Favorite Subjects ~

People have never been my favorite photography subject, but when it comes to my grandchildren I can't seem to put the camera down! I absolutely love capturing their little faces on any given day.

The photos that I'm posting today are of Aria, and were shot a few weeks ago. The black & white was shot 4 years ago.

Aria loves the camera and the camera loves her. I wonder if she may have a future photographer hiding somewhere inside her! She has been picking up camera's for as long as I can remember and has requested her first digital camera for Christmas; of course Grammy is more than happy to grant that wish!

Photos: Eastcreek Photography

Copyright 2009

Road Trip ~

I took a little road trip yesterday to Franklin Tennessee. Franklin is a little town about 25 miles south of Nashville. I had never been before, but over the years I have had several friends tell me "Oh, you just gotta go! The little shops are fantastic, the restaurants are amazing, and it's just a wonderful day trip!" Well, work and life have always gotten in the way of road trips, but yesterday I thought what the hell and went on up.
I learned a long time ago, unless you're just running down to your local grocery store, always take a camera with you! It never seems to fail; you go somewhere and don't have a camera and you're guaranteed to see something that will make you kick your own ass for not bringing one. Afterall, one never knows when a photo op will occur!
I have seen a lot of graffiti in my lifetime. I have seen graffiti walls, bridges, overpasses, train cars, buildings, road signs...you name it, I have seen it covered in graffiti. However, I have never seen a car covered in graffiti until yesterday. The detail was absolutely amazing and finding this car made me feel like a kid in a candy store!
Once again, I am simply in awe of the artistic ability of a graffiti artist! I'm just hoping that this car belongs to the artist and wasn't a late night work of expression!

Life Interrupted

Life Interrupted ~

For a week now my life has been completely and utterly interrupted. Actually, it's been worse then interrupted... it has been: Life Standing Still!

One week ago, while reading my private messages on Facebook, I made the fatal error of clicking on one that contained a virus! Within minutes my entire computer system had been hijacked; leaving me standing still.

Fear sent chills up and down my spine as I realized that my entire life was inside this box and I was denied access! Today my computer is free of any viruses, trojans, and spyware, but now I'm left with an uneasy feeling. What did the hackers gain from this? And, what kind of damage can be done? Was I able to avoid long term destruction? And, how long will it take before I know if any damage was done?

Computers are part of our lives, there's no doubt about that, but I wonder if the instant gratification is worth the risk?

Photo: Eastcreek Photography

Copyright 2009

Concentration

Concentration ~

Eastcreek Photography

Copyright 2009

Soup for the Soul?

It seems that everyone has something that makes them feel better when they're sick. For some people it's their favorite blanket. For others it may be mom's soup, music playing, or watching old movies while they slip in and out of sleep.

I haven't been feeling very well today and nothing seems to be making me feel better. That started me thinking...what makes me feel better? I realized that for me, it's not something that I can touch, but rather a state of mind. It's the warm feeling of home. Having been born and raised in Chicago you would wonder why the feeling of home for me would be in the country, but it is! There's something comforting about the smell of country air, the warmth of a fire, the feel of old wood, and the sounds that are unique to the south. I was born in the city, but I'm proud to say my home's in Alabama. Alabama is where my parents and their parents before them were born and raised. It's where I was conceived. And it's where I call home.

Women Like Football Too!

Photo's: Eastcreek Photography
Copyright 2009

Different Angles ~

An old friend of mine, back from high school, has recently discovered a renewed interest in photography. His interest led him to take a photography class last night and today he was telling me all about it. Basically, the instructor explained the functions of the camera. However, he did mention that the instructor discussed shooting objects at different angles. "Hallelujah" I thought!

I see this time and time again. People go out and shoot something, but it never occurs to them to shoot it at a different angle. Lets face it, anyone can point and shoot. How many times do you see the same object shot in the exact same way? Sometimes you just have to put yourself in awkward situations to make an ordinary photograph interesting.

So, next time you pick up your camera and find yourself pointing and shooting, think about how you can make that ordinary picture extraordinary!

Photo: Eastcreek Photography

Copyright 2009

Now you see it...Now you don't

Ignore the quality of these images. They were shot shortly after my arrival a couple of weeks ago at the Birmingham Museum of Art. I was contemplating the lighting situation and fired off a couple shots just to see what I would need to adjust. I shot two frames, back to back, took a quick look at them on the screen and made my adjustments. During that time I never saw a person in the frame. Nor did I see a person afterwards. However, this morning, as I started viewing the pics, I was stunned to see a male figure walking directly toward me. Where did he come from? It's amazing how in the blink of an eye, or the click of the shutter, your entire image can change and it's not until later do you realize how much we don't see at any given moment in time.

I still don't understand how this figure appeared. I'm not talking minutes between shots...I'm talking perhaps a second. It appears as though he walked straight out of the waterfall behind him. I'm usually pretty good at surveying my surroundings and taking notice of what may or may not appear in any given shot, but I missed this one big time!