June 2012
0 posts
A (Really Bad) 21st Century Love Story
It was too fucking loud. You were dancing. I was… sitting. With my second drink in hand. They started playing Sweet Child o’ Mine and some Queen after a series of terrible music by LMFAO and other groups I didn’t care to identify.
You were the cutest girl I saw all night. I was… still sitting. Almost done with my drink—swirling around the ice, pretending to drink...
May 2012
2 posts
1 tag
Boulder, USA
I don’t remember too much from the Boulder, Colorado trip. The $5 pitchers of Long Island Iced Tea at Half Fast Subs on The Hill might have something to do with that. (Not really—I barely finished one.)
They released a wild buffalo on the field during pregame intros (wild as in crazy, not as in not domesticated), it was really cold (there was snow on the sidelines!), and Trojans...
April 2012
1 post
1 tag
Poetry (2010)
“To write poetry, you must see well. The most important thing in life is seeing,” a teacher tells his beginning poetry class of mostly middle aged to elderly folks.
“When you really see something, you can feel it naturally […] You should prepare paper and a pencil and wait for that moment to come,” he continues.
“Empty white paper… A world of pure...
1 tag
South Bend, USA
The drive from Chicago to South Bend, Indiana was beautiful. Admittedly I was asleep during half of it, but every time I woke up to oohs, ahhs, and OH SHIT LOOK AT THATs I saw things you only see in postcards of the stereotypical Midwest. Endless corn fields, a small lake with one of those wooden paddle boats, etc.
I was particularly excited for this rivalry game—mainly because the first...
March 2012
2 posts
1 tag
Pina (2011)
I’ve watched only four 3D movies in which the use of 3D wasn’t complete crap: Avatar (2009, James Cameron), Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010, Werner Herzog), Hugo (2011, Martin Scorsese), and Pina (2011, Win Wenders). As much as I loathe 3D cinema, this just shows what it’s capable of in the right hands (look at the directors).
However, Pina (which I thought was one of...
February 2012
4 posts
2 tags
Top 10 Movies of 2011
Before you hear news of The Artist sweeping the Oscars tomorrow (it will) and believe that it actually was the “best” movie of the year (it’s not), I would like to preemptively disagree and offer my ten cents.
Here are my ten favorite films of 2011:
Copie Conforme (Certified Copy), 2010, Abbas Kiarostami
Shi (Poetry), 2010, Lee Chang-dong
The Descendants, 2011, Alexander...
1 tag
Chicago, USA
There’s a line in Sufjan Stevens’ Chicago that goes, “I was in love with the place—in my mind, in my mind.” And that’s exactly how I feel about Chicago after my first visit.
I loved everything about my very brief stay in Chicago (minus the hell of a labyrinth that is the O’Hare airport parking lot). The deep dish pizza was glorious. The Chicago River at...
1 tag
Tempe, USA
The first stop on our wild journey covering the USC football team this past season was at Tempe, Arizona—home of the Arizona State University Sun Devils (JAMES HARDEN! aka The Beard aka my second favorite NBA player).
While driving in our sick white Charger (with Joey’s terrible unprotected left turns and Trevor enthusiastically instagramming our rental car at every stop),...
1 tag
The Cove (2009)
There is a haunting scene toward the end of The Cove that still makes me cringe weeks after I’ve watched this documentary.
The hidden underwater camera observes seaweed drifting in the water. A school of fish just float around until they abruptly swim away. We hear the screeching echos of a hundred dolphins. They are all about to be slaughtered. And within seconds, the murky water turns...
January 2012
2 posts
1 tag
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Who decided that calling a movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a good marketing move? (Because it definitely wasn’t one of those artistic/creative decisions.) Might as well have called it The Goth Girl with A Lot of Piercings and an Awesome Mohawk, Who is Also Good at Hacking, no? …Yea probably not that. But still.
The native title of both the book and the original Swedish...
1 tag
The Science of Sleep (2006)
Dreams, according to Stéphane Miroux, are a combination of random thoughts, reminiscences of the day, memories, and finally “love, friendships, relationships, and all those ‘ships’…”
The most popular cinema post on this blog—in terms of likes/comments and conversations generated—is easily my post on Inception for, I think, two reasons. First, it was the...
December 2011
1 post
1 tag
Erik A. Berg
This shot of Erik (chairman and co-founder) was for a feature on the Med Games—an annual tournament where medical students from USC, UCSD, UCI, UCR, and UCLA get together and compete in various athletic events. The best part? Winning school takes home the Golden Stethoscope (which was not available to photograph).
November 2011
1 post
1 tag
Emilio Gomez
The San Diego Chargers seem incapable of winning this season. And as amusing as it is to see the fair weather fans jump off the wagon, it really is a terrible situation. Good thing I have great USC Trojan teams to occupy my attention—and in a few weeks, my OKC Thunder.
Everyone knows how good our football team is (if you don’t, ask UCLA—or just look up the score from...
October 2011
1 post
1 tag
USC Football
(click for bigger, better view)
After making my national debut on ESPN last year and subsequently admitting that I don’t actually like shooting sports, I thought I was done with it… until I became Chief Photographer/Photo Editor for USC’s El Rodeo yearbook. (Yes, we have a yearbook.)
Besides being ridiculously busy during deadlines, one of the perks of the position is that I...
September 2011
2 posts
1 tag
DJ Riplee
A still from my upcoming documentary, I Hate House Music—coming to local theaters 13/13/13.
1 tag
Ben Michaels
I briefly met and shot Ben Michaels, creative director of Bluecanvas Magazine, at their sweet Los Angeles office. The space itself was (not surprisingly) filled with beautiful artwork and you could tell that the place just oozed with creative juices and fun. (They travel via Bluecanvas-branded scooters in their office!)
Check out their quarterly magazine the next time you’re at Barnes...
August 2011
2 posts
1 tag
Jim Blakeman
Jim, a seminar speaker for emergency medicine physicians, was revamping his website and needed some photos to fill the pages. I was going to write this off as another paycheck job, but was immediately stricken by Jim’s peculiar charisma. I knew I had a great subject in front of me and I couldn’t let that go to waste. An otherwise mellow guy, Jim really gets fired up when he does what...
1 tag
Chelsea Magracia
It’s said that the easiest people to photograph are actors and dancers because they just perform. So gracefully, so naturally. I found this to be very true while shooting photos for Chelsea. She needed some headshots for an audition, but we fit in other (more exciting) shots as well. Everything was a breeze and overall pretty simple.
July 2011
1 post
1 tag
Abraham Lim
I made some portraits of upcoming musician Abraham Lim in conjunction with the release of his YouTube channel. And while aspiring artists pop up like pimples on a 9th grade kid’s forehead (usually met with the same dread and contempt), I have a feeling that this is different.
It has almost become routine (at least for me) to just smile politely when someone says they’re gonna become...
June 2011
3 posts
1 tag
Dad
Dearest Family
1 tag
Mom
Dearest Family
1 tag
Big Brother
Dearest Family
May 2011
3 posts
1 tag
Yours Truly
Dearest Family
1 tag
Little Brother
Dearest Family
1 tag
Dearest Family
While doing some spring cleaning over break, I was debating if I should sell my Hasselblad 501CM or not. I had one last roll of film in the fridge and decided to play a little game. If the photos came out to my liking, I would keep the camera set. If not, I would sell it and save up for something.
So I loaded my last roll and dragged my family to the backyard to make some portraits. Nothing...
April 2011
1 post
1 tag
Fists in the Pocket (1965)
There is no movie-family as eccentric as the Tenenbaums, as incredible (quite literally) as the Parrs, or as notorious as the Corleones. To add to that list, there is probably no family as bizarre as the unnamed one in Marco Bellocchio’s I pugni in tasca, or Fists in the Pocket.
In a lot of ways, I saw Fists in the Pocket as the antithesis of Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story. Ozu...
March 2011
1 post
1 tag
Mother (2009)
Bong Joon-ho’s Mother (or Murder) begins with the most mystifying, pitch-perfect opening sequence in recent memory—sublimely bookended by an achingly unsettling shot of similar nature.
I’ve always been pretty ambivalent towards Korean cinema as a whole, but this film (which I thought was one of 2010’s best) really cemented my appreciation for it.
Here is my visual essay...
February 2011
3 posts
1 tag
Blue Valentine (2010)
The tap dancing. The wedding ring. The fireworks.
Is there a movie more poignantly sweet? My heart went bipolar, from being ridiculously love sick to never wanting to fall in love. Back and forth, back and forth.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
2 tags
Top 10 Movies of 2010
Spent a lot of my December/January moviewatchingtime catching up on some 2010 movies that I missed. There’s still a handful that I would like to watch, but I’m spent and decided against it.
But for now, my ten favorite films of 2010 because I like movies and I like lists:
Greenberg, 2010, Noah Baumbach
Exit Through the Gift Shop, 2010, Banksy
L’illusionniste (The...
1 tag
Tuscon, USA
During winter break, my family decided to go on a road trip to Tuscon, Arizona. Why Tuscon? I have no idea—neither does anyone in my family.
Tuscon was surprisingly fun and there was a lot to see. Unfortunately, it didn’t occur to anyone in our (brilliant) family that everything would be closed on Christmas, so our trip was cut short.
Maybe I’ve grown more cynical (hopefully...
January 2011
3 posts
1 tag
The Gold Rush (1925)
I’ll give you $10 for every Charlie Chaplin film you can watch without laughing. Really.
The Gold Rush is entertainment in the purest way possible. The Tramp is as triumphant as he is pathetic (naturally) and that makes for a fantastic story.
This was the first movie of 2011 for me (which was serendipitously great because they celebrate New Year’s Day in it) and I don’t...
1 tag
Magazine + Book
My photo of Susan Vreeland in People Magazine (p.49, January 17, 2011 issue) and on the jacket of her new book, Clara and Mr. Tiffany. Very exciting.
2 tags
Love, Hate, Cinema (1/1)
This is a list of movies that I’ve watched from October to December of 2010, because I like movies and I like lists. This is the fourth and final list of 2010—previous ones here.
2010 was good to me. Learned and lived. Learned more than I lived, I think.
As far as this cinema thing, I didn’t really do what I set out to do. I’m still glad where this whole list thing ended...
December 2010
2 posts
2010 → 2011
Again, what a blur. You know how you feel like every year goes by faster each year, but don’t know why? Well I have an explanation:
It’s all about perspective. When you are a one-year-old, one year is your entire life. When you are ten-years-old, one year is 1/10th (or 10%) of your life. As each year passes, one year becomes smaller, relative to the life (total years) you have lived.
...
1 tag
Qingdao, China
It’s been almost five months since our team got back from China and I miss it more than expected. There’s so much that can be shared that hasn’t already, but looking back I think the only thing that made it worthwhile was that we spent most of our time there teaching at an English camp with some of the most unforgettable kids.
So many wonderful memories. Like Joe’s goofy...
November 2010
1 post
1 tag
Sports
As a photographer, I hate shooting sports. But as a sports fan, I love it. (This is quite the predicament when you go to a school like USC)
If someone asked me to shoot a Chargers game or something like that, of course I would. But otherwise, I am adding sports to my unofficial list of things I do not enjoy photographing—the only other item on that list being weddings.
So while I will...
October 2010
2 posts
1 tag
I'M ON ESPN
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5693423
Full-screen it and you can see me shooting (and clapping like a retard) on the 1st and 4th touchdown passes. Here is the shot I took before I had to get out of the way on the 1st touchdown:
2 tags
Love, Hate, Cinema (3/4)
This is a list of movies that I’ve watched from July to September of 2010, because I like movies and I like lists. My previous lists are here and here.
Year is almost done. Crazy crazy. It’s been a rather eventful three months aka less movies than usual, but that’s okay.
I categorized them into my very own 4 tiers of ‘wow’ because I feel that the 4-star system is...
September 2010
4 posts
Anonymous asked: i honestly enjoy your work.
however, i don't think the polaroid idea worked out too well.
what do you think based on the response you've gotten?
maybe you don't do it for the response, but is the enjoyment of others a factor to you?
however, i don't think the polaroid idea worked out too well.
what do you think based on the response you've gotten?
maybe you don't do it for the response, but is the enjoyment of others a factor to you?
1 tag
Beijing, China
My (our team’s) stay in Beijing was very very short—less than 24 hours short. That was okay because we hit up all the mandatory spots: Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and of course, Silk Street Market.
China is nowhere near the top of many people’s list of places to travel (it definitely wasn’t on mine), but it is such an intriguing and special place. If I...
Website update!
Check it out — www.samryu.com
1 tag
Supernatural
Qingdao, China 2010. No Photoshop. Just Supernatural.
(click for bigger, better view)
August 2010
4 posts
1 tag
Inception (2010)
Finally watched Inception. I won’t say if I thought it was good or bad, but I definitely did not like it. I’m clearly in the minority and I hate to be ‘That Guy’, but hear me out.
(It’s easy to point out the good things about this film, so let’s just skip that part for now)
My biggest gripe with Inception is that it lacks imagination. Since when did dreams...
1 tag
Great Wall of China
How many people can say they took a crap on the Great Wall of China? Not on a toilet at the Great Wall (I didn’t see any), but literally on it? I can and I’m (not-so-secretly) proud of this amazingly trivial feat. Looking back, I can laugh and brag about it, but I’ve never felt so much fear, adrenaline and relief at the same time.
Long story short: When you gotta go, you gotta...
1 tag
Susan Vreeland
I met Susan, ma chère amie, in a French 201 class during my last semester at Mesa College. Starting from day one, she was the most vibrant and youthful person in the entire class. Her enthusiasm was contagious and she just made learning so much more enjoyable for everyone. (This is beginning to sound like a eulogy)
On top of all that, Susan is a writer. A wildly imaginative, three-time New York...
Korea and Haircuts
Why is that whenever I get a haircut in Korea, it turns out like crap? It’s no Big Bang hair like last year, but still. Together, my head+neck look like a retarded rendition of the FIFA World Cup trophy. No joke.
How am I supposed to make friends at USC like this? Half joke.
Be back soon, America—bringing home what Landon Donovan & Co. couldn’t.
July 2010
3 posts
à bientôt
Je pars pour la Chine aujourd’hui. Je serai là jusqu’au 31 julliet, puis en Corée jusqu’au 31 août.
Au revoir mesdames et messieurs. À bientôt.
1 tag
Sooho Lee
Several weeks ago, I had a senior portrait shoot with Sooho. It was more of a hang out plus a camera during the two Saturdays we shot and definitely had a lot of fun with it. Here are some of my favorite shots from the sessions. Congratulations Sooho for getting into the college of your dreams and to rest of the Class of 2010!
Happy July 4th everyone!
2 tags
Love, Hate, Cinema (1/2)
This is a list of movies that I’ve watched in May and June of 2010, because I like movies and I like lists. You can find the January~April list here and my favorite Pixar movies list here, in case you missed it.
Half of the year is done with and thanks to summer I got to watch a lot of movies that have been on queue for a while. No movies for me the entire July and only watching a few in...
June 2010
12 posts
Anonymous asked: Who is your most favorite photographer and why?