I don’t shoot as much film as I’d like to have time for, so yeah I’ve got a shot from as far back as when I was in Rome.
Rome’s Amphitheater. I’m starting to think that it’s not how crappy the Holga is supposed to be, it’s the way the film was loaded. I really don’t know what this thing is doing…
Right up by Millcreek Canyon on a beautiful (and rare) rainy day.
A lonely, less trodden path.
This was from a trip to Antelope Island from a while back. I like this first one. It feels like we’re looking up, but I was actually looking down a road back to the mainland.
Managed to get close to a buffalo. I wasn’t that brave, I stayed in my car.
And then he stopped to look at me…
And I can’t help it, I had to caption it haha
I’ve been getting threats to stop teasing and just post the film already. Yikes!
But before you hit the play button below, please… PLEASE read the following…
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT watch this thing on a laptop with no speakers attached!!!
I worked relentlessly to perfect the soundtrack to the film and it would destroy me to find out that anyone would accept watching this on a system that barely lets you hear anything. You have to experience the rich sound of the violins and the bone-shaking power of the bass. You just do. So yes, turn the volume up!
Another note. The video link you’re about to watch can be seen in HD, so if your internet connection is fast enough, please watch it that way (click on the HD icon, then click on the link to Vimeo’s site to watch it in HD there).
Ok…
Ready?…
Go!!!!
Every Day the Same from Raji Barbir on Vimeo.
And here’s the music all on its own if you want to come back and enjoy it by itself:
Part 1:
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Part 2:
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A little background to the film.
I came up with the idea for the film about a year and a half ago, with the hugely talented Sasha Zoumadakis in mind. I imagined a woman, leaning against the window of a train, hardly looking out, peacefully happy to go home.
But as I suddenly found myself in a position to actually shoot the film, I felt the need to flesh it out beyond just filming a woman going home. And before I knew it, it turned into a film about the crushing and seemingly meaningless repetition of life.
I know… Not exactly the happiest concept…
But for me, “Every Day the Same” now stands almost as a reflection on my personal experience in times like these and hopefully something you, my dear audience, can relate to:
No longer seeing the point, but with no other options, continuing with life in autopilot.
I hope you enjoy it.
Remember? Last year in February, I talked about a film called NURF Wars that I was about to shoot.
For those who don’t wanna bother going back and reading, NURF Wars was an idea that originated from trying to figure out how I could have actors running around with guns in the middle of downtown without getting shot at by the cops. NERF guns were the solution. And I misspelled the title because… Well because I can. It was a combination of NERF Wars and Turf Wars, but there’s not really anything in the film to help you understand that… So I don’t know…
Anyway, so I did shoot it, but then my camera got stolen in March and I got really busy in the summer with weddings. The whole project got put on a perpetual backburner and I couldn’t touch it until I could find some time again.
I found some time again.
Now, although the film has a way to go (a ton of special effects, animated title sequences, sound design, music and all the DVD authoring stuff), here’s my favorite frames coupled with some commentary without giving away any of the story twists.
Walking against the flow.
The beautiful and talented Dani Jae. She apparently lives in a place with unbelievably dramatic lighting.
He didn’t have a clear shot.
One of the prettiest scenes in the movie. But see, if I’d had my new camera, I’d have thrown that distracting background out of focus.
Bad guys looks awesome!
A link to Every Day the Same will be coming soon. Probably next week but I’m not sure. Are you salivating yet? Yes, I’m a giant tease.
I don’t know why I didn’t think of this myself… But a fellow filmmaker, Eric Escobar from PrepShootPost, suggested to post some screenshots of Every Day the Same, so here are some of my favorites along with some commentary.
The camera’s video mode doesn’t have any kind of auto-focus to help you, but sometimes, missing focus makes the shot look gorgeous. This was one of those shots.
I love this shot because we were asked to stop filming by one of the Starbucks employees just moments before. Nobody had a clue that I kept shooting anyway! hahaha
I love this angle. There’s a strange but beautiful voyeuristic quality about it.
I’ve never seen anyone so sad about having to go to work! Sasha is a brilliant actress, I was lucky to have been able to work with her.
Ok, THIS is what I mean about the camera’s video capabilities. This was 100% IMPOSSIBLE on my old camera. Remember the one? It was stolen last year. Good! Blessing in disguise! But just look at this shot! Only her right eye is in focus. Even her LIPS are in soft focus!
Just because I wanted to have a shot somewhere that had ridiculously shallow depth of field.
Ahhhh going home and lookin’ fabulous!
This was THE image that captivated me almost two years ago when I came up with the concept for the film. It’s good to finally see it on screen and alive.
Another place we weren’t supposed to shoot. Kohl’s. Sasha and I laid out exactly what we needed to do before going in and were fully expecting to get kicked out. We didn’t, but we were in and out within about 40 seconds. By the time anyone had a clue, we were already outside and saying goodbye. Another huge advantage to the camera. It’s small enough a video camera not to attract any attention to itself. My old one was big enough to have gotten us kicked out before hitting record.
Another “I wanna show off how cool shallow depth of field in a movie looks” shot. Although with this shot I did also want to emphasize the moment she really gets home. Like “It’s official! The keys are up, world! Leave me alone!”
Pretty. She had a real conversation with a friend.
Sasha once again flexing her acting muscles. Seriously. Not having any other actors to feed off of throughout an entire project is very, VERY difficult to do convincingly.
Posted something similar a while back on my Facebook account. I just love the way the windows’ light flared in the camera.
Finally found the time tonight to update the look of this blog. Hope you likey 
I don’t think I even mentioned this on the blog… I have no idea why.
A little while ago, in what I still think was an unbelievable stroke of good luck, I received a notification that my new camera had been shipped.
It was on back-order.
Everywhere.
Anyone I asked would tell me that even though I pre-ordered the thing in October, it’d be anywhere from two to three months from January before I could hope for it to head my way. But on January 18th, it came to my door.
The next day, I got my new lenses.
And the day after that, I shot a movie with it.
The ability to switch from great still photography to High Definition footage within the same camera and with just the click of a button is an unbelievable experience. Sure you get used to it, but it still rules. The funny thing is that I used to scoff at the idea of bringing video to a photo camera. “Psh, just make me a good photo camera would ya please?!”
Well, it turns out that photo cameras shoot really, truly gorgeous video. I discovered this a year and a half ago when the Canon 5D MkII came out and everybody’s heads exploded at the sight of the footage. Mine included. But I couldn’t justify stepping down to the 5D just to get video. Then the 7D came out. Even cheaper than the 5D and also equipped with beautiful video. But it was a step down from the 5D, so forget it. Both cameras would mean spending money that I’d later regret.
So, I patiently waited for my 1D MkIV to come out.
It finally did.
And now… The movie’s done!! Here’s a couple of images to whet your appetite
The poster:
The image that will go straight on the disc:
If you’d like to come see the film, I’d love to have you! Just leave a comment or email me directly!
Today, my picture-a-day-for-365-days project, comes to an end with the final picture. And this time, it’s more about the experience of the project than it is about the picture itself. So yes, that means more reading.
But I hope you enjoy my recollection of the project and its significance in my life and potentially, your life, should you choose to someday do the same.
Enjoy.
Day 364/365
And finally… *drumroll*…
Tadaaaaa!!! I’m finished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So why did I leave this for last?
Because this image, that time… It’s 8 minutes to midnight and I can’t tell you how many times that happened to me throughout the year. It’s late, I’m tired, I feel like I’m forgetting something but hey I’ll get to it tomorrow, but still not being able to sleep I look at the clock to see how late it is and how long I’ve been trying to fall asleep and suddenly it hits me like a ton of bricks.
“CRAP!!! Forgot the picture of the day!!”
So I bounce out of bed and hunt for something, anything, to take a picture of.
And I think that image, crappy as it is, represents to me what the project was often like.
I mentioned this a while ago, but a 365 project leaves you at a loss for ideas in a big friggin’ hurry. Especially when you’re a busy guy/gal. And I don’t know about other shooters who have undertaken this project, but I felt like I often forgot taking a shot until just before midnight.
But I learned a few things with this project.
First, as mentioned above, the stream of ideas dies very quickly. Like the saying goes, it’s 10% inspiration, 90% perspiration. And I wasn’t about to give up when my 10% ran out. I’m proud of that fact. I never gave up. It was never even an option. At the worst of times, it was a tedious task to take a picture, but giving up wasn’t gonna happen. Period.
Second, I noticed myself getting lazy on a bunch of my shots. I either didn’t have the time or on some occasions, simply didn’t have the inclination to try and take something I felt was good. I had good days, I had bad days. All of this became especially apparent once I got my iPhone. It became so easy to postpone taking a shot because I didn’t have a bulky camera to pickup. I could be done quickly.
Third, no question about it, I took an enormous amount of images that I would never have taken had I not been working on that project. Some were good enough to end up in my portfolio, but for the most part the project really forced me to observe the world that existed around me at that moment. You see the world around you every day, but it’s not until you raise a camera at it that you’re forced to really examine it. Understand it. Enjoy it. And as it becomes a habit, what happens is that even when your camera isn’t around, you see things as if you were looking through its viewfinder.
The camera transitions successfully into your subconscious.
That’s cool.
And finally; the memories.
At its most basic, a camera is simply a visual recording tool. It doesn’t lie. It doesn’t distort. It just says.
In the year that I started and ended this project, I went through two MAJOR, life-changing events and countless experiences in between.
Some were amazing, others were excruciating.
And I’ve heard it said about drawing on paper and I feel the same about photography; even when you’re not taking pictures of the event itself, the imagery you create becomes so strongly associated with those events that it’s essentially as good as having taken a picture of your emotions, your state of mind, your boredom, your anticipation, your happiness or your misery.
Those aren’t things you can take pictures of. Because they’re intangible from the camera’s perspective. But you capture them anyway. At least for yourself.
And yes, to me that’s invaluable. I cherish those images, whatever they’re connected to.
I have two shots that jump out at me when I think back at the whole year and as it so happens, they’re the two major, life-changing events. I couldn’t take a picture of either event, nor do I really want to divulge what they were.
But they’ve been forever seared in my mind.
A picture of my calendar: I was ecstatic. Relieved. I felt I could finally rest and live peacefully. The whole world melted away and everything in my future looked bright and filled with freedom.
A picture of my Honda framed by my garage door: I was hopelessly depressed. I remember sitting on the steps to my back door. No longer knowing what to do with myself. No longer seeing the point to it all.
I don’t regret either memory. They’re mine. No one can take them away from me. And despite them meaning nothing to all but my closest of friends and family and not even being all that great to look at, they’re incredibly powerful and meaningful to me. I can revisit my past with all of its ups and downs, just by looking at these two pictures.
I like that.
There are some photographers who still lament the advent of digital cameras, making it child’s play for anyone to take a picture.
Not me.
I cherish what we have. I love that I’m alive at this time in our history when all you need is a phone to record your lives and the lives of others with so much ease and frequency, and an outlet as simple, open and infinite as the internet.
So take many, many pictures my friends. Take as many as you can.
You’ll thank yourself for it later.
Ok, last one before I go on vacation!
Day 333/365
Snowman! That’s my little Mason, grinning next to our accomplishment! (iPhone photo)
Day 274/365
I broke someone else’s hard drive… (iPhone photo)
Well ok, not really. This one was defective. It refused to stay on. The USB cable seemed to fit kind of loosely since it was purchased and it would turn off randomly. Per the advice of a tech guy, I opened the enclosure containing the portable hard drive to see if it would help it stay on.
It didn’t.
I found myself having to push the cable in and twist it clockwise, HARD, and then hold the USB cable in that position to keep the hard drive on. If I flinched, it would turn off. It’s hard to operate a computer when both your hands are busy pushing and twisting a cable…
Refund please!!
In other news…
Day 275/365
My replacement monitor just got here a few minutes ago!! Here’s to hoping that it’s not defective too (iPhone photo)
Just three more big boxes and I’ll finally be able to call jaws of life to pry me out of my basement!
Ok, I have to admit, I’ve been struggling quite a bit to pick the camera up every day with this 365 day project. And my iPhone has made it excessively easy for me to NOT pick up my camera and instead just grab a quick and all too often lousy shot…
For those of you just tuning in, on January 12th of this year, I started a project wherein I would shoot a picture a day, every single day for a year.
So far, I forgot to shoot on a day and added that to my tab, I accidentally deleted the pictures I took for one of the other days, and I’ve found myself taking some decent shots that without this project I would not have bothered to try taking in the first place.
So uh… wonderful learning experience… journey of a lifetime… eye-opening project… all that cheesy crap.
But the reality is still that I’m struggling with this, and have been for some time. I distinctly remember thinking, very soon after starting the project, “Uhh… I’m out of ideas…”.
That was in February.
But unless something significant prevents me from it, I always finish what I started, and this (not so) little personal project is no exception.
Oh I should mention before posting these that my computer screen died on me late on Saturday night. That certainly adds to the fun for a visual artist huh! It was really weird seeing my desk without the monitor there.
You know what I should have done that night though? Call up and invite a whole bunch of people to watch me edit my photography, tell ‘em it’s really important and they just have to make it, and then when they get here, they can just stare in shock as I “edit” my work and exclaim “Oh man check out how beautiful the light is on that one!!”… Without a monitor sitting in front of me. Just an empty space where the screen should be…
That would have gotten me checked into a mental hospital in a big friggin’ hurry!
Thankfully, I didn’t end up in a mental hospital and I recently made friends with an awesome local photographer. Heidi made the trip to my house at about midnight just to bring me a 14″ monitor she had lying around so I could at least have a means to stay connected with my work and the world. A 14″ screen isn’t exactly ideal, in fact, for the most part it’s downright frustrating, but it beats the mental hospital outcome by a mile.
So if you’re reading this, thanks Heidi. I owe you one!
Anyway, here’s what I’ve been up to in the last little while, photographically speaking.
Day 228/365
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes our way
“Born to be Wild” – Steppenwolf
Day 229/365
More wires and skies (iPhone photo)
Day 230/365
Only the beautiful and talented model Dani Jae can thumb wrestle and look fabulous doing it (iPhone photo)
Day 231/365
Death by Black Hole is a really fascinating book (iPhone photo)
Day 232/365
Really wasn’t in a good place that whole week (iPhone photo)
Day 233/365
A good friend’s daughter Trinity for her 1st birthday. I suck with giving kids birthday presents, so I offered to take pictures instead.
Day 234/365
Whenever I find the time, I love to go hang out at Rob Diamond’s Actor’s Lounge. Always gives me some good talent to keep an eye out for when I’m ready to work on new film projects (iPhone photo)
Day 235/365
Fresh perspectives on old themes.
Day 236/365
Seeing the curvature of the lights (iPhone photo)
Day 237/365
Trinity really dug into that cake (iPhone photo)
Day 238/365
The view from your backyard is always nicer than you think (iPhone photo)
Day 239/365
This looks like something Chase Jarvis might have done in one of his daily iPhone photo shoots (iPhone photo)
Day 240/365
Scrounging around to find a picture when I once again didn’t feel like picking up my giant brick of a pro camera, I found that the iPhone had a really strange lens flare through the windows of my bathroom (iPhone photo)
Day 241/365
My skateboard. I should mention that one of the reasons I wanted to pick up skateboarding was simply from a desire to feel what it’s like to glide past the world around me, feeling the wind in my clothes, in my face, all without moving a muscle. On that front, the experience hasn’t disappointed at all (iPhone photo)
Day 242/365
I’m getting more and more requests for shooting at the Salt Flats
Day 243/365
If there are any cops reading this (actually, the groom from day 242 is going to be one), please don’t come looking for me for holding up a camera in my car to take a mediocre picture of an old classic that I don’t know anything about while going slightly faster than the speed limit. Thanks! (iPhone photo)
Day 244/365
More sky, this time without wires
Day 245/365
A rainy day!
Day 246/365
Two things with my good friend Alisha.
1st, the “video” test I did with her just before the real shoot.
Alisha from Raji Barbir on Vimeo.
Then, you can add muscly to the already very long list of adjectives to describe everything Alisha is.
Day 247/365
I cooked something!
Day 248/365
In the morning, I saw this cool light pattern on my basement wall that I’d never seen before then (iPhone photo)
Then in the evening, I decided it was time to unwind to some classical music (iPhone photo)
Day 249/365
The inside of an abandoned car in the field behind my best friend Lisa’s house (iPhone photo)
Day 250/365
Ok I’m sorry… but am I the only one who sees a farting bunny in this one?? (iPhone photo)
Day 251/365
My portable recorder has a full head of hair! I laughed hysterically when I put that windscreen on (iPhone photo)
Day 252/365
Mason wanted to see pictures of himself as I took them (iPhone photo)
Day 253/365
I’m pretty sure this was THE laziest picture day this whole year… We have Apache helicopters buzzing around quite a bit here because of the nearby kinda-sorta military base right down the street. I’ve seen them fly really low. REALLY low. I’ve always wanted to catch one as it hovered down to the ground with civilian cars in the foreground.
But this wasn’t it. This was just plain lazy. Sorry (iPhone photo)
Day 254/365
Had to take a new self-portrait for my listing over at Wonderful Machine. I’m listed in the US under Salt Lake City and then if you filter by specialty I’m listed under Beauty and Fashion.
Anyway, I hate self-portraits… and I’m not crazy about this one… Maybe someone can take one I’ll finally like for longer than 30 seconds.
Day 255/365
I wrote a song. I think I’m going to call it “You Make Me Feel”. For one pair of ears only.
Day 256/365
Heather and Jenny, for a Utah Business Magazine shoot.
Day 257/365
Gliding! (iPhone photo)
Day 258/365
I actually really like this one. I was just wandering around the very empty plaza on Redwood Rd and around 5400 S. on a Sunday, waiting for someone (iPhone photo)
Day 259/365
Patterns in the field (iPhone photo)
Day 260/365
3 good things I did that day.
1st, I made tabouli!! I make good tabouli. Really, I do!
2nd, I took a walk on an incredibly windy day despite the advice not to (iPhone photo)
3rd, I took more pictures of wires in the sky (iPhone photo)
Day 261/365
I love that cake.
And I love the fire-like light on those rings.
Day 262/365
No way out… (iPhone photo)
“Wish You Were Here” (iPhone photo)
Day 263/365
Downtown with Sam & Aileen
The coolest piano ever!
Day 264/365
Mason is slowly taking over my love for skateboarding (iPhone photo)
Day 265/365
I never took a picture of my empty desk with the missing, very smelly (it burned up) and broken screen. This is the 14″ replacement. It makes my speaker monitors (the big ones) look huge. I just got an email telling me that my new screen is getting here on the 7th, assuming FedEx decides it wants to deliver on time.
Day 266/365
LOL!!!
I saw this while walking into the Walmart with my little boy Mason, did a double take and then laughed hysterically. Can you spot the misspelling?
