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In This Issue.... David Bacon
documentary photography
David Bacon photographs the first strike in Silicon Valley that resulted in union recognition.
Ronald Orlando
exposed (featured photographer) Capturing music in his images, San Jose based Ronald Orlando is our premiere issue's featured photographer.
Tuesdays: Meditation Circle
What: Meditation and mental health class taught by Liz Gonzalez
Wednesdays: De-Bug on the Radio
by Miguel Gonzalez
hosted by David Madrid Mondays: Yadmon Yoga
When: 9am-10am
When: 7pm – 8pm
Thrusdays: Art night
Tuesdays: Open Editorial Meeting
ist to come together and create.
What: open art time at De-Bug for art-
What: Come share story ideas for the
When: 7-9pm
dio show.
Friday: Photo Circle
When: 5:30-6:30pm
assignments,
Saturdays: Drum Circle
KKUP
magazine, websites, televison and ra-
photos,
niques and talk about the craft.
When: 7:00pm-9pm
What: Block to Block Radio on 91.5fm
What: yoga taught by Cesar Flores
share
What: A space for photographers to
tech-
What: Cumbia drumming class taught When: 11am to 2pm
culture
Felipe Vasquez
Felipe R. Vasquez (Newark Califaz) uplifts his Chicano culture through his photography.
Saturdays: De-Bug on TV
What: De-bug TV show on Channel 15 When: 11:30pm-12:00am
Braulio Gonzalez
Sundays: Albert Cobarrubias Justice
Project
in living color
What: to support families who have
a loved one entangled in the criminal
East Palo Alto native Braulio Gonzalez shows color film is still his preferred choice to digital.
justice system and needs support. When: 2:30-4:30pm
7 0 1 L e n z e n Av e . S a n J o s e C A , 9 5 1 2 6 U . S . A .
Online hub for hyperlocal ethnic news • San Jose South Bay (Vietnamese • Latino • African-American • South Asian media)
Our friend, and a true San Jose leader passed on in 2010. Albert, we will continue to fight for the community to be heard, as you would wish us to, and we know that you will be with us every step of the way.
Charisse Domingo
lastshot
From her archives, documentary photographer Charisse Domingo shares one of her more compelling photos.
I
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te:
remember developing my first roll of film in the summer of 2005 and feeling so proud of myself. It felt almost as if I were doing magic. I was at a loss for words when I printed photos without any sort of ink. It was love at first print. Ever since then, I've kept at it, and still amazed by what appears on my paper.
While many photographers dabble in both film and digital photography, we wanted to highlight film. We hope you keep falling in love with it just like we did. It nurtures your patience, and that is the key to film photography. Everything is a big build up to a surprise, every time. Having to pay attention to every single detail makes people more aware of their surroundings and an appreciation for the beauty of what we are capturing. With the demise of various precious films, we felt it was our duty to capture the beauty that is film photography in a manner that can be enjoyed and appreciated by everyone.We truly have a passion for film photography and will continue to produce art for as long as we can. GlassClops was created by film photographers with Silicon Valley De-Bug who truly love the artform. One of the most important components to making a quality image is the "glass," meaning your lens. Photography is unique in that it only allows you to use only one eye, turning you into a makeshift cyclops, thus GlassClops. Whether you are a beginner, a hobbyist, a professional, or someone who appreciates film photography, this magazine is for you, for us! Here's to many more years of film photography! TIBURON!!F!B!
SUBMISSIONS
To submit photos, please email us at thedarkroomatdebug@gmail.com.
DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY
Up Against the Open Shop -- the Hidden Story of Silicon Valley's High-Tech Workers History will see the labor movement and immigrant rights struggle through the eyes of David Bacon, a writer and photographer based in Oakland and Berkeley, CA. This photo essay was done in early 1993, when workers at the Versatronex plant in Sunnyvale, CA striked. David writes, "It was the first Valley plant struck by production employees and the first where a strike won recognition of their union." For more of David's photos and writing, check out http://dbacon.igc.org
The struggle of these workers, almost all immigrants from Mexico, Central America and the Philippines, demolished some of the most cherished myths about the Silicon Valley workforce. It showed workers there are like workers everywhere. Under the right circumstances, even in the citadel of high tech's open shop, people are willing to organize for a better life. - David Bacon
For our premiere issue, we're honored to highlight Ronald Orlando, a San Jose based photographer whose work is timeless, elegant, and eloquent. Here he shares with us his most beautiful images, and chats with us on his reflections on photography.
I began shooting jazz musicians. It was a natural merging of two things that I enjoy- jazz and photography.
My goal is to show the passion and emotion of the musicians during a performance.
Tibs: First of all, how would you say you got into photography? Ron: It was through my mother. She used to have a camera with her all the time and I picked it up from her. Tibs: Did your mom ever teach you anything about photography? And did she have her own darkroom? How did she print? Ron: Not really. She shot color and took it to the local photo store. She had a point and shoot camera -nothing fancy. So, just the fact that she had a camera is what got me interested. I did see a picture of her when she was young, and she was holding a press camera. So, I am guessing that she had a job taking photographs some place, but I don’t recall asking her about it. I just remember that she always had a camera. Tibs: Did she give you your own camera? Ron: She did give me a camera when I was either 11 or 12 years old. It was an Ansco Panda camera, and it was a simple camera that took 620 film. Tibs: Your first camera is a lot like your first girlfriend, so what do you consider your first camera?? Ron: My first camera was a Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic with a 50mm 1.2 lens that I bought used in New York City. It was a fast lens. Later on I bought a 135mm lens for it. Tibs: Have you taken any photography classes or is everything self taught?? Ron: I am self taught. Everything I know is what I have learned through reading, talking to people, and just doing. Tibs: How did you print your stuff?? Ron: Well no, I never printed. I went through many years of shooting color and black and white and I would send the film to be developed. Sometimes I would get a proof sheet for the black and white film. Back then I was shooting more color than b/w. I did buy an enlarger when I was in college and shipped it home. I think I used it once. I set it up in the bathroom, and that was it. As I got older, it seems that I was always doing something and I became a streaky shooter. I would go through stretches where I shot a lot followed by long stretches when I did not pick up the camera. It wasn’t until 2004 that I got serious about photography. Tibs: Did you get your own darkroom in 2004?? Ron: No, not enough room where I live, but I was fortunate to have a friend, John, who is a high school photography teacher. He would invite me to the lab on Saturdays or Sundays, and that is how I started
printing. I would go a couple of times a month. Tibs: Did he teach you how to print or did he just leave you loose in the darkroom?? Ron: He gave me some pointers and I started picking it up. After printing on RC paper for a couple of years, I wanted to try fiber paper. So I took a beginning and an intermediate printing class at Photo Central in Hayward. The beginning class reinforced what I had learned on my own, and the intermediate class focused on fiber paper so I learned some new things. Tibs: Did you have a better appreciation for photography when you started printing?? Ron: Yes, yes. I have always liked it a lot but once you start printing, it’s a whole new world -- being able to have control of the print instead of just sending them out. Tibs: Do you still have all your old prints and negatives? Ron: Yes. I had them in a box for many years. I didn’t really take care of them but somehow they are still in decent shape. Tibs: What do you think about your photography when looking at your old negatives?? Ron: I see where I can improve on some of those specific shots, but that is the thing about photography you learn from looking at your work and the work of others. Tibs: What kind of photos do you enjoy taking?? Ron: I like to take photos of just about anything. I think that just about everything around us is a potential photograph. I do a lot of music photography where I shoot musicians performing, I have being doing this on and off for a few years now. Tibs: Do you focus on any specific type of music? Ron: Yes. I began shooting jazz musicians. It was a natural merging of two things that I enjoy- jazz and photography. Now, I have branched out and I am shooting Salsa and Latin jazz musicians, and I am open to other genres. My goal is to show the passion and emotion of the musicians during a performance. Tibs: Are you working on any other projects? Ron: Yes. I am shooting a project involving abandoned shopping carts. I am in the early stages so I am not sure how it will turn out. I am also working on a project involving railroads plus I have some other ideas for projects, but I have to flesh them out. Tibs: Do you focus mostly on black and white? Ron: Yes I do. I prefer the look of black and white plus I like the idea that I have total control of the final print. I have shot color and do occasionally but black and white is my main focus.
"everything around us is a potential photograph"
I do it for the people that are just like me, a product of an american varrio. And I do it for the people who aren't like me, to see our reality, our culture, our heritage, our pride, our struggle, but most importantly, our dignity! -- Felipe R. Vazquez (Newark Califaz)
C U L T U R E
BROWN IS BEAUTIFUL
IN LIVING COLOR They say the digital world has completely dominated color film. But for 21 year old Braulio Gonzalez, printing in color is still his medium of choice.
I took this shot in 1996. It's a photo of Fred who lived under the bridge that was right across the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto. Every year, there would be a community of homeless people -- mostly Black -who would build an encampment under that bridge, and they called themselves the "Creek people". Flooding and the police would push them out, but they would always return to build their home.