Patterns

This weeks theme will be patterns. Photographers, including myself, are fascinated with patterns. I think that is because, unlike painters, we deal with physically moving our position and the position of our tools (tripod,lens,etc.)to compose an image. Of course there are patterns in everything, but this weeks images will focus on images that I like primarily because of their repetitive patterns. This one was taken along the Chicago river on the Architectural tour. You can see other images and buy prints of this one at my commercial gallery.

WindowPatterns on the Chicago River

WindowPatterns on the Chicago River

Summer Fun

Labor Day weekend usually signifies the end of Summer. Once again, the kids are back in school and traffic and schedules for everyone become more rigid because of it. Even if you don’t have children, you don’t want to get caught behind “the late bus” climbing up the mountain on a two lane road. So here is a video highlighting some fun we had this Summer. To see more images and buy prints or apparel visit my commercial gallery.

The Production Assistant

The production assistant is the person on a movie set that does whatever is asked. That could include getting coffee, tape or just about anything. They need to find the wandering actors and extras and make every body shut up. A thankless job even in today’s film environment. On the set of Dawn of The Dead in 1978 or any small budget movie the person might actually be an intern and not even paid for their work. I am not sure if this young lady was paid or not, but she handled it all with a smile, not a frown. You can see more behind the scene images and buy prints on my commercial gallery.

Production Assistant  on Dawn of the Dead

Production Assistant on Dawn of the Dead

Monet’s Garden at Giverny

It was difficult taking pictures in Giverny. There were a lot of people and the garden had a lot of shade. I was without a tripod and it was challenging to get the correct depth of field.This plant had some light on it making it one of the “keepers” from the shoot. I am assuming this plant is holly?

Monet’s water garden in Giverny is located just outside of Vernon France. It is a short day trip from Paris and worth the train and bus ride. The house and gardens are unique and stunning and kept in the same way that they were during the time of Claude Monet. If you have the time it is worth spending a night since the entire area is really a tribute to nature and art. You can see other images and buy prints and apparel at my commercial gallery.

holly

The Kiss

I published the middle image from this series a couple of years ago and it is a candidate for my work in progress, “Just a Kiss”. However, yesterday while reviewing images I noticed the sequence for the first time. The three pictures were taken in sequence over one minute. In the first the young lady seems to want to have nothing to do with this guy, the image says no..no..NO! The middle is the kiss and the final image, well they both seemed to like it. See other images and buy prints and apparel at my commercial gallery.

The Kiss

The Kiss

Le Canard Confit

I have always been an adventurous eater. When I worked for Konica and visited Japan, I adopted Sushi and Sashimi as it were the food of my culture and became slightly obnoxious about making sure everyone loved it as well. When I worked for Agfa and began to visit Europe regularly I was always careful to order foods that I couldn’t easily get in the United States and one of those was Duck Confit. I always thought it meant Duck leg but not so. It referrers to the method of curing the duck and cooking it in its own fat.

I have found that it is not easy to do correctly and frequently it is greasy. In the USA, I will only order it the best French Restaurants. However in France or the Benelux countries even a small cafe like this one knows how to make it. You can see other images and buy prints or apparel on my commercial site.

Le Canard Confit

Le Canard Confit

The Ivy School of Professional Art Reunion

From 1975 through 1978 I was employed by the Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh PA as a Photographic Instructor. With the help of students and staff we constructed darkrooms and studios. I was fortunate to have some great students who turned out to be successful photographers and illustrators and most of them also turned into great people. Our field trips were legendary. Thanks to social media we have reunited and the Facebook group now has over 170 members. This weekend a lot of them will meet for an annual reunion, which unfortunately I can’t attend.

Some of my students have not survived though like the stunning Becky Richardson who was kind enough to model for the class on one of our field trips to an old barn. Rest in Peace Becky, I am sure you will be well remembered this weekend. You can see other images and purchase prints and apparel at my commercial site. This image is not for sale.

Remembering Becky Richardson

Remembering Becky Richardson

Texting on the Emerald Sea

Maybe they were calling for help because they were scared of the algae filled water? Maybe they were texting each other? Maybe the male was looking up instructions on how to row a boat? Whatever the reason they didn’t seem to be paying attention to each other which is what a romantic row boat ride in New York’s Central Park is all about. You can see other images or buy prints and apparel at my commercial gallery.

Texting on the Emerald Sea

Texting on the Emerald Sea

Drumline

It is not unusual to see street musicians in the summer in any USA city. That is especially true for New York City and Central Park. It is also interesting to see how different musicians create changes in crowd behavior. A string quartet will cause people to sit or gather and quietly listen for a while. A folk singer may cause people to slow down or run away depending on the song and quality. Drummers though make people behave. People tend to walk quickly and in step to the beat. If I was the New York City Parks Commissioners I would pay these guys a fee to be near the most congested areas to keep the crowds moving. These guys were great and well worth a buck. See more images or buy prints and apparel at my commercial gallery.

DrumLine

DrumLine

The Lake at Central Park

The Lake at Central Park on the West Side of Manhattan is the second largest body of water in the park after the reservoir. You can rent row boats if you are so driven or rent bikes to ride around the park. If you live in the city nothing is more fun on a summer Sunday than being in the park, if you live in the mountains where I live, it’s no big whoop. You can see other images and buy prints and apparel at my commercial gallery.

lake