October 21, 2020 by Mark Fulinara

Due to my routinely busy weekend schedule of watching Formula 1, lazily working out, taking hours to wash the dishes, looking at puppies on Instagram, and occasionally bathing… I had two very short windows of time to use my last roll of Portra 400, so even though all of these photos take place within a square mile of Echo Park, the roll spans across the sunset of two different Saturdays.

It would be kinda fun to see how far I could physically run/shoot in one golden hour. I’d have to consider the location, having to walk back in the dark though. I’ll crunch the numbers and have my people get back to your people…

Walked me down to Chinatown + Got Me to the Greek: Weekend Emulsion 10/3-10/4 / October 8, 2020 by Mark Fulinara

[Falsetto Voice] I took myself on a stroll DOWN (up, technically) TO CHINATOWN on Saturday. I didn’t snap a photo of my favorite thing that I saw; a woman standing below the penitentiary on Alameda yelling up to a prison window, carrying a full on conversation. Sometimes I feel like taking a photo ruins the moment.

On Sunday I parked down in the main drag of Los Feliz and wandered the neighborhood up in the hills above before walking to the Greek in full dorky powerwalking-mom athleisure wear. Pro-tip: It’s waaaaayyyy harder to operate a camera when you’re swaying your hips and constantly checking your pulse with two fingers.

A Weekend (Not) In The City and Ghost Whispers: Weekend Emulsions 9/27 / September 30, 2020 by Mark Fulinara

This weekend, rather than my usual bullshit DTLA urban hikes, I went on an actual hike with family, morning dew, fog, and a super cool dog. I really like the look of fog in the morning on film. I should probably try to wake up early more often. Still not sold on nature, though.

BONUS: A couple of shots on my drive away from the film lab last week.

So, you know how I’m always having a hard time sleeping ? If you didn’t know, just go with this. Last night I tried my best to not be cynical and give ASMR videos on Youtube a shot. For the uninitiated, ASMR videos are basically people speaking in a very low whisper, doing things on mic and camera that are supposed to be soothing and put you in a semi-hypnotic state which helps you sleep. Call me crazy, but I found that each ASMR video gave me two experiences in one: they’re either super provocative when you watch them, OR they’re like a terrifying horror movie if you put your phone down and only listen to the sounds of someone whispering in your ear like a ghost. I’m sure it works for some people, but it just wasn’t for me.

Half-stops and Happy Accidents: Weekend Emulsions 9/19-9/20 / September 24, 2020 by Mark Fulinara

I stopped my weekend film excursions last week because my phone told me that the air quality outside was ‘sitting in the back of my dad’s Camaro while he was smoking and driving with the window down’ levels. Not exactly deadly, but questionable and certainly something you wouldn’t blog about years later, right?

This past weekend, I took out a slightly more expensive film out for a spin (Kodak Porta 400), and set my light meter to 320ISO to overexpose the 400ISO film ever-so-slightly. I like my film like I like my legs in Thai boxing shorts: overexposed.

BUUUT, like a dummy, I incorrectly wound my first roll of film and opened up my camera exposing the roll to direct sunlight. I was so pissed that I went out early the next day to shoot another roll. I was huffing and puffing, and kind of took photos like it was a chore. Miraculously, the first roll of film was not only salvageable, but the light leaks looked kinda cool:

Light Leak Roll:

Angry the next morning roll:

Process of Process: Weekend Emulsions 9/5-9/6 / September 24, 2020 by Mark Fulinara

A couple of months into the pandemic, I started taking weekly walks with my fancy pants mirrorless camera around my neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles. To be honest, the walks garnered very few photos worth sharing and often I wouldn’t snap a single shot. I guess two hours of walking was okay exercise though.

Walking around with a camera that can obtain lightning fast autofocus and exposure, take near-limitless amounts of photos that can be uploaded via WiFi to your phone is an instant gratification feedback loop that frankly, lacks an element of DANGER. Safety nets are just not sexy, bro. Pineapple.

So I decided to bust out an all-manual film camera. I don’t know if it’s the feeling of scarcity of resources (film), or the fact that you actually have to put more thought into taking photos (metering with a separate light meter, setting the settings on the camera, and focusing), I’ve found that I’m actually taking MORE photos than when shooting with the digital camera. Sure, if I were on some sort of paid assignment I’d go with the surefire digital camera, but there’s something fun about walking around taking photos with a limit of shots, not knowing if you got anything good, and then entrusting them to someone to develop. Taking a photo and not being able to immediately look at the results on the back of the camera keeps me focused on the more important part of the exercise: actually shooting.

On my first weekend, I shot a roll each day on Saturday and Sunday. Same type of film (Kodak Ultramax 800), but switched lenses from a 28mm the first day to a 50mm the second day. I’m doing zero editing to the photos, not because I’m concerned with purity; but because I’m lazy.

Here’s Saturday with a 28mm:

Sunday with a 50mm:

THE SOCIETY OF TWO. / September 23, 2020 by Mark Fulinara

It’s been a long while my babies. I’ve decided to start posting more here to keep you all abreast of the progress in my creative things during the pandemic. Here’s a thing: My wife needed to make an 'all about me' video for the summer film program that she's teaching, but she HATES speaking on camera. So we made this video which I think paints a pretty good picture (yes, that's her singing).

A Lion and Unicorn "All About Me" Film

GLORY to Womens. (GLORY 37 / Womens March DTLA) / January 23, 2017 by Mark Fulinara

Last week, a couple of yuuuuge events took place in my neighborhood: GLORY 37 and Womens March Los Angeles. I rented my dream lens combo (Sony 24-70mm G-Master and Mitakon 50mm 0.95) for the fights and the march, and I also played around with a multiple exposure idea that once woke me up in the middle of the night.

"You've been poisoned." Rented my dream lens combo, fell in love with their pure optical sex, and now I don't want to live in a world where I don't own them. Bruh.

Before falling asleep one night, I saw a photo my friend posted on Instagram that she took with her iPhone that had a double exposure of the beach and the silhouette of a woman layered over it. I fell asleep thinking, "hmm... I wonder how she got two exposures in one file? Digital isn't like film, you can't double expose without some special app or photoshop... Also, hmmmm... these blankets are so warm... still, I wonder...zzzzz... fart (I assume)." In the background, The Princess Bride was left streaming on Netflix. The soft glow of a familiar movie on television serving both as night light and bedtime story. The low rumble of our dryer.

MY EYES OPENED WIDE. "Bulb mode. Like pinhole cameras! EUREKA-BOOM-BOOM-DOWN."

Whenever I've shot along side James Law in his studio shoots for GLORY, his strobes always end up giving him amazing results, where I'm in the same room standing next to him taking photos using the ambient light of a hotel meeting room like a jackass. Needless to say, my shots have always been garbage. So with my new idea, I thought I could open up my shutter set to bulb, listen for his camera to beep every time he got his focus, and opened my "shutter" to catch his flash. After getting a few exposures with stolen light, I'd let go of the shutter button and voila-- in-camera, multiple exposures. 'Fuck you, photoshop. Haters gon' say it's you.'

On the day of the fights, I busted out the lenses I rented from LensProToGo. I had been lusting after them for quite some time, but being the anti-baller tightwad prone to buyers remorse that I am, I rented them instead. Long story short, I want them. I want them bad. Real bad. Like, I would do things.

I mounted the Sony 24-70mm F2.8 G-Master onto my A7rii and the Mitakon 50mm F0.95 Dark Knight onto my A7s. When spun the lens onto their mounts, I'm preeeetty sure a choir of angels sang in the distance. I showed up to the venue and found it to be quite a different setup than I've become accustomed to in my short career in fight photography. The ring was setup on a stage, so effectively, one side of the ring couldn't be occupied by anyone, which of course meant that the ringside photographer's apron would be sacrificed. I sometimes forget that even though I come off very happy-go-lucky in life, I'm actually pretty moody when it comes to my creative endeavors. I felt let down that I'd rented these lenses thinking I could do what I always do, stand exactly where I always stand, and then be able to make a fairly scientific comparison to my usual lens combo; the Zeiss 24-70mm F4.0 and the Zeiss 55mm F1.8. No dice. I don't know if anybody saw, but I think I pouted at the news that I wouldn't be comfortably nestled ringside. What a bitch. Anyway, after a couple of beers and a lot of great advice from James Law, Ryan Loco, and Phil Lambert, I said 'fuck it,' and decided to do a lens comparison between apples and oranges. It would be G-Master vs. Dark Knight. All-purpose king of sharpness zoom vs. All-manual shallow DoF prime. Results vs. Process!

Below are some side-by-side examples of comparable situations that I shot out and around the ring with the G-Master and the Dark Knight. They aren't edited to match, this isn't scientific whatsoever, but it's a pretty good comparison of what each lens is all about. The photos on the left are all G-Master and the photos on the right are all Dark Knight.

It pretty much goes without saying that the G-Master is the better performer in nearly all categories on a website like DxO Mark. It's ridiculously sharp wide open and at all focal lengths. Compared to my Zeiss 24-70mm F4, obviously the extra stop of light is the difference on paper, but the biggest improvement I saw is the color rendition. The colors just look 'right.' If in some crazy scenario where the fate of the world hinged on me to taking photos of an event in an undisclosed location with unknown variables; this would be the lens I'd take (this is another place my mind goes at night).

On the other hand, the Mitakon is very prone to flaring which makes the contrast lie somewhere between milky and a hazy shade of winter, the lens even at the same F-stops is probably less sharp than the GM even when closed down, and they weigh almost the same. That being said, shooting sports with a manual lens and a razor-thin depth of field is waaaaaaay fun. Even completely missing focus looks like a purposeful artistic choice. The challenge of nailing the focus in the viewfinder without focus peaking made me go from feeling uninspired to feeling on fire and anxious to capture moments. There is no way to passively use a lens like this. To paraphrase ol' Jim Gordon, "The Dark Knight was the hero I deserved, but not the one I needed."

The next morning, our friends came over and we participated in the Women's March which basically took place at our doorstep in DTLA. I had a camera on me, but was struck with a feeling that I wanted to be there as a participant and a supporter, not as a photojournalist. I took maybe 15 photos, and this is the one that speaks for me and my feelings at the march:

Later, after we had gone back to our apartment, my friend asked me to show her how I got those multiple exposure shots of kickboxers that I'd shot just a couple of days before. I realized that I'd never told her that I was actually inspired by her multiple exposure instagram post. Apparently, it was a happy accident caused by an HDR app that takes multiple bracket exposures. Someone quickly walked past as it happened and voila, a lost night of sleep for my ever-spinning brain.

Vanishing Objects and a New York Minute. (SWPA Sony Square) / January 5, 2017 by Mark Fulinara

Last month I had the honor of being a part of "Behind the Lens: A Conversation with Photographers Rubén Saldago Escudar, Mark Fulinara, and Ira Block" at Sony Square in New York City. 'Pics or it didn't happen, you say?' Well...

I opted for the 'cool-guy-with-legs-crossed' pose. Haters gon' say it's photoshop.

In the latest edition of "Craziest year ever," I was flown to NYC to talk about photography and my experience as a winner of a Sony World Photography award. So right after a trip to Austin to celebrate my 4th year anniversary with my wife, I hopped on a plane to the big apple to give a 'lecture' at Sony Square NYC.

I immediately wanted to case the joint. The day before the big day, I walked over to Sony Square to get a visual of where it was all happening. I mapped out imaginary escape routes that led to getaway cars in case my presentation didn't go well. I thought about where best to point off into the distance, so the event photographers could snap a photo of me looking like a visionary in case it did go well. I snapped a photo of my photo in their photo gallery... Photo.

Since I had the big thing going on the next day, I told myself to keep it low key for a day and then party after the presentation. So no food challenge level pig outs, no getting wasted, no staying up late. Instead, I had a few of special missions built in for myself between my multiple hour-long showers I like to take throughout a day whenever I have the luxury of doing so. Just run a few errands and focus on the presentation.

I went to B&H to take a class on studio lighting, but while invite said it started at 1pm PST, it actually at 1pm EST. I guess 3 hours late is a no-no in the industry.

I wanted to train. There are a bunch of famous boxing and muay thai gyms in the area, but I wanted to train in the more esoteric, boxing-based, jailhouse born martial art style the "52 Blocks." Despite a few texts back and forth with a local expert, we couldn't coordinate our schedules, so the mysterious art of the 52 Blocks eluded me. Maybe next time I'll learn a little bit of that Jailhouse Rock.

My wife had been to NYC a couple of weeks before my trip, so she left a present hidden for me in the city. She gave me the cross streets and clues to where it was. When I got there, the present, a letter left behind a placard in a park, had vanished. The placard stated that the park was maintained by the Union Square Business Improvement District. So... good job Union Square Business Improvement District on your fine work at maintaining your parks and keeping them free of litter and loveletters?

The next day, I went on another mission for my wife. She lost a leg warmer after a ballet class and wanted a replacement. To be sure I bought the right replacement, I had the one leg warmer with me and took a trip down to Repetto in soho. I'm sure I won the award for creepiest customer of the day, walking in with a single leg warmer for "my wife" because she "lost one" and I am certainly not a "pervert."

As I traveled around town I made a game of trying to memorize every subway line and walking route I needed ahead of time so I could pretend I was a local. One lady approached me and asked for help getting to Broadway, which I confidently pointed her towards. It was one of the two streets I knew at the time. New Yorkers impress me. They all seem to have somewhere to go and don't need to take the time to appreciate their surroundings. They walk out of a subway stop and immediately hook their left or right without having to look up at street signs to get their bearing. They navigate the city with a certain blind ease; like a person woken up in the middle of the night navigating their way to the bathroom in complete darkness to pee.

On subway platforms I could hear conversations overhead. I just love the anonymity of being in a city that just does not give a shit about you.

The presentation approached. Like a day before a gig with my band, I felt like I was in a haze leading up to it. Not nervous. Not excited. Just in a general fog.

The event was super fun. Got to meet lots of enthusiastic photographers and reconnected with a few people I met during the Sony Awards show in London. I'm super comfortable with public speaking so that went well I think. The only regret I have is that during the Q&A one guys asked me why I made my photo black and white, and I said, "I just felt like it." When the actual answer if I had my wits about me would have been, "I'm a huge fan of classic boxing photography, in particular old photos of Muhammad Ali. So, I was trying to go for that low-contrast black and white look." I hope he reads this.

At the end of the presentation, I was ready to get TURNT-- but forgot that it was a Tuesday night and everyone had to go home. Luckily, a very cool young man named Stanley introduced himself to me as an up and coming photographer. I mentioned that I had been to New York a couple of times before but still had never been to Times Square. He thought that was a travesty, so we hit the streets and did an impromptu photo walk where I packed in as much touristy New York shit as I could into one night.

Our first stop was a recommendation from the Editor In Chief of Popular Photography. She said I HAD to check out Jimmy's Corner, owned by former pro boxer Jimmy Glenn. I was pumped to check out all the memorabilia, and while I scooted around an old man to take a look at a photo of Jimmy Glenn I realized that the man I was hovering over was none other than the owner himself, Jimmy Glenn! We chatted a little bit about what weight he used to fight at, and how I used to have boxing pipe dreams.

Later that night, while I was pontificating as I often do (this time about photography and girl advice), Jimmy Glenn was leaving the bar he walked past me and gave me a little tap on my chin with his fist. KO. We left and took some photos of Times Square where I hammed it up for the camera, then grabbed a couple of slices of crazy cheap pizza. I'm really glad that I didn't let the night get away from me without doing something cool.

2016 International Photography Awards. / October 9, 2016 by Mark Fulinara

Exciting news! I just found out that I won 3rd place in the Winter Sports category (non-professional of course) for the International Photography Awards for my "Sled Dog Hotel" photo, and three honorable mentions for some of my kickboxing shots.

Ernest Hemingway once said that you can't call yourself an elephant hunter until after your 50th kill. Winning a second photography award makes me feel a little bit less like the first award was a fluke, but still 48 awards away from Papa Hemingway's approval.

Did you see Vega taking pictures of the CXF MMA show? / July 6, 2016 by Mark Fulinara

Haven't posted in a minute. Sorry. I've been busy being the last of the international playboys. That's a lie. I've been busy eating donuts, drinking beer, and traveling to non-exotic locales for work.

BUT I did very recently get to shoot the latest CXF MMA show where I got to perch above the cage for the very first time. Scary stuff. I forget that since I grew up not skateboarding or generally doing anything remotely rebellious, I never acquired that so very important skill of climbing fences. It doesn't come up often, but like a person who never learned to dance, the embarrassment shows only on special occasions. Luckily, I very slowly climbed my way up to my crow's nest and was able to nervously snap away.

This time around, I purposely tried to underexpose everything, trying to get a mood of some sort. Not sure how successful I was at that, but comparing my pictures to ones taken by other photographers that were there that night mine are definitely... darker?

The night of fights were great though. I'm always conflicted while shooting fights, the photographer side of my brain trying to be in the zone in anticipation of the movements, the fight fan in me just wanting to rip off my shirt to reveal "JUST BLEED" written on my chest in green ink. I guess there was also the nervous kid in me, just trying not to fall off the cage like a dumbass.