Day Fiftythree: Composition

A few posts back I mentioned how I see a scene through the camera as a collection of shapes. I present the photo above to illustrate this concept. I look through the viewfinder and begin adjusting the camera position and focal length of the lens (if using a zoom), and pay attention to the various lines in the scene. In this case the phone poles, utility lines, road all divide the scene up into various shapes. I use those shapes & lines to draw the eye to the subject, in this case the car. There is nothing accidental in this composition. However, I did have to work quickly because of the car moving rapidly away from me. The photo below shows how the scene is composed of lines and shapes.

Day Fiftytwo: Salad Scraps

Forty degrees in Chaumont NY at 6:00AM. Nice & sunny too. The better half and I are driving to Painesville, OH to visit her family. We are just now approaching Brewerton, NY. Still sunny. However, we hear of rain in Ohio. Rats.
So last night my good friend Dave whipped up a tomato cucumber salad. He just zipped right along cleaning, trimming. slicing & dicing the vegatables, tossing the scraps into the sink bowl to feed the garbage disposal. I was taking photos of the finished product, (see the photo below) when my eye caught the scraps in the sink. Bear in mind, he was tossing them into the sink willy nilly, and the photo above is exdactly how they appeared. I didn't adjust or move anything. It was just another spontaneously created still life. Unreal! Thanks for the great feedbag Dave.

Day Fiftyone:

40 degrees in Chaumont NY this morning. Some Sun. It appears it will be another fine day for April.
So it's been 51 days since I began this blog. I'm discovering that it takes up more of my time than I thoght it would. Now about the photo from day 50: Clergy For Choice. At least once every year there is a Catholic lead vigil outside of an abortion clinic on James St. in Syracuse, NY. A group walks several blocks anti-abortion signs, hang out in front of the clinic to draw attention to their cause. What really blew my mind, however, was this group of clergy across the street from the Catholics. I have a real tough time coming to terms with this. I cannot fathom why a group of clergy would take a public, pro-abortion stand opposite the Catholic group. Am I all wet? Does this seem strange to anyone else out there? Anyhow, it's one of those things that I would have really kicked myself for if I did not have a camera with me when I encountered this scene.

Day Fifty: Clergy For Choice?

This really bugs me. More later. Been a long busy day.

OK, it's a day later and I am adding to this post. Just didn't have it in me yesterday. See day 51 for more regarding this photo. I want to mention here that I feel the democrats & republicans use abortion as what I call a "smoke screen issue" to create the illusion that there is a difference between the two parties. It's an issue they use to keep voters distracted while they hold hands and enrich themselves.
Other smoke screen issues include gun control, health care, climate change. Subjects such as those keep the populace divided and distracted. Meanwhile both parties take care of "business" in more ways than one.

Day Fortynine: Portrait Of A Banana Peel

It's best for me to create a blog entry in the morning as opposed to now, almost 9:00 in the evening. But somedays one has no choice. The day began at about 40 degrees in Chaumont, NY this morning. Then we had a great, Sunny day, ending with a nice sunset.
What does the world's smartest man eat for breakfast? Well, this morning I had some yogurt, a small sandwich of pastrami on rye, a piece of carrot cake and..... A BANANA! That's where today's photo came from. It may seem odd to take a photo of a banana peel, but it seemed to present itself to me so I took it. Now let me tell you something about being a professional photographer. It's one thing to take pictures for yourself or for family and friends. Some things, like weddings, tend to be straight forward. But when it comes to shooting for newspapers, magazines, the Associated Press, advertisers, and other, you just never know what you will be asked to photograph. You just might get asked to photograph a banana peel. How would you do it? Well, buy some bananas and start peeling them and arranging the peels in a visually pleasing fashion, add some kind of light, and shoot away. Easier said than done. It can turn into real work. Shooting, reshooting, and trying to come upon the "just right" combination of elements. If I had been hired to make a banana peel photo I probably would never have come up with the likes of today's photo. This morning I simply ate a banana and placed the peel on the dish. I just laid it there. Then I noticed it's shape. I was struck by how perfect a banana peel it appeared to me. If I were hired to make this photo I would have eaten the banana with a preconcieved notion of how the peel should look afterwards. Then I would have had to move the thing into a million positions just to get it to look "right". One more thing. I really did eat all that stuff for breakfast but it wasn't as much as it sounds like. The pastrami on rye was SMALLand so was the carrot cake. Basically It was handy food hanging around the house, so I got rid of it.
Regards, Gary.

The Art Of War...

"...is governed by five constant factors... These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline." Sun Tzu, born 544 BC.
Isn't all ART governed by these five factors?

Day Fortyeight: Another Street Photo

Well, this is what I saw while out for a walk yesterday evening. The Sun had all ready gone down so the light was quite muted and soft. It works for me, I cannot say why. Otherwise, it was another great day for April.

Here is a quote from The Art Of War by Sun Tzu:

"The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It's a matter of life and death, a road to safety or ruin. Thus, it is a subject which cannot be neglected."

Day Fortyseven: Bit of A Blank Slate

A say a bit of a blank slate because at the moment I haven't a whole lot on my mind. And, as usual, I'm feeling a bit pressed for time. Anyhow, I did snap the above photo today. I am probably going to lose some of you on this one. I have to say that I am unsure if I got a photo of this scene that "works". For some reason I needed to snap it. That's all I did. If nothing else it allows me to make a presence here today. Keep your eyes open and your camera loaded with pixels. Gary.

Day Fortysix: Another Still Life

Well, it was rainy & cool in Chaumont, NY this morning, and likewise throughout my travels. But who can complain? How about the volcano eruption going on in Iceland? That's really something. If I had the enrgy to go into it all I would talk about how volcanic activity has been melting glaciers. Science has always been one of my great interests since I was a child. Sooner or later I'll talk some science.
The above photo is another still life captured at my friend Greg Lago's shop, Winged Bull Studio in Clayton. The pens were just sitting on his work bench, waiting to be photographed. There are usually still life photographs sitting right in front of us amid the clutter of everyday living. Nothing posed or set up. You just have to see them, or find them, sort of like looking for Waldo.

A Reminder of how good my life is.

So once again I have had a full and interesting day. It started a week or so ago when I ran into a friend who has a granddaughter with a rare kidney problem. She went through some serious operations at a hospital in Boston that have cost the family a lot of money. He said the Masons Lodge here in Chaumont were hosting an Italian dinner event to raise money for the family. I told my friend that if I were home in time I would go to the dinner and play some guitar. So, here is how my day went: I put in some guitar practice in the morning with my coffee. No better way for me to start the day. It was cool outdoors, so I got the wood stove burning. I then drove off to photographan Earth Day event in Southern Oswego County. Some kids from the Central Square chapter of the Good Ole Boys Junior Bass Masters were picking up litter near the Erie Canal i n that region. From there I drove to Syracuse and photographed a babies birthday party at St. Joseph's Hospital. I got all that wrapped up and made it back to Chaumont in time for the Italian dinner. So I took my guitar over there and played, unamplified, for about an hour and a half. Everyone seemed to enjoy it a lot. Some folks went out of their way to let me know how much they liked the music. This was an unadvertised bonus for those who attended the event. The photography went well, the guitar playing went well, now I relate it all here. It has been a very satisfying day. Suddenly, as I finish this I realize once again how rich and wonderful my life is. How is it I can be so blessed? Believe me, I do not ask that question lightly. Sometimes, like now, I truly wonder that.

Day Fortyfive: TEA Party People

Taxed Enough Allready

These are some of the photos I made at a TEA Party gathering in Watertown, NY. This was yesterday, April 15th.








Need a photographer? Please visit my web site at: www.garywalts.com
All photos and text contained in this blog are copyright Gary Walts 2010

Day Fortyfour: Seeing Pictures

This is a photo of me taken last Summer by a friend while I was visiting them at their cottage on Pillar Point, Lake Ontario. It was sunset and you can see how the color of the light played upon my complexion, shirt, and hair color. Notice the glass of wine in front of me? Well, the photo below shows what that glass of wine looked like from where I was sitting. As I snapped the photo my friends didn't think much of it, in fact, looked at me sort of oddly. Then I showed them the photo. They were impressed. I just sit around wherever I am and view the world around me as if I am looking through a camera. I am mentally framing the scene and the various elements of the scene in front me, imaginging how it will look photographed. The bottom photo is a view of the porch after the Sun had set.

Day Fortythree: Funny How Things Work Out

For all of it's ups and downs, my life is blessed. That's the only conclusion I can come to. Here is what I mean. A few days ago in one of these blog posts I was writing about trying to land a guitar gig. I am a classical guitarist and what I do is great for dinner music or lazy cafes. Two of the places I called I knew for sure use live entertainment. One owner was polite, took some info from me. The other gave me a cool response. Being an unknown entity to these folks I offered to audition that afternoon with no committments nor strings attached. They brushed me off. What could I do? I cannot force them to listen to me play so, I ended the week with no auditions.
Enter serendipity ( or God, or Angels, or whatever). Less than a week after talking with the owners of those venues, I auditioned for them against their free will! Here is what happened. My friend "Shotgun" Billy Read from Nashville, TN was in town for his father in law's funeral. Billy asked me to play at a memorial service & reception. I would play while guests arrived, and play some more after the actual service had concluded. Terrific. So I played, including a nice piece of music by Fernando Sor accompanying one of the speakers reading aloud a letter from the deceased. It was a nice touch to the whole affair. Unbeknownst to me however, was the fact that both of the people I had contacted less than a week earlier for auditions were at this service. They heard me play and from what I am told, were quite taken from what I had to offer. Somehow in the big scheme of things we were all brought under the same roof and shared an experience whereby I auditioned for them by default. It remains to be seen what will become of it. My friend "Shotgun" Billy Read wanted to pay me for my contribution, but I could not & would not accept payment. I was there for my love of him and his family. I truly loved being a part of it and helping to make it special for all involved. Anyway, this is why I say I am blessed. I wanted to auditon for the two aformentioned people. I couldn't make it happen. I played for love for my friend and it turned into the audition I couldn't
create. It's crazy.

Day Fortytwo: Tom Jefferson's Birthday

It was 34 degrees at sunrise in Chaumont, NY this morning. Should shape up to be a lovely day.

Happy Birthday Thomas Jefferson.

In my family we like to celebrate Tom Jefferson's birhday. Today, April 13th, 2010, is his 267th. The cupcakes in photo above were made by my mother. I was visiting her house and she adorned a couple of them with candles and a photo op was born. The Jefferson engraving is courtesy the US mint by way of the $2.00 bill.

Here are some Jefferson quotes:

"I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."
"Be polite to all, but intimate with few."

"A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine."

"Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."