Ringing in the New Year

I have discovered that there is not much I enjoy more than ringing in the new year with performance. As part of my participation with Cycropia Aerial Dance, I think I will have more such opportunities. Last night we performed, on stilts or otherwise on the ground, at the Potawatomie Casino in Milwaukee, WI. We were in a banquet hall while guests were drinking and dining, and our efforts were improvisational and frequently interactive with the guests.


Getting Ready

The fabulous costuming was courtesy of one of the troupe and also one of the dancers. She is pretty amazing in both capacities. She also sets the plan for makeup so we are generally pretty coordinated.


Ready to Perform!

The night was fun for us and the audience seemed to appreciate what we brought to them. With a bit of a paycheck involved, what is not to love? This seems to be a new years resolution I can live with!

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Season's Greetings

May you fully enjoy this holiday season.



For those who, like me, celebrate the solstice as Yule, the celebration is already morphing into, "are the days longer yet?!" For those who sillybrate Festivus, carry on! I hope your Hanukkah was lightful. Io, Saturnalia! Happy Boxing Day! For those who are celebrating a secular Christmas, may you get all the stuff you hoped for! And for those who are celebrating a religious Christmas, I offer a sincere welcome to the Son. For all I wish a relaxing day with friends and family.



And next week, a wish to you for a happy new year (or happy Hogmanay, if you prefer) with the best of your dreams coming true. But first you have to know what your dreams really are. So have a bit of holiday cheer, then nap contentedly in your favorite chair and let your mind drift about and discover your real goals - and then remember, and act upon them.

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High Tech Stilts

Last night some of us were rehearsing for an upcoming performance. The act involves performers on stilts and on the ground so we were practicing weight sharing and specific tricks. Then when we were done "working" Mr. B. pulled out his new jumping stilts. These are to wooden (or PVC) stilts what a motorcycle is to a minibike.



Of course, all that machined aluminum and fiberglass (or carbon fiber if you have deep pockets) comes at a price. But if you want to jump on stilts, these are the way to go. Here Mr. B. takes a cruise on them. He has not yet reached the jumping caliber yet, but he's pretty dogged and determined so I suspect it will not take long.



Others tried them as well. I have not yet, but the offer is there so I am certain to give them a try. Time to dig out my knee and elbow pads!

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Ooh, I can Help With That!

Our newish feline companion Nala has now been with us for three months. In past posts I have told you that she has been quite skittish yet making improvement and settling in slowly but steadily. In the last week or two we have made fairly dramatic improvement.



Reena had a small task trimming the edges of a piece of fabric to use as a veil in a recent dance performance. There being no convenient sewing table around, she draped the fabric on one of the settees and started trimming. Nala perceived this as V-E-R-Y interesting and jumped right up to see what was going on. She was sort of in the way, in that way that makes cat "owners" think their cat is cute and endearing.



Among other things we learned that Nala enjoys being covered up with said scrap of fabric. It is transparent enough to let her see through it, yet she must think she is hiding. She purred quite contentedly. Other ongoing breakthroughs include a continuation of the pick-her-up-and-hold-her game so that she gets acclimated to such treatment. She still does not think it is a great thing, but she is no longer freaking out. And this week in particular she has acquiesced to sitting on the settee with me; me lounging lengthwise and her nestled between my calves, often falling asleep or merely lounging with her head on my calf. THAT is the beginning of the lap cat we wished for. Gentle and diligent training (for both of us) is paying dividends.

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Change Your Perspective

The world of photography seems to have few rules, but the ones that you do run into seem to be pretty universal. The first is the "rule of thirds". I break that one all the time depending on what I'm shooting. The other one is "Change your perspective." The other day when I was shooting a snapshot of the new baby of a friend, a change of perspective seemed appropriate.



We ALWAYS look at the baby. I had a wide angle lens on the camera, so I flopped to the floor and snapped a baby's eye view of things. It cracked me up.



Proud mama and friend coo and smile at the wee bairn. Just how the heck do you suppose the little one feels about it? Socialization starts really young, eh? Interesting what a change of perspective will do.

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The Morning Rime

Our first winter snow fall left Madison covered with a thick layer of white. It was not much of a storm here (other parts of the state received over 20 inches) yet it snarled the city in ways that seem peculiar to me. It is clearly not without its beauty however. And today's special mix of conditions added notably to it.



The lakes are still open - that is, not frozen over as they will be in another week or so - and this morning we had temperatures of -5 (F). As you might imagine, that created quite a bit of steam coming off the water. There was a slight breeze, so the steam hit shore and coated all the trees with rime, a specific sort of frost. It seemed to be pretty localized, though I was limited in time and did not follow the lake shore extensively.



These photos, and others at the front of my Winter 2010 SLIDE SHOW at Flickr were taken at James Madison Park. They are worth looking at in the larger size. New images are up front in case you already visited the slide show. Enjoy!

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Creating Reality

Illusion. Selective focus. Creating reality.


The boudoir

Creating an intimate setting in a studio can be a challenge unless said studio is graced with a large budget and equally large storage for props. Quite a lot can be done with simple things that allow a small space to be used in a carefully orchestrated way. Crafting with a goal in mind helps. For this setup I also put myself in the shot to "hold space" and see where my light really was.


The test shot

The pose is not correct as I had my camera on a five - not ten - second timer, and it did not matter if it was spot on anyway. What I was looking for was the quality of the light and the completeness of the illusion. My subject will be a lovely woman clad in a sheer top and perhaps nothing else. Since the top is black and lacy, I might mask her eyes with a band of black lace to create a dash more mystery. The image, and others in mind, will be a gift for her partner.


The illusion

Simple props, used carefully and with selective vision, create bits of magic and art. Tests like this help me see the details, like wrinkles in fabric drapes, and I can correct them before the client arrives. This is the part of my work that I love.

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First Winter Storm of 2010/11

Much of the city was shut down yesterday as we received our first winter storm. As a native of the area, it always seems strange to me that the media weather advisers go into such a tizzy. It's snow. We get it every year. Six or seven inches of it is just not that big of a deal here. Yet apparently it is to those who fear easily (and boy, have we had fear shoveled at us non-stop since 9/11). To those who opt out of hunkering down and choose instead to go about life, the results of the fear-mongering are both pleasant and irritating.



Those who did more yesterday than shovel found a city wrapped in beauty. Trees were coated with icy snow; statues had one side blanketed in white; rosy-cheeked people were smiling and thoroughly enjoying being out (except those too ignorant to wear a hat and gloves). There were no lines anywhere I went. Of course, hardly anything was open, which was the irritating part. My plan for the day included visiting the downtown public library to return a video and find some new reading material for the week. It was closed. Strangely, every coffee shop, bar, and candy store was open and had customers coming in.



So in lieu of a book, I got a cookie. After the class that got me out of the house, I wandered around the Capitol grounds and area and took photos. At noon everything was pretty nice. By 3:30 the temperature was dropping, the strong breeze became a sustained high wind, and my face wished for a scarf. It was not enough to send me scurrying indoors, but it portended a colder night and next day. I am correct: As I type this at 9:00 AM, the temperature is 1 (F) on its way to a high for the day of 5.

If you missed yesterday and want to see the beautiful but not-terribly-severe results of yesterday's storm, there is a small set in a slide-show HERE.

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Nothing To Whine About

I have been a little bit whiny about the temperatures for the last few days. I don't mind temps in the teens (F) but I like to have a period of adjustment before we get there. It seems like we went from 60's to low double-digits in just a few days. Then I saw these guys.



Now that just has to be cold work. I have nothing to whine about.

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Welcome to Winter

Madison had its first snowfall a couple of days ago. I knew it was coming - the airwaves were a-twitter with the storm we were going to get walloped with - and went to bed with no snowflakes descending. I awoke uncharacteristically (at least since I changed careers) at 6:00 and was brain-restless. So I eased out of bed and put on some warm clothes. We turn the heat down to 56 degrees (F) at night because the down comforter we have is so doggone warm, but crawling out at o-dark-hundred is sort of brutal (not that I'd really know that since Reena is usually first up, but it sure sounds tough). Peeking out the window confirmed the arrival of the white fluffy stuff. It was still pretty dark out and I did not have much to gauge the depth of the fall.



As the light came up it got easier to tell, and it was clear that our sky-is-falling storm was about three inches. Pfft! That is hardly worth shoveling. But after getting roundly and deservedly criticized last year for crappy plowing, the city had plows out to make the road safe for bad drivers.



Well the sun came up and the snow slowed to a ... what? a trickle does not sound right. I need a word people! ... little bit and life went on. Being more motivated than I, Reena went out and shoveled. She saved clearing off the car for me, though, so I did my part.

Welcome to winter.

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Thanksgiving Traditions

Over the course of the weekend I took time to reflect a bit about various holiday traditions that I have. I tend to have a pretty improvisational approach to life, and over the recent years I have developed a bit of an anti-rut mindset. I do not gather or hold traditions simple for the sake of tradition. If something feeds my spirit, makes me especially happy or some such, then it is something I am likely to keep. If it is tedious or pointless or gives me a headache, then it is likely to be discarded.



Pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving is a tradition I intend to keep. I don't make them during the year very often. I might make one at the winter solstice, but other than that, pretty seldom. This year we were gathering with Reena's mother and brother and his wife, and our friend H. was a new-to-town orphan so she joined us as well. I was on the hook to bring pie, so I made a couple of pumpkin pies from scratch. I reduced the sugar and increased the ginger because that is my preference. Turned out pretty tasty if I do say so myself.

Reena's family now has a holiday tradition of getting the entire family together between Thanksgiving and Christmas for one, big event. We used to rent a house or block of rooms somewhere and make a long weekend out of it, but as my Mother-in-Law becomes less able, we shorten it down and make it closer to her home, or now, at her home. Since Christmas is therefore celebrated early, it means that the weekend of Thanksgiving becomes the time to take down the fall decorations and get the winter holiday stuff out. Which starts with making sure the strings of lights still work.



So immediately after finishing dining on a traditional Thanksgiving dinner (including that awful canned cranberry abomination) we set about making the house ready for Christmas. For simplicity she now uses an artificial tree, and in short order it was set up, fluffed, positioned, be-lighted, and decorated. It is all ready for Santa Claus to show up a couple of weeks early by special invitation.

Among the things I am most thankful for is a family-in-law that is so great. They like each other, behave well, are reasonable even in their differences, and they make me feel welcome. Really, what more could a son/brother-in-law ask for?

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You cannot resist me...no!

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I am something of a junkie when it comes to cats. And in contrast to the incessant jokes of late-night comedians (and erstwhile friends) I am quite the social butterfly with actual friends and I do not spend all my time obsessing about my cat and watching television shows about people who have friends.

Well, maybe I obsess about my cat. But only because I freed up time by not watching television. I would like to say that my cat rewards this behavior by slavishly smothering me in feline amoré, but that would be an outright lie - at least so far. The newish kitty (2 months now) is settling in, and her skittishness diminishes daily. Now when she runs to hide, she runs to the low table that we covered with a cloth and "hides" there, 5 feet away rather than in some dank corner of the basement. We have taken to playing with her while she is "hiding" with a now-demolished peacock feather so her retreat space is also a play space. In no way can she be described as a "lap cat", which is what we were REALLY wanting. Heh!

Still, she is undeniably beautiful and photogenic, so while she abides, we do too. Time will tell...

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And now for something completely different.

I don't do a lot of post processing of my images as a general rule. However, it's a good skill set to have, and so I sometimes take play days and wallow around in Photoshop to see what I can do. Some days are more successful than others.


Reflection 1

This was a pretty stiff challenge for me. The original image was shot indoors with bad light and a cluttered sort of background that made it hard to separate the subject from the background. That, of course, is why I chose it.



The sky background is a stock photo I took once upon a time. The clouds are fake. The moon is real. The ripples were kind of a bitch.

Looked at in detail it's not going to win me any awards or fame, though it is a reasonable effort for where I am with the tool. I think I spent 4 hours on it in total. If it were a homework assignment in a beginning Photoshop class, I think I would get a "B" grade. Since I am doing it without the benefit of either a teacher or an assignment, I think I will give myself a "B+".

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Juxtapose

These two photographs - featured on my new Maternity page at my business site - were simply begging to be displayed together.



The juxtaposition between the alabaster white and the jet black is delightful to my eye. The first was taken against a brightly lit background with the mother-to-be also brightly lit, while the second, the silhouette, was taken by having the black-clad m-t-b stand in directly front of a large soft box flash. If you visit the maternity site linked above, you will notice that I flipped the alabaster image here for effect.

Of course, these are the close-cropped arty examples of my maternity work. They are easy to display because the subject is anonymous. Should you or someone you know decide to have maternity photos taken, your head will be included at no extra charge. *grin* In all seriousness, what better way to celebrate your pregnancy than by having beautiful photographs taken to capture your radiance forever?

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Inspirational Book

I found this book last week while I was at the Chazen Museum of Art here in Madison. I glanced through the demo copy and liked what I saw. I had recently ben dead certain that I was going to buy the new Herb Ritt's book, "The Golden Hour", until I got to look at it. It was not at all what I hoped it was - a book of Ritt's best work with descriptions and interviews. Instead it was a bunch of snapshots of Ritts. Dang. This book, by less-skilled photographers nevertheless presents a wide body of work from which to draw inspiration. I'm still flipping through its 700 pages, most of which are full page photographs. Frankly, the text is moronic, supposedly the deep soul-searching thoughts of the man responsible for the book.

I found it to be. Shallow and meandering like a scintillating stream of consciousness playing across my mind?

Yes, those last two "sentences" are intended to convey the style of writing in the book that is mercifully scarce. There are also a surprising number of photos of an out of focus hotel hallway. Hmm? One might have been interesting, but 4 or 5 is more like someone on a bender thought that he was photographing the kids on big wheels in The Shining.

So that's the negatives. The positives are that the book is chock full of photographs that one can peruse and dissect. Judgment of their actual worth is up to the viewer, and I suspect many of these photographers are young and not professional. That's OK with me. When I look at the pro shots in Vogue I often find myself bored or even annoyed, so looking at fresh work by naive photographers is ... inspirational.

The book is cheaper at Amazon.

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Shameless Promotion

I seldom point from this blog to my business page, but in this case I make an exception. Today two new features debuted on eyeDance.biz. Here is the announcement:

+++

The eyeDance web page has been enhanced to include two important new links: Prints For Sale (just in time for the holidays), and Maternity portraits.

The new Prints For Sale page contains images that are available for purchase. Affordable prices and spectacular photographs make these easy gifts for friends and family. The first set is "Scenes" - primarily natural places - that will appeal to a wide audience. The second set is "Seasonal" featuring late fall and winter scenes. That set will change with the seasons. A third set of images "Plants-Objects-Food" will be added in the next day or so. Here is the direct link: http://www.eyedance.biz/Home/prints-for-sale

The second new page on the site showcases Nataraj's maternity photography services. Both in the studio and out in nature, there is nothing like the glow of a pregnant woman. Almost due, or have a friend who is? Call and arrange to have YOUR beautiful baby bump portrait taken. Take a look at the images, read the stories, and imagine capturing the radiance of your pregnancy. Here is the direct link: http://www.eyedance.biz/Home/maternity

Testimonials about eyeDance and Nataraj keep coming in, letting you know that eyeDance customers are thrilled with their results. Read them for yourself: http://www.eyedance.biz/Home/testimonials

While you are at the website, remember to follow the link to the blog. That is where Nataraj posts his just-for-fun photographs. It is there that you will truly get some insight into the creative force behind eyeDance Photography.

Thank you for your support of Nataraj and eyeDance Studio Photography. Your patronage is truly appreciated. eyeDance exists to serve you!

Nataraj

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End of shameless self-promotion!

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Nala Abides

It has been days and days since I posted a gratuitous photo of our still new-to-us cat, Nala. And so...


Nala abides

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Of Barns and Bovines

I realized I had not shared any of the farm pictures I shot last week.



The light was really nice - truly the Golden Hour - and these were taken just before the skate boarder pics. A bit of haze kept the sky from being blue, but I guess I couldn't have everything that day.



Moo! Talk about urban encroachment...

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Sculptural Detail

I was downtown with the lovely Reena a few days ago and we stopped in at the Chazen Museum of Art. There was a fun Andy Warhol exhibit of figure studies, primarily Polaroids. Since that is a temporary exhibit, one cannot take photographs. (I should add that if one has a large, high-quality camera that would do the subject justice, then one cannot take photographs. However if one has a crappy cell phone camera that the guards don't think exist, then one can snap merrily away. Just sayin' it's stupid.) In the main lobby is a sizable sculpture that looks vaguely like a child's jacks. Made out of carbon fiber. With a large spiky tip pointing up and out. With the skylight filled ceiling above, I had to plop onto my back and take that shot.



The carbon fiber and ceiling made for great interaction, so rather than shoot the whole, I shot the detail. Like the story of the blind men and the elephant, what is the real shape?



Since you will not find out here, you will just have to go see it for yourself!

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Interplay of Light and Shadow

The advent of fall brings mixed feelings for me. I enjoy winter and the things that come with it like snow and ice. I have a harder tie with the long hours of darkness. What has been catching my eye - and photographic interest - when I am out and about lately is the interplay of light and shadow. It started with this post from mid-October, and continues. These are from the past week:


Ahh, why didn't I have a stepladder with me on the motorcycle?





Both of the above were taken in the same Middleton, WI, park just a few minutes apart. I was taking a roundabout way home on the motorcycle because I knew the light would be good. This is the sort of thing I was seeking, though I also found other good shots (like the sk8ters in the prior post).

This next was taken yesterday on Bascom Hill on the UW Madison campus looking east towards the state capitol. We were there to participate in the "Stop The Silence" rally aimed at reducing bullying and other harassment of LGBT members of our family and society.



The day was a little hazy and the light not quite as dramatic (it was earlier in the day than the others) but my eye still wanted to get that interplay.

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You Meet The Nicest People on a Skateboard

While out on the motorcycle running errands in town yesterday, I realized that it was getting to be late in the afternoon. That means the Golden Hour was approaching and it would be a shame to miss it. Rather than head home through town, I headed for the outskirts thinking to get some farm shots. I did, and will post those later. But I found myself on the edge of Waunakee where there is a small skate park. Who knew? It was pretty late in the day and the temp was starting to drop, so 3-4 kids were leaving just as I pulled in. The two remaining skaters were hardly spring chickens.



They did not mind if I took photos, and were curious if I was going to "do something" with them. I mentioned my blog, though they were hoping I worked for a magazine or something.



They skated. I shot. And we had a pretty good conversation about life (nomadic traveling, the journey being the point, working to live rather than living to work, and bikes) and music. I had a great time and enjoyed meeting them. It is a small world, and I wonder if our paths will cross again?



Thanks Quincy and John. Skate on!

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With an Eye Towards Beauty

I was on an event shoot last weekend and was mostly shooting the space and the occupants - both the patrons and the inventory - with no eye towards shooting individual people. There were a few exceptions; children using the space and the proprietor, but mostly I was after the rooms and the event. And then I saw this:



It was a totally pedestrian moment, yet removed from other context the portrait is quite beautiful. It is a little soft and a little grainy due to high ISO and long shutter and that just seems to heighten the quietness of the image. Unusual for me, I was using a 12-20 wide angle which was not at all optimal for this shot, but I worked with what I had. And I am glad I did! [That reminds me of a Chuck Norris film, An Eye For An Eye, in which actor Mako clobbers an adversary with an old bake-lite telephone and utters the line, "The true warrior uses what is at hand."]

This portrait is even nicer in a larger size.

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My First Cover Photo

The first magazine cover photograph I shot is now published. I can tell you with certainty that this is a thrill for me. I have shot images used inside other magazines, but never before made it to the cover.


Image LINK

The magazine is BBI Media's "witches and pagans" (sic) and is available at Borders or by subscription. Other booksellers may have it as well, and subscriptions can be had from BBI Media's website or from Amazon.

There may be another image shot by me used inside as well. I never did hear for certain, though our contract was for two images. Taken in mid-summer, the photo of Ms. Fox nicely captures her vitality and ready smile.

Yea me!

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Sneaking a Fun One

Sometimes when I am shooting a project or an event, I get to color outside the lines a little and take some shots purely for myself. This morning I was shooting an opening of a new pottery project space and before the doors were opened I noticed the light hitting a plate full of grapes in a desirable way.


Backlit Grapes

It's even better Viewed Large On Black

Shooting this required just a hint of additional light, so I bounced a bit of flash on the front from the top. Not much, just enough to illuminate the details on this side, otherwise they would have been silhouetted on the bottom with only the top ones seeming lit. It worked nicely, I think.

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Study for Future Project

I shot some study images for a project I want to do in the near future. I don't know exactly where I want to go with it - thus the figure study - but I know I am aiming for sort of a book cover feel.


High guard

In my mind I have some bodies in mind for the real project though I have not spoken to them yet. I want to clarify my ideas. I think this study will get me closer, and give me something to show by way of example.


Low guard

I have two visions for this project, or three really. One is to use a muscular male, another is to use a lithe, cut female. The third is to do a composite with both of them.


Left-hand Knife

Ideally, if I do the composite, I'd want the male in one of the low stances and the female in a leaping pose. Simple enough to do the shots separately and merge them for the final image. Costuming would be minimal, and ideally skin tight. [Costumers feel free to chime in!]

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A Kittens Worth of Fur

In my ongoing efforts to reach comradeship with our new feline companion - Nala - I have undertaken to let her know that this is a two-way street. She has to start stepping up to the petting plate and get over the worry-scurrying every time one of us twitches. So we had a chat, she and I, wherein I told her that she needed to meet me half way. I indicated that I would henceforth ignore her efforts to get me to pet her solely on her terms (on the floor) and that she had to start acquiescing to hanging out on the couch with me/us. She appeared unimpressed.



Nevertheless, yesterday I did as I had said, refusing to go to the floor to pet her, instead sitting on the couch and patting it to coax her up. She did not, and therefor got no attention. (Understand, this is hard on me too. I love kitties.) She did hang out on one couch while we watched part of a movie while sitting on the other couch. I considered that a start. At least she hung out in the same room with us! This morning started out with much meowing on her part, clearly seeking attention. An hour or so after I got up - Reena having departed for work - I sat on the couch. Optimistically I had a book at hand. Nala did not jump up, but atypically allowed me to pick her up and set her on the couch next to me whereupon I pet her. She was loving it, and I noticed that the soft rubber brush was within reach so I started in with that. Well, let me tell you, she was totally grooving on that. Our last cats were disinterested (or hostile) to being brushed so this is a new experience for me. I kept it up until I had removed an entire kittens worth of fur, then put the brush down and draped an arm across her and picked up my book. She settled in and fell asleep while I read a chapter. When I got up, she remained on the couch until I grabbed my camera and the brush, and set it next to the mound of fur for a photo. Then she decided that was pretty interesting and came to assist.



Slowly but surely we proceed to bond. It seems she gets it when I clearly state my intentions. Weird, and I know I'm probably projecting, but when I indicate clearly what I want (and visualize it as best I can) she responds in a way that indicates some sort of comprehension. So my job is to be clear and reasonable. Nala's job is to be a cat in the home of two cat-lovers. I think it will work out.

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Heckuva Storm Today

We are having a hellacious wind storm today (though it sounds like it is diminishing as I type now that the sun has set). Gusts up to 60 MPH, or roughly equal to a tropical storm - quite unusual around here.



I ran some errands, with my camera in tow of course, and as I was passing Lake Mendota Monona at Olbrich Park I had to stop and try to capture the pounding.



The storm surge was coming ashore and could not drain back into the lake. Even though the temperatures were in the mid-50's (F) I was quickly chilled. The waves were splashing over my head, so call it seven feet above the shore, or 8+ feet over lake level. The water in Starkweather Creek was unusually high as the storm surge pushed up it. Apparently there are many trees down, power outages, and damaged/missing roofs though I saw very little damage in my outing.

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