2.22.10

I turned around from the scene I was shooting last night and discovered the most lovely light. I find myself shooting so little for myself recently, and it was nice to make an image that was just for myself (and now anyone who sees it here.)

02.21.10

Not five minutes after thinking, “Wow, what a nice day we are having. 43 degrees feels so warm. If I wasn’t working I would think about going home and getting the kayak,” I came across a young man  who beat me to the punch.

02.20.10

A week ago I woke up in Savannah. I wish I was still there.

2.17.10

Today I had a moment where I wish I was shooting video instead of stills. I was covering the Ash Wednesday Family Service at an Episcopal Church in West Chester. All the attendees were invited to gather around the alter. The associate rector was explaining the meaning of the day to the children surrounding her. For the most part they were following along, with some minor deviations.

And then it happened. Just before the rectors were about to burn the palm fronds, the child sitting next to the assistant rector tapped her on the shoulder, and said loud enough to be picked up on her mic, “My mommy eats her snots.”

I don’t know how the sequence stayed in focus, I was crying I was laughing so hard.

02.15.10

Today’s offerings come to you from the “Coulda, shoulda, woulda” department at AK Dragoo Photography.
In my attempt to get ahead of a cross country skier making use of a set of train tracks to ski on I came across a family of kids sledding and snow boarding. I gave up on the skier since I had already made some ok images, and the road I was trying to get down had not been touched (while I love my FJ, I think this would have been a bit much for her.)

For what ever reason I had not worn my Dubarry Boots, which are Gortex all the way up, nor had any snow pants. (Mistake #1) I took two bodies with my 14-24mm and 80-200mm lens. I thought about putting my 10.5mm in my pocket, but I had done this the week before and fell in a snow bank soaking all my gear. (Mistake #2) I made my way to the point Tom was building his snowboard ramp, making the most of the packed snow from his prior snow mobiling, but still sinking to my knees a few times.

After a couple of runs past me I was wishing I had the 10.5mm for the slight bit of warping it provides. And then Tom forgot which side of his shovel the ramp was on, and I really was wishing for the fish eye!

01.27.10

Our first family dog was a golden retriever who I showed in the jr. showmanship and breed rings for the first year of his life. He was bred as a field dog, and never became the full coated bear of a dog that so many of the conformation dogs were at that time. But it exposed me to the other breeds of the Sporting Group, including the Clumber Spaniel which I, for the longest time, thought was called a “cucumber spaniel.

I adopted Brody, my first Clumber in April, after a whirlwind of social networking craziness which brought him into my life. (A story for another time.) A few weeks after I brought him home he revealed his most endearing personality quirk, he loves beer. So much so, that if he can find a bottle, he will steal it and carry it around the house or yard. Friends do not believe me until the witness it for themselves.

His most annoying quirk is rolling or pushing his toys under whatever piece of furniture he cant quite reach under and then scratching, pawing and barking at them until he can get them out.

As of yesterday morning he has begun doing this with beer bottles.

1.26.10

Ok, I admit it, I LOVE big prints.

Yes, I am a photographer, and selling them helps me pay the bills. (The $20 is in there for a size reference, not as a subtle hint to BUY.)  But, every time I get one in from the lab I want to keep it for myself! Images on your computer are nice, easy access, and have that glow from electronic illumination, but they are not tactile.  And they are not big. Big prints draw you in, you want to touch that moment or stand in that landscape.

I am also very bad about making prints for myself. If you knew nothing about me, and found yourself in my dropped my house (I would call the cops) you would see very little that would clue you in that I am a photographer. So little of what I shoot is in the mindset of a final print. And yet, I have so many blank walls in my little house.

This year I shall attempt to rectify this. Big prints it is!

1.22.10

I had a little more time today to play with my food! Some are stronger than the others, I need to either DIY a soft box, or double diffuse my shoot through umbrella. Much happier with these, actually shooting them in a studio or low traffic space where I could add a tripod would be very helpful. Ah, the life of a daily newspaper (small) photographer. Click on through for additional images.

1.19.10

I had a bit of a challenge on location today. Chocolate and red wine. Working in the space provided. With what I had in the car. I have decided to take these moments where I had the germ of an idea and re-work them on my own time.

I knew I was going to have a spectral issue with the bottle and the glass so I lit it high and behind with a single strobe into an umbrella. I used the cover of a second umbrella as the backdrop. That second umbrella I used as fill in front. You can see the shape of it in the reflection. You can also see the window I decided to have behind me. That would be stupid move #1.

I am not happy about the wide angle I had to shoot with to get over the fill umbrella which distorts the bottle. I am not crazy about my styling, I need to figure out how to show the wine and the chocolate in one image even though they are significantly different heights. The only positive is that the wine and the chocolate are both dark. But I need to get more light into the liquid.

Hindsight being what it is, I need to stop by the craft store and pick up a couple sheets of foam core board in black and white to use and fill cards and gobos. I also need to get more clamps and stick them on all my bags.

I will upload the reworked images soon.

01.18.10

I found my next project! From little planets, to making the planet look little.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallgantics