The guy behind the lens

Thursday, July 29, 2010

As most of you  can tell from this blog and also from my website, I do not shoot many portraits. Indeed it's rare to see people in any of my images.  I cam across a blog post  by a portrait photographer who posted something that lots of photographers encounter over time.  I thought I'd link to her post here because this is something that both photogs & non-photogs should appreciate.

I firmly believe the  most significant tool a photographer posses is their  brain. After all, what the public sees from a photographer is not only seen through the lens of a camera, but also interpreted through the lens of  that photographers brain and experience. 100 photographers shooting the same subject will produce a vast array of different interpretations.




Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The International PhotoWalk @ Denton, Texas

Last Saturday I had a really pleasant time taking part in the 3rd Annual International PhotoWalk. This event took place all around the world with over 1100 groups of photographers each spending several hours walking around a specific local spot and shooting whatever caught their eyes. In addition to the chance to shoot a new location, there was also the chance to meet local photographers you might  not have had a chance to meet otherwise. The walk I joined took place around the Courthouse Square of Denton, Texas. The weather was relatively cool and dry from a late July evening and we all had a good time photographing the Square which has been around since the 1890's. As such, there was a wide range of subject material to explore. Here's a sampling of my interpretations of that evening.  Enjoy!

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE THE FULL SIZE VERSION)

The Campus Theatre

Fading Away
Fading Away....



A Sign of The (Old) Times


Metro Moped

Spires of Justice

Times Gone By ...

Sunday, July 25, 2010

New York City Composite Images - Part 2

After visiting the Statue of Liberty, my daughter and  I wandered throughout Lower Manhattan so she could get to see some of the highlights of the area such as Ground Zero, Wall Street, Trinity Church. One of our last stops was Federal Hall where George Washington took the first oath of office as President of the Untied States.

The combination of flat natural light and a zillion other tourists made a nice shot of the George Washington statue and the facade of the building an total impossibility. Since I took the obligatory snaps of President Washington's statue, I decided to use the flag texture I had created in a different style. Instead of it having a canvas look as it did in the Statue of Liberty image, I created a "brick wall" effect for this background.

Enjoy!

Friday, July 23, 2010

New York City Composite Images - Part 1

On my latest visit to New York City the weather was generally poor for photography so I limited myself to mostly snapshots of places my daughter and I visited. Upon returning home, I could not resist playing with certain aspects of the images to come up with some more creative takes on what we had seen. Over the next few days I will share with you the fruits of these photographic tinkerings.

As you may  know from previous postings, I enjoy flags and incorporating them into my composite work when I can. My daughter and I visited the Statue of Liberty on a very stormy day and I was able to take advantage of the wind whipped flags to get nice shots of them waving  straight  out in the  breeze. I was then able to convert the best view into a Photoshop texture which serves as the background of this view of the "Lady Liberty" which was an initially disappointing shot thanks to the grey skies in the background.



Once I had the flag background in place, I was able to add the canvas texture and then place an extracted Statue of Liberty in the foreground.

Overall, I am  happy to get a workable composite image from what was a very ordinary snapshot.


Stay Tuned for the next installment featuring a founding father!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Please Help Me, I'm Very Puzzled.....

This entry is not photography related, but it is something that has been on my mind for the past week.

Here is the back-story. I was on a flight from Dallas to Charlotte, NC last Monday and as I was about to take my seat upon boarding a flight attendant asked me if I would mind switching my seat so that a father could sit next to his teenage son who was on crutches. The meant that I went from a standard cramped middle seat to an aisle exit row seat with TONS of legroom. I agreed and took my seat without anything else of interest happening. I slept through most of the flight and then at the end of the flight as I was passing the flight attendant, she pulled me aside and told me that I was "absolutely the nicest, kindest passenger" she had met in her 20+ years of service on several airlines. Aside from being a bit puzzled, I was flattered, thanked her, and headed on to catch my connecting flight.



Here is my issue with this situation. I swapped seats and thought nothing of it other than I got the better end of the swap. I did nothing else the entire flight to attract attention either positively or negatively. Yet by simply swapping seats, I made a hugely positive impression. In my mind ( and I assume most people's) I did nothing at all remarkable on this flight, yet someone with more than 20 years experience in this industry thought it was praise worthy. My question for those of you out in "blogland" is:



Has the general public become so routinely rude/distant/disagreeable/unpleasant (choose your word here) that veterans of the service industry are impressed by a most pedestrian thing such as swapping a seat to keep a family together on a flight?



Please feel free to comment and reply to this, as I am genuinely interested in what others are thinking here. (By the way, I am assuming the flight attendant had no ulterior motives in complementing me unless she mistook me for an airline exec...LOL).


Thanks for reading!


Monday, July 19, 2010

People's Choice Award!

My great thanks to those gallery visitors at the Vermont Photo Space Gallery who voted my image "Eyes of The World" as a People's Choice Award winner.


Monday, July 12, 2010

Join this year's International Photo Walk!

For any of you who are itching to get out and shoot (photographically!) you might consider joining the 2010 International Photo Walk. A Photo walk is when a group of photographers (your skill level/ experience is irrelevant!) get together and walk around an area and shoot images and share the experience. Afterword, they share their photos. It's a fantastic way to meet other like minded folks and enjoy some photographic fellowship. This year's big event occurs on July 24th. Check the link below to see about joining one near where you live! Again - no experience (or fancy gear) needed!

The Third International Photo Walk

This could be a great way for you shake yourself out of a photographic rut and discover people and places near you that help spark your photographic muse.

I'll be attending the Photo Walk in Denton, Texas that  night and I'll be posting my favorite images here.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

A Winner!


I was just notified that I won this past week's Facebook "Snap Happy Photo Contest"! This week's theme was "Things that start with 'A'". Thanks to all the Snap Happy members who supported me!






Aoraki - Last Light



Here's the link to the Snap Happy Group

Friday, July 2, 2010

Happy Independence Day!

As the 4th of July weekend is upon us, I am unveiling my latest composite image in honor 234 years of US  Independence. For this image I chose three symbols of Americana that have great meaning to me. As a lover of flags I could not resist including "Old Glory" as a central theme. The background forest represents the natural richness and wilderness that shaped so much of this nation's character, especially in her  early years. The Bald Eagles as our national bird  stand as icons of "America", but to me they add a special sense of resilience as a species that once endangered, has fought back and is becoming a more common sight  in US  skies. I am proud to think that my grandchildren will once day live to see WILD Bald Eagles without having to travel to Alaska to see remnant populations.






From me here in Texas to you wherever you may be, have a joyful and safe Independence Day. Make the most of your freedoms!