Here I consider my flickr stream to be a photo log. My main goal here is to post at least one image a day. Hopefully, this isn't "quantity over quality," but rather a privileging of seriality and predictability over inspiration and artistic revelation.

Databases. When I was a child my mother kept all of our photos in one large cabinet. (A few of these have been scanned and moved to the back of my photostream) There were too many photos for the cabinet so when you opened the doors they spilled out and you ended looking at whatever ended up on the floor.

There's something wonderful about flickr in that all of the photos still seem to be random, you could chance upon anything, but now because images can be tagged they can also be easily retrieved from their randomness. The combination of order and disorder in the database rules.

Ones and zeros. I got my first digital camera in 2001, an Olympus D-490 which took great photos. I bought a canon powershot sd500 in 2005 this has a great sensor and it gives great crisp contrasty images. In 2006 I got a panasonic fz7 because I wanted control (shutter speed, aperture) but I was afraid I wouldn't carry around a heavy slr( the fz7 weighs about 11 ounces).

Then at the same time I got a dslr (the pentax k10d), I also got interested in low res digital photography, I've also been using a vivitar mini digital camera, an oregon scientific, and the famous vistaquest vq1005. Also an old Pentax Ei-100. After my K10d died in 2012, I'm now using a Fujifilm X-Pro1.

Subject. I shoot a lot of my photos in Northeast Portland which is in the US state of Oregon. Because of its low density, high number of artists, weak economy, and liberal attitudes, Northeast Portland has been fairly successful at resisting the bland corporate aesthetic widespread in so many other parts of the United States.

Me. When I was a child and they invented emoticons, I thought they were for children. I didn't realize that they were trying to bridge the emotional void of the computer. So predictably I had a lot of trouble in the 90s with people misinterpreting my flat internet tone as hostility. Now I try to be as positive on flickr as I can. So if you think I've used too many exclamation points I'm sorry, but for me it's better than the alternative!! ie it's better than you thinking I said something hostile.

skomra - View my most interesting photos on Flickriver


Photos of skomra (8)

  • aaron anthony hats by skomra
  • scan0119 by skomra
  • I _kept it real_ too long by skomra
  •  by skomra
  • scan0008 by skomra
  • IMGP1088 by skomra
  • SCAN0318 by skomra
  • 1981 October 30 by skomra
 

skomra's favorite photos from other Flickr members (2,950)

Contacts (297)

See more...

Groups (5050)

Show more... Show fewer...

Testimonials (2)

  • view profile

    ghostbore says:

    "Skomra was one of my ealiest contacts on flickr, and of all my contacts his photosensibility is the closest to my own. (Except he's not as big an asshole as me).
    I feel the tinge of a friendly competition when I see his photos, not the the outdo the other person type that fuels pointless rivalries, but the "I need to live up to this" feeling you get when you start a kickass garage band with your friend."

    6th August, 2008

  • view profile

    Romps says:

    "skomra is my favourite on flickr and should be yours too."

    17th April, 2008

Name:
Aaron Armstrong Skomra
Joined:
February 2006
Hometown:
Buffalo, NY, US
Currently:
Portland, Oregon, US
I am:
Taken
Occupation:
Computer Science Related
Website:
Low Res