day 063

fruit day. i am playin' with my fruits. so far so good.

i will try and write more later. maybe even throw up the final images from the day.

until then, here is this one for fun.

day 062

pretty swank day. woke up and took the dog for a walk to the coffee shop, then the bank, then the rogues gallery sale, then back home. from there it was breakfast in the belly and a start on source.

hit whole paycheck to grab the necessary items for source, then left for sparhawk and found out i could not get into the building. that meant source would have to wait until tomorrow. no big worry.

back to the casa and all i wanted to do was clean. i have no idea why, but i did it. i started with the fridge. i removed every shelf and drawer and cleaned each by hand. i threw out all bad items and recycled their containers. the above pictures will show. i think this is the first time i can remember being able to see through the glass to the items in the drawer below. simply amazing. not so much that they are clean, but that iw as that driven and detail oreiented to accomplish it. i even broke out a toothbrush to get the crevaces. sorry nicole, you may need to bring a new one over.

after the fridge came the front office and the dining area. i removed all of viv's items from the counter top and the shelves from the office area, then wiped them all down. from there i could begin removing all of my items from the dining area and place them into the office area. my thought was that this would free up room and confusion as to what was who's when viv start moving her stuff out of the dining area.

i also cleaned and put away all of nicole's dishes and such.

now it is time for me to relax. i just got an itch to play a video game on my computer so i went to the mall and bought call of duty 4 for the mac. i don't know what possessed me, but i have it now. a pizza is on it's way and a game is to be played.

fun times.

day 061

it was a work day for me, and it was a good one. the office was a ghost town and i had the studio to myself so i could focus on getting things in order.

as for a creative action today: spoke with source. i will get to play with some fruit tomorrow. gonna make a pomegranate, grapes and a lime pop. should be fun. i just need to put the verbage together tonight.

oh, and i cleaned the bathroom and went to the gym. yippeee!!!

day 060

turkey day. a very pleasant turkey day.

started the day with a quick workout in the house, then a quick 3-4 miles run with bertie. hung out until about 3 then ran over to andy's and started the drinking and steak intake. perfect amount. steak, asparagus, sweet taters and cookies. washed it all down with bourbon. wasted a bit over an hour watching max payne.

now i am back home and i have made my foil box for the camera flash. there are some minor kinks to work out, but it is functioning now. i will continue to play with it and finesse it. here is a shot of the box, and an example of the light being used.

day 059

the first creative thing i tried to do today was shoot some bubbles and make a new blog header. but something didn't work out for me. when i posted the image it became too pixelated and ugly. so i aborted it and made a mental not to attempt at a later date.

i went for a run tonight as well. while on the route back home, i stopped off at emilitsa and said howdy to jon, demos and company. they passed along the contact info for the AD and editor at maine home+design magazine. turns out they want to use 8 images that i had shot. kind cool. it also sounds like it is going to be a 3 page spread in the mag. another kinda cool thing.

now it is off to bed, i think. tomorrow, andy and i are gong to binge on black and blue steaks, sweet taters, asparagus and bourbon. what a sweet holiday thanksgiving can be.

i also want to try and make a new foil flash to test mañana.

¡adios!

day 058

just a good chunk of running around. a was at work until 6:45 then straight tot he house to let the pup out, then to street & co. for dinner with mahlia and lisa. it was a perfect end to a stressful day. good company, good food, good bourbon. what more could one ask for.

now i am back to home for some laundry and sleep. what an exciting life i lead.

day 057

the day isn't over,yet i don't see much else happening tonight. i just got home and i am about to head out the door to grab a pizza, a truck finder, a paper and head over to nicole's place for the night. she flies out in the morning for L.A. and is frantically packing with her new suite case.

so i doubt i will get much else done this evening.

but for the rest of the week it will only be me and bertie in a nearly empty home. maybe i can play around with the empty space.

hasta, buenos noches!

day 056

today was another lazy day. i was still productive, but not in a creative way. i had a run, helped nicole move some stuff over, bought a new car battery and ate. 

so nothing much to show for it. i do feel very well rested and also a spike in energy. that could also be because we are only working for a half week this week.

i will be creatively productive soon.

day 055

today was great. i didn't step foot in the studio. i slept in, rested and ate until 1 pm.

from there nicole and i went shopping for a couch and ottoman and other home shit. the funnest thing i bought today was a remote control helicopter from target. i initially went in to buy some gifts for an adopted family for the holidays, then decided to buy something to terrorize bertie with.

creativity today: nada. all i wanted to do was be lazy and look for a new couch. and i say: mission accomplished!

day 054

still working out Source kink. looking good.

had a concept about trying to illustrate the affects of caffeine in photographically. A series that would run along a wall. The initial shot would be one of a full coffee cup to go with some spilling coffee- possibly over the side, busy and a bit messy.

...where's my scarf...

....are you just typing everything I say???

then it would go- every shot thereafter- would involved some stillness with some blur around it- giving it the feeling of constant motion.

The final shot would be of a empty coffee cup with some extras that relate to the series of subjects prior- THINK: coffee, then a road trip with blurred items out the window, then an empty coffee cup.

I don't know...

Could be kind of fun?

Regardless, now I must eat, drink, and be merry... and fuck.

That's it.


Dictated by Zack Bowen
Typed by N.Brown

day 053

i had a kink with the Source fun. it is being worked out now.

other than that, i got a run in. it was 23° when i went out. i am one tough SOB!!!!!! mu-fuck!!!!!!

that made me feel good about myself.

then beans, then bed, then gas

day 052

today was long. it started off fine. a productive day in the studio. cranked out shots, yada yada yada.

one thing i realized today, i need my space sometimes. my actual work space is only about 3x3'. i have the camera in front of me and my computer to my right. that is really all i need to work during this shoot. the lights are set and will stay that way for all 900 shots mostly. the camera position never changes. the only thing that changes is the name of the model and whether or not i am shooting their top half or their bottom half. that, and who is seated behind me.

anyway, the productive part of the day was meeting with Source and going over concepts and having him be excited about what we had to offer. this should be fun.

day 051

nothing much today. i need to work on some paper work for Source, which i will start shortly. other than that, there has been no creative expression for the day.

although nothing creative has really happened it has been a good day. i didn't have myself torn a new asshole by my boss tonight. that is good.

off to finish paper work.

day 050

the day isn't over, but i don't think there will be much time to work on anything really creative. i am about to join my bosses for dinner and i don't know how long that will take.

one thing i did work on today, briefly before the models arrived, was to process out some shots of nicole and i and send her a link to them. maybe later i can put them together somehow and make a piece out of them.

off to dinner.

day 049

i was hoping to edit and work over a few more images from yesterday's shoot. but there was little time to do so.

instead, nicole and i ventured to the studio to knock out a bottle shot for arielle to use for comps. we played a little bit with lighting and such as well.

today, i shot bottles.

day 048.2

amazing!!!!! f-ing A!!!!!!

day 048

today, we test!!!!!!!!

more to come later

day 047

today was a fun day. mostly for the fact that it is friday and i am able to make use of an entire weekend this time.

on the creative aspect, i didn't really get anything done. the day is not over, but i think i will be pursuing alcohol once i leave the confines of the studio, so whatever creation comes to fruition it may not be that coherent.

anyway, we are scheduled to test tomorrow for a gender study series. hopefully it will all rock like we have never rocked before. if not, i am going to take pictures of pizza and fruit this weekend, just for fuck's sake.

hasta

day 046

didn't really get much done. i had a new concept though:

1 - thought it would be kinda cool to do a panoramic with the city in the background and on the left and a nature scene on the right with a man walking or running in the center of the shot. think of it in a wide angle sense with the closest point in the shot being the man's foot. the gomez song 

"get miles" inspired. it would be done graphically and more dada like. collaged and pieced together with new or existing photos.

day 045

some good news. found out that i got the fruit pop gig. details to ensue within the week hopefully.

as far as anything to show for today: i did post up a web gallery of the rest of the Miss Portland shots.

http://picasaweb.google.com/zackbowen/MissPortland#

good night

day 044

nothing much to report today. i was able to skip out a few minutes early from work so i could hit the gym. that was well needed and well deserved. 

i keep thinking about the melted cheese sliding off the pancake in the image below. i think it may be kinda cool to do a really bright and poppy-contrasty shot of a greasy piece of meat sliding down cheese and pulling it along. pretty much what has happened with the sausage patty and cheese on top of the pancake. but put that on white and focus in on it and make it really contrasty and sharp in studio. 

could be a slightly gross and fun shot.

day 043

the day isn't over yet, but i doubt if i will be able to get much else done.

i was able to pilfer through some Miss Portland shots. i even slightly worked one. so, i believe i know which ones i will be sending to chris.

hopefully i will be able to get a run and some exercise in tonight and get some creative juices flowing.

day 042

Sunday, bloody sunday. the day started with shooting breakfast with dan and his family and nicole at the newly re-opened miss portand diner. to be honest, i would not go back to the miss portland diner. nothing spectacular and definitely not the cheapest meal for the quality. you would pay the same as at bentliff's or even 188, which both are amazingly better.

anyway, we took a few pics and hopefully got something useful. after that, nicole and i met with lisa and mahlia to see about ironing out some details for a test shoot we were looking to pull off today. that went well and we went our separate ways with the plan of meeting up at five to start shooting.

after hitting the couch and launching into a discussion with nicole, my mind was no longer able to focus on the shoot. luckily lisa and mahlia were able to reschedule for next saturday.

now it is dinner time and i am ready for the bed and sleep.

day 041

it is saturday and it is a work day. we had a full day of shooting, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. not much else was done after that.

nothing much creative at least. it was just a night to collapse and not have to worry about work the next morning.

wow, rather pathetic.

day 040

i actually didn't get anything creatively done today. i am starting to question whether or not i will be able to keep up with a creative endeavor every day while engaged in the shoot i am working on until january. i don't think i am making an excuse. i am working from basically 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., then dinner, then a moment to relax, before i crash because i need to wake up and do it all over again. who knows. i can always lie in bed with the puter and research historical events during my lifetime.

• i could put together a new blog header.

• i could go through some magazines and pull some tears for concepts for testing.

• i could work on designing a website strictly for an art endeavor. it was a concept i had some time back. it would just be a website that changed every month. think of an art gallery where the artist being shown changes every month. but on my site, my art would change every month. so i would be forced to have a whole new concept and see it through every month. i started chatting with a co-worker about it today and i immediately started making excuses as to why i have not began work on it yet. then i snapped and realized i was not giving a single valid reason.

• i don't know web design - i may not know the tools, but i know enough about design and i can learn the tools.

• time - i make enough time for keeping up with this blog, why couldn't i manage an extra hour a day towards learning a new skill?

• i don't have the domain - that should be my first step. i should just go ahead and buy that today.

tonight i spoke with brandon of Maxim baby fame. the above photo is a scan from the magazine and he is the one on the left. we made a date to get together and shoot on wednesday for our photographic comic strip. he will supply the test, i the imagery. should be fun.

i thought there was something else, but i can't remember what now.

day 039

the day isn't over, but i feel like it will be the moment i walk out the door of the studio. and i don't know what i can do creatively. i don't really have a new concept. i don't really know of anything i can do to push a creative project forward. i could begin researching a list of events that have occurred during my life. but i would need to do that when i get home. and i actually think i may be out of work early enough and have nothing else to do tonight that i could go running. or maybe go to the gym.

maybe tonight will be time for rest. time for me to think about the other aspects of my life than work, which seems to have been the major subject of my thoughts and conversations recently. i apologize to my mom for the cuss-peppered rant i spewed last night.

anyway. maybe a run will get some energy spurring for a new creative direction.

day 038

so i will hopefully write a bit more later. but i really just wanted to get my idea down in some written format to refer back to later.

concept: i was inspired by Obama's acceptance speech. it was beautiful. what inspired the concept was the part of the speech where he referenced the 106 year old woman in hot-lanta. and the changes in history she had been witness to. it got me thinking of the historical moments that had occurred during my existence. i can't remember all of them, but a few pop to mind. the berlin wall fell, the shuttle carrying the first non-nasa person (pardon the pathetic terminology), and the first explosion of a manned US shuttle. i know there were many more. so, i want to do a visual representation of what has occurred in the past 30 years, and where i was in relation to those events. my age, what was i actually doing when the event occurred, etc.

gotta run back to the set.

day 037

i voted today. my vote probably didn't make s single lick of difference in the outcome of the electoral college of maine. but i did do it. now, when barack wins i can have some sort of feeling that i had something to do with it. and in the sad and pathetic event that mccain wins, i can say i didn't vote for him". and then get one of those bumper stickers that reads "maccain is not my president". because of course we can all have our own president.

anyway, the most creative thing to the day was casting a vote for the candidates for the local government positions that i knew nothing about. i kept making up their campaign platforms in my head. this one wanted to legalize personal clinical crack use for stress. the other wanted to extend health care coverage to strippers who suffer stage/pole injuries.

yeah, i voted. and i nearly wrote myself in for a few of the positions. their was one position that had no names listed to select. i was on the brink of writing myself in. i passed it by but nearly changed my mind before i fed the sheet into the machine.

good night and good luck!

day 036

i don't not done shit. seriously. i was at the studio the entire day and i have nothing creative to show for it.

about the only redeeming act i could pull out of my ass was to process out and burn a disc of lo-res images for emilitsa to give to the magazine for consideration. they are being interviewed tomorrow, so tonight is the only night i have to get it done.

that is it. maybe tomorrow will be a little less hectic and i can do something a bit more fun. maybe stay late and take some goofy shots, just to let off some steam.

bye.

day 035

today we test. i will write more later, but i wanted to post at least one shot.

okay, done with testing and done setting up for tomorrow mornings women's shoot. the pressure is off and i can enjoy what is left of the day.

all in all, a very productive day. at least two new portfolio pieces and ready for tomorrow's work. very happy. much thanks to mahlia for coming in and saving the day!

day 034.2

just a few more lines for the night.

i had hoped to run up to the studio and knock out some testing there, but time was not wanting to play by my rules today. plus, i am feeling a bit guilty about neglecting bertie for the day. although, he has been a good sport.

but i did shoot a few more pics at emilitsa in the kitchen while they were actually serving. i just did a bit more editing and thought i might post one or two or a few more.

day 034

i would say today has been productive so far. woke up and headed to brunswick for the rogues sample sale. picked up a few nifty items. made it back home and grab some foodage, let the pup out for a quick walk, then headed to emilitsa's.

snagged some more kitchen shots of prepping and such. think there are some pretty good pieces in there. only had enough time for a rough edit, but i will hopefully get some quality time with them this evening. right now i want to head to the studio and work on some more testing.

i also knocked out a quick shot of an artichoke to accompany some of the other B&W vegetable shots nicole and i banged out last weekend.

i will try and post some of the emilitsa stuff tonight.