Friday, August 23, 2013

The Power of Observation...

As I venture out in the world, I am an observer...

...Taking in all the beauty which surrounds me.

The majority of my subjects come to me while I am first: on my way to and from commissioned jobs, events, or simply walking outside of my door. Second, and most importantly is the fact that none of these photos would ever have happened if I wasn't prepared (with my camera strapped tightly around my neck).

If I simply wandered around without being so observant, I might miss that golden opportunity to shine so brightly. 

I've been teased by my friends and my peers (to no end) about the amount of photos I might make on any given day, but I try not to let it bother me. The thing they tease me most for, is what makes me feel so genuinely productive. This is, in fact MY CRAFT and I feel it necessary to be fully absorbed in my surroundings at all times. Isn't that what makes a great photographer? Catching the perfect situation, expression, emotion, detail, etc???

I believe I have the right to capture anything and everything I can. People also say in this business, that 'one should specialize in a particular market'. "HOGWASH!!!", I say... My greatest ability/drive to produce, is diversification in my subject matter. Why on earth would I want to give that up, merely for a bit of detailed marketing or money?

You see... A camera is a tool. Merely just a bunch of moving parts with an element of visual reproduction. It (the camera) is an extension of our eyesight. The photographer has the responsibility and task of using his/her tools to produce compelling re-creations of his/her surroundings.

It might be considered wise to specialize in one or two areas of expertise for mere business reasons, but it would be quite foolish to ignore everything else. Yes, this is my business. Yes, I need to pay my bills. But first and foremost... It is also my passion.

So with that being said, let me take you on a journey of diversification and give some background as to where, how, and why I found these particular subjects. They aren't in any particular order, but you can plainly see that I am not just moving from job to job or strolling through life calling myself an artist, without first paying attention to everything around me.

It is, in my opinion what 'sets me apart' from most professionals out there. I'm not saying that others are out of tune or lack this kind of attention. Maybe they are more deeply involved with the business end of things and feel they shouldn't waste time on things that don't grow their business or style. I feel this way of doing things encourages me to do more of the things which will help me succeed. 

*THIS IS HOW I FIND MY INSPIRATION ON A REGULAR BASIS.*

I look around me... I seriously take a giant look around me for that next frame of capture. A true artist embodies his/her work with passion, lots of practice, and attention to detail. And I hope you will agree, even if it is in a teasing way- that I am doing just that.

So, without further delay- Let me take you on a quick random journey, through the lens and out into the world which I see and appreciate so heavily... I hope you will find inspiration through this vision of mine and do a bit of your own soul searching with your camera or eyes. Whatever the subject may be...

 
 
 
 
Water droplets found just outside my door while having the morning cup of coffee...

  

 
 
A wildflower or dandelion weed (if you must) along a wooden fence line, while traveling across the state to do some assisting for another professional photographer...
 
 
 
A guy shredding on a wave runner, captured from the balcony of a luxurious hotel on South Beach, Miami, FL... This was done while taking a much needed break during a long and strenuous day of assisting, where I helped an amazing fashion photographer with his lighting, location scouting, technical aspects of the equipment, traffic control, gear loading/unloading, etc... The subject was a Miss Universe supermodel/international spokesperson for a top branded hair/makeup company.  
 
 
 
Our flag floating in the breeze... Captured this while my fiancé was returning/checking out some books at our local library. I tend to feel a little stuffy indoors, so I stayed outside wandering around the park with my camera...
 
 
 
An iridescent beetle on the ground, which I noticed while hanging out with a bridal party in the driveway out in the countryside where the wedding venue was to be held the next day... After covering the wedding rehearsal and executing a ton of detail shots and driving across 4 states and not getting much sleep the night before and having to prepare for the big event the next day, you would think I was done photographing anything that day. But no sir/maam... I continued on shooting through a fun bachelor party and worked my butt off during the wedding the next day. WHEW!!!
 
 
 
The early bird catches the worm... Or in this case, the sunrise. Captured this while setting up for a environmental portrait session for a local singer who needed shots for their debut album cover/promotional materials. Couldn't have picked a better spot and had a very productive morning with this singer. Everyone was anxious and excited to see the results, but all I can think about was how beautiful the light was that morning...
 
 
 
Found this inch long tree frog while walking out of our home on my way to run errands in the morning. It was very cooperative and seemed to wait for me to run inside to get my camera and attach a macro lens to get super close. I even was able to scoop the little guy up and place him in different scenes before he got too antsy, peed on me, and hopped away...
 
 
 
Along with photography, I love gardening. I planted these colossal sunflowers in front of our house and they brighten my day when things are kinda gloomy out. The weather has been very cloudy lately, but the diffused light really makes colors pop and details come to life. I love finding patterns in nature and Fibonacci Numbers (spirals) are most prevalent in the natural design of a sunflower. Also in Nautilus Shells...
 
 
 
Out with the family, for a blistering hot day at our bi-annual Caladium Festival, I had enough with the crazy crowd/vendors/heat wave of the festival in Downtown Lake Placid and drove out with my fiancé to the heart of the matter- The Caladium Fields... Where the migrant workers did their usual laboring and all was peaceful and silent...
 
 
 
Although the sweat was dripping into my eyes and it was a challenge to see clearly, I managed to get up close and kneeling in the mud, to capture some amazing painted caladiums, along with a couple of interested dragonflies...
 
 
 
On another day, and another multiple location musician bio shoot, I was asked by security to get permission to shoot on campus at a local college, teeming with backgrounds, nature trails, and wildlife. On the way to the administrative building to inform them of my needs, I laid down on the hot cobblestone and captured this HDR with a fisheye lens of the art and architecture...
 
 
 
Another day and time, I walked the same campus just to do some random nature/wildlife/insect photography with the love of my life. The weather held up long enough for us to spend a few hours shooting together. Sometimes a storm waits for the photographer and even offers an extra element of color/surprise...
 
 
 
While on our way back from a marvelous vacation in the Smoky Mountains, my fiancé and I went off course to find some waterfalls. We were losing daylight before finding them, but before becoming totally lost and getting directions/escort from a really nice local, we saw this scene on the side of the road. I love horses and just had to stop to feed them some grass and make a few photos...
 
 
 
Another adventure and stress free day at Bok Tower Gardens with a good photographer friend, gave me multiple opportunities to make some great images. As a storm rolled in quickly, the sky changed dramatically and I saw this man sitting there with such a 'look of contemplation', I couldn't resist making a photo of him. He didn't pay any mind to me and I tried to be very discreet while taking this candid shot. I think you will see a ton of feeling in this photo. I do...
 
 
 
I occasionally get stir crazy in our home and need to get out of the house, at all costs before my future wife and I are at each others' throats. I was feeling a bit under the weather and decided to take a bike ride around a nearby lake. I must have timed it perfectly because I ended up at the shoreline right at sunset (note the long shadows). You guessed it... Before pulling out of our driveway, I made sure to grab my camera and off I went to blow some steam and get some oxygen in my brain...
 
 
 
During that same bike ride, I was having a bit of trouble finding the right scene to photograph. Also my mind wasn't yet free from anxiety. I was riding along when all of a sudden, I see this little setup someone had made on the lakeside part of their property. I thought it would be a fitting scene to later color separate during hours of editing time... 
 
 
 
Even when I am driving from one place to the next, I become an observer. Not only of the other cars, driving habits of others, storefronts, traffic lights, or passers-by... But also of the mood. I believe I made this shot while headed  out of town to see my father in the hospital right before he passed away :( I was frantic about his condition and knew I needed to hurry. But sometimes I see something in the sky that tells me to prepare my mind or maybe something that tells me everything will be ok. Regardless of what I see or feel, I would like to remember these kind of moments, for they can be sooooo defining, and should never be forgotten. Call it divine intervention or simply call it spiritualism... I call it close observation...
 
 
 
Not all moments are as defining as the ones where we are at our wits' end. Some moments of observation take us into a world of wonder and mystery. They leave us questioning our purpose and seem somewhat puzzling. I made this image of some towering bamboo while we (my fiancé and I) were on our first visit/vacation to the Smoky Mountains. This was at a time in my life when everything felt upside down. I was lost, for a lack of better words. Not physically, but mentally. I didn't know which way to turn. Luckily I had my tool of observation a(my camera) and a strong relationship with my fiancé. It soothed those lost feelings and I found myself once again... In love with life, the beautiful woman next to me, and in myself (an observer of the past, present, and future to come)...
 
 
 
Energy is everywhere. It can be so draining and at the same time, very stimulating to tap into. Some of these energies are man-made and produced, and others are natural occurrences. I made this image when I reached inside and found some extra energy to shoot something new, off the beaten path. While driving across the state for a different job opportunity, I decided I needed to get some 'me time 'on the way there. I pulled off to the side of the long deserted road to capture the high tension power lines which give people the energy they subsequently need to run our many devices. Don't know why I felt the need to capture this. Just did...
 
 
 
Something as simple as a common wildflower which stands in a giant field, gently flowing in the breeze. The tiny existence of this one flower can become so grand and phenomenal when we stop to take a closer look and find appreciation in it. It becomes bigger than life itself and has the power to humble us, if we give it our attention and time. I think that this is the main reason for my constant power of observation. I really want to just feel like I am one with the universe and live my life as a humble person. No matter how tiny something is or how much or how little effect it has on it's surroundings- IT STILL EXISTS. If I can find appreciation in the smallest of things or live my life to its fullest capacity, trying new things everyday and being open to change and following my heart), then I honestly think I am living a good life. All material items, responsibilities, worries, and concerns seem to float away in that same breeze of existence.

I feel this level of observation can do me no wrong. I am becoming comfortable in my own skin, finally. And I feel I have something worth sharing with others. That is my main inspiration for writing this particular blog. YOU, ME, and THEM, and EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN US- IS IMPORTANT AND WORTH THE EFFORT WE GIVE IT. It doesn't matter how we do it, but being human and finding humanity in all things (big or small) is what makes us human beings.

I love this gift I have; The power of observation; AND the POWER of BEING... Just BEING...

Try it sometime... Take a deeper look around you and pluck out the details in life and your surroundings which also DEFINE YOU!!!
 
You might be surprised on how much of our universe you are missing out on, just by taking a closer look and smelling the roses, coffee, or the cool summer breeze on the hottest and busiest of days...
 
As always... Thanks for taking another journey with me and remember to be good to yourself and others. Share your gifts and the rewards will share themselves with you in return.
God be with us all.
 
Love and Light,
|||JDB|||

1 comment:

  1. This Blog is quite good Jeremy. Beautiful and thoughtful words and very inspiring and relaxing pictures. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete