• lifestyles,  writing/reading

    Kindle and Coffee

    November 8, 2010

    I’ve spent way too much time debating within myself to purchase an e-reader. I’ve weighed the pros and cons and in many ways can distort them to suit my desires for that day. I’ve been interested in them since they first came out. As much traveling as I do it makes sense to only carry one book which actually can have hundreds of books loaded. I moved closer to purchasing a Kindle few days ago I added one to my shopping cart on Amazons website but did not take the next step. Well, after some prodding and feedback from friends who use them I pushed the purchase button on my monitor and am now the owner of the new Kindle. So far, I like it. The first book I purchased was called The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball. It was one I’d read about and jotted down the title for future reference. And, I consumed it in two days.

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  • People/Portraits,  Self-portraits

    Inspired Twice

    November 6, 2010
    Westerville, Ohio

    Sometimes I raise my camera to my eye because I’m inspired with what I see at the moment. Sometimes there is a thought process involved before pressing the shutter and other times it’s more of a reaction. The above image was a moment of reaction and about 3 seconds worth of thought, mostly in composition. However, once loaded on the hard drive the previously felt inspiration was not there. The tall green with my shadow had nothing to say to me.

    A few weeks later while making a second pass over last months images and getting rid of the losers, inspiration spoke again of this scene. After playing around with it for a couple of minutes, I convert it to black and white and saw a completely different scene. So in this image I was inspired at shutter time and in post processing. I guess you can say I was inspired twice.

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  • Photography

    I Lost It?

    November 3, 2010

    I lost it. I felt the anger and resentment well up inside of me, making me physically unhealthy. My back and neck were tight and the aching was more than annoying me. I did not like where I was. My mind kept playing out scenes which did not need to be imagined. Life was not what I wanted and I was not accepting it. I prayed for relarese from these unwelcomed thoughts and feelings.

    I settled into some quiet hoping to settle the restless spirit within me. I then grabbed my journal and began to write with the hope of putting my thoughts down in black and white would help them subside. Since the rain had stopped and the sun was peaking out between the rolling clouds and offering glimpses of bright blue skies, a restlessness was beckoning me to get up and move. With camera over my shoulder I walked within close proximity of my hotel. I whispered prayers and opened myself to the muse hoping it would point my photographers eye to the unseen images around me. Once back in my room it felt good to stretch out on my bed and relax. As I laid there I noticed the tension, anger, resentment and the unhealthy focusing on my “self” had slipped away. Was it the writing, the prayer, the quiet time, the walk or pressing the shutter on my camera? Hopefully it was all of them. I lost them.

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  • Candid Portraits,  coffee shops,  Documentary/Street,  People/Portraits

    The Photographer

    November 2, 2010

    We landed in Burlington yesterday around noon and were greeted with cloudy skies, temperatures in the mid 30’s and a mix of rain and snow. Not the sort of day to plan a picnic. But heck I’m in Burlington, Vermont and the downtown area of known as Church Street has a fascination with me. As I had not eaten all day I ventured down there with camera in hand looking for a photo or two and a sandwich. I’m glad to say I found both. After a couple of hours of walking the streets, pressing the shutter button a few times and window shopping, I stopped in at a coffee shop. I ordered a hot apple cider as it seemed like the perfect drink for the season and the cold day. Sitting at the table next to me were two young girls. I noticed the one girl raise up a camera and take a photo of the other girl. But wait, something was different.

    The sound I heard when she took the photo was different. What I heard was the shutter and then I heard her wind the camera and cock it for the next shot; it must be film I hear. Turning to look I noticed she was shooting a Canon AE-1. Being the nosey individual I am, I poked my nose in the middle of their conversation and asked a few questions about the camera. I discovered they were high school students and one of them was taking a photography class. The camera belonged to the school and her assignment for the week was to shoot black and white images of family and friends. She enjoys photography and by all indications will for many years to come. Anyway, I asked if I could take a photo of her taking a photo of me. she agreed so here is “The Photographer.”

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