So I had just bought some loose-leaf tea...

... and was taking a nice walk through the Italian Market with Sara when suddenly, our path was blocked by a filming crew. And who was standing 5 feet away?

Weird. And awesome. I kinda wanted to yell something about LA Confidential being the coolest movie ever... but I didn't. He smiled a lot and waved to people. It made my day a little more entertaining. The end.

Studies...

I'm trying some new shooting techniques out today. This was my first successful test shot of Ophelia (click for a bigger image):


I'm about to get in my car and do a little location scouting. And i'll most likely be stopping at the art store while i'm out, too. So by the end of the day, i'm probably going to be making a big giant photo post. YAY! i'm feeling inspired.

Neat things...

random shot from this past weekend. i like mild summer evenings where it's daylight 'till almost 9pm and you can watch the moon rise while it's still sunny. there's just something cool about that.

anyhow,

there's no real point to this post except to highlight some things i've been eyeballing lately:

must own one of these... that'd be so much fun to shoot with! how did i NOT KNOW that this existed??
http://www.holgamods.com/xt/xt.html

next on my reading list.if anyone already read it and wants to pass it along, let me know!

Opteka 42" 5-in-1 reflector disc
i want to shoot more stuff using reflectors and natural lighting and this would be such a great addition to my kit... and they're only about 30 bucks on amazon. might have to get one.

I've had a weird obsession with terrariums these past few weeks. i'm gonna make a trip to the thrift store this weekend and see if i can find a cool jar and make one. not only would it look awesome just as decoration, but i've got this idea in my head about making tiny landscapes and photographing them... so i'm gonna make one to start and see how that goes. :)

there's an antique store down the road from me and they have a giant bin full of old antique keys. all shapes and sizes and levels of deteriorating. they're awesome. i might go grab a few of these to shoot, also.

and while i'm thinking of it...
i want to scour craigslist for old frames people are tossing out. i'm such a sucker for old weathered stuff like this. it just has so much character to it. my mind has this way of making up a story for anything old like this and how it came to be in someone's house or on a shelf in the thrift store or in a basement...

on another note, this is Sara's new furry companion, Oona:
she's a little monster. but adorable nonetheless.

that's all for now. this was a just-for-smiles post. :)

-c

Memorial Day weekend...

So sad it's over. What a nice weekend it turned out to be. The lovely miss Sara and I spent a few days in Jersey exploring our back yard and soaking up some sun. Here's a special bonus round-up of photos from the weekend that I wanted to elaborate on... For more photos, check out my big 30th day post at my other site, www.fluidoptics.com


Saturday was beautiful and I shot lots of photos walking around philly before heading to jerz:

It was one of those days where the clouds almost literally seemed painted onto the sky. Absolutely beautiful. Before going to to a nice sushi dinner, the lady and I took our friend's dog for a walk in the park (we were dog-sitting this weekend, too.)

He's a handsome little fella. Hyper as hell, but a sweet dog. The following day, we went out to Jersey in the morning and spent a large portion of the day taking walks, playing with the dog, barbecuing, and getting the pool uncovered (I CAN'T wait to swim...). Later in the evening, there was a great summertime thunderstorm that rolled through and eased the humidity just in time for bed...

On monday, we took a little road trip out to Wharton State Forest and explored Apple Pie Hill, one of the coolest places in the NJ pine barrens (google it). It's hard to find and you have to drive down 3 miles of unmarked dirt roads, but if you can get there, it's worth the trip. You can see both Philadelphia AND Atlantic City at the same time from the summit. The view is amazing.

The view below your feet, however, is a little more terrifying...

After exploring the surrounding woods and taking some dance shots (which you can see on Sara's blog here) she decided to take me to Batsto Village since I've never been there. It's a colonial town on the other side of the park about 20 minutes away and it's been preserved to look just the way it did in the mid 1800's. Seriously... this place was cool. And kinda creepy and ghost-townish. But mostly cool.


We also found this little guy hanging out on an outhouse that had a loose board on the side...

That evening, we watched a movie, had more barbecue, and then spent all day today lounging around the house because of a sudden change in the weather. Overnight, it went from 90 degrees and sunny/overcast to being around 55 degrees and rainy. Go figure. But all things considered, it was an awesome weekend filled with exploration and fun. I can't wait to do more sightseeing this summer. There are so many places I'd like to check out and I think a little roadtrip is in order (weird NJ being the tourguide...). But that's another story. Hope you all had a great weekend too! Get out there and enjoy the sun :)

And again, thanks for reading! ENJOY~

-c

Walkabout. A love note to my city...

So, three weeks have passed since I started the photo-a-day project over at www.fluidoptics.com and I'm having a blast. I haven't missed a day, and I don't intend to. It's filling me with ideas and inspiration that I would have never found otherwise. It's my version of keeping a sketchbook. On my free days, I like to take a little stroll around different parts of town and explore all the hidden nooks and crannies everyone takes for granted or completely passes by. That's where I found my friend here:

He came out from behind some nearby cars and watched as I shot some photos of an abandoned building. I'm a fan of cats, and having the company while shooting didn't bother me in the least. Then as I stood to walk down the street, I noticed I wasn't alone.


To my surprise, this fella quickly became my shadow and followed me around for the next 20 minutes or so, pausing to get my attention every time I would stop for a shot, often times even jumping into the frame. When I checked my photos this evening, he showed up in 23 shots.


In the end, he became distracted by some sort of rodent in a nearby garden and took off. But before he disappeared, he came back once more to rub against my leg and then sprint after his dinner.


I like these seemingly random occurrences that come out of nowhere and make your day a little more interesting. And these walkabouts through the forgotten passages of this city are full of fun surprises. It makes me thankful that I live where I do. Philadelphia really is a beautiful and unique city that's so rich with history and stories that are kept alive through the years by the very streets and bricks this city was built upon. Every broken bit of pavement and crumbling wall has a story. The pulleys that still hang from the roofs of old houses; the bent railing on a church that's flanked by new construction; a tiny yet vibrant vegetable garden tucked into an alley; lost earrings and puzzlingly discarded clothing showing up in the most unexpected of places.. presumably misplaced near the swingset after a drunken late-night rendezvous gone awry. You could write a compelling story about any of these things and that was just a single day's discoveries. You never know what these roads will toss at you next. And that's what keeps me motivated and excited to wake up and do this every day. It's always such a fun adventure.

I love this town.

Blessings.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Two of my favourite people in the world just welcomed their gigantic baby boy into the world earlier today. I'm the proud godfather of little Silas! And how appropriate that this Sunday is mother's day. Congratulations to all three of you. You're awesome folks and you're going to be the best, most loving parents to this loud and HUGE little dude. What a set of pipes he had over the phone! Incredible. My thoughts and prayers and well-wishes are with you guys. I love you both and I can't wait to meet him! Oh, and be sure to tell your folks I said congratulations to them as well! I gotta pay them a visit next time I get back home... Now get some rest. You deserve it.

Thank God the week is over... seems like it's been a long one. And the rain FINALLY broke today. What a nice change of pace. Gonna be spending the weekend with Sara. Must. Shoot. Photos. Go on over to www.fluidoptics.com and check out this week's treasures. Lots of location scouting this past week... gonna do some composition work on my days off here. New illy(s?) by tuesday night, so come back soon.

So much excitement. Must rest...

Peace, love, and babies.

-c

7 days of rain and counting....

Well, i'm officially tired of this dreary weather. it's taking a toll on my good mood. but despite the gloom, i'm happy to say that my new project over at www.fluidoptics.com seems to be doing quite well. Thank You to all who are checking it out and sharing your thoughts. if you haven't checked it out, please do.

in other news, today i built myself a light box for some upcoming work. this is what a lightbox looks like:


you take a big sheet of foam board, cut it into equal squares, tape the edges up and then add some lighting. and before you know it, you're shooting small objects with crystal clarity on a little seamless backdrop. interesting, no? it's gonna be awfully useful. i'm experimenting with some new techniques i'm kinda developing. time will ultimately tell if it's a successful experiment, but it's certianly something to do and so far, the results are kinda cool.

i'm writing addresses on labels for my mailers right now and getting prepared to send out booklets and make the appropriate calls to some local art directors. keep those fingers crossed... you may see my work in print in the near future.

the stock photo idea has come up yet again and this time i'm giving it some more serious consideration. the photo-a-day project has got me shooting alot more and i think it'd be worthwhile to see what, if anything, i can do to make it profitable. if anyone knows a stock service that pays fairly and sees a good return, let me know. i'm shopping around.

well, that's all for now. still waiting on news of my godson's grand entrance into this world. could be any moment now. i'm excited. in the meantime, more work... more ideas... more to come. stay tuned!

-c