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Alex

Some Butter with That?

This photo by my buddy Sam Wolfe about melted me. It’s in the restaurant of the new Costa D’Este Hotel on the east coast of Hutchinson Island in Vero Beach. A full-swank hotel owned by Gloria Estefan.

In the Yard

I always hated working in the yard. For at least one weekend every summer my brother and sister and I would have to help my mom and dad rake up leaves, pull weeds, pick up the trimmings left behind by the shears and repaint the benches and rocks in the front of the house that had been stripped of their life by the winter. As far as I was concerned though, summer was summer and one weekend was one weekend too much to spend on the yard.

Things are different now. I look forward to giving a haircut to an out of control yard. I have a few ideas as to the reasons my attitude has changed, but mostly, I like getting dirty and hanging out with my wife on our one day off together.

Last Saturday we spent about 7 hours in the yard. It had been about a month since we had done anything more than mow the grass, and it was bursting. We were able to get a lot done though, including throwing down about 8 gallons of some really disgusting compost. Afterwards, as the sun was going down I busted out the lights and attempted to make a portrait of Deborah.

I don’t practice lighting as much as I’d like to. It was slow. Thankfully D was willing, and patient.

Cart Before The Horse

I’m sorting through the thousands of wedding photos that have been rolling in in an attempt to assemble a digestable slideshow to post here, but until that happens, I want to share a few quick photos from our honeymoon to Vancouver Island. 

It was beautiful.

The sky was rainy and cloudy the whole 6-hour drive from Victoria to Tofino, but as we rolled in at about 8:30 pm, the sun broke just below the clouds, and just above the horizon. With the stormy sky to the east, the circumstances made for one of the most spectacular sunsets I’ve seen, complete with three boats, a rainbow coming out of the mountain, and a big, red house. It was the first thing we saw when we pulled into the small town.

Retouched

I came across this opinion about the possible legislation in France regarding disclosure of retouched photos while visiting the David Byrne Journal.

“French public health officials are considering laws that would ban the promotion of eating disorders — including a requirement that magazines reveal the extent to which their images have been artificially retouched. It’s viewed as a public health issue because girls and boys (and men and women) are feeling increasingly ashamed of their bodies as they compare themselves to what they see all around them — images of bodies that are not real, that have been photoshopped, digitally airbrushed and heavily modified.”

DC @ 50mm

I went to the nation’s Capitol last weekend with Deborah for a quick trip to meet with friends Colleen and Noah Rosenblatt-Farrell. Colleen will be Deborah’s matron of honor at our wedding in May, and Noah is performing the marriage. We discovered that we all took a trip to Savannah, GA this same week last year, so it was decided that a tradition has been born. Next year it’ll be New York.

The last time I was in DC was around 1988. It was a road-trip to the east coast with the family. We had a Buick Roadmaster station wagon with full-on wood panel siding. If you listened closely, you could hear the song “Holiday Road” following us down the highway. I was 12, and needless to say, not a whole lot interested in the jewels to be found in this incredible city. Things were different for me this time around. Each museum is a giant treasure chest of World History. I only wish we had a few more days.

Both Noah and Colleen went to college in Georgetown and took us around to some spots off the beaten path. However, we did make time for a walk past the White House and an absolutely necessary visit to the National Art Gallery to see an exhibit of Robert Frank’s “The Americans.”

And, we ate REALLY well.

I also got to see some things I’ve never seen before, like the “Exorcist Steps,” and a guy masturbating in public under a bridge over Rock Creek Park. Kind of wish I could un-see that one, but it was memorable to say the least. He even was prepared with a small jar of vasoline. Noah saw that the masturbator had gotten a signal from another guy in the park indicating to him that he was being watched, and he pulled himself together. THAT was even more interesting.

The last few times I’ve traveled with no real agenda, I’ve just brought one camera with a 50 mm lens on it. It’s a nice break from using crappy zooms at work during the week, and the limitations are actually freeing in a sense that I don’t have to consider all the options that come with having an array of lenses. I find that I may have to work a little harder to get a photo, but I’m also more invested in it. And the results are usually more satisfying. I’ve taken that idea back to work with me as well, and I will go into certain assignments with only the 50mm.

I also noticed that, with a couple exceptions, most of these photos are heavy on composition, and light on moment or interaction. I guess that’s because a lot of them are quick, grab shots. But that’s fine with me. I guess it is a reflection of a quick trip.

Public Masturbator

Photo Shoot at the Exorcist Steps

Portrait of Noah Rosenblatt-Farrell

Honda Classic

I photographed The Honda Classic Golf Tournament a few weeks ago. I usually have fun at pro golf events. I’ve always felt like there’s pretty good comraderie between the photographers, and it’s a chance to get out and walk…a lot.

I don’t care much for the action and reaction photos I shot at the event, but I did like this little detail of twin cigarette butts. Golf fans can be so damn proper. That’s obviously a stereotype that doesn’t fit every golfer or fan, of course, but I couldn’t help thinking about that when I saw this.

The second photo of this guy looking up at the moon is the only other photo I was happy with from the weekend.

Jackson, TN

Mindi – 

Jackson, TN.

Go Gators

I got to shoot the BCS National Championship game last night in Miami, FL between the Florida Gators and the Oklahoma Sooners. They played a good, close game and I had a really great time. It was a day-long adrenaline rush, followed by really sore shoulders which I’m trying to remedy in the hot tub!

Red Ball Behind the Wall

It’s hard to explain what’s going on here…so I’m not going to even try.