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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!!