Their Own World

Their Own World

May 11, 2012. "Their Own World." Photo 5 of 5 of the Snap! Orlando Series.

In the fourth photo of this series, a young couple on a Friday evening date were pretending to watch a Marc Gouby street photography movie at Snap! Orlando.

Somehow, the series of photos seemed incomplete without this shot bringing it to a happy ending.

The Marc Gouby "Sleepers" and "Commuters" display was excellent. Ultimately, though, street photography is about people, and there is no more important person than the one who is next to you.

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

Date Night

Date Night

May 11, 2012. "Date Night." Taken at the Snap! Orlando photography exhibit in downtown Orlando, Florida.

Picture 4 of 5 from the Snap! Orlando series is a continuation of yesterday's post, this time focusing in on just one couple watching a street photography movie by Marc Gouby.

Something about the girl in the picture reminded me of one of my favorite Salvador Dali paintings, "Girl's Back," except refreshingly less lonely in this shot.

For me, this shot is a celebration of the awkward moments when you first start falling in love; the days when the highlight of your Friday evening is pretending that you're engrossed in a documentary film, while the someone next to you does exactly the same, just so that moment won't have to end.

This photo sets the stage for tomorrow's fifth and final shot of the series. I hope that you see a little of yourself in the faceless couple and return tomorrow for the conclusion.

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

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.

Moby on the photo less taken

You probably have heard of Moby as a musician.

This weekend, the same Moby will be one of the featured photographers at the Snap! Orlando Photography Festival, showcasing his Destroyed collection.

beautiful quote from the interview:
"My interest was always in taking pictures of things that seemed strange or odd. From an early age I sort of understood, the last 170 years of photography, the beautiful stuff has been photographed a lot and I sort of felt like… there are so many incredibly talented photographers taking pictures of mountains and sunsets and puppies and beautiful people and… I was like, they know what they're doing. I'm going to go take pictures of strange things that no one else is going to take pictures of… What can I take a picture of that other people might not have access to, or what can I take a picture of that's ignored?"

He also talks about how he came to love photography as a child, the joys of developing film, and how leaning to shoot on film versus learning to shoot first on digital affects shot selection habits.