On Cambodian Reportages

That's the way I call my photo sessions, and I'm often asked about it, so here it goes: First there's the "Grabaciones Camboyanas" from Andrés Calamaro, which is how he calls his home recordings. Being a big Calamaro fan, that idea got stuck on my mind or something.

You've seen Apocalypse Now, do you? Do you remember the part in which the boat arrives to Kurtz's (M. Brando) camp?. There's this guy, the crazy photographer, with 4 or 5 cameras hanging from his neck. Ok, I've always wondered... What's that guy doing in the middle of the jungle in Cambodia? He can't take pics of Kurtz or he would kill him... where did he got the film?... and how on Earth did he had them developed?

Well, a Cambodian Reportage is that feeling, just wondering what the hell are you doing here wherever you are or thinking Why did I take a pic of this?. It's an outgrowth of lomography (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lomography), although I don't consider myself a lomographer. I use some of those cameras and techniques, but I don't limit myself to lomographic principles.

So, that's all, now grab your dad's (or grandad's) camera, load it, get out and have fun.

Colectivo Improvisa

Finally... 6-Word Stories

As I said a few days ago we could very soon read here some of the 6-Word Stories that my students have enjoyed the most or the ones they wrote. Bear in mind that these are students of English as a second language and they're 13-15 years old.

These are some stories my students wrote themselves:

- A brand new house. Bank owned. (Jorge Bendala)

- For sale: blood stained white shirt. (Cinta Rodríguez)

- Going to school. Rainy. No bus. (Cristina González)

- Eating at the restaurant. Dish washing. (Raúl Bendala)

- For sale. University book. Brand new. (Pedro Gómez)

- We need heartbeats for our hearts. (Yasmín Domínguez)

- For sale: brand new small collar. (Cristina Lino)

- I'm not going to school. Raining. (Bella Sánchez)

- Don't work anymore. It isn't necessary. (Lorenzo Rodríguez)

- I buy love. It is expensive. (Marta Ponce)

- Thinking head. Crazy heart. Heart wins. (Mª Carmen Martín)

- Sweet baby. Immature boy. Destroyed adult. (Mª Carmen Martín)

- Money is sold. Wisdom is earned. (Mª Carmen Martín)

These are some they found in the web and found interesting:

- Armageddon imminent. Make list. Tick most.

- Badmouthed her. Realized she's behind me.

- She loved again. I never did.

- His last twenty dollars on red.

- Falling snow erases more than footprints.

- Bravely, Zack refused the passed joint.

- Rooftop, looking down, let go. Fall.

- Coyote howls, dark night, flat tyre.

- Secretary broke leg. Rediscovering plumpy wife.

- Dropped love letter in wrong locker.

- Doctor gave me twenty-four hours. Yesterday.

- Dinosaurs return. Want their oil back.

- Love triangle. You get the point.

Not bad, huh?

Colectivo Improvisa

Coming Soon... 6-Word Stories

It’s said that Ernest Hemingway, who was to win the Pulitzer Prize for “The Old Man and the Sea” in 1.952 and The Nobel Prize for Literature in 1.954, once wrote a story with just 6 words. Here it is:

“For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.”

This is one of those things which should to be true even if they’re not, and it has started a trend in the Internet with a lot of people writing their own 6-word stories and sharingthem on the web.

Ok, very soon we will read our students’ very own or favorite 6-word story right here.

Stay alert...

Esta ha sido la mateada de hoy; con una mate uruguayo, yerba brasileña, bombilla argentina, agua andaluza, termo chino y una lomo LC-A rusa. Si lo de la aldea global va a ser verdad, verás.

Mi amiga Claudia -argentina ella- dice que tomar mate solo es muy aburrido, pero yo soy de los que creen que el mate es lo contrario a la televisión porque te hace pensar cuando estás solo, y conversar cuando estás acompañado.

Tiene también su punto zen esto del mate... sacudir la yerba, humedecerla un poco, dejar reposar, calentar el termo, colocar la bombilla... una liturgia vamos, pero merece la pena el quedarte un rato a ver pasar la vida fumándote lo que te mandó el médico, tomar unas fotos o unas notas... lo que sea.

Un enlace:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3be44-xOVWU

Saludos, Colectivo Improvisa