Skate Park Blues

 

During one of our strolls through the Thames River Festival, we can across a skate park.  There were so many young skaters and BMX riders that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to photography them in their element.  See, before we went to London, I had been wanting to shoot some skate parks.  They're gritty, they have graffiti, the skaters and bikers are interesting subjects, and some amazing stunts go down.  These elements all make for some intriguing images.  However, the small skate park in Troy, OH isn't that interesting and the individuals performing the tricks are on a beginner skill level (for the most part).  So, stumbling upon this was a dream come true.  My action photography needs some work, but I was very happy with some of the shots I got and I can't wait to try again with some other skaters. The feet are essential to biking and skating; a lot of tricks require some serious footwork.  Because of this, I tried to focus specifically on the feet and the bike/skateboard in my images.  I think it is a refreshing perspective and I look forward to using it again.

London Through the Lens Part 2

Abstract London

This abstract is a shot of the spokes on the London Eye.  I loved the way the lines looked against the sky.  I converted this to black and white.  I like that something so simple can become an abstract.

 



I absolutely love this shot and I knew I would from the moment I framed it in the viewfinder.  To me it looks like a painting, but it's actually a staircase in the White Tower at the Tower of London.  Art is everywhere and I enjoy that I can create an image, such as this one, with my eye and the camera.



This has recently become one of my favorite images.  This is actually the facade of a building.  The colors, rectangles, and lines make this an engaging piece of architecture and I was glad I could capture that.





I typically don't like to alter photos and enter into the realm of what's called digital art.  However, on occasion, I will experiment.  When I captured this image, I knew immediately that I wanted to work with a special effect.  This is an image of the Houses of Parliament.  The original image was underexposed, but I knew it would work for the finished product.  This building is so distinguishable, I felt that most individuals would be able to recognize it without seeing the exact image I captured in my camera.  So, after processing the RAW file, I used the threshold effect to create the image above. 

 

London Through the Lens

London Calling (A Reflection on Creativity)

Where do I begin with this post?  It's been a few months since I returned to the states after being on my honeymoon in England with my beautiful wife.  England is such an amazing country and we didn't come close to scratching the surface of it.  We spent the majority of our time in London; I can tell you that London is a historical, bustling, hip, architectural, proper, dark, diverse and amazing metropolis that should be on the "must see" list of every traveler.  I knew what I was experiencing while I was there, yet I didn't fully grasp it until recently.  Recollection has a way of bringing new layers to things.  I took over 1,000 pictures on this journey and it takes a little time to review them all, pick the best shots, and make minor edits where needed.  During the shooting of those 1,000 images, I had some uncreative moments.  I felt like I wasn't getting the type of shots I wanted and it frustrated me.  The entire trip wasn't like that; I had some amazingly creative days and I would come away from the day very pleased with what I had shot.  However, it wasn't until recently that I read a quote that put things in perspective for me.  The quote was from Etty Hillesum.  Etty Hillesum was a young, Jewish woman, who kept letters and diaries that described life in Amsterdam during the German occupation.  These letters and and diaries were later published after her death.  Etty Hillesum said: 

"One must also accept that one has uncreative moments. The more honestly one can accept that, the quicker these moments will pass." 

There is something so simple about this quote, yet it can be so hard to comprehend in the moment.  Even though I took a number of shots that I won't post on this blog, I won't upload to my Flickr account, I won't print for display, or enter into shows, it's still a memory that I've created.  Sometimes that's all that matters.  I have over 1,000 visual recollections of an amazing trip that I shared with my wife.  I'm currently not paid to travel to different locales and spend all day getting the perfect shot.  Would I love to do that?  Absolutely; however, had I realized at the time that I was going to have uncreative moments and the shot that I was getting was only going to serve one purpose, those uncreative moments may have passed sooner and I would've been in a creative sweet spot more often than not.  I can tell you that I'm going to refer to this quote throughout the new year when I'm shooting. Not only will I refer to it often, but I will also refer to it when I'm reviewing and editing images from a recent shoot.  I will be able to appreciate the images for what they are and the great images will stand out and mean even more to me; both as a photographer and a person.  This is what has happened as I've been reviewing and working on my London images.  I love the great shots, but I also appreciate the "to show I was here" shots.  There's something so refreshing about viewing a city through your own eyes and then reliving those images time and time again.  Looking at London is like looking through a window to the past, yet a past that is surrounded by modern day advances (forgive the cliche).  London is a city that has old world traditions; however significant those traditions are, they don't impede the need for the unique, spontaneous and artsy vibe of a high number of its' inhabitants.  It's also a city that has a dark side.  Most everyone is aware of the story of Jack the Ripper and if you read about the East End of London in the 1800s, it's quite likely that you'll be shocked to discover the type of living conditions that were present for a high number of people in those days.  Put all of those elements together, surround them with a blend of 11th Century - 21st Century architecture and you have one of the most vibrant cities in the world.

What you'll see in the upcoming posts will be my view of London.  I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed taking them and as much as I enjoyed reliving the trip as I picked the ones to share with you.  I also hope that as I continue to blog, you notice a growth in my photography skills and my images.  My blog is a representation of my creative moments and as I realize that I have uncreative moments behind the camera, my hope is that it doesn't translate to the work that I'm presenting to you. 

Guggenheim (Deconstructed)

I can't possibly do the Guggenheim justice, but this is what I call Guggenheim Deconstructed.  I've taken a series of black and white photos of structural elements and defining qualities of the building to give everyone a sense of how amazing this structure is; even in parts.

The Guggenheim

Frank Lloyd Wright.  Architect.  Japanese Print Collector.  Functionality.  Genius.  Visionary.  Ahead of his time-then and now.  These are words I would use to briefly describe Frank Lloyd Wright.  I briefly touched on Frank Lloyd Wright and the Guggenheim in my NYC overview post, but I feel that this building and the man who created it should be given their own post.  For those of you who don't know, Frank Lloyd Wright was asked in 1943, by letter, to design a new building to house Solomon R. Guggenheim's museum of paintings.  Like many times before and many times after, this was a project that put the artist (Frank Lloyd Wright) and his creativity in direct conflict with his client, the city, the art world and essentially everyone.  In fact, it was a great struggle that wasn't realized until 1959; after both Wright and Guggenheim had past away.

If you haven't seen it, the building is a geometrical marvel.  In fact, it seems to posses otherworldly qualities.  It goes against the typical train of thought for how a museum is laid out, yet I'm surprised more museums haven't used it as a model.  The gallery area of the museum is a never ending circle; one exhibit flows right into another as an individual ascends or descends.  The individual pieces of art are next to each other, yet they are in their own gallery.  This is how art should be viewed.  As a continuum; pieces that are breathtaking and can be viewed and enjoyed for their individual merit, yet as a whole they encompass an exhibit that speaks volumes to the subject at hand.  This is how I felt about the exhibit "Haunted."  This exhibit featured contemporary photography, video and performance.  Photos, videos and past performances are essentially ghosts of the individuals that were photographed or videotaped.  An image is the freezing of time; a moment; a feeling; an event.  It's one of these things, yet it's all of these things.  When we leave this world, there will still be part of us left behind in these images.  Does that make you look at an image or a video differently?  Do the pictures that you take, that you post, define you?  Do they represent the person you were at that time?  Do they represent what you aspire to be?

Seeing this exhibit was, for lack of a better word, very haunting.  To view these images and realize these ghosts of the past (some even decades ago) were there in some form on the day I visited, it's just staggering.  Were those individuals aware that they would be viewed in such a way?  What would they think?  Photography and video is a great way of remembering and capturing the world.  The artist behind the camera could be feeling very different emotionally than the subject of their work; however, a good artist will not only be able to capture the subject, but they'll be able to capture that emotion.  That emotion is what will live on forever when we, as individuals, are no longer here.  Think of the Guggenheim; it's Frank Lloyd Wright living on forever.  He had the push, guts and mental and emotional fortitude to follow his dream and achieve his vision, no matter how many people were against it.  Today, the building doesn't look like typical architecture from the '50s - it looks contemporary or futuristic even to today's standards.  This is part of his legacy.  He lives on forever; we are haunted by his beauty every day.

As an amateur photographer, if I can can convey an emotion of the moment that I captured, than I, in essence, am doing what I set out to do with my photography.