Ok, enough of the techie crap. I remember a day when I started photographing and would have hurled this slide straight to the garbage, as it did not live up to my standard and quest to create the “PERFECT IMAGE”. At that time I was still learning the process of understanding and manipulating the aperture, the shutter speed the composition, many times feeling failure as I fell victim to “THE LIGHT” “THE TIME OF DAY” etc… and so on. Today, I cherish the moments that exist out of the relm, beyond perfect light and outside the “SET OF RULES”. This is an image that just falls into its own as is. A moment that Holga users and alternative process people may appreciate capturing, Without having to use old film, antique cameras, plastic lenses or post process photoshop techniques. This image just is and today I was lucky, even in the harsh light of afternoon I feel that I pulled a gem.

Shot with a 5 megapixel digital range finder, this image will stay in my collection,
and as I am thankful for time and age, I see, that my onward quest to make that one image and moment that takes my breath away, is becoming a collection of many images that may quite honestly be bringing me full circle.

Overtime, in this pursuit of creating perfect imagery, I have studied thousands and thousands of images made by hundreds of photographers, some as spectacular as Anne Leibovitz, just to throw out a respected name, others as common as my neighbors brothers son who just received his first camera for Christmas, in all, I have found my personal vision of “GOLD”. In a return to my own images, I have found that my accomplishment has become personalized by the pastures I can look back upon. By that I mean, it seems that time has brought me to a place where recollection of the work I have created has instilled a certain level of familiarity both in my ability to photograph and with what I have accomplished with a camera, in turn, this has granted me the ability to move forward in the work that I, for so long now, feel the need to pursue. It is also at this point that I feel completely full, a Thanksgiving dinner type full, where you say you will never eat again yet, you know inside that, in a matter of hours…your hunger will again return. This fullness, as it relates to your need to photograph, is a type of boredom spiced with the flavor of quest; with all food metaphors aside, this quest is a need to create more images in the hopes of finding a new direction, thus a return to the never ending pursuit in making the perfect image.

Currently I am full with trying to gain any more control over photographic images, meaning I want my next subject to “JUST BE” in the image as it would be in its visual surroundings.

I am full of trying to control the light of my next subject; I want the light to “JUST FALL” onto the frame with all its burnt highlights and black shadows accepted as they are.

I am full of deciding if an image is better portrayed in black and white or in color, though I will still make a call, I want the color to “JUST FLOP” onto the frame as it is in its moment of being, never caring if it is too harsh, too pastel or just rich enough to make it an image to someone else’s eyes.

I guess you could also say…I have hit a wall, a dry spell or a writers block if you will.

To my general mood while writing this I’d have to say…”The image that goes along with this article sums it up best…until I break the block”.

“These United States” are currently touring with core members: Front Man – Jesse Elliot, Guitarist – J. Tom Hnatow, Guitarist – Justin Craig and Drummer – Robby Cosenza. Though the guys had been through the Michigan area in the past, playing the Magic Bag earlier in 08, they agreed that touring through Detroit proper and bringing their brand of music to PJ’s Lager House was definitely a cool time!

Located at 1254 Michigan Ave. in Corktown, The Lager House plays host to many local and touring acts, featuring a variety of genres in music that range from Heavy to Hip Hop and Punk to Rock a Billy. PJ, owner of The Lager House, is as true a believer in Detroit music and art as one can get, consistently bringing in new talent that will make any night at the Lager House a night worth being a part of.

With the break away buzz surrounding “These United States” the band, on tour in promotion of their latest CD “A Picture Of The Three Of Us In the Garden Of Eden” is genuine in the music, solid in the talent and is honest about all that is a touring band…and if invited, make no mistake they will sleep on your couch and drink your beer.

Concert Photography
…enjoy!

Photos Of: Michael Hurtt and his Haunted Hearts

Photos Of: Bark in the Park 2008

Photo Of: Pj’s Lager House Detroit Michigan

Photos Of: Scary Kids Scaring Kids – St Andrews Hall, Detroit

With the release of the new D700 DSLR and knowing Nikon’s past history of “bait and switch” one may not need to much of a crystal ball to figure a re-vamp of prime lenses could be in the works.

I have been hunting camera shops U.S wide and nobody has them in stock, they are all back ordered from Nikon. All though I could be proved wrong on this (currently), with the advent of a resurgence in the FX CCD, inherent in the Nikon D3 and D700, it would only make sense that new primes that match the technology of these new cameras should follow. I can’t wait to see….Plus I currently need a low light lens.