Rontoms
May 6, 2010, 9:34 pm
Patio @ Rontoms on E Burnside.
The portfolio of photographer Ro Tam
The portfolio of photographer Ro Tam
April 12, 2010, 1:23 am
The Slants just released their second album “Pageantry” and I took some press photos for them here in North Portland because my mom told me to. The one with the tie all the way to the left is my brother Simon and the other nice young man with a tie, Johnny, lived down the street from us while growing up. They’ve been in several bands together since high school and I love that they’re still playing music together. Now that I think about, I’ve been photographing their bands for over ten years and they’ve put up with some of my stupid antics at their shows for just as long. Whether you’re into the music or not, the Slants put on quite the rock show and you should make it a point to see them live (not just because my mom says you should).
April 2, 2010, 6:18 am
Beauty Bar, its a chain. You can go for their happy hour and enjoy a martini while getting a manicure. The first time I went to one was while in San Diego for my birthday a few years ago. Originally the plan was to see Erlend Oye perform in Tijuana but there was some kind of complication with crossing the border. Plan B was to check out the grand opening of the Beauty Bar because drinks were suppose to be on the house till midnight. That didn’t happen either. We later found out that the bartenders pocketed the money and had a coke party. Recently a Beauty Bar opened in Portland and I was there photographing it for the Willamette Week. The scene was a lot different than my previous experience but DJ Beyonda was spinning so it seemed more like a Portland queer event.
March 22, 2010, 6:40 am
Spring is here and the Vernal Equinox happened last night while I was asleep. Every year for the past four years I’ve been thinking about the gravitational pull that happens on this day and how you can get an egg to stand straight up. For those past four years I’ve only remembered to try it the day after when it was too late. So this morning I woke up with eggs on my mind determined to take some portraits. Got up early, went to work for some coffee and my deviled egg costume (thats where I keep it), then bought an 18 pack of eggs. I learned that some eggs are better than others. Ten survived. Happy Spring!
March 22, 2010, 6:20 am
I’m starting to get really into Camera Obscuras and Pinhole photography. I just had a nice birthday weekend journey around the great basin region of Oregon to Summer Lake Hot Springs. We went on a wild sage grouse chase, soaked under the stars and turned our cabin into a giant camera obscura. The cabin had a beautiful view of the winter ridge which was projected upside down onto the walls. It was a long exposure but the image wasn’t too clear so thats why theres white paper on the walls. Once again, foil was used to block out the sunlight. Sometimes its worth sleeping in a big tin foil box in the middle of the high desert when you can have the outside projected inside.
March 21, 2010, 11:11 pm
Most of the music venues I go to are either 21+ or have a separate area for the boozers. Sometimes at shows I’ll see kids standing outside hoping to hear some music or meet the band. It makes me smile because I used to do the same thing. I feel sorry for them then go inside, order a drink, take some photos and feel grateful that I don’t have to stand outside anymore. The Cool Kids played at the Roseland on March 8 and I photographed it for Willamette Week’s Local Cut. It was an all ages show but the underage crowd made it memorable. They were so excited to be there and knew all the lyrics. During the last song the band let them go up on stage. Afterwards, the kids hung around to get autographs and had the Cool Kids sign everything from their ticket stubs to their sneakers. It was adorable.
March 9, 2010, 3:50 am
I spent this afternoon in my studio listening to Sparklehorse and covering the windows with tin foil. It was a test run for a larger scale pinhole camera project that I’m starting. After blocking out most of the light, I made a small hole in one panel and was able to see an image projected on a white foam core board. It wasn’t dark enough for the image to reach the walls, but like I said, it was a test run. I ran across the street to Portland City Liquidators to find miscellaneous items I could photograph the image with. I found a lamp shade and a box. The photos below are of a two different boxes, a white board, the materials and the view from the studio faintly projected on those items. By the way, pinholes project the outside image upside down.
March 4, 2010, 7:54 am
It’s the year of the Tiger! February has been a busy month and after posting six photo sets tonight, I’m starting to feel caught up. Other things that happened this month included a trip to the coast, fixed a french press, met an akita puppy, turned a year older (March 1!), music!, hikes, rain, love, life, made GIF animations that I don’t know how to post on here, dreamed about having giant hands and a 2D/3D project in the works with my friend Stephen. Enjoy.
February 24, 2010, 7:05 am
Taryn Johnson is a performer and dance instructor in Portland, OR. If you’re into dance then you’ve probably seen her on stage or have taken a class with her.
