Welcome to My View

After being absent from My View of a few weeks, I hope that I’m back on a regular weekly basis. It has been an extremely busy winter and spring with Inspirational Weekend and regular workshop schedules of The Mindful Eye.

During the last couple of days that I was in Savannah, after our Composition Intensive Workshop, I met a young man at B&B Ale House. His amazing smile and presence, as well as the light in which he was sitting, attracted me. I talked to him for a few seconds and asked if I could photograph him. He was gracious enough to sit for me for a few minutes. His name is Matt and he is stationed at Hunter Army Airfield, located on Ft. Stewart, just outside Savannah.

I always worry about the young soldiers that I meet or see coming and going in airports. No matter what our individual political beliefs, I know we all are concerned about the soldiers. I always send a little prayer for their safety when I see them. Matt, where ever you are and wherever you go, stay safe out there. And, thank you for being so gracious.

As always, your comments and critiques are most welcome. They make me a better photographer, aid my growth as a person and offer me new experiences.

A Young Soldier

Click here for larger image.

Savannah, GA
B&B Ale House
May 2, 2010

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon 50 mm 1.4 lens, f/1.8, 1/90 sec, ISO 5000, handheld

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Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh (Blessings of St. Patrick’s Day upon ye!)

This year is rapidly getting away from me. My travels this year, so far, for The Mindful Eye have taken me to Seattle, Miami, Washington D.C., Jekyll Island, Austin, Phoenix (with at stop in Tucson for a few days) and on to Savannah next week. As you might guess, I’ve had little time for shooting and processing images.

On this St. Patty’s Day, I dug into my archives and found a image I made of my favorite Irish troubadour, Gabriel Donohue, taken last October as he was performing at Kevin Barry’s in Savannah. Going along with the theme of of musicians started in January, I felt it a most appropriate image to wish you all the Blessings of St. Patrick’s Day.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all and, especially, to all my friends celebrating in Savannah!!

Gabriel will be performing at Kevin Barry’s again May 3 – 9. If you are in the Savannah area during this time, stop by and treat yourself to an evening of great music.

As always, your comments and critiques are most welcome. They make me a better photographer, aid my growth as a person and offer me new experiences.

Gabriel Donohue
Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh

Savannah, GA
October, 2009

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon 135mm 2.0, ISO 3200, f/2.0, 1/125 second, handheld

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Hello and welome to My View for January 10, 2010.

Welcome to the first My View Post of the New Year

As the new year and decade are now underway, I searched my files for an image that might be appropriate for a fresh start. And, I found one.

Back in September of last year, I had the pleasure of visiting friends in Wisconsin and hearing a band that was new to me — although not new to my friends. Their son is in this band. The band is Fresh Cut Collective and I heard them play in Milwaukee one night in early September. Although I did not consider myself a huge fan of hip-hop music, they managed to win me over after just a few songs. The energy this group brings to the stage is highly contagious.

I chose an image of my friends’ son that I hope shows the kind of energy this young band exudes.

Wishing you all fresh new ways to look at your everyday environments as we go forth in this new year!!

As always, your comments and critiques are most welcome. They make me a better photographer, aid my growth as a person and offer me new experiences.

Fresh Cut Collective #1

Milwaukee, WI
September, 2009

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon 50mm 1.4, ISO 6400, f/2.8, 1/90 second, handheld

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Just a reminder to check out our Inspirational Photography Weekends coming to a city near you. Discounts are available for groups.

Sony

Hello Everyone,

This is not my image for my weekly posts to My View. However, I could not let the day go by without paying tribute to my 12-year-old Tibetan Spaniel, Sony, who lost her battle with hemangiosarcoma (spleen variety) early this morning.

Sony came to me from Westview Kennels and Connie Buckland back in 2001. She was a retired little champion looking for a retirement home and I was looking for a Tibetan Spaniel. We found each other. Sony was an absolute delight and wonderful companion to her “big brother”, Riley who lost his life earlier this year. Thank you, Connie, for trusting me to give her a home and care for her all these years. I will miss her terribly.

CH. Westview’s Caught on Tape (Sony)

Roswell, GA
July 2009
Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 50mm f/1.4 L lens, ISO 800, f/2.0, 1/60 sec, handheld.

To all the dogs who choose us — how lucky we are that they do!!

For more information about canine cancer and research, please visit the National Canine Cancer Foundation.

Hello and welome to My View for Friday, June 12, 2009.

Hello Everyone,

Happy Friday!!

I feel as though I’m getting caught up on My View and will go back to posting once a week starting on Sunday evening. Thank you for your patience with me during the hectic spring workshop season.

One of the great things that came out of the March, April, May series of workshops is that my teaching partner and friend, Craig Tanner, took a “next step” with his music. A long-time guitarist, he finally worked up the courage to play in front of other people and began playing at some of the open mic nights in Savannah. Today’s image is one that I took late one night as Craig and two new musician friends were just jamming in Franklin Square.

Here are Adam, Craig and Jeff making beautiful music in Franklin Square just after midnight on a lovely Friday night during the Street Portraiture workshop.

As always, your comments and critiques are most welcome.

Franklin Square Musicians

Savannah, GA
Canon 5D, Lensbaby Composer lens, f/2.0, ISO 3200, 1/30 sec, handheld.
Composite of three images

A Larger view.

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Hello and welome to My View for Saturday, May 30, 2009.

Hello Everyone,

Today’s image is another from my spring-time road trip. This one was also taken just after the Next Step workshop in March of this year. As most of you know, I lost my friend and canine companion, Riley, in an accident just before I left to go to Savannah to teach the Next Step workshop with Craig. And, as most of you know, Craig had to rush back to Atlanta on the Monday following the workshop to be there with his friend and companion, Shadow, as Shadow left this world and those who loved him.

This image was taken on the Tuesday morning after Shadow’s departure, and Craig’s return to Savannah, when Craig and I ventured out into the still-wet streets of the city in search of breakfast. We were passing Paula Dean’s on our way to a favorite breakfast place, the State Street Cafe, when Craig noticed that the window in Paula Dean’s gift shop was almost like a mirror, due to the overcast conditions and wet streets. He suggested we stop and photograph ourselves — something to add a bit of lightness to the day, I think. Of all the ones I snapped before we continued on to breakfast, this is my favorite. It shows the people across the street from us getting their day started and going about their business. Even as they did, each of our worlds was still reeling from the losses we felt in our lives. The loss of our canine companions, combined with the wonderful feelings that came out of the Next Step workshop, prompted each of us to begin to make some changes in our own personal lives.

But, on this morning, the world was still off-kilter for both of us.

As always, your comments and critiques are most welcome.

Off-Kilter

Savannah, GA
Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 50mm 1.4 lens, ISO 800, 1/90 sec, f/4.0, handheld.
Composite of two images.

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Hello and welome to My View for Sunday July 6, 2008.

Craig Tanner, one of my best friends and the person with whom I teach most of the workshops with which I am involved, passed an important milestone last week. He completed his first full year — 52 weeks — of posting images most every day on his photography blog, Light Diary.

Having been at this for only six months myself and posting once a week, I know what a huge time commitment this is. I want to offer my sincerest congratulations to Craig on this accomplishment and for continuing to teach and inspire all photographers with his photo blog. And, I want to personally offer my sincere gratitude to him for continuing to teach, encourage and inspire me in my career as a photographer and for giving me the enormous opportunities that he has.

Once of Craig’s mantras is that productivity = creativity. If you take the time to browse Craig’s Light Diary, you will quickly see this is true. Not only is he extremely productive, he has produced some of the most creative images I’ve seen in the last year. My most favorite of these is his series of the Port Aransas pier.

Craig, thank you for giving all of us a full year of inspiring photography. Thank you for being such a dear friend to me and for continuing to inspire me to be a better photographer — and a better person — every day.

Congratulations on your first year of Light Diary!!! I anxiously await another year of your most beautiful work.

“Craig”

Sweetwater Creek State Park, Georgia, June 2008
Canon 1Ds Mark II, 50 mm lens, f/2.5, 1/60 sec, ISO 320, handheld
Combination of two images to simplify the background

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Hello and welome to My View for Wednesday, May 28, 2008.

Jason Bible, Marcus Kuhlmann and Eric Dunn were the original members of The Trainwrecks when I first met them back in 2005. I decided to go ahead and post the individual images of them in one post. I finished the images along the lines of their album, Whiskey and War. Please see the previous post to My View for the individual images of fourth member of the band, Stu Harmening, master dobroist.

Thank you for your comments and suggestion with this series of photographs of the Trainwrecks.

“Jason Bible at Murphy’s Law in Savannah, September, 2007″

Canon 5D, 50mm 1.4 lens, f/1.8, 1/30 sec, ISO 3200, handheld

“Marcus Kuhlmann, Murphy’s Law, Savannah, April 2008″

Canon 1Ds Mark II, 50mm 1.4 lens, f/1.4, 1/45 sec, ISO 3200, handheld

“Eric Dunn, The Jinx, Savannah, May 2008″

Canon 5D, 50mm 1.4 lens, f/1.8, 1/20 sec, ISO 3200, handheld

Next Sunday, I will return to my weekly posts.

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If you are in the Atlanta area, The Trainwrecks are opening for Jerry Jeff Walker on July 18 at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

Hello and welome to My View for Sunday, May 4, 2008.

As I was deciding what to post to My View for this week, I realized that I’ve yet to put up some of my professional work. As it so happened, I delivered proofs to the parents of a lovely young lady today and, with their permission to post this image, I’d like to introduce you to my portrait work and to young Miss Abby.

Welcome to the world, Abby. May your life be filled with love and wonder.

I very much appreciate your comments and suggestions on my photography as they only serve to make me a better photographer and person.

Thank you for visiting My View.

“Baby Abby”

Canon 5D, 50 mm lens at f/1.4, 1/180 sec, ISO 400, handheld

“A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.” -Carl Sandburg.