Stranded

I attended a lecture at the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) this evening. The speaker was Amy Stein and she presented her "domesticated" and "stranded" photographic project series to a group of perhaps 50 (or a bit less). I enjoyed her imagery as her chosen subjects are a bit moody and slightly on the outer edge of what some call "the norm." Bravo!



At the end of the lecture was time for the dreaded Q & A. Okay, I HATE Q & A as 9 out of 10 times the questions people come up with are completely stupid. I looked around the room and saw the typical San Diego evening lecture crowd: mature (as in +60), white, retired military, way-right-leaning conservative, and mostly privileged. And...my low expectations were again spot on and it was just as cringe worthy as I expected.



Questions regarding Amy Stein's "Stranded" series, where she documents motorists stranded on the side of the road, one older gentleman wanted to know why Stein chose to photograph subjects in the lower class bracket and if she had some sort of prejudice against more affluent people? Amy Stein paused for a moment and tried her best to answer the obvious - that mostly the people who tend to break down on the side of the road do not have fancy cars, cell phones (smart or otherwise), or even AAA. And, no she didn't have anything against people in BMWs but that she rarely sees them (except an older one or two) on the side of the road with the hood up.

Another man thought he saw a pattern in her choice of locations - red over blue states (or was it the other way around). Again, Stein had the long pause (for her about 2 seconds) and then shook her head and told him that she goes to random locations - stretches of highways where motorists are typically stranded.

Same man different question (but really it was a statement), "...you don't shoot on two lane highways." Ummm, no not really Stein replied and she reiterated that she sticks to larger highways where there are more motorists.

This went on for a few more minutes - a question about model releases (Stein doesn't get them) and another from a woman up front who was so soft spoken that only Amy Stein heard the question.

And after that, I quickly retreated to the cool gentle breeze of the great outdoors!

I Caved In

and bought an iPhone. Yes, yes, yes, I know. I said I would never buy an iPhone while they were exclusive with AT&T (unpleasant history). When my Verizon phone when splash into the water and I wasn't on the list for a new upgrade, I knew something had to be done and quick!

So, I bought a new 3Gs because you know, I might need the video to work with (grin).

In spirit of Chase Jarvis, here is my first real photo taken while walking back from the grocery store.



Shot with native iPhone apps.

As Chase says, "The best camera is the one that's with you."

Croc of...?

Google search words: Needle-nosed, zipper-toothed, giant crocodile...



Indian Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus).

To say I'm learning a bit about wildlife while working with Roy Toft of Toft Photo Safaris is an understatement. I have just finished keywording, captioning, and writing descriptions for over 500 images of Botswana and am now working on Roy's images of Florida.

Most of the time I vaguely know what kind of animal I am looking at, or at least I can figure it out within a few minutes (thanks to Wikipedia) which makes tagging each image take under 3 minutes. Now, I knew this animal (which I photographed yesterday and was similar to the one I'm researching) was related to the Crocodile. That was the easy part. It became a bigger issue trying to identify its common and scientific name. Roughly 30 minutes later I came really close. It was either an Indian Gharial or a False Gharial. Great, now I'm down to two options. Luckily for me, I live within walking distance to the San Diego Zoo, which quite nicely has Gharials on exhibit. And even more lucky for me, I was given a free admission pass while next in line to purchase my ticket from a nice young man in a group of people who conveniently had extra tickets. It took me another 30 minutes to find the Gharial exhibit as summer tourist season is in full swing and, #@!*^&$#, all those damn strollers make getting ANYWHERE fast a challenge.

Below: my other "Croc" image taken while in a rare moment of (somewhat) privacy.

Going to the Dogs

Dogs are fun to photograph as they are not self-conscious as we typically are. The top image is Wheeler (aka Bubba) who is about to flip the piece of fortune cookie that is resting on his nose and catch it in his mouth. It is a funny trick he was taught and his success rate must be around 95%. Wheeler is part: Boxer, Hound, and Blue Healer (am I forgetting anything else??) but it is the hound dog in him that prevails, which is evident when he barks.

I forget the other dogs name (Petey?) but I do recall him having a not so nice nickname.

Pet photography is a big business and if you are great at capturing amazing images of animals, this is not a bad specialization to get into. One requirement though...you MUST be patient!

Emily's First Birthday Party

Emily Elizabeth had a birthday party - her very first one - and all sorts of her friends (and their parents/owners) showed up. We had a great time and have pictures to prove it!

Here is the Gallery of pictures.

or

View the images in a Slideshow.

Wildlife Photography

My appreciation of wildlife & conservation photography increased dramatically when I met Roy Toft (and Robin) of Toft Photo Safaris last week. To say Roy is a talented nature photographer is a complete understatement as his images of wildlife in Botswana, Costa Rica, Japan, and many other exciting places are truly remarkable. Roy also leads tours and workshops to his favorite photographic destinations, with his next workshop centered on capturing images of bears in Katmai National Park, Alaska.

In addition to overseeing outLOUDstock, outLOUDedit, and Annie Libby Photography, I am proud to announce that I am joining Toft Photo Safaris & Gallery team as a producer. I am looking forward to working with Roy and more importantly, helping advance conservation efforts globally.

Boy

Text message just came in and it read, "A boy!"

Someone in the family just found out they are having a boy. May your new bundle be happy and healthy.

Vendor/Client Relationships

This is really making the rounds right now but if you are an independent creative or even involved in creative processes for a living, AND have not seen it, please do so. The vendor/client relationship can be so much fun!