Where Porcelain Dolls Go To Die: Inside Curiousities, A Vintage Store (Fuji X100)

A month ago I stepped into the odd world of Curiosities, a vintage store in Dallas, Texas. Speckled throughout the collection of taxidermy and early 1900’s medical supplies (DIY liver transplant, anyone?) were porcelain dolls. They hung out like mini bouncers ready to follow you around each corner. The collection of stuff was meticulously random, like a Jackson Pollock painting but instead of throwing paint on canvas, they dumped vintage photographs and porcelain knick-knacks. Here are some of the characters I found:

 

Beyond The Smoke: My Photographic Stroll Through Santana Row

Night Time: for a child, this is when all the creepy crawlers and slimy monsters come out to play. But for any
adult in the San Jose/Santa Clara area, night time is when a different breed of monsters come out. Monsters
in mini skirts, tube tops, and douchey dress shirts that are unbuttoned low enough to see some pubes.
Welcome to Santana Row! Where trying hard and making a fool of yourself is abundant and plenty.

Here, I decided to take out the Fuji X10 for a spin. Honing my inner Daido Moriyama, I practiced my zone
focusing and quick shooting. Unlike the sniper like precision I’m used to at fashion shows and photoshoots,
this type of street photography calls for a different mentality. Whereas fashion shooting is about strolling
on by, picking shots carefully like a little girl picking only the ripest of blueberries, this style is more of an
impulsive reaction. You see it, you shoot it. No thinking, no autofocusing, and certainly no chimping.

Thirty minutes in and I’m already starting to realize something: the circus like show that I anticpated – the
bar fights, sidewalk barfing and random fondling of privates – was hardly visible to my 28mm eye. Where
was all the P.D.I (public display of idiocy)? It was then that I realized that although the streets were
congested with walking tube tops and faux hawks, they weren’t hanging out on the pavement, but in the bars
themselves – duh!

I spy an Asian guy.

Perhaps Santana Row isn’t that bad – at least on the pavement. I’m still not gonna eat their shit-tier food and dine
at their over-priced, over-hyped restaurants, but perhaps I can come back more often to photograph the
try-hards and people looking to be seen.

“OH SHIT, IT’S THE COPS!”

“TORETTO!!!”

Places are much different from the outside looking in, and even more so if you aren’t even close enough to see
through the glass yourself. If you speculate and make assumptions before coming to a place, you could possibly
miss an opportunity. For you, maybe that opportunity is a chance to grind your sweaty balls all over some jail
bait’s freshly waxed leg, but for me, it’s an opportunity for a nicely pressed photo. For every tramp stamped
tramp at this joint, there is a group of Asian tourists, a family looking for grub, and a flock of socially oblivious
businessman.

And me? Where do I fit in with all of the creepy crawlers and tube topped monsters? I’m a kid with a flashlight,
trying to see if there really are monsters under the bed.

Kevin Osmond Photography: Winter 2011/2012 Video Shoot (Behind The Scenes)

Why am I so dumb? I can’t believe I forgot to blog about this video. For the shoot,
I actually drove out to San Francisco (an hour drive), spent hours in the studio
doing video, and a couple hours in front of the screen snipping video clips to make
this awesome creation. But hey! Think of it as my present to you. This is the latest
fashion video that I’ve done, and boy oh boy is it swell. So check it out while drinking
hot chocolate, or simply enjoy within the comfort of your empty room while wearing
absolutely nothing at all.

Blue Moon: Backstage At The 2011 Art Institute Fashion Show – SOMA, San Francisco

As I was posting this blog, I was listening to Julie London’s “Blue Moon” and realized how nicely
it fit this collection of photos.

“Blue Moon…

You saw me standing alone…

Without a dream in my heart…

Without a love of my own…

Blue Moon…

You know just what I was there for…

You heard me saying a prayer for…

Someone I really could care for…

And then there suddenly appeared before me…”

It’s interesting when music fits so perfectly with whatever it is you’re experiencing at the moment. You start
to wonder “Was this song made for me? For this very second of my life?”

The Details: The 2011 Art Institute Fashion Show – SOMA, San Francisco

 

Dear Fashion Gods: Moments Before The 2011 Art Institute Graduate Show – SOMA, San Francisco

Dear Fashion Gods,

I come to you for a helping hand…

I come for warmth and protection…

I‘m not one for speeches (since they’re quite a drag)

… But I look up to you…

… And I pray…

… That you will enjoy the next few posts I will be publishing soon <3

AMEN!

Steampunk Princess: The Jewelry and Accessories of The Black V Fashion Show – San Francisco

Some of you may disagree with me, but I get the feeling that some of this jewelry was inspired by steampunk.
This fashion show was the bastard child of steampunk, Roman Warriors, and early 1900’s Cinema.

Or something like that :)

Steampunk fashion… hmm… I think I have a new source of inspiration ;)

Eyes Without A Face: Backstage At The Black V Fashion Show – The Mission, San Francisco

Old Hollywood: Backstage At The Black V Fashion Show

After mulling over the images for a few days, I couldn’t help but feel this overwhelming 1920’s vibe.
Everything about the show (or at least, everything backstage) felt so… classic. The makeup, the hair,
the styling, and even the attitudes. The only thing that wasn’t specifically 1920’s were the clothes.

I now present to you, in lovely Black and White, the story of Black V!

**In order to enjoy this experience even more, please listen to this song while
viewing the images**
Click Here: Gershwin – Rhapsody In Blue

“How are ya dahhhlin’?”

“Madam, I am terribly sorry but you can not go to zee Opera!”
“But vy?! Singing on stage is my PASH-YONE!”

“Oh, Felipe! Why? WHY?! Why did you leave me for Madame Jaqueline?!
Is my love not strong enough? Have we grown apart? Please, I beg of you,
love me, and only me!”

“Muahaha! You sink you are ze star of ze show?! HA! I am Madam
Jaqueline, and I am now and forever ze Opera queen!”

(Side Note: Isn’t this girl PERFECT for silent films? I mean come on! That face is PERFECT for
the silver screen!)

“But, but! What is this thing?! Are you from the future?!”
“Yes. I need your boots, your clothes, and your motorcycle”

*Sorry, I had to :)

“Now shweet hot, I told ya to give me passion! I need fire in those eyes, ya
hear?!”

“Did you attend Monsieur Felipe’s party last week? Oh, it was DIVINE!”

*boop-boop!*

Herro! ^0^

…to be continued…

*No seriously, I have more pictures for you, but I’ll post them later this week :P

The Dark Side Of The Moon: The 2011 Academy of Art University Fashion Show, SOMA, San Francisco

Fun Fact: Prior to my fashion blogging, there was actually a time in my life when I wanted to become a
fashion designer. Now, this was probably due to my obsession with Project Runway, but that’s a completely
different conversation.

During my fashion designer phase, I looked into various art schools to pursue that “dream.” In the bay area,
there are two options as far as schools: The Art Institute and The Academy of Art. The idea was that AI
was the fun (yet expensive) school where the real creatives went. It was viewed as the Apple of local
art schools while AA was Microsoft.

In contrast, AA was painted as the devil’s den. It was, from the point of view of many people (including my
High School Art Teacher), painted as some kind of neo-nazi, Orwellian Art School for communists. So to
finally come to an AA fashion show was a treat. Not only was I able to sit with the rest of the pro
photographers, I also had a chance to see if The Academy of Art was really like a page from 1984.

UH-OH…..

I‘ll admit: when I saw this powerful image, I started to become a bit concerned. But once the show started, I was
proven very… very wrong.

One of the things that I noticed about this show was that, instead of going for
that couture look, most of the designers actually chose the practical yet
highly wearable route. This was a very refreshing approach in contrast to
the other shows I’ve been to in San Francisco.

It’s Sil Pat meets Austin Powers!

I absolutely LOVE this designer. I love how he/she treated the fabrics. It
almost looks as if they were set on fire then blown out, revealing a half burnt
outfit. Very awesome, and I would TOTALLY wear a shirt from them!

This show didn’t have any fancy hats nor crazy bags, but they did have some really great prints.

I wasn’t lucky enough to touch this piece, but from looking at it, my mind just screams out “BUTTERY SMOOTH!”

I gotta hand it to the designers at AA: they did a phenomenal job. The actual
show was very entertaining, all of the models had amazing walks/looks, the
music selection was on-point, the timing was quick and efficient, and most
importantly, the clothes were wearable and visually orgasmic. If this is a sign
of things to come from The Academy of Art, then shit, count me in!

Great job, AA – you proved us all wrong.