Habein Studio

Electric City Creative Issue #7: ROCK MONSTER

2012-02-20T21:44:00.001-08:00

Electric City Creative Issue #7: ROCK MONSTER, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

go check it out: http://www.electriccitycreative.com

The Remains Will Be Fictionalized finish

2012-02-20T21:43:00.001-08:00

The Remains Will Be Fictionalized finish, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

essentially a practice sketch for a painting series that's in the works. Sumi ink, brush, bit of watercolor at the end.

The Remains Will Be Fictionalized

2012-02-02T23:00:00.001-08:00

The Remains Will Be Fictionalized, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Word Jam is...

2012-01-30T22:31:00.001-08:00

Word Jam is..., originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Word Jam is a super fly meeting of the literary performers. Poetry, spoken word, musicians with lyrics, MCs, prose, b.s., truth, etc. Bring your words and jam with us.

All ages, no cover.

leaning against the encroaching darkness

2012-01-28T22:24:00.003-08:00

leaning against the encroaching darkness, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

the moon

2012-01-28T22:24:00.001-08:00

the moon, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Untitled

2012-01-28T22:23:00.003-08:00

Untitled, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Stephanie

2012-01-28T22:23:00.001-08:00

Stephanie, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Graeme

2012-01-28T22:22:00.003-08:00

Graeme, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside

2012-01-28T22:22:00.001-08:00

Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

fading

2012-01-28T22:21:00.007-08:00

fading, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Chris

2012-01-28T22:21:00.005-08:00

Chris, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Tim Thompson in SPOKE(a)N(e) Mag

2012-01-28T22:21:00.003-08:00

Tim Thompson in SPOKE(a)N(e) Mag, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Preview of yesterday's shoot with Brittany

2012-01-28T22:21:00.001-08:00

Preview of yesterday's shoot with Brittany, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

2012-01-28T22:20:00.005-08:00

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

2012-01-28T22:20:00.003-08:00

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

GOO unedited

2012-01-28T22:20:00.001-08:00

GOO unedited, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Halley Gallagher

2012-01-28T22:19:00.001-08:00

Halley Gallagher, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

finished hood

2012-01-26T14:38:00.003-08:00

finished hood, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

hood in progress

2012-01-26T14:38:00.001-08:00

hood in progress, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

3 Ages

2012-01-22T15:16:00.001-08:00

did my last piece today, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

This will be available at the upcoming Electric City Creative silent auction and art party at Machinery Row. Weds. January 25th, 6-9PM. Music, drinks, fun, art, all ages, no cover, many pieces with no minimum bid, live music after the show.

WORD JAM

2012-01-06T19:05:00.001-08:00

WORD JAM, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Coming up this Tuesday and every Tuesday there after... you should come out, it's sure to be amazing.

hairy monkey creature

2012-01-04T14:12:00.001-08:00

hairy monkey creature, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Returning

2011-12-29T21:06:00.001-08:00

Returning, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

mixed media piece... ink jet print, wheat paste, acrylic paint, watercolor, grass, wood bark.

This one will be up for auction at the Electric City Creative/Machinery Row silent art auction on the 25th of January. No minimum bid... a lot of great art is going to go for crazy cheap.

Ricky Lopez

2011-12-11T21:46:00.001-08:00

A quickly shot and edited bit of bmx from this afternoon.

Ricky Lopez Quick Edit

Open Mic drawing number 1

2011-12-09T11:50:00.001-08:00

Open Mic drawing number 1, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Merry Christmas... I give you "Reindeer in a Cardigan".

Open Mic drawing number 2

2011-12-09T11:49:00.003-08:00

Open Mic drawing number 2, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Open Mic at Machinery Row on Weds. nights is a good time. If you've never been and you're in Great Falls, get thee down there.

Malsnout

2011-12-09T11:49:00.001-08:00

IMG_3215, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

I found a box with some old chalk pastels in it... so there you go.

Ricky Lopez

2011-12-03T13:25:00.001-08:00

Ricky Lopez, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

really really cold.

Ricky Lopez

2011-12-03T13:24:00.003-08:00

Ricky Lopez, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

I mean really cold.

Ricky Lopez

2011-12-03T13:24:00.001-08:00

Ricky Lopez, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

bmx in the cold... so so cold.

I done did a drawring

2011-12-02T23:08:00.001-08:00

I done did a drawring, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

a crow sketch done in prep for a larger more finished piece that I will be working on in the near future.

Ricky Lopez

2011-11-27T19:01:00.001-08:00

Ricky Lopez, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

manual barspin to bike throw... goofing around.

tonight's random piece

2011-11-25T22:29:00.001-08:00

tonight's random piece, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

tonight's piece

2011-11-21T22:02:00.003-08:00

tonight's piece, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

marker, paint pen, collage

mixed media on reclaimed cardboard sheet

2011-11-21T22:02:00.001-08:00

mixed media on reclaimed cardboard sheet, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Dirty Dwayne Taylor

2011-11-15T18:56:00.003-08:00

Dirty Dwayne Taylor, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

tire marks

2011-11-15T18:56:00.001-08:00

tire marks, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

sprocket

2011-11-15T18:37:00.001-08:00

sprocket, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

I've starting to get back into riding my bike. In the process, I've run into a few serious riders around Great Falls. Some good people. Of course, they've had a camera in their face the whole time because... well, that's what I do.

circles

2011-07-31T17:51:00.001-07:00

circles, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

a recent piece by me.

"We have it all!"

2011-07-18T15:29:00.001-07:00

"We have it all!", originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

I'm blogging this shot again. It was taken last fall.

I like this photo because in many ways it represents the city in which I live.

The often maligned Great Falls does have it all... or very nearly (we could use more quality regional and ethnic food). There is an amazing arts community, music all over the place, a wonderful collection of bars and pubs, beautiful nature near by, and so much more. I think, often, Great Falls is disregarded by its own people, who don't know how good they have it.

The people and the community are much like this building. Very rough and pieces are falling apart, but there is so much potential there. Everything you need is there, if under a layer of dirt and grime. Often Great Falls, much like this building becomes more beautiful because of the bits of dirt, and wear and tear. The beauty is in its roughness.

I guess overly polished just isn't my style.
When I returned to Billings, my home town, this weekend and had time to kill, I spent it taking photos is the old, dirty, run down part of town. I seem to do a bit of that everywhere I go.

There's a fair amount of complaint (and rightly so) about "ruin porn" within contemporary photography. The difference between "ruin porn" and documentary work that covers the less wealthy side of things, the run down, the falling apart in a less destructive way is in the emotion and intent behind it. The inherent difference lies in the tendency to either view things as a side-show... a car crash to gawk at, or to look at things with love. One can see these things as indicative of the resilience of the people in the area and the strength of community bonds despite the harshness of their economic environment. There is hope in this view. There is potential and a vision for a positive future, whereas the other viewpoint hopes for the continued crumble and fall.

To me, "ruin porn" holds no appeal. To me, the "arrived", wealthy, and polished, hold no beauty without a story to give it context.

To me, the potential, the growing, the hope for the future is where it's at.

I'm entering this one, for all these reasons, in the Old School Photo Lab Old School Photo Contest. I think it fits their mentality. It's all about the old school, and how our past can carry us foreward.

Art links: painting, video, electronic music

2011-07-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

there's a wonderful quality of vulnerability in Peter Ravn's work.

Peter Ravn

The level of production that goes into this video and stage work is pretty amazing.

Monstrous techno video production

Jen Mann's work has an ethereal beauty to it, with some amazingly natural skin tones and a tendency towards aloofness in her characters.

Jen Mann

Good information on copyright, transformative works, and fair use

2011-07-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

Anyone working in a creative field should try to keep themselves up to date on concepts of copyright and fair use. My opinions on U.S. copyright law have changed a lot over the last several years, but disagreements with the implementation of the law do not allow us to ignore the law itself.

Fair use

Art Links: Illustrators a-go-go

2011-07-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Amazing detailed black and white work. I wish I could draw like this.
Iain Macarthur

Comic book influenced, reality washed away...
Loic Zimmerman

The colors! Oh god, the colors!
Darin Shuler

Link gallery: India, drawing, pie, and surreal photos

2011-07-11T21:27:00.001-07:00

India is a place I long to visit.

A visit to India via skateboarding.

India via skateboarding

One of my favorite new artists to discover in quite some time. Bayo's work has detail in all the right places.

Bayo

I've always liked pie better than cake.

Pie

Wet Collodion process photographs that bring a touch of surreal to the traditional process. Something different, fun, and often creepy.

Noah Doely

2011-07-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am amazed by this project. So much time and care taken in these pieces.

Areth: An Architectural Atlas by Adam C. Ryder

Paintings by Rajni Perera on Booooooom Blog

2011-07-07T23:16:00.000-07:00

Solid painting work here. I enjoy the human/geometric tension. Great color as well.

Booooooom Blog is a great source of a lot of good artwork.

Rajni Perera

Robert Adams

2011-07-07T23:03:00.000-07:00

"Making photographs has to be, then, a personal matter; when it is not, the results are not persuasive. Only the artist’s presence in the work can convince us that its affirmation resulted from and has been tested by human experience. Without the photographer in the photograph the view is no more compelling than the product of some anonymous record camera, a machine perhaps capable of happy accident but not of response to form."

Robert Adams on personal photographs

Wugazi

2011-07-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

I've long been a Fugazi fan, and while not a big Wu Tang fan, I can respect the sort of culture they've created around themselves. It's an interesting mash-up that makes sense on multiple levels.

Wugazi

2011-07-07T22:56:00.000-07:00

Buy the The iPhone SLR Mount at the Photojojo Store!

Put DSLR lenses on your Iphone

I... I... I just don't know, man.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

2011-05-28T22:25:00.005-07:00

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

These are over a year old and some how they slipped through the cracks during moving and I never edited them, let alone uploaded them.

So here you are, a year late, but better late than never.

I think that's the first time I've taken that long to share something I've shot.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

2011-05-28T22:25:00.003-07:00

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

2011-05-28T22:25:00.001-07:00

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Leo Bercier

2011-05-25T23:29:00.003-07:00

Leo Bercier, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

... a sponsored athlete of 221 Industries shot (http://www.221industries.com) for Signature Montana Magazine

Pro MMA fighter Leo Bercier

2011-05-25T23:29:00.001-07:00

Pro MMA fighter Leo Bercier, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

... a sponsored athlete of 221 Industries shot (http://www.221industries.com) for Signature Montana Magazine

Halley Gallagher

2011-05-25T23:27:00.001-07:00

Halley Gallagher, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Halley Gallagher is a Great Falls based artist featured in the current issue of Electric City Creative (http://www.electriccitycreative.com)

GOO

2011-05-25T23:26:00.001-07:00

GOO edit, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

This is an alternate edit from the shoot that appeared in Electric City Creative (http://www.electriccitycreative.com)

GOO is a Great Falls based street artist who is now doing work in the fine art world as well.

Floods

2011-05-23T08:34:00.001-07:00

Floods, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

At the Electric City Creative Group Show and Party at Machinery Row. Great turn-out and tons of fun with some really amazing artists showing work.

nouveau nostalgia books stencil

2011-04-25T21:58:00.001-07:00

nouveau nostalgia books stencil, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

This will soon be a t-shirt/hoodie.

take a seat, take a drive

2011-04-19T23:08:00.001-07:00

take a seat, take a drive, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

downtown Great Falls at the end of last summer... some Tri-X film. Home processed since no one in town does it anymore.

Shiloh

2011-03-04T15:02:00.001-08:00

Shiloh, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

my niece during the last visit to Great Falls. She loves the accessories.

Chuck Fulcher

2011-03-04T14:59:00.001-08:00

Chuck Fulcher, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

from a profile we never had the opportunity to run in Electric City Creative

Critique without dismissal

2011-03-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

During a recent discussion via a certain online social network that rhymes with acebook, I found myself defending the artistic merits of Lady Gaga. I found this to be a bit of an odd position to hold. While I certainly don't mind Lady Gaga's music (part of my fondness certainly stems from the love of her shared by my daughter, son, and wife) the conversation was about something larger than her individual qualities.

I found myself questioning the way in which we dismiss the value of an artist's work -- Even, at times, going so far as to say they aren't truly an artist. I find this worrisome in that in dismissing another artist's work as having no value,, where does that leave my own work? If I am ready to dismiss the value to be found in another endeavor, what is to stop that person from dismissing the value to be found in mine? The answer is nothing. That brought me, in a round-about way, to the question of the value of the art critic. What is it that makes us listen to the opinion on the relative quality and worth of a particular artwork or artist of a select few individuals? Via both SPOKE(a)N(e) Magazine and Electric City Creative (not to mention this very blog) I have acted as an art critic of sorts. What is my place in all of this?

I've spent some time contemplating this and I think I've come to some level of resolution, at least for myself. A long while ago, the art world was something that had a certain cost of entry, or at the very least, individuals and organizations that held the keys to the kingdom. Either artists went to school and entered the art world as a professional under the guise of a craftsperson or a servant of a church or state, or they toiled away until someone with money (i.e. a sponsor) took them under their wing and exposed the world to the work that the artist was doing. Now, there is hardly any cost of entry. We can throw paint on a canvas, take a picture of it, put it up on the internet, call ourselves artists, and expose the world to our brilliance (or lack thereof). Thus, in the modern art world, the lack of "gatekeepers" raises the importance of the art critic to prior unheard-of levels. The art critics of the world, if they are doing their job as they should, are telling others what is out there that is wonderful, and when necessary, telling the world what still needs more thought or time to gestate. A quality art critic is instructive and constructive rather than destructive. A quality art critic critiques the work, without dismissing it. Dismissal in the art world, as in school, slows or even stops learning. The art critic is the cheerleader for the art world. And in being a cheerleader, an art critic is the post-modern gatekeeper. A gatekeeper that leaves the gates open so you can come and go as you please but hands maps out as you enter. That is, if (and this is a huge if) they are doing their job properly.

But more importantly, in the modern art world, consumer has also become critic. The consumer is the one who transfers their love and knowledge of art on to their circle of friends and acquaintances far more frequently than the professional critic. In truth, the job of professional critic has become quite rare. We trust those who we personally know, more than we trust others -- who, while they may know more about the subject, know less about our individual tastes. As such, it becomes even more important that no individual dismiss work outright. Debating the merits and intent of art is a welcome exchange as it makes us think more deeply about the process and the consumption of art itself. But dismissal of art doesn't serve any positive purpose.

Beyond the damage that dismissal can cause, I think it is important for us to look inward at why we tend to dismiss things. More often than not, it is simply because the work of an artist is not to our individual taste.

I'm not saying Justin Bieber's last album was filled with deep meaning... but I'm also not saying it wasn't. The fact of the matter is, "the Biebs" is not to my taste, so I've never taken the time to delve deeply into his catalogue, subject matter, or focus. I couldn't tell you what his music is influenced by or strives towards. As such, I'm not much of a critic of his work. I think most people who dismiss Lady Gaga, or any other artist of her sort, do so because they don't truly know the work being presented.

When we say "I prefer my music to have more meaning," what we're truly saying is either "I prefer a different variety of music and thus haven't given proper consideration to the meaning of this artist or this song," or "I prefer meaning in musical genres I don't care for to be spoon-fed to me so as not to make me listen any more than I have to."

When we say "I don't think splattering paint on a canvas is art," what we are truly saying is, "I don't find any personal meaning within this work and thus dismiss it as art in my eyes."

The problem with what we say vs. what we mean is that the dismissal of value closes a gate that should remain open. We should be in a golden age of creation. We should be entering a post-modern renaissance. That can't happen if we close those gates that have been opened for us only in this modern era.

Critique, don't dismiss.

For further thoughts on the subject of arts criticism (and more defense of Lady Gaga, believe it or not), please take some time to read this post by Spoken Spokane editor, Michael McMullen.

Electric City Creative Issue #4

2011-02-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

Branch: the new issue of Electric City Creative/ in which I have portraits and a photo editorial. Electric City Creative is one of the properties of Habein Studio, edited by Sara Habein.

Ugly Pretty

2011-02-20T21:35:00.001-08:00

Untitled-2, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

sometimes it just is...

Shifting our thinking or Business is personal

2011-02-18T08:43:00.001-08:00

This post is more intended towards fellow photographers than towards clients.

I work two jobs. I run Habein Studio and I work at a grocery store. I stock shelves, essentially. When it comes down to it, both jobs are in a service industry.

No matter what I'm in the midst of doing at the grocery store, stocking a shelf, rotating product, cleaning something up, if a customer comes up to me and asks for assistance in any way it is my job to stop what I'm doing and help them. Often times our natural reaction is to resent the interruption. I see it in my coworkers, I see it in myself. We don't want to be prevented from smoothly completing the one task at hand. But when I look at it from a different perspective, I realize that the only reason I am cleaning something, stocking that shelf, or rotating that product is in assistance to the customer. Stopping that action to assist in a different way is only one more facet of the same task.

We think about taking pride in our work when we do a concrete task. We make sure an aisle in the store looks good and we step back and take pride in the work that we have done. We often fail to do this when it comes to our interactions with customers. It's all the same job. Perhaps it's the lack of physicality in the result that allows us to take the quality of our work less personally.

That's why I hate it whenever I hear someone say "It's not personal, it's business." We all know, in our heart of hearts, that's a complete lie. All business is personal. We take every business interaction personally. We often define ourselves by what we do for a living. I think of myself as a photographer. Sara thinks of herself as a writer. We build personalities up around our business.

I think that's a good thing. I think when I'm stocking a shelf and stop to help a customer I should take it personally. I should take pride in my interactions. The same holds true with my interactions as a photographer.

It's not about being professional and courteous towards clients. That sort of thing should go without saying. It goes beyond that. It's about shifting our thinking.

I'm sure we've all seen this:

and this:

and this:

...or some variation of that online.

The fact of the matter is we look at this the wrong way. We present such hostility towards the world at large because we believe they truly "don't understand the things that are required for great work." We seem to believe that in the modern photography word, it is us against them. We do our work in spite of the editors and clients of the world. The fact of the matter is that I do my work because of the editors and clients of the world. I don't work in spite of them, I work with them. This is something we need to remember.

We become hostile and offended as an industry because an editor wants a shoot done (gasp!) cheaply. Of course they do. Their job is to make sure their magazine/paper/client/etc. gets the quality of work they need for the lowest price they can. Our job is to make sure we can make the most money possible while upholding our creative integrity.

If we step back, we realize that both of us are simply trying to do a job. This is the nature of negotiation. The moment we begin to think that our clients aren't intelligent enough to understand the nature of business, or they are out to "get us" in some way is the day we fail to do our job as photographers. We fail to uphold the service portion of working in a service industry.

Business is personal. Let's hold onto that idea. Let's make business personal and personable. Hostility gets us nowhere. And creating within and feeding into the hostile environment that one currently swims through in so many online venues is a losing game. It's a losing game for our sanity, and it's a losing game for our profession.

Perhaps there is no ground upon which you can meet a particular client. Perhaps their cost/quality ratio is not where your income/quality ration is. That's fine. We don't have to shoot every job on the planet. In those situations, we simply say "I don't think I'm the right photographer for you. I wish you the best of luck in finding that right person for the job." If the client's ratio is so far off the market ratio that they can not find the right person, they will have to rethink their process. Likewise, if our ratio as photographers is so far off the market rate that we can't find work, then we need to rethink our process.

The market isn't heading downhill. The market is expanding. Just like any creative market in a new global digital economy the photography market now has low-end jobs, mid-range jobs, and high-end jobs where in years past it only had the mid and high-end work. These less expensive clients and their less expensive photographer counterparts are not taking our business, they're business that wasn't there in the past. And if a client who used to be a mid-range client goes the route of low-end work, one of two things will happen. Either that client will be happy with the lower end work (and all of the inconsistencies there-in) or that client will decide that cheaper doesn't always equal better. Sometimes clients discover that it's not simply added cost, it's added value.

Add value for your clients. I add value for mine by making sure that business is always personal in the right way.

I love this wall

2011-02-18T08:42:00.001-08:00

IMG_1553, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

The old brick, the combination of the windows and stairs and door, it just begs to be photographed.

Overhead

2011-02-16T21:25:00.001-08:00

IMG_1588bw, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

I've been told this looks like a squadron of WWII bombers.

downtown

2011-02-15T21:52:00.001-08:00

IMG_1605, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

I can't wait for spring. I long for the increase in foot traffic downtown. It makes street shooting so much more enjoyable.

Top Secret

2011-02-06T22:30:00.003-08:00

Top Secret, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Leaning

2011-02-06T22:30:00.001-08:00

Leaning, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

On Black Eagle Memorial Island

Official Site Finished

2011-01-12T19:07:00.001-08:00

The official site for Habein Studio is now live. Galleries include my portrait work, editorial, wedding and various fine art projects. Updated contact information is also available.

Also take a look at my new micro-press site, Nouveau Nostalgia.

Thanks as always.

Montana

2010-12-09T19:29:00.001-08:00

3, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Available as an 11x14 inch digital print. Edition of 25. $100.

Runway Branch

2010-11-23T22:41:00.001-08:00

bigger blue, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Available as a 8x10 (approx.) digital print. Limited to an edition of 25, signed and numbered.

$100

Poster/email image

2010-11-21T14:30:00.001-08:00

RMHC-MT_FallPoster_12x18 copy, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

I did a donation shoot for Ronald Mcdonald House of Montana charities. Using your own children as models saves on model fees ;)

The poster will go out in most of the McDonald's across the state as well as several other locations.

2010-10-28T22:41:00.000-07:00

"We have it all!"

2010-10-22T11:32:00.001-07:00

"We have it all!", originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

I was feeling nostalgic, so I took out my Grandmother's old point and shoot Fuji and ran a roll of cheap drugstore film through it. Horrible optics and bad film lead to fuzzy images with funny color shifts.

The ones I uploaded are all unedited.

a 2 page sample from the book.

2010-10-21T17:29:00.001-07:00

a 2 page sample from the book. , originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

From Flawed Machine.

"There are times in any large group, that the moments of revelry, slide roughly up against moments of vulnerability. Those moments when we find our minds elsewhere, our hearts not in the festivities."

Nouveau Nostalgia's first book

2010-10-21T16:50:00.001-07:00

awww, snap! available for pre-order, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Is now available for pre-order.

I'll be shipping out the first of the basic edition (limited to 20 copies) early next week.
The deluxe edition (with unique print and personalized note, limited to 5 copies) will go out the following week.

$5 plus $3 shipping for the basic.
$8 plus $3 shipping for the deluxe.

Email me for payment options.

Now available to order via Nouveau Nostalgia

Street Photography

2010-10-21T09:16:00.001-07:00

This video contains an excellent explanation of why "street photography" is one of my favorite things to shoot.

Matt Stuart on street photography

Why I do what I do

2010-10-19T22:53:00.000-07:00

Why from the website Permission to Suck

The above is something that resonated with me as of late. I think, by in large I get caught up in the what I do, and I then translate that into presenting a vision of the value in what I do to clients.

Perhaps my thinking on this is backwards. Perhaps, my clients would prefer to know the "why" of what I do. If that's the case, here it is.

I make images because I can't not make images.

As a small child I loved to draw, just like most small children. As I grew older I fell in love with comic books and drew my own single issues. I never stuck with one storyline or one character because to me, the world was too big to stay in one visual and artistic place for too long. I've always been obsessed with exploring the world around me in the form of imagery. I love a bombastic, visual, emotional, spiritual, gut punch of an image. I love the type of image that makes you suck in air sharply, as if you'd been holding your breath your whole life and only now can you properly breath.

That sensation of freedom that one can get from imagery, that's why I make images. There are a million and one things that I will never be able to do or experience in the world. There are a million and one places that I will never go. But imagery can take me there, if not in person, then at least on an emotional level.

I think the value I try to explain to clients is related to this. It's related to what I love about images. While I may push the idea that I think well on my feet, and can solve just about any problem with calm creativity and professionalism, I think maybe that's not why a client should hire me.

Maybe a client should hire me because they to want that sharp intake of breath. They to want that moment of feeling like your lungs can finally fill with air for the first time in your life.

I believe that technical specifications and perfection are not so important in an image as an emotional resonance that can only be achieved by an image maker who holds an unparalleled passion for the act of searching for that explosion of visual freedom.

I make images, because I can't not make images.

I make books because I love a fun little item to hold in my hand. I want something that I can look at again and again and feel the weight of the pages as I turn them.

I write because I can't not write. There are too many ideas and thoughts boiling over in my brain to not put them down as a sort of release valve.

I make images because the world around me is beautiful and sometimes pointing isn't enough.
I make books because the world around me is beautiful and sometimes pointing and taking a picture isn't enough.
I write because the world around me is beautiful and sometimes pointing and taking a picture and printing it out isn't enough.

I do these things, because I can't not do these thing. I am these things.

Flawed Machine cover

2010-10-17T21:32:00.003-07:00

Flawed Machine cover, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

I've started a tiny book imprint. This is our first project. It's a small book of a body of work I completed in both Spokane, WA and Great Falls, MT. The book is entitled Flawed Machine.

As you can see, we are in the midst of assembling the books. They'll be available for order later in the week.

Flawed Machine pages and tools

2010-10-17T21:32:00.001-07:00

Flawed Machine pages and tools , originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

3 color process

2010-10-14T16:04:00.001-07:00

3 color process, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

This is an old photograph of Andrea and Pete processed in a new (old) way. It's Nouveau Nostalgia, if you will (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nouveau-Nostalgia/151906458162639?ref=ts)

The first color photographs were shot on black and white film. 3 images were shot using red, blue, and green lens filters. They were then combined upon printing to create a color image.

We can do that today. We can even do it from the same image, if shot in raw format. We don't even have to use real life filters. This is a result of that same process done entirely digitally.

I'm a fan of those moments where you are allowed to combine the old and new technology for a unique effect.

I realize the majority of viewers aren't going to notice a difference, but I think often times, we as artists do things simply for ourselves.

Shiloh again

2010-10-07T20:14:00.001-07:00

Shiloh again, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Back by popular demand. Another sample of the quick little shoot with Shiloh from the other day.

An Evening in Downtown Great Falls 3

2010-10-06T16:58:00.001-07:00

An Evening in Downtown Great Falls 3, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

I don't spend enough time just walking around downtown taking pictures. This fall, I aim to remedy that. If you see a bald guy with a beard wandering around taking pictures, say hi.

Shiloh

2010-10-05T19:19:00.001-07:00

Shiloh, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

We had a quick 10-15 minute portrait session with my niece, Shiloh in the front yard. She's a super cute kid and that smile is totally contagious. There were lots of good shots, but these are two of my favorites.

As a native Montanan, I feel somewhat conflicted about this image...

2010-09-27T20:37:00.001-07:00

3, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

... this sort of image has almost become a cliche in the state. A truthful one, but perhaps cliched non-the-less. Sunday I spent a portion of the day driving around Great Falls. This was taken on a dirt road south of the city.

Old Pentax equipment and some cheap CVS drugstore brand film.

Check out the other shots on the Flickr Stream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yellowhousephotography

I thought they looked like feeding dinosaurs...

2010-09-27T20:33:00.001-07:00

5, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Sunday I spent a portion of the day driving around Great Falls. This was taken on a dirt road south of the city.

Old Pentax equipment and some cheap CVS drugstore brand film.

Sara and her new haircut

2010-08-13T22:16:00.001-07:00

Sara and her new haircut, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Sara (my wife and business manager) got a haircut today. I think she's pretty.

The Scott Kelby World-Wide Photo Walk

2010-07-26T21:02:00.001-07:00

woodwork, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

Great Falls edition.

We met at 8:45 am and walked for around 2 hours. It was nice to meet some fellow photographers in Great Falls and the farmer's market downtown was excellent. If you're in Great Falls, I highly recommend it.

Click through to my flickr page for more photos from the photowalk.

room key

2010-07-26T20:59:00.001-07:00

room key, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

The room key to my room at the lovely Stardust motel in Wallace, Idaho.

Stardust

2010-07-26T20:58:00.001-07:00

Stardust, originally uploaded by Tyson of Habein Studio.

I hit a deer. It punched a hole in my radiator and I spent the night in Wallace, Idaho. This was my residence for the evening. Not the spaceship, the motel it's in front of.

The Move

2010-06-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

So the family and I have officially arrived in Great Falls. We've been here a little over a week now and are starting to settle in. Great Falls has always struck me as one of Montana's underrated cities. Certainly, Billings is bigger and Missoula is an arts mecca and some of the Northern reaches of the state by Glacier are some of the most gorgeous places in the world but Great Falls has a little bit of each of these things.

It's growing. It's got a community backing it that seem to be interested in getting everything they can out of truly being a community. That's something that a lot of larger cities often forget. While they may have more going on, they appreciate it less. Great Falls is cool in that way.

In the future I predict that Great Falls will become an arts and culture hub for Montana. That's one of the reasons I'm excited to be setting down roots here.

I'm now going to be officially making myself available for commercial shoots, weddings, and portrait work all over Montana. In a few weeks I hope to be in talks with some local places about hanging my work. And July will be the first issue of Electric City Creative. We're going to do things big here. Because we, like Great Falls, like it when things are happening.

Soon, we'll be moving everything over to the Habein Studio domain and business name. This blog will stay put, and the website for YellowHouse Photography will redirect for a time after the switch. New home, new name, new clients, new fun.

Speaking of which,I've got my first client booked for a big family portrait session on the 8th. I'll put up some preview shots after that happens. Until then: appeciate what's going on in your city.

A sample of the Brittany images from Thursday

2010-05-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a small sample. We ended up with a boatload of keepers from this shoot.

My sincere apologies to anyone on dial-up. ;)

A Little Preview

2010-05-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

... of yesterday's shoot. It was super casual. Brittany was a trooper despite it being fairly chilly still down by the river.

A big thanks to Shelly for the assist on this one. Feistyworks.com

There will be a whole bunch of shots to come from this one once the processing is done and Brittany gets her copies.

Infinitely Disposable

2010-04-13T14:16:00.001-07:00

disposable fish pin-tyson8, originally uploaded by tyson@yellowhousephoto.com.

This shot has been getting some attention on Flickr lately for some reason. It's an older shot that came out of a disposable camera that I modified and then force fed film back through. Each roll out of the camera has a slightly different look.

Sunshine

2010-04-11T15:49:00.001-07:00

Sunshine, originally uploaded by tyson@yellowhousephoto.com.

this is a processing technique I'm toying with. It's heavy on the yellow and made to look like faded film. Something Kodachrome-esque, but not quite.

Tim Thompson in SPOKE(a)N(e) Mag

2010-04-11T15:48:00.001-07:00

Tim Thompson in SPOKE(a)N(e) Mag, originally uploaded by tyson@yellowhousephoto.com.

From the final issue of SPOKE(a)N(e) Magazine that I was editor of.

MONTH: A month of 24 hour artist residencies

2010-03-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

The photos included with this post are from a shoot I did with a model in and around the gallery during our stay.

A while back my family was asked to take part in a residency for artists at the
Kolva-Sullivan Gallery here in Spokane. The residency was entitled "MONTH" as it would take place over the entire month of March. During the course of the month each artist would take up residence in the gallery for a period of 24 hours. During their 24 hours they were to create. There were no hard and fast rules as to how or what they were to create, they were simply to do what they did as artists.

I won't give you a mass of details about our stay in the gallery as others have already done that. Sara over at Glorified Love Letters and Tiffany PattersonWhat I will do, though, is tell you why something like this is important to me; and why I think that any artist who is given this sort of opportunity should take advantage of it.

The tendency of artists, like all people, is to segregate themselves. We step back from those of do things differently than ourselves and we tend to spend time in small groups of like-minded individuals. Photographers hang out with other photographers. Painters hang out with other painters. Musicians hang out with other musicians.

While I'm no different from most people in this regard, I have found that it is important for me to break that cycle every so often. MONTH was a spectacular opportunity for me to do just that. While I wasn't spending the 24 hours with artists from around Spokane directly (though many artists stopped by during our 24 hour stay) I was with them in essence. Their art was on the walls of the gallery. Literally on the walls. Artists were allowed to paint, draw, and generally create directly on the walls of the space. This turned the room itself into an art piece. To spend 24 hours inside that, inside of a space filled with the ideas and emotions and strengths and weaknesses of other artists, was a truly unique experience.

While Chris Dreyer's giant brain/eyeball with tentacles stretching across the largest wall of the room isn't something that I can directly transfer into a photo (at least not without some serious digital manipulation), it is something that can influence me. His use of contrasting color to create a semblance of texture in the brain matter is interesting.

While Thuy-Dzuong Nguyen's time machine and related text on the walls isn't going to go directly into an editorial, it will influence the way I look at my surroundings. The concept of lost words and the altering of human perception over time may end up informing a long exposure series in the future.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it is important to surround yourself by varied influences. Both photographically, and from art in general. I can't explain how much the Pre-Raphaelite paintings are affecting my lighting right now. Comic books and movies were the origins of my visual style before I knew what a visual style was. It is all of our duties as artists to push ourselves by becoming informed of what has come before and what is happening currently. You don't have to be an expert on existentialist writing and post-modern sculpture, but you must surround yourself with art. But don't just surround yourself with other types of art, try your hand at creating them. If you're a portrait photographer who has never attempted to sketch a portrait, you've done yourself a disservice. Pick up a pencil and a piece of paper. Try it.

Every child is born with this need to create. It's why children love crayons. No one loses that need, some of us simply stop fulfilling it. Somewhere along the way we become too concerned with whether or not our creations are "good enough" based upon some arbitrary comparison. We need to stop caring so much. Certainly, we should always strive to be better, but we must remember it is ok to create for creation's sake alone. Surrounding yourself with art of different varieties can help with this.

While surrounded by all of the art at MONTH, I picked up a pencil and paper and sketched a couple of quick portraits for the first time in over 5 years. They weren't the best portraits in the world, to be sure. But they weren't horrible either. And more importantly, it got me to think about shadows and layers and light in the shape of someone's face.

Art is like food. You can't eat the exact same thing every day and be as healthy as possible.

Consume art, create art, consume art, create art. Repeat as needed, and it's always needed.