Nothing like getting together with cousins and playing until you just drop ‘cuz you’re dog-tired.
Waldo and Russell – 1st cousins.
Images
Palm Sunday
This one is in an effort to be more timely with my photos. It is, after all, Palm Sunday.
How timely is this? Another great sunset captured. Order a print of this image.
Cruise-In
When you’re traveling you just can’t say no to a quick stop to check out a potential photo opportunity. I actually stopped because a building caught my eye, but then I stumbled onto this old-timey car show. The trick was to take a tack-sharp image and “dirty” it up in an effort to match the Cruise-In theme of yesteryear. What do you think, too much?
This scene just felt retro when I saw it.
Sunny Side Up
I think my circadian rhythms automatically sync to the sunrise whenever I travel. It doesn’t matter when I go to bed the night before, I’m always up before the sunrise the next day.
A few short hours and I caught up with the sun on the other side of yesterday.
Composition
“How do they know what they want when they haven’t even seen it?”
– Steve Jobs
Frame your next photograph with this thought in mind – only show them what you want them to see. It always amazes me to see what goes on behind the scenes of any video shoot. Any that I’ve done. Any that I’ve seen. I can’t watch any video anymore without the production gears in my head spinning out of control. It’s just fascinating. The lights, the flags, the reflectors, the people, the gadgets and doodads – all just out of the frame. But all there to make what is in the frame that much better. Just fascinating. And that’s just it – only show them what you want them to see. So grab a camera and start shooting those extraordinary scenes that may just be smack dab in the middle of a bunch of chaos. But once you frame all that junk out, you’re left with insanely great images!
This doorknob just stood out to me as unique, but I had to look past all the distractions to really see it.
Work The Scene
I’ve mentioned before that I try to shoot various angles of any scene I’m photographing (unique angles). But I keep thinking that for every individual image that I post here, I’ve got close to 5-10 other decent images that may get pushed aside and forgotten about. This also helps me out on those days where I haven’t shot at all. I shot today, but am having a tough time nailing down the part of the image I want to feature. So while I figure out how to proceed with that one I thought I’d post another one from the day I shot in my church’s sanctuary.
I’ve always found it difficult to shoot in this sanctuary due to the hot spot at the altar. The HDR post-processing technique certainly helps.
Detour
It’s a good thing I take my camera everywhere nowadays. After day 1 of 2 at a freelance job in Fishersville, the interstate was completely backed up so as any good photographer would do, I took an immediate detour into the nearby town – Staunton. It had been nasty, wet weather all day so I looked for interesting places to shoot inside (and I’m into churches right now apparently – namely the sanctuaries and stairwells). I really wanted to get to the top of this one, but couldn’t quite figure it out…
Detours can take you to some great places. I really wanted to shoot from that landing up there (looks like remnants from what the church used to be). The rope was for the church bell.
The Eyes Have It
I revisited this one from a couple of years ago and processed it very differently because there was just something about it that was so intense. As I got into it I realized that it was the eyes. Doesn’t it feel like he’s staring into your soul?
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Wishing & Hoping
Betcha he’s wishing for better weather on the east coast.
Happy Place
Everybody’s got one, right? Where’s yours?
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“The Bridges of Lancaster County”
We took an impromptu weekend trip to Lancaster County in PA a couple of years ago just to see the covered bridges. Aside from jumping back in history, it’s fun to just do something spontaneous every once in a while.
One of the 29 covered bridges in Lancaster County, PA.
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Selfie
I think my dog Waldo is learning to appreciate the fact that I almost always have a camera handy and that he’s an unwilling subject in of a lot of my images.
A new twist on the ever-popular selfie. I just always have to be slightly different.
Worship
“Worship is one of the odder things the Christian community does…
But, with worship there is the very real potential and possibility that, by God’s Spirit, I will be enlivened, nourished, purified, opened, surrendered and so will you.”
The very elegant communion table in the Boyd Chapel of First Presbyterian Church, Winchester.
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Open Arms
Welcoming “Spring” with open arms. Although 2 hours on the indoor trainer is good for me, I think I’m going to crack if this weather doesn’t get better soon. Really looking forward to normal outdoor recreational activity in the very near future.
The plants so desperately want to start blossoming.
The Badlands
Even though we really just breezed through and didn’t really get a chance to go to any of the lookouts, it really was a unique experience. It really did feel like we were out in the middle of nowhere.
The seriously wacky other-worldly landscape of the Badlands in South Dakota.
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Higher Ed
Shot this one a while back, but I’m only just now getting around to processing it. I’m heading to Charlottesville next week for a bike race so maybe this begins my next collection – Higher Ed.
The main entrance to Cole Hall on Bridgewater College’s campus in Bridgewater, VA.
Discovery
It probably seems random to go back to posting images from Udvar Hazy Air & Space Center, but that’s just me right now – random. Just whatever pops into my head as I look through my huge library of images. This is, after all, a photography blog (I feel like I’ve said that before).
A perfect vantage point for photos of the Space Shuttle Discovery. | Order a print of this image.
Postcard
The current Cape Henry Lighthouse from inside the stairwell of the original.
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I’ve had plenty of people tell me that my photos remind them of postcards. To be honest (and absolutely no offense intended), that’s more of an insult than a compliment – and here’s why (at least from a photographer’s perspective). One of the main goals of any professional photographer is to be different, to separate their work from all others. A postcard is a tourist souvenir that simply showcases where you are. You can share it with others or keep it for your scrapbook. Point is, it’s usually a simple image of the surrounding area – nothing incredibly creative (keep in mind I’m strictly talking about the image postcards, not the creatively designed ones). So even though I wouldn’t mind if my images landed on postcards some day, a significant part of me lashes out inside when I hear “your photo belongs on a postcard.”
Now here’s the disclaimer…
In my early days I actually used to go straight to the postcard racks to see if I could recreate the images I found there and I usually could. Fast forward to today and you’ll still find me looking at the racks, but now I look to make sure I’m NOT shooting the same stuff. Sure, everybody wants to take the pretty images of any locale. So once you’re done shooting like everybody else, take the tourist hat off and BURN IT. Then spend the next 15 minutes or day or weekend shooting unique images.
Patuxent
After leaving DC, I ventured into Maryland before heading down to VA Beach. It’s always fun discovering new places. I even drove through Hollywood and California on my way to the lighthouse featured a couple of days ago.
Drove over this bridge to the lighthouse, but had to photograph it before leaving. | Order a print of this image.
Cedarmeade Studios 