Merry Christmas!

A few photos from the holidays. Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

The white lights of this mini tree light the picture. The shape of the snowflakes is entirely silouetted but the edge of the globe ornaments become a glowing halo.

Jack Frost

A view through a window sprayed with "ice" crystals. The lighting and the house with the evergreens in front makes a cozy looking picture.

Part of our ever growing Christmas village. I didn't use a flash, but instead let the village houses light the photo, giving it a warm holiday glow.

Another photograph minus flash. The twinkling lights of the deer give the wood a beautiful glow.

A red bulb in a desk lamp gives a festive light to some holiday decor in a darkened room.

Chicago: The Windy City

July 2009

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to take a trip up north to the Windy City.

Naperville Commute

The approaching train into downtown Chicago.

Two tickets

Fascination with the ticket holder and the tickets themselves. Memoirs of a bygone era of train travel.

Grand Central Station

It's like Grand Central Station around here...which apparently is not that busy. A beautiful place with lots of opportunities for interesting perspectives.

Big Willie

Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower, is a neck-breaking sight.

Towering Overhead

Walking the streets of downtown Chicago is like walking at the bottom of a great canyon. The buildings block out the sun from almost all angles. I've tried to convey the sense I had of being at the bottom of a well and looking up. Even from here the Tower is dominating the landscape.

Cronus

The Chicago Board of Trustees building, with their symbols that hold a lot of history. Time is ticking away here.

Piratical Illusion

A inventive ad for a museum's pirate exibit. With the papers, pirates, and people in front it's hard to tell which the faux from the real in this photo.

Guarding the Gate

The classic lions at the entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago.

Ages

The architecture itself is full of niches of art.

Thief in the Courtyard

A view through the pillars towards the luncheon area of the museum.

Rookery

A street name that echos the previous picture and the many blackbirds at the Art Institute.

A Fluffly October

October 2009

Some of the little ones taken this October in the bright sunlight filtering through the door.

Satinka

The direct sun makes a beautiful halo of fur when taken from the proper direction.

Hute with Skull Ball

Portrait of Zakuro

The light makes brilliant highlights on her black fur, drowning out everything but the silver.

Hute

The green of the floor reflects onto Hute's dark fur giving him a greenish tinge. A zombie cat for Halloween?

Hute Swatting

Sanuye

Her fur comes alive in a blaze of color in the glowing sunlight.

Why do we photograph?

A question has been on my mind: why do we photograph?

On the surface the answer is simple, we are recording the events in our lives so they will not be forgotten. This is the dutiful answer from the parent snapping photos of the children, the vacationer who faithfully packs a camera to show his friends when he gets home, but is this the answer for those who pursue photography? Those people who spend hours looking at other photographers' work online, those who spend even more hours discovering every detail and function their camera(s) provide - does that answer still fit for them?

All the photographers I know, including myself, can hardly look at anyone or anything without sizing up what it would look like through the lens. In fact, we get anxious or even exasperated if we accidentally miss an event that could have been photographed.
"Did you have a good time at the show?"
"I got some great pictures!"
This dialogue is probably all too familiar to 'serious' photographers. If you are not the second speaker, you'll still feel excited to hear the words from someone else and then ask to see the photos.
What is it that drives our fascination? The same question could be asked, I suppose of any art form. And yet photography does not carry the same prestige of other types of artists. The oil painter, even if he isn't expected to be able to make a living, is at least respected as a 'true artist,' while the photographer is simply someone who captures pretty images of things that already exist (and if its not a portrait or a postcard, forget it!).
Even in my own mind, I can't help but think of the strangeness of hanging on my wall what any eye could see if they looked. Perhaps that's just it, though. People don't look. All image-art, especially photography, shows people a different perspective of life. Or it reminds them of the beauty they closed their eyes to.
So maybe that's an answer about why people are interested in looking at photos, but why do we spend our lives taking them? What's your answer?

This particular blog was also published on Art Neighbor, an internet art community for collectors and artists alike. I also have a profile on this new and growing site.

Portrait of a Mask

A gothic revival of sorts

A good portrait, to me, should tell a story. One looks into the person's face and tries to figure out their life story merely by a glimpse of one moment. I love to work with people to tell this story, whether it is truly a portrait of their life story or a story of my own invention that I am endeavoring to tell.

This was my first time working with this particular model, who was very cooperative. I had been wanting to do a goth scene and I thought she would be perfect, and she was. I hope to work with her again. A million thanks to her!

Also of interest is the mask used, which the rest of the studio set was built around. It is one of my favorite masks of my own design.

Portrait of a Mask

My title-photo of the shoot. I love the model's expression and the framing of the branches turned out well. The title has many meanings here.

Poised

This photo gives to me a feel that the person in it is waiting, in control and completely prepared for what comes next -- whether love or war.

Dark and Dangerous

While this photo is essentially the same pose as the photo above it, the angle I switched to gives it a very different feel. Taken from above, looking down the photo now has darker shadows lining one side of the woman's face, giving her expression a more sinister look.

Masked Meeting

Again, changes in the camera's position make for a completely different telling of the story than before.

Glamour

In this photo I was experimenting with different color shades. The warmer tones of this portrait give a more glamorous feel to the photo than a goth one. However, what also should be remember when considering the title is the older meaning of the word "glamour." It is an old English term used to describe the magic of the fay, and their ability to make people see whatever they wanted them to see. Maybe things are not so benign here.

See

I chose to use this photo because of the many small details I like in it: how the hair and the feathers blend together, the slight fuzzyness of the tips of the feathers, how her hair falls over her shoulders, and most of all the single eye that can be seen through the mask. In fact, it is almost the only feature of the face you can make out. It is a tantalising glimpse, and what connects the viewer with the picture.

The next several photos are studies of the model without the mask covering her face. Some were taken before posing with the mask and some after.

The 4th from the Other Side of the Mountain

While I never made it to Five Points for the 4th (where the view is reputed to be the best), I still took some pictures of Thunder on the Mountain, Birmingham's classic fireworks display.
These are taken from the view from the other side of the mountain in Homewood, off of Greensprings. The fireworks are not pointed this direction, so the view is not the best.


It was a little eerie to watch as I was so far away. While I saw the explosions and the smoke, I could not hear a thing -- a silent film of fireworks.


These clusters inside clusters are my favorites.



One of the unique "smiley face" design fireworks that seem to defy the laws of physics. I wonder how they did these?

Homewood Parade

5-01-09

A few photos from the local Homewood parade. Altogether, it was a typical southern parade -- not much to see -- but the clowns were cute.

The Dog

Typical parade goer. Drinks out of water bottles well, too.

Homewood Firetruck

A classic firetruck. They don't use this one anymore...I hope.

Ms. Senior Homewood

One of my favorite cars.

Clown Trolley

Send in the clowns! A trolley arrives with the Magic Town Clowns.

Hug from a Clown

One of the friendly clowns. Will good luck rub off?

Giggles

Zooming in for a close-up of the clowns in the trolley.

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A friendly cowboy clown waves "hi" to the kids gathered by the side of the road.

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A man with real showmanship, throwing out t-shirts and yelling to the crowd.

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Almost a real float! Pretty streamers, torches, and a bubble machine top this birthday cake.

Cheer

Just slightly blurred, this photo shows the motion and the joy of this cheerleader in the parade.

Spirit

These girls stole the show with their outfits and well timed moves. This photo captures a moment of excitement. With the girls facing away from the camera, it brings your attention to the team as a whole, not any one particular girl.

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Shiny and full of Patriot spirit.

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Parade's end.