All posts filed under: Photography

Once Again… Into the Sky

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Sky train number two. One of the benefits of staying in one place is that you get to see some of the same subjects in a different light. Yes. That means the physical and the metaphysical. The old Robert Capa saying, “if the picture isn’t good enough then you weren’t close enough,” really has two meanings. The first is obvious and I clung to that for years. Work closer. Make a better picture. The second isn’t so obvious. A good friend of mine mentioned it to me.  You have to be close to your subject in order to understand your subject. From that springs a better picture. Think of it this way. Maybe you are one of my writer friends who reads Storyteller. You ask me to photograph your family because you think all you take is snapshots. While my pictures of your family might be better technically than anything you shot, I can pretty much assure you that your pictures will be better than mine from a content point of view. You know your family …

Some Kind of Night

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Moving. Changes. Life. If you read Storyteller yesterday you know that changes are on my mind. Most for the better. Some not so much. Today, bright and early, I got a reminder of changes. My new phone shows me anything it thinks is important the minute that turn it on. Note that phrase, “anything it thinks is important.” AI has invaded my little home. Anyway. My neighbor and friend sent me a private message via FB in which she attached a long statement about my drugstore. They are closing. Today. My files and prescriptions are being sent to Walgreen, which I suppose is better than CVS, who I escaped from to go my little pharmacy. Apparently, the parent company — Fred’s — decided to close it. That’s bad enough. But, in talking with one of the women who was so helpful to me over the past couple of years, I learned how the staff found out.  When they arrived for work last Tuesday — not yesterday — there was a hand written note on the …

Elephants Can Cry

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Stan Lee left the planet. California is burning. And, in a few days I am officially over the hill. I was thinking today about the things that I’ve seen in my own lifetime. A president assassinated. His brother killed. A man of peace killed for wanting equality. A war in Southeast Asia that reverberates today. Man walking on the moon. A president resigning in disgrace. A president working to heal the country. Oil shortages. New electric cars emerging. Technology developing and blooming. The end of the Cold War. Germany reunited.  Climate change that could end life on Earth sooner than we think. A never-ending war in Afghanistan. And, a shorter war in Iraq that gave birth to ISIS. Mass shootings everywhere. A president elected who does not have the skills, mentality or empathy to lead anybody. A country so polarized that being torn in two is an improvement. Immigrants walking, walking, walking… And yet, I have hope. I believe in people. I believe that our best angels will eventually win the day. I believe in …

Night Work

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Mind in motion. Magical night work. I used to make pictures like this all the time. They were a big part of my career. Then, things turned digital. Sharpness was king. Enough of that. Now, for me, experimentation is king. At least here, on Storyteller. The picture. You can learn from me as I recover what I lost. This is a smart phone picture. Remember, this new magic phone lets me choose shutter speeds and f stops. It allows me to choose lens length. It also lets me work in low light. Or, no light. No light. That’s what I worked in. There was a little ambient light. Not much. It really was more like no light. Setting the phone like I might set a camera resulted in this picture. Cool, eh?

Out There

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There are days and there are days. I tried to photograph balloons. There were three. Not enough. There was wind. You’d think that balloons like wind. They do. But, not much more than 10 miles per hour. The wind was stronger than that. So no balloons in the air. No dusk balloon glow. I gave up. I started heading back. Then, this picture happened. At 60 miles per hour. Luckily, the magic smart phone came to the rescue. All I did was hold it on the dashboard with a finger. It did the rest and I slowed down. I have one more day to make a balloon glow picture. We have cold and windy air. With only

Anywhere

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What do you think? Everywhere. They are everywhere. Pictures. I made this picture when I went to the hospital. There. That got your attention. No worries. My doctor is based there. I went there for a “wellness” visit. I was waiting for the elevator and looked out the window. It was storming out there. Wind. Rain. The temperature dropping. By 30 degrees in about six hours. Finally. Some cold weather. Apparently, it’s here to stay. So. The picture. I did what I always do. I made a picture. That’s what I meant earlier. Pictures are everywhere. You just have to see them. Now. THAT takes some practice. Today. Tomorrow. The next day. Try it. For thirty days. You’ll learn something. About making pictures. About yourself.

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In Louisiana this fall looks about like a normal July. That’s suppose to change tomorrow. When I get up around 7 am, the temperature will be around 70 degrees. That’s as high as it gets. By mid-afternoon, the temperature will dip into the low 60s. By the time that I get down the road to Chalmette, it’ll be colder. Perfect balloon flying weather. That’s what I’m photographing this weekend. A balloon festival. Hopefully, we won’t have too much wind or any rain. Oh, since the best time for balloon events is early morning or late afternoon towards dusk, I may even have time to work in a second line. It’s good to be busy… as long as I’m having fun. The cocker spaniel found this picture. As usual.  

Drifting

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I made this picture. From three other pictures. I was a little bored so I started tinkering. Here’s the thing. I did all of it on the super phone. Everything from soup to nuts. Or, from raw capture, to development, to post production, to blending, signing and framing. At this rate I might never go back to real cameras. Kidding. Just kidding. But, this sure is easy. And, I sure could do some sneaking around even though it’s not my style. Anyway. The election. I’m not gonna say much, except that president thinks he won and many Democrats are disappointed because they expected a lot more. 100 women of all colors, religious beliefs and ages were elected to the House. Various state governments and governors were flipped. Of course, the Republicans gained a few Senators seats and won races that became symbolic. I’m not disappointed. It’s about what real experts convinced me would happen. There are dreamers and realists. I fall into the latter category. I know that you can plan a dream, but the …

They Said It Was Fall

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They said the weather would turn cold. They said that we’d get fall colors. They said the humidity would drop Hahahahahaha. Yesterday, election day, the temperature dropped to a brisk 82 degrees. The humidity? Let’s just say that I changed clothes three times. Just like in the dog days of summer. Then, the rain fell. Wet. Hot. Humid. Great late fall weather. In November. Our Thanksgiving month. My birthday month. At this rate there will be spring flowers for my birthday and on the table along with a turkey. Sheesh. The picture. A “what the dog saw”  picture. I think she was a little confused. Spring smells in the wrong season. Anyway, she found the flowers. I just pushed the button. Not just any button. This smartphone’s camera can be used in an old school way. I am able to set f stops and shutter speeds. I am able to adjust the lens. And, the megapixels? More than my first couple of dslr cameras. After testing, I realized that I can make a print larger …

At Peace

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Today is going to be a long day. It’s going to be a weird day. I thought something peaceful might be a good idea. Today. I have a little advice for those of you in the United States. Vote. Go do that. Then, walk away. Have a good day. Don’t watch the news. Don’t keep score. Watch a movie. Read. Listen to music. Go to sleep. The day after will come soon enough. Don’t worry about it. The picture is just as you see it. Raw nature. Not much post production. I will say that the camera in this new phone is amazing.