Saturday, December 22, 2007

just a thought

If you try and fail, it is not a failure. Instead you've learned one of life's most valuable of lessons. If you fail to try, then all you have is failure with nothing learned. Your choice!!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

you can't fake passion


I am interested in people who are passionate about something...anything. Passion for your spouse, your career, sports, a favorite college team, photography or your children are all wonderful. True passion cannot be forced or faked. It shows.

My kids go to a wonderful school with wonderful teachers. I was at a holiday program this week with my camera of course. I wandered around the room as the kids ate christmas cookies and laughed and played. I was fortunate to catch this moment between my oldest son and one of his teachers. They were saying goodbye to one another for the holidays. Mrs. Smith grabbed him and hugged him and kissed him. I think this picture illustrates her passion for children and teaching. She has worked at the same preschool for a long time and you wouldn't do that if you weren't passionate about children.

I saw her the next night at another school program and she walked past me in tears. She told me she cried every year at the older children's christmas story. I love seeing this kind of emotion whether it is giving my child a kiss goodbye for the holidays or watching others sing some songs. She is exactly the kind of teacher that I want my children around and I am glad that I had the chance to photograph some great memories. She has passion and it shows.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

angel's from heaven


I had to take this shot during my visit to the Atlanta Children's Shelter. I had taken several shots of this brother and sister throughout the day but when they began to fight it became much more interesting. The boy's name is Angel and the girl's name is Heaven. The irony of the names and the battle that was ensuing before me made me laugh. I was hesitant to get too close as I didn't want to offend the mother but I think this result was satisfactory. I like the focal point on the name tag otherwise the story may have been missed.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

silent night


This is a continuation of my charity shoot at the Atlanta Childrens Shelter. This little boy was a joy to shoot. He had fun with the camera as I followed him around. He thought it was a big game so I played into that. He was walking around with his cookie smiling all the time. His hair, eyes and smile were all electric but it was the shirt that really cracked me up. You see these types of shirts on toddlers all the time but I had not seen this particular one and for some reason it really made me enjoy this little boy.

I took several shots of him as he pranced around me and this one was my favorite. I got all the elements in the frame that I was enjoying at the time. I was trying to keep up with him as he walked around the gymnasium but it was a challenge. I finally decided to lie down on the ground and let him come to me. He was engaged already and me laying down fascinated him even more. He made several passes by me when on the last one I got this shot and it was about what I was looking for. Sometimes to get the shot of children it helps to get on their level. They so infrequently get this perspective so they tend to enjoy it. It definitely is a unique perspective for the photographer and makes for nice compositions.

With this little one I am guessing mom won't get a silent night for christmas this year.

Monday, December 10, 2007

mother and son


This is another shot from the Atlanta Children's Shelter event that I did over the weekend. I cannot tell you how much fun I had doing this event. It was inspirational for my photography and good for my ego in that I was able to give something to people with no expectation for something in return including money. An event like this provides me an opportunity to shoot all kinds of people in a short amount of time and try to capture it in a way that is unique. I think I was able to accomplish this and the feedback I have gotten back has been exceptional.

This shot is not my favorite but the story leaves me with some work to be done and a nice memory. This mother and son came up to me and asked me to take their picture. I said sure and they embraced in a pose. All of the sudden the boy started acting a bit silly and tilted his head to the side. This pose I liked much better. I shot a few and said thank you. The mother asked me where she could pick up her photo. I didn't have a clue what the organization was going to do with my shots if anything. I told her I would find out but unfortunately they do not plan to distribute them to all the attendees.

When I send the disk to the shelter, I am going to include a print of this and hopefully it will find its way to them. If any of the other attendees want a copy of a shot, I hope they will contact me as well.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

i love this shot


I took this yesterday at the University of Dayton's Alumni event for the Atlanta Children's Shelter. This a high school student who volunteered to help with this event. I was working the room trying to make connections with people so I could get some interesting shots. I approached her by saying that I had never seen a pink Santa hat and that I would like to take her picture. She was more than happy to allow me two entire frames. This was the first and the second had her moving away from the camera laughing. I am sure I was saying something witty but it is not coming to me at the moment. I knew I had the first shot so I didn't worry about trying to get some more of her.

I love this shot for a few reasons. Besides her eyes and smile I think the hat provides a nice touch. Her head tilt is so natural and genuine that it adds to the believability of the shot. She is also making a gesture with her hand that is great. I am not sure what she is doing with it but I couldn't have scripted it better. Finally, this event was in a church's gymnasium and it had those awful yellow lights that are so common in gyms. But it also had these great big windows that let in a ton of light. The light I was using is from a window behind me that allowed me a big fat catch light that makes her eyes sparkle.

I think this girl would like to have this shot and I hope I can find a way to get it to her.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

motivation


I haven't taken many pictures lately. In fact, I had not taken one in the month of December. Today I made up for it. I attended a holiday gathering hosted by the University of Dayton Atlanta Alumni at the Atlanta Childrens' Shelter. I was not really familiar with the shelter but a friend asked me if I would come take some pictures of this event. Of course I would.

The shelter provides free day care for homeless families so the parents can try to productively find work or go to work. This event brought the families together to socialize and eat together as a way to celebrate the holiday season. It was thrilling to be able to shoot 300 plus photos of these kids and their families. It made me realize that I really enjoy using my photography in a productive way and if it gives back to others then it is even more fulfilling. I left there thinking that I would like to do more of these events and I am happy to donate my time and effort to great causes like the Atlanta Children's Shelter.

I will probably include several shots from this event over the next few days. I wanted to start with this to show a few things. First, face painting was one of the bigger hits of the day. Kids were lined up trying to get their face painted. I like this shot for the stillness in the boys face and the tender framing of the volunteer's hands. I also like it because I had the ability to use some large windows as my light source in many of my shots including this one. The flash shots are not as pleasing to me in general and I try and avoid it if possible.

I was so glad this event gave me the motivation to get back out and shoot in a productive way.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

the wonderful world of disney


I recently went to Disney World in Orlando. My family and I had a great time and seeing the enjoyment on my kids' faces made the whole trip worthwhile. I found myself walking around with a kid on my shoulders or in my arms most of the time so I didn't get much of chance to take pictures. That is a disappointment because walking around there made me realize what a great spot Disney World is for photography. There are so many things to photograph from children wide-eyed with excitement as the get to the front of the line at Dumbo to the characters in the parade to a father trying to console his child after he drops his ice cream. I think I could spend days trying to capture these priceless moments.

This picture is an example of one of these moments. This child (who I did not know) was so excited watching the parade come by and she reached out when this particular character came over to her. She was giddy with excitement. I didn't get the look on her face but I quite liked this shot of what she was looking at to make her so happy. I grabbed this shot as we were leaving for the day and while it is not a jaw dropper it helps remind me what I like so much about photography and Disney. Both really can make people smile.

Would my kids mind if I go to Disney sometime by myself?

Thursday, November 29, 2007

you know i don't look good in pictures


Some people just do not like having their picture taken and my wife's grandmother is one of them. We were visiting over Thanksgiving and I wanted to get some shots of her and her husband since they are photographed so infrequently. I took some shots of my wife's grandfather and he didn't seem to mind much. I turned the camera to grandma and she gave me this arm wave and said "you know I don't look good in pictures".

That was such a funny phrase to me. I had no idea that she didn't look good in pictures. At 87 I think she looks great all the time so an instant in time should be equally appealing, but she was convinced that I knew it wasn't so. She immediately got up from her chair and went inside far far away from me.

I didn't point my camera at her again for the rest of my visit. She did pose with the entire family as my wife's cousin took a few shots. At least we will have that. The more I think of it I think this photograph captures her spirit quite nicely.

My approach to photographing people is normally to make sure we both are aware I am shooting and give them the opportunity to protest. In some cases we may need to be a bit more discreet.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

what makes me uncomfortable



The very few regular readers (thanks ma!) of my blog will know that I have grown a bit of an attachment towards homeless people I meet while doing street photography.  The reasons for this attraction is still unknown to me but what I hope I am doing through my photography is representing them in an honest but respectful way.  Time will tell whether I can do something meaningful but until then I will keep photographing people that strike me as interesting regardless of where they live.

I met Jack Sparrow in Deland, Florida over the Thanksgiving holiday.  He found me walking the streets trying to find something interesting to shoot.  As I walked by he asked me for a cigarette and I told him I couldn't help him and kept moving along.  I came back by about 15 minutes later and this time he asked me for $2 and change to buy some cigarettes.  A slight change of tack but I still resisted and launched upon my soapbox.  I told him that I would have been more likely to give him a few bucks to get something to drink before I would give him money for cigarettes.

This seemed to get his interest...that is my interest in him made him much more animated.  We talked about me being from Atlanta and being in Deland for the holidays.  He told me where he and his friends found a place to sleep where the cops won't find them.  We had a good conversation for several minutes.  I asked him who popped him in the eye because he had a nice shiner.  He laughed and avoided the topic.  His reluctance was probably his way to say that I can get only so close to his life on the streets but some things are better left alone.  

I told him he could have the $5 that I had in my pocket on two conditions.  First, he can't buy any cigarettes with the money.  Second, he had to let me take his picture so I can get his shiner.  Neither were tough for him to agree to.  I took several shots and thanked him.

As I walked away he called to me to come back.  He had a joke that he wanted to tell me that I really do not remember.  As he told the story he got out of his seat and approached me.  As it went on he reached out and tried to grab both of my arms.  I simply said "man, don't touch me".  I had encouraged him to befriend me in a way by talking openly with him and when he did it became too much.  That is a bit disappointing to me.  I hope he remembered me positively as he enjoyed every one of those marlboros.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

technology, photography and competition


I attended a presentation by Hasselblad where they were talking about their newest H3DII DSLR system. I wanted to go because I love using Hasselblad equipment and I dream of having one with digital capabilities. Is there a value proposition by having this technology when the 35mm leaders have done an amazing job of innovating with their technology? I cannot possibly answer this question. The thing I think I really came away with is the medium format camera may be a way for the professional photographer to differentiate himself in a very crowded field.

Medium format is an expensive proposition when you are talking digital. A new Hasselblad system can cost $30,000 for top of the line stuff. This is a huge barrier to entry for the photographer trying to make a living. Is it worth it? I am convinced that medium format does have its advantages...bigger pixels and bigger sensors. Today more and more people are walking around with digital SLRs so showing up to a job with a camera that can't be confused with your grandmother's camera is probably another advantage.

Phenomenal pictures are a must in the world of professional photography and any camera can give you the opportunity to create them. But if you can gain an edge by having top notch equipment that tells your client that you are serious I can only imagine that increases their confidence in your abilities. Finding an advantage is key in a competitive world and Hasselblad believes they give it to you.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

environmental portraits


I introduced Kristin on these pages a few days ago. She asked me to take a picture of her to give to her parents for Christmas. I wanted to share the results of that shoot.
We agreed that we wanted to do a shot of her with some scenery in the background to give it context of being in Atlanta. We went to Centennial Olympic Park because I thought there would be a lot of locations that we could make a nice portrait. The weather was cooperative but it became much cloudier as we went along making getting good lighting a bit more difficult. I would have preferred to have some additional lighting with me but I did not.


We found a spot in the grass that had CNN in the background along with some wonderfully colored trees and we thought this would be a nice environmental location. This is not my favorite shot of the day, but I think it does demonstrate how a good environment can make a portrait much more interesting.


Environmental portraits are a personal favorite of mine for this reason. Having a tight shot with nice light or colors as a background is good but placing a subject in a lively environment that adds to the story is personally more rewarding. I do find it much more challenging as well.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

lead with a gift

I wrote an entry about a chess master that I met in downtown Atlanta a couple months ago.  I wanted to go back and find him so I could give him a print of one of the shots I took.  I ended up printing four of them and taking them all.

As I approached the place where these guys play chess I saw him instantly.  He was standing and watching the games that were being played.  I entered his conversation by saying "excuse me".  He turned and seemed a bit irritated that I asked for a moment of his time.  I told him I took a few pictures of him a while back and I wanted to give him a few prints.  He instantly warmed up and obviously recalled our last interaction.  I pulled them out one by one and he reacted positively to each one.  After the third photo he said how come you didn't get my face and I pulled out this one.  He said, "now we're talkin'"  This one was clearly his favorite.

We talked for a while and I was able to learn more about this man whose name I still don't know.  We talked about politics, religion, chess, and eduction to name a few topics we covered.  At one point someone was taking pictures of the group from a distance.  He reacted to it and turned his back toward him.  I pressed him about this and he said he did 20 years (original sentence was life plus 20) because of a camera.  This was ironic to me.  I gave this man a few dollars and he let me take his picture without any knowledge of my intentions while he had a deep understandable resentment towards cameras.  The other thing that struck me as funny was that he clearly committed a crime worthy of a serious sentence.

Originally I had wanted to take some more pictures of this chess master, but I decided that I wouldn't ask this time.  I gave a gift to him and asked nothing in return.  I think next time I see him at the park playing chess I will be welcomed.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

intuition


I took this shot a couple months ago. I was walking with some friends through a park in Savannah where we came upon a party that was being thrown for a woman's birthday. I did not feel compelled to shoot much of the people at the party, but did manage a few. It was strange to me that I did not have the energy for people that I had earlier in the day. I think the reason for that was due to the energy that was being created by my friend Gordon and the birthday girl. I was unaware of their connection at the time but I am sure it was the reason for me being a bit on the outside looking in. I encourage you to read Gordon's story because the synchronicities are eerie. Like Gordon says Savannah is an odd place.

I found myself taking pictures of the ice sculpture and the tea lights that were hanging from the tree. In particular these tea lights were pretty interesting to me. I took a few shots and this one was one of my favorites because of the impact the depth of field makes in this image. The first light is rather clear considering the high ISO. The second light is just a light source and you cannot make out the glass. The third and fourth lights begins to fade away but are still present. I enjoy examining these transitions. If there were even more lights hanging the effect could have been even more pronounced.

The composition of this shot is quite intentional. Some may not like the fact that I cut the closest light right down the middle. I considered cropping it out but I thought that the scene lost its grounding. No reference for the viewer. Some may actually prefer the lack of grounding but I didn't. What I failed to do is to include the entire light. I do not have any shots of that. I am not sure that I would have liked that any better but if I shot it then I would have been given a choice. I do this a lot as I tend to trust my intuition for a shot and move on. I like to rely on my intuition in my photography because I believe that intuition relies on energy and can often be the best guide. That being said, nothing prevents me from shooting intuitively then shooting analytically, but my first shots are usually my favorites.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

kristin


I have not posted in a few days and had been sporadic for a while before that. I am not really sure why this is but I was thinking about the fact that the level of discontent in the equity markets has been significant. I tend to bring my work home and it can certainly affect my creativity as well as other things in my life. I find this ironic to a certain extent because isn't that why we amateurs puruse photography or other hobbies in our personal life? Absolutely!!! I need to take more pictures when the market is declining not less.

Tonight I had the opportunity to take a few pictures and I had a good time doing it. This is Kristin. She has asked me to take her picture as a gift to her mother for Christmas. I have only known her for about a week so I am still trying to figure out her looks and how best to photograph her. This picture is not part of the shoot that we are planning but I wanted to post a picture of her so you can get an idea of what I have to work with.

Kristin is from Sweden so you might possibly conclude that in addition to her blonde hair she has blue eyes. I want to capture this in the shots we take so color is a must for the closer shots. Being here in the US temporarily and her mother in Sweden makes me want to capture part of her temporary surrounding. I thought we would go downtown to Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta and take some shots with the park, fountains, and buildings as a backdrop. I see the pictues that I want to take and will hopefully be able to execute them consistent with this vision but certainly everything will not go as planned (my recent Christmas card shoot of my kids is a friendly reminder of that....we will try again this weekend).

What I am hoping to accomplish is to create a few shots that make her say "Wow". The pictures that I took of Kristin along with others I have seen of her exhibit a similar look. Very pretty, very consistent, but very much the same. I hope that wow comes because we caught her in a way that she has never seen before. I will update you on what happens and post a result or two.

I am working harder on previsualizing my shots. I think it helps the creative process as well as make the shoot more efficient. When situations do not go your way there are times you need to abandon these preconceived ideas but for the most part I think it helps the process.

Friday, November 9, 2007

what have I created?


I was killing some time with my oldest son and I wanted to go outside and take some pictures. At 3 1/2 years old he wasn't really that interested in my idea so I had to come up with plan b. I pulled out my Canon Powershot and offered to show him how to use it. That got him going and 202 pictures later I think I created a budding photographer.

He created some cool abstracts, interesting portraits and documented some things that I would have never thought to shoot. Most interesting to me was a project that he thought of himself. He took a picture of our mailbox then turned to me and told me that he wanted to take a picture of all of his friends mailboxes. So, we walked up and down the street and took pictures of many of the mailboxes on our street. His compositions were pretty good and I offered no help along the way. He was pleased with the results and so was I.

Photographers are often best served if they approach their photography with a project in mind. It helps the creative process and keeps you focused. I am certain I am making too much of his decision to approach his photography as a project. I hope the creative process comes easy to him and his brother. It will be a major advantage over their old dad. Only time will tell, but my son reminded me that I need to work on more projects with my photography.

He dropped my camera only a couple times. Now the memory card door isn't closing but it is still working fine. I have already decided this camera is gone and it will be inoperable by the time he tires of it, but that is fine. If he can keep teaching me to be a better photographer it is worth it.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

if a photograph were a movie


Sometimes it wouldn't work. But this scene as a point in time works for me because it looks like this little girl posed for me to show off her Halloween costume. Nothing could be further from the truth. As soon as I pressed the shutter she ran away and I didn't see her the rest of the night. I love the tilt of her head as if to show off her tarheel. Her deep blue eyes and blonde hair are so nice against the green background. It looks like I had a plan.

Photography is wonderful in its ability to stop time. In this particular case stopping time was necessary to tell an interesting story. At other times, stopping time with a photograph can increase the impact to the viewer by creating an emotional reaction that a movie may not be able to convey. My attraction to photography is that it is a different way to view the world. Our eyes only see constant motion and cannot process one frame at a time. In essence, a photograph allows us to slow down and enjoy details that are often overlooked in our nonstop world.

Monday, November 5, 2007

what do you shoot?


I went to Tybee Island to shoot a sunrise with some other photographers. When we arrived we set up our tripods and got ready for that first light. I shot for a while but soon found myself wanting to shoot the other photographers that I was with. I had spent the better part of 5 days shooting people and realizing how much I enjoyed that interaction. So, I went up to my friends and began shooting. I tried to stay out of their way because most were interested in shooting the sunrise.

I found Harry with Nick in the background working some of the waves as they arrived on shore. I enjoy this shot because it shows Harry working very intently with his shutter release in hand. I am not sure whether Harry even knew I was doing this, but at this point I am sure he wouldn't have been surprised that someone was pointing a camera at him. At this workshop we spent together we shot each other so frequently it became comfortable and expected.

I wanted to show this shot because I was talking with a friend about what we like to shoot. My friend said he is becoming more interested in shooting people and less interested in traditional landscapes. We both agreed that shooting people in beautiful landscapes is a great idea. I think this shot meets this description and will be a souce of future projects for me when the opportunity presents itself.

If we take what we like to shoot a little bit further I am intrigued by what your favorite project would be if you could shoot anything? Would it be shooting landscapes in Tibet, a celebrity event in Hollywood, or a big time commercial shoot? For me I would enjoy shooting Scarlett Johansson for a day (nothing wrong with dreaming big). I am interested in documentary style photography so this project would not be a stylistic photo shoot in a studio setting. Instead it would allow me to shoot her naturally in a natural setting hopefully conveying her personality. I definitely appreciate some of the masterful shots of people like Scarlett Johansson in studio, but I believe that many fall short of capturing the true personality because they appear too staged.

This idea came to me while looking at a photo of Robert Redford at his home in Utah. He was leaning back in a chair that appeared to be set up on a wall overlooking his glorious view. The shot attempted to look normal and laid back, but the chair looked awkward in its location. This photographer might have only had a few minutes with Mr. Redford and did what he could but imagine what he could have done with an entire day. That is interesting to me.

If anyone can put in a good word with Scarlett I would apprciate it. What would your dream day in photography look like?

Sunday, November 4, 2007

congratulations brent

I wish that I had a picture for this post but unfortunately I do not. Brent Lorenzen and I went to high school together and swam together. We got back in touch with one another and competed in our first Ironman together. Brent is an incredible athlete and always has been one of the hardest working guys I know. He manages to race as a professional triathlete despite the fact that he is a full time medical school student. That in itself amazes me.

Brent raced at Ironman Florida yesterday and had a great day until the last 10k of the marathon where he says he blew up. He finished 12th overall with a time of 8:43. It is hard to comprehend how good this is if you are not familiar with the sport. He swam 2.4 miles in 50 minutes, then rode 112 miles at 24 MPH, then topped it off with a 3:04 marathon (7 minute pace). These numbers are hard for me to comprehend and I have raced Ironman. I wish I could run a 3:04 marathon on fresh legs but never in an Ironman.

The most impressive part of Brent's race was that he suffered a bout of shingles just weeks before the race. He wasn't planning on racing and then he began to feel better so he decided to give it a shot. I am sure he is glad he did.

Brent is an inspiration. He is pursuing his dreams and that is admirable. Congratulations Brent and best of luck in Australia in 4 weeks!!!

Racing Ironman is a life altering experience....for me it is just a matter of time before I get back.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

the self portrait


I have been taking more and more pictures of myself. Being a photographer I am normally the one taking pictures of others and tend to be left out of pictures. An occasional self-portrait is a good way to document that I was here. One advantage of the self-portrait is that I can control what I look like.

I am constantly looking for ways to get a self-portrait. In this image I simply noticed a mirror on the ceiling of an elevator at a museum that I took my sons to. I cannot say that this is a fantastic photograph. It may have been a bit better if my youngest son had been looking up, but that was a difficult request. I think the self-portrait is more than capturing an image of yourself. I think that the process of taking the self-portrait is more important. Taking pictures of someone requires a level of trust and understanding. Many people are not very comfortable with a camera pointing at them and the self-portrait process helps me remember what I am putting others through. I believe that it helps me be a better photographer.

Friday, November 2, 2007

chess master


I took this shot in downtown Atlanta. Street photography has opened up my eyes to the world around me and encouraged me to continue to explore in different ways. I have thought about approaching these men who play chess in a park so this day I thought I would see what it was all about.

I was fortunate enough to meet a chess master of the streets. In this case there were about 10 guys sitting around playing chess. I asked someone if they minded if I shot while they played. They did. Another gentleman was standing by watching and said "you can't expect to take pictures for free". He was convinced I was making money despite my insistence. I said what does it take and apparently $10 was the number. I told him no thanks.

We continued to chat for a while. He was homeless and been playing chess in this spot for about 10 years. I was a bit surprised he was homeless, but I felt it wasn't something he thought I should feel bad about. He said he liked the freedom of living in the streets. I had to take this guys picture, so I offered $5 and he agreed. He wanted the shot while he was playing on his board. I was fine with that. He sat down and this is what I got. I shot for several minutes until he said "that's a lot of pictures for $5". I told him I was done and thanked him. He took me for $6. Check mate!!!

I am planning on going out this weeked to do some street shots and I am going to go back to this park to see if I can find this chess master. I want to take him a print of this picture and thank him for allowing me to get some shots that made an memorable impact on me. Who knows what else I might find.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

the witches of wildwood





Halloween 2007 was a smashing success. My kids had a great time. My oldest son ran from house to house looking for treats until his legs gave out and needed to be carried home. My younger son went with the flow as he is known to do. For the past several years my mom, wife, sister and aunt meet at my house coming from as far as Seattle to dress for the Halloween festivities. This year they were witches. Witches seemed a good choice for them and I will leave it at that.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

ways to avoid dancing with the stars


My sister and her boyfriend (mildly acceptable by the way) are from Seattle and have been staying with us for a few days. Last night after I got my kids to bed I came downstairs and was waiting for my wife’s arrival from a business trip. I came down and found my sister and boyfriend squatting on MY couch with MY remote control in hand. This is the same way I found them the previous two nights as well. I shook it off and was checking email on my laptop when my sister said “Dancing with the Stars is on at 9pm tonight”. Oh yippee, you mean I get to watch it two nights in a row? What a treat and it isn’t even Halloween.

So, I shifted to Plan B. I said “Hey, do you guys want me to take your picture in my studio?” Traci jumped at the opportunity and I was feeling relieved that we might avoid having to watch that show. We decided rather than setting up lighting against a backdrop that we would try and use some natural backgrounds in my house. I set up lights in several places and got different colored backgrounds from the walls as well as a blanket that was on the couch. We found some interesting shots.

This was one of my favorites that they liked as well. I was trying to get some tight shots that expressed emotion as well as being relaxed. Surprisingly, Traci and Steve were both pretty relaxed and for a good portion of the shoot and they interacted as if I weren’t there. Those make for great photographs. This shot would be one that I might suggest to someone, but this just happened and it worked better than if I suggested it.

It is a bit of a tragedy that I do not know who got kicked off Dancing with the Stars last night. If it were up to me I would have voted all the celebrities (if you can call them that) off and kept the pros. Glad Traci and Steve had it taped back home and wanted to take some pictures.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

one last picture before i go


This was the last frame I took in South Africa. This was moments after I took the shot from yesterday. I turned to leave the beach and meet up with my wife and I saw the mountains in the background lit with wonderful light. The mountain in this picture is a side view of Table Mountain which is normally seen from a much different and impressive angle.

I was walking toward this man and saw him standing there watching the sunset. I noticed the same light on the mountains was illuminating his face and I wanted to capture it. By looking at this picture one might conclude that I stole this shot without him knowing but where would be the fun in that? I walked up to him and simply asked him if I could take his picture. He quickly responded with "Sure, what do you want me to do?" I told him to go back to doing what he was doing before I came up to him. He took this pose and ignored me totally while I snapped a few frames. He asked to see the picture and I showed him and he laughed and said thanks. I thanked him as well, slapped him on the shoulder, and kept moving along.

This interaction probably lasted 30 seconds but it was much more fulfilling than if I hadn't talked to him at all. If I hadn't talked to him, I would have had no story behind it and the picture would have much less meaning to me. As I walked away, I thought it was so strange that I felt compelled to slap him on the shoulder as if we were good friends. I think it illustrates how quickly we can make a connection with another person if we are open to it which I am learning to do with much more frequency.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

the sun also rises


So my beloved Florida Gators lost to Georgia tonight. We have owned Georgia over the past 18 years winning 15 of 18 matchups. That isn't a bad record but I still hate losing. You can say I am a tad competitive. I yell at the TV, second guess the coaches and throw things when the game doesn't go may way. Watching the game today involved all three of those bright spots in my character. As soon as it is over I get over it quickly but how I dread going to work on Monday. Why we treat the success of our favorite sport teams as an extension of our own persona is a topic for another day.

Instead, I have two more shots from South Africa that I planned to talk about. This is the first of the two. I was thinking about what I wanted to tell viewer about this shot and thought I had it all figured out. This shot came on my last evening in South Africa. My wife and I went to Camps Bay to watch the sunset then have dinner at a restaurant called Paranga (excellent by the way but make sure you wait for a table outside). I took a few sunset shots in a more traditional way, but this one was more interesting to me. In particular I enjoyed the colors, the movement and the sun moving straight along the horizon.

After Florida lost, this photograph became representative of our season this year. Our team is beautiful in that we have wonderful athletes, but we are as shaky as this technique I used to capture this sunset. Our defense lost 9 of 11 starters last year and that is hard to replace. They are young and it shows. The sun so very close to disappearing beyond the horizon reminds me that Gator fans likely said goodbye to the SEC championships (but you never know in the SEC).

I will be over this tomorrow and will look at this picture as a pretty picture again. The great thing about every sunset is that tomorrow brings a sunrise and the Gators will be back.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

the end of the road


I have always been goal oriented. If there wasn't a goal I had a hard time getting motivated. I consider myself to be a pretty good athlete. I love to exercise but I don't exercise for the same reasons most people do. It is not about being healthy. It is about the next goal I can achieve. If there isn't a goal, then exercise is harder for me to embrace. I am in no way condoning this type of behavior rather than trying to explain myself before taking you on a jouney up Lion's Head in Cape Town.

My wife, two friends and I went for a hike up Lion's Head. I suggested the taxi driver drop us off at a trail head and I really wasn't sure where it was going to take us. We had a limited amount of time for this hike so we needed to get going. We walked for a while and kept traveling around the base of the stone cliffs. We had a wonderful view of Cape Town and the ocean but I wanted to make our way over to the point where we could see Camps Bay. So we kept walking. Just about the time we needed to turn around we reached a point on the trail that gave us this view. It was beautiful. I was relieved to have taken our group to a wonderful point where we could enjoy the view as well as take a few pictures of each other.

One of the things that photography has encouraged me to do is to enjoy where I am at the moment. If we do not enjoy the current moment then we will never enjoy much at all. I should have remembered this on the hike and just enjoyed the journey, the view, and the conversation while not worrying so much about getting somewhere. We were somewhere and could have turned back anywhere and had a wonderful time.

Note: For those keeping score and remember an earlier post, this vacation took its toll. I gained four pounds while I was gone. No exercise and great South African food and wine didn't help.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

remember rule #6


There is a wonderful book called The Art of Possibility by Benjamin and Rosamund Zander. They tell a great story that involves Rule #6 that makes the book worth reading for that insight alone, but in essence Rule # 6 is about not taking yourself so seriously. Several people have asked me about my blog and the focus on people who are less fortunate. The poor and the homeless are serious topics but not one that I have highlighted intentionally. I think I am drawn to people in general and more specifically people who have an interesting story whether that is a homeless man playing chess or a rich executive stepping out of a limo. A man living on the street is someone that has different experiences than I do so therefore is interesting to me. I have compassion for these people and want a better life for them (if that is what they want) but I am not doing anything other than trying to highlight their story with respect and compassion. If it helps them that makes me happy, but I doubt I am experiencing a higher calling..although you never know.

So, what does this have to do with Rule #6? I do not want my blog to be too heavy so today is about not taking myself so damn seriously. What better way to lighten up than with a kid and a snow cone? Hopefully you find this light and refreshing just like this snow cone.

Monday, October 22, 2007

shanty town


It does not take long when exploring Cape Town to find very beautfiful homes with spectacular views. It takes even less time to find many shanty towns where less fortunate South Africans are found living all over Cape Town. These towns are an uncomfortable reminder for an outsider that this country is not very far removed from apartheid where racial segregation was the norm. A shanty town is where people live, work, get their haircut, and socialize. The people live in makeshift houses made of various materials. Many of the homes have dirt floors with no electricity. I was drawn to these and wanted to experience one first hand. I was told that it was not a good idea because it was unsafe. A tour was suggested but I did not think I would have a good experience.

This particular picture was taken near Hout Bay where I spent most of one afternoon. I asked my cab driver if he would drive me through since he suggested a walking tour was not such a good idea. He seemed a bit reluctant but did agree. This paticular town did have electricity as I noticed the electric wires running through the town. I found a barber shop that was big enough for one chair that had a customer as I passed by. I asked the cab driver to back up and took a few shots of the barber and his customer. As I took one, a young boy on his way home from school jumped in front of me and wanted his picture taken. Of course I obliged and found his presence a better photograph than the barber.

The people I saw were just like any of us. The only difference is that they were just poor. As I drove around with my windows down and expensive camera equipment sticking out I never felt that I was doing something I shouldn't. It was quite the opposite. People I passed on the streets looked me in the eye and smiled or nodded their head as if to say hello to an obvious outsider. It was comforting and I appreciated their making me feel welcome.

Many people believe that their is a growing chasm between the rich and the poor in the US. I am unconvinced about it growing larger but I am convinced that we have many people living here in conditions not far removed from these shanty towns. In South Africa, these shanty towns draw attention despite government's attempt to hide them. This may help these people as the world turns its eyes towards South Africa in 2010 for the soccer World Cup. We could use the same attention to our poor here in the US.

lobster ladies


I came across these ladies while I was exploring Hout Bay, South Africa. I was wandering around the waterfront taking some pictures of various things when I spotted these women sitting on a rusty trailer enjoying the sunshine. As I walked towards them the lady on the far left said that I could take their picture. I seized that opportunity right away.

There are faults one can find with this picture but it is one of my favorites from my trip. This was taken around 1pm when the sun was high in the sky. I considered moving them to an area where I could get better light on them, but that in my opinion would have taken away from the image. I did not move them at all because their positioning was an interesting aspect of the shot. These women were sitting exactly like this picture shows. Same arrangement. There were two small steps on the trailer with no other seating anywhere around. So, they huddled on the steps and enjoyed their break in the sun.

After taking a couple shots, I asked them where they worked. They pointed to a lobster packaging company that exports all over the world. The woman that told me I could photograph them asked how they could get their picture. None of us had anything to write with and they were late getting back from their break. I am looking for the address of the company and will send them a copy if I find it.

This is one of my favorite pictures from my trip because they were open to me as a photographer and something told them that I would welcome the opportunity to photograph them. I have become a big believer in that if I am open and accepting then I will be rewarded and in this case I was. I met several nice ladies, learned a little bit about the lobster business, and got to take a picture of them and that experience. I could have made a more technically pleasing picture for others to enjoy, but this was just right for me.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

the green market meets its match


The Green Market is a small market in Cape Town where locals sell African crafts to tourists. When you arrive in the Green Market you know you are in for an experience. I spent a good deal of time there talking with the vendors but not really buying anything much to their dismay. I went later with my wife and her friend Michelle who both managed to do some damage in a short amount of time.

This is one of my favorite pictures from my whole trip. Michelle is from Brooklyn and she is Italian. That combination means she is not going to take any crap from anyone and it made her very dangerous in the market. Michelle is one of my favorite people that I have met in some time. Her enthusiasm and passion is always evident when you are around her and it becomes contagious. She embraced the Green Market experience. This particular shot was taken at the fifth place she bought something at and tells a great story.

Vendors are extremely aggressive in their approach to you. They are instantly offering a "great price" and beginning the negotiation process. Michelle diffused this by complimenting this man on his painting of a zebra. That got him off track and was the beginning of the end for this guy. The negotiation lasted for several minutes and I began shooting as they got close to a deal. In this picture she had him on the ropes and it showed in his expression.

We had fun at the Green Market and Michelle was a big part of that. I think the Green Market will be wary of a Brooklyn accent in the future.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

south african dancers




Sunday night I went to the waterfront in Cape Town to get some dinner and watch the South Africa vs. Argentina rugby match. I came along these women who were performing a dance on the streets. This is nothing unusual down on the waterfront. I found many interesting musicians while I have been here that I will post on my website.

These women were entertaining for a few reasons. There were only three of seven of them that were actually dancing and singing. The other four were sitting behind them. When one song ended I was surprised that none of them spoke English. I had asked them what the song was about. I tried in many different ways to communicate my question including the "so often american used version of speaking slowly" because maybe that would help. Nothing did so I was left to wonder.

When the next song began, I gave them 10 Rand which seems to be the going rate and began taking some pictures. This first woman gave me some great looks. I was shooting in ambient light and it was getting dark so getting her still was tough. She seemed to love the attention. The second woman was very serious and concentrated on her music which I definitely appreciated.

This last woman tried the hardest to speak with me and this picture makes this series. As I said, only three women were dancing and four women were sitting. In this last picture you can see why. They didn't speak English but they understood The Colonel and KFC. Some things just don't need a translation. These were great women, very entertaining, and just working hard for a living like anyone else.

the boulders


After we left Cape Point we took a drive over to The Boulders which overlooks False Bay. The primary attraction besides the sheer beauty of False Bay is an African Penguin colony that lives on the beaches at Boulders. I am told that the colony living there is over 3,000 which began as two in 1982. We were able to get very close to the penguins because there is a boardwalk that traverses the beach and the penguins come right up to it. I shot this following shot above a penguin who had walked very close to the boardwalk and used my 200mm lens to get even closer. I like the patterns of black and white in the animal as well as the fur hanging from his beak.


This last shot is a rock not far into the bay called Noah's Ark. Again using my 200mm I got as close as I could and found that there were a couple penguins sitting on top enjoying the day.


It is hard to argue that Cape Town and the surrounding areas are one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Monday, October 15, 2007

from the bottom of the earth


It seems funny to me that I traveled all the way to Cape Point on the southernmost tip of Africa and ended up taking portraits of people. Nevermind the fact that the place is one of the most beautiful on earth and should be photographed for its beauty but I was drawn to this guy with his flag. The night before England played France in the Rugby World Cup and England won so he was celebrating. Rugby is a really big deal in South Africa and throughout much of the world (South Africa advanced to the finals the next night...that was crazy).

I saw this man pull out his flag and his friends began taking his picture so I wanted to do that as well. I went over to him and simply asked if I could take his picture and he was happy to oblige. You can see from the picture that the weather was not great. It was raining and I am certain he wanted to go get dry. In any event, he gave me one quick pose then made this face that said "Yeah, we won!!!" I took two shots.

The weather was a bit of a disappointment, but I did manage a few landscapes shots that I liked and have included one here. In my opinion, the rugby fan is far more interesting.

Friday, October 12, 2007

shelter


Street photography has really grabbed my attention. I love the idea of meeting people who I wouldn't ordinarily meet and talking with them about random thoughts, ideas or experiences. I have recently talked about some positive experiences that I have had with people I met on the streets. This photograph illustrates something exactly the opposite. I titled this entry "shelter" because this is a photograph of a man's home. It is simply a cardboard box underneath him and another box wrapped around him. Hardly a shelter in most people's view. I never spoke with this person nor saw their face.

Unlike the many positive experiences I have had seeing this person made me very sad. I do not want anyone to have to live like this and I hope this picture encourages others to think about the many people who don't have a home. It made me think about charitable giving and I am not talking about the tax deductible type. This man like so many could have used the $5 that I had in my pocket much more than I could have. I should have left it for him but I didn't. I hope someone came across him later in the day and had a wonderful experience or story. Perhaps he is as happy as Tex and seemingly content with his life on the street, but this photograph makes me fear otherwise.

Next time a "bum" approaches me for money I am going to remember this shot and remember I need not make assumptions because they can quite likely be wrong.

This is the last post from NYC for a while. This post is a bit heavy for me and I want to focus on something more inspiring. Hopefully I can do that in the coming days.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

ron and his cats


I met Ron in NYC. When I first walked up to Ron and his cart of cats I felt bad for the cats. I wondered why he had cats. Taking care of himself on the streets is hard enough. With cats it must have been even harder. Because of my sympathy for his four legged friends I handed him $5 and told him to take care of them. Then I began to talk to him. I was amazed with all that was going on around him that the cats just layed there. They were tied up to the cart but had the ability to jump down. Ron's cart had a litter box as well as food and water, so I knew he cared for the animals.

I shot a few shots of the cats as we talked. It turns out that Ron lives in New Jersey where he has a house. Around that house is a big tom cat that is creating a problem of more cats left wild on the street. Despite numerous attempts no one can catch this prolific tom cat and prevent him from reproducing. Ron estimated that he had 70 cats that he has given away over the years. Ron was looking for a good home for the gray cat. He assured me that all his cats have had their shots. The yellow cat was his and had been with him "for a while".

I doubt Ron had a job but I was glad to hear he had a home and a wife and 6 cats. He was a nice man and was grateful for the money I gave him. I began to think about the assumptions we make without knowing all the facts. I am sure it benefits Ron if people assume he is homeless, but it is an inaccurate conclusion. Ron may be jobless but he is not homeless. He was just on the streets of NYC looking for a good home for his cats.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

5 bucks if you go take her picture


I was having dinner one evening with 11 of my newest closest friends down in Savannah when a friend challenged me to go take this woman's picture. Feeling up for the challenge I agreed and walked up to two ladies. I led with my ring finger because I didn't want them to get their hopes up (or did I have my hand in my pocket?). Well that is irrelevant.

I approached and started talking. I used my friend as an excuse and said that he wanted me to take her picture. She replied politely, "Thank you for asking sir, but no thank you". Two rejections...she said no and she called me sir in the process. Nonplussed, I was unrelenting. I begged her, pleaded with her, and threatened to make a scene. When she told me that I should take her friends picture instead because she was prettier. I replied that was nonsense and my friend at the table only liked brunettes (although I do not think that is true).

Finally, she agreed and I took this shot. I really like it because she was a very sweet girl and said none of the things I attributed to her except the part about her friend. That comment stuck with me from this interaction because it suggested a lack of confidence by someone who should have plenty. Hopefully my wanting to take her picture made a difference.


Since I was on a roll, I asked her friend for a picture as well. She was indeed very pretty but her friend had all the personality.

I am not sure that the title of this entry was the offer on the table, but I do know that I never collected.

Monday, October 8, 2007

177


I weighed in at 177 today. This is not a record but it is uncomfortably high. I mark this date because this was the day that I began (er, uh was to begin) training for a February marathon in earnest. I have not been exercising the way that I should and I needed to do something to get motivated. Marathon training is a good way for me to get going. I tried to get the spousal authorization for a 2008 Ironman but to no avail. I will have to wait for a while longer until I make my Ironman comeback.

So, I am 177 today and hopefully by race day I will be under 165. We shall see how this goes and I will keep you abreast of my progress. How did my run go today? Didn't happen. Slow start.

Friday, October 5, 2007

tex


Tex is from Dallas but now lives in NYC. I was changing lenses on the steps of a church and Tex walked up to a woman sitting not to far from me. They began to talk and I found them both interesting, so I asked if I could take their picture while they talked. Ann didn't want her picture taken but Tex was more than willing for a few dollars. I happily obliged and even offered Ann a couple dollars. She declined but Tex said that he would accept hers.

Before I began shooting we talked for a bit. Tex asked me where I was from and I told him Atlanta. We discussed living in Atlanta and how the Braves are making a mistake by getting rid of Andrew Jones (his opinion). We moved to other areas of baseball and then we started talking about living in NYC and being homeless. We talked about my job dealing with money and Tex said he was going to help a vendor move their cart later that day. When I asked about getting some money for that he said that this vendor always took care of him. Ann asked me where I was staying and I told her the Waldorf Astoria which was right next to the church. Tex said they had a big UN convention there last week and you couldn't even get near it. I told them that some of the dignitaries were still around and I told them Angelina Jolie walked right by me as I sat in the lobby (major eye contact by the way). Angelina Jolie is a UN Goodwill Ambassador and I have to believe that is why she was there this week. Ann said that at least it wasn't Britney Spears which I agreed with.

When someone saw this picture of Tex, she asked don't I feel sorry for homeless people that I see on the street. Of course I feel compassion, but talking with Tex and Ann I felt that being homeless wasn't the worst thing in the world. Their knowledge of current events from sports to politics to entertainment suggested to me that they are living life on their terms. There was no sadness or sorrow to be felt. I met two nice people on the streets of NYC who just so happened to not have a home. I was fortunate to be allowed to take a picture of one of them.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

step on a crack....


We all know how that one goes, but I was thinking about a close relative to superstitions which is luck. Sometimes I think there is something to the saying "it is better to be lucky rather than good".

This photograph reminds me of luck. I took this yesterday while I was in NYC. I followed this guy for a couple blocks and was drawn to his green velvet shoes. To me if luck were a color it would be green (the irish in me) so that worked for me. I also got lucky with the composition. We were both walking and I really didn't have a chance to compose the shot. I took two frames and this appeared. His well timed step on the crack was a nice moment. Also, I like the different colors in the sidewalk. I wished I had two identical trangles in the sidewalks but I wasn't that lucky.

I am really not that superstitious but I am a big believer in luck. I hope it finds me often.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

project stephanie


My wife and I were in NYC for a few days and I decided that I was going to take on a project that was going to require her participation. In fact, she was going to be the star. Oftentimes, when I have my camera out she tries to stay out of the frame so in NYC she would have no excuse. Project Stephanie was to obtain 20 different portraits of her in different locations around the city. I haven't counted yet but I think I got my requirement.

This shot was on our first night in the city and we were walking to dinner where we had a reservation at a place called Tao. Tao was great and the vibe was loud and cool. The food and service were excellent. Anyway, this shot was while we were both walking and I like it becuase the shot shows movement. We were laughing and talking as we walked along and I grabbed this shot as we walked by a store that lit her face.

NYC is a fascinating city and I am glad it gave me the opportunity to focus on my wife. She is beautiful and wonderful and somewhat tolerant of my photography.

Monday, October 1, 2007

just play


I think it is important for me to not take my photography too seriously. When I get too into something it tends to be a bit destructive in that it becomes an obsession. So, I have been playing a lot lately. You can see it in some of my impromptu portraits that I talked about recently. I think this play can actually provide some creative inspiration. I have seen some wonderful photographs by others that were the result of experimenting with their camera. You never know what is going to be recorded until you try it.

I took this photograph the other day while being pursued by five kids in my front yard. Kids are amazing creatures. So free to do what comes naturally without inhibitions. They could be occupied for hours by a game of chase if the energy remained high enough. To many of us adults it seems like a silly game. What is the point? What is the endgame? There is no endgame. The process of the chase is the point because it is fun to act crazy and laugh and fall. What a reminder. I had my camera in my hands during this game and shot as often as I could getting very little sharp and often very little in the frame except some beautiful colored grass.

On one pass by my 17 month old son I captured this from above. I like this shot because it is an unusual composition for a portrait although I see from this vantage point quite often. I also like it because I was able to capture the fact that at 17 months old he still has quite a bit of baby hair left. I call it old man hair because it is thin and scraggly. My processing emphasized this making him look like he is actually balding with a crown on top. It is a fun shot for me. My wife asked me why I put this shot on my website. My reply, "I was just playin'."

Have fun!!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

impromptu portraits


I have been taking a lot of impromptu portraits this week. I do this quite a bit with my kids but this week I decided that I was going to take my camera outside when they were playing with their friends. I have been hesitant to do this because I felt like it might be an intrusion on the kids or their parents. I asked one parent how she felt about her appearance yesterday and as soon as the question was out of my mouth she she began to run for her house. So perhaps the kids would be more receptive and they were.

LIfe as a kid is good. Not much to worry about and not enough experiences to have developed inhibitions. One little girl kept coming up to me and putting herself in front of the camera. She posed without my pleading giving me poses that I could not have instructed. Her sister on the other hand was a bit more cautious, but by the end of the evening she too was placing herself in front the of the camera. She gave me my favorite portrait of the week. Another little boy would pose for a picture then want to see it on my camera. He did it over and over. He speaks in the third person which makes the experience more precious. The parents are next. I will ask them to act like their kids and see if I can create some magic.

My interest in impromptu portraits is that all you need is interesting light and a willing subject to make a great portrait. Often when people or kids are relaxed is when you can get the most wonderful expressions.