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.

hands

Note: The picture that was displayed here was removed to respect the parents request for privacy. It is unfortunate that in this day and age that we feel we need to be so careful.

I shot this portrait in my front yard this evening. This boy lives across the street and he was playing with several of the younger kids in my neighborhood including my two sons. During a quick break in the action he gave me a quick pose so I could snap this picture. I like the portrait a lot, but I think what makes it have so much more impact is his mother's hands. As he looked up at me she instinctively grabbed his hair. To me the hands say so much about her feelings of love and caring for her son. His expression is tremendously genuine and show his comfort by his mother's love. I chose this particular treatment because I was able to make the hands stand out as much as the boy's face and that was important to me in my interpretation.

Earlier today these very same hands were busy caring for my oldest son. I received a call from his preschool saying that he had been hurt on the playground. The hands belong to one of his teachers. Harris had a pretty good cut on his head and needed to get to the doctor. Both of his teachers instinctly cared for him, treated him, and held him until my wife and I could get there. When I arrived at the school, I could see the concern on his other teacher's face but he was calm and was able to tell me what happened. Both of his teachers along with several others cared for my son and held him when he needed it most and for that I am grateful.

These hands (along with many others) are important to me and I hope I did them justice. Thank you C, A, E.

craig

Craig is the man when it comes to inspiration and teaching. His specialty is photography but his skills reach far beyond that as I found in the Next Step workshop. At first, I was a little intimidated by Craig. First, he is an extraordinary photographer. He is also high energy all the time as well as extremely tall. Unfortunately, I didn't photograph Craig very much and I think that was a bit of the intimidation coming through.

I did get this shot however and I like it for several reasons. I enjoy taking pictures of people doing what they do and taking pictures is definitely what Craig does. I also like the perspective because it makes Craig look very tall. Lastly, I think that fan is pretty cool and adds a nice touch.

Craig helped me identify some things in my photography that limit my creativity. Hopefully with those exposed I will grow as a photographer as well as a person. I look forward to the next time I can be inspired by Craig. Fortunately we have Radiant Vista as well as Craig's Light Diary.

marti

Marti was one of our instructors from The Next Step workshop. She was a frequent subject for me in my assignments. In this particular shot she was nice enough to pose with "the object of my desire" which was an umbrella. I think I took some really nice shots of my object that I so desired. It made me think that an umbrella would be a useful tool to add to my photography gear. I try to take as little gear as possible when I am shooting, but this may be a necessary addition. On bright sunny days it could act as a diffuser to help create a nice big soft light source. On rainy days...well you could use it to keep yourself dry.

Marti was a joy to meet on this workshop. She was always there with a constructive suggestion or a wonderful face to photograph. Always with a smile as much as she may have felt otherwise. I look forward to seeing Marti again and since we live close it should be soon.

Thanks Marti.

what does it take?

I was fortunate to see a bunch of good bands at the Atlantis Festival. I was struck by the amount of really good music coming from bands that I will likely never hear from again. With a few exceptions, all the bands had a level of technical competence when it comes to playing music and were pretty entertaining. So, why do they not make it? What do they lack to get them over the hump from a local band with a good following to a band that has a national or even worldwide audience? The bands that I really liked had a stage presence or aura that made you want to watch them until they were carried off the stage from exhaustion. In other words, the band has a personality that makes you want to watch and listen.

Photography is no different. There is no shortage of photographers out there doing great work, but lack the intangibles or aura to make them great photographers. Technical competence can be obtained or mastered. You can follow rules, learn how to use your camera or manipulate it in photoshop but that doesn't make someone say WOW! when they see your pictures. As photographers we need to find something that sets us apart to make people have an emotional reaction to our photography. If anyone knows where I can get some aura, let me know.

This is State of Man. Check them out. They rock!!!

do you know what you are doing?

Someone asked me this while I was shooting the Atlantis Music Festival. He was concerned about the fact that I did not have a flash on my camera. This is true. I saw a lot of photographers and every one of them had flash on their camera. I shot most of this show with my 50mm 1.4 Nikon lens and no flash. I shot wide open at the highest ISO I could so I could get as fast a shutter speed as I could. I had a lot of shots that worked and a lot of shots that could have used some flash. So, do I know what I am doing? I really haven't a clue. I do what I like and I am fortunate enough that I do not rely on someone buying my photographs although I wouldn't mind if someone did.

I post this example because a flash on my camera would have reduced the wonderful pink tones in the guitar player's hair. The pink is from the lights and her hair is perfectly blond. What a great effect and we just need to know how to look for it. I think that in clubs like this we are fortunate to have all of this wonderful directed light often of beautiful colors.

Neither approach is right or wrong. With everyone doing the same thing, sometimes it pays to do something different.

let it flow

I approached the lead singer of a band called 13 Stories at the Atlantis Music Festival on Friday and asked her if I could take her picture. She obliged and I asked if we could move into the hallway so I could get some light. It was very dark and I was shooting without flash, so definitely needed more light. In this condition I could only get to about 1/20th of a second for my shutter speed. I told her a bit about the light and shooting without flash. She said that "you need a pose and I can pose". I took a few shots of her in her pose and got a decently clear shot but the last shot was the one I liked best. She dropped the pose and laughed at something while starting to walk away. It was much more interesting to me.

I thought this shot expressed her personality much better. I watched the band's 20 minute set and was amazed by the boundless energy she shared with the crowd. She was never standing still so a perfectly blurry shot is the way it should be. She was a great entertainer and I was glad to get this portrait before I even heard them play.

I also met several photographers over the last few days. I saw someone who had taken a fantastic shot of a guitar player jumping off of an amp. She said she did not like the shot because it was blurry. I pressed her about this but I am not sure whether she agreed with me. A photograph has the ability to show an instant stopped in eternity but it also has the ability to show movement, life and energy. Both are great so we should enjoy everything a photograph can give us.

Check out 13 Stories. I downloaded their latest cd from ITunes. If you can see them live, then all the better.

free, free, set me free

I went to a music festival last night and shot the red carpet arrival of a bunch of unsigned bands that are trying to impress a bunch of music execs over the next few days. I hung out on the red carpet and was bored to tears. Excuse me, please look this way so I can get the shot. I was meeting some guys in a band called State of Man and I was going to try and shoot them together which never happened although I did get them individually with some great results.

Normally I hate that type of event. I walk around and know very few people (in this case about 4). I would wander from room to room looking for someone to talk to. But last night I had my camera and magic happened. Having a camera around my neck and a press pass on my chest made people come up to me to ask if I would take their picture. Later in the night people I shot earlier in the night were coming up to me saying "Hey Steve" like we were friends. It was surreal.

That camera made it so simple to approach a group and start some small talk ending in a simple request to take their picture. That camera removed any reservations or shyness that normally make me stick to my comfort zone. With a camera, the entire place was my comfort zone and people were enjoying the fact that I was sharing it with them. It was a blast. When I finally got home, I was so pumped up I could not sleep. It was a cool night.

Note to self: Take my camera EVERYWHERE.

summertime

I wandered around the streets of Atlanta this past weekend and I ended up in Centennial Olympic Park which is always a fun place to be on nice days. This weekend was really the first weekend that it felt like the summer was slowly coming to an end. The humidity was low and the temperature was only in the low 80s. It was a beautiful day.

I was by myself so the only people I could shoot were people I met along the way. I find it difficult to shoot children because as a parent I would say no if someone asked to take pictures of my kids. I may be a bit overprotective but the idea makes me uncomfortable. I need to try to approach more kids and their parents because children are so expressive and fun to photograph.

I took a few shots of a young girl with her father in the olympic ring fountain in the park. She was in an electric wheelchair and was enjoying the opportunity to be a normal kid splashing in the water. I wanted to know more about this kid but I never approached her or her parents. I did not ask for permission to photograph her so I do not feel right showing them either. She had a wonderful smile.

Summer is almost gone. Let's enjoy the transition.

gil

Gil is another film director that was in attendance at The Next Step. He has a nice southern charm and is very easy to talk to although I feel I did not do it enough. I was disappointed in the fact that he did not stay on Sunday so I was not able to share some of his great photography with him. He had a particular story that displayed his ability to create entertaining films. I am wondering if Gil has spent a little time in front of the camera as well as behind it. Gil has a very expressive face and I think this portrait captured that. I will enjoy this look for a while.

colby

Colby and I met at The Next Step workshop. I did not really get a good feel for who Colby was until about 5 minutes before I left for home on Sunday. I had a pretty tough time during the afternoon on Sunday. As we were breaking up, Colby walked up to me and thanked me for sharing my story and my emotions. I was taken back by his thoughtfulness. For some reason I did not think that he would appreciate those types of emotions, but I was wrong and I am glad I was able to understand him better after that exchange.

Colby also reached out to me with some insight and suggestions for me after I got back to Atlanta. Colby, I do appreciate your caring. Thank you.

dale

I love Dale's smile and I think this photograph captured it wonderfully. I really enjoyed meeting her and I look forward to another opportunity to shoot with her. Her thought process was amazing to me and it was demonstrated very well in her photography. Reflecting back she talked about fear of showing her work but it was so consistently good that it makes it difficult to understand her fears.

One image she took really sticks in my mind. It is a self-portrait that was so dramatic and daring that I hope any fear she may have had is gone.

nick

I had the good fortune to be paired with Nick for an assignment during the Next Step workshop. I am not going to go into the details of the assignment in case a potential Next Stepper wanders by this post. But the result was that we did not make one photograph that met the specific instructions of the assignment. It was not for lack of trying. We were high energy and committed to it. Nick has a pretty quiet demeanor and I was surprised when he sprang into action. It was a lot of fun despite not having a photograph to show.

Nick was the only participant that brought their spouse to the workshop. I was fortunate to meet Sharon and I took a photograph of her on the beach that I really like.

Thanks Nick.

jim

Jim is a friend I met at The Next Step workshop. Yeah, I will probably talk about this workshop for a while. It is that important. Anyway Jim is a film director and cinematographer from Colorado. We filled out a questionaire prior to the workshop that asked about what kind of artist we would want to be if not a photographer. I said I would want to be a filmmaker. I have always found movies a wonderful expression of ideas and stories. Good filmaking always leaves a little to your imagination just like a good photograph. Jim's photography demonstrates that.

Jim instantly drew me in. I felt comfortable with him very quickly and was able to joke around with ease. He has a way of turning the spotlight towards you, but I guess good filmmakers do that all the time. I said that Jim was one of my favorite faces to photograph during the workshop. He just has a look. I took this photograph and liked it for the lighting. He mentioned his favorite movie was Citizen Kane. I am not sure whether Orson Welles would have lit a face like this but I like it.

Thanks Jim.

naming my blog

I came up with this title with the intetion of trying it out and seeing how it feels. I chose the words for a couple reasons. One I did not want to make it too specific because I do not know where my wandering thoughts may take me. I can only assume that I will be utilizing this to explain some of my photography but I may wander far from photogrphy from time to time. Second I found while participating in The Next Step workshop that I really enjoyed talking about my pictures. I enjoy the stories behind the photographs and wanted a forum to share those.

I hope you find my thoughts interesting and come by every once in a while.

inspiration

Gordon was my inpiration for this blog, so thank you Gordon. I have recently become interested in blogging and its power to connect people by reading Craig Tanner's Light Diary. I met Gordon at The Next Step workshop taught by Craig and this creation came together. I hope you enjoy it.

I shot a lot of pictures of Gordon during the workshop but this was my favorite. This was taken on the beach on Tybee Island near Savannah. Minutes earlier Gordon had run by me with camera in his hand splashing in the water. I thought he had lost it due to too little sleep. When I approached him he looked so peaceful and he seemed to be saying "I figured it out." I think he did.

Gordon inspired me in other ways. He pushed me to stop looking at things in their totality and start looking more at the beauty of the details. Light, lines, and shapes are all important concepts for photographers but the smallest details are equally important for our life. Thanks Gordon.