The "No. 4"

 Design Copyright Roland Lee 2012

Design Copyright Roland Lee 2012

Design Copyright Roland Lee 2012

I've emerged from my cave to begin posting some of my latest art designs and work. Recently, I've been motivated to do some woodblock carving and printing. Inspired and facinated by the work of the Japanese Ukiyo-e greats such as Hokusai, Hiroshige, Kunishige, Yoshitoshi, etc... I've sat down, got my carving tools out, drew a design, and began cutting. After doing a few prints on inkjet paper, I wasn't happy with the result. So with a roll of rice paper, I cut them to size and the results were better than expected. I could go on and on but the results are the above entitled the "No. 4"

Ilford HP5 Plus 400 film

 My favorite black and white film that I like shooting with is Ilford HP5 Plus. The results that I get with my 1966 canon ft are sharp low key photos.

The photograph above is of two elderly gentlemen that were sharing a conversation and a bottle of congnac.

Bell Peppers

Bagels

No Biodiesel 

Iolani Palace

The perspective of the photograph of Iolani Palace tells a story of how the monarchy fell when the Queen was held captive in her own palace in the early 1900's. The palace fades into the background and the foreground are of arrow tips of the front gate which is the way I had planned to take this photo. What I didn't plan for was very neutral contrasting and so the photo doesn't pop but nevertheless, it stands on it's own because it captures the essence of the subject matter. Perhaps if I had used a film with a lower ISO, then the results would be better contrast.

Jeans on a Wire

 

A sketch and a study of a pair of jeans.

Vette Tail Light

As I was roaming the wonderful neighborhood of Kaimuki in Honolulu, Hawaii, I strolled near an old corvette that I so admired. I had my 35mm Canon FT manual camera made in 1966 and a box of Tri-X 100 ISO black and white film. I snapped several shots and later developed the film and printed copies in a darkroom on acid free paper. I have a print of this in my living room. I have one copy that I'm offering on etsy. Click here for more info.

Profile Picture

Photographing children and getting natural poses from them can be challenging especially if they feel the need to move around and be active. Activity, curiosity, desire to learn, attention, and fun is what every child seek. In a recent photo-shoot, I taught Laney how to shoot a 35mm film camera which relaxed her for other natural poses and shots. We faced off and I caught a profile photograph of her catching a profile photograph of me catching a profile photograph of her. Both photographs will be framed and placed together as a set. I also have to admit that she took a better picture of my profile than I did of hers with a 1980s Yashica point-and-shoot over my 1960s Canon FT with a 50mm lens.