Face the Day

Interesting how sometimes there is more to a face than meets the casual glance. I found my subject quietly sitting in the Loop and observing.  I am not sure of his worldview, he is not a big talker, but I would venture that those eyes don’t miss much.  On a technical note, I used the Nikon D610 with an  AF-S Nikkor
80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G ED VR (whew). I was contemplating selling this lens — a hefty 1570g — but when I have my mojo working (in focus and no camera movement) the images just shine and it is such a useful focal range, arrrgggh, guess I have to resume weight lifting.

~John

Smooth(ie) Move

Summer arrived a week early in Missouri –  already 90+ and high humidity. My solution was to bike to the local coffee shop and slurp.  Advice to the “instagram” generation, put down your mobile phones and connect with folks. A meet and greet resulted in two hours of stimulating conversation with a graphic novelist and a screenwriter. Make the effort, skip the virtual world and go analog.
~John

Bullseye

One of the hardest things for beginning photographers is asking permission to take pictures of folks. In my brief experience (40 years) I have rarely been told “no pictures”.  People love to have their picture made — you just need to be considerate, non-threatening and open. It is also good idea to be able to explain why you want to make a picture. In this example, after an inital “ask”, I just explained how I wanted to share with others (via ITEP) the trio’s dart throwing fun.

Rainy Day Umbrella #12 and 35

My apologies to Bob Dylan on the song/title variant. When does an out-of-focus picture taken with a $5000 camera-lens combo become “art”?  Photo hint — don’t let the elements keep you from getting out and making pictures (D610 wrapped in simple plastic bag with draw string on the end of the 80-400mm lens).

~john

Boo to You

Singapore bat-girl and ghoul friend in London

Scary little Londoner with “halo”Halloween revelers in the Delmar Loop St. Louis

Here is our Halloween wrap-up. Paul was struck that the old concept of British ‘reserve’ still seems to be with us. Compared to celebrations in New York, New Orleans, Memphis, and Chapel Hill, those in the UK have not embraced the opportunity to display their inner demons or fantasies.  John took a quick stroll through his neighborhood and found few participants as well (might have  had a different result if he hadn’t sacked-out at 8pm).

Collegiate Traveler

Bridget, a charming and talented photographer, had a photo exhibit at “Create Space” here in University City and we started comparing notes on what makes a “keeper.”  Bridget’s example was a dance she photographed in Turkey — low light, movement, and muddled colors. She was ready to give it up, but she admits to a weakness — seeing if a bad situation can be salvaged by a black and white conversion. She uses iPhoto (now Photos) to up the contrast and increase the definition. Her experience reminded me of a technique I read about–visualizing by setting your LCD to “monochrome” in playback. This can be easily done (in Nikon land) by going to the “set picture control” menu.  Warning, you will have only a black and white picture if you shoot JPEG.  However, if you shoot RAW, all the camera sensor capture info is still there — in full color or in glorious black and white.

Insomonia Stroll

One of the delights of being a freelancer is the lack of clock-punching. The other morning I was up at five and had the urge to hit the street. Spring in St. Louis brings rain and between downpours I took the tripod out for an outing. Wet weather is great for photography – even the concrete ‘pops.’  I was trying a little HDR here – got three bracketed frames and the scene was spoiled (a huge delievery turck pulled up) before I could recompose and then one minute later the rain came back with a vengeance.  Wait — is that thunder I hear — got to get back to the street!

Funky Town

Always fun to see friends return to town.  Polyphonic Anthony is back from NOLA to play his funky music in the Delmar Loop. Photo tip — use a low angle to isolate the subect — “nothing but blue skies…” as the song goes.

Bands of Color

Not crazy about this snap, but I liked the “thought” of using a low angle and framing the band member with the crowd. No pay for this gig, just taking the camera for fun; of course now I wish I had worked it a little harder. What’s the phrase?  “…coulda’ been a contender.”

People Sans People

One of our favorite assignments in J-School was “people without people”.  Sometimes the suggestion of less is more.

Season’s Greetings – Humbug!

Just another day for this non-believer – but I will be happy to see the days grow longer.
Mom and the kids is a grab shoot from the coffee shop patio – don’t forget your camera.