The mid-Atlantic fall run has brought big smiles and tight lines to striped bass enthusiasts up and down the New Jersey coast. Whether by boat or by surf, the 2023 fall bite has been certifiable. So far this season I have made it out thrice—once by boat, and twice by Ship Bottom surf. Naturally I have zero fish to show for it. My cousin, however, photographed here, had himself a banner day by center console. Too bad I was not there with my camera.
One thing we did catch, however, cold hands aside, was a fantastic 12 November sunrise. During a brief pause in pre-dawn plugging I made this exposure with my 35mm. Given the excitement of fishing, a fiery sunrise, and frozen fingers, I missed precise execution on this frame. Given the sluggish shutter speed the focus is softer than I planned. The good news is that I rather enjoy the effect it’s laid over the final image. It lends a painter’s touch and the 1/15 second exposure gives the foreground sea wash a sense of motion, grounding the sense of place. This is fall run surf fishing at its finest. If only there was fish on.
As it is with most felines, my cat loves to bask in the warm sun. She waits patient at my sliding backdoor for my daily opening of the shades. This morning the sky broke clear and blue, and the sun’s power was further fueled by a fresh snowpack. The light was strong.
Aware of the opportunity I grabbed my camera, affixed my 100mm lens and not so smoothly laid belly down on the floor aside my cat. For whatever reason my cat Daisy is not overfond of a camera pointed in her face. (But hey, neither am I.) At most I’ll have 20 seconds before she makes her escape, put out by my camera’s presence.
During our brief stay I managed to make off with two photographs. Each playing up her majestic main and deep, probing stare. She is as a lion set firm in the fullness of life, content in her wisdom and station. As for me, I am lucky for her countenance and company.
Last Saturday I took part in Fun(d) the Foundation. For the second year running and with Weather NJ playing host, volunteers cobbled together a fundraising soirée. The proceeds will benefit Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences. The evening featured a curated buffet of local fare provided by several local eateries. It was a robust spread anchored by scallops fresh off the boat. (Shout-out to Dan Molyneux for the killer recipe.) Many thanks to all who donated sponsorship, art, food, time, and patronage. The evening would not have happened without your support.
Once I was able to break away from the grill I manned my station as photographer. A rather poor performance on my part left me flustered at the grill plates for the better half of the evening. If you loathed the chicken satay you have me to thank. Eager to move on dot org from my cooking failure I was glad to take up the camera. Even though I am lost when photographing people.
By this point everyone was well sated and back to imbibing spirited beverages. The audience fell quiet before the young and talented Sahara Moon. This singer-songwriter of a most excellent folksy bent has carved out a well deserved reputation. Sahara Moon is ours, south Jersey, and we are all the better for it. She took to the stage and plucked skillful covers and soulful originals, crooning the night away. It set an ideal stage to a subdued and classy evening.
As the night drew to a close and Sahara was about to set down her Martin Guitar, Gordon Woolley shocked us all. With superb showmanship he bound to the stage and thus produced a harmonica from his pocket. With perfect timing, two strangers book ending two generations worked a sublime duet. The only thing that called into question the spontaneity of the moment was how well the two performers merged. It was as though they had rehearsed this little number several times beforehand. Swept away, the crowd swooned. It was the perfect finish to a wonderful night—all grills aside.
Tend Your Craft — 35mm | f/1.4 | ISO 160 | EXP 1/30
So this is how pots are made—or fired, anyway. Last night I dropped on by the old yacht club—Long Beach Island Foundation (not a yacht club). Ceramics lead guy and all around bearded fellow, Jeff Ruemeli, was working the soda kiln with an eager assistant whom I do not know well enough to use her name without permission. Over the next few hours I watched the taring of scales; encountered esoteric recipes as ingredients were weighed, measured, and mixed. Saw water boil—with my own eyes! Even listened to some Journey. Then there were (was?) the burritos. Not the edible kind which was a real bummer since I was hungry enough to eat a fist. Apparently after you mix all the powdered chemical ingredients with the boiling water you lump them out onto old newspaper and wrap them like burritos. Cool enough from a learning perspective; hardly satisfactory from a hunger perspective.
Once these machinations were complete I made for my trunk and grabbed my camera—also not edible. Behind LBIF we stood around the soda kiln in almost ritualized fashion. My mind turned to our ancestors from a far distant past. There is something quite literally ancient about pottery. While I don’t know much I do know this—its roots are firmly entrenched in a past long gone, and little has changed throughout the millennia. Was this how it was for Athenian potters? Laboring tirelessly under the yolk of a towering Acropolis and roundly dismissed in their time? Like too many other masters their skill and higher purpose was not recognized until they had long passed on. To the vested Athenian these were mere vessels for keeping grain and wine. Complete myopia beyond functional utility. Historical perspective brings a greater meaning to the here and now where three people who have never been in your kitchen found themselves on Long Beach Island honoring proud traditions born of misunderstood beginnings.
Back in the present and on my way home I stopped for Taco Bell.
Hair Points West — 35mm | f/1.4 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/100
Sometimes a fleeting thought rises up through the dusty burned out barnyard that is my brain and implores me to do more portrait work. Then I quickly remember my own fears and the notion fades faster than a military barber buzzing out a high and tight. It is something I’d like to work on, but it’s going to take some real effort and some real discomfort. Not to mention some subjects willing to work through what’s sure to be lots of awkward everything—and lots of bad photos.
Thinking back to my Art Class Days when I cut my teeth doing pencil work, portraiture was the last world I entered. I wasn’t good at it. I didn’t want to be good at it. Eventually I broke down and gave it a go. My high school senior year concentration project wound up being drawn portraits of The Beatles. It was surely a challenge with plenty of pain points, but it wound up being a great period of personal and technical development. Were the pictures great? No. But they wound up being the best things I’ve ever drawn. (I’ve since abandoned drawing altogether. Essentially right after this project. Let’s hope this does not a pattern make.)
A decade and a half later, into photos now, I am thinking it is getting close to time I bring this broadening of horizons to my lens work. As with this shot, I imagine I’ll dabble more with myself as a subject. Admittedly this is hard in its own right because I am holding a camera to my face and hoping for the best compositionally. Spray and pray shutter action. It would be much better behind the lens with an actual subject. But hey, baby steps. Not only am I going to have to get comfortable with a new kind of subject—a human—I will also have to learn how to use artificial lighting. Being a landscape only guy this is completely foreign to me. But I won’t get nuts with flashes, strobes, etc. until I at least become serviceable in the craft and decide if it’s worth pursuing further.
So any friends want some new profile pics? No guarantees on quality.
Kylo Ren and The Dark Side of the Force — 100mm | f/4 | ISO 100 | EXP 8 sec
The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.
—Supreme Chancellor Palpatine
What’s happening, Star Wars fans? For those of you yet to see The Force Awakens I promise this is a spoiler free post.
Making this miniature photograph was a blast! But first let’s circle back to Christmas. I received a Kylo Ren Christmas tree ornament—excellent—and almost immediately had the idea to utilize my macro lens and tripod in combination with a dark room and a red candle; setting the stage for a miniature portraiture shoot with little Kylo Ren. It was my hope to execute a dramatic, lifelike photograph of the next generation of dark side wielders. Discounting the lightsaber, which still rendered several notches better than I expected, the finished product far exceeded my expectations in terms of this picture looking like there’s a real human in there, full of conflict. The eyes behind the mask are piercing right through you, calling you to the dark side, making you see eyes where there most certainly are none.
Initially I assumed I’d go for low key black and white processing, but as I first saw the exposures loading into Lightroom it was clear I should play off the warm and brooding color cast from the flame of an off screen candle. The light not only creates the right mood through shadow play, it also infuses just enough red into the lightsaber to keep things realistic enough. On the ornament itself the saber is quite dark, it was a pleasant surprise to see the candle charge it up quite powerfully. I’m sure someone worth their Photoshop salt could create effects that bring Kylo Ren’s kyber crystal to its full cinematic glory.
All told I managed to end up with a few Kylo keepers. They may make an appearance later down the line on this website, especially one of the extreme close-ups. But if not I can say this: I’m left excited and challenged by shooting macro miniatures. It’s a technique I’d like to experiment with more. Long term it’d be pretty wild to put together whole miniature diorama concepts. Who knows? While I haven’t seen it yet, it’s fair to say I’ve been quite obsessed with the film techniques used in Anomalisa. With any luck you’ve enjoyed this half as much as I did. Cheers!
Oh, and while I’m at it I think I’ll be going to see The Force Awakens again tonight. You know, for inspiration. Cheers!
Grab Your Gear and Go Warmly — 50mm | f/1.8 | ISO 1000 | EXP 1/60
I don’t like mail. It’s antiquated, burdensome, and resource intensive. Last week I liked mail. My dear friend ifmidnight sent over a pair of bad ass fingerless gloves she knit custom made for me! Spoiled much? While I was out in California visiting this past September she took my measurements and set to work. Fast forward a few weeks as I finally bust open a burgeoning mailbox burdened with neglect, a large squishy manila envelope shone through the din. My gloves! Eager I ran inside, opened—gasp!—my mail in a timely fashion, and put on my new gloves. A perfect fit!
Taken with myself at the hands of this exceptional gift I grabbed my camera, popped on the fifty, made for the bathroom, and, and, . . . modeled? So yeah, that’s me up there trying to look cool in my newly acquired swag. In all seriousness, though these gloves will not go unused. My prime shooting season happens over winter, and having the gift of warmth as you’re staring in the teeth of a sea breeze while waiting on the sun in January is invaluable.
In the interest of full disclosure no gloves were worn in the typing of this post.
Public Health Hazard — 50mm | f/1.4 | ISO 8000 | EXP 1/40
Obligatory Disclaimer Alert: Kids, don’t be like this hobo hipster wizard. Smoking is bad for your health.
This past Thursday longtime pal, ceramicist, glass blower and acoustic romanticist, Jeff Ruemeli, invited us over to the LBI Foundation of the Arts & Sciences to check out this here soda kiln firing he’s been waxing poetic about for weeks. The outdoor oven apparatus—roughly 5 feet by 5 feet by 7 feet (not including the chimney) of what I’m guessing is some kind of volcanic brick—was quite cool; and glowed something fierce in the dark of night as he and his colleague worked diligently to get the temperature up to a balmy 2,300°F.
While I was unable to get a serviceable image of the natural gas kiln itself, I did manage to make this here modest portrait; highlighting the perils of gnarly beards and nasty cigarettes. Both insidious threats to civil society. Hide your children; hide your wife.
Without question I have a fear of portraiture; personal space and comfort issues, damn you to hell. In the future, if I find some subjects I’m comfortable enough with, it’s an area of photography I’d like to explore. As such a speedlite and portrait lens may be in my future. Hooray for cash eating hobbies!
