Sunday, August 31, 2014
Friday, August 29, 2014
Appomattox - Plastic Camera
A few additional Diana shots from my time in Appomattox.
Appomattox Train Station and Visitor Center
Restaurant Choices on Confederate Blvd.
Flags at the Museum of the Confederacy
Thomasville Factory that closed shop a number of years ago employed a lot of Appomattox.
Riddle on the Harp - Website - This trio played a wonderful set for the Summer series put on by the Appomattox 1865 Foundation as a fund raiser - They played a number of Civil War era tunes some that sounded vaguely familiar and others that I was just being introduced to.
Downtown Appomattox - A little digital assist on this one. Obviously the Diana shoots square format, so I shot a few vertical frames and compiled a panorama in photoshop. I wasn’t sure if the magazine was looking for a vertical opener so I shot one that I knew I could manipulate in post. It goes against the aesthetics we agreed upon so it doesn’t surprise me it didn’t make the cut.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Appomattox, VA - Washington Post Magazine
In July, I shot an assignment for the Washington Post Magazine about Appomattox, VA - known for the location where the South surrendered to the North. After some discussion on aesthetic approach we decided to photograph the assignment with a Diana Plastic Camera. Incidentally, I had picked this camera up 10 years ago in an antique shop in Ferdicksburg, VA for $20 bucks and I've always loved shooting with it but I have never used it for commercial work. I only have one and I was definitely nervous it might stop working while I was there. Of course you can purchase a new Diana from Lomography but there was something about utilizing an actual camera from the 60s that I took pride in.
I loved the layout of the magazine but if you are interested in reading the article the online text might be a bit easier. Appomattox WP Article
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
Cardinal Plaza Shell Portraits
Back in February I was hired to shoot the Cardinal Plaza Shell in Springfield, Virginia for Ratchet + Wrench. The owner, Scott Brown, was very pleased with my photography and asked me back to photograph his staff and additional shots of the Gas Station for his new website. The portraits are in color on the website but I couldn’t help myself and converted a few to Black and White and worked up a handful of outtakes.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Cosmic Foreshadowing
My first photo shoot. Sort of… I was on the other side of the camera. This is my brother and I in Thailand in 1983-4ish. We were on vacation and my parents were asked by a photographer doing a fashion shoot if their kids could be in a shot. I remember being on the boat with the model but we could not communicate. I obviously did not speak Thai and she did not speak english. Not sure why my shirt is tucked in like that. I never tuck in my shirt. Even now. I don’t know what was going through my brother’s head but his glance to the model makes this shot interesting.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Full Time Photographer Podcast
A few months ago I was contacted by Josh Rossi and asked to be interviewed for his Full Time Photographer Podcast. I was of course flattered that he would reach out to me and I told him I would play along if I could be of any help. Last week we conducted the interview over Skype and I thought it went well. Josh is a great guy and his Podcast is apparently gaining steam in downloads at iTunes. The Podcast is geared towards beginning photographers who are in the early throws pursuing a career. We mostly talked of assisting and hopefully something worth interest came out of my mouth. Given an opportunity I can get a little long winded but luckily Josh was there to reign me end and keep me from hanging an abrupt left into tangent-land. Here is a link to the podcast on his site as well as a link to iTunes if you prefer their interface. Check out the rest of his series. He’s been at it a while so there is bound to be a wealth of knowledge there. Thanks Josh!
Full Time Photographer Podcast (Website)
Full Time Photographer (iTunes)
Friday, August 1, 2014
Last Round from Dusseldorf
The last afternoon and evening before heading home I had a chance to run around and see a little more of Dusseldorf. We took a tour bus around Dusseldorf and the photography was pretty abysmal through the side window but it was great to see more than a few blocks around the hotel. That evening I ran out with Robert and walked around the Ko and photographed the new Daniel Libeskind buildings.