Workshop.

Did I mention I was able to attend a one day workshop with Joe McNally? I had signed up a little too late, so I was put on a waiting list. Well, apparently the waiting list grew large enough to make it worth while adding on another day.

So, very last minute, I packed up my gear and made the nearly five hour drive to NY. Drove back immediately after the workshop. Whirlwind. Crazy. But fun!

Here are a few shots.

Autumn Part 1

With the coming of Autumn the days get shorter and the sun hangs low in the sky for longer periods, casting long shadows and bathing any and all subjects in warm light. These short days will also precipitate the color change in leaves. Photosynthesis becomes more and more difficult when there is less and less sunlight to work with. Chlorophyl slowly disappears from the leaves and they in turn change. All this really means is there will soon be potential for beautiful photographs. (and not just scenics!)

I went out the other day for a sort of pre-fall recon down at our local park. As you can see in these three images it is still early in these mid-Atlantic latitudes for good color. Northern regions like Maine and Vermont are already sporting brilliant forests of red, yellow and orange. In the coming weeks our maples, oaks and beeches will do the same. Can't wait!

Pleasant Discoveries.

Walked out the door this morning, about to head off to Chesapeake beach for a short photo shoot of a water treatment plant (Yes...I know, you're jealous!) but for some reason decided to first take a look in the backyard. Sometimes I'll see deer back there. Birds, of course. Occasionally a fox--ah, make that rarely a fox. (I've seen one!) Whatever it was, I took a short stroll across the deck and saw this.

Pretty cool, eh? Nice light. Strong shadows. Interesting lines. Sometimes it just comes together. Good luck, chance, serendipity...whatever. When you see these kinds of things, make that extra effort to capture it. It's worth it.

Peace.

Afternoon Coffee.

Cup o' Joe. Java. Mud. Sludge. High Test. Cuppa. Mud Puddle Buzz. Cafe. Caffe. Coffee!

Hey, did you know that coffee is good for you? Well, it is. (See Here.) Can there be any better news than that? Nope! Well, wait...how many of us are still hanging on to that old notion that it dehydrates you? Turns out that's not so. So the news can get better! Cool.

I am, at this very moment, enjoying my daily afternoon cuppa. Dark french roast (and I mean dark. Just ask my brother!) with a little cream (real cream, not milk) and a splash of hazelnut syrup (thanks Jess!) And oh my god does it ever satisfy!

Well, as I was kicking back waiting for it to brew, I noticed the afternoon sun streaming through the blinds. So I grabbed my favorite coffee mug (a true Diner mug!) and placed it in a certain spot on our pub table and shot away. I cranked up the in-camera contrast so as to black out the background...looking, as always, for a little drama. It's just a quick grab shot (the earth rotates so fast!), but I like it.

So anyway, here's to your health! However you enjoy your caffeine kick... cream and sugar, black, cappuccino, latte, iced, what have you...feel free to truly enjoy it! Guilt free.

Sunset

I believe it was Galen Rowell who said he photographed sunsets at every opportunity. There's one every day so why not? Same "sustained thermonuclear fire" as ever. (Here's the actual quote: "You only get one sunrise and one sunset a day and you only get so many days on the planet. A good photographer does the math and doesn't waste either." ) As the golden orb --Cold Comfort Farm, anyone? Anyone?--OK well, as it gets closer to the horizon the light working its way through the thicker atmosphere just can't be beat. People travel all over the world looking for the best sunset experience. A blanket and a bottle of wine in the Marin Headlands; a rustic cabin on a lagoon in the San Juan Islands; the drunken stumble of a freak show at Mallory Square in Key West. All worthy sunset viewing spots. However, next time you find yourself in front of a spectacular sunset (or sunrise for that matter), turn around. Something or someone behind you is being bathed in wonderful photographic light! I noticed this over the weekend in Blue Ridge Summit. And as I am lucky enough to have tolerant and willing subjects all around me, I had no choice but to take advantage. Thanks Matt, Jodi and Chris. You look great!

Shadows.

In 'Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors' Carl Sagan describes a tremendous event: "An immense mass of gas and dust is swiftly collapsing under its own weight, spinning ever faster, transforming itself from a turbulent, chaotic cloud into what seems to be a distinct, orderly thin disk. Its exact center smolders a dull, cherry red. Watch from on high, above the disk, for a hundred million years and you will see the central mass grow whiter and more brilliant, until, after a couple abortive and incomplete attempts, it bursts into radiance, a sustained thermonuclear fire. The Sun is born." And roughly 5 billion years later this "sustained thermonuclear fire" shines in through my venetian blinded window and allows me to make a funky photograph!