Writing by allen@g-tastic.com on Saturday, 16 of August , 2008 at 10:23 am
Each day that passes becomes etched in my memory cells and in turn becomes memories and experience that helps me grow wiser as a human being. I’m now definitely wiser than I was a year ago, and i’ve become more knowledgeable and more understanding of the world and everything that resides within it. This is not to say that I am now all wise, because that would just be foolish to assume, but what it does mean that my potential to grow has not stopped and this excites me to consider and understand. In a year I will be wiser and more experienced than I am now, and inevitably I will be more valuable to society and the world being whoever I turn out to be. Whether or not I decide to use my new found value to assist society greater evolve is another subject of debate, but the fact is established that as long as I live, breath, and maintain a healthy mental state, I will become a greater person than I am today. The fact is also true with everybody else in the world because well.. as human beings our understanding of life’s many facts cannot dull and we will never stop learning.
The fact is also true that one day we will perish, and there is most likely nothing we can do about that in our lifetime. The cycle of life has gone on for long before humans even roamed the earth. We are born, we live, and we die. What happens after we die is as well another topic of debate, but for this entries purposes, i’m only going to talk about those 3 stages in life. Scientifically there is no way to cheat death, and our physical bodies began deteriorating at the moment our parents seeds connected to create us. In immortality we find that rememberence is a way to live on forever, at least in the minds of others because well, if we aren’t forgotten, our names and our history lives on.
Long have I heard my dad tell me that I must continue the family line since i’m the only male on the immediate side of my dad’s family. The pressure has been for a long time unbearable, and even now my parents nag at me to create a legacy of my own through being a necessity to others; for example my dad wanted me to become a doctor or lawyer, but for those of you who personally know me, could you imagine me diagnosing your chest pains or defending you in criminal courts? I’d be out of practice in weeks from the pile of malpractice suits.
For the past year and a half, i’ve been photographing people and life, and i’ve now begun to design advertisements for companies. Through the creative side I keep telling myself I have, i’ve begun to create images that do in fact immortalize my subjects. Each photograph I take and publish, and each design I create, I immortalize my subject at that exact time and point, as do millions of other persons. The advanced technology available today have created a window of endless opportunity for society be accurately recorded when undoctored because normally our senses do not lie.
I’ve found a greater sense in photographing especially now because well, when I take a picture of someone or something at a specific point of time, the subject will never be the same again. As soon as I click the shutter release on my camera, I’ve given birth to an image, but unlike our cycle of life, that image may physically deteriorate, but it has captured what will never again be. It’s very humbling to begin to think about how minuscule I really am compared to the grand scheme of the world and well, life in general. From the time I began writing this entry to this specific point in time, I have lost a part of my life span, but i’ve secured my thoughts at this exact point for history, and as long as there is a recording of this passage regardless of if it’s a physical record or in the memories of those reading this entry, my thoughts have been immortalized.
As pessimistic as this mentality is, it just drives me even harder to live life to the fullest and love life as much as possible. Regrets are for those unworthy to carry on breathing that what gives us life. So to end this entry.. we start dying the day we start living so why live afraid to die when death is inevitable yet life is now. Regret nothing, love everything, live for the moment.. whatever motivates you to live and love because when you do, immortality awaits.
Category: Rants
Writing by admin on Friday, 15 of August , 2008 at 12:49 am
So my buddy Logan just got his iPhone yesterday and I guess it was a pretty big deal for him. The not so technological advanced dude whose always been schoolin the youth as an elderly figure has now upgraded and gone 3G. I’m guessing this new blog is courtesy of his new phone, but now me and a few other of our buddies have a spot to spam random photos online wherever we go.. so enjoy the inevitable shameless embarrassment to come at a site that Rogansan fittingly named..
“Photos Of The Day.. courtesy of 5 dudes and some cell phonez”
Category: Rants
Writing by allen@g-tastic.com on Friday, 1 of August , 2008 at 3:35 pm
So i’ve been a fan of Da Truth for a long time, and for good reason. The guy speaks on behalf of realists everywhere, and by realists I mean people that see reality for what it really is, and not some hyped up bullshit that people like to feed us. Lately his last 3 posts have just been bashing on import models, and I myself have been preaching how low the quality has gotten. It’s easy to figure out why i’ve given up on the import scene. It use to be somewhat respectable, but now it’s full of ho’s, and ugly ho’s at that. Where’s all the eye candy gone? Away from car shows that’s what. And for all you morons that think the club scene and import scene aren’t the same, you’re retarded. The same ho’s that club and gogo are the same ho’s you see at car shows. These attention starved mindless brainwashed hood rats with a false impression of their own image are the same everywhere you go, and there’s no denying that. The girls in the import scene with any decent physical attributes seem to think that they’re God’s gift to the world and carry a high and mighty attitude to compliment their self absorbed ego’s. Bitches. So why do I choose not to shoot import shit anymore? Well.. take a look at Da Truth’s blog and you’ll understand. [Da Truth]
Here are a few of the female specimens he commented on.
On a sidenote.. to whoever the photographer is who shot these photos, learn to focus and run a proper shutter speed ya moron. If you know you got shaky hands and you know you need to run a higher ISO, do it. There’s no need for unsharp photos.. who knows, there might have been more shit for Da Truth to pick out. And your logo looks gay too.
Category: Automotive, Events, Rants
Writing by allen@g-tastic.com on Thursday, 31 of July , 2008 at 3:19 pm
So instead of sleep, I decided to start working on my box. I did a lot better job cutting and had super clean edges, but what I ended up realizing about this stupid illustration board I was using is that it’s not perfectly flat, hence as you’ll see in the pictures, a lot of my edges weren’t very clean. I’m going to have to figure out another way to make the box instead of using illustration board now so i’m thinking about just going back to the thinner cardboard you see most boxes use since they’re easy to bend. I’m having to print out all my designs on matte photo paper, 235 stock, and it makes for pretty good colors so i’m fairly happy so far, but now the box is becoming an issue. Hopefully i’ll figure something out, but here’s phase one of the box. I can’t even imagine all the rest of the crap that I have to do, but hopefully that shouldn’t be so bad. I have A LOT of x-acto blades (#11 and #2’s!) so i’ll be sure to be making SUPER clean edges since that’s what most of my points were docked on my last project. Off to take a break now after inhaling glue fumes. I’m still having to pick the damn residue off the glue.. that glue is literally instant bond, it’s insane!
Here’s the overall test piece.
Here’s the top portion of the box that I messed up on with measurements.. hence it doesn’t completely cover the box.
Panel #1
Panel #2 - You can start seeing the different ways I tried to mount the edges. Trial and error!
Panel #3 - This method sis a little more flush, but the damn illustration board is showing.
Panel #4 - Reminder to self.. the glue i’m using is SUPER strong. I little bit of it accidently got stuck on the newspaper I was doing all my work on.. and well some of it got stuck to panel #4.
Yep.. the top of the box falls right through. Here’s a look at the interior and how I quickly supported everything to keep the shape of the box. The next one is definitely going to have to be made out of thinner cardboard.
Here’s a closer look at how clean my cutting is now! 2″ x 2″ x (square root of 
triangular supports.
Back to the drawing board.. literally.. to figure out wth i’m going to do about my stupid box. On a sidenote.. I have to go spend another $100 on ink since of all the sheets i’ve printed juiced me pretty good. Woooooh, this project is costing a fucking small fortune!
Category: Design
Writing by allen@g-tastic.com on Thursday, 31 of July , 2008 at 9:40 am
Just wanted to post up a quick picture of what my room has turned into. Remember my clean little corner? Okay so it doesn’t look THAT messy.. but that stack of boards you see on the left side? That’s about $60 worth of foam core and illustration board along with my new portfolio.. that’s going to be created into hopefully something I can be proud of.. IE my first real piece into my graphic design portfolio. More progress to come! 
Category: Design, Illustrations, Random
Writing by allen@g-tastic.com on Monday, 28 of July , 2008 at 5:01 pm
So i’m almost done with classes! I’m only taking an Intro to Graphic Design class at Art Center right now and it’s kicking my ass already. Granted this is a summer session at ACN, it’s a little bit more concentrated I guess? Either way it’s given me a broader view on Graphic Design which I guess is the goal of the class.. I just wish there were more specific areas covered, but my next classes are definitely going to be Typography and get more in depth into graphic design. Anyways, here’s some more progress on the branding project i’ve been working on. Just click for the larger images.
Any feedback is greatly appreciated, but hopefully you guys injoy my work! This is the first time i’ve actually attempted a branding project, but I may just do something in the future for my own portfolio. Actually I SHOULD. This was actually a lot of fun, but since i’m not studying product design, i’m not really going to attempt to produce the final product yet. I was more interested in the visual communication aspect of this project, and that’s basically what i’ll be graded on. At least everything is visually appealing? 
Category: Design, Illustrations
Writing by allen@g-tastic.com on Saturday, 26 of July , 2008 at 10:06 am
So apparently people think it’s okay to use a photo of mine without my written consent. For all you photographers out there understand that there are laws that protect us. Here’s a small link on Flickr that goes through the basic rights a photographer has. [Flickr: Discussing Photographer’s Rights] Anyways, be on the lookout for a clothing brand by the name of Urb Zoo [www.urbzoo.com] The shirt is posted on their MySpace as well as have been used by the certain persons on the shirt at a recent fashion show. I have not received any compensation or credit, and I had to find out via a 3rd party about the existence of the shirt. I’m going to fight this injustice and make sure that the party understands that pictures are property and taking advantage of a photographer especially in this day and age is not a wise decision. Look how they mutilated my photo!
[original]
[stolen photo: photo #1]
[stolen photo: photo #2]
Category: Photography, Rants
Writing by allen@g-tastic.com on Saturday, 26 of July , 2008 at 9:33 am
For all you artists and photographers out there, here’s a little link that I found that basically states exactly your rights to your image/work. Enjoy!
[Piracy Explanation @ COMSTOCK Images]
Here’s the best part which grants me the right to whatever the hell I want to do with my images.. IE whatever I say goes regardless of any “verbal contract”.
- What is “copyright infringement”, anyway?
Legally, the person who holds the copyright to a photo has the absolute right to control how you use that photo — or to deny you the right to use that photo at all. Any unauthorized usage is an “infringement” of the copyright. This INCLUDES using the picture for “reference” in a derivative work. It also includes use of images BEYOND that which has been legitimately purchased. For example, offering images for resale without first obtaining a template license would be an infringement of copyright. So, too, would be the case if you exceed the 1o user limit without obtaining a site license.
Thank you COMSTOCK images for your ever so useful information.
Now some info straight from [ www.Copyright.gov ]
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What Works Are Protected?
Copyright protects “original works of authorship” that are fixed in a tangible form of expression. The fixation need not be directly perceptible so long as it may be communicated with the aid of a machine or device. Copyrightable works include the following categories:
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- literary works;
- musical works, including any accompanying words
- dramatic works, including any accompanying music
- pantomimes and choreographic works
- pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works
- motion pictures and other audiovisual works
- sound recordings
- architectural works
These categories should be viewed broadly. For example, computer programs and most “compilations” may be registered as “literary works”; maps and architectural plans may be registered as “pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works.”
How to Secure a Copyright
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Copyright Secured Automatically upon Creation
The way in which copyright protection is secured is frequently misunderstood. No publication or registration or other action in the Copyright Office is required to secure copyright. (See following note.) There are, however, certain definite advantages to registration. See “Copyright Registration.”
Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created, and a work is “created” when it is fixed in a copy or phonorecord for the first time. “Copies” are material objects from which a work can be read or visually perceived either directly or with the aid of a machine or device, such as books, manuscripts, sheet music, film, videotape, or microfilm. “Phonorecords” are material objects embodying fixations of sounds (excluding, by statutory definition, motion picture soundtracks), such as cassette tapes, CDs, or LPs. Thus, for example, a song (the “work”) can be fixed in sheet music (“copies”) or in phonograph disks (“phonorecords”), or both. If a work is prepared over a period of time, the part of the work that is fixed on a particular date constitutes the created work as of that date.
Thank you to the US Copyright Office for the information posted above.
There’s a lot more information easily found with a quick search, so if you have any doubt at all, make sure you do the right thing and make sure the artist is contacted and gives you permission. There is no such thing as a verbal contract when it comes to this type of copyright infringment, and if it’s not on paper it does not exist. Hopefully this saves at least one person from being take advantage of because by law just remember, as an artist YOU ARE PROTECTED.
Category: Photography
