If I remember right, I was still a few years shy to being in my 20s when somebody first plagiarized my writings online. It was ridiculous. The person, whose Internet moniker I've already forgotten, was smart enough to leave a comment on my Tabulas' chatbox, with a link to her blog. And there I found her love and abuse of copy/paste. I can't even remember what she thought was profound in my writings then, when all of those were just brain farts and personal rants, most of which were written in Tagalog. Aside from claiming my words as hers, what ticked me most is that she was her college paper's editor-in-chief (it waspublicly posted on her Friendster profile). Wasn't that just grand?

I messaged the twerp and told her how stealing is inappropriate. Fortunately, she didn't argue with me and, instead, she admitted her lameness and took down her unoriginal posts. That was fair enough, so I let it pass. I still wonder from time to time, though, if she actually made it as a professional editor or writer. Good for her if she did, but I hope she learned her lesson as early as then.

Because of my previous educational pursuits, it never occurred to me that I was going to be a writer someday. Fast-forward to now, I am aware that writing is one of my true loves and I've been working hard to make a credible name, in terms of publication. And it isn't that easy. Luckily, none of my writings have been stolen again (nothing that I am aware of). So, I'm thankful.

Everything is available on the Internet. Fact-wise, nothing is purely original anymore. 'Everything is a copy of a copy of a copy.' Hey, even this line was taken from a book/film. But anyway, what matters most is how you modify all those existing ideas, how you mold them as your own, and how you recognize what/who inspired you to make them. So, just a friendly reminder from yours truly:

Always give credit where it is due. This applies to all: pictures, texts, amateur photographers, famous writers, even the dead ones.
— Erin (@basterda) October 30, 2012

You don't have to be a genius to understand this; you just need to understand what respecting people means. You're welcome.
— Erin (@basterda) October 30, 2012

Or, ask permission. That's not too much to ask, anyway, isn't it?

Tonight's companionship consisted of:

1 sachet of 3-in-1 instant coffee
2 teaspoons of condensed milk
2 sticks of menthol cigarettes
1 box of safety matches
1 cat of the male kind

After eight hours of intermittent sleep, everything suddenly seemed alright that it felt strange. Maybe it was because of the atmospheric shifts - it was, after all, nearly December. After a number of guiltless puffs and occasional sips, everything seemed okay. It has been a long while: the unaltered goodness of nicoffeine, heightened by the liquid sugar, redeemed everything that was bleak. The feline creature made everything more bearable: immobile yet moving. In a confined place, everything felt safe, everything looked fine, and everything sounded sane. No one was keeping track of anything. Nothing, in particular, had to be taken note of. Everything was a blank slate, or something similar. Suddenly, everything that was unimportant was long forgotten. Everything seemed fine. And above all, everything seemed strange.

All of which ought to be a good thing... ought to be.

And then, there it was, malingering: "Why must you generalize everything?" The generalization of everything's generalization: apparent circles, repetitive holes, unending questions.

Coffee, cigarettes, cats - more of these, please. Then, go back to sleep, where everything is genuinely strange. And, of course, alright.

Paulina Otylie Surys’ Fashionable Portrayals of Pulchritude

* originally published on Feature Shoot *

Paulina Otylie Surys is a Polish London-based fine art and fashion photographer who combines phantasm of film photography and the beauty of painting to create exquisite images. Her first book, a monographic album, was recently released by Paulsen Editions.

When did you begin taking pictures? What was your first camera?
‘Polaroid Landcamera 210 was my first camera. I bought it in 2003 and I did a series of hand-tinted peel apart Polaroid landscapes for my screen print project. Afterwards, I did not experiment with photography until I bought my first Lubitel. This is when the adventure started; I had finally found my medium, and I realized that it was exactly what I had been looking for. I have never returned to painting but I do feel that I have successfully blended it with photography.’

Describe your style in photography. What are your usual subjects and themes?
‘I take photographs of things which are often unnoticed by the naked eye, or shoot subjects in a way that they are not commonly seen. Once photographed, these details will be understood in a, possibly infinite, variety of ways, depending on the viewer. They will create the final piece in their own minds. Mythological symbolism can be a tool for controlling such subjective viewing.

‘I am aware that my photography may seem weird, perhaps even aggressive to the viewer. I can be rather domineering when shooting in order to provoke emotions in the subject, to get to know them better.’

Amongst your numerous film photographs, which is your favourite?
‘I think the most exciting projects are always those which are yet to be done, existing only in my sketchbook as a brief. I am always very excited about them, especially if they are connected with my personal interests. For instance, recently I have been exploring a fusion of photography, religion and science and have also produced a project on exploring the concept of beauty which will result in a show and my second book in 2013.’

Who or what influences your photographic style?
‘I appreciate good photography in any style and using any technique. However, among my early influences I would name Margaret Julia Cameron, Nadar, Joel Peter Witkin, Jan Saudek, Paolo Roversi, and Irina Ionesco. Most of my influences are derived from classical paintings, literature, history, religion and mythology. Sometimes though, it can be simply a location or person that triggers the idea for the shoot.’

What makes analogue photography more special?
‘I personally find analogue photography extremely creative, it is just fascinating; the feel of it, the smell and touch. It’s the magic of chemical reactions, of recording objects and people in a unique way. A photographer cannot avoid giving each of their images an individual touch that no other can truly emulate.

That is not to say I am against digital photography, I have worked with this medium in the past; I just never enjoyed it as much as analogue. Digital images can be so perfect and glossy (especially if combined with a high key flash light) that they can lose some of the unnamable essence that appeals to me so much. I really enjoy the texture of hand printed photographs. The grain which, depending on the treatment, can be smooth or very big, is what gives the works their individual characters and strengths.

‘I work in a black and white and colour darkroom, and am experimenting with other alternative processes such as wet plate collodion (hand coloured photographs on glass and metal).’

What words of wisdom do you have for young/emerging photographers?
‘Do not be afraid of making mistakes and works you consider failures, the best works always results from experiments. Sometimes it’s hard to continue when you fail or have people trying to put you down, but you learn to get over it; it only makes you stronger and better. The photographer’s personality and mental strength is as important as their creativity.’

Aside from your website, do you have other creative online, offline projects? If none, what creative pursuits could you explore?
‘I have just had my first book published by Paulsen Editions and the launch is in Paris during Paris Photo from November 14-17, 2012. There will be also a launch in London at the end of November.

‘I am also preparing for my solo exhibition (February 2013 in Kensington & Chelsea) and have just finished the brief for my second book.’

Yep!

I've been awake for countless hours now. I've been so drugged up with editing papers the entire week that I feel like I'm a predator-in-chief. Heh. It's Friday today, though, so I should be stoked to finally be able to get out of my stupid yellowshit-walled room tomorrow (hopefuckfully). The rain, which was also stupid, has stopped. Thank heavens, our electricity did not go off when I was in the middle of editing.

Oh, hey— I wrote about Januz and JP on L@EM.

Also: I need uninterrupted sleep. Now.

There will always be that someone—

Who would introduce you to a song
Who would sing that song to you

While you—

Sing it
to someone else
Wishing he, or she,
sings it back to you
Or even
just along with you

There will always be that someone—

like you.

And so on,
and so forth.

Of better things toward the year's end

For the longest time of my mid-20s life, or for more/less 2 months and 20 days, I was unemployed. If you follow me on Rantr, you'd know how much I've bragged about it. It was a sweet struggle. In fact, the majority of it was great, especially the part where I get to go back to sleep any time I wanted or the part where I still get to go to events and get drunk and/or crash someone else's house and just chill. The only sorrowful part of it was having no dineros to spend on material things that I want, plus the inevitable fact that I got bills to pay, too. I couldn't keep myself from being a worrywart from time to time. I knew I had to face the bitter, biting reality sooner or later. And then it happened.

After n trials and errors of applying here and there and after intermittently thinking about what career I really wanted to explore more and pursue, I recently got hired. Of course, I feel like I'm brand new. It's always like that: you get a new found opportunity, something that you've been waiting for quite a while, and when you get hold of it, you'd always think that it's the perfect timing to start changing your bad habits, to start working out, or, the hardest part above all else, to start saving bucks for your future.

Positive reinforcement, once again. And it actually feels great to drag oneself out of bed because I need to accomplish something by the end of the day. Or night, in this scenario. I nailed an online, home-based full-time job on editing academic papers. I am finally doing something that's more closely related to my finished degrees and professional experience (oh, really?). At the same time, I still get to do a bunch of additional freelance gigs: I am also co-managing a team of writers, which may lead to something bigger in the future, hopefully, and; I still contribute to a number of awesome websites and write about stuff that truly interest me, which keeps me sane.

Spongewolf Squareface
or a picture of me working at the comfort zone of my own bed
while wearing a hand-me-down shirt from Bijan

One of the best things about working from home, aside from eating free home-cooked food and escaping the deathly, daily commute in Manila, is that I still have glorious time to do creative things. I am in the process of brewing 2 new projects related to analogue photography - both of which are top secret for now! Also, I am in the works of learning how to play the bass guitar (I've got to dedicate an entire post on this; but not as much as I've got to practice more 1-2-3-4) and, hopefully, form an all-girl three-piece band and make some ra-ra-ra noises soon! Super thanks to my lover/master Bijan for willingly bequeathing his other bass to me!

Having said all of these, I seriously have a freaking lot of things, not to mention the not-so-good ones, on my plate right now. It's crazy: I came close to losing it because a large part of 2012 has been such a cunt to me but right now I am so grateful that some things are slowly going back to their rightful places once again. Coincidentally, Bijan and I got hired almost at the same time (we had the same date of our 1st working day, ha!). He now works as a writer at a car parts company and I am really proud of him. It's so awesome: I love writing and now he is learning the ropes of it, too; and, he loves playing the bass and now I am learning to love it, too! Yay.

It is true: better things come to those who wait. ❤

Melanie Martinez’s Little Body, Big Heart, and Beautiful Portraits

* originally published on Stache Magazine *

Melanie Martinez started taking pictures when she was 13 years young. She is a self-taught photographer who uses both film and digital. While Melanie is gradually making a name in the music industry, we interviewed her about her other passion in life, that is conceptual, fashion, and portrait photography.

Your style on portrait photography radiates a different kind of light, something that’s equally nostalgic and refreshing. When/How did it strike you that you have a big heart for photography? How do you harmonize your emotions, interests, personality to capture your subjects’ best photographic features?

I always loved the idea of creative images. I'd always wish that I could take a photo with my eyes because I am able to create some sort of beauty in everything I see. I started taking pictures of flowers and the outdoors and normal things I'd see around me. I got really bored with the work that I was doing and I wanted to grow as an artist. I had crazy visuals in my head but I could never execute them because I felt like the things in my heart were holding me back. I was always so uncomfortable with my environment and wanted to be confident and feel beautiful.

Ever since I was little, I remember being really conscious about the gap in between my two front teeth. I started taking pictures of myself and it became a habit of never opening my mouth due to my insecurity. I wanted to get over it so badly that I ended up just taking photos from my open mouth down to my collar bones. This helped me become comfortable with who I am as an artist and as a human being. It helped me get over my insecurity and since then I've found a love for helping girls overcome their insecurities by photographing them in a beautiful way.

I always shoot subjects who are out of the norm. I use soft light to make it feel as if they're in a beautiful setting when, really, the places where I shoot are just a block away from my house. If I didn't open up to feel comfortable with myself, I don't think I would have had the power to go out and create the images I do today. And, Little Body Big Heart wouldn't exist.

I think back to the times in my life when I felt really emotional and how I can portray that in a way that was aesthetically pleasing to the eye but also felt in the heart. I’ve always loved freckles because people always see them as a flaw when someone’s face is covered in them. To me, I feel as if they're kisses from God, making you different from everyone else.

What/Who influences and inspires you?

Andrea Hübner and Caitlin Worthington.

Does your passion for music have something to do with your vision in photography?

Absolutely. I tell stories in my songwriting and it helps me create stories with my photographs.

If you could turn a song into a series of photographs, what song would that be and why?

Music Box by Regina Spektor, which is actually always been a work in progress. It is very melodic and interesting, has a unique tune, and it makes me feel like there are millions of stories within just 3 minutes of the song. I would love to do a life size music box with a ballerina as the little ballerina that spins.

What projects of yours should we look forward to?

You’ll have to stay tuned to find out! I love giving surprises!