“Whatcha been up to?”
“Hey man, whatcha been up to?” I can hear some of you asking (and by “hear” and “you”, I’m referring to the metaphorical voices in my head). Why, thank you for asking–it has been a busy holiday season, work has been completely demonic with the completion of a multi-million dollar project, and I can’t seem to shake this idea that there is a perfect Dorito out there somewhere.
Up top, a previously unpublished self-portrait from December, wherein I’m playing with new hot-shoe softboxes (Thanks Honey!) and the concept that monochrome doesn’t have to mean black and white.
A few days later, I pulled out those very same softboxes for a client/friend commission. She saw the very first shot, and said something to the effect of “too much shadow. Can you get more light on the other side of his face?” When it came down to my toy versus her vision: definitely her vision won. The project was the spawn of ShinyYouth, an endeavor to empower youth to be strong media advocates. It started when the young man pictured below walked around a tech conference asking folks “What technology would you be?” They wanted a portrait of him to help promote the project, and I immediately thought of the image below.
We shot the image on the Kindle Fire first, then tried a bunch of times to get him to hold the Kindle (with image) in the right place. OK, it wasn’t really a bunch, it was like 5 tries. In and out in 45ish minutes, including time for my daughter to chat with him to help get the natural smile.
Speaking of my daughter, she had a birthday recently, and was, for some reason, feeling particularly shy while we sang. And shy while I was holding a camera. I just don’t understand what happened…she used to be so forceful.
At a recent family gathering, I again played with the idea of “almost black and white”. Its an extension of some ideas I picked up from The Photographer’s Mind, that some photographs can allow details or subjects to be revealed slowly upon inspection. (This iPhone photo was another example–the subject, cars, are not immediately obvious. You have to follow the leading lines to see them.) I really like this picture because of the very subtle yellow tint (that you might not have noticed until I mentioned it) and the fact that the candles are all embers of about the same size. We were celebrating three birthdays, and I just love the symmetry of their faces, and the candles just barely emitting light.
Baby pictures are almost of their cutest moments. This is not a cute moment. She was tired and frustrated, and had a messy face. I was totally attempting to document the moment, showing that this sweet little angle really did have her moments.
And speaking of having his moments, this is my friend Skippy. He has, how shall I put this, camera issues. We did a grand family shoot–three hours all over their house and front yard for a great set of concept pictures (all their idea) that they are planning on putting into a book. I can’t wait to see the finished product. I had just finished taking pictures of his step-daughter on white seamless, and we were at a break in the rhythm of shooting. So I told Skippy to step onto the seamless. And I waited. In normal photog-subject interactions, this is considered a no-no. You should be guiding, instructing, leading the subject. No need with Skippy. He went through poses faster than my flashes could recycle, some of which are best described as “outhouse gothic”.
The other project I’ve been working on is developing the materials for a photography class for a local camera shop powerhouse. They are well respected around the world, and I just happen to live close enough that when they asked “Who wants to teach a class in exchange for a bunch of store credit?” I just about wet my socks. I seriously didn’t think my experience or work would be good enough, but I decided to let them make that decision. An application, a bunch of e-mails, and an interview later, and I’m “in”. I’ve given them a “bio”, a self portrait, and examples of my work that don’t require a model release. My first class, Intermediate DSLR Usage, will be at the end of March, and I’m really stoked. My presentation materials are about 98% complete, and after they announce the class, I’ll post more about it here.
I’m also continuing to push shots up to Instagram. If you don’t have Instagram, you can view my stream here. My over-the-top enthusiasm has simmered down a bit. I’m still not sure why, either that I post there, or that my enthusiasm has waned a bit. Instagram has its own community, and its own look, memes, and cliques. There are people who post only images from their iPhone and hate all non-iphone images. There are people who use it exclusively for self-promotion, though I’m still unclear what benefit they get from it. Some people even advocate using Instagram as an extension of their portfolio. I don’t take myself that seriously, but I do love the little endorphin hit when a photo gets Liked. My wife described me as a bit of a “Like Whore” and though it stung just a little, it’s sadly not far from the mark. Instagramers are more giving with their Likes than my friends on Facebook. I blame that mostly on Facebook and the fact that people only see people they interact with. On Instagram, I see (or could see) everything that everyone everyone I follow posts, whether I’ve interacted with them in the past or not.
So, thanks for calling, or stopping by, or checking in, or creepin on my blog. I’m glad you asked.
What have you been up to?
