Camera: Nikon D700Exposure: 0.05 sec (1/20)
Aperture: f/3.2
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 1600
11.17.2009
Photo of the Week
Camera: Nikon D700Exposure: 0.05 sec (1/20)
Aperture: f/3.2
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 1600
11.16.2009
Last Week
This is what I remember from last week:
~ My daughter fell in love with the word poopie & mass-eating of cantaloupe
~ My wife bought me slippers that sound like I am walking in high heels when I walk across hardwood floors.
~ I spent too many half hours watching FOX news followed by half hours of MSNBC news. It left me feeling half baked.
~ Planet Green Television is the best network ever. Emeril Green & Renovation Nation are good TV.
~ Read “The Financial Lives of The Poets” by Jess Walter. Walter is my new favorite writer.
~ I discovered what happens when an observant man loses the ability to observe.
~ Bought the re-mastered Beatles album Revolver. Love it. It is the first time you can actually hear an improvement in sound quality. McCartney can play bass.
~ Photographed a painting inside an art gallery. is photographing art, art?
~ Saw Santa Clause, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan and Aladdin all in one place, local mall…
~ Drank a lot of ginger tea
~ Steelers lost to the Bengals, twice, ARRGHH..
AND DON'T FORGET:
Pittsburgh Light Up Night – Photo Walk
Friday November 20th 7pm
Meet up: West End Overlook
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, tripod and warm clothes ~ it will be very cold and crowded on the overlook.
Please e-mail me at jecraig@mac.com if you plan on attending, need to get a head count.
~ My daughter fell in love with the word poopie & mass-eating of cantaloupe
~ My wife bought me slippers that sound like I am walking in high heels when I walk across hardwood floors.
~ I spent too many half hours watching FOX news followed by half hours of MSNBC news. It left me feeling half baked.
~ Planet Green Television is the best network ever. Emeril Green & Renovation Nation are good TV.
~ Read “The Financial Lives of The Poets” by Jess Walter. Walter is my new favorite writer.
~ I discovered what happens when an observant man loses the ability to observe.
~ Bought the re-mastered Beatles album Revolver. Love it. It is the first time you can actually hear an improvement in sound quality. McCartney can play bass.
~ Photographed a painting inside an art gallery. is photographing art, art?
~ Saw Santa Clause, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan and Aladdin all in one place, local mall…
~ Drank a lot of ginger tea
~ Steelers lost to the Bengals, twice, ARRGHH..
AND DON'T FORGET:
Pittsburgh Light Up Night – Photo Walk
Friday November 20th 7pm
Meet up: West End Overlook
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, tripod and warm clothes ~ it will be very cold and crowded on the overlook.
Please e-mail me at jecraig@mac.com if you plan on attending, need to get a head count.
11.09.2009
New Workshop Dates Announced
David Burke & John Craig
How To Everything (& More): PHOTOGRAPHY
In your gut you want to be a PHOTOGRAPHER. Or maybe you just want to learn how to use that expensive camera you just bought but you’re not sure who to ask. You have a great eye for composition but you just need some guidance, an advisor to help YOU fulfill your dreams. Make the jump from thinking, daydreaming and create great photographs…
Is this you?
-You take great pictures
-Everybody tells you that you take great pictures
-Your friends and family always ask you to bring your camera
-You bought an expensive new DSLR camera
-You have no idea how to use to it, except on AUTO
-The camera’s manual scares the bajesus out of you
-You love photography and want to get better
Who should take this workshop?
-If the list above is YOU
-You love taking photographs
-ISO, F/stop, shutter speed, and aperture are words that means nothing to you
-You have no idea what DSLR means
-If you want to able to tell your camera what to do
-If you want the mysteries of the photo universe revealed to you
What you will learn:
-Understanding exposure
-How to use your camera in manual mode
-How to take a photo “correctly” in camera
-Natural light techniques
-Understanding your lens
-Understanding White Balance
-Flash Techniques
Date: January 23, 2010
Location: 502 W. North Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Time: 10 am-4pm
Cost: $175.00: includes boxed lunch
Class limited to 15 people
Contact Elizabeth Craig at 724.355.9079 or by email at craigphotography@mac.com for more information and to register.
Purposeful Blogging Workshop
Every photographer that I have ever met struggles with the same issues:
I am too busy running my business; I have no time for creative new work. How do I get more time?
Or
It’s too important for me to keep creating so I have no time to run my business. How do I get more time?
These questions will be answered at my Purposeful Blogging workshop.
"Purposeful Blogging is a marketing tool for photographers who want to grow their business by building an audience through the use of new communication models. Blogging for your business is a demonstration of your skill and representation of who you are. This workshop with Photographer will introduce you to techniques that can help you launch your business into the blogosphere.”
This is workshop of must-have information on how to build your audience thru blogging and how to sustain you business.
Date: January 30, 2010
Location: 502 W. North Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Time: 1 – 4pm
Cost: $55. 00
Class: limited to 15 people
Contact Elizabeth Craig at 724.355.9079 or by email at craigphotography@mac.com for more information and to register.
AND DON'T FORGET:
Pittsburgh Light Up Night – Photo Walk
Friday November 20th 7pm
Meet up: West End Overlook
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, tripod and warm clothes ~ it will be very cold and crowed on the overlook.
Q&A Session & Meet-n-Greet
Thursday December 10th 7 to 9pm
Meet up: My house
Cost: Free
What to bring: Your questions, camera, good attitude and a friend. Let’s build the community.
E-Book released
January 2010
The Photographer’s Blog
Cost: $10.00 download
How To Everything (& More): PHOTOGRAPHY
In your gut you want to be a PHOTOGRAPHER. Or maybe you just want to learn how to use that expensive camera you just bought but you’re not sure who to ask. You have a great eye for composition but you just need some guidance, an advisor to help YOU fulfill your dreams. Make the jump from thinking, daydreaming and create great photographs…
Is this you?
-You take great pictures
-Everybody tells you that you take great pictures
-Your friends and family always ask you to bring your camera
-You bought an expensive new DSLR camera
-You have no idea how to use to it, except on AUTO
-The camera’s manual scares the bajesus out of you
-You love photography and want to get better
Who should take this workshop?
-If the list above is YOU
-You love taking photographs
-ISO, F/stop, shutter speed, and aperture are words that means nothing to you
-You have no idea what DSLR means
-If you want to able to tell your camera what to do
-If you want the mysteries of the photo universe revealed to you
What you will learn:
-Understanding exposure
-How to use your camera in manual mode
-How to take a photo “correctly” in camera
-Natural light techniques
-Understanding your lens
-Understanding White Balance
-Flash Techniques
Date: January 23, 2010
Location: 502 W. North Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Time: 10 am-4pm
Cost: $175.00: includes boxed lunch
Class limited to 15 people
Contact Elizabeth Craig at 724.355.9079 or by email at craigphotography@mac.com for more information and to register.
Purposeful Blogging Workshop
Every photographer that I have ever met struggles with the same issues:
I am too busy running my business; I have no time for creative new work. How do I get more time?
Or
It’s too important for me to keep creating so I have no time to run my business. How do I get more time?
These questions will be answered at my Purposeful Blogging workshop.
"Purposeful Blogging is a marketing tool for photographers who want to grow their business by building an audience through the use of new communication models. Blogging for your business is a demonstration of your skill and representation of who you are. This workshop with Photographer will introduce you to techniques that can help you launch your business into the blogosphere.”
This is workshop of must-have information on how to build your audience thru blogging and how to sustain you business.
Date: January 30, 2010
Location: 502 W. North Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Time: 1 – 4pm
Cost: $55. 00
Class: limited to 15 people
Contact Elizabeth Craig at 724.355.9079 or by email at craigphotography@mac.com for more information and to register.
AND DON'T FORGET:
Pittsburgh Light Up Night – Photo Walk
Friday November 20th 7pm
Meet up: West End Overlook
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, tripod and warm clothes ~ it will be very cold and crowed on the overlook.
Q&A Session & Meet-n-Greet
Thursday December 10th 7 to 9pm
Meet up: My house
Cost: Free
What to bring: Your questions, camera, good attitude and a friend. Let’s build the community.
E-Book released
January 2010
The Photographer’s Blog
Cost: $10.00 download
11.08.2009
Photo Walk - Monday November 9th ~ CANCELED due to illness
~ Please spread the word... Will reschedule.
11.06.2009
The Abandoning ~ Short Story
The Abandoning ~ Short Story
Dear…
Mr. & Mrs. House; that’s my parents and they love coffee and not much else. They have 7 kids and I am the 7th. Max, that’s me. Coffee that is their life actually was their life.
Mr. & Mrs. House up at 6:30am, by 6:35 they are sitting at a small kitchen table built for two. Yellow formica table top with four rusted steel legs two chairs that are permanently wrapped in a thick plastic with faded pink flowers imprinted on the cushions.
My Mom makes the coffee like a sacred ritual. She opens the big blue can, takes a deep breath of the grounds and then four large scoops into a stainless steel coffee pot that was given to them as a wedding gift. They sit at that table and wait the 4 minutes and 32 seconds for life to begin, again. After the 1st cup is drank my father pours the 2nd cup for the both of them and then looks at his wife and says, “Don’t say I never do anything for you.” He says this everyday and not much else to her. My Mom just smiles and reads yesterday’s newspaper.
This is what I wake up to; the smell of coffee, and two fat parents in a small kitchen who could care less about me. To be fair, at least they treat me like all their others kids. The siblings seven: the two oldest in jail for drugs, next set got the hell out of here over ten years ago. I don’t see either of them very often but they do send me books and music at Christmas and on my birthday. That leaves the two siblings that I should be close with, my brother & sister. I am not for no particular reason. We do not fight or have different views; we are simply distant from one another. It’s like when you see a cousin every other year at a family event. Sure there is a family resemblance and polite conversation, nonetheless he is a stranger to you. That’s us as siblings; strangers who are polite.
As for me being born as lucky number 7, well that is not clear to me yet. To say that my arrival into this world was a surprise would be an understatement. If the New York Giants did not win the Super Bowl in 1987 there is a good chance that I would not of been born. But here I am at this computer telling you my stories and hoping somebody out there is reading them. They say that you choose your parents before you’re born in the great Hall of Bluff in Heaven. I have no idea what I was thinking up there in the after life or the before life or whatever you want to call it. All I know is that I must have been up for a challenge choosing Mr. & Mrs. House.
Nine months and 12 days after the Giants won the Super Bowl my parents finally got around to giving me a name. There was no debate or thought as to what to name me; they just didn’t get around to it.
On day 12 of life they decided on a name for me. At 6:39am one minute before the coffee would be ready. Mrs. House holds ups her beloved blue can of coffee and looks at Mr. House and says “How about Maxwell?” So, Mr. & Mrs. House named their 7th child after their true love. That must mean something, right?
Searching for life,
~MH
*****
Dear…
It has been 4 years since the abandoning. I live alone on a small plot of live land on a dead planet. As far as I know I am the only one left. When I say dead planet, I mean dead. If you walk off my land the world is gone. No people, no buildings, no trees, no plants, no air, no sky, no water, no memories; only death. It is like one of those photos of the Moon or Mars, a crater of dead rock suspended in space with no purpose. Accept for my small plot of land.
Is this purgatory or paradise, paradise lost or paradise found? I have not discovered that answer yet. Why was I spared from the abandoning? I do not know. I am the last of humankind, all extinct but me enveloped in silence, the last to speak or to use language.
Why publish these letters if nobody is left to read them?
The abandoning left me with this land, one working computer and an internet connection. A single solar panel on the house powers the computer and there must be a satellite left up in space that I can get an internet connect from. This is all just a guess. I have no explanation for this and have stopped trying to find one a long time a go.
The internet is filled up with the wisdom of my ancestors; I will have no descendants to tell my stories to. The Abandoning left me this vessel for communication. It must mean something, and this is why I write these letters.
Searching for life,
~MH
*****
Dear…
Up at 6:30am, I must be a creator of breading, I say to myself out loud. No coffee but black tea and raw almonds provided by the land. This will do. Twelve raw almonds I must eat every morning before I start my day. I have no inkling why it has to be twelve, but twelve it must be. OCD in purgatory or paradise.
Day 1,468 I sit in the kitchen as my parents did. Starting out the same bay window, with the same smoke yellowed curtains with a blue dove pattern. From this window I can see the only other sign of life left on the planet and it’s actually a sign. A real sign; a billboard. A billboard that sits on the very edge of my land and a death planet, separated by advertising.
This billboard is not the typical roadside billboard that you’re used to seeing, it’s enormous. Think of the Las Vegas strip on steroids. This black and white structure stands 50ft high by 100 feet long and it reads…
Searching for life,
~MH
*****
Dear…
Yes, it was maddening. The world is gone. I awoke to nothing. No violence, no war, no rapture, no explanation, nothing. Writing this I am not sure if I am sane or insane. This is no dream. The land and the billboard told me so. Not in a voice or a feeling but their existence gives me reason to believe.
My land is perfect. It is everything I need to sustain my life; hell it has everything I need to grow old and fat. Freshwater stream with fish, an orchard of fruit trees, rows and rows of vegetable gardens, birds in the sky, squirrels and chipmunks on the ground. I live on the perfect farm; a land of perennial bounty with none of the work.
Traveling this land I now know so well I feel guilty if a have to kill any animal for food since now these animals with the land are my community…my people. My only predator is time.
I have to go now. The sun is setting and I’m losing power.
Searching for life,
~MH
*****
Dear…
I play guitar, a 67 Martian acoustic. This instrument holds memories of the life I was living before the abandoning. I played too well not to be a professional musician but not well enough to be noticed in my profession. Now I sit at the edge of my land under the shade of the billboard and play for the audience that I wish was listening.
Reminiscent sounds of clapping in the distance...could it be?
Two walking shadows at the foot of the billboard move towards me. I cannot understand nor believe it. I run towards the billboard.
“Hello Maxwell.” Says the man.
“Why...how...who are?” I ask dumbfounded
“You say that every time we meet Maxwell.” He says with a strange, knowing look on his face. "This is my wife Eve and I am Adam."
Dear…
Mr. & Mrs. House; that’s my parents and they love coffee and not much else. They have 7 kids and I am the 7th. Max, that’s me. Coffee that is their life actually was their life.
Mr. & Mrs. House up at 6:30am, by 6:35 they are sitting at a small kitchen table built for two. Yellow formica table top with four rusted steel legs two chairs that are permanently wrapped in a thick plastic with faded pink flowers imprinted on the cushions.
My Mom makes the coffee like a sacred ritual. She opens the big blue can, takes a deep breath of the grounds and then four large scoops into a stainless steel coffee pot that was given to them as a wedding gift. They sit at that table and wait the 4 minutes and 32 seconds for life to begin, again. After the 1st cup is drank my father pours the 2nd cup for the both of them and then looks at his wife and says, “Don’t say I never do anything for you.” He says this everyday and not much else to her. My Mom just smiles and reads yesterday’s newspaper.
This is what I wake up to; the smell of coffee, and two fat parents in a small kitchen who could care less about me. To be fair, at least they treat me like all their others kids. The siblings seven: the two oldest in jail for drugs, next set got the hell out of here over ten years ago. I don’t see either of them very often but they do send me books and music at Christmas and on my birthday. That leaves the two siblings that I should be close with, my brother & sister. I am not for no particular reason. We do not fight or have different views; we are simply distant from one another. It’s like when you see a cousin every other year at a family event. Sure there is a family resemblance and polite conversation, nonetheless he is a stranger to you. That’s us as siblings; strangers who are polite.
As for me being born as lucky number 7, well that is not clear to me yet. To say that my arrival into this world was a surprise would be an understatement. If the New York Giants did not win the Super Bowl in 1987 there is a good chance that I would not of been born. But here I am at this computer telling you my stories and hoping somebody out there is reading them. They say that you choose your parents before you’re born in the great Hall of Bluff in Heaven. I have no idea what I was thinking up there in the after life or the before life or whatever you want to call it. All I know is that I must have been up for a challenge choosing Mr. & Mrs. House.
Nine months and 12 days after the Giants won the Super Bowl my parents finally got around to giving me a name. There was no debate or thought as to what to name me; they just didn’t get around to it.
On day 12 of life they decided on a name for me. At 6:39am one minute before the coffee would be ready. Mrs. House holds ups her beloved blue can of coffee and looks at Mr. House and says “How about Maxwell?” So, Mr. & Mrs. House named their 7th child after their true love. That must mean something, right?
Searching for life,
~MH
*****
Dear…
It has been 4 years since the abandoning. I live alone on a small plot of live land on a dead planet. As far as I know I am the only one left. When I say dead planet, I mean dead. If you walk off my land the world is gone. No people, no buildings, no trees, no plants, no air, no sky, no water, no memories; only death. It is like one of those photos of the Moon or Mars, a crater of dead rock suspended in space with no purpose. Accept for my small plot of land.
Is this purgatory or paradise, paradise lost or paradise found? I have not discovered that answer yet. Why was I spared from the abandoning? I do not know. I am the last of humankind, all extinct but me enveloped in silence, the last to speak or to use language.
Why publish these letters if nobody is left to read them?
The abandoning left me with this land, one working computer and an internet connection. A single solar panel on the house powers the computer and there must be a satellite left up in space that I can get an internet connect from. This is all just a guess. I have no explanation for this and have stopped trying to find one a long time a go.
The internet is filled up with the wisdom of my ancestors; I will have no descendants to tell my stories to. The Abandoning left me this vessel for communication. It must mean something, and this is why I write these letters.
Searching for life,
~MH
*****
Dear…
Up at 6:30am, I must be a creator of breading, I say to myself out loud. No coffee but black tea and raw almonds provided by the land. This will do. Twelve raw almonds I must eat every morning before I start my day. I have no inkling why it has to be twelve, but twelve it must be. OCD in purgatory or paradise.
Day 1,468 I sit in the kitchen as my parents did. Starting out the same bay window, with the same smoke yellowed curtains with a blue dove pattern. From this window I can see the only other sign of life left on the planet and it’s actually a sign. A real sign; a billboard. A billboard that sits on the very edge of my land and a death planet, separated by advertising.
This billboard is not the typical roadside billboard that you’re used to seeing, it’s enormous. Think of the Las Vegas strip on steroids. This black and white structure stands 50ft high by 100 feet long and it reads…
Ye are all GODS
and it’s about time
you start getting good at it
and it’s about time
you start getting good at it
Searching for life,
~MH
*****
Dear…
Yes, it was maddening. The world is gone. I awoke to nothing. No violence, no war, no rapture, no explanation, nothing. Writing this I am not sure if I am sane or insane. This is no dream. The land and the billboard told me so. Not in a voice or a feeling but their existence gives me reason to believe.
My land is perfect. It is everything I need to sustain my life; hell it has everything I need to grow old and fat. Freshwater stream with fish, an orchard of fruit trees, rows and rows of vegetable gardens, birds in the sky, squirrels and chipmunks on the ground. I live on the perfect farm; a land of perennial bounty with none of the work.
Traveling this land I now know so well I feel guilty if a have to kill any animal for food since now these animals with the land are my community…my people. My only predator is time.
I have to go now. The sun is setting and I’m losing power.
Searching for life,
~MH
*****
Dear…
I play guitar, a 67 Martian acoustic. This instrument holds memories of the life I was living before the abandoning. I played too well not to be a professional musician but not well enough to be noticed in my profession. Now I sit at the edge of my land under the shade of the billboard and play for the audience that I wish was listening.
Reminiscent sounds of clapping in the distance...could it be?
Two walking shadows at the foot of the billboard move towards me. I cannot understand nor believe it. I run towards the billboard.
“Hello Maxwell.” Says the man.
“Why...how...who are?” I ask dumbfounded
“You say that every time we meet Maxwell.” He says with a strange, knowing look on his face. "This is my wife Eve and I am Adam."
11.05.2009
Reminder ~ This Monday
Photograph Pittsburgh at Night– Photo Walk
Monday November 9th 7pm
Meet up: West End Overlook
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, tripod and warm clothes ~ it will be cold on the overlook.
Monday November 9th 7pm
Meet up: West End Overlook
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, tripod and warm clothes ~ it will be cold on the overlook.
11.03.2009
Moment
Current Reading: Traveling Clothes by Bill Deasy
Current Music: If On A Winter's Night... by Sting
Mood: Death
Sounds: TV
Smells: Nothing
Temperature: Cold
Thoughts: I am not looking to preach but I do want to convert.
Current Music: If On A Winter's Night... by Sting
Mood: Death
Sounds: TV
Smells: Nothing
Temperature: Cold
Thoughts: I am not looking to preach but I do want to convert.
11.02.2009
Craig Photography Charity Gift Calendars
Craig Photography would like to announce that we are now offering 2 types of gift calendars you can purchase for your friends and family for this upcoming gift-giving season. All proceeds will be donated to the Three Rivers Adoption Council, which is an organization that devotes its efforts to finding permanent homes for children of all ages.
These 12-page, 8.5 x 11 calendars are $30 and will include your choice of either John’s art photos from his Ambient collection or his Pittsburgh at Night series collection. See below for the photos included in each.
So help us raise money for a very special organization! Contact us for more information.
Yesterday's Workshop Notes & Dates
Thank you to all who attended yesterday's workshop. The questions asked were remarkable.
If you would like to download last night's notes you can (HERE)
Upcoming Photo-Walk dates:
Photograph Pittsburgh at Night– Photo Walk
Monday November 9th 7pm
Meet up: West End Overlook
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, tripod and warm clothes ~ it will be cold on the overlook.
Pittsburgh Light Up Night – Photo Walk
Friday November 20th 7pm
Meet up: West End Overlook
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, tripod and warm clothes ~ it will be very cold and crowed on the overlook.
Q&A Session & Connect-n-Grow
Thursday December 10th 7 to 9pm
Meet up: My house
Cost: Free
What to bring: Your questions, camera, good attitude and a friend. Let’s build the community.
E-Book released
January 2010
The Photographer’s Blog
Cost: $10.00 download
Recommend blog readings:
Craig Photography by Elizabeth
David Burke Shoot N' Learn
If you would like to download last night's notes you can (HERE)
Upcoming Photo-Walk dates:
Photograph Pittsburgh at Night– Photo Walk
Monday November 9th 7pm
Meet up: West End Overlook
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, tripod and warm clothes ~ it will be cold on the overlook.
Pittsburgh Light Up Night – Photo Walk
Friday November 20th 7pm
Meet up: West End Overlook
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, tripod and warm clothes ~ it will be very cold and crowed on the overlook.
Q&A Session & Connect-n-Grow
Thursday December 10th 7 to 9pm
Meet up: My house
Cost: Free
What to bring: Your questions, camera, good attitude and a friend. Let’s build the community.
E-Book released
January 2010
The Photographer’s Blog
Cost: $10.00 download
Recommend blog readings:
Craig Photography by Elizabeth
David Burke Shoot N' Learn
10.29.2009
Short Stories
I have been wanting to write short stories as of late, nothing new to share, yet. Re-living my personal greatest hits.
No Demons
Rainbow in a ghost town
I Dream of Heaven
The Shepherd & Alpaca
I never thought the afterlife would look like this
Rooftop Sanctuary
Joe the Ugly Art Critic
But, I think my next story will have something to do with this quote “Ye are all GODS…and it’s about time you start getting good at it.” & a single billboard left to stand on a dead plant.
No Demons
Rainbow in a ghost town
I Dream of Heaven
The Shepherd & Alpaca
I never thought the afterlife would look like this
Rooftop Sanctuary
Joe the Ugly Art Critic
But, I think my next story will have something to do with this quote “Ye are all GODS…and it’s about time you start getting good at it.” & a single billboard left to stand on a dead plant.
Street Portrait
Camera: Nikon D700Exposure: 1/8000 sec
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 100 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed:
10.28.2009
Life is odd...isn’t it?
The things we do just trying to stay alive are odd obsessions, don’t you think? We want to preserve the NOW while constructing a FUTURE, remembering (or better yet) trying to forget our PAST to build all things anew. When in the end we are all just squirrels trying to get a nut. Then we find out we're allergic to the nut.
Things that goes well together:
Miso soup with cumin,
Vanilla yogurt & pumpkin seeds,
Did you know when you have an almost 4yr old Halloween becomes a month long event? These are things that a hospital should tell you when you take home your baby for the first time.
~ Get the best dust buster that money can buy
~ Make sure you and your wife agree on what the temperature of tepid water is
~ Putting shoes on a baby is hard. Practice it, repeat the practice and deal with it. Dummy it's only shoes.
~ Little princesses enjoy trying on dress a lot, seriously a lot
~ Every holiday is no less than a thirty day event
(add to the list this could get honestly funny and useful)
Going to spend all of February in Florida this year. Stock photography, family vacation, in all truth it is a BIG step for me.
Looks like in March we will be utilizing a studio space.
“Ye are all GODS…and it’s about time you start getting good at it.” – mashed-up quote by Jesus, Stewart Brand & me
Life is odd, isn’t it? ~ but good, very good…
Things that goes well together:
Miso soup with cumin,
Vanilla yogurt & pumpkin seeds,
Did you know when you have an almost 4yr old Halloween becomes a month long event? These are things that a hospital should tell you when you take home your baby for the first time.
~ Get the best dust buster that money can buy
~ Make sure you and your wife agree on what the temperature of tepid water is
~ Putting shoes on a baby is hard. Practice it, repeat the practice and deal with it. Dummy it's only shoes.
~ Little princesses enjoy trying on dress a lot, seriously a lot
~ Every holiday is no less than a thirty day event
(add to the list this could get honestly funny and useful)
Going to spend all of February in Florida this year. Stock photography, family vacation, in all truth it is a BIG step for me.
Looks like in March we will be utilizing a studio space.
“Ye are all GODS…and it’s about time you start getting good at it.” – mashed-up quote by Jesus, Stewart Brand & me
Life is odd, isn’t it? ~ but good, very good…
10.27.2009
10.26.2009
Pittsburgh Photography Workshop Reminder
Little reminder about our upcoming Photography 101 workshop coming up on Nov. 1 from 1-4 at 502 W. North Ave. Pgh 15212.
There are still a few seats left so we hope you'll join us!
For more info click here.
There are still a few seats left so we hope you'll join us!
For more info click here.
10.22.2009
Moment
Current Reading: Whole Earth Discipline by Stewart Brand
Current Music: Seeds by Martin Sexton
Mood: In a rush, preschool photo day
Sounds: Dishwasher
Smells: Coffee
Temperature: 70 degrees
Thoughts:"We are all Gods, & it's about time we start getting good at it". -Stewart Brand
Current Music: Seeds by Martin Sexton
Mood: In a rush, preschool photo day
Sounds: Dishwasher
Smells: Coffee
Temperature: 70 degrees
Thoughts:"We are all Gods, & it's about time we start getting good at it". -Stewart Brand
10.21.2009
Slow Photography Movement
Let me start with a story of how this idea came to me.
Scrolling through the blog of one my favorite local photographers (&person) she had posted this photo.
When I look at this photograph I often wish I had the opportunity to take this photo.
I do not know how this particular photo was taken. I can’t even venture a guess, at least not a good one...yet. It has me thinking….maddening yet wonderful thought about how I can do this.
I am not looking to plagiarize Joanne's work but I desperately want to be a chameleon to it…
Joanne's photo paired with my recent workshops, photo walks, conversations and e-mail discussions has me thinking about what is a complete photograph?
For me the least important thing to a great photos is the snap of the shutter; I am most interested in what happens before capture.
Composition, environment, emotions & inspiration…
The things that I do not care to know: Type of camera, camera setting, what lens, software, and post-production work was done.
If I can make an artistic guess it would be that this photo was completed in Joanne’s mind's eye long before it was captured in camera.
This photo brings me back full circle to a question that I asked on Facebook last week: What is the “Right” problem to fix in photo-education?
Thank you to all who answered. Your responses were remarkable, appreciated and the foundation for this article.
The feedback I gained can be listed in three categories/problems that need to be addressed.
Ethics, Ego & Stuff
A photograph is none of these things. A photograph begins with a thought.
A photograph is not: an obsession with equipment, an ability to purchase gear, it is not biz skills nor people skills, it is not using auto-canned-modes on your camera, hell it's not even about being able to shoot in Manual mode. (Manual mode is super important…. it’s your foundation)
I would ask photographers to think about their craft as:
Art, Morals and Truth
Tackling the right problem, that is struggle. Expanding your range of options rather than narrowing your perspective. A photograph is about YOU, not buying into someone else’s techniques or tips. It is about you developing and eye and situational problem skills.
Joanne's photograph has me thinking about how to weave patterns to discover interesting stories. And to question the purpose of how it was imagined. And doing all this while removing boundaries of what my conception of visual art is.
For a good two weeks I have been thinking about this photo and never once have I picked up my camera to try to replicate it. I can honestly tell you that I am a better photographer today than I was two weeks due to this process.
Slow Photography Movement…what is it????
It a philosophy about photography on how to transform and include yesterday's foundation of photography with the technologies that photography has to offer today. It is about the all-encompassing topics of art, morals and truth.
This is the start of a conversation; join in…more to come on this topic.
Let’s discuss….
Scrolling through the blog of one my favorite local photographers (&person) she had posted this photo.
When I look at this photograph I often wish I had the opportunity to take this photo.I do not know how this particular photo was taken. I can’t even venture a guess, at least not a good one...yet. It has me thinking….maddening yet wonderful thought about how I can do this.
I am not looking to plagiarize Joanne's work but I desperately want to be a chameleon to it…
Joanne's photo paired with my recent workshops, photo walks, conversations and e-mail discussions has me thinking about what is a complete photograph?
For me the least important thing to a great photos is the snap of the shutter; I am most interested in what happens before capture.
Composition, environment, emotions & inspiration…
The things that I do not care to know: Type of camera, camera setting, what lens, software, and post-production work was done.
If I can make an artistic guess it would be that this photo was completed in Joanne’s mind's eye long before it was captured in camera.
This photo brings me back full circle to a question that I asked on Facebook last week: What is the “Right” problem to fix in photo-education?
Thank you to all who answered. Your responses were remarkable, appreciated and the foundation for this article.
The feedback I gained can be listed in three categories/problems that need to be addressed.
Ethics, Ego & Stuff
A photograph is none of these things. A photograph begins with a thought.
A photograph is not: an obsession with equipment, an ability to purchase gear, it is not biz skills nor people skills, it is not using auto-canned-modes on your camera, hell it's not even about being able to shoot in Manual mode. (Manual mode is super important…. it’s your foundation)
I would ask photographers to think about their craft as:
Art, Morals and Truth
Tackling the right problem, that is struggle. Expanding your range of options rather than narrowing your perspective. A photograph is about YOU, not buying into someone else’s techniques or tips. It is about you developing and eye and situational problem skills.
Joanne's photograph has me thinking about how to weave patterns to discover interesting stories. And to question the purpose of how it was imagined. And doing all this while removing boundaries of what my conception of visual art is.
For a good two weeks I have been thinking about this photo and never once have I picked up my camera to try to replicate it. I can honestly tell you that I am a better photographer today than I was two weeks due to this process.
Slow Photography Movement…what is it????
It a philosophy about photography on how to transform and include yesterday's foundation of photography with the technologies that photography has to offer today. It is about the all-encompassing topics of art, morals and truth.
This is the start of a conversation; join in…more to come on this topic.
Let’s discuss….
10.20.2009
Photo of the Week
Camera: Nikon D700Exposure: 1 sec
Aperture: f/22.0
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash
10.19.2009
Yesterday
Up at 7am after going to bed six hours earlier, feeling good. Proof of God for me is found in a coffee pot. Simple revelation but nonetheless true.
Cold morning walk thought the streets of PGH on my way to a PHOTO WALK. I love these gray skies of Pittsburgh; this city becomes more alive to me everyday. Autumn in this city is brilliant. The colors of fall backlight this town with a glow that is noticeable by walking across the bridges, tree lined hillsides, reflections on the rivers and the urban jungle energy that's all-encompassing to this place.
Started reading a book by a local author, Sherrie Flick “Reconsidering Happiness”, enjoying it…it has a female Kerouac feel to it. This book has description, emotion and a journey to it; it leaves me wanting to travel and to experience small town dinners and tuna fish on wheat bread.
10.16.2009
Photo Walk ~ Reminder
When: Sunday October 18th 9:30 am
Meet up: Heinz Stadium Gate A
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, passion to learn and your walking shoes.
Topics of conversation: understanding exposure & creative exposure
If there is cancellation due to weather I will post it on Facebook at 8:30 am
10.15.2009
4am & a Thought
Woke up early, again, very early 4am. Coffee is extra good at 4am and the computer screen is bright at 4am, painfully bright.
Been thinking about getting a hand grinder for coffee beans. There is something about brewing a cup of coffee that appeals to me.
Finished reading “Change By Design” by Tim Brown last night. The book ended with a quote by Tom Kelly that has sparked a thought in me.
“Innovation begins with an eye.” ~ that is the photographers job; to create something new and different. A photograph starts with a thought.
For 17 years I have been working in photography and in that time I have never felt like an inclusive photographer. I am not techie, nor do I subscribe to any photo magazines and have no interest in the latest gear. For me, my passion and effort has been pulled towards the compositional aspects of art. I think of myself as “I create therefore I am”, type of artist….my ego just exploded, sorry for the mess.
Nature. I am drawn to nature as a teacher of the arts. I figure that nature has a 4.5 billion-year headstart; maybe there is something that nature can teach me.
This is my compositional process: read books and go for walks in the woods, feel philosophical about myself…good thing egos are self-regenerating; I am on my third one today. Is this the correct process for photographers? No idea but it is the correct process for me.
Working on a post for next week: “Slow Photography Movement”. Raining outside, going to read a book by the fire.
Been thinking about getting a hand grinder for coffee beans. There is something about brewing a cup of coffee that appeals to me.
Finished reading “Change By Design” by Tim Brown last night. The book ended with a quote by Tom Kelly that has sparked a thought in me.
“Innovation begins with an eye.” ~ that is the photographers job; to create something new and different. A photograph starts with a thought.
For 17 years I have been working in photography and in that time I have never felt like an inclusive photographer. I am not techie, nor do I subscribe to any photo magazines and have no interest in the latest gear. For me, my passion and effort has been pulled towards the compositional aspects of art. I think of myself as “I create therefore I am”, type of artist….my ego just exploded, sorry for the mess.
Nature. I am drawn to nature as a teacher of the arts. I figure that nature has a 4.5 billion-year headstart; maybe there is something that nature can teach me.
This is my compositional process: read books and go for walks in the woods, feel philosophical about myself…good thing egos are self-regenerating; I am on my third one today. Is this the correct process for photographers? No idea but it is the correct process for me.
Working on a post for next week: “Slow Photography Movement”. Raining outside, going to read a book by the fire.
Question
I posted this question on Facebook and Twitter yesterday, I wanted to open it up to the blog. So what do you think?
What is the "right" problem that needs to be fixed in photo-education???
What is the "right" problem that needs to be fixed in photo-education???
10.14.2009
Moment
Current Reading:Change by Design by Tim Brown
Current Music: Under The Rose by Rahim Alhaj & Ottmar Liebert
Mood: I feel good, as sung by James brown
Sounds: My wife reading a book to my daughter
Smells: Coffee
Temperature: Low of 37 high of 49
Thoughts: Getting up at 5am is productive...can I do it two days in a row?
Current Music: Under The Rose by Rahim Alhaj & Ottmar Liebert
Mood: I feel good, as sung by James brown
Sounds: My wife reading a book to my daughter
Smells: Coffee
Temperature: Low of 37 high of 49
Thoughts: Getting up at 5am is productive...can I do it two days in a row?
10.13.2009
Photo of the Week
Camera: Nikon D700Exposure: 30
Aperture: f/22.0
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash
10.12.2009
On Building a Photo Community
I have a passion for photography; a love for the business that Elizabeth and I built and a commitment to the next generation to leave it stronger and healthier.
About a year and half ago on a cold night after being frustrated about not being able to find a parking spot, I walked late into David Burke’s studio where he was holding a Shoot N’ Learn networking group. That night was the catalyst for what I am trying to achieve today. I thought David’s working title for his group, “Shoot N’ Learn”, was perfect. In addition to that title I wanted to pair it with “Connect and Develop”.
The characteristics that I hope to instill upon the community will be:
~ Passion for learning
~ Effort and discipline
~ Good health; mental & physical
~ Foster a love for getting outdoors
~ Service to others
~ Using your camera in Manual without having to drudge through reading the manual.
What I am proposing to change about photography education is the “how” and “why” in the ways that we learn.
Two core principles for the photo community are:
Shoot N’ Learn
Connect and Develop
Shoot N’ Learn
Connect and Develop
Create something new. That’s it, that is my goal to collectively achieve. Daily I am asked the same question, “What camera should I buy?” The question that should be asked is “How do I use my camera?” You cannot purchase your way to being a better photographer; the best camera to own is the camera in
your hand. Technology is great and it has pushed the frontier of photography into new and better directions. But the past is the foundation that needs to be deeply explored and understood.
There is a need to understand the Manual aspect of using a camera. A camera is a tool and I want people to understand how to use it, properly.
The reason to build this community is to discover what ideas need to be fulfilled. To connect people with problems to the people who have answers. This community is to position those for success, (whatever you deem success to be) not a guaranteed success, but to permit and promote it in others and ourselves.
The community will generate conversations in which we will can gain feedback, learn, connect and grow. The only guiding rules for the community are to be authentic, to listen, and respond by doing some good for society. And lastly to learn how to take remarkable photos.
For me, personally, this photo community will be successful when it is not the last word on photography but the first words; the starting place.
I invite you to join in on this ~ connect with me on facebook (HERE)
So, curious, let’s discuss
Photo Walks & Workshop Dates - October - December 2009
Photo Walk
When: Sunday October 18th 9:30 am
Meet up: Heinz Stadium Gate A
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, passion to learn and your walking shoes.
How To Everything Photography: Workshop 101 class
Meet up: Sunday November 1st 1 to 4pm
Where: Historic North Side of Pittsburgh at Annie O’Neill Studios
Cost: $55.00
Event details (HERE) Class limited to only 15 people
PS. It’s the Steelers off week, no traffic or parking issues…
Photograph Pittsburgh at Night– Photo Walk
Monday November 9th 7pm
Meet up: West End Overlook
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, tripod and warm clothes ~ it will be cold on the overlook.
Pittsburgh Light Up Night – Photo Walk
Friday November 20th 7pm
Meet up: West End Overlook
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, tripod and warm clothes ~ it will be very cold and crowed on the overlook.
Q&A Session & Meet-n-Greet
Thursday December 10th 7 to 9pm
Meet up: My house
Cost: Free
What to bring: Your questions, camera, good attitude and a friend. Let’s build the community.
E-Book released
January 2010
The Photographer’s Blog
Cost: $10.00 download
10.09.2009
Artist Statement ~ Ambient Art
Ambient photography is conceptual experimentation in which the camera technique is a hybrid format with the quest to produce contemporary art.
Photographic abstractions, with the use of organic shapes that have shapeless and vaguely spherical hints of the forms of biology to construct the substance, is a reflection of the elements that focuses on the power of natural light.
I want to kill the idea of a subject to remove the focal point in a photograph. Design a photograph that does not disregard the background, but evolves within and for its environment.
Thoroughly I feel that this project is generative art in that it flows in balance with nature, and that I will never be able to capture the same frame twice.
Ambient collection was photographed over a five-year period in the woods and rivers of Pittsburgh PA.
10.07.2009
Moment
Current Reading: 52 Rules of Thumb by Alan Webber
Current Music: Different Kind of Wild by Bill Deasy
Mood: Not sure but strong coffee is good....
Sounds: Computer fan
Smells: Dog & Coffee
Temperature: 66 degrees and cloudy
Thoughts: Photographic abstractions, with the use of organic shapes is ambient art...
Current Music: Different Kind of Wild by Bill Deasy
Mood: Not sure but strong coffee is good....
Sounds: Computer fan
Smells: Dog & Coffee
Temperature: 66 degrees and cloudy
Thoughts: Photographic abstractions, with the use of organic shapes is ambient art...
10.06.2009
90 days ~ Natural Method Conditioning
Part 7 of a 12 part series every Tuesday....
Getting hard to write about this process, staying the course. Be well.
10.05.2009
30 Days, Updates & Social Corporatism
I have been walking a lot these past thirty days. I walk to the bank or to the post office or I’ll take the train into Pittsburgh and walk to my destinations. The purpose is to do creative thinking and see my surroundings in a different light. Driving at 65mph does not give you a clear view of your surroundings. Walking two to three miles at a time opens up the universe to you.
I am thinking about buying an electric bike that has a small motor that kicks in when you need it. It would be nice not to have to use a car for short jaunts. I am lucky enough to be about five miles from everything I need. Which is food, books, wine, bank, post office and other random errands that my wife could send me on.
This week I will go out to do some scouting for nature and ambient photography. I’m looking forward to that. Thursday night I will be attending a book reading by a local writer. She is also the writer and teacher of a workshop I attended this past January that got me into short story writing.
As I am typing this my home is filling up with the aroma of butternut squash soup that “E” is making for us today. I will be cooking chili later in the week. There is something magical about aromas filling up a home. Slow cooking, slow walking, slow living; not a bad formula to be productive.
Current thoughts:
The term Social Corporatism has been swirling around in my head. Do we have choices? Is there competition in the marketplace today?
In Pittsburgh if you want to hire a photographer there are at least ten people that I could think of that would be our competition. And you know what? They’re good and they’re also our friends. That seems like a competitive marketplace; collectively you have to be good to stay in the game and your competitors, who are also your friends, help you grow and sustain a business.
I wish I could say that about my cable company or phone company or all of my utility companies that I pay monthly to.
In the healthcare debate the public option is good for the public and it is bad for those bigger than government, which is the Social Corporatism elite. We are a socialized nation. It is not controlled by the government, it is controlled by the corporations and that is not free market capitalism when there is no choice.
I am thinking about buying an electric bike that has a small motor that kicks in when you need it. It would be nice not to have to use a car for short jaunts. I am lucky enough to be about five miles from everything I need. Which is food, books, wine, bank, post office and other random errands that my wife could send me on.
This week I will go out to do some scouting for nature and ambient photography. I’m looking forward to that. Thursday night I will be attending a book reading by a local writer. She is also the writer and teacher of a workshop I attended this past January that got me into short story writing.
As I am typing this my home is filling up with the aroma of butternut squash soup that “E” is making for us today. I will be cooking chili later in the week. There is something magical about aromas filling up a home. Slow cooking, slow walking, slow living; not a bad formula to be productive.
Current thoughts:
The term Social Corporatism has been swirling around in my head. Do we have choices? Is there competition in the marketplace today?
In Pittsburgh if you want to hire a photographer there are at least ten people that I could think of that would be our competition. And you know what? They’re good and they’re also our friends. That seems like a competitive marketplace; collectively you have to be good to stay in the game and your competitors, who are also your friends, help you grow and sustain a business.
I wish I could say that about my cable company or phone company or all of my utility companies that I pay monthly to.
In the healthcare debate the public option is good for the public and it is bad for those bigger than government, which is the Social Corporatism elite. We are a socialized nation. It is not controlled by the government, it is controlled by the corporations and that is not free market capitalism when there is no choice.
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