The Daily SabFoto

Over and Out

2010-11-10T14:46:00.001-08:00

I've moved the blog over to our regular site. See you there for more updates!

www.sabfoto.com

What if you deleted it?

2010-03-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

Shaun White-Bountiful, Utah-New Year's Eve, 2003.

I was digging through old digital images. From my first post-collegiate photography experiences, right after I bought my first digital SLR. I was wasting time on the web the other day and I came across the blog of a photographer I've always really admired: Kevin Zacher. Not only for what he's accomplished, but from his attitude towards photography and Art. Back in 2003, Kevin let me tag along on a shoot with Shaun White...yeah, the Olympic Gold Medalist. I had no idea what I was doing but Kevin was super fun to assist and once everything was up and running, he told me to shoot away. I piggy backed his lights by doing long exposures and using his "pop" when he took his photos. In a way these are more Kevin's photographs than mine. I remember trying to guess when he would take his shot and I actually did pretty good. I remember Kevin had no interest in digital but he did check out my camera and screen to test how the lights looked...cheaper than a Polaroid, right? Thinking about Kevin led me to think about this shoot I assisted him on which got me thinking about digital and film and got me thinking about....the following:

About Every six months I bust open "the box" which is filled with prints, contact sheets, sheets of film, slides...all the goodies from my pre-computer photography days. Over the years I've found a few gems in those contact sheets...a few images that I discarded years ago but for some reason now makes me do a double-take. It could be the subject-like a college friend that passed away from hitting his head while skateboarding. It could be a simple change in my aesthetic. I don't know.

But it got me thinking.

When I shoot digitally, I delete everything I don't deem "worthy" before I archive a job. If it's blurry, it doesn't quite look right, I'm not "into it" or whatever reason. Off into the atmosphere it goes...just wasted fossil fuels. But what if those are the last images taken of a person? What if they become rich and famous and cheat on their wives and the tabloids would pay millions for it?

What if it's just someone or something you really miss?

We live in an instant world and I'm a little worried about the legacy...long-term.

My step-brother blog.

2008-10-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

My studio partners Martin, Terrence and I now have a blog for the studio in general. You can find it at: arcataphoto.blogspot.com.

I apologize if there is repetitive posting between there and here...but what can I do? Eh? Eh?

Actor Tom Conlon

2008-10-24T11:35:00.001-07:00

We had a fun ol' session with long-time area resident Tom Conlon. Tom is now an actor looking for roles to add to his recent role in Humboldt County playing right now down the street at the Minor Theater. Tom was a blast. A super intelligent guy with a great take on local politics and life.

Myers' in Minnesota...

2008-09-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

A couple a good lookin' folks.

Jenny and Kirk are so awesome! Not only are they good friends, but they are just all around great people. And so are their families! Not even United Airlines and their horrendous delays could take the wind out of such a great weekend. Thanks so much!

Their wedding had so much energy, so much history with the farm, so much love and yet, it was so simple. Ya, I had a few tears in my eyes and some sweat on my back (Fred's old perch doesn't look that far...but it's a decent hike on a hot late summer Minnesota day). I couldn't think of a better place to be!

a legacy of sorts?...

2008-09-07T01:14:00.000-07:00

So Terrence had this great idea to photograph a bunch 0' bands over the next however long and make a big ol' poster of it. Basically, it'd be a homage to the wonderful musicians who go out of their way between Portland and San Francisco to grace the college kids and local folks with some good ol' rock-n-roll.

Great idea. I piggy backed and did some closeupinyourfacelikeitornot portraits. Tonight we shot the first band, Datura Blues of Portland, OR. That's Dave up above. Ryan, the singer, used to live in Arcata. They were a blast. We shared a Tecate or 3 with them. Ryan and the rest of the boys are below. Good dudes.

I darn got hitched'

2008-08-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

The wedding is over. So much fun, so many good people, so many good memories. Now it's just work work work...

Here's a sample pic from my good friend and photographer Carol Niles:

Zach-Senior 09 Ferndale High

2008-07-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

Zach is an awesome kid down in Ferndale. He's the regional president of FFA, so he knows his farmin'.
A couple fav's:

Some days are so much harder than others...

2008-07-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

As stated. Do I really need to go further?

10 Things I miss...

2008-07-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

In no particular order:

1. Film (and the entire darkroom process).
2. Boundary Bay Scotch Ale.
3. Snowboarding at Mt. Baker, WA.
4. Skateboarding at all the sick parks in Utah.
5. Mountain Biking Galbraith Mountain in Bellingham, WA.
6. "Playing Guitar"
7. Sitting in Stuart's coffee shop people watching and writing my thoughts.
8. Fishing (even though I haven't fished in over 15 years)
9. Reading
10. Roaming around and making photographs like the one below.

How do I remedy these things? How do I curb the longing? It seems easy, after all, most of it just revolves around having the TIME. Time...ya...tons of that lately.

But let's really look at this:
-Film: Uh...ya. I've got a couple dozen rolls waiting to be developed. Who has the time? Maybe some bored college student will develop them for me...
-Boundary Bay Scotch: Well, there's a number of local breweries..but I have to be honest, they don't even come close to some fine Boundary Bay microbrew. Sorry Humboldt brewers...maybe you can take a workshop with them?
-Snowboarding-Ya...well, don't get me started.
-Skateboarding-It's amazing how fast you lose your balance. That and the hip injury...probably not a good idea right now.
-Biking-Ya, hip. That and my complete surprise that with all the woodlands and mountains and mud and all that...THERE'S NO GOOD BIKING TRAILS HERE. Depressing.
-Playing Guitar-This is something I could actually do several days a week for an hour or so. It'd probably relax me...just a tad.
-Coffee Shop people watching-Again..like the breweries, the coffee is a little sub-par here in California. I guess Washington knows their shit. No good coffee means no urge to stay longer than a cup.
-Fishing-Ya, that requires licenses, equipment...and a mindset that I can't really put myself into right now. My mind doesn't rest long enough to catch a fish. Or not, which is probably the case.
-Reading-See above for racing mind problem.
-Photo Roaming-This I could/should do. Just random things. I actually blame digital cameras for this one. I used to roam and compose and shoot and take my time, head back to the darkroom and hopefully I'd have something good. The anticipation, the dedication. Now its "snap, look, delete, snap, look, keep, snap, look, snap, look, snap...."

Lila Nelson-Singer/Wrong Writer...

2008-07-13T22:44:00.001-07:00

Some promo material for local singer/songwriter Lila Nelson. Lila loves Bob Dylan whom was born and raised in Northern Minnesota just like me. She sings better than Bob...

Families...

2008-07-09T22:47:00.000-07:00

We shot a great family in the studio on Monday. It was a lot of fun. Thanks to Isaac, Becky, little Jack and their tiny new addition! It was a BLAST.

What a crazy month...

2008-06-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

June was possibly the busiest month of my life. Between shooting weddings out of town, traveling to a friends wedding, opening a new studio and general life...it went FAST.

Oh ya, studio is now open and its AWESOME. It was my birthday present to myself. Come on down to Jacoby's Storehouse, on the Plaza in Arcata and shoot the breeze with myself, Terrence, Martin or Taffy. We're a little too close to Bon Boniere for my comfort...or my wasteline's at least.

In general, things are booming and I'm really excited for the summer.

My first 2009 senior, a really fun shoot with Vanessa. Here's some of my favorites:

David L. Hill, 08/06/1936 to 05/20/2008

2008-06-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

So this little blog is really meant to be more of a professional type of thing, meant to really keep people semi-up-to-date on what I'm doing and hopefully keep them interested in my work. I try not to get too personal with the things I write. But this is an exception. Although it considerably related to where I am in my career and my photography.

My Grandpa passed away on May 20th. He and my Grandma have been the most influential people in my life. My Grandpa, ever since I can remember, has pushed me to go to college, use my brain and the gifts I've been given in life and make something of myself. He didn't only encourage it, he expected it 100%. He was a hard working blue collared midwesterner. He saw the best in people, but had a good knack at showing his disappointment when someone let him down. But even then, he would easily forgive, forget and continue in his encouragement. His wry sense of humor and quick wit were instilled in me, or at least I like to think so. He always had a little smirk on his face when he was laying into you, letting you know that even if the words were harsh, his heart wasn't.

I wouldn't be where I am today without his encouragement, help and love.

I'll miss him tremendously.

Yosemite ='s 8 Letters....

2008-06-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

So does Cole+Joni. Okay...that was lame. Anyways, I was very honored to be able to photograph the wedding of my friend and fellow photographer Joni ~~Schrantz~~ Gelrod and her ~~fiance~~ husband Cole. Confusing. Lindsy and I trucked it down to Yosemite for a down and dirty quick work/fun trip. 19 hours of driving 28 hours in Yosemite. Worth it all the way.

It was fast, furious, hot and a hell of a lot of fun. Thanks so much to their parents, families and friends for putting up with me and having a blast!

A couple quick images as I'm just starting to go through them.

Burning it short...

2008-05-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

An interesting thing somehow forget to tell you in Art School is how hard it is to actually make a living in this world as a self-employed anything.

They pump you out, collect their cash and let you walk out the door thinking it's all about shooting what you want, framing it and selling it in some gallery, smoking cigs and drinking wine and listening to independent musicians from your local pool, of whom you are great friends with of course.

Strange how my experience has been so different.

But I love it anyways.

Just doing some final touches on the images I did for the Endeavor Center and the HSU Social Work Class. Sending them off to the lab tomorrow. I hope they all dig em'.

Feeling good...

2008-04-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

Things are moving along. Big things happening in the coming months. Too early to reveal the big news but just be patient!

I had a lot of fun donating some time to the HSU Social Work class involved with the Endeavor Center in Arcata. We shot some really touching portraits of some amazing individuals. These are two of my favorites!

Aedan

2008-04-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

Aedan loves having his picture taken...too bad his big brother is too cool for pics...

Home Again...

2008-04-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing 2 1/2 weeks back home visiting my family. A very emotional time, but a lot of fun. Like always, it flew by and I wish I could've stayed longer.

My good friend and amazing photographer Carol Niles picked me up from the airport in San Francisco and we crashed at her friend Paul's place. It was so fun. I've never spent any time in the city so it was cool to be able to do that. Checked out Fisherman's Wharf, Marin Headlands, Chinatown, and on the first night, Paul took us out on the bay sailing. We sailed by Alcatraz and got a really great sunset out on the bay. So much fun.

Back to work...

Heading Home

2008-03-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

Heading back to Minnesota/Wisconsin for at least a couple weeks.

: /

The Dog Park

2008-03-08T23:51:00.001-08:00

Dags playin'

I love it at the dog park. I don't know if it's an official dog park, but whatever. Hiller Park in McKinleyville is the place and there are general anywhere's between 3 and 15 dogs romping around most evenings around 5. I try to bring Leica down most days. It's so rad to watch dogs just run around and play and wrestle and all that good stuff. Just imagine if humans acted that way. Run up to each other, tackle each other to the ground, sniff each other's asses, yell at each other, take each other's toys, and leave worn out and completely happy.

I think humans could take a lesson.

Plugging along...

2008-02-28T12:38:00.000-08:00

I've just been plugging along lately. No video games, barely any t.v. and only a couple movies.

Just shooting and calling and retouching and calling and meeting and lunching and assisting and all that good stuff.

A couple recent images from a shoot working with the kool kids at JSC Marketing LLC in Eureka, CA. Good People. Good Fun. Playing around a little on the guys with a new treatment. Looks a little much when its next to a more colourful treatment like the ladies, but I like it regardless.

I also finally got to shoot Stone Owens, the last dj from KSLG radio that I shot a few months ago. Stone is a really rad guy. If you like the metal, give him a ring over at the station and he'll hook it up!

Rock, Paper, Scissors

2008-02-21T11:52:00.001-08:00

Before moving to Arcata, this time of the year I'd be hip deep in the white gold of some Western US mountain range. Some of my friends have been sending me snowboarding vids and I've watched a few. I've been trying to stay away from them because I really miss the shred and I don't want to get too choked up.

But today I'm feeling a little sick and its a typically cool, drizzly, gray day here in Northern California. I started thinking about snowboarding and all the good times.

A funny thing in snowboarding is it seems like you're ALWAYS doing rock, paper, scissors for something or other. You do it for shotgun on the way up the canyon, you do it for getting out of carrying the extra shovel, you do it for first hit on the jump, then shotgun on the way down the canyon, then who buys the after shred first beer...

I miss rock, paper, scissors.

Time Flies

2008-02-21T09:58:00.000-08:00

John Shelter | Executive Director of the Endeavor, Arcata, California

It always seems like I come here and so much time has gone by since posting last. I have been being semi-productive...honestly.

I finally put away all my images for 2007. Touched em up, dng'ed them raws, psd'ed them derivatives, archived all them 1's and 0's and tossed em all into Expressions Media. Got em all into their little categories with little star ratings and comments and all that jazz.

So much work, but so important in the long run.

I'm taking a Graphics Design class at HSU for fun. I love goofing off on the computer so any additional reasons excuses to pain my eyes further is great. Honestly though, anything to keep the creative juices flowing.

I've been applying for some jobs around the country also. Last summer I had the great opportunity to fly out to Madison, WI and interview for a staff photographer position at the University of Wisconsin. Obviously I came up short, but it was such a great experience. I learned a lot from it and spent a couple months working towards the things I feel I fell short on. Now its time to do another round of applying to Universities across the country. I want to work with a community of other creatives, feeding off of each other. I have to be honest, when you live in cut-off Humboldt County, its hard to keep motivated when you're a freelancer.

Anyways, I've got some fun stuff coming up and I'm pretty excited about it.

I promise to complain post more often.

Jessica-Arcata High

2008-01-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

Jessica was a blast. We actually shot Jessica and Sadie together but I like to wait until they see their own portraits before plastering them on the web. Lindsy and I've got the crud...really sick. Can hardly think...

Rest...Rest....Rest...

Another Senior

2008-01-05T12:57:00.001-08:00

I'm getting such a great response for my senior photography. I admit it, I wouldn't have seen myself doing it 2 years ago. But its been really fun. The word is getting out and the kids are loving what we're producing.

Sadie was a lot of fun. Like a lot of seniors...she was dreading the whole idea. But we got some really great shots and I think she even had a little fun with it...

2007 Winds down...

2007-12-29T15:08:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday, whatever it is you may celebrate. I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years...and I hope to keep growing in 2008.
I surprised myself by venturing into new arena's of photography-Senior Portraits and Weddings. And I surprised myself even more by how much fun I had doing them. Emotions run so high at weddings and they move so fast, how could you not get into it? Seniors have been a blast. I'm just starting to get into this crazy market, but they are so fun. Its such a momentous stage in a person's life. They want to be immortalized as an individual, unique, separate from the 100's of other kids that are graduating with them. After talking with a lot of local seniors, I realized that there were so many out there who simply didn't like what was happening in the local photography market for seniors. And thats when I decided that you can have fun, be creative, be unique and hammer out some awesome images with these kids. And they'll appreciate not looking like everyone else in the yearbook.

Thanks to all of my clients, friends, family and supporters. I wish you the best.

Collin-13 years young

Seniors, part deux

2007-12-06T23:18:00.000-08:00

Chelsea was so much fun! She's a natural poser (the nice kind...not the loser kind) and she had a lot of fun with it. We only went to one location for a partial session, but we made the best of it. We staved off the cold long enough to get some really fun shots. Thanks Chelsea!!!

Seniors...no, not the elderly...

2007-12-06T23:10:00.000-08:00

Jacob is a rad kid from McKinleyville. He hates having his picture taken and he vowed to get back at his sister for making him do it...but I think he had a little fun even if he won't admit it. First senior of the "year" and I can't wait to get steamrolling, get the creativity and fun flowing...

I couldn't have said it better myself...

2007-11-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

I was just browsing around in Susan Sontag's On Photography. If you are a photographer or interested in photography, this book is a MUST read. The last chapter is an Anthology of quotes by photographers, philosophers, writers, etc. I've never read them but I just read this and wanted to share it.

"I photograph to find out what something will look like photographed." -Garry Winogrand

Well put Garry...well put.

RRRRRRollerderby Ladies....

2007-11-09T15:33:00.000-08:00

Okay, I was blessed last week to have 2 awesome, fun photo shoots. First with the KSLG DJ's and then with the Humboldt County Roller Derby League: Hell on Wheels. So much fun. All the ladies brought great personalities and high energy. I wish I could post them all....THANKS LADIES!!!

As Promised...Images...

2007-11-09T15:22:00.000-08:00

Thanks again to everyone at KSLG down in Ferndale. I had a blast! It was so much fun. I picked 2 of my favs of everyone. Give these folks a listen if you don't already.

KSLG

2007-11-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

Okay Okay. I know I had a few pics here. But in fairness to everyone who participated, now that we've shot them all, I'm pulling them until I can properly post up the final versions of everyone's shots. Boo Hoo I know...I'll get em soon.

But 2 days down at the KSLG studios in Ferndale was a blast. Thanks to Syd, Monica, Jen, John, Ashley, Plastic Jackson and Cliff...who snuck in and got a hammer of a shot!

Also thanks to Daniel Solomon who helped me out. He's a rad guy and a damn snazzy brotographer who's working at the Eureka Reporter.

And lastly, thanks to Carolyn...our makeup and hair girl. I think we scared her with our wild talk...but I think she had some fun with it. Thanks!

Images of the madness coming soon.

Busy...Way Too Busy...

2007-10-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

I'm getting married on August 16th, 2008. Weddings are expensive! In order to save a little extra cash-o-lah, I took a part-time job in the bakery at Safeway. The hours are horrendous. 2:30am-11:00am. I don't know how much longer I can last. All I've been doing is getting 2-4 hours of sleep, going to Safeway, working until 11, taking a shower, going to class, tending to my photography business, eat, rinse and repeat.

Oh yeah, I'm also taking 2 classes at University. I'm in a program at the SBDC (Small Business Development Center) called "Art as Business." So through that, I'm taking a marketing class.

And I'm running out of steam.

I've been shooting weddings with my friend Carol Niles. She's an awesome photographer and a really fun person to be around. It has actually been fun. I'll post up some wedding images a little later, after the clients have made all their orders and what-not.
To some, wedding photographer ranks right up there with garbage collector...and I'll freely admit that is how I thought up until about a year ago. No longer. It has been a blast.

A couple recent images...when I've had time...

Joan Gold-Painter

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Jenny and Nick-Newleyweds 10-3-2007

Hard Days Night...

2007-08-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

Content coming soon. Tired and Tired.

Home

2007-06-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

Its been a long time. Its been an interesting month. After struggling financially because of a bank transfer mistake, I finally rooted up enough cash to get myself home to Northern Wisconsin for my grandparent's 50th Anniversary party. It was a blast. Seeing so much family, people I haven't seen in YEARS...great times.
My grandfather has been sick for a bit. He wasn't himself and I had a really tough time seeing him like that. He's always been strong as an ox, with a temper and a great sense of humor. So seeing him tired, quiet and confused was very difficult. The day I left to come back to California he had an MRI and they found a tumor on his brain. He had surgery and had the tumor removed and a week later was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma. The worst stage. So I've been having a rough time trying to imaging what life is going to be like a year from now. When he is possibly gone. Its very difficult. I just want to thank everyone for their prayers, kind words, advice and support.

Some pics from being home.

My Grandfather. 70 years young.

My youngest brother Kyle. 12 years young.

My youngest son Aedan. 9 years young.

Roaming Around Town...

2007-04-13T11:59:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to just roam around a couple hours a week. Just walk around town and take photos of anything and everything. Interesting shapes, lines, colours. Interesting people, although lately I haven't been too outgoing...I haven't been approaching the random strangers I need to. I'm just out there clearing my mind, enjoying the sunshine.

I've been spending so many hours in the house, reading, researching, planning. Not enough shooting. I need to make more pictures.

A busy couple weeks...

2007-03-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

I've really been lacking on the 365Project and my "blogging"...I admit it. What can I say, its good to be busy. I'm finally home from a 2 week trip to Utah/Colorado. I went out to Utah to do some training for an old job and then headed out to Colorado to shoot with the kids over at Palmer Snowboards. Such a fun group to work with. It was a really fun and productive trip. We stayed in a rad cabin outside Breckenridge. We shot for 2 full days and then spent a couple days just riding and having fun. I can't wait for next year!!!

Aaron Bomb Dropping off the Cabin's chimney

So, when I first moved to Utah, I got a job up at Brighton doing "mountain photography". This basically meant that you try to con tourists into getting their pictures taken with the peaks in the background. Horrible pay...and the killer for me was watching everyone having a blast all day long. I lasted about 2 weeks. But at Breckenridge, they were out in full force.

Aaron Pointing out a colleague.

This is my normal face while snowboarding at high speeds with a camera
in my hand and spring breakers filling the slopes.

Working hard. (Pic by my dedicated assistant Joni)

Joni working hard.

This was the last picture I took at Winter Park
on a goof off day. I like.

Palmer Shoot, November 2005

2007-03-09T09:08:00.001-08:00

Palmer Shoot, November 2005

I'm excited that I get to head out to Colorado and do another shoot for Palmer Snowboards. They are a fun bunch of kids and it was a good time the last 2 shoots. The pic to the right was from the shoot in November 2005. I just love that we worked and worked to get a shot with the sun right in between the legs, and we finally got it. Its far from perfect. From a snowboarding photo standpoint, its not even that good. Its an ass shot for one. And I'd like to see his face more. But overall, I think its a rad photo. Hopefully I'll have time to post from the road. I'm also heading to Utah the week before to train someone for my old job I had there. I was office manager for Howie Garber who is a rad guy. He's a bit hard to deal with, has quite the ego, and isn't a GREAT photographer....but he gets around the globe and comes back with some damn good images. He's a really awesome guy, 55ish, skis backcountry every powder day...climbing...not resort "backcountry" and he's also an ER doctor. So I'm going to head to SLC and do some training, some shooting and some chillin with friends. Then off to Colorado. Local fellow photographer Joni Schranz (sp?) is flying out to assist me. It should be a lot of fun. Super stoked.

Sure..I've read about em...

2007-03-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

Last night was pretty fun. We headed out to Arts Alive in Eureka. There was some okay work up. The Morris Graves Museum had photos from a Regional photo contest...I wish I would have known about it. There were a few pieces up there that I liked, but the ones I liked weren't for sale. Oh well. After that we came home and when we got out of the care, there it was. A MOONDOG!!! I've never seen one in person. I've read about them and seen them in paintings and in photographs. Rad to see with my own eyes. And it was huge. Filling the sky. So I ran out and snapped a few pics. I liked the round-a-bout sign and streaming lights in this pic. My first thought was to get away from civilization, lights, etc. Just nature and the big 'ol moondog. But you never know how long something like this will be happening. So I remembered this round-a-bout sign by my house. While I was making this photo, I kept thinking about all these people flying by me, in a rush, getting somewhere, getting back from somewhere, and possibly oblivious to this awesome phenomenon that was happening outside their vehicles.

My obsession with square photographs...

2007-03-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

Okay. So I feel like I need to explain a little something about a photographic philosophy of mine. That of the square. You see...I crop a LOT of things square. I shoot with square crops in mind. And I want to explain why.
First off...I don't think in terms of 8x10, 5x7, etc. I think in terms of composition. This is something that say...a photographer who makes his living off of family portraits does. you see...you shoot for the 4x5 ratio (16x20, 8x10, 4x5) but you also have to keep in mind that they will order 5x7's. So if you have to shoot with that in mind or you'll end up cutting off someones feet or elbows or whatever. Well...again...I don't think that way. Photography is a much more organic thing for me. Very often I do what feels right. My answer to the family who wants an 8x10 and a 5x7...if it doesn't simply work...then tough shit. I just feel like, very often, when you try to shoot with those things in mind you end up with a bunch of useless things in a photo. Say you have to shoot it loose because of the size of the group...well then you have all this nothing space in the photo that is only there to make it a convenient size for someone. It isn't what works...its what they think they need.
Okay...so back to the square. A square photo is, very often, a much more suitable ratio compositionally. The elements that are contained in the photo can lead the eye where it needs to go. Very often with a non-square photo, your eye tends to travel from left to right (on a horizontal) and bottom to top (on a vertical). Regardless of what is contained in the edges...that is your instinct. Not so with a square. The average person isn't used to seeing a square. Along these lines...I also hate vertical and horizontal photos. This hate comes from shooting stock and magazine stock. You always get the horizontal and the vertical. Because you never know how they'll use it. Even if it isn't appropriate.
Looking at my walls...only 1 photograph out of 12 isn't a square. They aren't all taken by me, but even the ones I didn't take are square. And Lindsy has a painting done by her Grandfather that is also square. Interesting.
Another link to the square is my love of Hasselblads...or maybe my love of Hasselblads comes from my love of the square. Also interesting.
So in the end...I didn't really explain myself...but just babbled about squares and non-squares. All because of George Eastman. Or at least enough because of him. I'm glad he's out of the business.

Rock On...

2007-02-27T23:52:00.000-08:00

Rock On. I finally have internet again. I can't believe how disconnected from the world I feel when I can't get online at my convenience. I certainly don't want to drink even more coffee than I already do and go to a coffee shop to leech free wireless more than once every other day. But the internet is so ingrained into my daily routine. Every day I read several photography related blogs and websites. My messenger program is on sometimes...and sometimes I get messages from people I actually don't mind talking to. My email program is running all day and if I'm home...ya I get them instantly. I can look up the weather...here or elsewhere, read about my friends killing it in the snowboarding world, get up to date news from anywhere on the planet (or at least the version of news that someone gives me), I can look up telephone numbers, addresses, research products, play video games...on and on. So 5 days without internet seemed like an eternity. Of course I'm the type of person that gets mad at myself for being so attached to something stupid like the internet. Or my computer...or my camera...or anything else I obsess about. Then I get mad at myself for getting mad at myself. Idiotic cycle I know. So what have I been up to lately?
-Still looking for a suitable studio space within my meager budget.
-Retouching too many photos for a photographer in Eureka.
-Looking for venues to try and have a show sometime in the next 6 months.
-Attending our Photo Bull Session every week, bummed about the no-shows but then having a great time with the always-shows. Good people....Good times.
-Trying to stay positive in the face of what is categorically the worst time of the year for most photographers. For me it isn't the timing...its the location....
-Wondering if I should have "stuck it out 1 more year" doing the snowboarding thing.
-Attending SBDC workshops.
-Finding and dreaming of attending photo workshops to get inspired.
-Battling a horrible case of winter/spring fever. I miss the winters with snow...but since it doesn't snow I just wish spring and better weather would come.
-Trying to avoid bugging Lindsy when she's "getting shit done" a la school.
-Doing my best to stay sane.

WHERE'S THE WORK HUMBOLDT COUNTY?

A non-ideal day at the beach...

2007-02-17T20:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Leica and I went out to the beach. Weekdays are the best time to go. Middle of the day, no crowds. We ran our asses off around the beach, jumping on driftwood stumps, tossing the frisbee and taking some pictures. The fog was rolling off the ocean. It wasn't an ideal day at the beach. But I loved it.

I snapped this photo of a couple just standing in the fog on the beach. It was a fun day.

Sunday is just a day...with the sun...

2007-02-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

Sunday was a great day. It was sunny out...fairly warm. Meeting number 2 of the PHOTO BULL SESSION went down in Old Town Eureka. Peter showed up 2 weeks in a row. He gets a gold star. Fervus also made it this week since the meeting place was within walking distance. Also Tyson stopped in between assignments for the Eureka Reporter. I hope the group keeps growing and the ideas and inspiration keep flowing. Thats the point after all. Post coffee and conversation, Fervus and I walked around Old Town and snapped a few photos. These are my favs from the day:

Pigeon chasin'

Flower Peddler

Dumpster and Bricks

Same Dumpster...with ironic sticker...

Holy @#$%...

2007-02-04T00:52:00.000-08:00

Tonight I downloaded, installed and started playing around with the Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 Beta testing version. I'm BLOWN away. I already can't believe there are photographers out there using version 7...or CS...I've been using CS2 since it was released. It was a major step up with functionality for photographers from previous versions. And CS3 is a leap once again. The functionality, the ability to apply filters in a non-destructive way that is editable later down the road....HUGE. Very promising Black and White conversions with full adjustability...at the click of the mouse. No longer does it take several adjustment layers with different blending modes and WAY TOO MUCH TIME to do a really good B&W conversion. I can't even express how excited I am to really dive in. If you use Photoshop®...you better put the upgrade on your wishlist.

One Month of the 365 Day Project

2007-02-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

Wow. The 365 Day Project has definitely been interesting. I've been fairly busy during the days so most of my photos end up being taken in my little apartment after dark, right before bed. Sometimes thats not exactly the time when I want to bust out the lights and get super creative. Plus, to be honest, I'm getting a little tired of taking pictures of MYSELF. Its limiting in many ways. I can't have ultimate control over positioning, focus, spontaneous expressions, etc. And angle of view as well. I'm thinking about some themes by the month to help me through the rest of the year. Because I can see that things will get redundant. I know one month I want it to be all street portraits of strangers (when it warms up a little bit). We'll see. I have no ideas for other themes at the moment, but its Feb. 1st and I need to shoot something today. Think Fast.

I've been doing retouching work for a photographer in town. He's been at it a long time and does some pretty okay work. He's a great person to be around and I definitely consider him a good friend. Hard to find in other photographers, especially ones twice my age.

2007-01-29T18:08:00.000-08:00

Lindsy, Leica and I just got back from a couple days in Bend, Oregon. It was a tri-fold type of thing. Top Secret mission, Lindsy friend visit, and relax-o-rama. We stayed in a little cabin resort about 20 miles from Bend. No TV. No Radio. No Cell Phone. No phone in the room. No alarm clocks. Just a fireplace, some wine, some reading, and some RE-LAX-A-TION. Not a ton to report on photography wise. I'm almost done with the 1st month of the 365 Day Project. Its been a lot of fun. Some days I'm not SUPER motivated to do anything crazy. I'm settled into the routine of it. Its part of my day, like eating, sleeping, etc. This weekend is going to be the first meeting of the Photo Coffee Bull Session. Trying to get some local photographers together to talk shop and keep the creativity flowing. I hope it works out.

Fun? and the sun(set)...

2007-01-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

This weekend blew by so fast. One of Lindsy's best friends swung through town on Saturday to hang out a bit. I had to head out and help a fellow photographer to shoot an event. Nothing spectacular, but it was a little fun. At least there was music playing. Sunday was fairly uneventful. I watched the football games and just had a little lazy day around the house. I'm feeling a little sick so I want to try and beat it before it gets too bad. The pic today is part of my 365 Days of 2007 project. Sunset is a great time to do some off camera lighting. You have this great creative control to make the sky darker or lighter, use silhoettes, create really dramatic looking skies, etc. But you really only have about 20 minutes. Before that, the sky is too bright, and after that the exposure times get a little too long for my patience. Plus, if you haven't gotten the shot after 20 minutes, you probably aren't going to get it.

Then the weekend turned sour. Our dog Leica had another seizure. She got a vaccination last wednesday and we knew it was most likely coming. She's had seizures after each vaccination even though the vet INSISTS that it has NOTHING to do with the shots. Keep in mind that she has had 5 seizures, EVERY one of them within 5 days of getting a vaccination. Too much coincidence for me. I realize I'm not a Doctor...just a lowly photographer..what do I know right? I know that we're not going back to that vet, and if we have to drive to India to find a vet that will listen...then we're in the market for a floating car.

This week: Plugging away. A couple headshots to shoot. Some consulting to do.

A week's a week...

2007-01-15T22:48:00.000-08:00

Things have been a little hectic. I've been trying to stay out of the house as much as I can.
The high note of the last week was heading down to Fortuna to a wedding fair. We got to see what its really like to start planning a wedding. October 2008ish. Excited. The planning is going to be lots of fun...and above all else for me...picking the PHOTOGRAPHER. Its going to be a tough thing to do. I've been looking every photographer in the area for a couple months. I'm going to be getting into the wedding deal this summer so I've been feeling out pricing structures and sizing up the competition. And I don't think I would hire anyone here. I don't like what they do really. I don't like their style...I don't know. I'm excited about doing some fun weddings this summer. I'm not doing weddings where I don't feel 100% about the couple. I want fun, exciting couples who are open about trying funky things to get memorable images. Period.

So if you are getting married...or you know someone who is...I may be your documenter of the day.

Take a peak...

2007-01-07T09:55:00.000-08:00

Over the the right there is a little link to a 365 Day project I started January 1st. Its really simple. You take a picture a day. Thats really the only rule. I'm going to try and focus mine on self portraits and/or specific connections with my day. And contrary to what everyone I talk to about it thinks....ITS HARD to take a picture every day. At least one with the intention of belonging to this project. I usually take SOMETHING every day, but work related stuff doesn't count, nor does "stock" that I shoot of the area, nor does snapshots of my dog. I can already tell that it's going to take a lot of dedication to take a shot every day. So if you're bored, bookmark the page and watch it grow through the year. No guarantees on quality of images, or on the content. Remember to refresh your cache if it doesn't change from the last day. But I'm hoping to try fun lighting, lots of colours and some reference to how my day is going...just understand that most of these will be take either right after waking up, while in the middle of a chaotic day, or just before bed. Also...I'm not that pretty to look at. So treat it like swimming, wait a half our after eating. :)

See it all happen here: Sabfoto 365

Last Year...

2007-01-05T17:27:00.000-08:00

I made a new catalog for my 2007 images. Its one of the ways I organize all my digital files. Yes...I can actually find EVERY and ANY image I shoot in about 2 minutes...tops. During the process, I decided to just take a peek and see if I had done any shooting on January 5th, 2006. And I had. I remember the day well. It was my first time out with some of the Bald E-Gal riders that had just finally gotten out to Utah. First backcountry jump of the year. So fun. None of the images were published, but always good times. I miss the snow. Its been an interesting fall/winter so far in Northern California. Interesting but good. Arts Alive! in Eureka tomorrow. Still haven't gone to one so I'm pretty excited.

Clean Your Plate Boy...

2007-01-03T00:37:00.000-08:00

2007 is going to be a busy one. Lots on the plate. A personal portrait project right around the corner, local stock to destroy, possibly a studio space to rent, many...many potential clients to win over and consulting several photographers in town on digital standards and workflow and the like. None of them want anyone else to know of course. Before moving here, when I heard "California" I always imagined the forefront of technology, computers and photography. I'm amazed that so many photographers in town here either just recently "went digital" or still shoot film. Not that its bad, just not what I expected. I've been amazed at the knowledge I've gained over the past couple years. I have a lot of great photographers to thank. ASMP to thank. Seminars and workshops to thank. E-Prep to thank. So much knowledge gained. Time to clean the plate!

Happy New Year!

2006-12-31T20:10:00.001-08:00

Next year:

More Photos.
Film.
Less Computer.
Natural Light.
More Photos.
Busy Schedule.

Coffeeshops and alleys...

2006-12-23T10:14:00.000-08:00

This is Hank's Coffeehouse and General Store. Its about 100 yards down the block from my house. They make a mean latte, have awesome ice cream and pastries, nice employees and its a good place to chill. But its a little spendy.

Charles and I bummed around Arcata yesterday. The real plan was to start a street portrait project. But strangely, the plaza area was like a ghost town. We only had about 10 offers to buy pot (4 times by the same guy). We found some sweet locations that I'm really looking forward to shooting in.

Roaming the town...graffiti...a red shoe...and a Fervus...

2006-12-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I met up with Fervus, (Left), who I "met" through Strobist, a blog and Flickr Group that is all about using small flashes and homemade modifiers. We grabbed a coffee (thanks Fervus!) and talked shop, talked photograph, talked school, talked work. Then we drove out to some old, abandoned concrete structures behind the mall in Eureka.

Full of graffiti, a couple hobos squatting in tents, lots of garbage and fun times. It was fun to be hanging out with another photographer. In my experiences, photographers are either really outgoing, always talking about things, sharing, wanting to hang out...or they are complete recluses who don't share any info or ideas, and certainly don't want to go "hang out" and just goof off. We messed around with some lighting, nothing fancy, just chatting about the methods really. I took some random photos, but mostly I just comtemplated and relaxed. Other photos are a lone red kids shoe and my black shoes, and some graffiti and reflections. I shot a couple assignments for the Eureka Reporter as well, nothing crazy fancy, but like always, a little fun, a little hectic and a little satisfaction.

Light My Fire...

2006-11-28T09:50:00.000-08:00

Last night I headed down to South Eureka to a bar called the Boiler Room. Send down by the paper. Being a freelancer in a small town means you usually get sent on the assignments that the staffers don't want to do. Either because its too late, too far, its raining, any number of reasons. Anyways, I went down and got to listen to some great live music. Yesterday would have been Jimi Hendrix's 64th Birthday. So in celebration, a local musician name Jimi Jeff and the Gypsy Band played a lot of Hendrix covers. And they played them well. Lots of fun, lots of energy. Good stuff. Opening band was St. John and Creamed which played classic Cream covers. Also very well. I've only been out to see live music a few times since coming to town. Never been impressed. I think you need to smoke a lot of dope to get into a lot of the local music. But you can never go wrong with well executed covers of classic rock and roll.

Another time...

2006-11-25T22:05:00.000-08:00

I love history. I used to play Dungeons and Dragons, not because I worshipped the devil, or jumped around my living room with a fake sword and a cape, but because it was like going back in time. The simplicity (or so it seems) of life. Simpler times, as far as technology...but much more work. Today I took some photos for the Eureka Reporter at a local place called Blue Ox Millworks, where, as their website states: "Victorian craftsmanship techniques of the 1800s are utilized to produce authentic custom quality products for homes around the world." They were holding a yearly fair-type gathering. Really cool stuff. I didn't have much time, but I tried to get something better than a snap-and-run photo. Fun stuff. The blacksmith didn't have his setup running yet...and I couldn't stay. So its mainly a little smoke. But you get the idea. I hate that part of newspaper work. The "time" factor.
The next photo is of a great lady who knew so much about the textile history. Great stuff. She owns a sheep farm just down the road from me. Watch for some sheep photos soon.

Not too much going on...

2006-11-21T19:42:00.000-08:00

I went down to Luffenholtz Beach to try and get some sunset shots of Camel Rock. The sunset was alright, but not as good as it could be. If those clouds would just get off the horizon...
Anyways, there was a guy bouldering and I took a few shots of him. Nothing special, but not too bad for 5 minutes before total darkness.
Not a lot going on. Making calls, getting ready to head home for Eiler's wedding on December 9th. I'm really excited to take pics of the family. I'm going to hang out with some of the photographers I used to really look up to in Duluth. Try to learn a little, shoot a little and live a little.

A sunny day, "landscapes" and another shot at the PERFECT TREE...

2006-11-15T11:31:00.000-08:00

I realize that I use ... a lot. Its how my mind works. Leica and I roamed around on a mountainous dirt road yesterday. Just cruising, hiking, and soaking in the sun. I wish I was a good landscape photographer. I don't do it too much. I tend to be too hyper to wait for a 2 second exposure. Or to wait for the cloud to move. Or to...what was I talking about?

Anyways, here's a couple shots from yesterday. Fall leaves are still around if you look hard. This isn't the PERFECT TREE...but I liked it anyways. It did confirm that the PERFECT TREE is an oak tree. Gnarled, twisted....

Veteran's Day...

2006-11-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

I spent some time at a Veteran's Day celebration last Saturday. Herb Wells is an oldtimer. He is a Veteran of WWII. The carrier he was stationed on, the USS Bismarck Sea, was sunk by the Japanese near Iwo Jima in 1945. Herb walked around the Veteran's Day celebration all smiles, slapping shoulders. Herbs stories about his wartime experiences brought me to tears.

Ahhh...my Lindsy...

2006-11-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

Lindsy. She rocks and I love her a ton. We're in Arcata for her to get her Master's Degree in Wildlife Conservation. She's plugging along...working her ass off. She hates having her picture taken, and she's downright muley when I try. But I snapped a sneaker of her yesterday. Smiling, NOT BLINKING, and being beautiful. Just thought I'd share.

Still raining...

2006-11-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

Storms were a brewin' the other evening. I was hoping for a spectacular sunset, but it got a little too heavy with the clouds and just became a cool stormy evening.

Things have been pretty uneventful lately. Yesterday I finally met Pete Grigsby. Pete is another freelancer at the Eureka Reporter. He does cool work. It was fun to get out and talk photography and stuff like that. We went for a hike with his dog up Jacoby Creek trail. I didn't bring a tripod, well, because I'm stupid. So I took a lot of really funky long exposures with water and my shaky hand photos. And this one macro of a leaf. Pretty boring. But the conversation was fun and it was great to finally meet Pete.
Thats about it. Shooting some things today for the paper. Sending files to some foreign magazines. Eating, sleeping, reading, listening, shooting, playing....

Run Forest?...run....

2006-11-04T21:26:00.000-08:00

I took some interesting photos today. I drove on down to Ferndale to meet a photographer (Matt Knowles) and "talk shop" as they say. Matt does some cool work.

Anyways, on my way back home, just after I got into Eureka, I see a couple cop cars on the opposite side of the Hwy 101. I spot the officers and an erratic looking guy waving his arms all over. A couple weeks ago, the EPD shot and killed a 16 year old and there's been an uproar over fatal police shootings over the last decade. So just in case, I decided to pull around and check it out. You never know...ya know?

I was walking up with my 80-200 lens, setting my exposure when the guy takes off running. The cops tazer him. It sounded like quiet firecrackers going off. He runs right out into Hwy 101 into all the traffic. The cops give chase, the female officer on the right is still holding the tazer gun and you can see the wires dangling.

I bolt after them. I've never done this stuff before in my life. My adrenaline got going, I'm dodging cars as I run across the busy highway. They tazer him again in the middle of the road, he keeps running and eventually they tackle him on the opposite sidewalk. I felt odd taking photos. I just felt the need to be there to document in case anything crazy happened. Crazy being more crazy than seeing a guy tazered and running through traffic. The officers got him cuffed, found a bag of pot and a syringe in his pocket. They have to take people to the hospital when they tazer them, the officers can't pull out the barbs. So they loaded him on a stretcher and wheeled him away. Knowing that the paper probably wouldn't run anything, I tried to just get a little creative and just keep documenting. In a weird way I felt bad for the guy. He has problems. It really makes me feel bad about the little things in my life that annoy me.

I shot a bunch of shots, but I liked these two the most. So quickly he went from psychotic, to marathon runner, to wrestler, to resigned.

As they rolled the stretcher by me, he gave me some advice. "Fuck Off." So I left.

Let the Rains Come...

2006-11-02T15:28:00.000-08:00

Its raining today. That slow drizzle that seems to dampen sound, light and moods. It didn't rain too often in Salt Lake City. If it did, it was only for a few hours, never an unrelenting day or more of wetness. I love the rain. It makes me think of being in college up in Bellingham at Western. The shot above was from my college days. I spent many a rainy day like today running around in this old building just outside of Bellingham. Back when I took photos I wanted to take and all I had to do was spout off some theory about what is behind the work. Fun times.

Today is like the weather. Slow and dreary. I met with the public relations director at the Mad River Hospital this morning. I'm trying to get out and show my work and meet people in the local business community as much as possible. Other than that, I've just spent some time playing with Leica. We went for a walk until we got too wet to continue. She hasn't ever really had to deal with the rain. Its funny.

There is a movie premier tonight at the Minor Theatre. When I lived in Salt Lake, I would go to all the premiers, "bro down" when I could and get stoked for the season. But this summer has really gotten me down on the snowboarding industry or, at least, my part in it. I shot all season, myself and the riders busting our butts. All winter and all spring I heard heaps of praise from magazine editors and company heads. And a bare handful of photos are being used anywhere. Its disappointing. The reality of it is that it is looked at like a priviledge for me to be able to shoot. Its "cool" and "fun" and I should thank them almost. Noone in the snowboarding industry wants to shell out even low-end rates for photos. And I just got over it. I worked too hard last season to LOSE as much money as I did. And to have great photos sit on my hard-drive and nowhere else.

So thats why I'm meeting with anyone and everyone around town I can. I don't want to travel this winter. I can barely even think about snowboarding without getting angry. And I want to move on.

Just Roaming Around.

2006-11-01T08:13:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to take a "day off". Its funny because, when your job is doing what you love, its hard to separate your work from your fun. I took that "day off" yesterday and walked around taking pictures. I love it. I was having a rough time about a month ago, and I even considered selling equipment and forgetting about photography while we are out in Humboldt for Lindsy to go to school. I emailed a photographer I knew in Salt Lake, Bob Bauer. Bob has like 10 websites for his stock, but thats one of them. I used to do this stuff a lot in college. Just roam around and find cool looking stuff. I haven't REALLY done it since then. Anyways, Bob told me to get off my ass and get out every day I can for an hour and just take pictures. Don't worry about work or money or anything like that, just shoot. So thats what I did yesterday. I roamed around old town Eureka for about 2 hours. I didn't shoot a ton, but I did like a few of what I did shoot. It felt good. I walked into an alley and it was creepy. On Halloween. The building on the left of me was COMPLETELY painted this crazy yellow colour from roof to pavement. The wires, the pipes, the wall itself, the doors, everything. There was also this reflection of light on the wall from a window on the opposite side of the alley.

I sat down in a hidden little coffee shop called 321 Coffee. Its an interesting little place. They don't have any to-go-cups of any sort. I read a little blurb on the website of the Northcoast Journal about them and in the interview the owner states "Every day I turn business away because I refuse to have paper or foam or even more recyclable forms of to-go cups. I hate single-use items," said owner Steve Palmer. "I run my business this way because I did not want to make a buck at the expense of fouling the planet."I respect this guy. Anyways, they also have a nice collection of old National Geographic magazines. I picked one up while sipping my Americano. It was from 1985. First page I found this beauty of an ad for Canon Cameras. The camera and lens look SOOOOO old. It was just so weird.
The photos were fun to look at. I haven't followed Nat Geo too much, and I know they went through some interesting changes over the years, but it was fun to see.

Today is just doing odds and ends. Last night I backed up and cataloged a bunch of images from the past month. Freed up about 30GB on the old hard drives. Our car registration expired yesterday, so I guess I had better finally go and get California plates. Other than that, its looking like a pretty dull day.

Today is officially MetallicA day.

2006-10-31T10:56:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here at the computer checking emails, reading photography related blogs and forums, looking at work, doing some invoicing, making a to-do-list and other odds and ends. I'm also trying to figure out how to get home to Northern Wisconsin for my best-friend's wedding and an early Christmas visit. You see, I used to live in Salt Lake City, where a straight flight from there to Minneapolis cost $250 if it was an expensive day. Well now I live in nowhere Northern California, and a cheap ticket is going to cost $500. So I'm trying to figure out how to make it all work.

My friend Eiler is a great guy. We've been friends for about 13 years now. We've definitely helped each other through ups and downs in our lives. Eiler also LOVES Metallica. He plays guitar, and when we were in high school (and I'm sure still) he could play every Metallica song. So when I listen to Metallica, thats all I can think about is him, and thusly, our friendship. As I was cooking breakfast this morning, iTunes was shuffling around on Party Shuffle and along comes the song Ride the Lightening by Metallica. Oh man...I haven't listened to Metallica in so long. So today I'm listening to Metallica ALL day...a tribute of sorts to a great friend.

It Sure Gets Me Thinking...and Scrambling

2006-10-29T10:43:00.000-08:00

Newspaper work is VASTLY different than what I am used to. When I first start getting into photography, I would take photos of whatever I wanted. It doesn't matter, I took pictures of my kids, trees, rivers, the dirt, a stranger on the street. Then I went to college, to Art School. And I still basically continued to shoot what I wanted. It changed from looking at other photographer's work, from philosophy, from life, but it was still my decision. Then I moved to Salt Lake City. I got pretty lucky I think, assisting some great snowboard photographers and starting to get into that industry. Which was something I love to do, and have done for half my life. So I pretty much still shot what I wanted to shoot. I didn't do weddings because they're, well, weddings. I didn't shoot for the paper because it held no interest to me. I didn't pursue studio portraiture because I didn't want to think about opening a studio. I shot what I wanted, when I wanted and for whom I wanted. Well, now I'm shooting part-time for a newspaper. And I have to say, it gets unsettling. I'm told to go to things that, to be honest, I really could care less about. But its been fun. It has made me look at things in a different way. I try to find something creative and interesting no matter what it is. And the best part is that it gets me out into the community, talking and meeting people who may become commercial clients in the future. You never know. I do fine in situations where there isn't anything in particular I need to capture. I just find something that represents the situation well, has good light or good composition, and go from there. I took the shots here at a kids museum halloween party.Window light on the child and a red-gelled flash in the throat of this THING.

It's the situations where things are hectic and there are people everywhere that I have a hard time. I just get into this mode where everything looks chaotic and I don't think the shots will work, so I don't shoot. I look for the good stuff, and I think sometimes the good stuff doesn't exist. I take it TOO seriously. I'm not following some basic direction from a client who is looking for something specific. I'm not creating a great ad campaign. I'm documenting the news. But it does get me thinking. And trying new things. For instance, I've never shot ANYTHING seriously above 400 iso on my camera, and if was ever anything that I thought I'd actually use, I kept it 200 or lower. So shooting at these crazy high iso's is new and different. But I guess when your printing on toilet paper it doesn't have to look spotless. So I need to work a bit on fast changing situations and crowded events.

Plugging away...

2006-10-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

The group shot of the employees at Kokatat went really well. I was up on the roof, people started coming out, I directed, they listened, I counted to "3", started shooting at "2" and shot about 13 frames total. All over in about 2 minutes. The owner of the company was really pleased. I guess the shoot normally takes about an hour. 100+employees missing an hour of work costs him a lot of money. I cut a few heads and made sure everyone had eyes open and smiles if possible. Delivered a finished image same day. Again, they were very impressed. Thats what you have to do with new clients. Wow them. Stay professional, show why they should hire you and not the other guy. Because good shooters are a dime-a-dozen, but that doesn't mean they are good to work with.

After I did that shoot, I drove on over to the Eureka Reporter and had an interview for a part-time staff position. There are a few things that I need clarified, and depending on the salary and benefits, I think I'm gonna take up that position. Its such a different thing for me. Shooting news. It will allow me to focus on my own stuff the rest of the week and hopefully things will continue to grow. Hard to do in a small market like this, but I know it will come.

I think I'm figuring it out...maybe...

2006-10-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

For barely leaving the house most days this week, I've sure done a lot. Or at least the days have gone by really fast. Cold calling a few places in town every day, trying to show my portfolio, trying to get work.

I have a shoot this morning, a simple group shot for a local company catalog. But its work, and they seem like a great company with future potential work as well. Have to start somewhere. I also have an interview with the Eureka Reporter today for a part-time position there. I went out on an assignment last night and it was pretty bad. I'd actually prefer if they didn't even run a photo and didn't pay me. It was a documentary that was produced by the local PBS station KEET-TV. It was called "Life After Meth" and followed the growing MethAmphetamine epidemic in Northwestern California. Afterwards there was a panel discussion with, among others, the Cheif of Police, City Council members, the Lt. Comm. of the Criminal Investigation unit of the Sheriff's Office and the Producer of the film. I shot a quickie group shot of the panel prior to the showing, which was lucky since I wasn't expecting to do that and happened to bring a light and umbrella. The photos after the house lights were turned off SUCK. They SUCK. They SUCK. DID I SAY THEY SUCK? They do. But what can you do in a pitch black theater with a bright screen up there? I want to ask what others would have done today at my interview.

So things are slowly happening. Whether they keep flowing or not I don't know. We'll see. But today I feel good.

My newspaper debut

2006-10-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

I got up this morning, walked to the coffeshop, got a paper, came home and...

I'm officially a newspaper photographer (of sorts). I had 4 photos in the paper. Not the photos that were my favorites from the Orchid Show or the Kayak Paddle, but I only sent them the best 3 or 4 from each shoot. And they looked pretty good. Its always fun to see your work in print, but the newspaper is new to me. I've seen my work in magazines all over the world, catalogs, flyers, brochures and all over the web...but the newspaper is NEWspaper.

So in the end was my day shooting yesterday worth it? Barely...and not because of money. Because I was shooting and learning and having fun.

Its the NEWS...man

2006-10-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

So today I finished my first day doing some freelance newspaper photography. It was interesting to say the least.

Firstly...it doesn't PAY well. Actually, it pays pretty poorly. But its certainly better than working at Safeway. Anyways the day went pretty well. I started out with 4 assignments, 2 of which didn't end up happening, and 1 more got added on the end of the day. So I went from 4 to 2 to 3. I shot 3. It felt like a good number. A kayak group, an orchid show and a high school football homecoming game.

I had NO idea what I was really supposed to do. So I just went-a-shootin. I kept waiting for the kayak group to "get together", but all they did was load their boats in the water, get ready, and start paddling away. I'm lucky I started shooting, because all of a sudden everyone was gone.

Orchids are a fascinating plant. So adaptable. So beautiful. So diverse. Kinda like humans in a way. They are found all over the world, with many different obvious characteristics, but their all the same on a certain level. Great stuff. I kept tryint to get good shots of people interacting with the flowers. Smelling, getting in for a close look, etc. I had this shot in my mind all day, but it never materialized. I'm not really sure if newspaper photographers do any directing while they shoot. I'd think not, they're there to document...but I should probably ask.

And then the highschool football game. WOW. I've never been to a football game in my life, and I'll admit that I didn't exactly like high school when I was there. But the intensity was wild. I remember back when I was a kid playing hockey, and I'm sure we were just as intense as players, and the parents just as intense as the fans at this football game. I tried to seek out specific shots, waiting and waiting for things to be right. I got a few successful shots and then started playing around with the action and following the play. It was actually a lot of fun in a weird way.

All in all, it was really fun to get out shooting and be doing stuff that is SO out of my eliment. I'm used to shooting people I know (snowboarders) or at least people that have a ton of similar interests and points of view (snowboarders). I had to actually think a little, adjust, talk to people, interact...it was fun.

I don't know how long I can justify doing it, but while I am, I'll try to keep it fun.

I've Got News For You...

2006-10-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Today was an interesting day to say the least. Yesterday I met with one of the local newspapers. They've been around for 152 years. Crazy. Today I met with the other local newspaper who has only been around for 2 years. All in all, I'm going out on 5 assignments tomorrow. I'm pretty excited. I've never really thought about doing newspaper work. I rarely see a newspaper photo that inspires me, or even makes me look twice. I see plenty of them in the National or International weeklies...TIME, LIFE, etc...and I'm sure big papers like the New York Times have some amazing work. But in general, its what it is. But considering most of my days lately are spent reading or playing with the dog I'm looking forward to having something do do tomorrow. But I know I will learn and continue to move forward, and who knows, maybe I'll make a few nice images along the way.

As an aside...the internet. Man...its such a wonderfully stupid place. Its so full on information and differing opinions, but sometimes I just get so annoyed with what people have to say. I recently started frequenting a blog called Strobist
David is a good shooter with a fascinating approach using small flashes and lot of home-made modifiers and the like. He is a staff photographer at the Baltimore Sun. In association with his blog, he has a Flickr group for Strobists and a lot of great discussion goes on there. But lately I keep getting annoyed by reading the same complaints about certain equipment, the same questions about gear. Its all in there people. Use the search function. Sometimes it's hard to keep a focus on being a professional and learning and working towards a career when you get inundated with amateurs points of view. Some would say its elitist...and maybe it is. But just like anything on the internet, its hard to weed through the zillion things that aren't of any use to find the one gem. And trying to explain something to someone who has no concept is really difficult.

This obsession with the "perfect tree"...

2006-10-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

Okay. So for YEARS I've had this obsession with a tree. Its in my mind. I'm always searching for it. Its on a hill, bushy but gnarly. I have never found it. But I came pretty damn close the other day. I found this guy below on a long hike with the dog...

It isn't THE tree...but I think I've narrowed the search. I now know that I'm looking for a gnarled old OAK TREE. That makes it a little easier. The search goes on....

Forgot about this thing...

2006-10-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

Okay. So I forgot about this thing. Like everything lately. But I think I'm back on track...life...career...love...etc.

I promise to be more faithful to my blog. What a horrible word. Blog.

The Big Move

2006-05-05T13:58:00.000-07:00

The big move to California is happening in under 3 months. Scary. Its going to be a challenge to get things in order to move. But I might not "have" to move. I might post back up here in SLC for the winter. Not sure. See how things pan out.

Its a start

2006-05-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hopefully someday I can look back and review thoughts and the process of learning about photography, business and life.