A Rose

Week 16!

Rose

April 25th, 2010

I got to thinking that it would be nice to have some macro images in along with the others of 52Photos, and thought I'd start out with what has to be the most common macro image... the flower. As I started taking shots, I began to think about how interesting a rose is... beautiful parts, complex and intricate parts, painful and defensive parts, then how it has hidden parts you don't see unless you look closely. It then occurred to me how not unlike a person a rose is.

Now don't get me wrong, clearly I'm not the first person to draw comparisons between a flower, a rose in particular, and a person. It did occur to me now why it's not such an original train of thought. Like flowers, we people are capable of bringing joy and inspiring an appreciation of beauty. We have defenses, that without caution can injure a person, even if they are trying just to get close to us. And like the rose, there are interesting, unique, and complex parts of us that you can only see if you look carefully, spending some time to appreciate them.

I won't take the time to draw more of a comparison, I think a sketch will do... but I do think I'll be spending a little more time with the macro-lens. What an amazing world out there; gigantic and grandeur, yes. But also tiny and complex, and so incredibly, inexorably, intricately tied together.

Spring is here, go out and enjoy it!

Appalachian Spa

Week 15

Appalachian Spa
April 15, 2010

I can see the advertising copy now..."Vintage outdoor spa-bath among the green foliage and quaint 19th-century architecture....".

Ok, ok...so it's not supposed to be a spa:). This image was actually taken on my overnight trip last week to the Blue Ridge Mountains. My family has a cabin in Amherst County situated in the Appalachians less than an hour's drive from Lynchburg, VA. This picture was taken on the property of our neighbor up there who was kind enough to let me prowl around his family farm in search of interesting things to photograph. Well, I wasn't disappointed. The property is on a beautiful piece of land with rolling hills, forest-land and pasture, as well as an old farmhouse and outbuildings for what was at one-time a fully operational and working farm.

Not in use aside from some grazing rights for cattle-farmers nearby, the property is populated with over-grown buildings, old and new farm equipment, and parked trucks and cars that our neighbor uses for parts and scrap, occasionally resurrecting one for use on the road. After scouting it out the day before, my father and I rose early in the morning to get to the farm and witness the morning fog and amazing light that awaited us when we arrived. I was able to capture a number of great images that morning, any one of them would have been a worthy installment to 52Photos, but I liked the disposition of the old tub in the overgrown grass and weeds, and overall uniqueness of the image. It seems to tell a story and begs you to guess at what that story is.

Taken with a wide-open aperture (2.8), and a fast shutter (1/500), some other things I like about the piece are the shallow depth of field on the front side of the tub, the fog-masked farm-building it the background, and the foliage we are peeking through in the foreground.

Enjoy the image, and until next week....

DC Moments

Week 14

DC Moments at the Vietnam War Memorial
April 9, 2010

If you've ever been to Washington, DC you may know what I'm talking about. If you haven't been the the nation's capital, you'll just have to trust me on this one. As one walks around DC, there are countless opportunities to have a "DC Moment". Now you might say... "Duh. You're in DC.". Well, what I mean is, as you walk around the district, you often find that you stumble on a monument, a historic building, something in the city that stops you in your tracks and makes you think. Think of the history tied to what you are observing. Think of the impact the moment or person memorialized made on our country. Think of the decisions being made right now that will affect us and our world.

As I walked down the memorial, I couldn't help but wonder if these kids were having their own DC Moment? No doubt aware at some level of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, did seeing these 58,000 + names stretching hundreds of feet along the memorial startle them? Did it make it more real knowing each one of these names was a father or mother, a son or daughter, a brother or sister? Perhaps their own family member was on this wall, or is part of the conflicts today. Is there a connection for them between the freedom they enjoy and the lives represented on that wall?

DC is a great place for learning history and reflecting on the world around us. It's also a beautiful place to witness cherry blossoms in Spring bloom, the Potomac river making its way into the Chesapeake Bay, and to enjoy the many parks and green spaces throughout the city. No matter what your DC Moment may be, I hope you get a chance to make your way there and experience the district for yourself.

Getting Taken Care Of...

Week 13

Getting Taken Care Of
April 1, 2010

I had the pleasure of connecting with Christina Christner through a mutual friend who thought our respective businesses might benefit from our getting a chance to meet and network. Christina is the owner-proprietor of Christina Christner Nail Care & Spa, were she provides a wide range of services, therapeutic to luxurious for her loyal and well taken care of clients. From massage to make-up, and facials to waxing and more, Christina does it all. She loves the work she does, and it shows through her business and how she treats her clients.

I came in to shoot her business, and see if we could get some solid images for her to use in her next collateral and web updates. I have to say, this was one of the best shoots I've had in some time. The weather cooperated and gave us tremendous light, the Victorian home that houses the Spa has big, open windows and high ceilings, and Christina's decor is simple, elegant, and easy to photograph.

The photo above, taken with a Canon 16-35mm 2.8L series wide-angle lens portrays Christina applying her artistry to one of the two models she brought in for the shoot. I love the angle, the lighting, and motion in the image, and so for this, I selected it among many fantastic shots from the day for this week's 52Photos installment.

Here's to doing what you love.

Young Cannibals

Week 12

Gianfranco
March 26, 2010

One of the coolest things I get to do as a photographer right now is to shoot for Content Magazine, a Life & Style Magazine for and by the people of San Jose. It was on assignment for Content that I captured the image above... probably my favorite from the whole evening. I was covering The Young Cannibals Art Show, a collection of work from a very talented sub-culture of artists in San Jose working out of two downtown industrial buildings.

The show featured paintings, drawings, multi-media and music from a wide range of inspirations. The image above is of Gianfranco Paolozzi, playing the accordion as one of the several musical guests for the evening. Though not showing his work at this show, Gianfranco is an established visual artist himself, the subject of an upcoming Content article, and an engaging and pleasant person to be around.

I'm finding more and more how much I enjoy shooting people. (With a camera mind you, in case anyone was confused). The expressions that can be captured have so much to say about the person, the environment they are in, and their mood... I daresay they can even affect the viewer's mood. I look at the image above, and I want to get a glass of wine and start dancing.

Hope you enjoy the photograph as much as I have.

Engaged...

Week 11

Engaged
March 21, 2010

This week I was given the privilege of shooting Engagement photos for Sarah and Stevan, a fun and loving couple that have asked me to shoot their wedding in August. It's a humbling experience to be involved in any way in someone's wedding. This day is arguably the most important day in each of these two peoples' lives, and it's a joyful experience to witness... an honor to be a part of.

One of the things that I enjoy about shooting Engagement photos is the time I get to spend with the couple. If I already know them well, it's a great chance to have some fun and spend some quality time with them. If I don't know them as well, its the perfect opportunity to get to know them a bit! Nothing like a camera to bring out or reveal peoples' personalities :).

Sarah and Stevan had never done a professional photography session before, and I think they had more fun than I did :). Super-easy to work with, and totally open to all my suggestions, they made the day super-fun, and allowed us to capture some great images for them to have, share, and remember this time in their lives together.

Thanks Sarah & Stevan! Can't wait for the wedding....

30 Minutes of Sun

Week 10

30 Minutes of Sun
March 12, 2010

This week I was hired by an old friend to come and shoot a very special celebration in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Though I'd been to Miami several times, I'd not ventured up the short 30 miles to Ft. Lauderdale, and welcomed the chance to go and see this beautiful town. The trip was brief, just 2 days in all, and I found that I'd hit the tail end of a gloomy and cool week.

Fortunately, I was a guest in the home of a friend who lives in a condo just steps away from one of the wide, sandy beaches of South Florida. So when the weather broke for just a few minutes, I took the opportunity to walk out onto the beach, enjoy the sights of clear blue water and palm trees, and take in the invigorating smell of the ocean. The wide, private beach was empty, save a couple beach-walkers off in the distance, a Hobie-Cat catamaran, some chairs and the hammock you see above.

While the break in the clouds only lasted 30 minutes, and the strong winds promised a distant wall of rain was coming my way, I had time to get a few shots, including the one above. I did have to scamper off the beach fairly quickly to avoid getting dumped on, and so had limited images to pick from when I decided I wanted to use a beach shot for Week 10. In fact, besides the event I was hired to shoot, these few shots I got between the rains were the only ones I captured while I was in Ft. Lauderdale....

Definitely on my list of places to return, I found Ft. Lauderdale to have a small-town vibe despite its' size, and felt welcomed everywhere I went by friendly, helpful, and laid-back people. So to any of you that I met while I was there, and may be looking at this now, thank you!

As always, I hope you enjoy the image, and wish you a great week!