I Married a Photographer

After a long hiatus of not reading for leisure, more specifically, not reading anything interesting for leisure.  My husband bought me a book on our recent trip to California.  I like reading and I enjoy it even more when I can commit to completing a book.  I used to read all the time, I always had a book in my hand.  After passing my boards, I would look forward to pouring myself a glass of wine, spending the evening on my bed or futon and diving into a good book.  Since Dean and I have been married I think I finished one book (In Cold Blood by Truman Capote),  just measuring a milestone to a milestone.
With all of this being said, my writing skills are severely crippled.  When I don’t read for a creative outlet, I cannot write with much of a flair it becomes clinical and concrete.  When I was a Chemistry major at Bloom, I had to take a few gen eds my first 2 semesters, one was Comp 1.  I found that when I applied myself to the topic, I did very well at expressing how I felt and why I felt that way.  It became a great tension release, eventually I found that I somewhat relied on my writing to help me work through my problems.  So let me give it a whirl again.
On a Summer morning, one of the Pennsylvania summer days where at 9 am the weather is that cool muggy feeling.  You walk outside and you can feel the layer of  humidity stick to your skin.  I zipped up the lap-top bag and walked out the front door.  Running over The Checklist.  I have this tendency of doing the check list before I leave the house, fridge door closed tightly, toilet running,  stove off, iron unplugged, doors closed, windows shut, etc.  Really the way I was raised, this list could go on forever. I reached to my ears, slipping my earrings on while getting into the passengers side of the car.  Though on the drive we had light conversation about the future’s events, I ran through how and when I should approach people when I am out; and one thing I make a point to do is wear something memorable.  Identifiable.  For example, when Dean and I decided to go to the Children’s Miracle Network motorcycle ride at Quaker Steak and Lube in Bloomsburg, I had starfish earrings on and my hair styled in pigtails.  That should be easy to spot, right?
As the morning progressed, the sun beat down hard on our shoulders and noses forming beads of sweat that no matter how often you wipe them off, reform in the same spots seconds later.   We approached the entrance gate where a woman stood, wearing a baseball cap and a bright orange or yellow vest, as if we’d all have a hard time seeing her without it.  Dean, wearing one of his tie-dye shirts, grabbed his camera equipment, strapped it on him and away we went.
Lined on the south by the river and the north by the edge of town, the open fields of the airport were a welcome setting for a car show.  We entered the grounds and turned left toward an open macadam lot where, in clear view, were the hangars.  After zigzagging through  the crowd of people and beautifully shiny chromed-up cars, trucks and bikes, we were  fortunate to find a ton of friendly people who permitted us to take photos of their vehicles.  I remember thinking that by 1130, the sun was so bright and unobstructed that I could barely look at 50% of the vehicles. Much too too shiny and clean!  Ouch!  We made it a point to give out as many business cards as possible, meet and mingle with as many people as we could and really sell our idea and skill.  Looking back, I think that it was a great marketing move.  Word of mouth is still one of the best forms of advertising out there and when people can put a face to it, how can we go wrong?
Well, I’ll tell you how.  The evening before the car show, Dean and I were playing around with the flash on the camera.  Trying  different lighting techniques, etc.  As one of the settings on the camera changes the white balance to compensate for the different lights one can shoot in. The entire collection of photography taken at the car show was done in an incorrect white balance.  Now thanks to technology, all of those types of errors can be corrected through a few different programs.  I can’t recall the software that he did end up using but thankfully, he could correct them.

taking a sharp turn during the STPR

To top off the birthday celebration of our son, we drove up to the Wellsboro area for their rally car events.  Saturday was the main day for races and meet-and-greet with the drivers and crews.  Having left around 0730, in order to have enough time to scout out a good location and schmooze up some racing persons who will hopefully be interested in Dean’s HDR photography, I was feeling sub-par.  Excited for the opportunities that may come from this experience, meeting new people is always enjoyable and showing off my husband’s work is something that greatly interests me.  That morning and most of the day I just couldn’t muster up any sort of motivation to do anything, other than feel miserable.

Thankfully after the races, the drivers and co gathered at the fair grounds to show off the mud and dents from the day’s battles.  Here was me chance!  I eagerly introduced myself to a few key people, after asking around for if there was a PR rep there and where may he/she be?  I met one of the Subaru Rally America team members for whom Travis Pastrana drives. I was so excited to be able to confidently advertise for my husband, explaining his work and process with examples to hand to him.  He was very nice and easy to speak with, he asked me if he could have one of the images as an example to take back to Vermont with him.  I could hardly contain myself and happily handed over this shot.

The last portion of the ‘race’ was a course that we all could spectate from the bleachers, featuring a hairpin turn, man-made course that I couldn’t see at all and a jump that some drivers had a boat load of fun with.  Dean practiced some new timing and techniques with the flying cars.  It was  a learning exercise for both of us.

Some people just think too much and others, not at all.  You can never have an opinion anymore without it offending someone or some thing, causing some sort of personal uproar.  I like opinions, I enjoy that each of us can contribute our life experience to bond and appreciate one another for what it is or isn’t and live.  With that said Dean and I had a new experience this past weekend.

We met new photography clients (this part of photography is what I really enjoy)!  This particular family heard about us from a co-worker.  After seeing Dean’s photos, in the locker/break room at work she asked about us.  Presentation  in this case is important but not so much so that we really have to ’sell’ our product.  In this aspect, we can let the product speak for itself.  Our focus was more on capturing the personality of the family and really having shots that express them.  So in our meeting we focused on what they like, which setting would make them comfortable, etc.

By Saturday, I was nervously excited.  I knew that Dean was getting into his groove.  I called to touch base with the client and make sure everything was still a go for the day.  After meeting them, Dean guided them to just be themselves.  They played a game of dominoes on the floor as Dean was clicking away with his D300.  We shot for about 1 and a half hours, took about 350 photos and came out with some really beautiful shots!  With permission, we will eventually post them but for now you’ll just have to imagine how spectacular they are!

Now we’re on to our next big endeavor!

Will post later, start thinking . . . stay tuned.

Near the Loyalsock trail

Driving up to World’s End State Park was a smidge longer than what I expected.  Referring to good old Google maps on my iPhone, I estimated about how far we’d need to travel. In any event, we eventually arrived. A brisk, windy day we unloaded the car at our first stop; an overlook with a view into the valley. It was what it was, simple, green and pretty but not breathtaking.  And so we moved on, heading to our next destination in the park.  It seemed like we drove for miles and miles before finding the perfect space to capture some nature shots.  From what I can remember, we set up shop near the Loyalsock trail where Dean found a nice waterfall and natural surroundings.

Though artists hit creative funks like everyone in life, sometimes it is just a matter of sliding into hip-waders and trudging through the s**t. This particular day Dean was not feeling creative, nor was I.  Hiking a few thousand feet through the forest wasn’t highly inspiring.  What it all came down to was this odd feeling in the woods.  Only after hiking did Dean make the observation that there was no sign of wildlife.  No bunny, deer, snail, chipmunk, squirrel. Nothing.  Not a thing.  Not even a bird!  How peculiar! A state park with no animals!  I think that aided us into not feeling inspired, it was so boring the animals left.  Bizarre!  In any event, we happened to get some images that proved to be useful.

To better describe this image, I stood in the woods and looked down to see an intense shade of rust in a linear form with multiple striations but not much movement. It was called mineral creek. What Dean captured here was part of that rust colored formation along with many shapes.  I was drawn to the color but seeing this same image in black and white forces your eye to appreciate the forms. What Dean can find in situations as I explained, is what sets him apart from many photographers.  Taking a unique view and making it his.

Please refer to part one to get the possibly missed ideas for this entry.
After the party, Dean was called by a co-worker.  He advised him that there was a gathering of local classic car owners who were showing off their goods nearby.  We, of course, went to see the spectacle outside of Mount Carmel.  The weather was turning iffy so I wasn’t sure how some of the shots would look once processed.  In total, there were about 15 vehicles on display, the owners all mingling about the parking lot.  Watching Dean, I attempted to ’see’ what he was seeing and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.  I know the end result is not the same as being there but I thought there would have been better photo ops at the party.  Little did I know, the  impact of the creative genius at work.  Take a look at this.  The angry sky, contrasting these shiny, new looking vehicles really made for a great backdrop.  Dean has processed a handful from Saturday’s events and some are posted on his Flickr page with the newest ones on Facebook.

There are times in life, when events just fall together.  Those times leave me feeling somewhat uneasy.  I’m a realist, logical, level-headed a bit of a concrete thinker.  I have a plan for almost every situation, hence why Dean is so interesting to me.  On occasion, I have a difficult time reading him and where he is taking things.
Yesterday we were out on the dreaded house hunt, driving around the school district, keeping our fingers crossed for that house we can call home.  In our unplanned path, we found a familiar road that led us to a one room schoolhouse.  It wasn’t boarded up or in terrible shape.  Dean grabbed his camera and told his model to take her place.  Inside the building were about 6 desks, in various stages of destruction, a stripped hard wood floor accented with three busted windows on either side.  The walls were painted bright green which hadn’t seemed to dim since the original application of the paint.  To the front of us was the wall-O-chalkboard and behind us was a rusty sink, counter top and drawers.
What Dean captured there was a juxtaposition of ideas.  A lonely girl sitting at her desk, learning.  Written on the board “Fuck the Rulez”.