photos
Skyscapes:
Over the years I have realized that I have an obsession of sorts for clouds,
I don't believe it's normal. I must have 1000 photos of clouds, and hours
upon hours of footage....all different kinds, from all different parts
of the world. I think it's the fact that no 2 clouds are really the same,
and that if you look hard enough, you can actually see that there is a
God. I'm the guy who won't let you sleep on a plane because I'm hogging
up the window and snapping away like a maniac.
Water helps me think, I'm always drawn to it. The ocean nearly took my life when I was about 15, in Laguna Beach, CA. I was boogie boarding and the waves picked up. Before I knew it I was being tossed around underwater, I had gotten caught in the undertow and was being torn by riptides. Every time I would come up for air I would take in a gulp of wave instead. Just as I was about to give up, staring at the sun through the water's surface, I felt sand at my feet. To me the ocean represents a lot of things about life, one of which is to never forget that it is to be respected as a force to be reckoned with. I see it as both beauty and beast combined.
The horizon is a tricky thing, it's always right where it was when you left it, but it's seldom the same. I find that it is impossible to reach, no matter what direction you head in, it's always one step ahead of you. I gain contemplation and inspiration from everything that surrounds me, and can always rely on a change of scenery to produce fresh thoughts and ideas.
I think it started by accident, I saw a pigeon take off and snapped a photo that looked so bizaar to me that I made an afternoon of it. Since then I've made an effort to pay attention. I'm fascinated by animals in general, by their character, their movements, and their shameless nature. I find that their humor seems to lure me in, I believe it's the reason we seek pets to begin with.
I have taken a handful of portraits in the past, but for the last 10 years I have put off doing "Psychological Portraits" of friends and family much to my own personal dissapointment. I have always envisioned myself sitting down for a few hours with a subject and discussing deep, philosophical, and personal topics in hopes of generating the sorts of imagery that are thought provoking. I use the Picasso, and Dali portraits as imaginery markers for the future shoots. These shots have more of a spontaneous, or instantaneous nature to them.
Not a "food photographer" by todays professional standards or definitions, but I can probably handle a more modest or humble shoot for your average restaurant (few would notice much difference).
This particular shoot was done as an experiment while bidding on a bar and grill website. I needed some food shots and tried my hand at a few local restaurants to see if I could take shots of real dishes under the pressure of time constraints, where food still looks fresh. After several attempts at large restaurant chains, I was finally allowed to photograph my lunch at Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers in Brentwood, CA, www.barneyshamburgers.com .
This entire shoot took place inside of an hour and I used only natural light. Given the proper time, preparations, and incorporating lights into the shoot would make a dramatic difference here, but all things considered I still think this mini-shoot was a success.
Perhaps the biggest influence in my desire to take pictures is to have them evolve into abstract paintings. I can't help but see things with and without the noise of knowing what it is, versus experiencing it for the first time, time and time again. Photography allows me the ability to save that thought for the day I get to stretch another canvas. Ultimately painting is my long term goal.