Martin Trailer Productions » Exploratory Shooting

Airstream, Metaphor

Martin Trailer — Mon, 05 May 2014 21:26:31 +0000

On the mend being sick since last week, but not out of the woods just yet and it is my day. to post an image.

Seems we are trending greenish energy and thought of this in my library. With my last name, it is fun to run across such metaphors and then to be able to play it again is terrific.

So, green energy, wind power, moving clouds, sky, all above an Airstream, Trailer no less!

To see the preceding imaged, go to http://DailyPhotoGame.com

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The Beginning of the Daily Photo Game

Martin Trailer — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:55:53 +0000

I am a participant of a new photography game. It is based on the old game many of us played as kids, the game of Telephone. Someone starts by whispering in the next person’s ear and so on. Once the whisper gets to the end of the line, the last person says the phase they heard to the group. It is about a single perception from one person to the next.

The Daily Photo Game works the same way, except instead of whispered words, it is visual with photographs. My first image for official game was just posted May 4, 2013. The game will continue for one year. You can follow along by subscribing when you visit the web site, http://DailyPhotoGame.com It should be an interesting journey.

The other nine photographers are in the order of our turn posting;
Eliot Crowley, Blue Fier, Bob Stevens, Martin Trailer, Charley Akers, Jay Ahrend, Robert Nease, Russ Widstrand, Joseph Pobereskin, David Blattel

Below, I have added two images I shot the day I was to post. Serendipity or fate, I was to follow Bob Steven’s image of a bumper sticker that said, “Gas, Grass or Ass, No one rides for free”.

Did I pick right? Comments are appreciated.

The second image here has a story. I went out the day I was to post about 10am to just walk down the street to find my reaction to Bob Steven’s image of a bumper sticker, “Gas, Grass or Ass, No One Rides for Free”. As I got a couple of blocks from home, I noticed many police cars across from the bank at a 7/11 store. I looked around and there was not that much commotion, so I just kept walking several blocks. Got to the ocean shooting along the way and headed back. Once I arrived back to the bank, some TV media people were there and so I investigated more. I observed a couple of young women going to the bank door and then turned around and left. I went up to the doors and started shooting once I saw the signs on the door window and the police officer inside immediately began to remove the notices. Apparently, the robbery had just taken place, just minutes before when I walked by the first time. The robbery per what I was told had taken a Yellow Prius Cab to the 7/11 across from the bank, walked over, robbed them, then went back to the waiting cab. Well, the security guard at the 7/11 was watching, probably because the robber did not go into the store, and stopped him from leaving and called the police. Robber just made it across the street with the dough. No free ride for his weekend.

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Found Object; Alien Growth

Martin Trailer — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:12:32 +0000

Cleaning out some things out back, not in my ’61 Shasta (trailer) which would not have surprised me, I ran across this alien looking growth. Wanting to combine some new and old technology in the studio, I shot these with a digital SLR camera on a 4×5 view camera, with all the swings and tilts available.

Now not being a gardener of significance, but having raised my share of vegetables and tomatoes every year and cared for basic shrubbery and lawns comparatively my find was definitely alien.

I decided to explore it with a camera and am sharing those discoveries along with a bit of prose.

First is a close-up of the covering;

Leathery base

This looks more like crumpled seamless background paper, but does have umber tones of earthy dirt, but not the really good black stuff.

Second shot is of the growth itself emanating from the leathery surface;

Alien growth

This is close-up, but still looks so odd, nothing like what I am familiar with. Using your imagination, you can see little critters and faces hiding in and among the growth. Like camilians with their ability to adapt to the surroundings via color and pattern changes.

Third shot is wide and much more revealing of the whole, but still very alien.

Moon or Mars scape. Did it drop out of the sky when a meteor or comet flew by and not completely burn up while entering the atmosphere…….

Nope, it is just an old shriveling potato in the dirt, or is that potatoe…

Martin
MartinTrailer.com

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Monterrey Trailer Park, Slice of Life

Martin Trailer — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:24:34 +0000

This is another in my image series called “Slice of Life”. These are the results of polishing “seeing” skills for real work by experimenting on personal projects. The value of personal experimental shooting insures something special for customer assignments and seen in the results.

With my last name, my personal project for the past few years is vintage “trailers” naturally. While not the only genre, it has lead to many new branch off photographic opportunities.

Featured here is Ed Lum, resident of the Monterrey Trailer Park, Highland Park area, right next to Pasadena, California, in front of a vintage Gold Tone Airfloat trailer at the park. The Gold Tone is a rare option on the Airfloat trailer then and now if you can find one.

When working on personal projects, risks and growth are part of the projects that drive and translates to better work for you the client.

Livin’ the Life

Ed, livin' the life at the Monterrey Trailer Park, Highland Park. It is a designated historical site and an original "Auto Camp' from the 1920's. Also, but unconfirmed the park was a Pony Express stop way back.

Expressions of everyday life, drawing in the viewer with real people by a slice in time.

When you need to create and capture the best of a “slice of life”, give me a call.

Have a great day and better week.

See the entire web site at, MartinTrailer.com and do leave your comments, really!

Martin Trailer
858/549-8881

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Emotional Baggage

Martin Trailer — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:01:30 +0000

For those that know me or have worked with know I like a good joke or YUK that I share with many.

I could not resist this shot while walking around Santa Fe’s artist area outside of the downtown area.

Art can be so healing when stressed out and this is certainly no exception. I am currently looking for a spare suitcase for suitable painting.

Martin
MartinTrailer.com

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Trailer Deaths

Martin Trailer — Sat, 02 May 2009 18:40:51 +0000

A buddy of mine, Mark Harmel good fellow and terrific photographer and I traveled out to the desert over the weekend a few weeks ago. We went looking for photo opportunities including the desert flower bloom and for me, trailers.

There are vintage trailers all around the Salton Sea area, some are still in use and others are wasting away, slowly in the hot dry desert.

We started exploring at Salton City heading north going then south on the east side.. We stopped in a couple of areas I had visited in 2002. We rediscovered while traveling the back roads finding this wasting gem, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

When I spotted that trailer, I instantly remembered shooting this nearly 7 years ago. In the second shot 2009, note the absence of the trailer in the background and the missing framing. Salvage I would guess.

The area is pretty much the same as I remember from 2002, the yacht club and launch area there was some “wear and tear”, but overall not much change.

It seems that the area was dry when this group of trailer were parked, but at some point flooded. The bottom 12-18 inches of the trailer are corroding away. The surrounding area(s) that continue to be occupied are higher by a foot or so without the damage.

Here is a shot I did of vintage trailer disintegrating into the dirt and here is the very same trailer shown on Wikipedia from 2005 we found at Bombay Beach, on the east side of the Salton Sea, opposite of Salton City. Once the skin is off the frame, disintegration seems reasonably quick considering the lack of moisture.

Must be the salt and they just seem to decompose even in the dry hot climate.

Exploratory shooting, the discovery is the homework photographers do, and hunting down vintage trailer is a blast for me.

Martin
MartinTrailer.com

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Bisbee and the Shady Dell Trailer Park

Martin Trailer — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:42:59 +0000

As some have probably figured out, I am always on the prowl for vintage trailers. My quirk. (if you know of vintage trailer locations, speak-up )

A few years ago, I was given a tip about a trailer park that rented vintage trailers as “motel rooms” in Bisbee, Arizona. Bisbee it seems to be famous for two things, a) an enormous copper mine and b) the altitude, 5,000 ft and very pleasant when the lower surrounding area will be scorching. Off I went with no idea what I was going to find and found the Shady Dell Trailer Park at the south end of town on the traffic circle. I regret not staying longer to just walk around town. I will get back there.

If you like the ’50′s era, you will really enjoy this place. Stayed the night in the Spartanette and watched the original movie “The Blob” with Steve McQueen on a vintage B/W portable TV. (the VCR was hidden in a cabinet)

Dot’s Diner holds 6-7 people at a time, but there was never a wait. Food was diner style and good stuff.

A buddy, Mark Harmel, sparked this piece because of his blog post about Tombstone (nice dawn shot), just north of Bisbee.

Check the gallery below for more Shady Dell Trailer Park vintage images.

Martin

MartinTrailer.com

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Visual Analogy/Metaphor/Simile

Martin Trailer — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:20:57 +0000

Speaking in images works for me and most likely why I am a photographer. It is always gratifying when the “a’ha” goes off. The a’ha is something you must experience, for I cannot express it well in words. It is more a gut feeling.

This photograph is one that was a delayed “a’ha” for me. I instinctively caught it, but did not recognize fully right away, moving on to even more.

Exploration with a camera is like going to the gym to lift weights, your building upon your past, enriching it, poking around shooting, finding these gems. When asked to shoot for clients, to explore a subject, the value of play I have done poking around is invaluable whether let loose or in a collaborative effort.

Martin
MartinTrailer.com

Definitions-

analogy
Function:
noun
Inflected Form(s):
plural anal·o·gies
Date:
15th century

1: inference that if two or more things agree with one another in some respects they will probably agree in others2 a: resemblance in some particulars between things otherwise unlike : similarity b: comparison based on such resemblance3: correspondence between the members of pairs or sets of linguistic forms that serves as a basis for the creation of another form4: correspondence in function between anatomical parts of different structure and origin — compare homology
synonyms see likeness

met·a·phor

Function:: noun
Etymology:: Middle English methaphor, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French metaphore, from Latin metaphora, from Greek, from metapherein to transfer, from meta- + pherein to bear — more at bear
Date:: 15th century

1: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in drowning in money) ; broadly : figurative language — compare simile

sim·i·le

Function:: noun
Etymology:: Middle English, from Latin, comparison, from neuter of similis
Date:: 14th century

: a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as (as in cheeks like roses) — compare metaphor

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Green Geothermal Power Plant

Martin Trailer — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:13:47 +0000

A trip to the Salton Sea area we came upon several Geothermal Power Plants. These are at the south end of the Sea. We traveled from the west up and around from the north to the south on the eastern edge. Even from the extreme north shore, you could see the steam from these cooling towers. Consider these tower are 25 miles south an visible across the sea.

Now, these are impressive from a distance and then once you get to them, wow. I pulled the camera and shot as I would for a client, gettin’ the cool shot (no pun intended). Apparently there are 5-6 of these plants and are off the beaten track, but easily spotted from Highway 111.

Walking around, driving around these plants, outside of the property unless you have permission gives you some powerful image making possibilities.

I tried several angles placing the towers in different portions of the frame, sun positions and of lenses.

Verticals and horizontals covered, I pulled out something that I have had some fun with, but rarely on a job. The couple of times I have used the “Lensbaby” I almost never show the images to anyone other than an art director. When I have shown personal work shot with the “Lensbaby” to non-creative the response is always almost like pity, like I feel bad for you shooting fuzzy photos… The one time I did use the “Lensbaby” on job and the art director fought for using it, the client overrode and really was “afraid” of it, so safe ruled.

Think what you will, but I think the shot below has so much more “feel” to it than the straight safe stuff. Do you get a feeling of power? Add your comments/thoughts below.

Martin

MartinTrailer.com

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Desert Trip – March

Martin Trailer — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:32:53 +0000

Mark Harmel southern Salton Sea, @2009 Martin Trailer

March 7/8, 2009

A buddy of mine, Mark Harmel, good fellow and terrific photographer and I traveled out to the desert this past weekend. We went looking for photo opportunities including the desert flower bloom.

With so many photo opportunities, I will split the stories up into various pieces as I have time to post here.

Our journey took us to the Salton Sea and here we were at the southeast area where these dead trees were still in the water and the edge was very wet from what seemed to be a tide.

It seemed to be a little early for the big bloom of desert flowers. The Ocotillo cactus seems about 50/50 in bloom, but depended where the plant was. We saw them near Borrego Springs and Ocotillo Wells. Borrego had small small purple color and some lilies close to the ground and Ocotillo Wells had no purple but did have brush with yellow blooms.

I think that the desert bloom should develop more with in the next few weeks.

Here is the state parks web site for more information from those on the ground.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638

Martin

MartinTrailer.com

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