Archive for the ‘photos’ Category
oops.
So I haven’t updated in a really long time. It’s the longest silence from me since I started this blog if memory serves me correctly.
So y’all deserve some new photos.
Enjoy, forward on and comment.
Also, I tried watermarking. It just wasn’t the same. Please just… be honest. You’re a jerk (and a lawbreaker) if you aren’t.
New (old) photos: second edition
As I go through my iPhoto library, certain themes have been coming through, and the strongest so far is travel. Be it by plane, car, bus, train or bicycle, I have a fascination with how people get around. These next two photos illustrate that:
This is the second photo of a plane wing to make it into this blog.
I have to admit, there is something romantic about the shot from a plane window that escapes explanation.
I really like that this photo has a lot going on, but that the bicycle is the obvious focus.
New (old) photos: first of a series
I was sitting here getting annoyed with what I thought was a lack of photos to post on my blog. Then it occurred to me that I have a backlog of awesome photos, most of which I’ve never posted here!
So I decided to get moving and start getting these photos posted.
Photos from today’s post were taken in February of 2010 in downtown Minneapolis. Enjoy.
Concerts, cross country road trips and related adventures
The past week plus of my life has been incredible. I got to see incredible live music, (including in the rain) discover a new city, drive across the country in a sweet car with awesome people who offered great conversation. We listened to all kinds of awesome music while on the road trip. I forgot what a difference it makes to like the same kind of music as your road trip companions.
Oh, and I met Zac and Taylor Hanson and got photos with them. Photos thirteen years in the making! It goes without saying that I am very, very happy. This means that I have officially met every member of my favorite band.
One highlight that I must mention but has no photographic evidence: the Hanson concert in the rain at the zoo. Something about it was perfect. Also, Isaac Hanson mentioned the show they played at the Mall of America amphitheater way back in 1997 before they started playing “Madeline.” That was substantial for two reasons: 1) It was the first Hanson show I had ever been to. 2) He got the city right. He called it (accurately) “Bloomington.” NOT Minneapolis.
Forward and onfourth with the photos!
This is the Arch in St. Louis. I made it there! It’s the landmark of the Gateway to the West. I should mention that there is a lot more to St. Louis than the Arch. To scratch the surface: a really sweet vinyl store, a macaroni and cheese restaurant, and the single best general admission concert venue I had ever had the pleasure of enjoying.
Beth and Michelle, my travel companions.
A photo with yours truly and Zac Hanson. A photo that took thirteen years to happen.
Another photo that took thirteen years to happen- that’s Taylor Hanson. So we both look a little bit awkward; I’m okay with that. It makes the photo… better somehow.
And so begins the journey back to Minneapolis…
It started late, but I’m okay with it, because our patience with Enterprise’s issues with a lack of staff meant we got to drive back to Minnesota in this car:
It came with a complimentary sunburn. But it was worth it.
We stopped for dinner in Oskaloosa, Iowa. In Oskaloosa is the single greatest coffee shop I had ever been in. It was converted from an old movie theater, has two levels, a warm atmopshere, and lots of little rooms for meetings and privacy on the second floor. If at all possible, go there.
Also on the way back to Minnesota, we saw this: a small airplane on a trailer that was being pulled by a pickup truck.
In all, it was a fantastic trip. I could not have planned for a better experience.
camera choices
I’ve been asked about why I use the camera I do, as though people expect me to justify using a piece of equipment that is one step below “professional.” Think of this as my opportunity to explain.
I shoot almost all of my photos with a digital camera that is one step below a digital SLR. There are a couple of reasons for my choice in camera:
1) Money. I could not afford a $2,000 digital SLR.
2) Comfort level. Not for me, but for the people I take photos of. Have you ever tried to act natural around one of those monsters that make you feel like you’re in a documentary? Don’t get me wrong; they’re awesome and have lots of great, worthwhile features, and I do get weak in the knees when I get to play with one. Yet when it comes to the human element, they are a shade intrusive, which leads to a less than genuine result. The model I have has a good lens with excellent zoom capabilities, but doesn’t rob people of their candor and emotion. It’s the near perfect balance.
This isn’t to say I don’t want a DSLR. Believe me, I do. There are areas where my primary digital camera falls short. BUT for the human element, for being unobstrusive and capturing stills of real life as they really happen and keeping people comfortable and aware of my presence, to cut back on people “acting” for the camera while still having technical control, my main camera is damn near perfect.
Which makes me think: he needs a name.
Any ideas?
Photos from the zoo!
I posted some of these photos on Facebook, but upon further consideration decided that they’re blog-worthy.
They’re from when mom, Jamie and I went to Como zoo back in June to enjoy it in its updated and more humane improvements. Click on the image for the full sized photo.
Enjoy.
A study in photography with a crappy camera!
I’ve had these photos on my computer for a while, and I gather it is about time to put them online. I mean, what goes together better than blogs and insomnia? Very little, if you ask me.
Please keep in mind that this is not representative of my normal work; they’re just some shots that I took with the aforementioned $4 disposable camera from Target while I was having fun without worrying about the outcome. Something every artist needs to do once in a while. (Click on the photo for a larger version.)
Skyscrapers and liquor stores!
Looking up at the skyline from within Downtown
An annoyed kitty…
I had a President Obama bobblehead. Then one day when I went to press “snooze” on my alarm, it went flying off my bookshelf and onto the floor. It was a sad day. This photo made its way into this blog post as a sort of memorial.
I like this photo almost entirely for the shadow.
News?
It’s been a few days shy of a month since my last day of school/work/newspaper. The job hunt has so far been fruitless, and I haven’t felt much of a need to post anything new. I mean, what am I going to do? Write an extensive list of how I spend my time when I have an overwhelming surplus of it? I doubt you guys are interested in hearing about that.
Ick.
What I am going to do instead is share some random photos that I’ve taken over the past year. There is zero rhyme or reason to what I’m posting.
Pushing away the writer’s block
Say what, writing in its pure, lovable form?
That makes me so incredibly happy, I can barely describe it.
The constraints of having to analyze and consider every statement, every word choice, every sentence is lifted in this blog, yet here I am without anything to really say. Lame.
So, in lieu of a big fancy entry, I am going to post some of my photos that have been sitting unloved in iPhoto. Enjoy. 🙂 Oh, and per usual: click on the photo for the full sized version.
Joshua Radin at the Pantages in Minneapolis, September 2009
It’s not the best shot from the night, but it is still one of my favorites.
Look at his expression and his commitment to the moment.
(I did get permission to post this online- Joshua Radin reps, let me know if you want me to take it down.)
September 2009
I was on the bus with my camera and decided to experiment with low light situations.
April/May 2009
That is a photo of my very favorite former canine roommate Zuzu.
She’s responsible for reminding me that I like dogs. (There really are few
things more validating than a dog who’s thrilled to see you.)
Forthcoming (probably): a study of photography with a $4 camera
Photography and More! 