I enjoy watching the PBS show, Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. I recently saw an episode (“On Broadway”, Season 7, Episode 9) featuring renowned actor and singer, Mandy Patinkin. It was a very emotional show, both for Patinkin and viewers alike as the story of his family was revealed and Patinkin learned…
There’s something special about trees that makes them such wonderful photographic subjects especially if it is a bent and twisted tree. They are so many shapes, forms and textures. Trees are majestic in life and in death. There is simply a beauty to them that draws us like a moth to a flame. For a…
I recently ran across a very good article, Photo Editing Is No Substitute For Photography Technique, by Andrew Goodall, that refutes the recent trend emphasizing the importance of editing over getting it right in camera. This wasn’t a SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) diatribe as the author recognizes the need for editing. Rather, he makes…
Street photography is one of the more exciting genres in photography. It forces us to get out of our comfort zone and go out in public to photograph random strangers. How will they react? How do I respond to that reaction? It’s about overcoming your anxiety and pushing those boundaries. It is also about the…
One of the age-old discussions in photography is whether or not photography is art. Personally, I believe that some photography is most definitely art and some is most definitely not art. Some of that is by design. Photo-journalism is intended an accurate documentation of the scene. At the other end of the spectrum, we have…
Through a friend I learned of a beautiful old church in ruin. It wasn’t abandoned but was no longer an active church; and it was slowly deteriorating. Its character, however, wasn’t diminished by the relentless process of aging. The church stands tall and proud as if waiting for its members to return for worship services….
I belong to a number of camera clubs, one of which is the Stony Brook Camera Club (SBCC) in Massachusetts. One of things I enjoy most about SBCC is the quality of speakers they have at the monthly meetings. Recently, Sarah Marino presented. Marino is an accomplished photographer who specializes in both grand and intimate…
Known for innovative and experimental architecture Chicago is a great town if you love architecture. Famous architects such as Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Frank Lloyd Wright, just to name a few, have buildings there. It is home to stunning buildings; the Rookery, the Sullivan Center, Union Station, Willis Tower,…
Mike Disfarmer was portrait photographer in the small town of Heber Springs, Arkansas. His career spanned two world wars and the Great Depression. He created simply wonderful portraits that documented the people of Heber Springs during that period. Like now-renowned street photographer, Vivian Maier, Disfarmer was “discovered” by a stroke of luck that saved them…
