The Blog of James Jay

my days sometimes are filled with sitting at a desk or other days out in the public, this week has been a busy one.  It has been two days of setting up a booth at different areas on the reservation. thursday was a booth at a opening of a new building.  Today the community schools go down to the main tribal building sing and get candy from the different departments.  we always set up a booth and hand out candy and have parents do a survey for a prize.  well after the event we headed to the new casino and hotel grand opening.

I always find the casino life interesting, i spent maybe 4 or 5 months working at a casino, working as a beverage server, serving drinks to patrons on the floor. walking around saying “coffee, soda?” from 12 midnight to 8 the next morning.  you see all kinds of things while working in a casino. the same people night after night, the crazy people causing trouble. or just the people there to have fun. I always remember the people that were addicted to gambling they would come in night after night. its a interesting opportunity to see people in there highest and lowest points… over money.

i dont frequent casinos much. i’m to cheap to gamble all my money away, i stop when i’m a couple bucks ahead. but i have gambled before and do have fun while doing it.

the times i have gone to openings or to the casino in general i always try to sneak in my camera and sometimes i make it, while other times i get to the door i hear security say “there is no photography in the casino”. but the times i do make it in i feel i get some amazing stuff.  maybe because i know cameras are watching me or the patrons are to busy to notice my presence.  well today i snuck in the canon powershot s90 from work that i have been playing with.

and i can say i was pretty damn impressed by it’s capability to handle the different light changes… i dont shoot like crazy while in there as i said i have to watch for security wandering the floor as well as other techs, and the cameras up above… i was only able to snap a couple…

here is some old cowboy sitting at the machines i like the guy on the left of the frame. i should have been aiming for him instead.

or had it on the wide option that camera offers. the casino usually on opening day gives the community members first dibs at the machines before the general public.

View On Black

machines…sitting lonely… im sure later tonight they will be put to use.

View On Black

i love the views on black, brings things out more.

there is some things that i just happen upon. this was one of those times. walking behind my coworkers, trying to find that one shot.

i saw him sitting there with the light bouncing off the machine onto his face. seeing the wrinkles on that face. i turned around, changed the focal length to 50mm and turned around fast framed and pressed the shutter. he just sat there even when the red light came on and focused. he didnt take his face off the machine the whole time

i love this frame, i might have to print and frame for myself.

i think this frame just made my month.

View On Black

view it bigger… its so worth it.

well hopefully you enjoyed this little post. i hopefully will have more pics from halloween sometime this weekend…

And while your out don’t forget your pillow case for candy!

This weekend we went to the State Fair. I haven’t been able to attend for about two or three years. I always think its a hassle to go but in the end i always love it so many photo opportunities always seem to present themselves.

im still playing with digital, though our 14-45mm lens broke on our olympus e-500 so i was without a camera for awhile. Though i have been playing with the new canon powershot s90, its a pretty decent point and shoot has a lens that stops down to 2.0 pretty awesome if you ask me. I was able to use it at the fair without it going blurry much.

here are some of the photos from said camera.

i shot this when i was shooting the corn dogs, guy said here you go and held up corn dog.

i  shot it through the glass, as you can see reflection on his shirt. I think it came out pretty awesome.

he asked me for a copy, first time i ever got asked that. told him to give me a address or something,

he didnt have one i gave him my business card and told him to call me.

looks pretty impressive large and on black.

larger and on black

airbrush shirts. they always remind me of the 90’s… he looked excited though.

funnel cakes… i have never tried or even know what they look like. but people seem to love them,

well people i talk too anyways i guess it isnt really shown any love in the photo.

i aimed the camera at him he says IM ON MY BREAK!, i said thats cool…

he didnt sound angry or anything which suprised me. i took the photo, then said thanx. and he nodded. decided to convert to black and white. the fluorescent lights really killed the image.

well thats it for now. as always ill see you later and keep checking back for more. i still have like 10 rolls of film at the camera store… man i need to pick those up.

I don’t know what it is but for some odd reason I have been spilling coffee on my shirt staining my white t-shirts, completely aggravating.

I think I should get rid of my coffee cup. Maybe I should switch cups. I noticed once I started using this particular cup coffee stains started to appear.

Is it possible that this coffee cup is not made for me?

Or is it just me?

So the blog has really really slowed down, mostly because of facebook. It always seems easier than typing out a huge blog, Even though i should. This place used to be a outlet for me as place to ramble on about whatever i felt like talking about, I do miss that but as i said things change. maybe i will get back into writing here. who knows…

Most of the time its home and work, spending time with chloe and talia. Work is work, not much changes, the days are filled with coffee and trying to meet deadlines. Home life is something totally Different, Chloe is getting bigger, her own personality is shining through every single day. Expressions on her face are always telling of her affection and even her displeasure in us. Nothing could have prepared me for this chapter in my life. No book or experience from other fathers life could have prepared me. Yes it is tiring but so rewarding and fun every single day. Talia on the other hand feels most of these things. Im glad Talia is there with chloe each and every single day. Even though i know Talia misses being Talia at times. I know she wouldn’t trade it for anything. And neither would i.

in other news There have not been any real photos or design work as of late, mostly just random images that i seem to capture. Film is sitting at the developers waiting for me to go and pick it up. its been about a month now. i dropped off about 10 rolls of B&W…

here is some stuff that i have been taking. most of this stuff is on my flickr already.
for awhile i was using works digital to take photos. i think i was getting used to it until our 45mm lens broke. so now its back to film.

i have been trying to take pictures of the community, trying to pick up the randomness of the reservation.

Out on the reservation there are food stands selling frybread and other food. i love how they have a little trailer set up for there stand. most people just set up a tent and sell under it. so these people have a awesome set up!

on fridays they usually have little stands that people set up and sell goods kinda like a swapmeet.

i am been taking alot of landscape shots for whatever reason. one Friday i thought this would make a good photo. i asked talia to turn around so i could take it. she said no… so the next week i stopped and took it.

my mom would always drag me and my brother and sister to goodwill stores when we were small. Now when i see one i get all excited to go in. she walked through my frame as i fired. She stopped right in front of me and looked at the shoes, not knowing i took the shot. 

i cant believe how many shoes there are in these stores. 

this sign just made me laugh. 

It always amazes me all the trash people throw away in the desert, tires, couches, tv’s all kinds of stuff. During World War Japanese citizens were rounded up and put in camps around the United States. To the left of the photo are concrete slabs where buildings once stood that housed these people. Up on the mountain is a memorial to the citizens who stayed in the camp. 

Here is more information on the camps.

this is a old catholic church out here on the reservation. People used to say this place was haunted. I dont think so.  Talia’s grandparents were married in this church. Now all that is left is the four corners. some color. 

nothing but tagging covers the walls now.  I honestly think things like this should be saved so future generations can have some kinda idea what religion was like before and how it affected the community. There are more churches in the same state as this one scattered around the community. 

been spending lots of time at the skatepark. 

can you see the pixels… sometimes i hate digital…

resse

someone got hurt. sliced his hand on a rail…

and last but not least. A blog entry is not a blog entry without a picture of this girl. 

so living out on the reservation your elders tell you stories of old witches that used to eat kids, they also tell you stories of the devil showing up to community dances trying to interact with people. the farmers even see little demons and gremlins as they work the fields at night. alot of weird stories go around the reservation.

well the new thing out on the reservation is that the cupacabra is running around killing dogs and making people sick. well the thing is you have all these old elders that have grown up with all these old stories, people do believe this stuff, and in turn sometimes you get crazy stuff like this. honestly it has been pretty serious even the community council got involved. these were faxed and hung up at our community stores. personally i think its kinda funny. 

read the article

and here is one dead.  he looks familiar. 

I had this on my work desk for some time. 

it makes me laugh. 

check it out bigger…

i have been trying to get back into the swing of things and have started taking photos again.

here are some stuffs…

here is one of talia, this was from a awhile ago. im trying to get through these tons of rolls i have sitting on my shelf. 

this was during the winter time, at the skatepark. 

terri my little sister.

mom and chloe on the swings. 

reese, sometimes i think he gets scared to go out and skate with all the other kids. i know i do. 

after the skatepark we went to mcdonalds. saw him bring in his own coffee cup and ordered a ice cream cone. 

look at it big. click

the pics above were taken with the yashica t4 zoom on the cheap film.

dinner sitting at the table…

the clouds looked awesome…the air smelled like rain. but nothing, just alot of wind. 

mom and chloe getting ready for mothers day. we had a get together at our place, breakfast for the moms. 

casa grande ruins.  went for a work field trip. it was hot about 106. 

on our field trip we ended up in casa grande. near food city which used to be a bashas. 

some airplanes. loved the trails. 

look at it big. click here

last 5 were on the olympus xa2. 

talia went for a hair cut me and chloe walked to starbucks for coffee… used the yashica t4 for these three. 

i love clouds on film. all the colors look amazing.  even on b&w film. 

dinner… meat, potatoes, and vegetables. 

chloes room and light. crayons and her new DC shoes my brother bought her for her birthday. 

talia asleep. i love watching her sleep. 

at the desk. 

i used the Yashica GT for those 3 shots above. man i cant even remember the last time i saw some shots form that camera. i forgot how beautiful it renders images…

well i hope to be posting more here soon. loving being able to finally post something. 

well hope to see you all around. 

keep on watching. 

i made these some time ago…

i wasnt to sure about the “i care about your page numbers” part. but i left it…i catually wanted to print out a bunch and leave them in coffee shops and bookstores. but i never got around to it. i made them since i have been trying to read a book a month and i got tired of using receipts. 

print them out and use-’em i don’t care…

Bookmarks

just to let you know. i am still alive, it seems i lost the keyboard that i usually use to type this blog, but do not be alarmed  i found it. so here i am back to typing. 

hmm and just to let you l know i had pictures to share but alas my camera decided it didn’t want to sit on the back of the toilet and decided to take a plunge onto the floor, making the back fly open exposing the film. who knows something might turn up on the roll. 

wow am i up that early i just went to walgeens and it seems im up before the store was open. i guess zombies do roam the earth.

i found these on the roll…

 i dont know what he is doing. or watching i do see someone’s foot in the right side of the frame.

the little girl named chloe…

laying in the grass.

and a suv with no wheels on, sitting on crates. 

i thought that last picture was pretty funny…

and thats about it. 

maybe ill be back to post something else soon…

summer is rearing its ugly head here. 108 today says my widget.

hope its cooler wherever you are .

so as always i neglect to write here. i think twitter has taken most of my time. which is sad in a sense cause i really enjoy writing here and well honestly don’t have much to show or put down. ever since the camera died i don’t shoot no more. i have the other canonet but it doesn’t feel the same. it just feels off…

life doesn’t look the same when i look through the finder. i finished a roll of film and still have yet to develop it. 

sorry had to leave for awhile took a walk to a business down the road. nice little 15 minute walk. good for the body especially since i’m still sick.

———————————————————————————————————-

well finally getting back to writing this post.  feeling alot better these days after taking my antibiotics. still have a tiny cough, and runny nose but all is almost back to normal. except friday and saturday i had some allergic reactions, i find my allergic reactions frustrating and annoying. i get huge lips and they dont go down for a day or 2 so sitting at home is really all i can do. 

so hopefully i can get back to riding and maybe shooting some more film. 

well i hope this finds you all well. the weather has been awesome here in az. 

-james