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Nikon D3200
Nikon 15-55 kit VR Lens Nikon 70-300 Telephoto VR Lens Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Aspherical Fisheye Lens |
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Jamaica | (July 24 - August 1, 2009 / May 23 - June 1, 2010)
During the summer of both years, I had the great opportunity to visit the people of Jamaica. I have many friends who are excited about helping those who live without privileged resources. This is not a statement to perceive the people of Jamaica with misfortune compared to the United States, but different, with certain and obvious needs I did not mind supporting or providing.
I saw that people of Jamaica are very close with God and the influences of other people who love the same respect for creation. The trip was based on missions, however, I can’t help but to see the people of Jamaica differently. Rastafarianism, Christianity, and Catholicism all seem to take precedent in some form of Jamaican culture, but it seemed more so that my duty was to encourage Jamaicans that people love them, their society, their culture and want to help provide housing needs, support for orphanages, medicine, home supplies, and kindness.
Not colonialism. Not handouts.
When people have a reason to care for one another, it can shape the interest that they have for society and support movements which cultivate positive influences. What is positive? What is faith? Our actions were of course to support those involved with Caribbean Lifetime Missions, offering our enthusiasm alongside theirs, meanwhile living the philanthropy and altruism they identified with creation much as we did. Fostering relationships were critical during the trip, as there does exist a community of change and we wanted the people of Jamaica to know that other people have their support and endearment.
During the summer of both years, I had the great opportunity to visit the people of Jamaica. I have many friends who are excited about helping those who live without privileged resources. This is not a statement to perceive the people of Jamaica with misfortune compared to the United States, but different, with certain and obvious needs I did not mind supporting or providing.
I saw that people of Jamaica are very close with God and the influences of other people who love the same respect for creation. The trip was based on missions, however, I can’t help but to see the people of Jamaica differently. Rastafarianism, Christianity, and Catholicism all seem to take precedent in some form of Jamaican culture, but it seemed more so that my duty was to encourage Jamaicans that people love them, their society, their culture and want to help provide housing needs, support for orphanages, medicine, home supplies, and kindness.
Not colonialism. Not handouts.
When people have a reason to care for one another, it can shape the interest that they have for society and support movements which cultivate positive influences. What is positive? What is faith? Our actions were of course to support those involved with Caribbean Lifetime Missions, offering our enthusiasm alongside theirs, meanwhile living the philanthropy and altruism they identified with creation much as we did. Fostering relationships were critical during the trip, as there does exist a community of change and we wanted the people of Jamaica to know that other people have their support and endearment.
San Francisco, California | (Oct 5 - Oct 12, 2012 / June 17 - July 2, 2013)
My first escape to the West was during fall break of 2012. I got away from the humidity of Georgia for a week to sample the notoriously dry air and rolling hills of Northern California. How amazing is it to breathe the Pacific air anyway? My car windows were down constantly and I could barely stay inside. The greatest host and recent UC Berkeley graduate, Jin Young Park, introduced me to the city. His home in Walnut Creek was just far enough in East Bay to divert from West Bay crowding, however downtown seemed to steal all the attention, regardless.
Our interests for design and modernizing art made SFMOMA an impossibly difficult site to avoid. We went. I knew I wanted to see West coast art forms against the pedagogy of art in Georgia. I know the history of the United states, but not the increasingly illustrative cultural identity that is happening in San Francisco through mural art tattooed across the Bay. The subjects paid particular attention to heritage and the importance of ancestry, and after seeing it on every little street corner, every record store, and every wall... it reminded me of visiting artist Judy Baca and the modernization of painting through murals in Los Angeles, let alone my painting instructor Valerie Aranda for her work with Chicano ancestry and civil rights. I care about art that changes people, especially art made ‘by the people’.
The inclement weather during the day of our exploration to Mt. Diablo (we are the first to climb it) proved to deter virtually all hikers near the mountain, which worked out for the best we think. Halfway up the mountain, the landscape became incredibly surreal. Our eyes could only see the feet in front of us, the knee high, golden grass ahead of us, the clouds smothering everything 20 yards in front and 20 yards behind us, and the relentless wind tearing over the hills. It would not have surprised me to see Elvis or Sasquatch during our hike in our direction absent adventure to find the highest altitude in pure smog. An adventure greater than championing the Himalayas? An anomaly? The trip we made back to the car just as night fell 7 hours later was the only time I thought reaching a Pho Huynh Hiep would solve all problems, because it did.
My first escape to the West was during fall break of 2012. I got away from the humidity of Georgia for a week to sample the notoriously dry air and rolling hills of Northern California. How amazing is it to breathe the Pacific air anyway? My car windows were down constantly and I could barely stay inside. The greatest host and recent UC Berkeley graduate, Jin Young Park, introduced me to the city. His home in Walnut Creek was just far enough in East Bay to divert from West Bay crowding, however downtown seemed to steal all the attention, regardless.
Our interests for design and modernizing art made SFMOMA an impossibly difficult site to avoid. We went. I knew I wanted to see West coast art forms against the pedagogy of art in Georgia. I know the history of the United states, but not the increasingly illustrative cultural identity that is happening in San Francisco through mural art tattooed across the Bay. The subjects paid particular attention to heritage and the importance of ancestry, and after seeing it on every little street corner, every record store, and every wall... it reminded me of visiting artist Judy Baca and the modernization of painting through murals in Los Angeles, let alone my painting instructor Valerie Aranda for her work with Chicano ancestry and civil rights. I care about art that changes people, especially art made ‘by the people’.
The inclement weather during the day of our exploration to Mt. Diablo (we are the first to climb it) proved to deter virtually all hikers near the mountain, which worked out for the best we think. Halfway up the mountain, the landscape became incredibly surreal. Our eyes could only see the feet in front of us, the knee high, golden grass ahead of us, the clouds smothering everything 20 yards in front and 20 yards behind us, and the relentless wind tearing over the hills. It would not have surprised me to see Elvis or Sasquatch during our hike in our direction absent adventure to find the highest altitude in pure smog. An adventure greater than championing the Himalayas? An anomaly? The trip we made back to the car just as night fell 7 hours later was the only time I thought reaching a Pho Huynh Hiep would solve all problems, because it did.
Byron, Georgia | (September, 2012)
All of my past could hardly be explained without a story interrupted from Byron, Georgia. The heart of my grandparents, the heart of my experiences with farming, and the heart of my exhibition lie on a ≈120 acre, sectioned piece of land. I saw hard work through my grandparents and their three children and couldn’t believe all of it had to do with getting cows from one field to the other or grabbing as many ears of corn as possible and filing it into a five gallon bucket to take back home in the back of a truck etcetera, all the while covered in sweat that mostly comes from the air here in this bowl of a state... Doesn’t seem like much fun until you realize it is precisely what you pay other people to do when you buy most anything. A sense of learned appreciation. You grew it, you’re a farmer.
I understand the economy of subsistence, but if operated on smaller scales, the value it provides to harnessing the earth responsibly is priceless. This is not the product of greenwashing, but the result of socioeconomic responsibility. Industrial advancements have slowly made it easier for my grandmother and family to continue farming, however the question for whom or what generation will take care of the land is hard to answer still. It is easier to buy-in to metropolitan economics to increase a person’s standard of living, meanwhile decreasing the earth’s standard of existence. Theoretical questions to ponder as I type this reflection on my solid aluminum body computer made in China, however I find it important to take part in both, two very distinct, ways of living.
A distinct quality of my grandfather that has rubbed off on me was his diligence to take care of and maintain peach trees. At nearly 20, keeping them sprayed, pruned, and fertilized was daunting, yet every summer when all 20 trees produced it was an incredible sight to behold on their one acre home property off 200 Howard street. Peaches in Cheerio cereal became unanimous, and equally ubiquitous in all other recipes. Peach ice cream, peach preserves... hard not find a reason to use them when thousands of them are in your backyard (peach soap would be weird). All of which were early tastes of how labor rightfully earned you something.
There are arguments against large scale cattle raising, and maybe the old sayings for moderation are simply inescapable. My grandmother’s cows have names at least. The property and right of subsistence rests in the hands of small scale farmers, so maybe a little trading? Huh, huh? It certainly has happened, but what I admire most is the persistence to maintain and look after a trade, not giving in to convention and deciding what is best for yourself.
All of my past could hardly be explained without a story interrupted from Byron, Georgia. The heart of my grandparents, the heart of my experiences with farming, and the heart of my exhibition lie on a ≈120 acre, sectioned piece of land. I saw hard work through my grandparents and their three children and couldn’t believe all of it had to do with getting cows from one field to the other or grabbing as many ears of corn as possible and filing it into a five gallon bucket to take back home in the back of a truck etcetera, all the while covered in sweat that mostly comes from the air here in this bowl of a state... Doesn’t seem like much fun until you realize it is precisely what you pay other people to do when you buy most anything. A sense of learned appreciation. You grew it, you’re a farmer.
I understand the economy of subsistence, but if operated on smaller scales, the value it provides to harnessing the earth responsibly is priceless. This is not the product of greenwashing, but the result of socioeconomic responsibility. Industrial advancements have slowly made it easier for my grandmother and family to continue farming, however the question for whom or what generation will take care of the land is hard to answer still. It is easier to buy-in to metropolitan economics to increase a person’s standard of living, meanwhile decreasing the earth’s standard of existence. Theoretical questions to ponder as I type this reflection on my solid aluminum body computer made in China, however I find it important to take part in both, two very distinct, ways of living.
A distinct quality of my grandfather that has rubbed off on me was his diligence to take care of and maintain peach trees. At nearly 20, keeping them sprayed, pruned, and fertilized was daunting, yet every summer when all 20 trees produced it was an incredible sight to behold on their one acre home property off 200 Howard street. Peaches in Cheerio cereal became unanimous, and equally ubiquitous in all other recipes. Peach ice cream, peach preserves... hard not find a reason to use them when thousands of them are in your backyard (peach soap would be weird). All of which were early tastes of how labor rightfully earned you something.
There are arguments against large scale cattle raising, and maybe the old sayings for moderation are simply inescapable. My grandmother’s cows have names at least. The property and right of subsistence rests in the hands of small scale farmers, so maybe a little trading? Huh, huh? It certainly has happened, but what I admire most is the persistence to maintain and look after a trade, not giving in to convention and deciding what is best for yourself.
Engagement | 2012 (October)
Two friends and a beautiful couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kenley married on the 2nd of June in Roswell, Georgia. A wedding of which I had the pleasure to attend and work as videographer. The proposal story began with Chris preparing a surprise dinner for Jen at the top of the Georgia Tech parking garage in Atlanta. Wonderful friends, chefs, and caterers helped organize the feat to help turn Mrs. Kenley’s special night into her most life changing one. Chris asked Jen to marry him at the top of the garage as a toast to his soon graduation, a great view, and of course a new life with his other half and best friend, Jen Crane.
It was only appropriate for me to commemorate that moment for the couple with photography at the site of the proposal. I love using my artistic license to frame compositions, especially to capture this couple in the lighting and enchantment of Atlanta's skyline. Working with the couple was great, as they even had some of their own props and ideas for framing their newly engagement. The shoot left the twilight of the rooftop and landed in Piedmont park, an area in the heart of ITP that the couple enjoyed regularly. Piedmont park is beautiful, and the two felt very comfortable showing that as we toured different areas of the park to take pictures.
Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Kenley for the opportunity, it is always great to use my talents as a technician for those who care.
Two friends and a beautiful couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kenley married on the 2nd of June in Roswell, Georgia. A wedding of which I had the pleasure to attend and work as videographer. The proposal story began with Chris preparing a surprise dinner for Jen at the top of the Georgia Tech parking garage in Atlanta. Wonderful friends, chefs, and caterers helped organize the feat to help turn Mrs. Kenley’s special night into her most life changing one. Chris asked Jen to marry him at the top of the garage as a toast to his soon graduation, a great view, and of course a new life with his other half and best friend, Jen Crane.
It was only appropriate for me to commemorate that moment for the couple with photography at the site of the proposal. I love using my artistic license to frame compositions, especially to capture this couple in the lighting and enchantment of Atlanta's skyline. Working with the couple was great, as they even had some of their own props and ideas for framing their newly engagement. The shoot left the twilight of the rooftop and landed in Piedmont park, an area in the heart of ITP that the couple enjoyed regularly. Piedmont park is beautiful, and the two felt very comfortable showing that as we toured different areas of the park to take pictures.
Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Kenley for the opportunity, it is always great to use my talents as a technician for those who care.
Family and Friends | 2012 (July 4, 2012 / ∞)
Here lies the amalgamated social circle of Tyler Griffin. Dogs. Pets. Swimming pools. 14hp go karts. Whatever. These initial images identify the country's day of independence, however future photos may not be limited to any day in particular. I love what my camera does in capturing candor, specifically in personalities. People are best judged by other people, and certain expressions are invaluable to conveying ideas or attitudes.
I consider myself a candid extrovert, but have seen how I work in the studio of an introvert. It is great to concentrate on work, but for sharing ideas I cannot refrain from speaking and engaging with others. I love people, and see how fostering relationships are where I find the most in productivity.
Here lies the amalgamated social circle of Tyler Griffin. Dogs. Pets. Swimming pools. 14hp go karts. Whatever. These initial images identify the country's day of independence, however future photos may not be limited to any day in particular. I love what my camera does in capturing candor, specifically in personalities. People are best judged by other people, and certain expressions are invaluable to conveying ideas or attitudes.
I consider myself a candid extrovert, but have seen how I work in the studio of an introvert. It is great to concentrate on work, but for sharing ideas I cannot refrain from speaking and engaging with others. I love people, and see how fostering relationships are where I find the most in productivity.
