DISSONANCE OF COMMUNICATION

Though not a new phenomenon, cell phones and their ability to pull us into a world separate from our current surroundings has been driving me a little crazy lately. I fear we're all de-evolving and all will live plugged into a science fiction reality of constant communication of useless information. Though I not so secretly loathe my phone and hate being attached to it, I would never go anywhere without and it's becoming harder to imagine a world where I would need to.

NEW PROJECT | TITLE TBD, ANIMATED LANDSCAPE DETAILS

Since the middle of September 2011 I've been working on a new project in my geometrically decreasing free time. Shooting exclusively with my Leica, at first only around my North Beach/Telegraph Hill neighborhood then slowly working into the Financial District, I've been documenting some of my favorite buildings. These buildings are slowly being pieced together into one landscape. This landscape will become an animated landscape where windows and doors lead to other photographs and animations. Most of the buildings featured I've never been in and I have no idea what the interiors actually consist of. In these rooms I plan to create animated stories, house my photography or showcase additional projects or art I'm working on. I imagine this ongoing project growing and developing over several years and using it to promote and build new work and collaborations with people I've yet to meet or worked with in the past. I'm still very far from finished on the first tier of the project, the landscape of the city but I want to share some of the details in progress.
DETAIL LANDSCAPE, project title TBD
DETAIL LANDSCAPE, project title TBD
DETAIL LANDSCAPE, project title TBD
DETAIL LANDSCAPE, project title TBD

PUBLISHED WORK IN WESTERN CIV MAGAZINE

Work I shot of Greg "Pnut" Galinsky for WESTERN CIV Magazine published this last week. Galinsky and I met in The Lower Haight earlier this year. He brought me downstairs into his studio and gave me a through tour of his work, his background and his process. I was really amazed to see his brush and line work first hand as he cranked out a quick painting for the magazine. Meeting and photographing an artist or an individual in their space is one of my favorite experiences. The environment where people reside or inhabit tells so much about an individual, regardless of their pursuits in the arts or not. Being in the environment where a person explores their creative process reveals their craft in a new light previously hidden from the rest of their art. For a full read of the article please visit WESTERN CIV and enjoy Jason Black's interview.

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY | OCTOBER 2011

In between BART commutes I still find inspiration and loose myself in the streets. Producing and art directing photo shoots for a living has afforded me the opportunity to loosen my style of personal shooting when I make time to shoot. It's never been hard for me to pick up the camera after a long day or week and shoot for myself. I used to work with shooters who would struggle with finding the time to shoot for themselves and it really hindered their creativity at work. I find it's really important to keep creating no matter how hard work is at the daily grind. I just don't sleep as much at night. Hardly Strickly There
Spencer's Taxi
Illuminated Light
Visage of Katherine
Untitled Pink

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY EXPLORATION

I've been walking around with my Leica camera since I purchased it a few months ago. Having the option to shoot without lugging my heavy fixed lenses and camera body into a public place has changed my commutes. I've been dabbling in candid street photography and pairing part of the inspiration I find from the street with the inspiration I find in my creative pursuits, such as the work I found of RUEBEN B and posted on PHOTOTRANSMISSION. I've always been inspired by the human form and how we interact with our environment. Taking the facial expressions and identities away from the subjects they become more static and part of the scene yet remain a focus point. With a color field masking the expressions the eye is free to move around the scene and notice details without interpreting the actions of the subjects featured.

PRESS X, an interactive animated series

At the end of 2010 I had the pleasure to shoot with Lauren Rassel, a designer and artist from Detroit, Michigan. Rassel was in San Francisco for work and we had been trying to find a way to collaborate her designs with my animations for months. Her upcylced, handmade fashions have garnered quite a bit of attention from New York to San Francisco and I've always enjoyed her creative energy and vision.
Press X , an animated series by Brandon Joseph Baker
Over 8 months later I've finally had a chance to sit down and animate the images we shot that day.
Still of Rassel from Red Controls The Zebra Man
This series examines how the details and nuances of a moment can be lost in an instantaneous internet culture. Created to challenge user patience and perception, PRESS X is an interactive flash animation designed for desktop viewing. To see the series in its entirety please visit www.brandonjosephbaker.com/pressx

Designs, modeling and styling by Lauren Rassel. laurenrassel.com Art Direction, Photography and Animation by Brandon Joseph Baker.