Upon entering Georgetown’s Riverside Park, I noticed this quartet of birds overlooking the Potomac River. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to thank them for posing.
Birds on a Wire.
Author: photogeek23
I'm starting this blog to share my work and experiences with friends, family and anyone who takes pictures or loves photography. Comments and insight are greatly appreciated.
Getting Back to Printing.
On Saturday afternoon, my wife and I ventured into the DC area to visit Blick Art Material. Though Blick was frequented often during our days in Seattle, New York City and New Jersey. Today marked our first visit to the DC branch since moving to the area in 2021. In finding a dependable place to print my enlargements for sale, display and archiving. I’ve found myself ordering and visiting the Arlington branch of District camera, quite frequently. Over time, I had forgotten the rush and the vast difference of looking at your work on a computer screen and holding a physical print in your hands, to experience the depth and dimensions often related to a healthy enlargement. The 11X14 Itoya portfolios and 50% frames I purchased will house, display and protect the prints I’ve recently purchased and will purchase in the future. As a photographer, I urge you to bring your favorite images to life by printing them and purchase the right materials to house, protect and honor your cherished moments. Both Blick Art Materials and District Camera come highly recommended for such.
An Obsession of Sorts
My obsession with photographing people goes back to my teens, when I got my first 110 film camera to take pictures of my two-week trip to Ireland. From that day on, my passion grew. Throughout my teens and early twenties that passion turned into an obsession. My camera was always the magic wand that allowed me to start a conversation with complete strangers and invite them into my world. While I’ve become somewhat as an introvert in recent years. I’ve turned ti carrying a business card that features one or ten of the countless people I’ve worked with. While time has moved me towards landscape and travel photography. Portraiture of any kind is where my heart remains.
Photographing People
Though it’s not always easy to get the right subject to sit in with you. Photographing people has, for me, always been the most rewarding aspect of photography. The eyes, expression, and peeling away the layers that allow the true soul of the person to appear. There’s honestly, nothing like it. While many of the people who I wanted to photograph weren’t confident or comfortable in their own skin. Others, flat out turned down my offer. “No. I hate being in front of a camera.” are words I’ve heard countless times. The hardest part for me was not taking their refusal personally. The times when the reaction was positive and the answer was “Yes”. Put me into this instant happy place.
When meeting the woman above. I was captivated by both her beauty and talent as a musician. It wasn’t long before I realized she was one of the sweetest people I’d ever met. The image above is from our third and final session. The final results were rewarding, as I convinced her to peel away some of her makeup and change into a fun and laid back tee shirt. One of the hardest things for me has always been telling people exactly what I want. My life as a photographer became a lot easier when I learned to better communicate with the people I photographed and express exactly how I envision them.
The Joy of Printing
After a long day of MRIs and X-rays at Baltimore’s John Hopkins University, some lackluster service at a local restaurant, and worse, the unusual bumper to bumper traffic while returning to Virginia. I stopped at New Arlington’s District Camera to pick up several images I had sent in for printing. During the three or so years I’ve been in VA. I’ve depended almost entirely on the camera stores service for all my photography needs. The attention to customer service, detail and quality has been unrivaled since day one.
Upon arriving home, I more carefully, then usual, opened the envelope to view my prints. Thus returning me to the joy associated printing my images. The difference between seeing something on a computer screen and the absolute thrill of holding something in your hands. It’s magic. The colors, detail and depth in Black and white prints . It returns you to the lost beauty that photography always offered. So going forward, I urge you and myself to find a reliable lab, darkroom and/or printer to print your favorite images. I also suggest finding a place to display and share them with others.
Dog Tag Bakery. Georgetown, DC
After giving up on finding parking near the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. We went to plan B and headed to nearby Georgetown. Stopping in at Dog Tag Bakery for some ice coffee and a remarkable frittata. As we chilled out and took our time cooling off. We noticed an impreesive display of dog tags hanging above our adjacent table. I quickly grabbed my camera and found a good angle that would best highlight its importance. The overall experience at Dog Tag was great. A warm and relaxed vibe with above and beyond service, food, and support for veterans. Personally, I can’t wait to get back. Below is an image I captured while wondering if anyone counted how many dog tags were on display.
It’s in the Eyes
While popping into my local camera store to pick up a print, I asked one of the salesmen what he thought made a great portrait. For whatever reason, he shared it with the rest of the staff. In what seemed to be a choreographed answer, they replied, “The eyes,” in unison. Here’s an image I feel represents their unanimous answer.
The Power of Expression.
As I continue combing through past sessions, I am reminded of the importance and power of expression—that mood, attitude, self-confidence, or lack thereof. Of course, things like lighting, it’s direction and many other things play important parts. But when you have someone who can effortlessly pull off that look or mood. It’s pure magic.
Getting Strangers to Open Up.
I had just taken a job with a new studio that was experimenting with adding short video interviews to the studio photography session. It was a brand new idea at the time, and the photographers were given a chance to improvise and scrip their own interview questions. My first customers were a young couple from Brooklyn who had this amazing chemistry together. I sped through the photo session, giving them a nice session of images to choose from. When it came to creating a video that would bring in some extra cash to the studio. I was in new territory. For Christ sake. Aside from the training. I had never held a video camera before. However, having seen the couples chemistry throughout the photo session. I was ready to give it a try. Besides, both of us were new to this. Finally, lights, camera, action and they’re introducing themselves. Who they are and where they came from. Then it happened. Boom. My first question. “What was it that made you fall in love with one another?” Click, click, boom. As the woman started her response. Tears began running down her cheek.I knew, then and there they I had not only made a sale, but I made a connection. One that taught me how to communicate with complete strangers in order to get them comfortable enough to not even notice the camera.
And You Can Dance…
It was a short, yet fun session with two girls I met through the local music scene. Music is always a source of inspiration to me, but I have no idea what inspired her to suddenly break into dance mode. Regardless, these images remain favorites after all these years. I’m including a video of Superchunks “The First Part” due to the simple fact that these images always remind me of it.
Photogeek Blog 