Models II

New York, New York

Cyndi Lauper

Park Street

Studio Focus

Shooting at Close Range

Okay...I got myself another lens. Not like I really needed it, but hey I did because I could.

How much fun is it to just blow though dozens of exposures? No worries about developing film. No worries about finding the precise moment. Shoot away. Shoot at close range. Let your feet do the walking and enjoy the wonderful weather. The fruits of your labor are but only a small part of the journey.

Apple for the Teacher

Classrooms have always brought me a certain sense of dread. Whether it be a math test or conjugating verbs, I was always a bundle of nerves. Learning never came easy. Success lay hidden in the belief and nourishment that I could do anything, if I only put my mind to it. Lucky for me, I had one teacher that changed my life. A teacher who inspired me. A teacher who believed in me. Most of all a teacher who saw the potential that others had missed. Teacher like this are rare. So when you see a former teacher that changed your life. Thank them. It can be as meaningful to you as it is to them.

Extra Credit: Find the Photoshop miracle

Daniel

Commanding Speed

A lull in the rain, a willing youngster, and a speed light is all it takes to achieve action.

Impressed that Daniel would risk life and limb for a shot at fame.

Hanging out at the skateboard park was an awesome experience for me. Next time I will wear my blue swede "half cabs" while I grab a little air time.

Thai Picnic

Getting set to make a little lunch today. I realize that I don't have the needed papaya to make this dish jive. Pack up my preschooler, head over to the local HMart. I'll take my picnic to go...

Experiential Learner

Way way back in high school one of my history teachers made the declaration: "We have to understand our past, so that we can understand our future". I am thinking that this is a famous quote and words that we all live by. Fortunately for me, I am an experiential learner when it comes to certain topics. I have to experience the negative result so that I will embrace the impending disaster, name it for what it is, and then let it go. Hopefully, never to repeat such an error again.

Currently I am taking a portrait class with expert photographer Jack Foley. (Check out his work www.jfoley.com. ) The first day of portraiture he urged the class to use at least two lights when lighting a subject. The correct lighting will give the subject a 3 dimensional look, while one light will make the subject would look flat and dull.

Keeping this instruction in mind. I decided to photograph my friend Scott using only one light. I was thinking that I wanted a certain look, but did not want it over lit. Scott is the guy in the second picture who looks a little like what I would imagine Jean Valjean to look like in Hugo's Les Miserables. Now I liked the exposure enough. But it was not until I used two lights, while photographing and my colleague Arthur (you know the guy that looks like he could open a wine company), that I realized that his portrait POPPED off the page! Two lights = dimension. Jack was right. Understanding the mistakes of the past will in fact place lessons learned into my long term memory.

Less Cow Bell

Yesterday I had the great privilege to photograph the start of the Pan Mass Challenge in Wellesley. Hundreds of folks gather from all over the area to cycle hundreds of miles to raise money for the fight against cancer. Over 5k riders participated this year! Amazing is the fact that most of these people have returned to cycle year after year. Amazing is the fact that many of the riders are like most of us. Couch potatoes who finally decide enough is enough, it's time to participate in a life changing journey. As I stood in the middle of the street, I was amazed at the sound of silence. Thousands of cyclists past me. Not one of them spoke. A moment of silence to the loved ones who have died of cancer. A wonderful swoosh sound from bike tires to the heavens above from those living strong and those who will never give up.

If These Trees Could Talk

Location, location, location. Have I mentioned that I dislike crowds? Here I stand in one of the more green sections of Concord, searching for a moment of serenity. Throngs of people disembark tour buses to view North Bridge in Concord, MA. A park ranger patrols the grounds. Dressed in American Revolutionary clothing, a fellow smiles for pictures. I pick up a piece of trash dropped by some careless stranger. Grab my photo gear and make a hasty exit.

Eschatological Questions: Hang Ten

Inspiration nudging at the soul for more than just a day at the beach. Therapy session with a beach chair and a few hours of surf and sun. At oneness with Mother Nature. Eschatological questions out number the amount sun screen and a few random snacks. Quiet the voices. Tune out the distractions. Hang ten all ye non surfers.

The Face of Courage

Ocean Point, ME

Allons Enfants de la Patrie....

Le 14 Juillet or Bastille Day has come and gone. Armed with my favorite bottle of pastis and a set of petanque balls I am ready to now celebrate this French holiday. Ennui has set in. I can not find anyone who will round up a little bourgeois wanna be francophile energy to care. Tossing some metal balls around my door yard is not sounding hopeful. Perhaps ears are shot from three weeks of vuvuzela or eyes are blurred from weeping over Lance in the TdF. In any case, I shall sing La Marseillaise , while strategizing my next toss.

It's a Wrap....

Shooting on location is a wonderful experience. Last night I photographed an interior room in the Harry Parker Boathouse. I could not wait to wrap it up, as I wanted to get outside before it got dark so that I could snap a few exposures of the building. Two things I love more than coffee, biking and rocks....is a building made out of wood. The color is creamy and dreamy. I took a lot of artistic license to accentuate the colors in this shot. Surrounded by so much concrete and rush this building celebrates a moment of reflection and calm. Inspiration.

July 4 2010

Let Me Out!

This photo was taken by my coolest friend R. Scott Taylor. He added a little FX to the mix, in order to make me look slightly more "super hero" than I generally appear. Now if I can just extricate myself from this reality, I shall get back to work.

Black & White

I just finished a few weeks working with John Still, master of all things masked and composited. Check out his website if you have a moment. In this photo I used two exposures and layered them to create a more robust and balanced photo. In the photograph entitled "Mise en Place" I used about six exposures to get the light/texture balance just so.

Mise en Place

For years I worked as a baker/pastry cook. Tant pis that I was NEVER asked to do what I was trained to do. Work with chocolate. I studied under Master Pastry Chef, Delphin Gomes, in his home kitchen in Marblehead. He introduced me to the delicate wonderful texture and taste of Gianduja chocolate. If you ever happen to sample some Gianduja, close your eyes and enjoy the aroma and mouth appeal of this little known treasure.

Cheese Ball Lust

Cheese ball anyone? What can I say? Too much time on my hands. Thanks to my photo geeks for their studio time. Now let's enjoy all that summer has to offer...

North Bridge, Concord MA

Math was never my thing. Yet in this photo my kind of math rules. PTL! Lift your souls on high...Finally I get it right. Mark your calendars because today I get an "A"! No no it has nothing to do with a word problem... You might recall from your high school text book in Algebra...the red canoe paddles down a stream at a certain rate of speed vs current speed and wind speed vs water depth.... NO! This addition has to do with the number of exposures. One plus one, plus one, plus one, plus one, EQUALS = ONE! One picture FIVE layers.

5 Exposures layered on top of each other, equaling one righteous picture. HDR my friends. A solution to any high anxiety math geek.

Dude...Where's My Bike?

Pilot Error. Perhaps the saddest goof that a cyclist can experience.

Tiffin Wallah

A little quirk of mine is my love for containers. A metal tiffin brought about such euphoria. A "must have" moment. Impulsive. Sustainability versus the toss away take out container from my favorite Thai joint. I the Tiffin Wallah, riding my bike through the congested streets of Mumbai, delivering hundreds of lunches on time.

Follow the Bouncing Ball

A fisheye lens can bring a whole new perspective on action. No view finder needed. Allow yourself the freedom to enjoy the scene while maintaing eye contact with your subject. In this picture I held the camera all the way down on the ground. I used a traditional lens for the hand holding the ball.

Rectangles in a Decisive Moment

Henri Cartier-Bresson's photo of a young girl running up a set of stairs in Sifnos Greece, is a wonderful example of decisive moment shooting. While my photo will never match the genius of Cartier-Bresson, it was satisfying to capture a random moment in time. Repetition of rectangles in the background coupled with the bend of the person's leg compels me to marvel at the skill by which the master captured an image.

Tour de Living Room

My cellar resembles the back alley of some bike shop. I can think of nothing better than having so many wheels at my finger tips. Each bike has a story, a history of some adventure. Centuries peddled, crashes, near misses, and sticky power bars pressed onto the metal. My blood, sweat and tears rolled into one journey of hope and forgiveness. My bikes are the heartbeat of so many of my friends and family who have died of cancer and for whom I ride. This season as I get set to register for four amazing cycling events, I think of the joy and passion that this metal collection of wheels brings me. I take along the spirit of those who can no longer ride. I invite others to join me.

Do I Hear an AMEN?

Might I say just one more time, in case my flock was alseep, that cheese is one of the more wonderful experiences that life has to offer? I took a quick jaunt over to my favorite shop this morning in Cambridge only to discover that they don't open until 10 am! Taking a deep breath and centering my need for breakfast...I hopped back into my ride to venture someplace...in fact ANY place until the church doors opened for business. Today's menu? Keiemse Bloempje Coupe and a few ounces of Sternenberger Bergkase. If the names mean nothing...no worries. One will work well with roasted potatoes while the other will pair nicely with an episode of BIG LOVE.

Oh yeah and check out this picture. I reworked it with the help of the Rob Van Petten fashion photographer and all around printing guru. Kudos to a wonderful three weeks of printing mania. Laura McKenna thank you for all your support and VIA POSITIVA.

Cabin Fever

The equipment truck for the Red Sox has left Boston for Florida. Pitcher and catchers have started to toss balls around. The Winter Olympics in Vancouver are into their second week of competition. Linsey Vonn has just won a bronze in Super G.

Here at the cabin, the natives are getting restless. The dog has seen this before. Long days waiting for the dregs of snow to melt and for the mud to dry. Tot missing her kid sized pool and countless trips to the park, finds her own amusement.

Photo geek pulls out the tripod and slow shutter speed looking for material. Breaking

up the day, got my eyes on the prize, Spring is almost here.

Quick Release...

Mentor and all around biking guru, Bobby Mac takes a moment to "victory lift" his ride for this photo. You can catch Bobby on the streets of Arlington and points West on any given weekend as he spreads his love of cycling to the rest of us gutter bunnies.