Bad Blood with Joshua Cobos: The Unpredictable Nature of the Chemistry

Every week, photographer Joshua Cobos shoots a roll of film just for us. He picks the best 13 photos and we post them here, and it’s called “Bad Blood with Joshua Cobos.” Here’s what Joshua has to say about this week’s installment:

I shot this roll of AGFA film knowing that it had expired in 1997, I thought overexposure would help retain some of qualities that AGFA shooters love. Wild colors, surreal textures and dreamy skies. The drawback is that the film has degraded severely and there was no real way to verify how the film was stored from production time to my purchase. I really don’t mind though, part of the reason why I shoot film like this is the unpredictable nature of the chemistry.

Thanks, Joshua! Ten more shots after the jump:

32 Responses to “Bad Blood with Joshua Cobos: The Unpredictable Nature of the Chemistry”

  1. Herr Doktor Professor Deth Vegetable says:

    I like it. I think something about the graininess of the expired film gives it some depth and texture.

  2. one of these is ok says:

    the rest are terrible. why do you guys keep posting these? is it because you fetishize the analog process involved in making shitty hipster instagram photos IRL with a real camera?

    • one of these is ok says:

      i actually dug through your archives and lo and behold – non-shitty photography. why did you stop and switch to shitty photography???

      http://www.missionmission.org/2008/12/21/people-on-mission-street/

    • Allan Hough says:

      You’re a piece of human garbage. Shut the fuck up and leave us nice people alone.

    • Jamie Jams says:

      I fully support Allan’s statement and position on this matter. I think it’s really lame for people to take anonymous pot shots at other people’s creativity.

      Seriously, why not just be nice. Or at least polite. What do you care? Is the world a better place because of your comment? Is Cobos’s work better? Would the world be better if Cobos jumped off a cliff?

      Quite the contrary, I think the world would be a better place if someone else jumped of a cliff. And its not Cobos.

      I base this statement, simply on the fact that Cobos is doing something and you are doing… anything? The simple math, gives our friend the artist here +1 for donating his time to try and entertain you, the reader, and you.. I don’t know negative non-productive zero?

      Seriously. If you feel the artistic output of our community is not up to your high standards, I suggest you either a.) find something polite and constructive to say (directly to the artist, he is reading this you know) or b.) go out and do a better job yourself!

      If you don’t have something nice to say, TRY NOT SAYING ANYTHING AT ALL! And Allan, thank you.

      Solid moderating. This bullshit must not be tolerated.

  3. balls says:

    what the hell is happening with that underwear?

  4. Tommy says:

    I don’t want to degrade the women in the pictures.Probably smart neat people. But please, the world
    is in deep trouble, and your government is burning children alive with bombs every week. Do you really want to dress up as cartoons? Is that life to you?
    When the depression comes, will you look back fondly at these photos? Or say “my god what have I done, where have I been?”

    • lars says:

      how should they dress? should you dress primly out of respect for some vague economic decline? being less boring is one of the most powerful actions folks can do to shake the world with the tools surrounding them.

    • Ariel Dovas says:

      Are you going to look back and say “Well, at least I commented on that random blog that one time.”?

    • Mobity Mosely says:

      So two girls want to dress up and go to the symphony. You’d rather we all stay home and gnash our teeth and rend our clothes in fits of abstract guilt?

  5. scum says:

    #10 is a ten. As us old timers like to say, that broad has an epic ass.

  6. rocky says:

    sweatlodge

  7. badass says:

    They’re interesting photos, but not my style.
    I’m more interested in the overly defensive reactions towards the negative criticism. If you can’t take a little negative feedback on your art, then don’t put it out into the world.

  8. Frank lee says:

    That owners manual for the camera you’re using was TL;DR too, huh. Your friend is fine as hell though!

  9. blah says:

    Once again I give props for doin’ stuff, makin’ stuff, and tryin’ stuff.

    The haters need to inject a little more substance into their critiques, if they’re going to bother making critiques. “I don’t like it, waaaaaaa” is photography criticism on the level that I hear from my six-year-old. “I don’t like it because politics are gloomy” is just inane; you could lob the same reductive argument at any piece of art ever created, at any point in history.

    • ha says:

      And where’s the substance to yours?

      • lzlzlz says:

        god forbid people that put their art in public view receive feedback from the people that see it. if someone built a really fucking ugly building, we should all refrain from mentioning that it’s ugly to avoid making the architect / building designer feel bad…….

        the real problem with bay area creative culture is that throwing some shit at the wall is a-ok here. i am all for experimentation, but when that experimentation causes terrible, fugly things to come into being, we shouldn’t smile and pat the shit throwers on the back.

  10. johnc says:

    Wow… slutty women with neon hair and bad makeup. you sure are living the high life and documenting it in terrible fashion.

    PLEASE TAKE SOME PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES.