Splendid Isolation.

The clouds just sat on us... for two days. Mist and fog and rain.

Made for some interesting shooting.

Sometimes... just lucky!

On occasion I do work for a florist in Alexandria VA: HelenOlivia.  Shooting arrangements in-store or on location at events. Recently, Marianne asked me to do a portrait for her new blog. We kept it pretty casual, using window light and existing overhead track lighting... no strobes, she is quite the blinker!

Anyway, while I was setting up I noticed a cool shadow on the wall that was not there just minutes before. The sun had just peeped out and was reflecting off the windshield of a car in the parking lot next door. It was at that moment perfectly redirected in through a window that happened to have a plant sitting in it. How cool is that? I brought Marianne over, put her against the wall and wouldn't you know one of the overhead lights was in the perfect position as well?! Just the right amount of warm light highlighting her hair. I shot off a few frames, then the sun ducked back behind the clouds. The pattern on the wall was gone.

This is my favorite from the set.

Venerable, Awe-inspiring Palaces Schools Should Be.

The Harbor at Dawn.

In the harbor, an early morning sign of life at the end of a pier. A single incandescent bulb illuminates the inside of a boat builder's equipment shack. For the moment all is quiet. The mood, naturally peaceful. Calm.

Lobster boats have come and gone. Trawlers as well. Difficult and confusing days for the fisherman. Hard work for sure. On the water and off. Beyond what will the catch be today. Tense negotiations regarding fishing grounds, catch limits, catch shares, rebuilding fish stocks, maintaining a commercial living, maintaining fish populations. Politics, rules, regulations. Bitterness, animosity. Uncertainty.

A cool, purple-blue dawn in Stonington Harbor belies this reality.

Rainy Days.

What do you do when you wake to find a cold rainy day on vacation? Aquarium.

Louis Burgers

In New Haven, CT there is a small burger joint at the campus of Yale University. Its claim to fame is being the place where the very first hamburger was made. It has changed little since it opened in the late 1800s. They even use the same vertical gas grills! (see below)

You can have your burger plain or with the works... cheese, tomato and onions. Anyway, one quirky little thing about them is their refusal to offer--or allow the use of--ketchup. No mustard or mayo either, but it's the ketchup they have a real problem with. Signs all over the place with a little red bottle and the international circle with a line through it is everywhere.

They say they want people to be able to really taste the burger. Somehow ketchup sullies this grand burger experience. OK, no sweat. But here's the weird thing. The "cheese" they put on it? Cheez Whiz! No shit! That crappy, fake, yellow glop that's so wrong the company won't even spell the word properly. It's probably not legal to call it cheese since there's likely no actual dairy in it.

So yeah, that's the deal... no ketchup! That'll just ruin everything! But funky, viscous, Cheez Whiz? No problem!

Like I said, weird.

Oh, and the burgers were fine. Not great, fine. If you find yourself in the neighborhood, go ahead and stop in for the experience. But no need to go out of your way.

Til next time.... cheers.