Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins! And Talan!

Dodging raindrops, harvesting pumpkins.

Get this kid a Kilt!

Spent some time with the Penberthys yesterday. We met at Ri-Ra, a little Irish pub in Bethesda. The place was nearly empty. (Perfect!) A half dozen patrons at the bar, and a small group of musicians partaking in an Irish Seisiun. Fiddle, guitar, flute, banjo and bodhran (wooden framed drum). Quite the festive atmosphere. Made all the more so by the young Talan dancing in his own Cornish/English/German/Celtic/Groovy/Breakdance way. Spinning, twirling, falling down (on purpose!), getting back up, shaking his hips. He clearly had himself a blast! And so did we all.

I used only the on-board flash for these shots. Panned a couple of times as the tiny dancer zipped past me. As usual, a 1/4 cto gel over the flash to help keep the light balanced with the interior lights. That is all.

Cheers.

Sometimes It Just Happens.

Sometimes--most times, actually!-- you have to go find the image. You need to be proactive. That often means scouting out a location, finding the right angle, the best composition, then going back at a better time for that really good light. Sometimes the image just presents itself. You see it immediately in the viewfinder. Very exciting! When it happens, though, you better be ready. No futzing with the f-stop or fumbling with focus points.

Anyway, this is one of those photos. It just has that certain je ne sais quoi. Hard to define but very satisfying. No unnecessary, extraneous elements. Balance.

The little dude in this shot, that's my buddy Talan.

And, yes, that's right, I said, je ne sais quoi!

Paris baby!