Play whats NOT there

One of the greatest jazz musicians Miles Davis once said, "Don't play whats there, play whats not there." This quote was brought to my attention by one of my favorite photographers and friend from Connecticut, Jake Wyman. I think this quote can be applied to photography particularly well. Don't shoot whats there, shoot whats NOT there.

Well, I decided to give it a shot. I shot this image by reversing the direction of my lens. Basically I held my lens backwards up to my camera and shot away. I used flashes shot through umbrellas to create the bright, soft light. It's pretty cool what you can do when you focus on the unknown and try something a little different.

Branching out

As you can see I specialize in Adventure Photography. These images are the type that inspire me and most everyone else to get out, and conserve the environment. The book I recently just finished Let my People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard (owner and founder of Patagonia) speaks about the environment, diversity and their interplay with business. He also speaks of diversity within business, where, as a business person, one should constantly branch out and look for new ways of doing things to become sustainable.

Working for a the local paper, I am forced out of my comfort zone of shooting in wild places. I am given a contact number, have to seek the person (or persons) out and shoot photos of them in their work place, or whatever the context of the story entails. Sometimes the people I have to work with suck. They want to get the shoot over with and have no interest in helping to make a great photo. That was not the case this past week.

I was put on the cover story which happens to be a local group of DJ's under 21 that throw parties for kids that are under age. They provide a sober time for kids. They were not throwing a show, so we had to put together something else. We decided to shoot in a playground, showing the grass roots of the program - having fun. We did. They brought their DJ equipment and a bunch of glow sticks. We set up on the playground, and inspired by a few Phish concerts I've been to, I decided to have a friend throw the glow sticks into the air behind the group.

This is a perfect example how one must learn all aspects of a trade, while it is nice to specialize in one genre, all aspects of the trade often come into play. As I see it, a photographer must understand all variables that go into photography. It is important to learn about artificial light, working with models etc., just as it is important to understand how to shoot a great landscape photograph.

I'd encourage all to go out and try something different with what you do for your profession. Take a risk and see what the results are. Patagonia's business model embraces this idea, and they seem to be doing well.

In short, don't be afraid to diversify.

Karate and Derby Cars

Two weeks ago the county fair came through Jackson. Part of the festivities is the demolition derby. To be honest, I never went, or even desired to go. But when the derby was over they stashed all the wrecked cars just outside the facility.

I ventured out there last night to shoot the cars. Surprisingly one my of roommates wanted to come. So he did. We arrived out there at about 11 p.m. and I began to shoot. About 5 minutes into it I told Leif (my roommate) to karate kick the side of the car. He did, and I'm into the results.

This isn't traditionally my type of photography, however, I have been spending some time over at another blog called Strobist. This blog tells you everything you need to know about off-camera lighting. That is what I did here. One flash was placed directly behind the subject, then one off camera right about 15 ft away. Set the camera F8, on blub exposure, stood on top of the car and made the shot. Some cool stuff can be done by simply getting light sources in creative places.