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Chicago Transit Authority

[tuan a tran] — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:55:08 +0000

when i started out in photography, i was just like everyone else, shoot what you thought was cool. i didnt know any better, i didnt know the technicalities of the camera. i just shot what was i interested in and what i thought people should be shooting. then i started finding my style and what type of shots i gravitated towards. it was the simplest of them too, light. that is what photography is right, capturing light. i kept on shooting and then i saw that lines was something that was pulling me in and how it affected the light around it. i shot in this style for a long time since i was living in chicago and the architecture here created great photos of lines and light. when i started photo 1 class at columbia college, i had to find a subject for my final. it took awhile to figure out what i wanted to do but one bright sunny morning while commuting to school, it smacked me right in the face. you can see it in the fourth image, the reason why it wasnt the first because i had to come back daily to find a time with that same light again and having nobody around to shoot that shot. this facination with the cta trains went on for awhile and into my photo 2 class final also. this is basically a compilation of my 2 photo finals. full gallery here.

Tattoo Session 1

[tuan a tran] — Thu, 27 May 2010 00:17:44 +0000

so when my cousin ask me to talk to my tattoo guy about getting himself a full back piece, i gladly said cool but also advised on making sure he knows what he wanted. a back piece is something you can laser away because you decided you're bored with it. so when the day came, i came with him and decided to document the process. my tattoo guy is a little different than the usual tattoo artists because he like to freehand everything and just go straight to the tattooing. he hardly ever draw it on paper and do the whole stencil thing. that was how he did mine. so here is how he starts his process. my tattoo guy's name is mike luera, he's the owner of sacred art studios in calumet city. he usually starts with a really rough sketch of what we wanted and then slowly churns out awesome art. well here is the first session in the series. the sketching took about an hour or so and the actual tattooing took about another 2 hours or so. in the last images, u can see those red outlines of the rest of the backpiece. those are there so that next time he doesnt have to redraw the images again. there are light enough where it doesnt interfere if changes are needed. here's hoping this will people anyone interested in knowing how all this works. its also in the gallery here if you prefer to view it that way.

Project 365 Day 54

[tuan a tran] — Mon, 17 May 2010 23:16:32 +0000

here's a another product teaser shot of something i did in school. looks real doesnt it?! well it is!..well if only you were a hamster. ;)

Project 365 Day 53

[tuan a tran] — Mon, 17 May 2010 23:13:28 +0000

just a cool shot that came about when the flash on my camera didnt refresh fast enough to go off. cool mistake eh. (umm i meant i did that on purpose, yea that's what i meant.)

Project 365 Day 52

[tuan a tran] — Mon, 17 May 2010 23:08:19 +0000

i was helping out a friend setup a studio in their warehouse so they can do all the catalog shots in house. here's my attempt after the test studio was setuped. this shot is more creative and less of a product shot.

Project 365 Day 51

[tuan a tran] — Mon, 17 May 2010 23:04:24 +0000

i used to take the train on my daily commute to school. to some cta trains was a dirty and unsanitary mess. i dont know what it is but i find elegance in the little details that most people wont even look or dare set their hands on it. i hope to capture the elegance shown in this shot.

Project 365 Day 50

[tuan a tran] — Mon, 17 May 2010 23:00:06 +0000

This was just a quick and simple project we had done in school to figure out form and shape of an object. its actually of the pc teaser shot i showed early on. do u guys see a resemblance?

Vampire Shoot

[tuan a tran] — Fri, 14 May 2010 22:04:50 +0000

had a great time learning how to light with strobes on this shoot. it was a little hectic at times but i learned a poopload. thank you maria, tiffany, & jess for putting up with us, you guys are awesome models. thank you toni (she's the one with the drink!) for doing all their makeup, the girls look fabulous. thanks loft610 for providing the venue, it was the perfect location. big thanks to chris for setting this up and making this all happen. check out the full gallery here.

Project 365

[tuan a tran] — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:44:04 +0000

how beautiful is this? while we were heading back to florence on a bus, i was able to grab this shot of italy's beautiful backcountry.

Day 49/365

Project 365

[tuan a tran] — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:40:48 +0000

this is what it looks like thru the peep hole to the outside of my door when i was living in florence. unfortunately u dont get man visitors as you can see. :(

Day 48/365