this is done!

got more done ones...

not showing them yet. 

happy new years. for those approaching that soon. ;)))

merry x mas, for those who missed it last week. ;)

and, good night for all. 

;D

how it goes

You can definitely see this dark spotch on her left cheek. 

It's gone now. 

You can see how i work. 

I don't use complicated layering, that is for complicated people. 

I have a routine system I explore, so most of the time I become too lazy to name my layers. 

how to retouch

whats happening is that, some smudges and dark parts are fixed. 

I used two layers to do this. 

1. a curve to generally brighten

2. 50% neutral density soft light layer w/ dodge + burn for detail creases (wrinkles)

Her left side of cheek has this darkening. 

I fixed, but you can see few percent of color difference. 

close up

I need a higher res camera.
I use a 6D. 

one of it.

actually got lots in my hand. 

something new

I went to Singapore before coming back to LA. 

The model is Ann Lopez. 

Fresh outta S'pore. North and South Indian mix. 

still some more coming. 

hermit crab

I'm shooting.

I was considering that new Sigma 12-24 F4.
I use a Carl Zeiss 18mm F3.5
I can use a Canon 11-24 F4.

not so exciting, I wish I was wider.
That's when I need that 11 to 12mm. 

new new new thing.

color me on. 

Now it's gonna about color me on. 

blown

Testing still.
It's hard to say at what point the exposure of light is correct.
Technically I am shooting something I'm not supposed to capture.

So by nature my subject is fully blown.

into the light

Rule of thumb is = "don't shoot directly into the light"
The source of light.

It must be one of those things.
You might lose your sight. One of those things.

So I'm trynna' see if this works.
Shooting directly into the light. 

in the End

I took pictures at a construction site.
Manager always sits and watch, while others work like...

should i say,

Ants or slaves?









We live in a weird time.
But it's been like this for millenniums.
We're meant to be equal, but we are not.

Some sit, some carry heavy shit and die.

What's the difference?
Education? Caste? How rich and lucky your daddy was?
Genetics? Color? Race?

It can always be how hard you work, how much you work, how dirty you are... I mean that in the inside.

In the end, all matters.
But nothing matters. All of them mentioned can just go down the toilet.
Because, we are meant to be equal. I mean that "in the End."

filler

Im posting some filler images. 

These 3 images talks about Dewali. 

1 - It's at night. 

2 - A lot of smokes. 

3 - Kids are watching. 

Commercial Lien has been hot under the ground for a while. 

It has been proven that it works. 

Like a hot knife on a butter, commercial lien is like surgeon's knife on a patient called corrupted judicial system. 

That's some filler knowledge you can googlee-googloo.

Power to the people. 

gotta make it pristine

The man is peeking.
 We have peeks into people's life, this internet age.

Blog this blog that, paparazzi here and there.
Gossip here and gossip there, hey it never ends here.

Why are we interested in others's life?
Why are we so damn interested in what people say?

We like to become like someone, like Hollywood stars.
Live in mansions and get attentions, it's all the same.

I wanna piece of him. I wanna piece of her.
We are like zombies.

Perhaps photography made it vivid and real.
A day of Monroe. A glimpse of Kennedy.

Oh you can almost imagine being someone else.
It's like slapping a piece of meat on our zombie face.

www.charlesosawa.com

(I gotta update my web.. it's a bit too clutter'y... )

I'm thinking, should I start doing something new...

looney image. 

I touched a cow today. 

Two cows. 

I was in the city of Rae Brali and there were these cows sitting!

And doing NOTHING!

So i started to pet them and they were so nice to me. 

the end. 

outskirt

 Mela. It's a festival.

This is Unchahar.
About 2 hours away from Lucknow.

The festival was for celebrating defeat of Ravan. You know... the Ramayana stuff.

NTPC

internet is so slow in India. 

Pepsi carton stacked.

Carton.

I wonder sometimes if should even post these normal pictures.
yeah... watevs.

Life flows really slow in India.

Goodbye Singapore

So the world is rotating. 

And because of that, gravity pushes from inwards and out, from the center of our Gaea. 

Which theoretically makes our planet hollow. 

Wow, 

someone laid the 'loo-loo' bomb. 

I know.
When someone is going 'loo-loo',
everything sounds whack.

Like a city that locks up anyone who would talk against the empire.

You sound whack?
I'll fuckn' lock you up.

"What are you talking about?"

About Singapore? the world?

You're out of your mind. 

It's like, seeing apples in the market. 

Who'd think an ugly apple would taste good?

Must look good, then must be good. 

Must look bad, then must be bad. 

... Right...?

Who'd question that?

Must be outta' your mind. . . 

Must get outta' Singapore. 

>>>

>>>

FREE book online! "Singapore Black and White" : My love letter to Singapore. 

Enjoy the journey. 

http://www.charlesosawa.com/singapore-bw/

download the book here: https://goo.gl/VpSiUI

untit

So I did my book on Singapore.
It's digitally free, because, who pays for photo books nowadays.

Honestly, we are becoming nomadic.
Coffee table books are treasures of 2000's and now we are in the 2010 era.
Books are heavy to carry and people are poor.

You can download my 'books' for free on my download page: http://www.charlesosawa.com/downloads/


http://www.charlesosawa.com/singapore-bw/
download the book here: https://goo.gl/VpSiUI

schmuck

chilling like a boss, she sits in the chair.

she looks at her half eaten pasta with a hint of disgust.

"Fuck this gluten shit, it don't gimme good shit"

I was like yeah thats true, but she didn't say that.

It is me who's saying in my head.


Photo speaks a thousand word.
what does she say in your head?

SURREAL

wow wtf is dat?
Is that a squid?
Is that a fish?

No, it's a man with wings.
No, it's a standing squid-man thing that illuminates.

Actually...
It's just a dude with a kite that has some LEDs on it.

this shot is an excerpt from my NEW book "Singapore Black and White".
An alternate side of Singapore.
Because black is not black and white is not white in Singapore.
Everything is in between... just like black and white photography.

Although, I push.
I push like I'll show you 100% white and 100$ black, and everything in between.
This is where Daido meets Ansel. Like what I am.
A japanese american in California.

http://www.charlesosawa.com/singapore-bw/
download the book here: https://goo.gl/VpSiUI

situaiton

It is situations that puts you to wonder. 

"Why?"

The next question is simple.
"What?" or "when" and sometimes "where."

We have so many questions we cannot answer.
So I choose to photograph them.

http://www.charlesosawa.com/singapore-bw/
download the book here: https://goo.gl/VpSiUI

alright dudes.

Singapore is hot. 

It is not scorching hot. 

It is hot, like, "oh ma god, its so humid my body is sticking and its... nasty..." hot. Forever. 

 have some beer. 

http://www.charlesosawa.com/singapore-bw/
download the book here: https://goo.gl/VpSiUI

The world is going nuts with SpaceX rocket blasting and fishes dying in Vietnam and Walruses being Fucked in the Ass in Alaska. 

What more do we need? Clinton and Trump?
We as humans should really do something like boycott US presidency campaign and grow food and... oh yeah, if you're in some parts of Europe... store food. 

Start helping each other. 

I have a lot of people from Ukraine viewing my blog

We have moments we cannot speak of. 

It's sometimes remembered in our soul. 

Perhaps that looks dreamy in retrospect. 
Memory is always a reflection of past. 

These photos are from my newest series "Singapore Black and White"
It's very simple. 

People only speak of Singapore in color. 
How dreamy it is and how its so bubbly 90's. 
Well, come see the other side of the story. 

My story is simple. 
There's no color in this one. 
People often forget about those who cry. 
Sometimes, it is important to not forget. 

http://www.charlesosawa.com/singapore-bw/
download the book here: https://goo.gl/VpSiUI

you can see my house

I used to live on the left corner apartment. not the tall one.

this image captures the Sri Srimasa....vasi...-watever- Perumal temple.
It's a Perumal temple.

So it's a temple for... Shiva...?

Yeah, it's that god that you smoke ggggaaaannja to pay respect to.

So you must smoke up to go to this temple Jk lol. not real.

But smoking to pay respect is for real.
In India. Not in Spore. Spore is uptight,,, anal uptight.

People say Spore's gotta 'loosen' up.
It's true.

Above image is ... shit what was that festival where you poke needles.
Thaipusam.

This is another festival that Singapore basically F&*KS around w the people.
Regulation this and that, now people can't even poke them needles inside their temple. (it's a religious fest)
Ramesh from MeshRadio (the only ex-pirate radio station in Spore) was furious one Thaipusam day.

Because Chingay parade gets to be gangsta and do watevs but these brown devotees gotta suck up dirt and shit.

S/pore gotta 'loosen' up...

http://www.charlesosawa.com/singapore-bw/
download the book here: https://goo.gl/VpSiUI

My days

Hi people. 

I'm in India, obviously, because I'm posting pics of Singapore. 

These are excerpts from my new photo series "Singapore Black and White". 

http://www.charlesosawa.com/singapore-bw/
download the book here: https://goo.gl/VpSiUI

The last pic is my signature haunting B&W photo with grains.
I used to shoot T-MAX3200 film and push 2-stops.

What, that makes no sense? Cuz it's digital now, yes i get it.
It means its a lost technology and people don't do it no more.

But back in the days, you had to T-Max 3200 and push 2-stops to get this grain.
and the contrast...