Raylene checks her hair.
Read MoreBarbies In A Basket, the way it was today
We were looking for some unusual dishes for a special project today. Off we went to the Johnny Cake Center, Peace Dale, Rhode Island. (I love that name.) They have all manner of cast off stuff, from furniture to dishes to knick knacks to clothing and shoes. Who knows, we might find just what we are looking for. And damn if we didn't at least find some subjects for my iPhone; six (naked) Barbies in a basket, a Love Seat, even Bride Of Chuckie, all just waiting to be photographed.
The Gathering Storm
I shot this first picture on Saturday as a storm gathered on the horizon over First Beach, in Newport. I believe there is a gathering storm on the horizon in photography too, and it is the cellphone camera. I took all of these with my new 5S iPhone "mobile device." I am constantly amazed with the quality of the images I have been getting with this camera . See for yourself. Please click on these thumbnails to see them enlarged. The camera is great right out of the box. The video is wonderful, too. The pano software is truly amazing, and can be used in a number of ways to achieve different effects. In the first two pictures I used the pano in the "conventional" way, sweeping it around from way off to the left all the way to the right. Doing so introduces a fish eye effect that can be quite dramatic. This works either left to right, or right to left, or even vertically. Moving the camera in an arc or jiggling your phone during the exposure produces surprises. Another way to use "pano" is on moving objects. Sweeping with or against the subject direction will yield unusual and interesting distortions.
And yet another result is achieved by quickly turning the pano on and off while moving the camera, as I did with this red abstract on the sidewalk.
Of course it is the spontaneity of the cell phone that is really what this is all about. It is so very easy to get into the act of "seeing" with this little device, not have to think about f/stops and shutter speeds. I am free to see!
There's no doubt in my mind that the ubiquitous cell phone will become the camera of choice for most casual photographers and many serious visual artists. As I have half-jokingly said to friends, "Eventually, all those expensive digital SLRs we own, and all those fancy lenses we paid so many dollars for, will just gather dust in the closet." Maybe not this year, or the next, but it will come to be. This is my prediction.
Inspiration 2014
I woke up uninspired but so wanted to be (for the first photographs of the year). Nothing seemed to get me going. I went for a walk but nothing caught my eye. All day blank. I desperately needed to "stand in front of something interesting" but my eyes and heart were blind. No vision. And as the day wore on it just seemed to be the way it was going to be on January 1st, 2014.
Into the evening and still "visionless" until I switched the channel to a Viennese concert and ballet performance. The music were so beautiful, the dancers so graceful, an inspiration. How could I resist trying a few exposures. These at about ¼ second exposures looked nice. I kept shooting and when I brought them into Lightroom I was actually pleased. Ballet, the way it feels to me.
The Birthday Brothers
Both of my grandsons celebrate their birthdays in December so we decided to do the shoot at the studio this year, combining the usual birthday portrait of each little guy with the Christmas card photo of both. The boys showed up sporting cool little neckties, with shirts untucked, and baggy jeans, "in style." The session was very loose, as you can tell. They posed at first, and later ran, played, and opened birthday gifts. Lots of fun was had by all. I was lucky to get the "hug." It lasted only a moment and was gone, but it captures their relationship and personalities perfectly. The final photograph was finished in black and white. Click on any image to enlarge.
For the technically minded, I like to keep it simple, especially for kids. All of these were either shot with flash or window light. I used two soft box flash units, one on the white background sweep and the other feathered camera right. There is a large white wall camera left that softens the shadows. the exposure was f/ 9 at 1/125 of a second. The exposure for the bright window lighted image of the two boys was f/13 at 1/80 of a second, a risky shutter speed for these two moving targets. Camera was Canon 6D for all.
Foggy day trees in Narragansett, R.I.
There was a dreary fog over South County yesterday so Kathy and I took a ride. These trees were photographed at the Point Judith Gold Course in Narragansett, Rhode Island, the way it was yesterday. I added a texture screen and a border. Click to enlarge.
iPhones are magic
I've wanted one for a long time, and I am constantly amazed at the possibilities. already there are numerous shots I would have never taken had it not been for the camera in my pocket... like this one, taken at our photo group meeting the other night. Michael handed out glasses so we could see his amazing 3-D creations in all their glory. Although not the classic one of people in the movie theater circa 1950, it does feel just as retro. the way it was...
3-d Silver Circle
Holiday shopping
I haven't been crazy about Xmas since I was 9 years old. Always a challenge, more so at Garden City the other day as they are putting a new road and curbing at just the busiest time of year. Construction everywhere but I still managed to find something nice for my beloved. This is the way it was... Ho ho.
Shopping center landscape.
Montana, the way it was...
Some favorites, click to enlarge...
My Little Brother
My little brother.
Read MoreIphonography
Three Trees, 2013
We finally ditched our flip phones and made the pilgrimage to the Apple store. The technology is truly remarkable. Here's my very first photo.
Stepping Stones and Fallen Leaves
Leaves encased in the first ice.
Yesterday Joe and I did a little photography up at "Stepping Stones", up near Foster, RI. A secret little place just off a country road with a pair of waterfalls. The wonderful smell of autumn filled the air. A few patches of ice had encased some leaves. It was great to be alive.
Click to enlarge, more on http://www.armorphoto.com/steppingstone
The Slot Canyons, like being inside Mother Earth.
These incredible canyons are so sensuous, so beautiful, and so crowded. Upper Antelope was like Disneyland yet still spectacular. I can only imagine what a moving experience it would be walking alone through these convoluted red walls.
See more here: http://www.armorphoto.com/slots/
Way out west
Camp Verde, AZ, on the way to Tuba City. Montezuma's Castle closed due to the Tea Party Republicans in Washington. :(((
Stink Bugs and other eye-catchers...
On a recent trip to D.C .,there were some Kodak moments.
Like the annoying Stink Bugs that were feasting on the grapes at the winery.
Or the pampered little PooPoo dog guarding the neighbor's castle.
And the airplane flying by Washington Monument, (under construction after an earthquake), that reminded me of thalassotherapy September day.
One of so many faceless, homeless people living on the streets of our capital.
And immigrants seeking a better life.
The way they were....
She made her grandfather laugh as she danced around him.
Grandfather and granddaughter have fun together. I could feel the love.
Searching for sea glass
So many moments seen along the sea wall are worth keeping. This one was gone in the blink of an eye, 1/320th of a second at F/11. A fleeting gesture that looked so curious. I just had to keep it, just like the sea glass she found... Another Rhode Island "capture," the way it was on Narragansett Beach, in Rhode Island.
Love on the wall.
Mark and Rha
The images flooded in yesterday. Sometimes they just do. A nice young couple, Rha and Mark, obviously crazy about each other, agreed to a few photos. So did big, old J.R., who was just sitting alone watching the world go by, a cold drink between his legs. You can see more photos from the shoot, "the way it was" last Sunday, on my home page. I include new selections in the slide show, often updated for your viewing pleasure. Click on a photo to view it enlarged.
J.R. with a drink
The way he was yesterday.
I have always loved "street" photography the best. It combines so many skills all at once, from the technical to the artistic, including documentary, portraiture, even "spy" photography. You need a sense of humor, a bit of voyeurism and a sharp eye for composition.
So I have been using the sea wall at Narragansett Beach as the ever changing "stage" upon which my "players" appear (and rapidly disappear). I love the challenge of making pictures that are both truly candid (the subject is unaware), to the honest but often less than natural images that result from asking my subject, "Hey, can I take your picture for my book?" (This is is a true statement, btw, as "Seen Along the Sea Wall" is coming along nicely, and will also be a video.)
Take this elderly gentleman for example. He did not object to having me take his picture. He was obviously very comfortable in his skin. He was actually flattered that I would ask. I walked by at first, nodded hello, but having observed his tanned body, and ample belly, hanging out there on the sea wall for all the world to see, that I did a 360 and asked permission to make his portrait. He agreed, and after we had a brief conversation about getting old. He told me he was approaching eighty, and wasn't sure he would make it. We commiserated together about aching backs, and sore knees. It was a short but wonderful little opportunity to connect with another human being, albeit for just a few moments. I like this portrait very much, but regret that I never asked his name... Click to see larger.
It was an iffy day on Narragansett Beach this morning,
Sun, clouds, rain, sun, clouds, rain, over and over, the day was undecided. Still, lots of people trying to get some exercise miles on their bodies before the next heat wave. One of the first things that caught my eye was this old 1960 Mercury Montego with the board on top, a reminder of the way it was down on Long Beach Island in the Sixties., the way I was, having fun in the sun.
1960 Mercury Montego