Follow Up

Earlier in the Spring I did a post of the granddaughters playing with the new super Bubble Blower. At that time I commented that I'd like to try the shot again in a controlled environment, so that I could slow the bubbles down, at least enough to get a good whack at improving the quality. This is only one of many images and I'll probably post more at a later date. I wanted to get this one up on the site so I could see just how it displayed in this venue. Catching one in mid burst was kinda fun.

Call the Chamber

For many years my wife and I would take a late winter vacation somewhere warmer. It got to the point where it was no longer laughable. It seemed like without fail when we reached our destination they would have unseasonably bad weather. We joked that we we should contact the chamber of commerce of well known sunny destinations and threaten to come there if they didn't send us money. This is an image I shot on a trip to the east coast of Florida a couple of years ago. I call it a faux HDR image. I took the only exposure I had, ran it through Bridge one time creating an under exposure and the next time creating an overexposure. I then ran the 3 exposures through the HDR software and "Viola" it didn't turn out half bad.

Emma Update

I've been getting many request to update my little Emma's status. Here, in all her glory, stands my little Emma at 10 months and in estrus at that. She is still full of piss and vinegar and makes me very happy. This is a rare moment when she didn't have one of her many tennis balls in her mouth. I have seen her at times, sound asleep with the darn ball in her mouth. Our older dog, Sophie, is doing the best she can to keep up but with the warmer weather, she's not prone to stay up with her for long. (Above from a post 9 months ago and below, of course, today)

My Favorite Father In Law

John F. Gewinner passed away yesterday June 8, 2009. May he rest in Peace. I'm gonna miss you buddy.

In like Flint

Don't be fooled by his menacing, somber appearance. This man, an old friend and client, is probably the most gentle man you'll ever meet. This image is an outtake from a portrait sitting I did for him as a gift to his wife. Flint couldn't decide if the whole premise wasn't, maybe, a bit too egotistical. I assured him it was not. I think his wife may have assured him otherwise. Of all the clients I've had, Flint always seemed to draw the best out of my work. Maybe it was a spiritual connection, as he was a Bishop in the Mormon church for several years. This image also represents a slight variation from my normal lighting style. I doubt anyone would actually notice.

A fish tale I'll never lie about

So, after a crazy week at the studio, I finally got to take my youngest granddaughter fishing. She had asked to go at the end of last year and I never found the time to do it. Well now, I committed to this past weekend and even though the weather looked bleak at first, I was determined not to let this opportunity slip by. My joy was sidled a bit by the remembrance of when I took my two young boys fishing for the first time. We had a friend whose farm pond was loaded with large mouth bass. It was a day none of us will forget. We hooked several gargantuan bass right off the bat. (Well, they seemed to be gargantuan at the time). They ranged from one to six pounds. I digress a bit. The first was in the 5 lb range and I was frantic to get a picture of the boys holding it. Who would have guessed this opportunity would be so traumatic? I think the quote was "Please dad, don't make me hold it, you're gonna ruin my whole day!" Well, I have that picture and it has surfaced many a time for that special occasion. Keeping that in mind I anticipated any number of emotions from Jess, and wouldn't have placed a bet on which it would be. I think once she refused to even carry the worms, I knew there was a good chance of a repeat.
We pick the perfect spot, I assembled the bamboo pole, a grandpa pole is what her and her daddy called it, baited the tiny hook with the first of many big ol' night crawlers we had dug out of the garden. You could tell her emotions were running amuck. So we lob out the first worm and bright new bobber with instructions to pull up the pole if she saw the bobber go under. I turned to get the second rig ready and I heard the delight in her voice, "Grandpa, help!" "You got one Jess, pull it in." " You do it grandpa, please!" "Oh, OK Jess but you have to do the next one." I pulled it up and she screamed and giggled a giggle that sounded of joy and apprehension, pride and fear, delight and worry. It was a sound, a giggle, that a grandpa will never forget. Now, the big moment. "Jess", I said, "hold your fish while grandpa takes your picture." Déja vu. "NO, no don't make me hold it!" "Just hold the bobber then." "No No No, you hold it." None the less, it was something really special. All in all, she caught 10 less than gargantuan sunfish and we both walked back to the car, full of pride and accomplishment.

Gone Fishin'

Apologies, but commerce has gotten in the way of my usual blog schedule.

Please check back in a week or two.
Thanks

Harry Hands

Harry Weber is a world class sculptor and world class man. I met Harry through a friend and it was Harry's hands and eyes in that sitting that have inspired many a portrait. Here in Saint Louis we have monument to Stan Musial that sits outside the stadium. It's an odd looking caricature of "The Man" himself. Unfortunately, that piece was created by another sculpter and no one in charge at that time even considered Harry's enormous talent for that piece. Stan himself doesn't have a very high regard for the image that portrays him in that original work. Since then, Harry has done a second version and it has the full approval of Musial. http://www.harryweber.com/sports.html Sometimes I think the purchase and placement art is opportunistic, something that serendipitously appears at the exact time someone is looking. Just a footnote: I hope to be doings Stan's portrait someday soon. Not posed with a bat or a ball or a glove but his beloved harmonica. Those who know Stan know just how much he loves playing.

My Apologies

I'm sorry I haven't posted any images of late but I've had some urgent matters to tend to.

Is that so?

"I have forgotten more than I'll ever know." Armando

Beyond the lens

Here are a couple of quotations from Henri Cartier-Bresson regarding portraiture as near as I can remember.• • • • •
"The most difficult thing for me is a portrait. You have to try and put your camera between the skin of a person and his shirt."
• • • • •
"I once was commissioned to photograph an old lady--a wonderful old lady--and she asked to check on the picture before publication. I told here I've never done that, it's a question of trust. And she said, 'Oh, it's my wrinkles.'
"But that's the interesting part, the wrinkles. It's a mark of living. "It's life--the way you live life; the intellectual baggage you take with you."It's all these things. "After a certain age you got the face you deserve, I think."

Commercially Acceptable

When I started my portrait series I was really focused on a fairly narrow target market. Now I see the market expanding with almost every sitting. These images have outstanding commercial potential and could grace the cover of any number of publications, authors blurb shots and print advertising. I wish I would have started this project earlier. I love what I'm doing and hope it keeps growing.

Double Click

Here is an image I shot yesterday that I am totally fond of. It incorporates the technique that I so often espoused and it is my studio building. I've done something here that I don't normally do, in that, it's posted in a higher rez and size. I did this so that if you double click on the image, it will open larger so that you can fully appreciate the visual. Had I not done this, no one would have given it a second thought. Please be reminded these images are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without written permission

On the lighter side...much lighter

The granddaughters love the whole bubble blowing thing and we must have had 10-15 variations, from the original single small circle on a stem to a battery powered bubble blowing guns. This weekend I found a new version for a buck. It is by far the best of the lot. It has a long plastic loop in a narrow tube of solution. It's the least messy and the most effective version to date. It inspired a try at photographically capturing the possibilities. The breeze was a little too much for great opportunities but the potential is there nonetheless. When I get some free time I will be doing a more controlled shoot in the studio. Art? Maybe. We'll see.

Can't let it be

So, I find more of the the Pulitzer. Maybe I should apply for a grant to fully expose the art of the art place.

Whacky Place

Here in Saint Louis we have a unique place for kids and adults to visit. It's called the City Museum and it was designed and built by artist and weird thinking people. My wife calls it, a law suit waiting to happen. The visuals are amazing and the exhibits are hands on and made of mostly recycled material. A big part of the attraction are the miles of what I would call, a human gerbil trail. It's made from a rebar like material and it wanders throughout, with some of it going for long stretches and as high as maybe 8 stories. I photographed this young man in one of the tamer parts. If you are ever in the city, it's well worth the visit.

Devastated

Once I found that I hadn't won the "blog" contest, I was totally demoralized and couldn't bring myself to post anymore. Not. Actually, I found myself totally engrossed in a new paper and printer combination that has changed my entire approach as to how I print my portraits. I had been caught in a black hole of angst trying to make the old combination print more consistently. I finally called an old cohort from Kodak who is now in a pivotal position with Epson and begged for help. It's not that I'm a total dolt when it comes to color management, I did speak it with some authority in a previous life but I couldn't nail this down. Nonetheless he told me to go straight to the new Exhibition Fibre paper and rest assured my problems would be all but solved. I hate to admit it but he pretty much nailed it. I'm rambling again. During that time my blog suffered from the lack of any new production, so, after several calls from friends who insisted that I return to my post and with a renewed sense of drive, I went back to the Pulitzer Museum, which is right behind my studio and I worked the geometric shapes that grab me every time I shoot around there. Something has gotten into my psyche, much like the Ice Carvings, I'm drawn, more and more, to the abstracts.

Jeigh Today

It seems so long ago that I first met this man. We were introduced because, at the time, I was shooting a lot of fashion and he was the head of the Fashion Department at Washington University, here in Saint Louis. For several years after, I sat on the jury for the Fashion Department's final show of the school year. There were several designers from those classes that made a significant name for themselves in the business. I don't remember how we parted but I hadn't seen Jeigh for some time but when I did, I knew he was meant for the portfolio. I was thrilled that he was willing to sit for me and the funny thing is, he seemed more thrilled that I had asked. Go Figure.

Red Trees and a speeding ticket

Back in the prime fall days of 08, I knew the maples in front of our world famous Art Museum would be spectacular. So I planned that photo adventure to take place while the sun was still on the front of the building. Math isn't my strong suite but after a little thought and research I calculated that the window of opportunity would be just past 8am and not lasting much longer. A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. I was asked to stop my car by one of the local gendarmes. Seems as though I was going 41 miles per hour.
Hmm, no one in the park at that time except me and the police car. 41 miles per hour?? Arriving just a bit late, it was, as I expected, fabulous. I did indeed shoot many HDR's that day and they are amazing.

Really Cool Stuff

A few weeks ago a really good friend invited us out to Saint Charles, Missouri to see the "Fete de Ice" (or something like that). Her brother and nephew were competing there and have the art pretty well mastered. Of course I had to bring along the new Camera to give her a test drive. Ice, in case you didn't know, can be very difficult to shoot. I think the success here was not to capture the shape of the sculptures but the beautiful abstracts that present themselves when you can see through them. The clear, yet distorted, color and shapes comes through in the clearest parts of the ice. This first image is more of an visual demonstration of just that. You can see people behind the ice but what is most interesting is the color of the coats and scarves coming through. What follows is a series of abstracts that exemplify what I really loved about shooting that day. They look like very well crafted oil or watercolor paintings.

In the first image below the copy, you can make out the ice carver through the ice itself. After that, the coats and scarves of the art followers make-up the color content contained within.

Note: It saddens me that images posted here are very disappointing when compared to the originals. It must have been a bad day at Google/Blogger, because I edited and re-edited these images trying to compensate for the lackluster portrayal posted herein. I'll leave them posted for now or until I wake up in the middle of the night knowing this might somehow diminish what this blog, has to date, represented. At which point, I'll pull them off.