Do you shoot film or digital?
Mostly film, for now.
What kind of camera do you use?
I use two main cameras. One is a Mamiya/Sekor DTL1000, from circa 1968, with both spot and average metering capability, shutter speed from 1 to
How many megapixels does your camera deliver?
See the two questions above.
Do you do weddings?
No.
Do you do portrait work?
No, not as of yet.
Do you have a website?
You're looking at it. =)
Are you a professional photographer?
No.
Do you shoot color or black and white?
Both.
Do you prefer color or black and white?
Black and white, as a rule.
Why do you prefer black and white?
Black and white is far more forgiving of mistakes in exposure or processing, and it is more flexible and easier to manipulate to adjust for different shooting conditions. In the case of live shows, I tire very quickly of the constant overuse of red lighting onstage, and of having to wait for the often rare moment to shoot in order to avoid a super-saturation of red in color photographs. With black and white, where all you're working with are light and dark, this is less of a problem. And in my opinion, black and white photos age a lot better.
What is your camera setup?
| Cameras: | Mamiya/Sekor DTL1000 |
| Canon EOS Rebel G | |
| Lenses: | Mamiya/Sekor 55mm 1:1.4 |
| Mamiya/Sekor 55mm 1:2.18 | |
| Canon 35-80mm zoom 1:4.0 - 22 | |
| 28mm Chinon wide-angle lens 1:2.8 | |
| 135mm Vivitar telephoto 1:2.8 | |
| 200mm Mamiya/Sekor 1:3.5 | |
| 90-230mm adjustable zoom/telephoto 1:4.5 | |
| Tamron telemacro 70-300mm 1:4 - 5.6 | |
| Hansa auto 2x converter | |
| Soligor auto 2x teleconverter | |
| Soligor 3x teleconverter lens | |
| Filters: | Bushnell 58mm Skylight (1A) (polarizing filter) |
| Vivitar 52mm polarizing filter | |
| Vivitar 58mm polarizing filter | |
| Tripods: | Quantaray QSX 8001 |
| Quantaray QSX 9500 | |
| One carrying case with shoulder strap. | |
Where did you get your Mamiya/Sekor camera?
I inherited my original one from a relative who bought it back in the 1970's. When that camera stopped working, I bought an identical one from a seller on eBay, and then others as needed over time. I have owned five in all.
Do you use a flash?
Only when I have to. I prefer to shoot using available light when possible. Many of the live performance photos on this site were taken with a flash, though many were not, as I generally eschew one for live shows if I can get away with it. A lot of the shots from the 1990's were taken with various point-and-shoot cameras and often made use of a flash, as is the case with all the Polaroids.
How can you shoot without a flash?
A full on flash is the worst kind of artificial lighting there is. It blows out details, eliminates natural shadows, and causes red eye. When shooting a live show, it also tends to ruin the mood by over-illuminating the subject of the picture while leaving the background dark, resulting in an image that looks nothing like the actual scene being photographed. Shooting without a flash is possible, just difficult in low light, and you have to have control over aperture and exposure settings, the right film, and sometimes a tripod. It also helps to use a high-quality film stock, and a lens which permits very wide aperture settings (1960's-era Pentax screw mount lenses are excellent choices). Even so, some venues are just too difficult to shoot in without a flash, and in those cases there is no choice but to use one.
Are you shooting 35mm?
Yes. In my very earliest days (summer 1995), I used a 110 format Kodak Instamatic. Only a very few of those photos are featured on this site. I have also been known to shoot Polaroids from time to time.
What films do you use?
Color: Fuji Pro 800Z, Fuji NPH400. I will use Fuji True Definition 400, or, if I really have to, I will use Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400/800 and Kodak Max 400/800 when I can't get my hands on something better or in certain situations where quality is not paramount. If absolutely necessary, I will use Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 1600. During the mid-1990's my film of choice was the now-discontinued Kodak Royal Gold 100/400. Fuji Pro 800Z is a premium film that performs extremely well in low light levels, making it an ideal choice for shooting live concerts.
Black and White: Ilford HP5 Plus 400, as well as the pseudo-B&W Kodak BW400CN and Ilford XP-2 (both C-41 process), depending on the venue. In the past I also used Ilford Delta 400, Kodak T-Max 100, 400, and (rarely) 3200, but I no longer use these due to issues with film processing.
Do you shoot color and then grayscale it?
Only rarely. Photos of mine that are in black and white are usually shot that way, on black and white film, and are intended to be seen that way. Color photos, likewise, are taken using color film and are intended to be seen in color. Grayscaled color photos usually lack the contrast and deep, rich blacks that are characteristic of true black and white film shots (this lack of pleasing contrast is also one of my biggest problems with so-called "black and white" digital photography).
How do you decide whether to shoot color or black and white?
I choose based on what film I have available, and based on the result I want to get. At live shows, I also take into consideration the type and intensity of the lighting: An over-preponderance of red, yellow, or magenta generally dictates the use of black and white, while green or white light or very little contrast suggest the use of color. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule, and every situation is different.
Do you process / develop your own film?
No. I live in an apartment and have no darkroom, and have never had a darkroom. I shoot the film and then take it to a lab and tell them how I want it processed. The photos on this site are either scans from film prints on photographic paper (color and contrast corrected), or in some cases scans made directly from the developed negatives.
Will you ever shoot digital?
I just recently started using digital for some of the "behind the scenes" and crowd shots at shows, and for various other low-priority situations where high quality is not of as much importance to me. The concert photography and other performance photographs are still being shot on film, at least for now.
Do you think film is better than digital?
In many ways, yes. Digital has the upper hand over film in nearly every way: convenience, portability, availability, ease of photographic reproduction, ease of transmission over the Internet and digital media, and long term cost. The one area where film can still win out is the area of quality. Until you start looking at the really high-end digital SLR cameras, the quality of good 35mm film is superior to what you get from most consumer-level digital cameras that I have seen, particularly camera phones and point-and-shoot cameras. And the larger format films (4x5, 8x10, etc.) are significantly superior to digital in the area of fine detail. There are also certain things I can do with black and white film and a film scanner that I can't do with digital photographs. Film performs much better in low light levels and captures more usable information in the darkest areas of a scene. Black and white film also performs much better, in my experience, than a digital camera shooting in grayscale mode, and film in general has a far greater exposure latitude than any digital format. I also dislike the "printed" look of a lot of prints made from digital cameras. Outside of these considerations, all the advantages would seem to go the way of digital.
Do you shoot for a magazine?
No. Just for myself, and for this site, and on occasion for other people.
Did you take all of the photos on this site?
All of them except for a very few, which are credited to the appropriate sources.
Do you sell prints of any of the photos on this site?
Not as of this writing.
Who are the people in the pictures on this site?
Various people I have met or known over the years, and members of local bands.
How long have you been taking pictures?
Since 1995, off and on.
Where did you learn photography?
From experience, and from bits of information picked up over time from various books and magazines / articles.
What does the "20 - 30 megapixels" line mean?
20-30 megapixels is the approximate quality level needed to approximate a good, optimally exposed black and white 35mm film stock of ISO 50-100, shot with a good camera. Large format films, such as 4x5 and 8x10 sizes, can record the equivalent of hundreds of megapixels, though these formats are considerably more expensive to use and work with than 35mm. This resolution is not currently attainable with digital equipment.
Why do you wear earplugs to shows?
The answer to this one should be obvious.
Why are you against circumcision?
Take a look at "The Unacknowledged Trauma" and you'll see.
Do you have a Myspace page?
Yes. It is at http://www.myspace.com/paoprod.
Do you write?
No, not really. I have written a few things over the years, some of which are posted on this site, and I did draft the first part of what was to be a novel from 2001 - 2002, but I have moved away from writing over the years. I read, of course, but I have no plans for any new writing projects in the foreseeable future.
Have you ever performed anything you've written?
No.
Are you going to perform anything you've written?
No.
Have you ever performed anything?
I read three times at Bill's Records and Tapes, twice in 2002 and once in 2003, reading other people's work each time.
What was the title of your photo chapbook?
Portraits.
Are there any copies left?
Yes, there are four left as of this writing. All of them are my own personal copies. =)
Will Portraits be reprinted?
No. However, an electronic version of the book can be viewed in the Projects area of this site.
Do you play any instruments?
I have a drum set that I play occasionally.
A CB percussion five piece starter kit.
Do you play in a band?
No. I was supposed to form one once, but it didn't work out.
Who's your favorite local band?
Now, that would be telling!
What kind of music do you listen to?
Oldies, classic rock, hard rock, metal, thrash, swing, punk, 1920's / 1930's jazz and pop recordings, traditional / New Orleans-style jazz, a little bit of old country, a little bit of rockabilly, a little bit of classical, a little bit of other genres.
Where were you in tOUCHED?
I appeared in the first scene, getting out of the driver's side back door of a car, and in the subsequent graveyard scene as one of the mourners.
Where can I find Dementia and tOUCHED?
For Dementia, you can contact Chris Craft at the official Saint Productions website, or drop me a line for ordering information. tOUCHED has been officially abandoned and is not scheduled for release.
Where are the pictures of you on this site?
They're somewhere, just not here. . . =)
What are you using to record people for the Open Mic Project?
A Sony TC-377 two track 1/4" tape machine. Earlier recordings were made on a TC-399 model.
Why are you recording on tape?
I had a tape machine and never had a chance to use it before. And recording on tape leaves a more permanent physical record of what was done, not just a file on one's hard drive or a series of ones and zeros burned onto a CD / DVD that will be unreadable a few years down the road due to bit rot. Mainly, though, it's an excuse to use the machine for something other than taking up space in my closet.
What do you use for editing the recordings?
The recordings are transferred to digital as 96kHz uncompressed WAV files, and processed using GoldWave version 5.10.
I know a good poet or open mic artist. Are you looking for more people for the Open Mic Project?
Not really. The project is intended to be an ongoing concern, but I'm pretty much limiting it to people I know personally.
Are there CD's or chapbooks available for any of the people featured in the "Open Mic Project" area of the site?
Dez Statum has a chapbook available which is titled Two Fisted Whiskey Love Songs. It can be ordered by contacting her at desmene11@yahoo.com. Johnny O. has just recently published issue #6 of the Mad Swirl 'zine, available through the Mad Swirl website.
What are you using to record the videos on this site?
A Sony CCD-TRV87 Hi8 Handycam (NTSC).
What programs are you using to put the videos together?
The analog to digital transfer is done using a Canopus ADVC-100 external DV converter and Adobe Premiere. For cases where the audio is from a separate analog source, like the Sony TC-377 reel-to-reel machine, any needed processing of the audio is done using GoldWave. Non-linear editing is done in Premiere, and any effects are added through Premiere and / or VirtualDub. How the final encode is made depends on the target format: for DVD's, the encode to MPEG-2 is done by frameserving out of either VirtualDub or Adobe Premiere, or sometimes through both together, into TMPGEnc; for the Windows Media versions presented on this site, Microsoft's Windows Media Encoder is used instead. For Flash format, a program called SUPER [Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer] is used for the final encode.
How do you decide which artists / musicians to feature on this site?
Generally speaking, the bands and performers featured here are personal favorites of mine.
How can I contact the artists featured on this site?
Most of them have Myspace pages. Or you can Contact me.
How can (band) be mentioned on this site?
You can send an e-mail listing the name of the band and the schedule for any appearances including venue name, date, and cover charge, if any, and I will add it to the "Upcoming Events" page. I am also willing to post links to band Myspace pages or other sites, provided you are willing to post a link to this site. =)
Do you mind if I use any of the pictures on this site?
It all depends. If you're in one of the bands pictured and want to use a picture on a flyer, etc., I will probably be okay with this and agree to credit me and/or this site.
Will you post any band photos without the watermark / copyright notice?
No.
Can I submit a picture of (band) for the site?
Currently I am not featuring performance photos that I have not taken myself (this is, after all, a vanity site intended to show off my own work). You are welcome to send anything promoting your band and I may include it on the "Upcoming Events" page, provided you are willing to link to this site.
Do you / Are you going to feature downloads of songs?
This is very unlikely, except for those recorded as part of the "Open Mic Project."
What is Knife Six Productions?
Knife Six Productions is the combined effort of Alex Pogosov, a Dallas area miscreant with a vision, and various other, equally fiendish contributors, most notably, Max Blair, Peter Orozco, and Dallas Farrar. They have been working on bringing you, the public, many informative and entertaining treats in an effort to raise awareness of the local music and art scenes, as well as of Dallas history and numerous other local curiosities. They are currently aimed at organizing a series of concerts somewhere in the Dallas area (the first of these took place on January 14th, 2006). [summary courtesy of Alex P.]
What is D.E.E.P.?
D.E.E.P. (the Deep Ellum Enrichment Project) is a grassroots organization of individuals committed to fostering social development and community unity in Dallas's historic Deep Ellum district. They are also known as "Save the Scene."
What is the Town Square Project?
The Town Square Project was a series of community gatherings dedicated to increasing the visibility of local performance artists, musicians, and visual artists in a block party setting. The brainchild of John Hardy (of Holy Diver fame) and Alex Bevil, it took place in Deep Ellum on the last Saturday of each month.
What is Death List Five?
A local poetry / art magazine published and edited by Joey and Jolee Cloudy. "The Voice of the Lunatic Fringe."
What did you use to design this site?
All pages on this site were manually coded in HTML and JavaScript using Windows Notepad. A few pages designed very early on were originally coded using Microsoft Publisher 2002, but later rewritten from scratch in Notepad. I'm not a professional web designer and this site is what it is.
Is this site optimized for Firefox or Internet Explorer?
It's designed to work well on both, but as main page testing and design was done using Netscape Navigator 9 and Opera 9.24, the site will generally render at its best using those two browsers. As Netscape and Firefox are essentially the same browser, the site will render slightly better in Firefox than in IE. The site has also been checked for compatibility with Safari for Windows version 3.0.
What screen resolution is this site optimized for?
1024x768 is the optimal resolution for this site. 1280x768 (widescreen) is also supported, but resolutions higher than this are not recommended. The site can be viewed at 800x600, but this is also not recommended. 640x480 is NOT supported and pages will not render correctly at that resolution.
Why are some of the links in the "Open Mic" area not working?
Nothing happens when I double-click on a photo to enlarge it. Why is this?
Either your popup blocker settings are too high, or you have JavaScript disabled, and the browser is not executing the onclick="javascript:" commands used to open the new windows. This site makes use of JavaScript on most of the pages in the "Photography" and "Open Mic Project" areas, and these pages will not work correctly if scripting has been disabled or if an overly aggressive pop up blocker is in use. In order to enlarge the photos in the galleries, or view the poetry transcriptions, you will need to re-enable support for scripting or lower the settings for the pop up blocker. I promise there are no pop-up advertisements on this site - I'm just a nobody and no one is paying for the privilege of advertising on here. =)
I don't see any video on the "PAO Productions video" page. Why is this?
The videos are presented in Windows Media format. If you are using Firefox / Netscape, you will need to download and install the Windows Media plugin for Firefox if you haven't already. If you are using Opera, you will need to ensure that the appropriate plugins have been copied to the browser's plugins directory, which can be accomplished by updating or reinstalling the browser, or by copying the files manually (see Using the Windows Media Player plug-in with Opera). If you're using a Mac, make sure you have installed the Flip4Mac plugin in order to play the videos using the QuickTime player, or you can install the Windows Media Player for Mac instead (this is the recommended option). If you are still seeing nothing at all after installing the appropriate plugins, then you may have frames disabled in your browser. The video page makes use of inline frames to display the media player, and if these are disabled, you will not be able to view the video clips.
Do you have plans to include any video clips in QuickTime or RealMedia format?
Not at this time.
How often will this site be updated?
There is no regular schedule for updates. If you would like to be notified when this site is updated, you can subscribe to the mailing list.
Why did you decide to create this site?
Why not?
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This page last updated on 23 July 2008 at 1:36 AM.