PAW 52 / whoa!!!

On my way to my morning café spot, I saw some low lying clouds hovering thru the trees on the mountain across the river.



I take this drive almost everyday I leave my home. In order to get a better view, I drove straight, just one block instead of turning left. To my amazement, there is a clearing with quite a view. I may have a new area for exploration from what I saw below.

I've always loved this bridge. Mostly only getting a head on view of it from a road to the north. There is another view from a much more easterly site. I just couldn't beleive that in the 3 years I lived here, I never discovered this viewpoint.

Airport Delays...

I've been back for a few days now. The last leg of the trip was just the worst. Following the rule of arriving 2 hours before take off I thought was bad enough, I ended up getting a call after I arrived that our flight was delayed another 2.5 hours. OMG!!! We had a good 4 hours to burn before we even got on the plane. My daughter is a great travelling companion, but this was taxing for the both of us. I had a contingency plan for a major melt down, but I didn't have to use it. I bought myself a portable dvd player with screen. I knew battery life was only 2.5 to 3 hours and I put in time for the 4 hours of flight time as well. 3 hours into our wait, I decided to pull it out for the hell of it. D was able to watch one of her new dvds she got for Christmas. I was getting admirable as well as evil looks from people walking by as D was having just a great time watching Blue's Clues. The evil eyes were mostly from parents with hostile kids that they could barely control.

I got my chance to just sit and kick back. I pulled out my camera, grabbing photos from the floor where we sat.



She was leaving for London to go back home from a visit to the States. World traveller, moving around the globe seems like such a simple task... I've been to Japan, various islands in the Carribean, but not to Europe. I better start getting used to delays in the airports. It seems well worth it and no where near the issues that we think they are.

PAW 51

I didn't get the chance to post last weeks picture, as my battery in my laptop has entered suckdom and internet access was not as easy as I would have thought. Anyway, moving thru the city of Chicago, I grabbed a shot out of the car in the infamous Loop in downtown. Called the Loop area as the elevated circles around a section of once the busiest business section of Chicago. I truely miss hearing the massive moving structures rolling on steel to steel. Not anywhere near the coolness of NYC mass transit, Chicago is where I grew up and it is where my history is.

Mom's Cooking

The food didn't last long enough on the table for me to photograph any of it. It is great being home and eating the food I grew up on, from the source!!!

The Hill...

We went to the HILL on Tuesday, late in the day as it was getting dark. My girl was very excited, but didn't have any reference as to what to expect. She wanted dearly to go straight to the top, but I decided to start her off at the mid way up point. She went down, screamed at the top of her lungs and came back up wanting to go to the top! Well, I thought about it, decided what the hell and let her go. We walked to the top, looked down and I asked her, are you sure??? She said YEAH!!! Let me go. Immediately, she gained momentum speeding down the hill. Towards the 3/4 mark down, she started hitting moguls. Somehow, she started in a seated position, then ended up on her belly. She lost a boot, her hat and bit her tongue. She was for sure not ready for the speed she reached as she said she couldn't do anything but hold on. When I was on my way down, a woman said it didn't look to good. As I approached, she started to cry about her tongue. When we got into the car, she said she never wanted to do that again.

Half way home, she said she wanted to go, but start out at the mid point a few times, then go back to the top. I love and admire this girl immensly for her fortitude and will.

Today, we went again, she went "boringly" down from mid point and wanted to go from the top. As we reached the summit, we looked down together. She didn't say anything, made her movements to get in her sled and shook her head yes. I let her go and she flew down the hill, not putting her foot down to try and slow down. After she finished her run, I met her at the halfway point. Excited, I asked her how it was. She just said she wanted to go again...

PAW 50

This is not as easy as I thought it would be... Weather just sucked ass last week and I just didn't get anything good, until this airport shot at PDX. I have to say though that I've always loved airport furniture and architecture.

I'm Out...

So I was very concerned yesterday about getting out to the airport, then off to Chicago because of the storm we had, dropping ice, then snow. I've learned that under the right conditions, even a drop of snow can cause havoc to this mid sized CITY here in the Northwest. So, up at 5:30 a.m. Everything packed and ready to go, my ride shows up at 6 a.m. As I go to take out the trash, I'm pleasantly surprised to see that it is raining. Though the streets are still very slick, it is much better than last nite when the roads were pretty much sheets of ice.

Because of the mandatory 2 hour advance arrival for the flight out, we've got about an hour and 45 minutes of nothing to do. We breezed thru check in via the baggage guys and walked passed all the saps waiting in line inside. Getting thru security was uneventful as well, mostly due to the fact that there was hardly any line to get thru. Now we just wait... It's nice that PDX has wireless thru out the airport. I'm just hanging out, sitting on the floor as hardly a soul walks by. Traveling should always be like this... (knock wood)

PAW 49

PAW, or Picture a Week. I've been meaning to start this project for over a month, but just have not gotten around to it. The so unofficial start for me to begin this project I hope is not indicative of failure, but I just wanted to get this going and have a goal to post photos til the end of the year.

My first photo, 49 weeks into 2005 is a result of having a conversation with EA, pictured here. Also a photographer, and also wanting to get in deeper water with photography, we talked about PAW and other subjects and projects regarding photography. It is too easy not to take photos and get better and make a timeline of your own life. Our lives get so busy doing what we think is necessary that we miss out on the idea of the mere enjoyment we have when we take a picture.

Everytime I go out and shoot, for the sake of shooting, I come back in a better mood. I'll feel even better when I come back with something I'm proud of and want to show off.

So, week 49, a photo of EA at a cafe I frequent on Thursday, 10:30 a.m.

Big Thing, Small Package

Get your mind out of the gutter! Can you tell where my computer is?



I can't believe how tiny the Mac Mini really is. My new computer has more power than the huge G4 tower I used as my main computer. I had originally tried to get a processor upgrade for it, but was having some issues with lots of crashes. I decided to go ahead and exchange the processor upgrade for ram and another hard drive for the mini I didn't even order yet. My timing was perfect as I got both computer and ram and drive all the same day.

I've done some test with my usual workflow and though I am not getting quad G5 results, I am so happy at the speed increase this little monster is giving me. Besides the actual desk I now have, the coolness factor is inspiring!



So in the photo lies the mini ontop of the additional hard drive called the Mini Stack. 2 brick Lacie drives ontop of my dvd burner and a card reader. My laptop which will soon be replaced is an older ibook. I'm really trippin about gaining so much space on my desk!

OH BABY

I find this to be in bad taste to be submitted to this after commiting to ride my bicycle only a few days earlier...

The 35mb film was shot in an August morning back in 1978. Director, Claude Lelouch mounted a gyro-stabilized camera to the front bumper of a Ferrari 275 GTB and had a friend (a professional Formula 1 racer), drive at breakneck speed through the heart of Paris.

A well told story...


Check it here.

A new Mode

When I was a teen and early 20's, I used to ride my bike everywhere. It was a situation where I either rode my bike and took the bus. I had no car. Well, after a series of bad luck, I am again without a car. I've decided that instead of trying to repair my latest vehicle, it is going to the salvage yard. So, I am in a situation where I am trying to convince myself that I will ride my 2 wheel, self propelled vehicle in the worst weather-wise time of the year.

For the past 3 days, I've ridden this...



And I have to say that I've been feeling good doing it. My usual daily commute to my café I go to is about 6.5 miles round trip. When I pick up my daughter from school, I'll ride another bike that has a trail-a-bike attached to it. That will be roughly 11 miles round trip. We'll see how I feel when it is very cold and rainy, though I am prepared for it.

In the meantime, while riding, I get to stop and take photos like these...

Magic Hands

This ain't no CGI

Red

Tintype Cowboy by Peter Howe

Tintype Cowboy by Peter Howe- The Digital Journalist

The process is amazing, but the results are quite stunning! I never knew how this process was done, and viewing the video insures that I would never want to do it. But to be able to gain access to history in such a way that is exactly the same as it was done back 150 years ago is very cool. If you have access to broadband, view the video. It is quite magical!

Women I am in Love with...

Make sure to read the captions...
The New York Times > Style > Slide Show > Woman Times Seven

Warm Springs, OR

After getting up an hour late, I drove like a maniac passed Mt. Hood to the Dry Side. I had a job in Warm Springs and didn't get to do much site seeing on the way out. I really wanted to meander, maybe stop a few places to shoot some interesting sites, but that just couldn't happen. I was very tired after my gig and was just looking forward to getting home. The drive back, I was determined to get out at least once and try and get a good shot. I managed 2 stops, relatively close to each other. The horses looked so good to me as I sped by, I doubled back to snap a few.

I'm noticing recent shots I am really after a full range of tonality. Memories of the darkroom are dancing in my head.

DAMN

My kid shot this today with her own camera...

...and through the woods...

In keeping my desire to stay behind the camera as often as possible, I brought my G5 along on a hike through the forest. Besides the pure joy of pulling out the camera, composing, focusing and adjusting, taking pictures and seeing the results is what its all about.

Maestro

Opportunities to photograph world renown personalities don't come often. I happened to have had 2 in the last month and a half. Today at the Arlene Schnitzer Hall, I got literally 10 minutes to photograph James DePriest, one who is described by the Chicago Sun-Times as "one of the most important American conductors of the day," and by the Chicago Tribune as "one of the finest conductors this nation has produced." And wanting to push the envelope and not shoot just another on camera flash photo, I managed to set up stands, a light and reflector along with my camera and tripod, take lighting measurements and get off 30 exposures. 10 minutes seems more like 2, but after grabbing the last exposure, I knew I got at least one great photo.

Being Small

Inspired by a fellow photographer Randy Kepple, his blog talks about how inconsequential nature can put us. I had a similar experience out on the coast of Oregon earlier this week. A storm was coming in from the west, I imagined how there was nothing to do but wait for it to arrive.

Get Ready

I hope I am as meticulous as I start selecting images for a new portfolio...

photos

After receiving some voice of grievance about not having posted photos from my G5 from one of my contemporaries, as I promissed, I went out this afternoon and walked a part of the industrial areas of the city.





The G5 has amazingly good detail in the shadows, though noisy to say the least. The full res file is reminicent of Tri-X, even though the file was shot at iso 200. The camera itself is just a joy to use. The ergonomics works, and all important controls are easily accessible.

The Hotel sign I found weeks ago while scouting for a location for another shoot. I can't imagine how old it is, but it looks like it has been there for many decades.

I love the ladder shot, though obvious with it's symbolism. I think we all have been in situations where our goals seem out of reach.

Spur of the moment

Having some down time between ceremony and reception, I had lots of time to "play" with my clients. I've been on a roll with Isolation Portraits, where I find or create a simple, nondescript background and shoot. Out of context, the bride, groom or whomever I photograph becomes a description of the person and less about an event. The location where we were at for the reception had these beautiful panels. From a distance, the feel was of metal and rust. As it was, the shot I knew was a keeper when I hit the shutter. With some additional techniques, I came up this...

Moving on...

David S Ware, a critically acclaimed Sax player making his way since the early 70's talks about his life briefly in his biography on his website. Knowing how important it is to keep up with the times and view the changes not only in our industry, but the world itself and with the over indulgence of what the internet has to offer, I was hit with a description of Mr. Ware about developing as an artists...

Rather than compromise his musical vision, Ware chose to be patient. "I drove a cab for 14 years. I stayed out of the scene until I was ready to do my thing."

Driving a cab in the NYC area! Dedication like this can easily be called lunacy, but I respect his point of view. His early contemporaries have moved on to be giants in their own right, but thru it all, Ware stuck to his guns and is creating music of depth and passion and is unlike the songs of complacency.

I'm sure Mr. Ware had his demons to deal with, but if he spent much of his time bitching and griping about "Complacency", I don't think he would be putting out the music he has and is. Choose your battles well, otherwise your sure to loose everytime.

I take heed in the wisdom of Mr. Ware and his views of a developing artist. Here is to moving forward...

Choke / Do You Know this Man?

Yesterday, I got to photograph this gentleman of World Renown. I didn't know much about him, but as I did my homework, I became more mesmerized, and beginning to get a little intimidated. I was told I was only going to have a very short amount of time with him to photograph, and unfortunetely, that stuck in my head. I lost my focus and just let the gentleman take the lead. He followed direction well, and had I listened to my surroundings, I would have known he was giving me all the time I needed. But my focus was time and not "MY" photograph.

I'm happy with this shot, but I know I could have done much better. As I drove home, all the ideas that would normally have a clear path to my brain, came rushing thru. The chance to photograph him won't be happening any time soon, if in this lifetime again. His good naturedness, location, all seemed to line up for perfection, but I lamed out.



This evening, I went to the hall to hear him play. I was thinking about all the people who came to see him and how they knew this man inside out. How they looked upon him the way I would look at Coltrane or Mingus. Out of the blue, here I get the chance to not only to photograph him, but meet him and talk to him. Being a photographer can be cool, and so much cooler when you don't lose your head...

Aging and the slow demise

After 11 years, I saw a good friend of mine from the days back in the hood. Our lives are so different from what they once were. Besides the fact that we both put baby fat in fashion again, it was very nice to be reminded of our lives removed from 11 years ago.

We had a wonderful Thai dinner at Typhoon with great conversation reminiscing about the past and future. Todd has been with Cindy for the past 8 years, and there is often banter about the fact that she is 8 years his senior. When I pulled out my ipod to show some photos, Cindy pulled out the reading glasses. We both had a good laugh at her expense. Later, Todd pulled out his drivers license because Cindy insisted that the photo was not him. The photo was taken years ago, when we both were at least 30 pounds lighter. I guess the strain I was showing, trying to read the license prompted Cindy to give me her reading glasses. I insisted it was the light. I could not believe that all of the sudden, I could read everything on the card, regardless of the light, or size of the lettering. I bet if I looked with a little effort, I'd be able to read thru the card! All of the sudden, I was facing a head on collision with the train of aging.

First my back, then my knees and other joints, but I could live with those. I haven't been working out and if I did, my little maladies would go away. But at the flick of my wrist, twisting the glasses on and off, I saw reality and a reality with a crutch. I always felt proud that all my siblings, including my parents wore glasses by their teens. Without admitting, I am much older than being a teen and lived without having to wear glasses all this time. My dominance of being on that thrown is tumbling down.

I think Cindy felt a little bad about being the one to bring on this epiphany. While it is true that I will tell this story for years to come, I can't think of a better situation of finding that time does move on and waits for no one. Great friends, great food and drink, and the always creeping slow demise...
--

#1

...and here is my first processed photo with the G5. It is going to take me awhile to get used to the controls. Though my fingers are not Johnny on the Spot, yet, I know this camera will be easy to learn.

G5

I've wanted this camera for even longer than I've wanted my slr I'm been shooting with. Because I thought it was more of a novelty of owning the G5, I never thought I'd be able to justify having one. Not that this camera is at all a toy, but I couldn't use it for work. But with some timely ebay sales and finding this unit on ebay for a great price, I have it in my hands today.

I've coveted the G5 since the day it came out. With its nostolgic shape of cameras of old, the beautiful black body and the fast lens, I really wanted one. Though the G5 has been replaced by a more organically shaped G6, putting out bigger file sized image, the G5 was always the camera for me. It is not much of a compact point and shoot. It is also a little heavy for its size. But the feel of this camera in my hands may be the closest thing I'll ever get to shooting with a Leica M3. Yeah, I know there are no comparisons to the 2 cameras, but it is my fantasy.

I hope to carry this camera with me as often as I can and photograph whatever that interests me. It is small enough where people won't take me too seriously. I tried carrying my slr with me for months, and though I had it with me quite a bit, it became a production just taking the beast out of the bag.

Anyway, here is a photo of my used/new camera...



Hopefully I'll be posting lots more photos!

: Erio Mishima Photographie :

: Erio Mishima Photographie :
I don't update my entire site much, but try to do the main pages as often as I can.

This being my first year of shooting weddings and events, I didn't think I had such a defining style. However, as much as I have been shooting, I'm realizing I always did, but that style is changing and refining itself. For as long as I have been a photographer, I never got a whole lot of feedback. I always knew that I had the ability to go and do whatever I wanted, but I noticed I didn't stray very far from where I always have been.

But because I have been shooting so much lately, I'm more inclined to move forward and chase different ways of doing things. The feeling is of freedom and empowerment.

The photographs on the homepage is actually a simple old style that I have always coveted. The opportunity to shoot simple portraits like this do not happen often enough, but I'm much more keen when that opportunity does occur!

Erio Mishima-logogle

Need to Search? Google? You don't need no stinking Google...

Erio Mishima-logogle

Canon EOS 5D

Could it be???

• 12.8 megapixel full-frame (24mm x 36mm)
• 3 frames per second (60 frame burst JPEG; 17 frames RAW)
• 9 point autofocus
• Compatible with all EF lenses (but not EF-S)
• CF cards
• Batteries used BP-511a (Right on)
• New battery grip BG-E4 (Canon has gotten wise)
• 152mm x 113mm x 75mm; 810 grams

Rumor is that this camera will be announced August 22nd and will be shipping in October. For $3000, could this be THE camera? My main interest would be how the viewfinder looks and whether the focus mechanism is of the prosumer level or the 1 series level.

and all is fair in love and war

...Three days later...
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Nagasaki remembers atomic attack

Long Lenses

I love my new lense. I haven't had this much reach since back in the day when I used a Canon F1-N. Can you say manual focus and film. The upgrade from my beloved F1 was to new technology of Auto focus cameras. Though I had my doubts, I finally moved up to a Canon A-2 and a few lenses, but having done so, I lost a slew of camera bodies and lenses for a trade in. It was with the F1 where I had a 135 f:2.0 and a 200 f:2.8 among many other fast focal lengths.

It hasn't been since then that I ever looked into a camera with a longer lense than a 100mm. With this zoom, I can move from 70 to 200mm at f:2.8 across the focal lengths of the lense. I was actually afraid to use it. But after shooting and getting decent results, I shot an entire job with it. It's taken me awhile to get used to it, but I think the look of the compression is wonderful.

Google It You Moron.

hahahahahaha

Google It You Moron.

Digital Black and White

Here is an excellent article about converting digital images to black and white. A very good read!
Digital Black and White

'Movies

OK, I'm on a NY Times kick this morning...

I haven't seen either of these movies yet, but I recommend them due to the director's past history. I'm hugely awaiting for these movies to come to my fair city.
2046
Broken Flowers

Prayers Ask 'Never Again'

Where First A-Bomb Fell, Prayers Ask 'Never Again' - New York Times

identity

There was another post on another journal about a faceless photograph and a question as to the significance of why they thought the image was so powerful. "Does that make it easier to impose the emotional value onto ourselves when there is no face... no identity?"

lifehack.org - Essential Resources for Creativity

lifehack.org � Essential Resources for Creativity (163 techniques 30 tips books!)

Rob Galbraith DPI: Phase One pre-announces 39MP, 31MP, and 18MP backs

Rob Galbraith DPI: Phase One pre-announces 39MP, 31MP, and 18MP backs
Now for those wanting to go back to medium format or get that brand spanking new H-1, here is all the reason to do so. Initially, these backs look very impressive, as are the current round up of medium format digital backs. I'm just wondering at what point does it stop? I know I always refer to, "Back in the Day...", but really, a system of this ability is gonna cost upwards towards $30k.

Dictionary.com/incapacitated

Dictionary.com/incapacitated

This is me since Saturday morning when I tweaked my back. I hate when this happens as it takes so long for it to get back to normal. I imagine as I get older, it will only take even longer to heal... And I guess it didn't help that on Monday, I worked 6 hours on my feet and knees, over stressing my back even more. Into the 6th day, I feel a little relief. I've got gigs for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I'm not sure I want to know how I'll be feeling next Monday...

CSII

This week some major upgrades to both photographic and the computer ends of my business took place. No more will I have to worry about having enough CF cards for a job. I ended up getting 4 more gigabytes early in the week. My computer got another gigabyte of ram also and I'm now working on a Lacie 19 inch crt monitor. Having more surface space is N I C E.

As excited I am about the new purchases, I am really going nuts over the trial version of Photoshop CSII. I've only used it to adjust and convert my raw files, but I find it faster and more intuitive in helping me get beautiful images. And I am able to do this with very limited knowledge of the new processing application. Looks like there is at least one more upgrade to get!

Orchid

I love what a $60 lens used backwards can bring to the show...

Great info for stupidity

Going into my 2nd wedding for the season and just completing my first the week before, I knew I was approaching the fine line of having enough cf cards, or not... I brought along my laptop just in case I did need create more cards, on the run. The proceedings were going well as the ceremony was approaching. I knew I was getting roughly 55 to 60 images per 512 mb cf card and I saw I had shot around 30. I figured now was a good time to switch to my one and only 1 gig card as the ceremony was beginning. I also decided not to flip my card I was just shooting to designate that the card was full. I was planning on finishing the card off after the 1 gig was full. The ceremony ended and I started on shooting the reception line when the 1 gb card was full.

So... I go back to the not full 512 card I has just used previous and by habit..., I went thru the menu to start to format it... It did click in my head that I shouldn't format it, but my fingers went thru the motions and poof, images are gone... The moment I took my finger off the last button, I knew what I had did. Feeling really sick at that point, I turned the card to flip it and rotated it a quarter turn to designate that card was THE card I should no longer touch. Through out the wedding, I kept getting that feeling and thought I really fucked up. I knew I had some important family formals on there, and though I recreated them as best as I could remember in other locations, I was never sure I recovered everything. Also, I got killer portraits of the bride on that card. In the battle of trying to recreate those shots, I overexposed them over a stop... Fucking HELL!

Anyway, to the chase. I come home and do a search of data recovery institutions as well as software. The institutions no doubt charged both arm and leg, but some of the software seemed reasonable. Also, many of the software allowed you to recover thumbnails, as a trail. If you were able to recover the thumbnails, you more than likely were able to recover the entire file. I tried 3 and only Photorescue brought back all but 3 files. The other companies rendered nothing. btw, I also recovered files I had shot way back last year. I think how this works is if you format the card and not overwrite on them, your In like Flint. Otherwise, at least with Photorescue, your images are in fact gone.

Proof that it works!!!

With Great Respect to Sports Shooters...

As a photographer, all I really have to do is control what is going in a little box which is my viewfinder. I decide what stays in, what doesn't. In theory, having to control that little box of space would seem rather easy to do. But I know better. And to learn my lesson even more, I tried to go out and shoot bike racers. Only behind the camera trying capture these human powered rockets seemed an impossibility. All the rules went straight out the door. No composing, no care about background, no thought about peak moments... all I wanted was sharp photos.








I won't tell you how many exposures I took during my 3 hours of covering these races. It is not important. Really... it is not important...

Kodak to discontinue black-and-white paper

and this trend continues...Kodak to discontinue black-and-white paper

Backing Up

I've always took seriously the importance of backing up. But I am surprised how much I have gotten away with keeping only one copy of important files on my main storage drive. Well, in recent weeks, I've gone and have a back up drive to the back up drive and now, I'll be burning dvds as a tertiary backup. Automatic software to make this task of backing up will also be put into place and to make the routine a routine.

The dvd burner is new to me. I just got the drive today and have all ready burned over 25 gigabytes of image files. I don't see this trend changing any either because of the larger and larger image files. Also, the fact that my workflow has changed dramatically adds to the process of having larger files. It is a good thing that burners, media and hard drives have come down in price.

I don't ever want to have a major catastrophy of loosing my own important files, which I have done on a smaller scale, but even more so, client files. Believe me when I say I am knocking on wood.

Proof Sheet

You know what I miss... I miss the tactile feel of glossy paper with texture of a china marker on it. I miss even the impossiblilty of trying to view a tiny image and imagine what it would look like as an 11 x 14 or 20 x 24 inch print. I look thru a book that has quite a few of these proof sheets in it and remember my own. What I realize most about proof sheets is that it is a story within a timeline and it shows truth. The incorrect exposures, the moment when winder stopped working, but more importantly, the path of stealing the perfect photo, the road in which how you got there. It is true that the destination is almost as important as how you reached that destination. The road is so much more interesting. I don't see going back to shooting film in the near future. I do realize the importance of having to hold something in your hand to be able to really understand a process. Seeing it on screen is not quite the same.

Fall of an Empire

Rob Galbraith DPI: Kodak ceases manufacturing of DCS Pro SLR/n, SLR/c
Kodak at one time was king of all that was photography. The lions market share that they dominated in the age of film would have never thought to have crumbled. But as the European Ilford came on to the scene in the 70's and Fuji later, along with horrible judgement of dropping very popular film lines, cracks in the exterior formed. I know I went the way of Fuji for colour and Ilford for Black and White films.

With the huge jump they had in the digital arena with their DCS series as early as the mid 90's, I would have thought they would again dominate this new medium. For a period of time, Kodak in fact did dominate, as they were the only manufacturer putting out professional grade 35mm digital cameras. But with $20 to $40k cameras, no one could afford them. 1999 became a pivitol year with Nikon introducing the D1. And at $5500, if was much more affordable than any of what Kodak was offering. Then Canon came out with the D30 and the 1D. The race was on, but Kodak had nothing to offer. Both Canon and Nikon came out with next generation cameras, only leaving Kodak further behind.

Finally, Kodak announced a 14 megapixel camera, much more affordable than the new Canon 1Ds by $3000. Lots of talk, lots of hype, but Kodak again failed with a camera with horrible performance and too many bugs and other issues. No one took Kodak too seriously at the point where they came out with the camera they are now discontinuing. Canon rocketed ahead, leaving Nikon behind as well.

With obvious management plunders over the last few decades, one has to wonder where do they go from here?

...and...

To further discuss my last sentence in my last post, about photographing "typically"... I have always thought I've had something to offer as a Photographer. And recently, I can also claim my work as an Artists. A Photographer who is also an Artists. I had difficulty with that title, for years. Maybe because now, I am much more comfortable in expressing and showing work that is more from what I want to say to the world, as opposed to what the world expects of me.

I am amazed at what some people call art or how some people can lay claim to being an Artist. I guess like for myself, it is just a matter of my own mind. Who cares what anyone else thinks... But, what is important to me is being able to go my own direction, regardless of the titles. I guess I should be more respectful to those who actually do define themselves. It takes courage.

I think I have continuity over the years I have shot portraits. I'd like to think there is a fine thread running thru each of them. I have history and skills I've developed over lots of years. I have the right to express what I want. There is My validity...

France, or something like it...

I've lived here for close to 6 years and never made it out to Edgefield. The morning was cool and overcast, but the air filled with dew smelled so fresh. Having gotten to the location early, I was able to pre scout before my subjects arrived. I discovered a little piece of France... Gardens with flowers and herbs at every turn... The buildings, old brick with large windows peering over trees along walking paths. One of the buildings had ivy over grown with white flowers covering the windows. In front were old weathered wooden seats, so inviting for one to lie down and take a nap.

My couple that was meeting me today is my first hired commision from back in January. We hadn't seen each other since then, but we managed to pick up where we left off when we met last. To always have clients like these would be a dream. They hired me based on my work and have total confidence to leave me to my own devices.

The portrait I think says a lot about the gentleman, quiet, somewhat reserved and very loving of his life long partner. The woman however is not quite the person depicted here. I know I've captured her immense beauty and allureness, but she is not quite so serious. I wasn't able to find the balance of her sweetness of personality.

I do feel like I've depicted a strong likeness to who these people are. Maybe not in the sense of everyday life, but a part of them that has reached out to a few they really know. I really like this portrait. It is not a typical "engagment" photo.

A New Camera...

With new challenges forthcoming, I decided to upgrade my camera of choice to the Canon 20D. I've extensively tested the new body with growing confident results. I'd rather not try and keep up with technology, but I found on many occasions I hit the ceiling with the Canon 10D, which at this point will retire to backup status. Though the 10d worked great for lots of situations, it did lack focus performance when action became a factor. The 2oD has performed better, both for focus and buffer speed. My expectations are high and I am sure the new camera will perform as expected.

dogs and people

I guess dogs really are no more different than people when it comes to wanting to relate to like mindedness. I am still here at the café watching the same mellow dog I referred to earlier. Another dog comes in and immedietely, she gets excited. I guess if I were around a bunch of dogs all day, I would get excited at the thought of being able to hang out with a human.

• Dogs- sniffing each others butts, pissing on trees, playing wildly and aimlessly in the park, sleeping when the above is not being partaken in.

• People- sniffing other parts of the body, wanting to play wildly and aimlessly anywhere, sleeping when the above is not being partaken in... hmmm

Anyway, I remember when I was riding cross country on my motorcycle and always being in a sea of cars. Whenever passing by another biker, we'd gesture and acknowledge each other. Then, going thru South Dakota, coming upon Sturgis, and the following hundreds of miles, there was more bikes on the highway than there were cars. I imagine I felt the way a dog feels when he plays among his kind in the park.

Mellow Morning...

The city this morning seems gloriously mellow. Yesterday, the weather was extremely sunny-hot and any sort of physical activity would take a major toll on body and psyche. Though I had a very nice evening yesterday with the port and delectables party, I had ridden my bike earlier a good 18 to 20 miles. Frankly I am surprised I am up so early. But this morning, this morning is partly cloudy, cool with just the right amount of breeze. The cafe where I am, which by this time is usually pretty obnoxiously loud, is quite quiet, to the point where I can hear the vocals on the background music. Even the dog here sitting besides me is pretty layed back.

It's been a long time where the city speaks so nicely, calmly...

Port and Dessert

Ports and desserts tonite. 4 bottles of great port, with chocolate, chocolate mousse, strawberries and gorganzola cheese. Everything was so tempting, there was no time to really shoot photos...

11:45 at a café...

She wears black capri pants with a light black sweater over a turquoise shirt with a matching turquoise necklace. Her hair is black with brown streaks, down to her shoulder. She has that elegant neckline, like Audry Hepburn and sits ever so proper with her legs crossed at the ankles. At a small round table, she reads the paper, sipping her espresso. She doesn't have a perfect face, but in fact a beautiful one. Her eyes are so dark I can't tell the colour. Her skin is a light olive, naturally fresh and I imagine silk to the touch. Her lips are thin, not highlighted by shades to focus attention, and yet very inviting. I am suddenly thrown into a Paris café by the site of her. There is in fact some light jazz playing in the background, lead by a xylophone, followed by Caribbean horns - cha-cha-cha...

My heart dies a little as she gets up to leave. Her black leather shoes leaves the sounds echoing in my head even now that she is on her way... As suddenly as she appears, she is gone.

Epson Stylus Photo R2400

EPSON America, Inc. - Product Information - Epson Stylus Photo R2400

Technology moves on... Here again I will be at least a generation behind what is standard now... I just had some beautiful prints made with an Epson 2200, which the R2400 is replacing. I guess I'll soon see how much better this new version will be, with new ink sets and faster printing. Frankly, I don't care too much about speed, as much as quality of the final print. I really didn't think I would ever be able to out do this portrait I had recently printed. Technology is a great thing, but trying to keep up is getting OLD! I guess just like my computers and camera, I'll be a generation or 2 or 3 or 4 behind...

reverse lens shot

An old technique of getting a close up shot of a small subject was to take a lense off the camera body, and attach it back on, but in reverse. What normally was pointed to your subject now is pointed into your camera body. I tried this technique first with spiders, but moved on to flowers. They were a bit bigger and easier to focus on. Because there is no focus control with reversing your lense, the distance between the lense and subject matter is your only control. The slightest breathing movements suddenly becomes critical in getting a good photo or an out of focus one. I hand held for this shot, and was happily surprised!

what started it all

Way back when, my sister got a camera, which she didn't use much. Kind as she was, I got to borrow it anytime I wanted. I think it was my Junior year in HS where I started to bring along and photograph my peers. I loved finishing a roll of film and heading to the nearby Walgreens to have it processed. Back then, you'd have to wait a week before you saw any photos. As soon as I paid for the processing and prints, I was in the envelope checking out what I had photographed.

The Canon AE-1 was remarkable. That camera was used heavily thru my teenage years and through out college as well. It has gone thru hell and back and looks the part. I don't know how long I used that camera before upgrading, but a decade+ is not out of the question. The nice thing is that after all the years of using that camera, photographing images with it that I still enjoy today, the camera sits back with my sister, probably somewhere in a closet, waiting to be used again.

The New York Times > Arts > Music > A Jazz Discovery Adds a New Note to the Historical Record

The New York Times > Arts > Music > A Jazz Discovery Adds a New Note to the Historical Record: "The music was discovered by accident, during the routine practice of transferring tape from the Library of Congress's Voice of America collection to digital sound files for preservation. Larry Appelbaum, a studio engineer, supervisor and jazz specialist at the library, said that he was given a batch of about 100 tapes for digitization one day in January and looked to see what was there; among them he noticed a brown cardboard box for a 7�-inch reel, marked in pencil 'sp. Event 11/29/57 carnegie jazz concert (#1),' with no names on it. It piqued his interest, and one of the boxes holding the Carnegie tapes - there were eight in all - said 'T. Monk.' 'It got my heart racing,' Mr. Appelbaum said. "

My hope is that we don't have to wait too long to have our own!!!

The New York Times > Magazine > Great Performers 2004: The year's best actors.

The New York Times > Magazine: "Great Performers 2004: The year's best actors. " I'm a little late here, but the portraits are magnificent! My favorite is of Joan Cusack. Very East Coast and Penn from the 50's. There really is not a weak portrait of the group.

INDUSTORIOUS CLOCK ||| MONO*CRAFTS

INDUSTORIOUS CLOCK ||| MONO*CRAFTS

downs and ups

I lost that job that was supposed to happen tomorrow, but I gained a gig today. I got a last minute commission to shoot a editorial style portrait of an exec at a radio station. This job is the reason I love what I do. I get to do what I am good at and am appreciated for it. The best part is I will have another portfolio piece to add. Shooting jobs is a great thing, but being able to use it for the portfolio is a big bonus.

With the exception of being delayed 4 hours for the actual shoot, which I didn't mind as I arrived at my favorite cafe to blow time, everything went well. I hit it right off with my subject, an attractive mid - aged woman who let me know she was not attached... We rolled with friendly banter, give and take, nods and subtle gestures. I don't direct too much, as I hope to have my subject tell their story. I just kind of gesture to emphasize a look or emotion. I was confident I got what I needed in the 1st 10 exposures, but we extended the time for another 60 or so. I felt she was assured we got some great images as I started to break down the equipment. Nothing like a happy customer...

Along with quite a few compliments of my images from fellow workers at the station, one was most poignant... "Wow! It's as if someone snapped a picture of the vision in my brain. Perfect."

Though the spirit of this shoot comes far and few between, it carries in my head for a long time. I am revived.

a rant...

I guess when you work on the low end of the totem pole, shit always happens. I take full responsibility for what happens to me, but it doesn't make me feel any better. I got booked 3 weeks ago to shoot a gig this Saturday. As they requested, I sent my invoice in early so I'd have a check waiting for me upon completion of the job. Soon after I emailed the invoice, I get a call telling me the shoot is cancelled. We are talking a mere 4 days before this job is supposed to happen. I've lived 2.5 weeks thinking I have a gig. $#&*@+!!! I really hate low end commercial work.

Well, just get higher end commericial accounts you may ask? Ha, easier said than done. I will promise not to bitch about this again... anytime soon.

PASTA

Tonite I learned to make fresh Pasta. WOW, the taste along with a garlic, oregano, pine nut, and flat parsley pesto was just amazing. I think a pasta maker is on the wish list!

Ruby, My Dear...

We found Ruby when she was not more than 3 months old. A little head peeked out of a canvas sack on the side of the street. She had a broken hip joint, apparently after someone kicked her... then discarded her. Almost 11 years later, she is still my love...



She runs like the wind, well, used to. Now she moves like a calming breeze.