Help Me Win Money!

Dear Friends,



Please help me win some money and vote for my portfolio:

http://maozetang.see.me/aw2011

Thanks!!!!!




With Love + Awesome,


- Johnny

Call For Models (Kinda)

Special thanks to my friend Julia, who was kind enough to let me practice my rusty portrait skills on her. This was a spur of the moment shoot we did just for fun, which is something I feel like i hardly ever do anymore, that actually turned out to be probably the shot I've taken in the last month. Go figure. My friends like to joke about the fact that I never have my camera on me. Ironically, I am not the shutterbug type who has to take pictures at every social function. Actually, I tend to hate those kind of people, and think they are really annoying (with exceptions of course). I usually don't like to carry my camera with me, because I always feel like I'm working when I do. That and I shoot with a goddamn Cannon, which are extra heavy cameras that remind you that they are just as much of a liability as they are wonderful. Today I had to remind myself that photo can, and should be fun. Sometimes you make your best work when you're not trying to. Art and life are just funny like that.


So in light of finishing my senbazuru project, which was a process that took me a whole year, and was so un-fun it made me want to shoot heroine into my eye. I have decided to strategically add elements of fun into my next big project.

So here's my new idea: I want to take portraits of people and let them draw on it.

Kinda like how when people draw on advertisements in the subway, only you'll be drawing on yourself. If you are interested in participating, leave me a comment or hit me up in some way shape or form. It seems like it's mostly my friends reading this blog, so you should all know how to get in touch them me. Come on! This'll be fun!!!

Life of Tang

- shot in my parent's back yard


Life is finally moving forward. I just finished shooting my first long term project this past weekend, and will be updating my actual website this coming week with the final edit (along with some other much needed updates). Now I will finally be able to move on, and put some time and energy into some new projects. In the meantime, I'll probably keep making pictures like this one.

I've been watching a lot of Wong Kar Wei movies recently (like all of them...literally). He's a famous director from Hong Kong, who's known for movies that are more moody, full of atmosphere, and character development rather than narrative. That and his films are goddamn gorgeous. As I was flipping through some of my old photographs, I noticed that I am definitely drawn to the same kind of lighting that is found in his movies. Somewhere along the way, I had integrated that kind of lighting into my style without even noticing it. I have been watching a lot of westerns/old Akira Kurosawa movies recently as well. I think this shot is probably more directly influenced from that. While both directors have completely different styles, in my head I would put the two together for some reason. When I saw this picture, I understood why I am so drawn to these directors: for me, they both are able to estrange the familiar, in effect showing the viewer (me) things I take for granted.

note: pictures from my burning are up! visit my fully renovated site at www.johnnytangphoto.com.