Progression

This month for me is the month for portraits. After taking inventory of all the photographs I have taken, I realized candid portraits were one of the things I was lacking besides photos of one of the largest cities in world, New York, my hometown.

Editorials are difficult, sure. Having an idea and executing the idea to perfection is not easy, but neither is taking amazing photographs of people in their natural environment. Cooking dinner, doing laundry, sewing costumes, shaving, creating cards, etc. All things that seem pretty mundane to us all, but in the mediocrity comes familiarity. We can relate and therefore can feel more connected to that person or portrait. Editorials are meant as a selling point and they could be selling anything from a beauty product to a dress to a dream.

Another thing I am focusing on this month is updating my CV for photography and learning french. My CV has greatly changed since I first put it together a year ago (I think it was a year ago, haha).
Naturally after over a year, if you keep at something, you're bound to become more experienced. The same goes for my french.

I recently purchased the Rosetta Stone for French after working with LiveMocha.com after 9 months. My goal is to learn as much of the language as possible and then move to France for a few months to immerse myself in the language.
Not only that, but I will be looking for work there as a photographer. I would work for free if it will give me the experience of working in a field I love internationally. So if any of you know of any opportunities in any French speaking country, please shoot them my way, pretty please. =O.D

Photography as it Stands

So I have been fortunate this year to expand my photography in places I would have never dreamed I would be allowed to shoot, let alone be apart of.
From shooting famous DJ's to shooting high fashion events and showrooms and just shooting the ordinary. I am still trying to figure out which mode of photography is best for me. Sometimes I wonder if any is good for me, but I think I do have a gift for capturing, I just need to figure out what that might be exactly.
I am hoping 2011 brings more opportunities and perhaps steady opportunities, like a full time internship or an actual job photographing for a living, but that all depends on two things: paying all my bills off and the kind of photographs I will have after visiting Paris, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Marseilles & Arles this year. Planning that trip out has been quite a task since I am planning for 9 people, possibly more as well as planning photo shoots in Paris with our fabulous apartment in the 7th arrondisment and a night shoot by the napoleon bridge/quay side.

Here is a recap of 2010, these are almost all my shoots this year or rather my favorite photographs throughout the year.

Photo shoot with model: Ruth Matos for Haus of Topper Jewelry by David Topper with Stylist: Jason Zwickl and Assistant: Robert Dumé. November 2010

This was shot in September 2010 for the Verlaine Spring/Summer 2011 line hosted by the Vianna Media Group.

Me at Space on White for the White Train's Create & Collaborate in August 2010. I have been showcased about four times this year. I never thought that would ever happen, but I secretly hoped it would because I have a lot to say for a person who doesn't say much.

My shoot with Model: Tristann Davis with Assistant: Robert Dumé. We shot in various locations, the first at a friend's apartment in midtown, the second in DUMBO and the third in Long Beach, Long Island in July 2010.

Shoot with Supermodel: Maria Helena Vianna with clothes from Blanc de Chine. Joe Vianna from the Vianna Media Group managed to get these clothes pulled from the 5th Avenue location. This top was one of my favorites to shoot. The color and the tassles that dangled from it begged to be photographed in July 2010.

Shooting ?uestlove was a priviledge. He was amazingly cool and superbly talented. We got to watch as his intelligence and his ability to play the drums/mix videos was put on display. Shot at The Root's studio at NBC in June 2010.

Super you, Super me. This is Laidback Luke as Waldo. Although this night went terribly and without the interviews we needed for the Electro Wars doc, we got amazing footage and photographs in June 2010.

This was shot in Salimento, Colombia in May 2010. The landscape with the mountains were mesmorizing and awe-inspiring. I got to walk in my mother's footsteps in a town she lived in for a while as a teenager. She would have gazed at the same mountains as a young woman.

Moby in May 2010. We were able to shoot and interview Moby right in his own recording studio/home on Mott Street for The Electro Wars. Another intellectual, his collections of goodies from retro stereo equipment to art books on Duchamp to a Simpsons figurine displayed his eclectic self whom we would have loved to spend more time with.

This was taken in Chicago in May 2010 during our 2nd anniversary trip there. Robb and I chose Chicago because of our mutual love of Ferris Bueller. It seemed only right. Not only that, but we both share a love of traveling.

Another interview for The Electro Wars in May 2010. This is Boys Noize. A techno DJ from Germany with a great heart, a sweet disposition and amazing talent. We bombarded his backstage room to get this interview after several denials. Suffice to say, we were very pleased.

An amazing shoot with Model: Ryan Gabriel. We traversed all of New York City to get the shots we did. He was incredibly fearless and easy to work with. We were able to get this shot in DUMBO when the tide was low. We had to climb over a fence and over some decomposing logs, but it was well worth it. Shot in April 2010.

My first retro shoot with Model: Tim Lau with Assistant: Robert Dumé. We had a blast shooting this day and got some great contrasting photographs as well as a new friendship.

This was a random shoot with Model: Jewel Ferreira. I bought this awesome inflatable heart at Urban Outfitters and thought it would be cool to draw a broken hearted line on one side of the heart and this was the result. She dragged her broken heart on a random day in March 2010.

This photograph is called the Glass Ceiling with female Model: Kat Castro and male Models: David Topper, Luis Martes & Jeffrey A. Wisniewski. It's a political piece against the inequality in the workforce against women. Shot in February 2010.

Belly Dancer: Sahazha Dance. Stunning and incredibly talented. I found it difficult to concentrate when she was dancing. I almost forgot to shoot because all I wanted to do was watch her dance. =0.)
Shot in January 2010.

Short Film Screening

FILMMAKERS: Briefcase Productions is hosting a night of film screenings from Independent Filmmakers from NY on June 17th. If you're interested or know anoyone interested in submitting their short film, please write to me.

We are also looking for artists, painters, dj's, photographers, dancers, crafters alike to showcase their work and get exposure.

My website is finally up!

So after a grueling 10months of countless attempts to either design my own website or hire someone to do it. I found bludomain! So easy to use and I love the designs they offer. I feel so accomplished now that my site is up and running, I cannot almost believe it! But there it is: www.lagataphotography.com. Holy crap! And now I have an official and professional portfolio online. It's a great feeling. So whenever any of you can, please check out my website and let me know what you think! =0.)

www.lagataphotography.com

Life's Ups & Downs...

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced..." - Van Gogh

This quote is definitely something to live by if you are an artist of some sort, because there always comes a time when you doubt yourself, when people you trust betray you, when you think you won't succeed and when you realize you don't fit anywhere.

It's easy to get discouraged especially when you're starting out, you don't know where your strengths are necessarily and you want to be able to do different things. You want to have that eye, you want to have that focus because it seems that without them, you are just an amateur and no one who is taking their dream serious wants to be considered an amateur. In retrospect, aren't we all just amateurs?

It's easy to want to say I quit, but there will always be that pit in your stomach that weighs heavily. I try not to let that pit succumb me and it does happen. Sometimes I have to talk myself out of it and sometimes someone else has to do it for me. It seems also for me that no matter how many shots I have taken, no matter how many books I read, I still don't know enough. My photos still don't come out the way I envisioned. I do hope that in time, with more experience that they do. It also makes me realize, I still have so much to learn.

And there's where I don't feel as bad because I understand that there's still much to learn. I think on any level- amateur, serious amateur, semi-professional and professional- there is always something to learn. And if you think you've learned everything, how much more could you get from this?

That's when you toss in the towel and pick up a new hobby that could lead to a new profession.

Open Call for Models - People, Places and Things

Hey Everyone, I am trying to put together a series which portrays people, places and things to add to my portfolio.

If the series is done well, I will submit it into a gallery and get it reviewed.

And so, I am looking for volunteers to participate in this photo opportunity. It's open to anyone who is serious and who wants to partake in something interesting and fun.

I would need you to do the following:

• Pick one personal item from your home
• List three of your favorite places
• List three of your favorite things to do and/or hobbies.

And if you can, no obligation, tell me briefly what the item means to you, if you hate it, love it, if it belonged to your grandmother, etc.

When picking an item, please do not pick the following:
Dolls, Action Figures, Cell Phones, Laptops and iPods
If you, however, have one of the items you would really like to use, please let me know.

You may or may not be in the photograph depending on the item and location.
If you do not want to be in the photograph at all, please let me know in advance so that I can possibly make arrangements.

You don't need to be a model or have experience as one and you wouldn't need to wear anything that you normally wouldn't wear.

The goal is just to show people, as they are, with items of importance to them, in an artistic way.


So please let me know if you are interested in participating.
Thank you.

-Louisa Garcia
LaGata Photography

Same Sex Marriage - Separation between Church & State of Happiness

Separation between Church and State of Happiness
© Louisa Garcia 2009

Separation between Church and State of Happiness When I first proposed the idea for this controversial shoot to friends and family, I got a lot of looks, a few criticisms and at least two handfuls of support. One friend told me I would have to watch my back. That it was the kind of shoot that would literally get me shot. I shrugged my shoulders and said, "So be it. It needs to be done."

The inspiration for this shoot derived from several articles I read pertaining to same sex marriage and whether or not it should be approved by the government. The articles focused on one particular senator and reverend from the Bronx who rallied the Hispanic community against gay marriage in the name of religion.

This kind of rally, in the name of God, seemed very reminiscent of the early 1960's when black and white could not marry. It was unlawful and ungodly until the justices of the supreme court deemed it otherwise. It is, unfortunately, a union that is still frowned upon, but nonetheless, it is widely accepted.

Now myself, being heterosexual and a young Hispanic, I felt someone from our community should speak up. Not all of us are against gay marriage. We are the "live and let live" generation. As for our government, religion has no place there. As the constitution states, church and state are to be kept separate. Why should anyone living under our constitution be denied the right to marry freely and devoid from any church influences? Homosexuals aren't asking to be married by the church, they are asking to be married by the state.

In this photograph, a lot can be interpreted, but the underlining tone is injustice and in it, a weighted opinion. I hope the viewer can look passed the seemingly violent photo to the bigger message.

And I welcome any criticism and thoughts.

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