Oahu Tour

Mundane Oahu

Avoiding sunburn kept me from participating in the classic activities on Oahu so I did an all-island driving tour instead. I didn't take many pictures but goofing around in Photoshop this morning brought me to make this little mundane diptych.

I share it not because it's good but rather because I need to keep disciplined about blogging. I'll do my best over the next two days to come up with something better.

Take pictures and Aloha.

Photography 2.0

Another Burner

One of the podcasts that I listened to yesterday while editing this photo was a fantastic hour-long discussion about the state of contemporary photography. The program, Open Source, is where I heard it and here's the link to that specific program for you to listen at your leisure. In addition to the mp3 file there's quite a discussion going on about the program. Just scroll down once you're there.

I think the issues raised are extremely relevant and beautifully articulated. I was particularly interested in what Professor Ritchin had to say. While he seemed like a bit of a contrarian, academia gives him the luxury of a more critical perspective. Again, give it a listen, I think you'll dig it.

Take pictures.

Non-Stop

Burner

So good. I flew to Honolulu today and my seat had an outlet into which I could plug my computer. This allowed me to both listen to my podcasts and work in Photoshop for close to ten hours straight. While I wasn't altogether efficient with my process, I got to play with some of my close-up portraits and explore some more photoshop "emulsions" that I can call my own.

Given my confines, I spent more time with each image than I might if I'd been sitting at my desk. No internet access, no phone calls, just me, my LCD and a little mini pizza-thing they called "lunch". Such are the mixed blessings of air travel.

I can only hope to capitalize on the momentum gained today to get all my Burning Man portraits up on the web. Off course there's nothing quite like Waikiki as a distraction. Don't hold your breath.

Take pictures.

Trade Ya

Tom Brown Jr.

Good stuff. I'm out of the woods and on to Hawaii tomorrow. On my last day in Jersey Tom Brown finally gave me a few minutes to pose in my Streetstudio. I awoke at 5:50AM and set it up in the cold and dark where I found a small clearing in the woods. I knew that by 7:30 there'd be a bowl of soft western light to make my portrait. By 8 o'clock or so it was all done. I didn't get the exact shot I envisioned and I'd really like to do some more dramatic images of the man but given his reluctance to be photographed at all, I'll count my blessings. If he likes them I can only hope to explore those ideas.

As an interesting side note, I didn't get paid to make this portrait. Instead, I traded it for more tracker classes. I love bartering but don't do it as much as I should. As photographers, I think we are in a great position to work barter deals more than some professions.

Take pictures.

clayenos.com 2.0

Well it's not totally done but I'm heading to tracker school for two weeks tomorrow and I need to get this thing out there. I redesigned my site in a much bigger way the past few days.

I could work on some speed and content issues some more but for now it'll do. Poke around if you have some time but don't get to critical in the personal area. That part just links to the old stuff and you may end up going in circles.

Take pictures.