New England: This is why winter doesn't suck!
Here is why winter doesn't suck. Snow. If you are the type of person that looks outside after a fresh snow dump and your head spins while you vomit uncontrollably as if you were staring in a particular movie, you might want to rethink you future in 4 seasons demographic, consult with a physician, because you are possessed with the winter blues. No matter what I say or show you, you will continue to hate the snow more than anything else.
If you love the winter, love the snow, and when you draw the curtains back and see a fresh coating of white stuff and your eyes gleam harder than if you saw a Red Rider bb gun under your tree, you will enjoy the following photos.
I went out last night for about an hour. It was much colder than I thought it was going to be. I had a pair of jeans on, winter boots, an interior jacket and a shell to keep me dry. I wore a pair of gloves and a winter hat to also fight off the effects of the cold. I went to a place that I frequent. The time of day was different than the last time I was there and I knew I would find something visually appealing. I moved around a bit, making photos. I decided to switch locations when a large plow came and sat behind my truck. I was unsure if he was waiting for back up to come and tow me or if he was there to pop a few beers down the hatch to stay warm and lubed up on his snowy conquest that evening. I didnt want to chance it so I took off.
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I cruised around with 4 wheel drive on for a few minutes and settled on this location. I was just out to take a break from editing a few projects and needed a creative break from being creative. So escaping the desk was a health decision. I am not one to complain about the cold unless I am suffering. By suffering I mean if I found myself naked and buried in a snow bank. I might be a little "whiny" then. For the most part the cold doesn't bother me. The snow, I love the snow. I always have. Growing up in New England you adapt to the changing seasons and welcome the transitions between. However, when I arrived at the second location I figured, I will only be here a few moments, I don't need my gloves.
I moved around and made a few photos. I was searching for something unique and think I was able to capture that quite well. It felt a bit colder than when I first left the house. I wasn't sure if it was because my hand was stiff and I couldn't bend my fingers or if it was because my fingers were becoming stuck to the buttons on my camera remote. I figured it was time to leave if my skin was starting to morph into the controls.
I would like to take a moment to address the City of Boston: Mother Nature doesn't hate you, I promise. New England doesn't hate you, I promise. You are seeing some unusually high amounts of snow this year, enjoy it. Find ways to enjoy it because winters in New England are shifty. Snow one year, not the next. Blizzard upon blizzard one year, flurries the next. Snow is a wonderful texture to the cold. It makes being cold less cold if you have a reason to be outside. Go line the Boston Common with an army of snowmen. Have random snowball fights. Build unique sculptures out of snow, but whatever you do, avoid the yellow, brown, light brown snow.
Night Photography: After Hours
I started making photographs at night when I was in school. Back then I was running around with a tripod, an old slr, 400 tri-x bw film, and no idea what I was doing, except that I was having fun. Night photography is something I still do. The tools have changed, my vision has grown and expanded, and I still have the same fun I did years ago. The thrill is higher, knowing what I want to capture and that there is a method to doing so. I have found, for me and my work, rainy nights create the perfect ambiance. Textures come to life. There is a poetry that exists on rainy nights that otherwise doesn't exist on most nights. There is peace, quiet, and an unlimited amount of images to be found.
Last night I grabbed my Canon 5d Mark ii, my iPad, and left the studio after a long day of work. I had my pancake 40mm 2.8 mounted. I haven't used a tripod at night in a long time. With a camera this good, high iso capabilities, I have not much need for a tripod. If I were to be shooting something like a landscape, bracketed exposures, or the stars I would surely use a tripod. Just running around at night with a good lens and high iso, no need for the cluncky set of legs. I did however forgot a key cable to connect to my iPad's cable. Dang... So I wasn't able to post these photos till this afternoon before getting into some projects. For me, I see things in the night that I do not get to see during the day. I am inspired. I was inspired. I made photographs.
Thoughts: Photography and Long Exposures
I make photographs. When I picked up a camera it was because it felt right in my hands, it was an inexplicable feeling of love and emotions towards this ability to see, capture, reproduce, and share what I see, or create for that matter. The idea and notion that a photograph can record a moment, distill beauty, even when the moment of beauty is not defined by the perceived ideals of what beauty is, it is really about being able to make an image. I took up photography because it fulfills this sense of completeness, it is as if I found a part of myself I was looking for. After the realization that photography was a part of who I was, I embraced my ability and desire to create and make photographs. I have devote hours, days, minutes, months, and years to learning. I will never stop learning as the medium is an ever shifting paradigm. I have since taken this passion forward and established a business and career in photography. When I realized that photography was going to be my livelihood as well as the passion that drives and motivates my life, I started planning out my career. We all have our own unique way of seeing something that is specific to every photographer. Once we pass the formidable rules of composition and lighting, pass the idea that photography has its own vocabulary, and we zip through the technical jargon, we are faced with defining who we are with our style. Our style is our personality through images. It is our vernacular and how we converse. Our style is like our voice, it is unique to us. It can not be replicated. It can be sought after, desired, praised, passioned, and create as much as emotion as the images itself conveys.
Every day there is one thing through the course of that day that renews my affection towards what I do. Like being in a relationship with a person, you can not love someone till you love yourself. The same principal can be put into your work as a photographer. I find inspiration in life and by what surrounds me. I am influenced by those who exude passion for what they do and for their creating their own style. Everyone has the ability to press the button of a camera, but without knowledge and understanding there lacks an existence of ability. This is replaceable with a desire to grown, sustain, and believe in ones ability to find their voice and speak. I make photographs and live in visual world. I use photography as a means to speak, engage, and promote how I see the world around me. Make photographs, develop your own voice, and tell the world who you are through photographs.
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The night before last I went out to try and capture some shooting stars. The frequency at which they were streaking the sky was very low. It didnt afford me many chances to capture any. I was able to have some fun, capture a few good images, and still come back with something to show.
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