“Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of All Ages....”

When was the last time you have been to the circus. Honestly, It's been a few years for my family. The first time I went to the circus was with my kids. We saw the famous circus clown Bello Nock. The kids loved it... We loved it. There wasn't a moment that we didn't have fun.

Over the years, I've developed a strange fascination for the Circus. There is a lot to learn. For example, the term "hold your horses" came from the circus. This was because when the elephants walked by the horses they scared the heck out of them.
The term " Toss your hat into the ring" became a political boxing term when President Wilson famously tossed his hat into the center ring of the circus.
I also learned that the most famous circus phrase "Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of all ages..." must be said by the Ringmaster of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Baily Circus before every show.

The last phrase is my favorite... Children of all ages is not about the show being age appropriate for all your kids. the phrase speaks to the child within... its about the spirit of the person, regardless of their age. To me, the circus brings out the children of all ages.

The Pregnancy of Robin

With a nod and a wink to both Cecil B. DeMille and the dutch painter Rembrandt. This image "The Pregnancy of Robin" (Rembrandtweb) uses a lighting technique popularly known as Rembrandt lighting. This image was an outlier in the photographic session because of the post processing.

The Raw Mash Up Technique

The image to the left uses a relatively new technique in the realm of post production. This is affectionately referred to as the Raw mash up. Click on the image to see better detail.

The secret is a sequence of raw images that are color managed for each zone then dropped into multiple Photoshop layers using a zone technique. Obviously, the zone system was popularized by Ansel Adams for black and white images but this variation is much different. This one takes on the form similar to Vincent Versace, another B&W artist who pioneered this technique for the digital realm. Each raw layer was crafted for exacting tone. the color never went into a hyper reality but in itself the layers revealed eye popping colors that violently hated the original. When reveling each masked layer, again in itself the image took on a Frankenstein creation. To reduce this effect, a basic post production process was introduced as a layer and that with opacity were the keys, then the image took on a life of it's own.

Many more enhancements can be done on top of this technique and is a great base for dodging and burning. This technique is meant to reveal what is lost by the camera sensor.

"When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." George Washington Carver

Creativity Captuting the Absurd.

Have you ever been to a location and things just weren't working out creatively. I wanted to take a moment and share a couple thoughts that can help you work through those moments of panic when creativity doesn't spark at the right moment.

Often panic sets in because the fear of going back to digital post production with amazing images but cant help the feeling of "Me too". I got this picture, oh yeah me too.

What I am not going to do is write about light mechanics and the importance of blah blah blah. What I will reveal is one word and that word is Absurd. Don't you know about absurd? Everybody knows that absurd is the word. (sorry trashmen flashback, Apologize if this song gets stuck in your head)

What I am trying to say that we as people in this age are attracted to images that are absurd. Picture an image of a bride in a church and you may want to look at it for 3-8 seconds. Put an Astronaut with their reflective helmet on in that very same church and I can get you to stop and look at that picture and look for someone to discuss it. Put the bride in the Shuttle ready for launch, there is another shot. Don't you know about absurd?

Oddities are good combination's but some are less as dynamic. For example, think about the naked baby shot. How often has that been done. Don't get me wrong, these are so much fun but since you got that shot, what can you do to avoid the "Me Too".

Get a little absurd. What are mom's hobbies. We had a mother who was very into horses. Her kids were older so I was unable to get this shot. I was thinking fresh santa fe style horse blankets and a larriet or maybe borrowing a new show saddle. She had this horse as a kid and grew up with it. It would be nice to reveal moms other love too. Oh, and it's a great conversation topic.



Here is my latest business card concept, Unique, Absurd and creative.

Classified Photographers

Caught this news story today. Funny how they focus on Craigslist Photographers. I am not saying that the economy isn't bad for everyone but if you are going to the classifieds to search for a photographer, chances are slim that you are hiring a professional. Search for quality in this tough economy.

American Spring

I wanted to take a moment and share with you an image. As photographers, we have the opportunity to capture these images every spring. The importance of capturing these images is paramount for they reveal the transition phase of our clients lives.

For them, this will be one of the few vivid memories which will be never forgotten. This spring it's their turn to enjoy the sunshine and it's beautiful rays. Pull out all of the stops to ensure their memories are incredible.

Preshoot thoughts...

Outdoor preshoots are a wonderful thing. As photographers we spend hours every year scouting new places and looking for an ideal spot, allowing our creativity to flourish. On this particular job, we were preshooting for an evening confirmation. The day for the preshoot was first class. Temperature was between 68-72 degres F., no wind whatsoever and an amazing overcast sky. Natures softbox came out to play. I was hoping for more of the same during the actual shoot but I knew better.

During the preshoot, I was looking for appropriate backgrounds. The Cathedral courtyard itself was going to be packed with hundreds of people. Brick walls, service alleys, the state capitol, composition curves and a few others were the assortment of options available. The wife knew I wanted something real creative and special for these kids. She had to reign me in. " Nobody wants a picture of their kid in a service alley" she said. It'd be cool, I thought before letting the next random thought pass though my creative process. Hmm, what about the neon of the Crest theater, that would be amazing and artistic, but it does not fit the event. Nope, she was right. These were first time clients that didn't know my work. Time once again to play it safe. I was going to be completing a simple portrait. I found the spot immediately. It was a tree on the south side of the cathedral.

Yes, this tree will do nicely, admiring the framing. Perfect spot too. Oh what is that orange thing in the background, it won't be in my shot but could be on the right angle. Oh boy, Sleeping bag? Well it was so tucked away that he was hard to see in the first place. Many transients that hang out or live in that area and appear harmless. This is based on my only experience a couple years back. One particular one liked to be photographed. So much in fact that he joined a few families in pictures, invited or not.

Time for Option 2. I started looking around for another location and noticed that a that a transit autority officer was heading back behind my tree. What was he looking for? Turns out that part of his job duties was to ensure the homeless don't establish a residence in the area. Wow, that was convinient. He said that the homeless shouldn't be sleeping there and he was planning on removing him. Great! got the spot I wanted and didn't need to say anything. The homeless have enough problems, I didn't want to add to them. Turns out, that he must have liked that spot because he was back the day of the shoot but didn't give anyone problems. Cool.

For this preshoot, I took along my favorite model, my son Andrew. He is good at taking directions when posing and is always willing to help out. This was another random concept during the creative process. Have the confirmant with a bible or rosary in hand with the cathedral in the background. The confirmant sitting beneath the amazing building would have been a beautiful shot. Unfortunately, there were a myriad of artistic, and technical issues related to this shot and concept was abandoned. During the shot the Metro rail came by and I asked him to step on the other side of the bench with the same pose. I liked the color scheme of the metro and thought I can pull an urban shot. Preshoot was taken with a 20D and Kit lens 28-135mm.