Sunday, October 31, 2010

Open Season

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.  The volley of shots rang out as the small flock of geese inhabiting our little cove prepared to take flight.  Before we could wrap our heads around what had transpired, two objects fell from the sky quickly disappearing into the cold gray water.   It is open season for duck in Pennsylvania.

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Before long a small motor boat sped out from the shore in search of the downed prey.  We watched with interest as the little boat bounced along, tracking wide circles until the kill was located and retrieved.  And then, just as quickly as it began it was over.  The boat and it's occupents were back on shore celebrating their good fortune.

This was a blatent reminder that we are back home in western Pennsylvania, where hunting is a way of life.  And while I know I could never take the life of an animal for sport (roaches not included) many of these hunters are dependant upon a successful hunting season to fill their freezers for the coming winter.

It would however, behove me to purchase some orange clothing to wear when I am out shooting those spectacular sunset photos. I don't want to become a trophy head stuffed and mounted on some happy hunter's wall.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Our Girls

For 29 of the past 37 years I have lived my life in a man's world.  A world full of GI Joes, Matchbox Cars, footballs, wrestling and a freight train load of testosterone.  You can imagine how excited I was when B arrived on the scene.  The fact that our first grandchild was a female....pure delight.  Although it will be a few more years before Allie can hold her own against the "big boys," her presence is already felt amid the princess dresses and Barbie dolls that litter the floor when she's in town.

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Having the girls around is about much more than back-up support in my male dominated world.  It is about love and watching a mother-daughter bond form and forge into tempered steel that will withstand the test of time (teen years excepted).

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B is a wonderful mother who doles out discipline when needed and wipes away a wayward tear with the ease of a tenured expert.  On her recent visit it was all play when she and Allie snuck outside to grab some girl time while the G-man was napping.

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I sat in their midst and attempted to capture their joy with my camera.

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They made it easy.

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I couldn't help but think how much these two have enriched in my life.

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B, I know I don't tell you often enough what a great wife and mom you are and how much you are loved.  Thanks for being you and for bringing a little tenderness to my testosterone saturated world.

Now the G-man, he's another story.  He's already gone over to the dark side.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Autumn Lament

wMapleSugar

These beautiful yellow maple leaves are all that remain of autumn's drama.  The oranges, reds and yellows now carpet the ground and are rapidly morphing to brown.

The Kid and I are in the midst of a remedial course on fallen leaves.  Did you know they must be removed?  Along with dropping temperatures it is the portion of fall I had chosen to forget.  It has risen and smacked me upside the head leaving in its wake enough leaves to fill a 10 ton dump truck.

Clean-up began on Sunday morning.  Once the grands finished jumping in the growing piles and waved their last good-byes we began raking in earnest.  Mounds of dead leaves were moved onto a large tarp and dragged into the woods for disposal.  The routine was repeated over and over again until the front yard was clean and green.  The Kid then took to the mower and began mulching the overwhelming task on the lake side.  Several hours later, exhausted and grimy we toasted our success and promptly went to bed.

When the sun rose on Monday morning I peeked out of the window and gasped in horror.  There was no clean, no green.  In its place was a thick mess of fallen and blowing leaves.  Suddenly autumn had lost its appeal.  Swaying palm trees and tropical breezes no longer seemed boring and mundane.  I went digging for the suitcases to begin packing for the drive south.

A firm hand on my wrist and the words of a wise man stopped me.  "Remember the bet" he said.  The bet I replied?  Ohhh, that bet.  The one that has us caving in and heading south before Thanksgiving?  Needless to say the suitcases remained in the closet and I succumbed to the idea that more raking was in my future.  It happened sooner rather than later as we spent all of yesterday gathering up autumn's discards and hauling them to the woods.  This morning I awoke to howling winds and knew that once again fate had dealt a low blow.

Only this time the news is good, even great.  The blustery winds are quickly chasing the pesky leaves across our yard and into our neighbors.  Our turf remains clean and green, but G, G is going to have a lot of raking to do.  I think I'll pull up a chair and watch.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

1,000 Faces Update: The Three Amigos

You thought I had forgotten all about this little project didn't you?  You were almost right.  I had shoved it back into the far recesses of my mind because I knew that I needed to get out my box and photograph strangers. That hasn't happened.  Not yet anyway.  But I do have images of my good friends Terri, Cindy, & Karol, The Three Amigos.

These three lovely ladies are all wonderful photographers.  After communicating over the net for weeks, we met in person several years ago at a photography summit in Chicago.  Terri, Cindy & Karol knew each other from a year-long photography class they participated in and graciously adopted me into their group.  I will be forever grateful to them.  Not only because I was alone and they took me in, making my summit experience something to sing about; but because I came away from that experience with three new friends.

We have managed to stay in touch over the years.  Karol lives in Nashville.  I get to visit with her quite often.  Cindy calls North Carolina home and Terri resides near Seatle in the great state of Washington.  I don't get to spend as much time with them as I do Karol which was in part what made this trip so special.

Terri

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Terri is a children & family portrait photographer.  She and her husband also team up to shoot weddings.  He serves as her assistant and second shooter and is a terrific photographer in his own right.  Terri is soft spoken, thoughtful, and kind.  During our exhausting week together while some of us were sleep deprived and limping along she was the Energizer Bunny.  She kept going, and going, and going; soaking up every bit information and putting it all into practice by churning out quality image after quality image.  Hats off to you T, you have more stamina than I.  (She's also a lot of fun to be around.)  You can see her work here.

Cindy
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Cindy is as full of life as her picture indicates.  She too is kind and caring and always has something positive and encouraging to say about the images of others. She is the equipment queen and has more photography gadgets and gizmos than I even knew existed.  (The Kid always worries when I spend time with Cindy, he knows I'll come home with a list of "must haves.")  Cindy is a 4th grade teacher and an all around excellent photographer marrying beautiful landscapes (they are spectacular)  with a blossoming portrait business. Her work can be seen here and here.

Karol
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Karol is a kind and gentle spirit who produces some of the most amazing floral images I have ever seen.  She was my roomy on this trip and I learned a lot from her and about her.  First and foremost she can sleep through most anything.  Secondly, she is an outstanding back seat driver.  Like myself, there were moments during this workshop that she wondered what the heck she was doing there!  But we learned oh so much didn't we k?  Karol's work can be found here.

Many thanks to these three talented women for taking me in and sharing their time, their talent and their toys with me.  I can't wait until we do it again.  Maybe next year????  Please.

54 down; 946 to go

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Good, Better, Best

One of the things that became painfully obvious to me during the Knoxville workshop is that while most of my images are good, they are ordinary.  Even the vast majority of my beloved landscapes are standard issue.  Postcard shots that anyone with an advanced skill set could duplicate.  I have taken it to heart and intend to work on this one area in particular.  "Put your camera where no one else does" was the mantra of the week.

After the grands left on Sunday and the leaves were raked and disposed of The Kid and I took a ride around the lake to enjoy the last remnants of fall.  As the light faded we stopped at the dam located at the south end of the lake to allow me to take some photos.  I was determined to put more thought into the process.

Take #1

wDam_house

The light is nice, the composition is good and it's in focus.  The reflection is pretty but there isn't a lot of interest in the sky nor is the foreground element very pleasing.  A nice illustrative image depicting the pump house at Pymatuning Reservoir.  I give it a C.


Take #2

wDam_house_leaves

I realize that not everyone will agree with me, but this is a better image.  I changed my position and shot lower to the ground placing the subject in the upper right hand corner.  It is much smaller than in the previous photo but I think still stands as the obvious focal point of the image.  The leaves on the lower left make for a more interesting foreground element and although the sky is still relatively uninteresting there is less of it.  I give it a B-.


Take #3

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In my opinion this is, hands down, the best of the three images.  Once again the pump house is front and center.  There is no doubt what the focus of this picture is.  For this shot I moved around a bit, on the hunt for something that would make my photo stand out from the crowd.  I found that in some overhanging brances that I used to frame my subject.  The color of the leaves nicely balances the colors of the background and the late afternoon light.  The sky is still somewhat bland but there is much less of it than when I began.  This image is more of a side view of the rather than the boring almost straight on approach of #1.  I give this one an A-.

What would get an A+ you ask?  I don't know.  I haven't found it yet.  But the pump house is near by so I'll keep working on it.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Location People

Two weeks ago today I arrived in Knoxville, TN along with 3 of my photography friends.  We were participating in Location People, a 5 day workshop focused on shooting people on location.  What none of us anticipated was the frenetic pace, long days and short nights.

Our host and mentor for the week was portrait and wedding photographer Bryan Allen.  Bryan has more energy than my two grandchildren combined, an infectious upbeat personality, and a willingness and desire to share his knowledge of photography with anyone who cares to listen.  I am certain that I came away with a mere thimble full of tips and tricks compared with the amount of information presented.

The workshop began promptly at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.  We were introduced to studio lighting and encouraged to play utilizing each other as models.

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Spot

We broke at 8:00 p.m. for dinner at a local restaurant and were dismissed around 11:00 p.m. to begin work on our assignment for the day.  And oh by the way "we'll see you back in the studio at 7:00 a.m. sharp!"  And so it went for 5 jam packed days.  On the final evening there was an optional late night session at a local laundromat.  I passed on the festivities but those who were game ended their day at 4:30 a.m.

There was a day of natural light outdoor portrait work in an urban setting near Bryan's studio.

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Flash was added to the mix after piling into cars and heading to Knoxville's Botanical Gardens.

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Here my group received an assignment to photograph Bryan's studio logo in a fun setting for potential promotional use.  A mentor was always close by to answer questions and offer suggestions.

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April_2

On Friday we drove 40 minutes out of the city and were introduced to six families with active pre-schoolers.  Our assignment:  photographers were paired with families and instructed to photograph the children & families in the worst light imaginable.  Bryan's way of pushing us out of the nest, forcing us to think and apply what we had learned.  And oh by the way "I have enticed these families to participate by promising them a portfolio of images."

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The following morning we were introduced to a "production studio."  A large, stark white warehouse that is used for commercial photo shoots and filming commercials or movies.  Models were furnished complete with hair and make-up stylists.  There were Olympic gymnasts, a Viper automobile, ski equipment, a motorcycle and more.  Our assignment:  photograph images that can be used as print media for commercial clients.  While my fellow attendees rose to the occasion, I was totally overwhelmed by the challenge.  Fortunately help was never more than a step away.  And oh by the way "the models are getting paid with a portfolio of images so do a good job!"

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And so it went.  Five days of non stop work with the added pressure to produce quality images as payment to those who volunteered their time.  This was easily the most fast paced and intense workshop I have ever attended.  The days began (for me) at 5:00 a.m and ended between midnignt and 1:00 a.m. Had I known what the workshop was about I would never have participated.  I was so far out of my comfort zone it would take light years to find my way back home.  And yet I am glad I went.  I have no regrets.  Not only did I get to spend 5 days with some pretty terrific people but, I have come away with a head full of ideas and enough new found knowledge to tinker with for months.  Hopefully over time I can digest what I have learned and incorporate the new techniques into my work.

And oh by the way...I went home and slept for three days.  Not.

Monday, October 25, 2010

A "Grand" Week

Whew, it's Sunday.  I made it.  I have safely crossed the finish line of two of the more intensive weeks I have experienced in quite some time.  Grant it, some of the stress was self-imposed, but it was stress non-the less.  I'll save the details for future posts and get right to the good stuff.

Allie and G-man arrived one week ago today.  In my world it doesn't get much better than that.

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Having the "grands" around for six days of chaotic fun is what grandparents love.  Especially this one.

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It is unfortunate that this Grammy was feeling the burden of an upcoming stint as a wedding photographer for a day.  She would have been a lot more fun to be around.  However my anxiety did nothing to slow these two down.

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The kiddos were as excited to see the abundance of leaves covering the ground as I was to see them.  It didn't take long to locate a rake and quickly create a heaping pile of back-yard fun.

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There were giggles and smiles mixed with a few shoves as siblings jockied for position in the leafy mess.  Grammy got buried a few times attempting to get "the shot" and Allie & the G-man got rid of some pent up energy.

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Cold temperatures and intermittant rain showers didn't damper spirits or slow down the outdoor action.

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Everyone returns at Thanksgiving for the grand finale of season number one at the cottage.  I intend to be stress free and ready to enjoy each and every minute with these two, their parents and uncle.

See you soon.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

MIA

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I know I've been MIA for a few days, but don't say I didn't warn you.  It has been a hectic couple of weeks.  I don't see things subsiding until after Sunday. Yes, that means posts will be hit and miss until I get time to process some photos and think straight.

We are back at the lake for a few more weeks.  There are snow showers in tonight's forecast...Florida's warm sunshine is becomming more appealing with each passing day.  However, we will perservere and see this through until Turkery Day.

More to come....

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Out Takes

Are you tired of autumn leaves and sunsets?  Cheesy quotes and song lyrics?  Bored from endless flower shots and odes to fall?  If so you have come to the right place.

Today I'm getting my silly on.  Letting it all hang out.  The good the bad and the ugly.  The crazy faces. The out of focus, uncentered shots. The looks of boredom and disdain (both accidental & intentional).    I'm giving you a peek through the window of my world.   A snippit of what 90% of my photographs look like.

And so without further ado I present, for your viewing pleasure,  The Out Takes.

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I know you are bigger and you have a camera but this is how much I care.

wEmily
Enough I said, enough.

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One time at band camp.....

wGabe
His inner GQ has escaped.

wJodi
I see you and I chose to ignore you and that's the truth. pfft.

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Faces only a mother could love.

stephen
First you check the carotid artery for a pulse, then you pinch the nose and then you blow.

wChris
Do I look as stupid as I think I do?

wBubba
What's that smell?

wHoward
You tell my wife about this I'll break your knee caps.

wGabe2
 I think my cape is broken.  I can't seem to get off the ground.

Doug
Put that d*@#% thing down!

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Earth to Allie.  Do you copy?

wRalph
It's not always good to buy your dentures on the internet.

My apologies to those who were incriminated today.  Please don't be mad, it's all in fun.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Cloud's Illusions

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I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's clouds illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all
                                  Joni Mitchell

Friday, October 15, 2010

Autumn Leaves

"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn."
                                                                                         ~Elizabeth Lawrence


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It beats raking them.
                                    ~ Me

Thursday, October 14, 2010

The "Hit" Parade

Before posting photographs to the blog site I upload them to Flickr.  I use Flickr simply as a means to an end.  I have succumbed to the bigger is better mentality and Flickr enables me to post larger photos on my blog.

What I wasn't aware of is how many people out there surf Flickr for their viewing (and possibly thefting) pleasure.  Each photograph has a counter attached that records how many views it receives.  Most of my photos get 2 - 10 hits routinely.  Once in awhile I'll hit the jack pot with a particularly awesome sunset or flower shot and get 20 - 28 views.

While flipping back through Flickr a few days ago I stumbled upon an interesting fact.  One series of photos had a record number of views.  I was amazed.    In fact I did a double and triple take on the numbers.  This series had hits in the high 30s and even a couple in the 40s.  It was shock and awe for me.  So much so that I had to share.    Below is the record breaking photograph.  The one with the most Flickr hits ever recorded (by me).


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The Kid's Jeep series is the winner by a long shot and this photo in particular had a record breaking all time high of 42 views.

I think I'm depressed.