Photography

The Human Connection

Lately, I've been wondering why it is that we shoot what we shoot.  It's interesting to me that my brother and I share the same love for photography (he's a whole lot better than I am), same love for the ocean, for people, etc.  But we see subjects very differently. 

His latest subject matter is bugs and birds; amazing macro photography.  I would have never, in a million years, considered how beautiful that can be. 

I guess my thing is people.  Of course, I love shooting my family, my kids and friends.  I cherish those shots.   But it's the shots of strangers that speak to me in a different way.  I often wonder what the person was thinking.  I want to know their story.  Are they married, single, creative, logical, passionate or indifferent?  What makes them tick?

Sometimes, I sit back and look at my photography and I see these people; a man in a Central Park reading a book, a street drummer playing plastic buckets.  I imagine what their lives are like.  And in some small way, why they were drawn into my life, if only for 1/250th of a second.  But whatever the reason, I'm thankful that they have been.

 

-Teddy

Dig through your old shoeboxes

So I was working on a project and was going through my digital shoebox, aka external hard drive.  I came across these shots.  I wondered why I hadn't noticed them when I first took them, but I'm glad I eventually did.

With the proliferation of digital photography, we seem to shoot a gazillion more pictures than we used to so it's easier to overlook great shots when weeding through the masses.

In fact, I just shot my sister's wedding.  Between my shots and my brother's shots, we snapped over 1,300 pics.  I'll be working on that for some time to come.  I was thinking about my own wedding fifteen years ago and how our photographer probably shot a hundred or two.  Less margin for error I suppose.   

So the question for another BLOG entry will be, has digital made it too easy for people become semi-pros?   Can anyone be an accidental Ansel Adams, Gordon Parks or Steve McCurry if the subject matter presents itself?

-Teddy

The downside of cameras

Beyond being a lover of photography, I'm a lover of the ocean.  I surf...a lot. 

This morning, my fellow DGWB Surf Clubbers challenged me on calling myself  "surfer".  You see, last night, we were preparing for nice swell this morning with light off shore breezes.  Dream conditions.  We were all amped to go out before work.   Normally, we get all psyched, end up with poor conditions , blow off surfing and go eat a fattening breakfast at the Sugar Shack.

So, I had my board, wetsuit, towel and work clothes laid out.  My coffee pot was set for 5:30.  I turned on a Jack Johnson movie and salivated at the idea of scoring some sweet waves.   One problem, I couldn't find my keys.  ANYWHERE!  Suffice it to say, I missed the session. 

My buddy told me later, "You should live the scout motto, be prepared."

It turned out that the day was, in fact, epic.  Rather than my bros lying to me and telling me conditions were poor, maybe saving me some heartache, they sent me this.

These are the times I wish digital cameras were never invented and we were left with the tall tales of perfect A-frames.

Check out J's blog

-Teddy

Sometimes you just stumble on it

I used to think photography was a bit like paint by numbers.  Determine what you want to shoot, set up the camera, shoot it, develop it, and if it looks good enough, frame it.

But, after looking back at everything I’ve shot the most meaningful, the most memorable are those images that just popped into my lens: a shot of my wife lazily strolling the Avenue Georg Cinq, tulips on Park Ave. while trying not to be hit by an angry taxi driver, or a mass of Colonel Sanders bobble-heads.

One afternoon, our KFC team was preparing some kits for a franchisee event and had a bunch of these bobble heads sitting around.  The light was flooding through an open window and I thought, that looks pretty cool.  I wondered what this army of Colonel Sanders dudes were thinking about me staring at them.  So I grabbed a camera and fired away. 

After capturing the images, I wondered what earthly value these photos would have.  They’ll never run in any print ads. They won’t be hung in the Guggenheim.  They will probably never make it from digital to print. 

But I look at them, and they just make me smile.  So I guess there’s some value in that.

   

Back it up!!!!! Two Points

So my BLOG's been a little dormant.  Sorry about that, my HD crashed....yes with just about everything I've shot in the last year and a half.  POINT #1: Back your stuff up.  Save it on to your computer.  Save it on to another HD.  Save it to disk, preferably Memorex brand (plug.) 

However, not is all lost.  I was perusing my desktop an came across this shot my wife took and I thought I'd share it with you.  It think it's awesome.  Nice light and composition, but she capture an incredible mood.  Imagine what she could do with a nice DSLR.  POINT #2: Great photography isn't about what camera you have or lens you have.  Sure, quality equipment helps you manipulate light and angles to get exactly what you want.  But, the true art is in the artists eye.

-Teddy

click on image to enlarge

DGWB Art at Amorviejo Gallery

Last week, we closed an art exhibit called, The Fine Art of DGWB at Amorviejo gallery in Santa Ana.  A group of employees, from Art Directors to Accountants displayed their personal work.   We had everything; photography, oils, acrylics, mixed media, a multi-dimensional audio visual experience and fashion.

One of the agency’s partners, Jon, decided to dust off his guitar, get his buddies together can play for the crowd.  They were fantastic! 

From time to time, I’m asked to shoot company events for my agency, DGWB.  Usually, I have no light set-up.   I sort of grab and go….what we affectionately call snapshots.  Of course, I’m not snapping with an old Kodak Instamatic (I sure do miss that little guy).  I usually shoot with a Canon 20D or a Sony F828 prosumer setup. {don’t really want to get into the digital vs. film debate…maybe another time}.

Well, caught up in the moment and relaxed from the local brew, I sort of forgot to shoot exhibit closing until there was very little light.   I had to mess around with film speed with a wide open aperture. Shooting at 400 or 800 ISO gives to the ability to shoot in low-light situations, but does get grainy.  I suppose that can add a nostalgic dimension in post, or maybe I’m just post-rationalizing some bad shots.

At one point, Jon was singing and the sun was breaking through the window and I thought it be a great opportunity to play with some light flares.  Not exactly what I had hoped, but interesting.  Joseph Banuelos, a local artist and one of the owners of the gallery was masterful on variety of stringed instruments.  He played everything from a stand up bass, an antique electric and my favorite, slide on a resonator.    For those less familiar, a resonator is a beautiful guitar common to the blues.

Check a few of the pics.

-Ted

Gray Skys are Gonna Clear Up

Recently, the agency was pitching a new piece of business.  I can tell you now because we won the business and it’s public.   Woo Hoo!!!!

Anyway, so I was asked to join a small army of agency folks to go on a fact finding mission to Rancho Mission Viejo and shoot some textural stuff for the pitch.  The product was avocados.  Personally, I can’t stand the damn things.

I was really the third-string photographer behind a paid professional photographer and our creative director.  But what the hell, a half day out of the office and a chance to shoot those nasty green fruit.  Not a bad way to spend the morning.   I was hoping for a warm Southern California day…you know, the kind you see in all those vineyard photos.  No dice.  The sky was gray and cloudy.  Not very romantic.

I grabbed my trusty Sony F828 and played around with a color settings.  I wondered if a sepia tone would do to shift the mood.   If so, we could desaturate everthing and take a completely different approach.

I noticed our host was casually posing in a relaxed yet confident way.  I shot low to accentuate his John Waynesque stance.   At that moment, I felt a little more connected to him.  I started shooting his hands, his boots….oh and the “fruit”.

So what started out as a crappy day of shooting some funky fruit, turned out to be an eye-opening experience.  In this moment, I realized the dignity and importance of our country’s farmers.  The care they put into their craft.

By the way, I’m still not eating avocados. 

T-

Welcome to my BLOG

Welcome to my photography BLOG.  I hope you find it funny, touching and inspiring.  As an amateur photog, I think that's the goal of any photography. 

In my upcoming posts, you'll find a hobbyist's perspective in a field full of very talented people.  Though I've never been formally schooled in photography, I like to think of myself as a student of observation.  People, places and things.  Everything is fair game for me; a friend's smile, a building and even a banana. Everything around us has shape, has meaning. 

Professionally, I work for DGWB, an advertising agency in Santa Ana, CA.  The job has given me an opportunity to see my surroundings in a different way and find a new perspective on photography.  There is a ton of subject matter in Santa Ana.  Here are a few shots of the architecture around the neighborhood.   -Ted