LIfe moves pretty fast...

If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
I heard this great quote from "Ferris Bueller's Day off" recently and it reminded me how lucky I am to do what I do for a living. Being a photographer has turned me into a curious person that not only wants to look around but also capture it for all the world to see. Never underestimate the revealing power of a fast shutter speed.

Bresson's Patience

I was talking to a friend the other day that had just visited the Bresson exhibit in Chicago.
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/Cartier-Bresson/

Bresson's work taught me a lot and so many things I admired about his work still motivate my shooting today. More than anything he taught me how to wait. How to slow down and wait for a picture to unfold into a definitive moment. This any many ways is like chasing a white whale and it's the failures that keep me coming back again and again. Sometimes I get close...

He looked up...

I remember one time shooting some interior architecture with a friend as students. I questioned her composition and asked why she had choose to place the camera where she had placed it. Her reply " it just looks right to me"... I took her around to the front of the camera and showed her that she had placed the lens at exactly her eye line. We all see the world from one view and it's important to remember that all our views are different. I learned the hard way that I could never make a living by shooting up people's noses - hurray for short models and step ladders. Maybe this is why I like to work with kids so much. Good pictures hide all over the place you just got to move the camera and look for them. I found this shot recently while walking a trail alone in a quiet Maine forest.

European Fashion...

Can be really funny sometimes...

I think this was in Denmark.

Just around the corner...

I was really lucky and got to live several years in Europe as a young man. The whole time I was there I constantly felt that just around every corner there was something new to discover. I'm happy to say that upon my return this year I still felt the same way. I was so lucky to have a great group of friends that shared my same enthusiasm -remember ladies and gentlemen pick your travel buddies well. So today's shot has a little bit of everything I've been discussing lately windows, art, street, and reflections.

Beat the Street...

I was really lucky and got a few days to shoot in Amsterdam at the conclusion of a commercial gig which rarely happens. Amsterdam is a great town full of art and culture and a damn fine place to just wonder around with a camera. Given the chance to visit again I will not hesitate...

Who decides it is art?

I am fascinated at the concept of deciding something is or is not art. More importantly who makes those decisions for us. I tend to feel like art critiques are like meteorologists that try to control the weather. So when someone displays art in a public place it always makes me stop and look. I love when art is put in windows for sale or to entice someone into coming in for a closer look. Sometimes I like to think of the art in the windows as trapped and only my camera can set it free. I also like reflections. Reflections remind me that there is always another dimension to something and it takes effort to see it for what it is and what it can tell us about something. Understanding that there are many dimensions to everything is a good way to train you eye to see what you may call art.

Street Photography

Well I have been away for a while and for that I apologize. I wasn't really sure how I wanted to use the old "Theory Ranch" but the absence has brought me some clarity. I'd like to discuss why I like photography so much and how it constantly amazes and enlightens me every time I pick up the camera. So from now on I'm going to share pictures that I like and why. So for this blog lets talk about street photography. I love street photography because of one simple reason. Just like in life you are not in control of anything. This is very contrary to commercial work that I do where we try to control every aspect of the picture. So I guess in some way it's a creative outlet for me. I love nothing better than to be in a strange place with just a camera. It's as if you are hunting for a portion of time where certain elements align and then disappear. Here is a moment I found walking the streets of Amsterdam recently.