The First Sign of Spring

Ah yes, it's the one thing that lets you know that Spring is just around the corner.

No, it's not a Robin.

And it's certainly not the Ground Hog.

It is that infamous call from Florida and Arizona...Pitchers and Catchers Report.

Yes, when Major League Baseball declares that spring training is to begin, my mind relaxes from it's winter's clinch 
and I start the anticipation of warmer weather to come.  Life is Good.

I Think You Can See Clearly Now

OK, the response to the previous post was very entertaining.  The vast majority of the comments were positive and complimentary.  There were however, a few purist that chastised me for the extreme softness of the image and their inability to imagine what my friend might look like otherwise.  I did, if you remember explain why I took the direction that I took.


So, in an effort to make everyone happy, here is the "Bets" in her more natural form. Sure, someone is gonna say, you still added a blur to this image.  Aha, wrong.  I used a tool that controls tonal contrast and it's amazing.


Enough of the tech talk.  Please enjoy.

BTW, if any of you aficionados' of blogspot know this answer, please let me know. That last post has shifted colors considerably since I first posted it and I've noticed this before.  Cause and fix?

Place your Bets

I know not where to begin. Nearly 30 years ago, I somehow came across this beauty but I don't remember the circumstance. Then Betsy Bircher, she was a very tall, strikingly beautiful woman with a voice of an instrument that promised stardom. I won't try to elaborate on her career path but as fate would have it, Bets never really liked performing. I guess it was kinda like a young basketball player I was close to, that panicked at the thought of playing in front of arenas of sport fans. Maybe not.


Betsy and I recently had a reunion that was long over due. At 53, she is as striking as ever and her pipes are clear and true and used mainly these days to wow Christian listeners wherever she sings.


We talked a lot of late and I think she is in a mode to be likened to a Dianna Krawll, soothing sweet jazz tones accompanied by her fingers dancing on the keys of her piano.  She feels the call but hesitates to revert to the late night hours and of being out of sync with her family which includes 2 young men and a husband and parents tip toeing toward the autumn of their life.


This image was an interesting miss hit.  We were shooting very quickly and the focus didn't quite ring true but the expression of happiness and the heartwarming smile convinced me to try to make something worthwhile from what I had.  I love it and like Molly in the previous post, it lifts my spirits and warms my heart.

Oh So Molly

 

My buddy here in my studio building is an accountant and his name is Steve.  One day recently I walked in and interpreted him, as I have a want to do, and for the first time, noticed an 8X10 framed portrait of this cute little 18 year old girl hanging on his wall.  It was Steve's daughter, Molly. Steve had talked about her on occasion but I didn't realize she was so cute.  Well, I jumped on the opportunity to appeal to his fatherly pride and asked if she would want to come in someday and bemuse me for a while.(that's not dirty, is it?)  I had motive in that she would fit nicely into a project that I have been working on and I just love shooting beautiful faces.

Molly was a joy, part ham, part actress, she had no problem settling in to the groove of posing.  We shot many many frames that day but this one got to the father in me. When I sent Steve a copy by eMail, I reminded him that as a parent nothing makes us happier than seeing our children laugh.  Sure the toddler giggle is all but gone but the delight and joy in their expression is priceless.

This picture makes me happy.  It makes me smile.  I feel lighter just looking at it.

Thanks Molly.

Emily

 

I have been photographing Emily for some time now and we both had some time available because of the Christmas/New Years holiday. This time I initiated the session.  Usually I'm harassed into it by her mother who insist the I photograph her children on a regular basis.  Usually I'm able to act disinterested until she promises enumerable rewards for doing it.  I'll eventually concede if she promises to feed us dinner.  She (Em's mother) is an amazing cook who is driven by the details of the meal. We used to alternate dining invitations until it became a contest and we finally decided to surrender to her superiority.

So, where was I?  Oh yeah, I asked Emily to help me with a project I've been preparing to market and she readily agreed. The results took on a direction that I hadn't originally intended but it was quite gratifying nonetheless.  Here, I was able to drive a 60's looking pose even further by contriving an old color slide look.  

Just to give you a range, here is a shot from the same session with Emily as her more mature self.

90 Minus 5

The Tribute to my dad's passing has been removed in an effort to keep a lighter feeling to the blog

Sometimes I get too sentimental and depressing.  Thank you for your kind comments.

Just Josh'in

Many years ago when I started my Portrait quest, I quickly settled into a comfortable niche for style but in a rare moment of lucidity, I had the foresight to see that maybe I shouldn't get pigeon holed into being a one style pony.  I decide to try to cultivate an alternate style just in case some art director or client had his fancy caught by the Old Masters look but needed something more contemporary. So, off in a hard and unfocused area I ventured.  This willing subject is Josh Sanseri, at the time, was a rising star from my old Alma Mater. Now, he is probably the best shooter that I have seen in a while, at shooting environmental or location portraits while keeping an incredible lighting balance between the existing and added light.

Last I heard from Josh, he was well on his way to being a huge success in Los Angeles, CA.

http://www.sanseri.com/   

The tone is a synthetic Ambrotype.  While it takes me away from my purist black and white mode, it just feels right for this.

The Big Push

There have been times, I have read somewhere, that people were killed by being crushed in a crowd and wondered just how that could have happened.  This image I shot in a dimly lit subway moving toward the street, heading toward the Jon Stewart Rally to Restore Sanity. Somehow, the sanity seems a bit lost here. It was a long subway ride from the suburbs where every platform was overflowing with prospective riders and at every stop 4, 5 or 6 more people would force themselves into every opening of the train. It got to the point where holding onto the handrails was barely necessary.  We were so tightly packed we had become self supporting.

I can now understand the possibility of being trampled in a crowd.  Had there been any sense of urgency or panic, many here could have been severely trod upon.

This was shot into one of those convex mirrors and tightly cropped. The old expression, head for the light at the tunnel, is so very well illustrated here.

For those who might be interested, the enthusiasm at the Rally was monumental.  The Rally itself was a bit of a disappointment. Unless you got there at five in the morning, it was virtually impossible to see or hear anything.   Am I sorry I went?  Absolutely not.

clicking on the image helps

What Will They Think of Next

Last week or maybe it was 2 weeks ago, I posted an iPhone shot that I really liked. A couple of days later, someone, it turns out to be a friend of mine, suggested I look into a phone App that he had seen.  I didn't rush out to get it but while riding back from Virginia, I had some time to kill, so I downloaded it just for grins. I haven't totally explored its possibilities but the first few times I tried it, it made me happy.  Nothing  sensational will ever come of it but the odd, old film, feel, stirs something creative in me.  I need to figure out a way to extract it from my iPhone, full size.  The way it is now, it's a very small file.  Maybe that's the best it will ever be.  We'll see.  Thanks Mike.

Why Wait

I just looked at my "to do" list and none of it seemed like any fun, so what the heck, more Ashley. I think I may have captured the warmth and playfulness of this St Louis University student. If I could only make a living doing this.  Maybe someday when I grow up.

Change Up

Well, last week I made some time to do some lighting test and my friend Ashley, whose eyes you have seen in the past, agreed to be my subject. Yea, spared you the self portraits. I think I'll post more later but this one really caught my fancy. I don't know exactly what it is that stops me in my tracks but I love this image.

Youth, great skin, amazing eyes and a willingness to be patient with my dallying with lights.  Thanks, Ashley.

Just in the NIK of Time

I'm about to do something I said I would never do. I've avoided ads and commercial comment, until now, but looking at the last post, I think it only fair that I say out loud or in this case in bold letters how important a tool can be. Without this software I more than likely would have lost interest in a boat load of images I have captured.  There is hardly an image that I have developed (mentally and digitally) that I haven't used a least one of the Suite of software produce by NIK. In my mind it is the second most significant software product a photographer can use short of Photoshop. 

I was introduced to the young man who is the brains behind NIK software maybe 10 to 12 years ago when I was still working for Kodak. Amazingly he still remembers that day and has been very courteous whenever we talk, though I'm sure he knows 10 thousand more important and influential people than I.

There are 5 variation that I used and they have just rolled out the new HDR software that is so very impressive.  

As usual I have gotten away from the point.  

When I look back at the iPhone image, recently posted, I just marvel how that was not much of an image until I kicked it in the head with the NIK software. Sure, the composition was pretty darn nice but the other properties were nothing of which to speak. 

I'm a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to sharing my little secrets or techniques. I say I love teaching young people the trade but there a few things that I feel a bit possessive about.  For the longest time I used a very proprietary system for converting images to Black and White.  I didn't share it with many people because it was unique to me.  Then one day I began to enlighten others and surprisingly as hard as most tried, few were successful at getting the results that I got. I think there is an intuitiveness about it that others didn't have and I couldn't iliterate.

Then along comes NIK and its suite of software tools and at the very least I would tell anyone listening, if you're sharpening your images in Photoshop,  stop now.

Download the free trial version of NIK Sharpening Pro. I'll give you back your investment if you don't love it.

http://www.niksoftware.com/site/

May your love of the trade, blossom beyond your greatest expectations.

Thanks Michael.

Everybody's Doing It... plus one more

 plus one....


















Ever since Apple came out with the iPhone, maybe even before, photographers have taken to using it for some niche art opportunities. I, for one, have not taken to it as yet. It is not for the shaky of hand. The shutter release is in a very inconvenient location and add the relatively low resolution and less than stellar lens and I'm pretty much out of luck. Undaunted by my ineptitudes, I keep trying.  Today I found, that if I dink around long enough on the computer I can eventually produce something of interest. This is the recently renovated Continental Building in the Grand Arts Center, just down from my studio. As I look at it, I see maybe, an Orson Wells vintage property or maybe Superman or even Buck Rogers or as a friend suggested, maybe even early Gotham, Batman. Whatever I'm seeing, I like it.  I had this friend who's motto was, "If you shoot enough, you'll eventually come up with something." Got it.

Let me add this quote from Elliot Erwitt.

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them."

Since the original post, I've come around to the western view of the Continental Building and added a different perspective, both in angle and style.  Somebody stop me.

Whatizit #5

So, I'm wondering if anyone else has seen one of these?  I found it permanently affixed to the street on my way to the City Diner here in the neighborhood. It appears to be made out of the striping paint for the roads. Thick and rubbery. I tried to peel it up but it ain't moving. Is it a one of a kind or part of some protest or political Logo. Got any ideas?  If so please to comment.

For Lunch

This image makes me sorta happy.  Simple yet graphic, it's the kind of thing I want to be able to do when the opportunity arises.

For years I've been looking for the perfect everyday camera.  One that I can keep with me all the time. Something compact but close to DSLR quality.

I recently bought a G11, which on paper, seems to fit that bill. Frankly, while it's not everything I'd hoped for, I'm getting a little more warm and fuzzy with it.

I had lunch today on a little plaza not for from the studio.  It was a gorgeous day and I had my new camera along.

The search continues but this ain't bad. 

*Still don't know why the quality in the original blog image seems to pale in comparison to the "click on" version.

Encore

This is, as promised, an encore for Phillip and maybe not his last. I think the two of us could do a show, a "Character Study, Man and Camera."

I found myself a bit sidetracked, not hard to do these days, and in need of some stimuli, so I imposed on the the collection of unprinted captures from Phillip's session. What photographer could resist presenting this quality of character.

Clipped from his previous post:

Phillip Welch, Lexington, Virginia.  Artist, Craftsman and nice guy.  Phillip is one of those locals that allowed me to interrupt his life long enough to pose for my series. Without much fanfare, we dropped into his studio and basically didn't leave until he agreed to subject himself to my lens. Keep in mind none of these folks, save James (our friend), know me from Adam.  If it weren't for the introduction from our friends, my chances of getting any shooting done would have been severely hampered. 

Phillips forte is the art of creating fine furniture pieces from wood unlike anything you might find at Crate N Barrel or Ethan Allen or even Sotheby's for that matter.

The image itself is not how most folks who know Phil would picture him. I'll run more later.  As a matter of fact, the shoot ran so smoothly and quickly because, as it turns out, he is a natural. He sat down and went through poses almost faster than my light would recycle.  He was a Master of using his hands in the poses and feared no capture that might someday come back to haunt him. Mugging it up, he looked more like an experienced actor than a small town artist.  In fact, I asked him if he would like that I submit images to various agencies, because he has a very commercial face and an ability to follow direction that is usually only found in very experienced model/actors.

Finally the Rooster has Landed

Clicking on the image helps

I have been saving this image as the finale to the Virginia series but since I have stalled and faltered of late, I thought it best if I moved him up.

This is Rooster Ruley.  Legend amongst legends in the hills of West Central Virginia. A world class Bluegrass Banjo player, Rooster is the genuine article.

Rooster's image is how I pictured all of my subjects to be on that trip but I guess I let my imagination run a little too wild. 

When you look at this face, I'm bettin' you're forming an opinion as to what Rooster is really like. Well, you're right. If I've done my job here, you're probably thinking, undisciplined, loose living, carefree and  living life to it's fullest, I'd say you're right on the money.

The night I met Rooster was the big music fest on top of the mountain. There were murmurs within the crowd that Rooster might show up. He did and as you might expect, he's the kind of guy that doesn't really take a liking to pushy, crowed places. I'd say he's standoffish and easily spooked. My challenge was to not scare him away before I could get him to commit to a sitting. I'm not sure what came over me but when we were introduced, I did my my best, sincere, look 'em right in the eye posture and said, Rooster it's nice to finally meet you and I drove 900 miles to take your picture. I'm pretty sure it caught him off guard. I had him somewhere between flattered and terrified. Surprisingly enough he agreed, only asking, are you a professional photographer? I looked him even straighter in the eye and said, Why yes I am. He quickly shared his brand new phone number with me (which I proceeded to lose that night) and told me to give him a call.

Two days later, after searching everywhere for his number and calling anyone who might know him, I got him on the phone and reprised my, I drove 900 miles to take your picture, line. Being a little more sober this time, he said, if you really drove that far to take my picture, you're a damn fool. I couldn't help but smile and hope the hook was set. We agreed on a time and I crossed my fingers, hoping he'd stick to his word.  He did.

I wouldn't say ole Rooster was thrilled about the session. He was obviously on guard and tentative. He came with a young woman who had some questions about what we were up to and where this pictures might show up. Rooster told me later that she was his wife and she too was a photographer. Had I known, I would have invited her to stay. I did try to reach her to see if she was still in the area but she didn't answer or return my call.

We no sooner got into a rhythm shooting and Rooster decided he'd about had enough. He didn't like that I would try to pose him in ways that weren't natural to him. I tried to explain that I understood but since I shoot for impact, I wanted to get his banjo closer to his face and that it was important to the composition of the shot and it would look very natural in the finished product. He wasn't buying it.

If you remember from the earlier post, it was hot and humid that week and he was pretty much done. I'd like to have had a little more time before we wrapped but then Karsh only got one shot at Churchill. (OMG, did I just draw a comparison with Karsh, who am I kidding?).

There are several more keeper images that I have yet to develop, digitally speaking. Maybe later in the year, I'll post those too.

Toss Him a Line

Excuse me sir but I think I can make you a star. There must be a million lines that have been used to ask a woman to pose for a photographer. Well now, how does an older male photographer approach another middle age man about sitting for his camera. That was kind of the case with Roy.  Roy Fauber was attending the music fest on the mountain our first night in Virginia and I was looking for subjects to use while there. I think there was a quick introduction from my friends and I just got right to the point. He took the invitation quite in stride and performed beyond my expectations when the shoot day arrived.

A kind and gentle man with a pleasant since of humor, you can see the real Roy relaxed and comfortable with himself in this shot.

Another banker by trade, he spent a hundred years working for the Fed. It seemed like everyone I met in Virginia was either a musician or a banker.  I only wish he had been my banker when I was younger.

Maybe I should have started with..."Pardon me Roy..." 

Nah, I did just fine.

A Creative Masterpiece

This post could maybe become a novel or at least a long short story.  I'll try to contain myself. 

Jack Thorwegan has been the mastermind behind multiple Ad Agencies and Ad Campaigns. I've known Jack for probably 35 years.  He came into St Louis after running the hottest Ad Shop in Chicago, if not the country. Hot Buttered Graphics.  While here he birthed probably 5 or 6 more significant agencies before finally taking an offer too good to refuse and now has become a consummate wine tester.  Well, now let me not paint him as some kind of lush. He legitimately enjoys trying as many varieties as possible. 

Stand fast Jerry, don't drift off into another Galaxy. Stick to the pertinent.

We have only of late, rekindled our past relationship and I managed to persuade him to sit for me.  I must admit, it was a little intimidating photographing someone obviously superior to me in this field all the while trying to seem confident and in control. What I didn't expect was that he ended up art directing the shoot for me. He gave me every conceivable pose I could ever imagine.  I would look back to the monitor to see what direction I might give and when I turned back, he was already doing something far more interesting than what I was about to suggest.  This from a self professed creature not liking the other side of the camera.

I think we both came away with a little more insight than we expected.

Thank you Mr. Thorwegan, save a glass for me.

Sallie, Dear Sallie

This lovely lady is my Sallie.  My Sallie that saved the day by renting me her storefront to use while doing my thing in Virginia.  A joy to be around and appreciative of my sense of humor- I think- she busted her kiester to make sure everything went well. Save the defective Air Conditioner that was beyond help.  I shot this in the heat of the moment, literally.  We were all pretty, shall we say, moist from the heat and she had the courage to sit for a second until the next person was ready.  I took her image into a different direction because it wouldn't be fair to turn her into the worn faced subject I'm used to. I'm pretty sure she deserves better.  Beside, the next time I do this, I have high expectation that she'll deliver some key folks for the shoot.

Thank you "My Sallie"