Projects and Fun (NSFW)

I'm working on a long-term project, something that I hope will provide me with a creative outlet for the next couple of years. I've been exchanging some e-mails with some prospective models, and this description of the project from one of the e-mails:

The them of the project is The Fae in All of Us, and so I'm looking to find various models to help me depict this in images - so the images will vary depending on the person, the season and the desires of the photographer and model. While, I do intend to complete the seasonal series (Winter, Spring and Summer), I also intend to depict the elements as well (Earth, Wind, Fire and Water).

The project does, however, allow me a great degree of freedom to work with the model to achieve her vision as well. For example, I have one friend who wants to be depicted as a "Combat Fairy." That's her vision, and it will be fun to work with her to see it to fruition. In this case, she is designing her own costume and we'll work together to find the appropriate location and we'll begin shooting when we're both satisfied with the concept and preparations. In another example, I have a model who interested in posing as the fire fairy. He concept is red wings, red hair, and a sheer red outfit while she dances around a bonfire. I have a friend with some property and a burn pile who is willing to provide the location for that shoot. Other shoots will be done either in a studio, at other locations I've used over the years, and in some cases will be suggested and provided by the models themselves.

In the case of the 1st set which you've seen on my website, the model was hired specifically for the project. She had no particular vision or emotional investment for or in the project and simply was seeking the modeling fee for the work. After post-processing the images and reflecting on the shoot, I came to feel that I would get better images that would convey more of the project's concepts by using models who were specifically interested in the project for the fun and the art rather than simply for the money.

The set of photos mentioned above are located here: Autumn Fairy

So, that's part of what I have planned for the future. I do hope to be able to post some of the resulting photos in the next few months, though I envision this as a long-term project that will continue over the next 2 to 3 years.

Naval History

I spent 21 years in the Navy. For the vast majority of that time I served in the submarine force. You would think that this
would mean that I got to spend lots of time in various ports of call and saw much of the world. This was only partially true. My first two submarines were what are known a Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines or FBM’s and in Navy vernacular, “Boomers.” These submarines were part of the Nuclear Triad. This triad consisted of land based Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), Air Force B52 (then B-1) bombers, and sea based ICBMs. These sea based missiles were carried by mobile platforms hidden deep beneath the sea. Hidden is the key word here. The job of a Boomer was to go to sea and hide. Once on patrol there were no port calls, no mail, and no fresh food. So, for about 72 of 105 days of each patrol cycle, Boomers were on patrol, cruising silently beneath the waves. The other 32 days were spent in home port refitting and preparing for the upcoming patrol. Boomers were two crew submarines - a Blue Crew and a Gold Crew.

On my first submarine, the USS Daniel Webster (SSBN 632), I was on the Gold crew. Our home port was in Holy Loch, Scotland. I mean that literally. When we were in port, we were tied alongside a submarine tender in the middle of the Loch. To get to shore, we had to board a “mike boat” which took us to a pier in the Scottish village of Sand Bank. The nearest town of any size was Dunoon which was locate seaward down the loch. I did six patrols on the Daniel Webster and 5 refits out of Scotland (we did one refit in Charleston, SC for a missile conversion). Now, during that time on the DW, I did get to see Edinburgh (they have a camera obscura located on the King’s Way on the way up to the castle), Glasgow, and a great deal of Dunoon. I have a good many photos from that time, but they haven’t yet been scanned. I will find a couple of them for this entry (the two I have in mind are of the Edinburgh Commons and the tender anchored in the loch).


The Daniel Webster in Holy Loch, Scotland



Sailboats in Holy Loch



The Commons in Ediburgh with the Castle


Dunoon at Low Tide



My second submarine was the USS Von Steuben, (SSBN632). On that boat, I was on the Blue Crew. I did 11 patrols on the Von Steuben, and it was by far my best tour of duty. That submarine was home-ported out of Kingsbay, Georgia (although when we were off-crew we lived in Charleston, SC). On the Von S, I got to visit the Bahamas and were got to spend quite a lot of time in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That was about it. Still, she was a good boat with a fine Captain. But the ports were anything but exotic.


Church in Bermuda


Chopping Onions


My last ship was the USS Springfield, SSN 761. This submarine is what as known as a Fast Attack. I spent a little over two years on this ship before I finally retired. It was also the worst vessel. The captain and the XO were terrible. The ship was not well run, and the engineer was an idiot. But, I did see more ports of call on that ship than on any other. On that vessel I visited Bermuda, the Bahamas, Nova Scotia, Macedonia, Italy (several times), France,Sardinia, and Crete,


The Springfield in Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico


The Springfield in Naples Harbor


Mount Vesuvius as seen from Naple Harbor


Public Building in Sardinia


Macedonian Tower



Castle in Naples


Ironically, I’ve done more and better photography since leaving the Navy than I ever did when I was in the Navy. I wish I had had half the skills that I have now when I was in the Navy. But, I have more time (and energy) for photography than I did when I was in the Navy, as well as access to online forums like Photography-on-the-Net and Photo Net that didn’t exist when I was still in the Navy.


Mediterranean Village



So, there is a little more of my photographic history. Don’t hold it against me.

Memories and Photos

I bought my first "real" camera in late 1978. A real camera for me was an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) that used interchangeable lenses, had built in metering, and could use an automatic flash. I had always been interested in photography, but had never owned anything more sophisticated than a Polaroid that my then fiance bought me for a birthday present.

I was inspired to get a better camera by one of my best friends and room-mates. He purchased an Olympus OM-1 SLR in the summer of 1978 and shortly afterwards a group of us (him, my wife, me and another friend and roommate)went on a rafting trip down the Snake River in Idaho and then traveled cross-country from Idaho to Georgia passing through Yellowstone National Park and Grand Tetons National Park along the way. The quality of his photos, compared to mine was like night and day. So, for Christmas in 1978, I got a Canon AT-1 SLR camera and a 50mm f/1.8 FD lens. I still have both the camera and lens and they still take great photos nearly some 30 years later.

Of course, I wasn't very good at first. I had to learn about exposure, depth of field, sharpness, composition and all the other aspects of real photography. I loved every minute of it. So, by 1988, I felt I had a pretty good handle on things. When I look back, though, I find many flaws in the photos I took back then. It was fortunate that I had a willing a patient model (models if you count my kids, who were willing but usually quite impatient).

The photos in this post are from the 10th Anniversary trip that my wife and I took to Florida. These were taken on the beach at Fort Lauderdale. She got a lot of catcalls and whistles while we were shooting and totally enjoyed the attention. These photos are scans from the original print and so lack the clarity and "pop" of the digital photos I currently take. But these photos have a history and they bring back memories of a wonderfully fun vacation in the hot Florida sun with a beautiful woman. And bringing back memories are what photos do best.

Mortality

My mother died recently. It was an expected death. She had been quite sick for a very long time. She had a heart attack in 2000, developed diabletes in 2001, continued to smoke after her heart attack (2-3 packs a day), and then developed emphysema, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Congestive Heart Failure. I thought I was moving forward after her passing, but my uncle died last week from almost exactly the same health issues. Then, this last Friday, a friend died in a car accident leaving behind a wife and two small children. All this death just makes me think of my own mortality and takes me back to thoughts of my mom.

Despite her failing health, my mom was a scrappy fighter. She came out to Oregon for a visit every year from 1997 until 2005 until she was too sick to travel. So I went to see her. She was living with my Aunt Joyce and had been for twenty years, and they fussed like a couple of old hens - but they loved each other and wouldn't have it any other way. They grew up together and fussed then, so it was only natural they would do it when they got older.

Over the years she made sure she visited her grandchildren whenever she could. She came for both weddings my children have had, and she loved our 4th of July cookouts. But what she loved most was sitting out on my back deck in the wonderful Oregon summer away from the high heat and humidity of the Southern climate. Once out there she would just sit and enjoy the breeze and watch all the birds fly by. She was thilled to no end once when a fledging red-tailed hawk landed on the back fence.

Sometimes she would sit on the deck and paint. She brought her oils and brushes with her and we would get her small canvases to work on. Sometimes she painted rocks, driftwood and other materials. I still have some painted rocks in the planter on my deck. She was very artistic and always came up with some new idea for a craft item or a decorative display.

She loved her grandchildren and that was the role she cherished most. She was known as Granny to them and all their friends. Heck, aftter a while even her kids started calling her Granny.

Last year, I made her an hour long DVD entitled "Memories with Granny" and I gave it to her for Christmas. She loved it and showed it to all her friends and family. In the end, she requested that it be shown at her funeral. So it was. So, for an hour, we watched a video depicting her life in photos, videos, music and more importantly, in her own words. It was a most unconventional funeral for a most unconventional woman, and I think, a fitting tribute to her.

We'll miss you Granny.

2007 Oregon Country Fair (NSFW)

The Oregon Country Fair this year was, as always, a great photographic opportunity. I went on both Friday and Saturday. Friday was my day to indulge in abstract photography (patterns, colors, textures) while Saturday was the day to meet friends, enjoy the food, and shop. Unfortunately, the fair gets more crowded each year and it becomes more difficult to get around through the crowds, and there is seldom an opportunity to simply sit and rest for a few minutes. The fair has always been a colorful, chaotic event, but the crowds make it more chaotic and I fear that eventually it will reach the point where it becomes self-defeating.

The good news was that Kathleen the body painter was back at the fair this year and there were lots of people sporting her work. Of course, there were lots of others wandering the fair in their own imaginative paint jobs and costumes. The photo posted with this entry is of a very lovely, happy and enthusiastic young lady dancing at the main stage. She was very happy to pose for this and subsequent photos and she flashed the most dazzling smile.

Yes, I'll probably go again next year, despite the crowds.

New Models

I had the distinct pleasure of working with a new model a couple of weeks ago. Sierra is a lovely young lady who obviously enjoyed posing for the camera. Although she is just starting out as a model, she has a natural ability to move for the camera and to strike poses that show off her lovely smile and physique quite well. I particularly like her eyes and her smile. I am looking forward to working with her on several more projects in the very near future. She has expressed an interest in working with me on my light painting and fairy projects, and we may very well revist Cathedral Park under the St. Johns Bridge (where these photos were taken) when the fall colors become more prominent.

In addition, I met another lovely young lady this week for coffee and a discussion about photography. She's done some pretty good work herself, but she's also interested in working with me on a couple of projects as well. We'll be setting up test shoots in the very near future, I hope. She has some great ideas for us to shoot as well.

Unfortunately, with the onset of the wet Northwest winter, much of my photography will be curtailed. There are very few fairs, festivals and other outdoor events during the wet months, so usually this means I don't take the cameras out much during the winter. This year, though, I'm planning to do more during these months. I have a friend who is building an indoor studio and I'm sure that with my help and the ability to use some of my studio gear, he'll be more than happy to trade me for studio time. I also plan to get out more and do some wet landscape photography, and perhaps even some model photography in the rain or the snow. So, I do have some planning and some work to do this winter.

Wild Thing (NSFW)

Wild Thing

This morning when, at my window I stood,
Sipping my coffe and reflecting on good,
A creature stirred near the edge of the wood,
So amazing and lovely I scarcely could,
Believe my eyes for there in the light,
Stood so quietly; soft, frail and slight,
This unearthly, beautiful sprite.

Slowly and softly from the window I crept,
To the case where my camera I kept,
And gathered my gear and quickly stepped,
Back to the window not daring to accept,
That I might capture an image wild,
Of this lovely ethereal nature's child,
Who had me so easily beguiled.


She moved through the foliage with silent grace,
Clearly not of this world nor of our race,
My heart skipped a beat with she raised her face,
To look in my eye and smile with a trace,
Of sadness so clearly etched in her heart,
That humankind had become so smart,
We no longer believed in the mysterious art,

Of magic and legend and creatures of mirth,
Or spirits and sprites, not of this earth,
Evidence of which, I'll admit 'tis dearth,
But does not detract one wit from their worth.
She looked away and picked a bloom;
I raised my camera, focused and zoomed,
And took this image out of the gloom.

She did not startle, but fled right away,
This wonderful, mysterious Grace of the fae,
Under my mechanical scrutiny unwilling to stay.
And the last that I saw was the grasses sway,
As she passed from the light and into the glen,
And faded from the sight of all men,
Not to be seen until belief comes again.

Winter Play

We had quite a bit of snow in the are this week (Tuesday and Wednesday), so I took a bit of time to do some photography outside. Usually, I drive up the Skyline up in the West Hills and do some landscape photography, but I was feeling under the weather, so I stuck to my back yard. Fortunately, I had a willing model and a lens I wanted to test. So here’s a shot for your enjoyment:

Weekend at Home

The weekend has been fairly low-key, mainly work on the house and watching a few movies. The weather hasn’t been very cooperative for photography lately, at least the outdoor photography that I prefer, so instead I spent some time on photo.net and on the photography-on-the-net forums helping out new photographers with their problems.

I did spend a little time scanning photographs from the past and getting them properly digitized and retouched. It’s an enormous project, but the process of scanning and retouching is somewhat soothing. I’ll post a few of those later when I see what looks best and is appropriate for sharing. After 30 years of photography, I have quite a lot of photos to scan and share.

For example, this photography is from the Oregon Country Fair in the summer of 2006. The fair is a great place for photography with so many people dressued up in bright costumes. I have been trying to more landscape, scenic and nature photography, but people photography still is my first and best love.

Beginning the New Year

I have no resolutions, but I hope that I have some determinations. The 2nd half of last year saw much tension at work, some minor health problems, and some personal issues that needed to be resolved. As a result, I didn’t so much in the way of creative endeavors - writing, photography, or otherwise. I did get to photograph the Portland Pirate Festival in October, but I skipped the Shrewsbury Ren Faire in September, Orycon in November, and most of the holiday parties. New Year’s Eve was spent quietly at home watching movies. Over the next several entries, I intend to catch up on the 2nd part of of last year, and I hope to establish a rhythm for updating this journal in the new year

Catching Up

Obviously, it’s been a while since I wrote. Since the trip to Hawaii in April, life has been quite busy. Hawaii was a lot of fun. We spent 5 days on the Big Island and 5 days on Kauai. I thought Kauai was much more scenic than the Big Island, but both locations were a lot of fun.

On the Big Island we hiked in Volcano National Park and drove down the Chain of Craters to the shore where the lava was flowing into the sea. Although we couldn’t get close enough to see the actual hot lava hitting the sea, the steam cloud and the lava cliffs were quite impressive.

We also went to a traditional luau with pit roasted pig and all the trimmings. This was followed by a demonstration of local and South Pacific dances. A couple of days later we went on a dinner cruise along the Kona Coast. I was able to shoot the sunset from the ship as well as the shoreline in the evening light.

I think the best activity, though, was snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay. This is the bay where Captain Cook was killed, and indeed there is a monument to his memory located on the shore. The entire bay is an underwater wildlife preserve, and there was lots to be seen.

On Kauai the highlights were the helicopter tour we took around the island, and our ride up to Wamea Canyon. We stayed in a lovely condo overlooking a garden, and we found that the beaches in Kauai were much prettier than those on the Big Island.

On the return from Hawaii, it was time to get the yards and the house ready for summer activities. The deck had to be washed and painted, the hot tub drained and refilled, new flower beds built in the yards, a new grill to break in (yeah!), new window shades to hang, a bench had to be pulled out and replaced and new decorations for the yard had to be purchased and hung. The kitchen got new tile, the garage got a total overhaul, new sprinkler heads were installed in the in-ground system, and then everything was ready for our first event.

That event was a baby shower for our youngest daughter. We had quite a few people over for the shower, and we all had a really good time.

In June, our first grandchild was born (after 29 hours of labor and finally a c-section). Her name is Makayla Ann Nicole and she is, of course, adorable. A lot of my time has been spent getting to know her.

The 4th of July meant we held our annual Independence Day Cookout. This was the largest one ever. We had 31 adults and 8 children in attendance, with lots of food and drinks. Many of us tried a game of Ultimate Frisbee, but we wore ourselves out after about 30 minutes and had to switch to a game we call “500”.

Well, that gets us up to the Oregon Country Fair weekend, and I want to write about that separately. I’ll add some photos later.

Am I a Blogger, or Am I Not?

I do like to write. I take some small amount of pride in my ability to put together words to illustrate concepts, convey ideas and thoughts, and to make a coherent argument. I’m a fairly social person in that I enjoy the company of others and I like to talk and learn from people around me. As a youth, I exchanged letters with people from around the world. I had penpals in France, England, Australia and throughout the US. Indeed, I continued my letter exchanges throughout my military career. When I was deployed, I not only received letters from my family, but from my many friends around the world. But, as much as I like to write, I just can’t seem to get this blogging process to flow smoothly and easily.

As anyone can see, my entries are inconsistent. I don’t think my life is that boring, but perhaps I’m not willing to share those things in my life that are interesting. I enjoy sharing my photography, but I don’t shoot everyday. When I do shoot, sometimes I’m not prepared to share the subjects with the rest of the virtual world. So, my dilemma is whether to continue to maintain this journal (and intensify the efforts I’m putting into it) or to call it quits and to move on to something new and different.

In the meantime, I just got a new toy. It’s a 60 GB iPod. I previously had a 1st generation 20GB iPod, but my music library has grown too large to be entirely contained within 20GB. So, I decided to upgrade and add the ability to show both photos and videos on the device. It works great, and it also synchs with my iCal and Address Book programs. This is going to be very convenient on my trip to Hawaii later this month.

Winter Blues

It has been a long, wet winter so far. The Northwest is always cloudy and wet during the winter time, but this has absolutely been the wettest winter I've encountered in the nearly 10 years I've lived in Oregon. Storm system after storm system have been hitting the West Coast with only a scattering a clear weather between each system. I swear I can see each new system looming over the mountains of the Coastal Range to the west, yet when I look to the east I can see the remnents of the last system lingering in the Cascades.

At least it has been fairly warm though. Most mornings it's about 44 degrees, and during the day the temperature creeps up into the high 40's or low 50's. I guess that's not bad for the middle of winter north of the 45th parallel. I do wish it would clear up for a couple of days though. I'd love to get my camera out and shoot in some decent light. I have a couple of new L lenses I've been wanting to use, but the heavy overcast and continuous rain (plus the early sunsets) give little opportunity for interesting subjects.

The photo to the left was taken a couple of winters ago when it was drier and colder. These clouds were the remnent of a storm that dumped quite a bit of snow at moderate elevations. Above a thousand feet there was lots of snow, but at about five hundred feet and below, it was just rain - hence the lack of snow on the roof of the building.

It would be fun to get away to the coast for a weekend to shoot the stormy weather and the ocean waves. Newport Bay is always fun for that, but Florence is nice too (besides there are friends there). Life keeps intruding though and weekend plans never seem to work out. Maybe I'll get some good rain gear for my birthday next week and that will help me gather the nerve to challenge the elements. I'd love to shoot Ecola Point and Canon Beach in stormy weather.

I'd also like to find a couple of new models. I'd like the challenge of learning to shoot someone new. After working with a model for a while, you learn their best poses and which poses work best for what situations and settings for them. You develop a rapport with the model that allows the shoot to proceed with minimal verbal communication and the model learns to anticipate your requests and to move smoothly from one pose to another. Shooting a model in the rain is fun - shooting by yourself in the rain isn't so much fun.

Spring begins next month, so with any luck we'll get an early break from the rain. With all the winter precipitation, the mountain snowpack is heavy and that means wonderful waterfalls during the spring melt. Winter Falls at Silver Springs State Park should be great this year. So maybe I should stop complaining and start planning.

Back to Work

I made it back to the office today. It was actually nice to be sitting at my desk, fielding phone calls, running meetings, and preparing for the intellectual challenges of the new business year. Today wasn’t terribly busy. My department usually ramps up slowly after the Christmas holidays, simply due to the nature of our business (training). So I had plenty of time to collect my thoughts and ponder the changes I want to make in my programs in the near future.

I also thought about changes I wanted to make in my personal life as well. I didn’t make any formal resolutions, but there are things I would like to do differently this year, such as:

1. Get out more during the winter. Normally when the days are short and it’s wet and windy outside, we hibernate. By that I mean, once we get home from work, we turn on the tv and basically vegetate for the rest of the evening. I just hate that. So, I want to get out more. We can still go out for coffee, or to the bookstore, or to the gym. There’s no need to just come inside and hide.
2. I want to take more, better and varied photographs this year. I want to do more that just go to the fairs and festivals. We do have a trip to Hawaii planned, and I’m sure I’ll get lots of photos then, but more importantly, I want to be a more frequent photographer. I want to get out twice or thrice a week with camera in hand to photograph scenery, people, places, and nature. I need to expand my skills and challenge myself with new assignments.
3. I want to complete at least two photo expeditions this year (not including Hawaii). One of those will be to return to Crater Lake National Park and to travel around the rim photographing the sites from several angles. I’m not sure what the other expedition will be, but I’m thinking it will be to photograph at least 6 new waterfalls somewhere in the state (not any of the falls in the Columbia River Gorge or in Silver Falls State park).
4. I want to complete at least two significant hikes - Dog Mountain and Eagle Creek come to mind, but Saddle Mountain in the Coastal Range would be nice too.
5. I want to photograph in the following areas this year: The Columbia River Gorge, Silver Falls State Park, Ecola Point, Cannon Beach, Seaside, Astoria, Brandon Beach, Munsie Falls, and the Mt Hood Wilderness area.

So, I think my expectations are reasonable. Maybe at the end of the year I’ll post a review to see how well I did against the list.

2005 Photo in Review

So, the forum thread in Photography on the Net got me to thinking about how the year went photographically. Did I get any keepers? How many photos did I take compared to previous years? Did my technique improve, and did I expand my capabilities? Did I shoot anything of any real substance?

I undertook a review of my photography for the past year to answer those questions and I determined the following:

1. I had about two dozen or so photos that I considered worthy of publication. This is much, much less than in previous years. That relates primarily to the next item.
2. I took far fewer photos this year than I have in previous years. This is, I think, primarily due to the issues I discussed in my last entry. I would say that most years I take an average of two or three thousand photographs, sometimes even more. This year I doubt I took more than a thousand photos total. And, when my heart is in it, I get much better results than a couple of dozen worthy shots.
3. In some ways, my techniques did improve considerably. I added some equipment that allowed me to have far more versatility with my studio lighting, and I’ve really improved my techniques with outdoor fill flash. I also shot quite a bit of film this year (which also contributed to the reduction in volume mentioned above), and I found that I have a much easier time compensating for adverse lighting conditions to get the exposure correct. Having said that, though, I didn’t practice and improve on some skills that I had intended to work on this year, such as macro photography and wildlife photography. I did try my hand at wildlife photography (specifically birding), but I discovered that my longest lens (300mm) isn’t quite sufficient to do a good job at it. So, fates willing, I’ll add a 100-400mm f4L zoom to my lens collection this year.
4. The last question is probably the most difficult to answer, but if I’m completely honest with myself, I would say, not really. I shot a few fairs and festivals. I documented a rafting trip with my family and friends. I did some portraits and some glamour shoots for a few clients, but I didn’t really shoot anything that “wows” me. In 2003 I shot an incredible sunset in Death Valley and in 2004 I got some terrific shots of a fire dancer and of the Oregon Coast. This year, I just couldn’t seem to pull any great shots out of my heart.

In 2006 I hope to do much better. First of all, I’m going to make a concerted effort to get out of the house on an early morning a couple of times a month. I’m already planning several photographic day trips to photograph in specific locations: The Columbia River Gorge (Eagle Creek, Punchbowl Falls, Rooster Rock, Shepherd’s Falls), Silver Falls State Park, McKenzie Bridge, Crater Lake National Park, Brandon Beach, Ecola Point, Haystack Rock, Seaside, Astoria, and Deschutes. I’m also planning a trip to Hawaii in the spring, so that should definitely help me to get the creative juices flowing.

I’m also hoping to work with a few new models this year. I have a project I’d like to start working on. I simply need s couple of sets of faery wings to get started. I have several models who are interested in working with me. So, I think, 2006 should be a much better year for me photographically. Wish me luck.

So let me share with you, some of my favorite photographs from 2005. There aren’t many, but there are the ones I like:



This coloful fellow was the jester at the 2005 Washington Renaissance and Fantasy Fair. He was a jolly fellow and kept the fair crowds well entertained. I got several shots of him throughout the weekend we were there, but I like this one best.



This gent was one of the knights at the Washington Renaissance and Fantasy Fair. He was one of the younger knights, out to prove himself, and he was an excellent rider. I liked this photo because I think it captured his determination to do well in the tourney.



This was, as I recall, the only female in the tourney this year. She was determined and fierce, and gave us a real show. I caught her as she galloped into a sword fighting exhibition. Unfortunately, I cut off I tiny bit of the horses nose. Still, this shot, I think captures a sense of motion and spirit.



This is Bonnie Stangelove, one of the Thryce Wycked Wenches, a singing troupe at the fair. Bonnie is a beautiful redhead with a wonderful voice and a most expressive face. The other two wenches are sweethearts too, but I really didn’t get any good photo of them this year. The Thryce Wycked Wenches sing bawdy songs of a dubious nature and are hilarious! If you ever get a chance to see them, don’t miss it.



This is a a musical troupe from the fair. They play authentic music from days gone by.



This is my favorite red-headed wench. I just love this shot of her for some reason. She’s a fine wench, with a big heart and a beautiful smile.



This is the sunset over the Deschutes River in Maupin, Oregon. We did a rafting trip there earlier this year, and as we were sitting around the camp on the last day of rafting, I shot this photograph. There’s another photo coming up later with a different view of the sunset, but I like the bridge and the river in this shot.



I don’t know why I like this shot so much. It’s just a candid taken on the first day of the Oregon Country Fair. The lady was in an animated conversation with a couple of gents, and she just looked so colorful and ready to have fun that I couldn’t help but aim my lens at her.



I don’t know what these are, but they were on display at the Oregon Country Fair and I thought they would make a good photograph. I think they did. What do you think?



This colorful young lady sat down beside me at the Oregon Country Fair while we were having some lunch. She was with a group of her friends and they were having a great time at the fair. She most graciously consented to posing for me, and I really love her smile and the colorful attire and makeup.



This is my friend, Tia, after she spent some time with Kathleen, the body painter, at the Oregon Country Fair. Tia’s a sweetheart, and a wonderful person. Doesn’t she have a lovely smile?



Candles at the fair. I just thought they made a wonderful set of repetitive elements for a photograph. The Oregon Country Fair is great for finding these little colorful scenes. The OCF was probably my biggest photographic event this year. The first day of the fair was pretty wet and rainy, though, which sort of cut down on the volume of photos I was able to take as well as the number of attendees.



Matching sets - more body painting at the fair. This couple actually asked me to take their photo because they had seen some previous photos of mine. They bought a couple of photos from me as well.




This lovely lady posed for me at the Shrewsbury Ren Fair. It’s a nice portrait that’s full of color. I guess what I like about this photo is that half smile and the lovely dimple in her cheek.


This is Gabby. She’s a real sweetie. Although she’s not related, she’s like a niece to me. She has a wonderful smile, but like any teenager, can be a real pill to her parents. I always have fun with her though.



This is Gabby’s mom, Bridgett. She’s a very close friend and a real sweetheart in her own right. She’s my IM buddy and keeps me company on the days when I work from home. She and her husband are among our closest and dearest friends, and I’m hoping to get to do a photoshoot with her in 2006. I’ve worked a deal out with her husband--I’ll loan him my redhead for a shoot, if he’ll loan me his. It should be fun.



These are the cliffs along the White River near Maupin, Oregon. This is near the confluence of the Deschutes River and the White River. If you walk up the White River a ways, you’ll find a natural water slide. I shot a lot of photos there too, but this is a better shot.



A natural light portrait in a pub in St. Helens, Oregon; a river port along the Columbia River, north and west of Portland. I just love the subtle play of light on her face and on her hair.



This is my niece, Sasha. I traveled home to Georgia in June of this past year, and I spent a day or so shooting her. She a sweet girl, but rather shy and rather spoiled. I’m afraid I spoiled her even more. That’s okay, though, since I don’t see her very often. She has been raised by her grandparents by very strict rules (which has been very good for her). I gave her a bit of a break by taking her to my mom’s house for the weekend (and my mom’s anything but strict). We went to Stone Mountain for a day of photos and this was one of my favorites.



This is another shot of the sunset a Maupin, Oregon. It’s reminiscent of the sunset photos I took in Death Valley in 2003. I just really like this shot, even though it’s a bit cliched.

2005 - My Photography in Review

On the website Photography on the Net, there’s a thread that asks the members to post their best 2005 photograph. I thought I might participate, and I started looking through my archives of photos. You know, I was sad to find that I didn’t have any photographs that I would have been willing to submit to such a peer review. That’s just sad.

If I look back at my archives from previous years, I have several strong contenders for great photographs. This year, however, I was just too distracted by other matters. The year started off with an altercation between two of my kids, resulting in the arrest of one. Not good. Then, my son was sent to Afghanistan. My wife was sick and hurting all year long, and I had a daughter full-time in college all year long requiring extensive financial support.

Most days this year, I just wanted to get through the day without any new problems. So, my mind wasn’t really on photography. We did go to a few fairs and festivals, but honestly, my heart wasn’t into the events. I’m really hoping 2006 will be better. I’m giving Wendy a trip to Hawaii for Christmas (travel dates to be determined), so that should start the year off right. And we have a grand-baby due in June - that should give me plenty to photography in the 2nd half of the year.

So, I’m hoping 2006 will result in a new creativity for me - better photos, a brighter outlook on life, and renewed energy. I wish the same for everyone who happens to read this.

Keeping Up

I haven’t been keeping this blog up. I had hoped to turn it into a private journal only to be found by happenstance. A place where I could share thoughts, ideas and photos, but not necessarily with people who know me directly. I have a couple of other places where I blog, but the interface isn’t nearly as nice and/or as easy as this interface.

In any event, my idea was to use this journal as sort of a photographic journey through the year, but alas, the year was just too “interesting.” So, we’ll just have to see what 2006 will bring. Maybe I’ll actually get this to work and it will help spur some of my creative juices, of which I feel sadly lacking in of late.

So, if you stumble across this blog, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Joyous New Year!