its title. Not tragically hip but, rather, emotionally rich, this portrait of a man in pain celebrates the healing power of family love. It aims straight for the heart and hits it. ” – Sundance Film Festival
“I Am Not a Hipster achieves a warm, funny, poignant character study of an indie rocker.” — Paste Magazine
The film features musical performances of songs that were written for the film by Joel P West and performed by actor Dominic Bogart. The songs were recorded under the name CANINES and released as a full record in November 2011: can be heard here
