The 365 - 8/27/17 - Day 35

Happy Sunday (belated) everyone - I missed my post yesterday as I wasn't able to get back home last night due to the ongoing storm here in Houston.  We had a brief break in the downpour Sunday morning and afternoon, which allowed several of us to get out and finally take stock of what damage we had in our neighborhood. I won't go into a long, detailed story here, but  I will say that my family and I have been largely spared, and we cannot be more grateful for that.  I apologize to those who are flood-story weary in advance, but the blog space here will have a few of these images as this is largely the only way that I can process what is happening to my city and my neighbors. With everything that has happened so far and with everything to come, I continue to remind myself that we are not the first city to go through something like this, and we will not be the last.  I have seen the spirit of this city come together over this past weekend, and I know that spirit exists across our nation.  Sometimes it takes the worst to bring out the best, but that best is undoubtedly still there.

Houston, Texas - A Long Walk

The 365 - 8/26/17 - Day 34

Happy Saturday night everyone - Down here in Houston, we are weathering Harvey.   In my specific part of town, we have been largely spared up until now.  The rest of Houston has not been quite as lucky,  but so far everything seems to be going well.  We did have a bit of drama Friday night as some of the transformers near the street lamps blew yesterday.  This image right here is one of the last ones still up tonight, and since this was taken the road has finally filled with water.  So I am making the most of this opportunity by working with some long exposures through my window.  For a few hours tonight I had a grant vantage point watching the next wave of storm bands roll in.  I'll check in tomorrow with everyone, but until then enjoy your weekend for me!

Houston, Texas - The Last Streetlight

The 365 - 8/25/17 - Day 33

Happy Weekend everyone - Today's post is another image from the HDR collage series.  This one, Wood and Iron, is derived from images from an aged wood knot and a iron sculpture by John Lopez (Black Hills, South Dakota).   In putting this work together, I was drawn to the idea of juxtaposing wood and metal together as well as the natural (the knot) and the refined (the sculpture).  I loved how the fiery orange from the wood came through against the cooler metals in the central and right side of the image.  I also thought the merging of the two fit nicely.  You can see just enough of both ideas in this frame to really understand where it came from.   I hope you guys enjoy the weekend  - Always Shooting! 

HDR Collage - Wood and Iron

The 365 - 8/24/17 - Day 32

Today, I am sitting down at the computer having gone this afternoon to get supplies for a potential hurricane making landfall this weekend.  So, as I am focused on what is potentially coming toward us here on the Texas coast over the next several days, I thought I would post one of my favorite post-hurricane photos up to this point.  I have seen a few of these over the years, including two in NY (Sandy being the one forever etched in my memory).  This shot here I was able to get after Hurricane Irene came through my old neighborhood in Brooklyn.   We would see worse with Sandy, but for the most part and definitely as far as this young man was concerned, there was some joy to be had in the wake of this particular hurricane.   

So if the blog goes down for a few days, I will catch the posts on the other side of the weekend.  Best all -  

Red Hook, Brooklyn - Irene's Aftermath

The 365 - 8/23/17 - Day 31

As I wrapped up my shoots from the summer, one of the items that I do a self-look at is how my wildlife images turned out as compared to the previous year.  In truth, wildlife shoots were not as much of a focus in my work from the summer as they have been in other years, but one area in particular has always intrigued me, both in how easy access can be, but also in how much frustration I have in failing to make the images I see in my mind. And this past summer was no different. This is of course - deer.  Now, I know there are ways to maximize my success, but I prefer to setup and shoot in as pure a setting as I can.  This means that I am in their home and I have to act accordingly. I do as much as I can to make sure that I am set up for the shot, but I do not bait or try to control them in any way.  What you would see is as close to their reality as it can be with me nearby.    So the assessment, and I am not ashamed to admit, but this past summer was another complete failure.  Part of this is a gear problem, as some of these locations that I have available to me to work are among some of the best I could hope for.  (This particular deer here in the image buzzed my grandfather's cabin every night between 6 and 6:15 pm - you could set a clock to it).    But it is also true that I still need a lot of self work on the approach and techniques that I am using as I am consistently coming away with less than I hoped for.  But I feel like this is the game, and in particular what makes it so incredible.  I can take this effort, be honest with it, realize it can and needs to be better, and start making those changes to see it through.    In every possible way, failure is only a step on the path to getting it right.  (Although I am hoping soon that I can skip a few of these steps..)  Enjoy your Wednesday everyone! 

Galena, South Dakota - At Home in the Forest