Roommates Past and Present

These pictures were taken for a RAW photography class way back when. They aren't anything special, it was more of a "learning the process" deal. Good process, though.

(He's a pilot- hence the control tower. Looking back, it could've easily been better. Live and learn.)

Senior Studio

Moving on to Senior Studio. Interestingly enough, there's not much photo work because I've spent most of the year working on an animation. (When it's finished, I'll post it. But there's still a ways to go. It's what I was referring to in the previous post when I said I've been busy).

The animation is in four parts. The first semester I completed parts 2 &3. But by the end of the semester I was a little burnt out on the whole process- it takes a long time to do anything. So at the beginning of this semester I went back to some photographic work to give myself a break. Previously, I used my position as DI photographer to justify (to myself) the lack of picture taking in senior photography. It felt good to get back in the studio, and now I'm back working on my animation with renewed energy... even if it's at the expense of any sort of social interaction. Oh well.

This was the 1st week of second semester. It was more of something to get the ball rolling again, getting back into the studio and all that. Not exactly what I'd call an "original work", it's more of an imitation. Specifically, an imitation of Minority Report, when John Anderton witnesses himself killing Leo Crow.



Just for kicks, here's the overlay picture by itself and without the flip. If you're familiar with the scene, there's a shot of Tom Cruise through the display screen so that half of his face is covered by the projection of of his future self.


The other two are inspired by books.


In this one, there are supposed to be stars behind the man. However, my first attempt at photographing them was a complete failure. So I'm working on that. Meanwhile, here's the photo without 'em.

View Camera

Here's a series I did with a (and for) View Camera in Spring '08. 4x5 negatives scanned. However, the only one to really use the shifts and tilts was the roses. Come to think of it, I don't think there were shifts in that one, either. It's been a while.

Junior Studio Work

It's going to take some time to catch up with all the stuff I've done, especially with how busy I am at the moment trying to get finished with some work for senior studio. That being said, I'll go back and start off with some of the work from junior studio. Which, for whatever reason, was only in the fall of '07 (no spring semester).

I'm really interested in cinema/film, and nothing inspires me like a good movie (especially a good movie with great lighting). So that's what I aim for in my studio photography. Not a Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Stills, exactly, but just trying to work with lighting to give my photos a kind of 'movie quality' to them (Though to immediately contradict myself, two of them are "film stills of sorts"). Later in the semester, I made a couple movie posters for the hell of it. Keep in mind I'm a photographer, not a graphic designer. So yes- the text is awful. Like I said, it was for the hell of it.

(low-key lighting FTW, amirite?)

Enter the Third

I probably should've made this a long time ago, but what are you going to do?

My name is Donald. I'm a photography major at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a senior photographer for the Daily Illini. The primary purpose of this site is to display some of my work.

Please feel free to leave any comments.


Cheers.