hope

aiden running around the house. orange, ca.
© kevin t vu

to be honest, a lot of my friends have gotten married over the years, and a lot of them i’ve missed. but fortunately, i was able to attend my good friend’s melissa’s wedding this past weekend at the long beach aquarium.

frankly, i’m not a big fan of going to weddings. but i thoroughly enjoyed myself at this one. and that was due to melissa’s and mark’s genuineness of love (not to say that other weddings dont have that). but there was a love that permeated the room. a love that their families and friends could share with them.

and i was fortunate enough to take part in the festivities. celebrations like these help me to be optimistic about the world.

creative outlets

lauren being patient and letting me photograph her. santa cruz, california.
© kevin t vu

i’ve been fairly consistent w/ work this month and it hasn’t given me the opportunity to shoot any of my work. so i decided to do a quick trip up to coast to visit lauren and her family for a creative weekend. i had a great time that really helped me to explore my creativity. we created meals that told stories, painted, drew, photographed and i was able to just let go of all the pressures that i’ve felt for the past year. i had an amazing time and am absolutely refreshed!

i wanted to add a little more about creative inspiration. as photographers, i think that we shouldn’t put all of our focus on the practice of photography. i think that one needs different creative outlets in order to approach and understand the world and one’s place within it. for me, i get so intwined into reading industry magazines and blogs, i’m consistently on the computer for ours. and its unfortunate because the world around me is such an inspiration. and i’m learning to be creative in different ways, not just through photography. these other approaches, be it cooking, sports, reading, drawing or painting, helps me to interpret my place within this world and in turn helps me with my approach towards my photographic vision. look at the masters; picasso, leonardo, michaelangelo, bernini, etc. they all had different pursuits that helped them in their art .

vision and solitude

wild parrots, a gathering of artists and musicians performing their craft.
© kevin t vu

sorry for not updating in a while. i dont have much excuse because i do have the time. its more of a lack of inspiration due to how little i’ve been shooting recently.

i was able to photograph a wonderful event that gathered some amazing artists together. the above pictures are a sample from that night. there was such great creative energy in the forum and i was so glad to grab as much as i could.

work has been good, but inconsistent. it comes and it goes. you just have to ride with it. i am trying to figure out myself for the short term. would like to start another project so i’ve been playing w/ the idea of a roadtrip through baja. the whales come during the winter months so it would be fun to catch that while i work on my editorial portrait portfolio.

working w/ frank and art has been a tremendous learning experience. they are on different ends of the spectrum in their visual styles, but i love how they both use and search out natural light. we did an album shoot the other day at a beautiful beverly hills home and come 730pm, frank and an entourage of stylists, make-up artists, producers and assistants were busy running through the hills of LA searching for shafts of light before the sunset.  it was great to see that side of the shoot, especially since not a week ago we did a different shoot that used 32 profoto 7a packs.

well, i’ll leave you w/ some quotes i’ve read recently:

here’s the dilemma and the strength of photography.  its the easiest medium in which to be competent.  but, its the hardest medium in which to have personal vision that is readily identifiable.

– chuck close

we take pictures because of the kind of people we are.  we’re individuals.  and that’s why i take pictures the way i do.  i don’t say it’s the best way or the only way.  it’s just simply my way.

– arnold newman

keep on keeping on

lauren in the garden.
© kevin t vu

living the life or trying to live the life of a photographer is not easy. one that many know, either through their own experiences or through their relationships. yet still, so many try to live it. why is that? in this economic state, is there still a romantic association w/ the job?

we were raised to have hopes and dreams and pursuing those goals is a heroic endeavor. but where do we draw the line and realize that we also have to survive physical existence. how do we balance between idealism and realism?

its a hard task to accomplish and some do it better than others. but those that can’t, what happens in the confines of the mental space can be excruciating.

so i make sure to keep moving. but sometimes i find myself idle and the doubts, confusion and hesitation creeps in.

that’s when i realize that i’m carrying a psychological sledgehammer, for those ‘just in case moments’ that i find myself in.

the ‘psychological sledgehammer’ is the community i am surrounded by. the people that help me to keep moving forward. the ones that get me excited about photography, about life. the ones that will help me in whichever way they can because they truly care about me. they recognize the times when i need to be called out on my self-loathing and the other times where i just need a friend. and of course, its a reciprocal relationship.

those are the people that you want to surround yourself with. (and that’s not just talking about photography, that’s about life in general.)

back to work

lauren enjoying a sunday lunch in the garden. santa fe, new mexico.
© kevin t vu

i’m back now in southern california. came back for work. i drove the 12 hours straight on monday. thought i had a job on tuesday and wednesday, but that fell through. though, we’re doing a prelight tomorrow for a movie poster at fox studios on friday. frank might also have another job on sat/sun. but that is still pending confirmation.

i went to pick up my film from the lab today and about a mile out from making it back home, my car dies! i’m not quite sure what’s wrong. it’s an electrical problem and i hope its just the battery, which is charging as i write. otherwise, its gonna be hard to make it to work in LA tomorrow without a car. fingers crossed!

i’ve been loving shooting in film. there’s such a magical quality to it, very childlike, not knowing what you’re gonna get. and the colors and grain of it are gorgeous. my next business purchase is going to have to be a scanner for myself.