Memorial Day Weekend

A couple of quick shots from the backyard. My 6 year-old is sporting a new summer dress--with galoshes--in the 90 degree El Paso heat!

Atwood, Clock

Randoms

Close

Garden

13th and Kincaid

Eugene, Oregon

Randoms

Coiled

Near Pendleton, Oregon

Traffic

PJ

Randoms

In lieu of a more robust post tomorrow, here are a few random shots from Eugene, Oregon, El Paso, New Orleans, and Springfield, Oregon.

Harsh Light

On the Oregon Coast

Continuing the portrait theme, this shot contends with both harsh light and a moving subject. I very much prefer to take photos in muted and ambient light, with stable subjects, and a tripod. But every so often particularly harsh light can actually lend a unique softness to the image, as in these fantastic shots recently featured on Burstoid.

I think more than anything this shot works for me because of the compositional contrasts, in particular the sharpness of eyelash, nose, and teeth framed by the soft blur of forearm, whitewater, and wicked blonde hair. I like it; I hope you like it too.

Stoop, 831 Bourbon Street

Stoop 831 Bourbon St., New Orleans

Here's yet another New Orleans portrait--this one perhaps not as good as the last, but interesting in a different way. This is a fairly long exposure shot: the streaks near the top of the image are actually from a passing white delivery truck. Given the long exposure, it's all the more interesting to me how relatively sharp the image is--from the gentelman's stare to the house number and wrought iron.

I'm certain he has stories to tell, stories that can only be hinted at in this image.

Bourbon Street

Bourbon St., New Orleans

Here's another portrait where I've taken advantage of muted light, in this instance at dusk as opposed to the early morning light of the Pike Street photo. I saw this kid with a couple of girls his age, hanging around outside one the many clubs on Bourbon Street. I'm fairly sure he was neither a local, nor of legal drinking age, but who am I to judge?

What I like about this picture is the general tone, texture, and contrasting colors. I love to shoot at dawn and dusk, and I mustered a few decent shots during my near-nightfall sojourn through New Orleans. It's not my favorite town, but there are lots of interesting photographic subjects.

Pike Street

Pike Street Market, Seattle.

It's a bit of a cliché to shoot Pike St., but I don't really care. One of the beauties of shooting in the Northwest is the frequently muted light of overcast skies on early mornings. I don't always like my photos, but on balance, I like those that I've taken in Seattle more than any other city.