Union

Week 18

Union
May 2, 2010

I captured this image while waiting to shoot a wedding in a small, quiet and unassuming little Russian Orthodox Church in Menlo Park. With only a handful of people to witness the union, myself included, this was the doorway into a new life for these two people. As I've heard said before, no longer are these two lives choosing to be part of one another's journey, but rather they are two people sharing one life and one journey from here on out.

It's a privilege to be a photographer at someone's wedding. Not only do I get up close and exclusive access to the day, all it involves and the ceremony itself, but in a way, I feel part of it. The images I am capturing will forever be the thing that can be viewed to remember the day, and share with others the joy that came from the decision to become one life together. One life. It's not all warm fuzzies and giggles, it's often not easy, I understand. But it is one life. A union, meant to be forever that binds the couple physically, mentally, and spiritually. No matter what your beliefs, it is hard to argue the bond, the union that occurs with a marriage.

The image above spoke to me of the sacred nature of this union. A quiet reminder that when all the guests have gone, the fanfare is over, and the tornado of activity settles, there is a light shining on the union that just occurred, a witness to the bond that will forever support it and be a source of strength to hold it together, if both choose to look to it.


Image taken at 1/160, f4.0 20mm, ISO 400, Canon EF17-40mmf/4L USM lens.

Full Night Sky

Week 17

Full
April 28, 2010

The universe we live in is pretty amazing. OK, so that's an understatement for you. Or maybe you never really think about it. I mean, it's easy to go about your day, with all its tasks and distractions and things to capture your attention that you never really get a chance to ponder the wonders of the world around you. Or maybe you just don't care.

I find myself regularly astounded at the complexity and beauty of it all. I spoke to it a bit in last week's post, and felt myself drawn to it again this week, in a grander sense this time. Looking up at the full moon this week, and seeing how much detail and intricacy visible even with the naked eye, it led me to think about just how far away it is, the gravity that keeps it in its orbit, and the fact that it is only a speck in our massive galaxy. That led me to the fact that our galaxy is one of only billions in the known universe. Billions.... really, BILLIONS. In the known universe. KNOWN universe. Before long, my head starts spinning, and I have to revert back to appreciating the moon in the sky and the beauty it affords.

This photo was made with my Canon, using a 70-200mm 2.8L IS lens, on a tripod at 1/50sec, and aperture set at 5.6, ISO of 100. Processed in Lightroom using a contrast filter and some slight dodge & burning, you get the image above.

I hope you give yourself the pleasure of taking some time out this week to go for a hike, lay out in your yard late at night and look up, or go and sit on the beach early one morning. It is so worth it. Be warned, however... you might become addicted and find yourself wanting it more and more until before you know it, you and your loved ones are spending all your free time in the mountains, on the beach or generally outside enjoying the gift that is our planet.

I hope so, anyway :).

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.