Go Fish
Madagascar was the plan, but things change... Now, where to take the Fish?
Photo Essays
My Salsa Cycles Ti Mukluk and Porcelain Rocket bags struggle to keep pace with my skinny tired friends along the California Lost Coast.
I am really excited to start a new feature called Photo Essays. These will be image driven stories with a few words thrown in to help tell the tale. My first story is live now documenting my 500 mile Fat Bike journey along the famed California Lost Coast. Head on over and check it out here or by following the new 'Photo Essays' link on the left.
Seeds of self doubt
How often do we let the seeds of self doubt keep us from reaching our fullest potential? I read a quote today that talked about how intelligent people are held back by fear and doubt. I know that as a creative soul, and as a sensitive soul, doubt and over thinking are the two greatest impediments to my reaching for the stars.
I vow, from this day forward, to consciously be aware of these self doubts and these internal fears, and recognize that they are simply manifestations of my own mind.
Where are you going? -- I don't know
The streets of Portland Maine -- Leica Monochrome | 50 1,4 Summilux
The lines of this image with the randomly placed traffic sign, remind me of the question and answer game I play with myself so often these days.
February Portland Photo Walk
We met up in the chilly winter air of Portland Maine for some beer tasting and an opportunity to explore the city with our cameras. Learning to see at night is especially challenging given the extremes of light and dark. For me, the Leica Monochrome simply excels at this environment. The camera, with its high ISO capabilities and its beautiful rendition of tones, simply eats up the night light and spits out stunning images. I love this camera more and more with each passing moment.
Attached are some of my favorites from our evening walk. I will be scheduling more walks as the year progresses so please stay tuned. Part social, part teaching, all Fun.
Challenge Results - Motion
I challenged myself to shoot motion this past week with B&W. As I mentioned, in the past, I tended to shoot motion with color being the dominant feature. This was a good exercise and pushed me to see in different ways as well as to work my gear to its fullest capabilities.
Defining Your Vision
I love this quote:
"You have to perform your own visual signature, you cannot get anyplace imitating the work of the people you admire" -- Ralph Gibson
It is a theme or a message that I struggle with all of the time. Not so much in that I am trying to imitate anyone else, but that I am often concerned about what others think to the detriment of what I see. A subtle shift, but one that can have the same affect on your creative work.
It can cause you to photograph in a way that is not true to yourself and your own vision, instead playing to what you believe others want. I believe that this can have the same detrimental impact on your personal vision as what Ralph was talking about. A subtle difference, but still an impact on the purity of your own work.
Below is the interview where he talks about this and a few other things.
Motion
This weeks challenge is to capture motion. I love trying to capture motion that adds a bit of drama to an image or to a story. This image was from the Old City in Morocco 2 years ago where speeding mopeds would brazenly wind their way through the tightly congested paths full of people, street vendors and the occasional animal.
This week I am going to challenge myself to a B&W motion image, something that I have not done much with. My preference has always been to have color be the defining motion element, so for me, this is a chance to push myself. I will post my results next week. Feel free to post links in the comments sections to your images.
Portland Photo Walk - 2/08/14
I am planning a photo walk, this coming Saturday, 2/08 in downtown Portland Maine. The goal is to simply walk the city, sample some of the local beers, and have fun taking pictures. Any and all are welcome to join in. Start time will be 6:00 and we will meet at Eventide. Please email me or comment here if you are planning on attending.
Below are some images captured on my last Portland Photo Walk. A beautiful city to photograph at night.
A bit of color
No matter what is going on in my life, an opportunity to get out on the bike is guaranteed to clear my head and my soul. Yesterday I put down the Monochrome and grabbed the little Nikon AW1 for our afternoon/evening ride. Unseasonably warm temps made for a wonderful ride along the back roads and the rough shoreline of the Bold Coast.
The AW1 is not a bad camera, with some nice features, but some of the 'usability' decisions that Nikon made, largely for underwater use, can make it a frustrating camera at times. As with all things, it is about tradeoffs; does the camera and its capabilities out weigh any issues, whether those be IQ or Useability related. Still, for just taking snapshots in all types of conditions, it is a nice little camera. Because of its weather and shock proofing, I am able to carry the camera on the Black Rapid sling as I ride and simply swing it around when the shot is at hand. I have a review coming on that strap setup which I really enjoy for active pursuits.
Into the Light
I through out a challenge the other day to push yourself as a photographer and try shooting into the light. Most amateurs tend to shy away from this style, instead opting to shoot the safer route, with the sun over your shoulder. Shooting into the light can create drama in your images especially those destined for Black & White.
My shot above was captured in downtown Bangor Maine. I located a small park bench that had the light coming directly into my face. I could see that the tree and the other bench would provide some very compelling contrast, but it was not enough to make a worthwhile picture. Instead, I sat patiently waiting for something interesting to enter the scene, something that would add meaning to the image.
Twists and Turns
My life has taken a bit of an unexpected turn the past two months -- Something that I will write about when the time is right, but for now, is all consuming. In the meantime, my riding and writing is definitely taking a back seat to the issues that need to be dealt with. While going through this life event, I continue to explore my environment in B&W, just at a slower and much less adventurous pace. The adventure will be back, but for now it takes a back seat to more pressing issues of life.
I do have a couple of items that I will be writing about in the next week or so during down time, including my thoughts on the state of the Mirrorless market (Olympus v. Fuji while Nikon and Canon are asleep at the wheel). I have a brief review on how I use a L bracket combined with the RRS mini plate and a Black Rapid (Kurve, Metro, Sport) strap to carry my cameras in certain situations. Lastly, I have some thoughts on B&W photography as a means of enhancing your color vision.
I am optimistic that my much desired 2014 Salsa Ti Fargo will arrive soon and the review on that can commence along with the unveiling of my SUL kit from Scott, the master mind at Porcelain Rocket (1.5 pounds for an entire bikepacking setup...). I am still on the fence with regards to gearing the Fargo, a toss up between going with a Rohloff or XX1. Your thoughts are appreciated.
Dancers
Downeast winter requires folks to get together whenever they can
A Taste of Jamaica
A little Jamaican food in the heart of a New England winter
Winter in Flight
A fleeting moment in time, the dark of winter -- frigid, and moody.