Through the looking glass

Through the looking glass

May 11, 2012. "Through the Looking Glass." Photo 3 of 5 of the Snap! Orlando series.

If you were to go through the door of the melancholy couple from yesterday's post, this bright room is what you'd find.

On the left is a series of Tokyo street photographs by Marc Gouby, part of the "Ginza Line-Tokyo Project." Straight ahead, a video portion of the project is projected against the wall.

In front of that wall, a story will develop over the next five minutes of life. To be continued in photos 4 and 5.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/30. f/2.8. ISO 1600. LR 2.

All the world's a stage

All the world's a stage

May 11, 2012. "All the world's a stage." Photo 2 of 5 from the 2012 Snap! Orlando photography exhibit series.

Photo #1 of this series focused on the timeless instant aspect of photography. Photo #2 focuses on the beautiful silence.

When you see the scene above, what sounds do you picture? Quiet whispers? The hum of an air conditioner? Gentle echoes?

The light touching the sensor is more serene than the reality. Just behind the red curtain, a group of musicians loudly banged an African drum piece over a hundred sushi-eating socialites sipping drinks and laughing loudly.

I did not want a picture of the drum beaters or the martini sniffers. I wanted a picture of people like me; the ones whose souls seek tranquil open spaces and meaningful moments with just one person, or perhaps a few.

There are a few stylistic elements in this shot that come up from time to time in my favorite photos. Silhouetted people against a contrasting background. Light reflecting off of foreground surfaces. The color red.

People walking through doorways intrigue me as subjects. Light sources often differ dramatically from one room to the next, naturally illuminating a person in transition. It's a powerful metaphor of change.

Watch people walk through doorways in social spaces. You'll notice that they often aren't looking forward. They glance longingly at the things and people they're leaving behind. It's a semi-conscious sort of melancholy that we probably all fall victim to from time to time. Remember the wife of Lot.

The title for this post is from Shakespeare's As You Like It. I found it particularly appropriate due to the real action in life occurring behind the stage, along with the likely possibility that the city of Orlando was named after a character in that play.

The stage is set. The actors are in place. Photos 3-5 of my Snap! Orlando series will take you through the doorway of the melancholy couple into the bright realm of two young lovers oblivious to the world around them. Stay tuned...

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/30. f/2.8. ISO 800. LR 2.

Stop. Celebrate the photograph. Snap.

Stop. Celebrate the photograph. Snap.

May 11, 2012. "Stop. Celebrate the photograph. Snap." Downtown Orlando, Florida.

This entire week will feature a series of shots taken at the annual Snap! Orlando photography exhibit.

I'll start with this fitting title slide, and a story about why this shot makes me smile.

Snap! Orlando changes venues each year. This year, the main exhibits were held in a warehouse dubbed "Urban Wild" in downtown Orlando, right next to the Interstate. An illuminated, temporary sign kiosk was placed out front to mark the way to the overnight museum, which was filled with trendy, mostly overdressed folks who looked beautiful, like they were straight out of the first five minutes of any CSI Miami episode.

I framed and shot this two times. The first time, it was just the sign. Immediately after clicking the shutter, I saw the bicycle zipping along the sidewalk and thought of that famous photo of the bicyclist by Henri Cartier-Bresson. No time to change the shutter speed, I quickly changed the camera into manual focus so that it would take the picture when I wanted it to and got this one shot off.

So my bicyclist is a little blurred, too, as was Henri's. Still, this imperfect photo captures what I love about photography. Part composition. Part inspiration. Part happenstance.

Every shot a unique moment, never to happen again.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/15. f/5. ISO 1600. LR 2.

Our Journey

Our Journey

February 4, 2012. "Our Journey."

One of Orlando's most ingenious pieces of street art is on the side of a parking garage outside the Amway Center.

Starting on the ground, eight life-sized cast aluminum figures scale cascading ladders up the side of the garage, culminating in a triumphant figure holding a globe at the top.

The piece is called "Our Journey," and it was commissioned from artist Bill Starke by the City of Orlando.

At night, lights switch on and off to animate the progress of the figures up the ladders. It is quite beautiful.

It's certainly much more inspirational than the half-million dollar "Tower of Light" statue that locals affectionately refer to as "The Giant Glass Asparagus." 

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/60. f/2.8. ISO 1600. LR 2.

Birds NOT of a Feather

Birds NOT of a Feather

March 2, 2012. Birds NOT of a Feather.

Some real, live members of Lake Eola's flock of black and white swans blend into a background of swan-shaped paddle boats for rent by local romantics to visit the fountain in the middle of Orlando, Florida's iconic lake.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/500. f/16. ISO 800. LR 2.

Black Swan

Black Swan

March 2, 2012. Black Swan.

A black swan casts a silhouette on the banks of Lake Eola in Orlando, Florida.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/16. ISO 800. LR 2.

Naptime

Naptime

March 2, 2012. Naptime.

A white swan takes an afternoon nap on the shores of Orlando's Lake Eola while her lover stands guard.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/500. f/16. ISO 800. LR 2.

Lake Eola

Lake Eola

March 2, 2012. Lake Eola.

For those who live in Orlando, there is probably no more iconic spot than the fountain in Lake Eola.

At Lake Eola, you'll see farmers' markets, Shakespearean theatre, weddings, funerals, joggers, dogs, lawyers, bicyclists, the homeless and the downtrodden, and a large population of city supported black and white swans that will be the subject of my next three posts. Lake Eola is our Central Park; our English Gardens; our Borghese Gardens; our National Mall; our wide open space where the city comes together in all its disjointed pieces.

According to local legend, it is also the place where Orlando got its name.

Originally, Orlando was known as Jernigan after a prominent cattle family in the area. It became Orlando in 1857. There are two versions to the story. I'll relate the official version endorsed by the city first, followed by what I consider the more likely story.

According to the city, Orlando got its name from a soldier named Orlando Reeves in the Seminole War who was killed on the banks of what is now Lake Eola in 1835. The problem is that there are absolutely no records that a soldier named Orlando Reeves ever existed. Some have tried to explain around this fact by pointing out that it may have been a landowner in the area called Orlando Rees, an associate of John James Audubon, but the dates of death are all wrong to fit with the legend.

Another version of the story is that the name was chosen by Judge T. G. Speer, who arranged for Orlando to become the county seat through some creative vote manipulation. Judge Speer was a huge Shakespeare fan and named the city after his favorite character in "As You Like It." This version is very well documented by his descendants, and it also helps explain the naming of Rosalind Avenue.

In either case, the remnants of both legends live side by side in Lake Eola Park. The road in the background of this shot is Rosalind. The teal Walt Disney Amphitheater to the left in the picture is the original home of the Orlando Shakespeare Festival, overlooking a bird sanctuary lake that would have made Audubon and his friend Orlando Rees proud.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/8.0. ISO 100. LR 2.

Three Masks

Three Masks

February 4, 2012. Three Masks. Located right across from the new Amway Center, where the Orlando Magic play, the Three Masks African art store is one of the notable changes in the Parramore/West Church Street neighborhood, where construction of the new, redundant arena has given a jolt to local business opportunities when multimillionaire NBA players aren't on strike.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/500. f/8.0. ISO 200. LR 2.