Making Sense With Our Sight

Sometimes in life we are faced with a dliemma of what to do with our precious time on earth.

I learned that I can visually embrace my time through photography as a medium.

By showing frames from my life- I gain a better understanding of where I have been, the experiences I've had, and the importance of documentation.

Photography can be used for many things. It can tell a story, illustrate an idea, reinforce a personal value, make us laugh,as well as cry, and still have the power to reside in our memories, long after 'the dust has settled'.

I am grateful for the ability to use visual expression in a way that I can count on.

Whether doing it for fun, experimentation, or as a job- I don't think I will ever really just 'put down my camera'. It means to much to give notice to the beauty of things...

There is just too much to see, capture, document, and illustrate. I love sharing. Hope you feel the expression.

Enjoy life and its little gifts.

The sense of sight is just one of many we can feel blessed to be born with.


||| JDB Photography ||| 03.29.2011 |||

For The Love Of Nature

Nature is something I always enjoy making photographs of. I feel some of my best work is represented in this category. The subtle form of a rose petal, the intricate design of a simple palm frond, the magical buzz of a bumble bee... All of the subject matter in nature will always be there for the moment of capture. When I need to slip away from reality for awhile and get some photo therapy, I find myself capturing nature most of the time. It is one of those subjects that is inviting as well as ever changing. Love your surroundings. I do.

Shutter Fun

I love experimental photography. Zooming and shutter dragging can be quite phenomenal under the right conditions. Using a tripod becomes unnecessary at a certain point. Go with the flow and energize your photos with streaming light waves and mezmorizing design. It keeps me in a trance which cannot be explained. Light has a way of calling my innermost primitive self. Use the light to your advantage. The surprises are endless. The gifts are appreciated as well. |||JDB|||02/24/2011|||

"Under The Bridge"

"A Common Place"

"Light Rays"

"Parking Lot Lighting"

"In Motion"

"Delicate Dance"

"Lamp Shade"

"Destination Unknown"

"Interior Madness"

"While We Are Still Young"

"Keep trying new things. You never know what you can get." 

It Feels Good To Be A Photographer

Being a photographer has never felt so good. To see is a gift... One I would never want to lose. A single photograph can be worth 1000 words. Our photos can be bold, fun, witty, intellectual, intriguing, experimental, fashionable, therapeutic, documenting, memorable, passionate, scientific, natural, magical, mystical, faked(set up), realistic, historical, vibrant, plain, saturated with color, black&white, newsworthy, boring(we hope not), striking, timed perfectly, blurred beyond belief, rich, poor, monumental, magnificent, etc...

Here are a few shots which I have taken in the last 6 months.
I wonder if you will have any words about them. If you do I'd love to hear them.
Drop a comment or visit me on Facebook. I'd love to share stories or get new ideas.


"Life is a Gamble"





"Sunset Over 17th"

"Forever Young"

"The Light"

"Fellow Female Photog"

"How Many Monkeys?"

"The Look"

"A Real Wiseguy"

So?????? Did you come up with any words of your own?

When I make photos I try to give them words of their own.

Can you tell? 

I can't wait to see what I'll be shooting next.

I'll be posting something real soon.

Just need to free up some time.

Thanks for viewing.

||| JDB ||| 02/15/11 |||

Utilizing our skillsets

As my visual integrity evolves and I gain more experience and aquire more skills, I always remind myself not to take things overboard. Of course it is acceptable to manipulate images in post production using the thousands of programs available to us. Why wouldn't it be?

For the sternly technical fine art photographer who lives as a caveman beating his chest slandering photoshop users and the one who doesn't appreciate technology, I can see a point of keeping your captures limited to what is available. But in the world of digital photography, we are encouraged to use our resources to fix all sorts of things.

Don't forget that not all of us can afford fancy diffusers, variable output flashes, filters that give you results, or cameras that coincide with the cutting edge. We use what we can to get by and I am grateful we can 'fix' alot of it later. This is one reason we should never sell ourselves short in getting our contracts signed for a fair market value. We spend way more time in the digital darkroom (until our eyes are strained) piling through our huge image banks, retouching, cropping, fixing red eye, color correcting, adding effects...... You get the point.

This particular image was a high key glamour shoot of Karen, who was a fabulous subject to have in the studio. Her makeup was self applied and I was glad she didn't overdo it. Neither one of us could get a makeup artist at the time to volunteer. I didn't mind because I knew it could be fixed later. I concentrated more on getting solid expressions from her which would make the job of editing outtakes easier. Thank you Adobe (they didn't pay me for that) for creating Photoshop and keeping it moving in a good direction for photographers and designers alike. We would be "cavemen" without it. |||JDB-01/30/2011|||

Billy Vazquez and Border Patrol

Billy Vazquez - lead vocals/guitar

Jimmy Powers - rhythm guitar 

Rodrigo Zambrano - bass guitar

John Yarling - drums

sitting in...

David Shelley - dijembe drum

If you haven't heard them yet, you are missing out.

Especially if you love Funk, Blues, RnB, Rockabilly, Etc...

Take it from me - these guys can pull a crowd and keep them groovin til the sun comes up. They don't mind playing an Encore for the screaming fans. They are in it for the love of music, Because of this and their diverse and distinct talents, I see them striking up a tour or record deal soon. Be on the lookout at at local venues around South Florida. Come out to Fort Lauderdale and show your support. You wont be sorry.

 

 

"Hanging on the Music"

At this very moment I am at a local bar (where I now work weekends as a bar back), supporting my good friend Beverly, who is an amazing songwriter & musician. She plays over 10 instruments & always has a smile & a hug waiting for me when our paths cross. I am highly appreciative of what Beverly does for a living. I have a much larger respect for the friendship that has been built. She is the definition of a performing artist, first & foremost, taking her love for music and translating it into raw therapy for anyone willing to listen. She commands attention without screaming into the microphone & has the soul of an old wise philosopher. She keeps her own rhythm in life with her Guild acoustic guitar and Alexi keyboard, but always supports the fellow musician and offers her guitar or mic up for a new sound. She has a subtle heartfelt kindness in her home as well as on stage. Beverly's time in the limelight can't be denied because she is that good.- And for these reasons, she deserves praise.

Human kind needs an uplift. Don't get me wrong, there are alot of really good people in this world & I believe we each have something wonderful to offer one another. Take it from a fellow Cancerian like Beverly. Our Zodiac sign similarity is one that is naturally gifted and artistic. We are passionate about life and love good company. It is our business to please. I feel Beverly's contribution is greater because she knows how to make people feel good with music and a genuine smile. Behind that smile there is years of experience.

Lyrics and rhythm in music can grab us by the seat of our pants and take us to places way beyond our fears about death or confusion of love. Alot of great music and artistic genius is filled with sadness. This is unavoidable because as artists we want to see the world happy and we feel grief in a big way when those around us are unhappy. As artists of all types, we sing, play, sculpt, paint, create and capture our way through life & only hope for positive change in the world and in ourselves. I appreciate every chance to photograph such an amazingly talented person. Without this proof and kind of documentation along with the ocassional recording, its all just noises off in the distance. Step outside and follow those noises to the music that you hang on to (sometimes by an emotional thread). It defines us as lovers of life. Every one of us.
||| JDB 01/12/2011 |||

National Lampoon Comic Shoot

A couple months ago I visited National Lampoon's Underground Comedy Club on A1A in Fort Lauderdale Beach. My friend's band, "Swoop" was playing a music gig so I managed to listen to a few routines of comics and was highly impressed. It was open mic which added an extra touch of mediocrity. I enjoyed the talent and their hard work with the fairly unreceptive audience of a typical open mic anywhere you go, these artists felt passion for making people laugh. No matter what standards were swept under the rug. Of course I had the brilliant idea of brushing elbows and chatting up the manager of the club about the promotional efforts to bring more people in. We had an awesome conversation which led to a good response when I made inquiry of setting up a photo shoot with any volunteer comics who needed material. This was merely a test shoot on location for me. Side lit with a couple ProFoto monolights, that's it! ! ! The three dudes that volunteered were quite capable of creating hysteria. I had trouble framing shots after awhile because I couldn't stop cracking up. To say the least I got some killer test shots at the small cost of conversation with a cool manager and a few quick edit CD's. It was awesome. I love my job!