Essay #77: A book by its cover

Another thing I love about used bookstores: Rows and rows of beautifully bound old books.

 

Spine artwork is making a resurgence, but publishers insist on covering it with dust jackets. But I think there's a real beauty in an embossed volume, and it only grows with age and wear. 

 

A well-loved book is a story in itself. I look at this worn set of "Popular Travel" and imagine a child spending the long, snowy prairie winters sprawled in front of the fire, poring over tales of far-off places and dreaming of becoming a world traveler.

Essay #59: Acoustic Storytime

The fantastic Jason Gray, an incredible singer/songwriter/storyteller. This is a combination I truly appreciate. For me, there are two categories of music: There are catchy little tunes that make nice background noise, and then there are the songs that spin stories that draw you in and invite you to stay a while. Every time you visit, you see something you hadn't noticed before, and as you look around you glimpse your own reflection. And suddenly you're not quite sure if you've entered into the song's story, or if it's become a thread woven into your Story.

Thanks for sharing your stories and songs, Jason.

Essay #58: Japanese gardens

Botanical gardens are havens for still-life photographers, but Japanese gardens have a flair all their own. Meticulous yet relaxing, they seem to strike the unattainable balance between sun and shade, man-made structures and nature's wild elegance, bright colors and muted neutrals. And they somehow always have something blooming. Plus, bonsai-pruned trees. You know the lame personality question, "If you were a tree what kind would you be?" I would be a bonsai tree.

Essay #53: Chocolate, anyone?

What makes European chocolate taste sooooo good? I think this might merit a bit of research. Stay tuned!

Essay #48: Concert perspective

Okay, so I've taken a lot of photos of the downhere guys over the years. A lot of photos. So last weekend my goal was to capture new perspectives.

Essay #47: Concert light: Black and White

I saw the band downhere twice over the weekend. Each venue had its own set of lights--with their own pros and cons. So this week I'll talk about shooting at a concert: the most exciting light, while also most challenging light.

Concert lighting, while spectacular in person, can wreak havoc with a camera. When colored lights result in unnatural skin tones that no white balance can counter, I have two options: embrace the oddity (see previous post), or go back into the trick archives and pull out the oldest one-shooting in monochrome.

Essay #46: Concert magic

The next couple of posts will be more concert photos--second only to produce in sheer quantity of what I shoot.

Needtobreathe played in Madison last night, closing out The Outsiders Tour (which also began in Madison--fitting, no?).

Something about live music is just...magical. I have zero musical ability of my own, so I'm amazed by the lovely sounds artists can conjure. A strum, a hum, and the air thrums with dazzling beauty, a profound connection that stirs in the hearers and binds the audience to each other and the artists in shared sensational experience. I'll pay more for a concert ticket than I will for an album.

Essay #36: Invitation on a cold, rainy day

You shouldn't go out.
Come, get lost in me instead.
I'll show you the world.

Essay #27: Puzzles

Sudoku, crossword, jigsaw, logic: puzzles are acrobatic exercises for the mind. Who knew any kind of exercise could be so addictive?

However, let me tell you, attempting to one-hand his shot with my left (non-dominant) hand was one workout I probably won't repeat.

And yes, I routinely do my Sudoku in pen. I'm not so foolish with crosswords.

38mm 1/80 f/5.1 ISO 400, flash bounced off ceiling

Essay #26: Woodland paths

A quiet, shady path is one of the most enchanted places. Something about strolling down a tree-lined lane brings order to my muddled thoughts and carries a great sense of peace and wonder. Perhaps it's the feeling that, at any moment, the trees will start dancing or an Ent will hoom past. There's something very deep about places like this. I can see why, in all the old tales, forests are places full of magic.

14mm 1/40 f/3.5 ISO 400

Essay #25: Peanut Butter

As a kid, I was very specific about my sandwiches containing only PB, no J to taint the peanutty goodness. Now, I love to lavish this creamy, nutty, salty-n'-sweet spread on just about anything. Bread, muffins, crackers, cookies, ice cream (yes, ice cream: try it, it's fantastic!). I substitute peanut butter for syrup on waffles and pancakes. The thicker, the better. A friend sent me an entire box full of peanut-butter-themed treats for my birthday one year; I was giddy for a week.

What's your food addiction?

42mm 1/50 f/5.4 ISO 400

Essay #24: Bookstores

Stepping into a bookstore or a library is an unparalleled experience. I enter, close my eyes and draw a deep breath, savoring the aromatic blend of paper, ink, binding glue, coffee and a hint of dust. It's sweet and spicy and rich: Heaven. In used bookstores and libraries, the air is tinged with age, the tangy flavor tickling my nose and tongue. The soft hum of circulating air bears with it whispers of a thousand books recounting the tales bound within their pages, waiting to be unfolded.

I could spend the day here.

14mm 1/2.5 f/7.1 ISO 200. I used another bookshelf as a tripod.

Essay #23: The color green

Green is my happy color: the color of life, of growth. When editing, I always use green pen--it's so much more encouraging than red. I took this picture specifically for use as desktop wallpaper, something I do not infrequently. Since the last three years of my career were spent in a windowless office, I couldn't rear any deskside plants. Instead, I took pictures of green shrubs and shade plants for my computer display, to give me a hint of something fresh and alive every day. In the dead of winter, green is also an encouraging reminder of the life dormant beneath the snow, and that a new season will bloom out of the frozen earth.

Freestyle: Concert

This is Marc, one of the lead singers for the fantastic band downhere. Not only are the members of this band amazingly talented, they are also four of the most genuine people I've ever met. Their music has been a defining soundtrack of my life for the past eight years. They have a Christmas album coming out this year that everyone with holiday spirit should own, regardless of your feelings about "Christian" rock.

One of the things I appreciate about Marc here is that he's also a photographer, so he and the band not only allow fans to take and post photos, they encourage it. Don't ask me to explain the newsboy cap/plaid shirt/necktie combo, though (he chose to complete the ensemble with combat boots).

The key to concert photography is no flash, high-ish shutter speed, high ISO and wide-open aperture. 150mm 1/200 f/4.5 ISO 400

Essay #4: Rectangle

A male friend recently inquired why the majority of women he knows cite Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as their favorite book. Before you Austenphiles can become too vexed, he has read it. He just didn't see much literary merit in it--does social commentary on 1800s England hold any relevance today, however wittily written?

I know there are scores of critical texts lauding the brilliance of Jane Austen, so I'll avoid any panegyric here. I can only attest to my own reasons for listing P&P as one of my favorite novels. Yes, it's a love story, but it's really about, well, pride and prejudice. It's a story about the disillusionment of two people accustomed to thinking themselves superior to those around them. The center conflict for these two characters comes when Elizabeth realizes that her judgment about two men was entirely mistaken, a failing she would have laughed at in someone else, and Darcy realizes that he has been arrogant and rude, traits he finds abhorrent. These revelations allow them to relate better not only to each other, but also to others in their social circle. It's a timeless study of hubris and judgment. Plus, there's comedy, scandal and yes, romance.

Specs: 33mm 1/60 f/4.8 camera-mounted flash bounced off ceiling