"...the world you see is yours, because it is different for everyone else."

About Evon

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I am a photographer, a sometimes writer, a gamer, a driver and more. I graduated from Central Michigan University with a double major in Journalism(Photo) and English(Creative Writing). Any Photos are copyright Ryan Evon, The Facts or the Morning Sun 2010/2011/2012. All words by, representing and claimed by Ryan Evon & only him, unless in quotation marks & specified otherwise.

Friday, February 25, 2011

WTF: I'm a big deal in Latvia

Every so often I indulge myself in pretending I'm well known. That my work is lapped up by visual hungry eyes across the world and that their words (and possibly donations) of gratitude just haven't made it to me yet.

Then I wake up and do my job, but I still have a smile on my face, whether I'm widely known or not.

But...I guess I'm catching on in Latvia.

latvia
Is Latka from Taxi viewing my blog?

Within the last week I've had 24 pageviews from somewhere in Latvia. Which is kind of sad, because I've only had 38 views from a country that contains every single person I have ever known. What the hell people?

I don't have a lot of knowledge on this topic, but I'm curious if other bloggers have similar experience. I know when I had a regular web site I didn't get any weird international hits.

So...Latvians (is that right?) make some comments; let me know what brought you to the shining bastion of my weird, pointless blog.

On to some photos.

Had yet another portrait to do for sports. The sports editor calls them features, when he means portraits. "A feature on B'wood wrestling" to me means a non-game time photo. Like practice or something, so I kind of expect there to be something going on, but sometimes there isn't. Because to him feature means portrait. Then I am screwed because I wasn't thinking of clever portrait ideas, but now I have it figured out. :D No more tears.

So for the Brazoswood Wrestling...feature, I had an idea to do a really spotlighted photo of the kids he wanted. So I made a snoot (a narrow tube that limits the light coming out of a flash). It was kind of easy, I just cut the middle out of a box of cereal and taped it back together.

The shots worked almost like I wanted, except I wanted the light higher, but there was no way to do that.

021711 Bwood wrestle - Martin

I also had to do a group shot of three girl wrestlers. I was going to do it the same way, in their stances or whatever, but one of them wasn't cooperating. So it turned out a little lame. But they thought it would be funny to do the No Evil Monkey poses, it didn't make the paper though. :(

021711 Bwood wrestle - girls2
Mimicing the three wise monkeys of Japanese proverb; Mizaru, Kikazaru and Iwazaru. They see no evil, see no evil and speak no evil.

I read up a little on the monkeys, not the lame "Hey, Hey" band of monkeys, the proverb ones.

Apparently there is a fourth monkey. The "Do No Evil" monkey. Can you guess what he covers??

That's right. His crotch.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

WTF: The Eyes Have It

Oh my god! It's David Hasselhoff!

Coming back from...something, I don't remember. I got a call to head to the mall (and rhyme...no) because David Hasselhoff was there.
Didn't know why or really where (dammit, I did it again)

...but I hunted around for him for awhile, before knocking on the door for security and finding out he left. I was more disappointed because I found out he was helping a girl scout sell cookies and I really want some Tagalongs. Or Somoas. Or both.

Didn't know if he had realized this was his highest career earnings potential or what, but I admire the effort.

But it turns out CBS is going to have a show called "Same Name" where people with the same name as celebrities, change place with them for a week. So David Haseloff (pronounced the same) of Lake Jackson, Texas switched with the quasi-famous guy for a week.

Someone in the office pointed it out before I could, there is a lawyer in town named Bruce Willis. Now that would be awesome! If he worked the guys job for a week, he'd probably win every case. He'd just stare at the jury, judge and other attorney and everyone would start urinating out of fear and run out of the courtroom.

But no such luck. Stuck with Knight Rider.

So, later that night The Hoff went to a local establishment with the other guy's family.

I shot some people dancing. First off, because I thought I could make some reprint money and secondly, because famous dude was taking his time getting there.

0219 dancing
A 95 year old lady dancing with her son. She was cool, even danced to some "hip" music. I'm not even remotely as cool as her.

021611 Hasselhoff 1
Then he finally showed up, I got some stuff.

021611 Hasselhoff 2
I hate the stupid temperature box thing on the right, but there was nothing to be done about it if I wanted the shadow...which I did.

So the next day I was checking the reprint numbers, 2400 people had checked out the Hoff pictures in about 12 hours. Usually get about 30 to 200 views for albums, in most cases, so I thought I was golden. But there were only two purchases. LAME!

Luckily, yesterday and today someone went through and bought a whole bunch. All small sizes, but still... I'm up to my average reprint amount for this month, which is about 35 bucks. Not too bad, but I'd really like to sell more. But the paper might start pushing the sale of photos more in the paper, so I'm all for that. :D

Saturday
Had another late night/early day today. Had basketball in Houston last night, got into town just after 5. CRAP! I don't mind traffic, what I mind are dumb people. There were a few times only 4 cars would get through a light because someone up front wasn't doing the simple job of paying attention. Ugh. Later I sent photos from McD's, thinking it would be faster for the people putting the paper together, but it wasn't. The internet was unbelievably slow, so I didn't even get back to the office until 11.

Then I had to get up to shoot some people who were supposed to work out on the beach at 7:30 this morning. Which was lame, waking up. But it was compounded by the fact that I couldn't find them. Didn't have the best direction from the reporter, but also the lady in charge didn't answer her phone. Super annoying.

But again I managed to get an artsy shot during a moment of down time.

0219 fog birds -toned
There was a disturbing amount of fog last night and this morning

Maybe lack of sleep is good for my creative half (to three quarters).

I picture him as rail thin and pale as a sheet, sitting in a bathrobe running the fingers on one hand through a mess of straw hair that is standing on end. He shakes for no particular reason (or due to lack of sleep/caffeine high) and paint on his fingers...though I haven't painted in probably 12 years. Maybe that sheds light on how often he bathes.

The one thing we share are the eyes. Crazy blue and often slit against the bright world, but always searching with curiosity.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

WTF: Bike rides with alligators, funerals in monotone

I don't just work all the time. I'd like to, I think, just forget days off and start earning a bit more cash, but then I'd probably go loony and workplaces tend to frown upon the guy sitting on the desk in his underwear talking to the imaginary duck about what lenses he should be using.

One of my free-time activities has been riding my bicycle around town in the morning before I go to work. It is an activity I've liked since I was a kid. I seem to have strong legs and crappy knees, so running is tough, but biking is easy...plus if I want I can take my camera on this luggage rack I have.

It's been a little cold down here lately, 20s for a couple days. I know, I know... -30 million and Michigan and all the roads only go uphill anymore. Blah blah. But think about it, it was 70+ one day, then 20. That's some crap! So I slacked off and didn't ride much last week.

But this past Sunday and Monday I made up for it. Sunday I had planned to go to a state park that I read had some bike trails. I was about 3/4 of the way there and got called about some work stuff. Lames! So I had no time that day, instead I went to the beach and rode 12 miles. But it was 60s, and I wore lots of layers and sweated my butt off.

I stopped half way through and took a shot on the beach.
beach sky
Suck it, Michigan!

Monday I spent about 3 hours riding around the Brazos Bend State Park. Thinking maybe I'd see an alligator. There were tons of them. One, in fact, right on the trail. Not 100% sure, but I think it was dead. There was some stuff on top of him, and what looked like holes. That and he didn't try to bite me while I was taking his picture or when I went past him.

gator1

That was the second one I saw within two minutes of being at the park.

I didn't take a lot of pictures, because I was more interested in riding and looking around, but I'll likely go back later and spend some time shooting.

This time I was just riding, taking in the park. Lots of trails, I wanted to hit them all, but didn't get to one that was a three mile dead end. Next time, after 25 miles my legs were so sore I was mad at myself for owning a manual car. First time that's happened.

gator2
He was just a little guy...awww.

Now to some actual work.

On Saturday I shot the funeral of a firefighter/pastor in a small town nearby. Funerals are always weird to shoot. They are emotional, which is photo gold, but emotions can be trampled easily and it's never my goal to distract anyone from the activity at hand. So it's a delicate balance.

021211 Clark Funeral 1
A firetruck was his hearse. I thought that was cool. But he was a big dude, couldn't have been an easy lift.

021211 Clark Funeral 3

clark funeral - flag truck

The reporter that covers the area told me the fire department really liked my photos, so that is cool. But it ran in black and white inside the paper...which is uncool. A little frustrating, but oh well.

Friday, February 4, 2011

REVIEW: Lights Out -FX TV

I'm full-on crazy about boxing lately, as I've mentioned here previously.

The sport of it, the drama, the violence. So when I saw the previews for FX's new show, Lights Out, I went a little crazy. Just for a minute.

Sadly, if there is a camera unknown to me in my apartment, recording the random minutes like that, I'm going to be committed soon. I'm quite sure if there is one, it doesn't have audio, or I would already be in a padded room.

Back to the show. First my complaints; which aren't about the show at all. But more about the FX Network itself. 1. FX is bad about putting their shows up for OnDemand. I don't know if this is some strategy or whatever, but it is lame. I work nights most days, so I don't get to watch the show when it is actually on, so I follow the good shows at my leisure through the magic of OnDemand.

But FX doesn't seem to put an episode up until the next episode has aired, so if I can watch one, but missed the week before, I have no idea what is going on. And in the current glory that is narrative driven television (thank you, whatever benevolent force has made this a reality and channels like FX and AMC for listening) I WANT to know what happened. But I watched the new episode without any knowledge of the previous week. I almost wrote "previous weak," which kind of fits. WEAK! I should have been able to watch it. It's 2011. Get on the ball FX!

#2 Complaint. The audio on FX doesn't always sync up with the video. And that shit bugs the hell out of me. It makes it impossible to watch. I keep staring at people's lips, trying to work out how far ahead or behind the audio is and/or testing out my lip reading abilities, instead of watching the damned show.

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way.

Lights Out is great in the way most boxing movies are great. There is the dramatic and complicated life story surrounding a boxer. It's like a regular movie about someone's life, except you expect there will be a fist fight at one point.

In this case it's the life of a former heavy weight champion, who lost his title in a much debated split decision.

Holt McCallany plays Patrick "Lights" Leary, in what I believe is his first starring role. He has been in quite a few things, but always just kind of there for a second, then shuffled into the background again.

He's the guy that first starts the chant "His name is Robert Paulson" in Fight Club. He has a very commanding presence, which works well for a boxing character, but also has something deeper.

The first episode highlights it, where he very politely asks a guy to pay some money back to a shady mobster-type and then later there are flashes to him breaking the dude's arm because he comes at him with a baseball bat.

One second, nice; the next, he'll seriously mess you up. That's the mystery quality he has.

He's also supported by a couple actors I like.

Stacy Keach also has a commanding presence, despite his hair-lip :D (or should I use :B ...cause of the hair-lip...get it?), and plays Patrick's father, a former boxer and coach. Keach has previously starred in a boxing movie. I've never seen it and don't remember the title...but still, he has boxing history, which fits his character.

Rounding out the male Leary family is the brother Johnny, played by Pablo Schreiber. Another boxer that turned corner man/accountant/manager when Lights went pro. Johnny is central in the drama of the family, as he pisses away all the money his brother earned. Schreiber is a good actor, I've really only seen him in one real role before this. He played Nicholas Sobotka in second season of The Wire on HBO. One of my favorite shows ever and I didn't even start watching it until it was already over.

It's only four episodes in, but I already love the hell out of this show.

Leary, in money trouble since episode one, is facing the reality that he can't do much else to make real money since his celebrity status as a former champ is fading and his big investment plans are falling apart. So he walks the fine line of being retired and broke or starting to box again at 40 with signs of having Pugilistic Dementia, which he finds out in the first episode.

One of the best moments in the season so far was in episode 3, which I watched the day AFTER episode 4, when Leary takes a young, cocky boxer who is training for a title shot into a dark closet at the gym. He tells him that there is nothing he can take with him into the ring, just what he has in that dark room.

Very cool.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

WTF: Despite the cold, I'm still alive.

Yes, it came down into the 20s in the area today. Lame. The record low for the Houston area this time of year was previously 24 degrees. I suppose that's not bad, and I feel like a wimp for already being unable to not handle the cold but... screw that! It was almost 80 degrees last week. That's just not fair, trying to adapt to that kind of savage change.

Got a little behind on my updates. Sorry. I still have a job, I'm still taking pictures.

Shot some more boxing recently, a club training for upcoming an golden gloves competition. But I won't bore you with yet another slew of boxing pictures.

Okay, maybe just one.

0202 boxing
Trading lefts

This kid in white had a good left hand. You might even have to call it Wikked!, if you are prone to misspelled italicized fits of description; which feels appropriate right now.

I have one shot of him bringing his fist in to the other kid's face and both of his feet are up on the tippiest of tip-toes. I don't think he hit flush, or that other kid would have been flat on his ass.

Today, in the midst of this 23 degree rash of global warming, (screw you, Al Gore) I had a few things, one of which was outside. Lame.

The first event of the day was swimming practice at the high school by my apartment.

Most high schools, and colleges really, have their pools in poorly lit boxes that make me feel like I'm going to catch some illness in the thick, humid darkness that strangles every breath I try to muster inside its wretched maw.

I've been itching to write, so the descriptions are coming out a little thick...could you tell?

BUT!!! This high school has a natatorium (big room with a pool in it) that has one wall made entirely of windows. So I don't even have to light the room. :D

I got one of my favorite swimming shots ever. I don't have a whole lot that I like really, because I haven't found a lot to do with swimming. It's cool stopping water, like I said previously, but they swim down a lane, turn around and go back. No one ever jumps out of the pool mid-lap and tries to run the rest of the way, eventually slipping and breaking their arm in a gruesome display.

Today I was really trying to get something I hadn't done before. I got my safe shots, the same old crap. But then started moving, ducking and weaving, doing hand stands and jumping up and down. Okay, not that crazy.

020211 bwood swimming 1
It just looks neat to me. She looks like a plane making a water landing or something

I also tried some artsy shots cross the lanes, shooting towards the big windows. Some of them look a little abstract, like if I made the right crop and blurred them a little you wouldn't know what the hell was going on.

020211 bwood swimming2

Today was signing day for high school athletes. Almost the same level of interest for me as a grip-and-grin shot. Someone at a table, signing a piece of paper. Woo hoo. The one I shot was actually fake too. The kids had done it earlier in the morning, so it was staged, which really wasn't interesting to me. So I tried to shoot other aspects.

But as I left, feeling slightly dirty for shooting the some of the staged setups (for hope of reprint monies), I had to quench my artistic thirst somehow.

Luckily, there was a nice cloud formation behind a nearby water tower. Nothing award winning, but still looks cool to me.
watertower fireball-web

I kind of liked it in color, because there is a red light on top of the water tower, but black and white has more drama and I want to end with a flourish!