Taken on November 25, 2008 at 7.25pm CST
Posted to Flickr November 25, 2008 at 10.22pm CST
I'm writing an article for Smashing Magazine entitled "10 Principles of Beautiful Photography", and, in so doing, I am making one of the notions therein that it helps if you can learn to draw. Now, last year, I could barely draw a bath and my portraits looked worse than my 7-year-old's!
But get this... I have a very good friend at work named Gustaf with whom I made a bet. Now, the guy is brilliant and a great designer, but he is absolutely terrible at Photoshop. I thought that was unacceptable, and I also thought my complete lack of drawing skills was unacceptable. Since I am mega-competitive, I made a bet with him that I could teach myself to be passable at drawing before he could teach himself to be passable at photoshop. I won the competition, as it should be, but he still has time to learn (he got a girlfriend and it kind of threw a wrench into the whole competition).
I’ve always admired people that can draw. “Man, I always wanted to do that!” I thought, remorsefully.
But after practicing in secret for many months, I feel like I am a little bit better. I’m not great, by any means. Before getting into it, I knew there were natural savants out there that can naturally draw from birth. I knew I could not ever get to that level, but I wanted to get to a point where I felt better about my ability to capture a scene or feeling with just charcoal and paper.
Anyway, here are some of my favorite drawings over the past 6 months or so. They are in chronological order with the most recent ones on top. You'll probably need to visit my blog here to see everything in a decent size.
And I'll post the article as soon as it comes out over at www.stuckincustoms.com
10 Principles of Beautiful Photography
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room - John Mayer 258,574 views
UMisOC
July 04, 2008
Performed at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles December 8th 2007.
Category: Music
Tags: blues pop rock john mayer
Uploaded by Stuck in Customs on 25 Nov 08, 8.22PM PDT.
I think we've come pretty much full circle...I think... Trey I'm sorry about this morning...please forgive me...but I came across your stream last year and of course you have amazing fotos. I just got a computer a couple years ago, a laptop...I had no idea of youtube or any of these techy things online...but I love youtube and flickr and google and facebook and twitter and everything out there because it allows me to see the world. I'm sorry I keep visiting your stream, I can't help it along with the other millions of people online...as it should be...so what did I start doing, listening to music I like, then what really caught my eye was your funny titles...one stood out most...something about a French Creperie, I love crepes...so I started actually reading your stream which had a lot of good stories. Some funny, some really sad, Cherynobyl, the Ukraine, Russia oh and of course amazing church fotos and then started reading more and more and more..the only book I use to read was my Bible...(until my coworker gave me a book called Angels and Demons a couple years ago...which was a different perspective, I still like my Bible though)..all the while listening to music that I haven't heard forever....then I started adding music to your fotos...which brings us to your new drawing...
Why I loved this drawing so much, today is my dear friends birthday, his name is Leo The Lion from Spain, so I dedicate this to him...he was an amazing artist, poet, passionate person just like Trey Ratcliff....he had his whole life ahead of him, he was only 21, his dream to work at Disney or something in the arts or film / graphic design / animation world...he loved cartoons, Tiny Toons, Ren and Stimpy...etc...except he drowned and I wasn't there I couldn't save him he died on Canada Day...
So...I read through your stream...you like video games, you played Eve so I thought that's freaking cool...I like what Eve is doing...you wanted all the ships coming to you...so do I, so I wished for happy blessings. I loved video games also growing up...though I do not play anymore...what were my favourites growing up Dragons Lair, Zelda, Super Mario, Dungeons and Dragons, Street Fighter, Mercury, Gore, ...etc...Contra.
I never want to see anyone drown again, I've also lost people to the streets. I see the news and it makes me sad...there were fires in Austrailia, people are burning alive...you could read about it more there in the wikipedia...there's earthquakes in Italy...Hastings Street in Vancouver...these things scare me...
I had a crazy notion maybe I can do something also, maybe just one person would believe me but maybe I can't play this game...do people like my blogging? I don't know??? I like my own blogging...it's all for fun because God wants us to be happy not sad...but I blog all different kinds of feelings...so I just wanted to say thank you for motivating us all...you've changed the world already...so what's the moral of this all...I don't know why I'm writing this all on the wall but it felt good to get off my chest.......I still HOPE for a better tomorow and I won't stop blogging / singing about it, I'm sorry...I swear this internet thing is crazy....
oh I almost forgot, #1 HDR Professor better recognize...
Beautiful day U2 Live8 245,970 views
tonyjeon
December 17, 2006
Beautiful day U2 Live 8
July 2nd 2005
Category: Music
Tags: Beautiful day U2 Live8
