• Black and White,  Candid Portraits,  People/Portraits

    Making her smile

    A young couple at the Lory Student Center

    I love the people I photograph. I mean, they’re my friends. I’ve never met most of them or I don’t know them at all, yet through my images I live with them. At the same time, they are symbols. The people in my pictures aren’t Mr. Jones or Mr. Smith or whatever; they’re someone that crossed my path or I’ve crossed their path, and through the medium of photography I’ve been able to make a good picture of that encounter. They have a life of their own, but they are also are symbols. I would say that I respect the viewer, but I don’t want to tell him everything. Hopefully, there’s an element of mystery involved. I like him to look at a picture and say “Well, that that reminds me of someone,” and make up a little story in his head, make him smile, brighten up his day. I think this is what I’m trying to achieve with my photographs. 

    Bruce Gilden
  • Annie Dillard,  Candid Portraits,  coffee shops,  People/Portraits,  quotes

    Morning coffee…

    A young lady with morning coffee and her shadow

    “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
    What we do with this hour and with that one, is what we are doing.” 

    Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

    I met this young lady at the coffee shop the other morning. I loved the light on her so I asked if I could take a photo and one is all I took. Many of you know I’m one who spends time at local coffee shops with my books, journal, fountain pens, camera and openness to who I will encounter. It is always an adventure.

  • Candid Portraits,  coffee shops,  lifestyles,  People/Portraits

    What’s a barista?

    My Pirate Baristas on Halloween

    A barista is someone that specializes in making and serving a variety of beverages. They usually work at a coffee shop, bookstore, or in a bar that serves coffee or espresso specialty drinks. In addition, most baristas call you by name, know what your normal drink is and also dress in costumes pretending to be pirates, beautiful pirates.

  • Black and White,  Candid Portraits,  Documentary/Street,  quotes

    Waiting at the bus stop

    Waiting for the bus at the Transit Center

    “Photography is a medium of formidable contradictions. It is both ridiculously easy and almost impossibly difficult. It is easy because its technical rudiments can readily be mastered by anyone with a few simple instructions. It is difficult because, while the artist working in any other medium begins with a blank surface and gradually brings his conception into being, the photographer is the only imagemaker who begins with the picture completed. His emotions, his knowledge, and his native talent are brought into focus and fixed beyond recall the moment the shutter of his camera has closed.”

    Edward Steichen
  • Black and White,  Candid Portraits,  lifestyles,  People/Portraits

    Andrew

    Andrew and south facing window light

    Had lunch with my friend Andrew at a great Thai restaurant. He is a deep thinker so we can have some great conversations. Combine that with Thai food and a good time will be had. At one point he gazed towards the south facing windows and I just had to take this image. I shot it in color but envisioned it in black and white. Thanks, Andrew!

  • Candid Portraits,  Children,  Documentary/Street,  lifestyles

    Enjoying the weather

    Party weekend in Old Town while we still have nice weather

    I took this on Saturday afternoon. I’ve had a cold since Thursday so I needed to get out of the house. Saturday evening was CSU’s Homecoming so there were a lot of people in Old Town. That meant a lot of people were from out of town for the game, grabbing a beer and burger before the game and a bit of shopping.  It was perfect football weather with nary a cloud in the sky. However, the young man running around in the fountain had no concern about any silly football game as he was focused solidly on his time chasing the bubbling fountains. Every once in awhile he would let out a squeal of joy because he almost caught one, whatever that meant to him, and that motivated him to try it again. Mom and dad stood to the side and watched, with grins.

    We’ve had wonderful weather the last 5 days. Today and tomorrow  are expected to be in the high to mid 70’s. But the high for Thursday is only gonna be 32 degrees with a nighttime low of 18 degrees and snow. So, we’re enjoying the weather while we can!

  • Ansel Adams,  Art,  Candid Portraits,  coffee shops,  Creativity,  lifestyles,  quotes

    Practicing the practice

    Practicing her pencil drawings

    I know the importance of highly trained awareness of the “moment” and the immediate and intuitive response of the photographer. It should be obvious to all that photographers whose images possess character and quality have attained them only by continued practice and total dedication to the medium. – 

    Ansel Adams

    Last week I posted an image of a young artist practicing his craft at a local coffee shop. Yesterday afternoon I  took this image of a young lady practicing her craft at the same coffee shop. What is interesting about this young lady is she is drawing from a book that I assume to be a textbook. While the young man was creating the character from the muse within him. So, I practiced more courage and my photography by asking the young lady if I could take a photo of her practicing her practice. She agreed.