Calm Photos

One of the many advantages of Aperture over Photoshop - as far as pro photography is concerned - is the way the program organizes image files with minimum effort and time on the part of the user. Original raw files are securely stored away while the photographer harmlessly plays away with automatically copied versions.

In addition to the various project folders I’ve added to Aperture, the program also organizes images by date, automatically creating folders listed according to the year the photographs were shot, in the last week, in the last month and by photographer rating. The user interface of Aperture was specifically designed for professional photographers who manage thousands of shots.

In many ways the program is smarter than the photographer, because after all, most photographers fall within that realm of scattered brain, artsy-fartsy types who start to get pretty squirrelly if they’re not out shooting and instead are spending all their time behind the computer, present company included.

In those ancient days of storing away 35mm transparencies in plastic sleeves there was the possibility that some images that should have been selected as stand-outs are inadvertently filed away, forgotten and neglected. With digital image file management, and especially with programs such as Aperture, the photographer continually has opportunities to go back through and review old images, sometimes with eyes and awareness slightly altered over the months and years as creative vision becomes more well defined, or maybe perhaps when it starts going in a completely different direction.

This is the case with the following two images. Going back through my 2006 files I re-discovered one of the many shots I took of a Saturday night rodeo on a summer evening near Waynesville, Ohio. When I first did my initial edits I focused on the typical “rider and bull” action shots - the ones with the bull and rider in mid-air, dust swirling about and the look of determination in the rider’s face. I had plenty to choose from. But while reviewing the thumbnails in Aperture this one jumped-up at me. It caught my attention where it hadn’t before. Maybe it’s because I’ve been looking at a lot of candid portraits and street images lately, but then again, there had to be something about the scene that first caught my eye when I took the shot. It’s what I call a good “story teller.”

Crowd shots can be good at that, especially at sporting events where there’s lots of color and character - the attitude of the riders, stance of the rodeo clown, the looks on the faces of the kids, the low light of late day. The image tells the message of rural Ohio in summer.

Below is another “hidden gem” recently discovered. Why I first passed this one over I don’t know. It was one of many I took while hiking and photographing Dark Hollow Falls in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park in early April 2007. Most of my photographs of the area include the waterfall, but looking just across the stream I was moved to capture the still bare tree branches against the darkening sky with a cloud of mountain mist moving down slope. The lichen-covered rocks and fallen trees communicate that sense of wilderness in the landscape without distracting from the overall composition of the frame. What initially caught my eye - and the element that I wanted to emphasize - was the texture and feeling of the mist just above the ground and creating so much depth amongst the trees.

Tis a good one the more I look at it. What I love about what I do is my ability to instantly go back to the particular place and moment when each of my photographs was taken, and remember what I was feeling at the time and the thoughts that were directing my vision. I have close to 10,000 images in my stock library, and I can confidently say that I can go back and revisit each and every “shot-scene” and tell the story behind the photograph. That’s almost scary, but that’s the difference between the average shooter and someone who truly gets into and is passionate about his or her avocation.

This past weekend I took my daughters, Emma age eight and Chloe age six, to Indianapolis. We spent most of the day Saturday at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, which wasn’t too far from the middle of downtown. If you have kids and are looking for something to do on a boring mid-winter, Midwest weekend, I highly recommend this entertaining and educational venue. Of course the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton is just as good of a choice, but we were there last January and wanted to see something new.

The Indy Children’s Museum has one of the best dinosaur exhibits I’ve seen, complete with surround sound and lighting effects that put you right in the middle of the Cretaceous Period, and on-site Paleontologists (my first career choice back when I was eight years old) who do a great job of interacting with the kids with games and hands-on demonstrations on fossil recovery.

The one thing about the Museum that blew me away was the Dale Chihuly “fireworks” glass sculpture that spans all five floors of the museum. On the lowest floor you can actually walk underneath and take in the incredible array of color and light that Chihuly is so well known for.

And there’s so much more. So much that it can easily tire a six year old out to the point of sleeping through the afternoon planetarium show, with head back and mouth wide open.

Here are a few other tidbits I learned during our trip:

1) Never try to get a table at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Indy on a Saturday night when monster trucks are performing at the nearby RCA Dome.
2) Other restaurant choices are quickly limited due to the “you can smoke in this restaurant but no one under 21 allowed inside” law.
3) Be prepared when your kids ask why that homeless man had blood all over his face, the one you pass when walking from the hotel to the restaurants.

And I’m not talking about just a little bit of blood here and there. I mean all over his face and all over the sidewalk. The ambulance did arrive. My guess is that’s the one thing they will remember the most about our weekend trip. Kids are funny that way.

Toy robots at the Children’s Museum and the Union Station Terminal, Indianapolis.

Still life and architectural photography by Jim Crotty.

Esrati interviewed by Ohio Dave at Esrati for Congress

As most visitors to this blog soon realize is that I have a slight tendency to occasionally steer off topic (that being photographs, photography, photo business, etc.) and reveal some personal thoughts and convictions regarding politics, the military and my frustrations with trying to do business in the Dayton area.

I wanted to use this particular blog post to express my support for friend and fellow small business owner, David Esrati. David is currently running for the Democratic nomination to run for Congressional representation of Ohio’s 3rd District, which includes the greater Dayton area as well as Warren, Highland and Clinton Counties.

Yes, David is a Democrat, and I am supporting him. Most people outside the Dayton area would look at that statement and say “well, okay, so what ?” But amongst those who circulate amongst all the little power circles that permeate everything that goes on behind the scenes in Dayton, and especially the surrounding suburbs, will say (but never to my face or publicly), “oh, but you’re one those Crotty’s and we know how ultra-right wing all of you are.”

And that my friends should give you clue # 1 as to why I’m supporting David.

Not because of the ASSumption, but because of the people who make the ASSumption.

Never judge a book by its cover. So many people in Dayton just don’t get that most basic of axioms, especially where most needed - amongst those who target others for malicious gossip, write amateurish attempts at local journalism and those who’s favorite past time is to run numbers on others as well as apply simple-minded labels to those who have the guts to stick their necks out and stand-up for what they believe.

The original and innovative thinking that propelled Dayton as a leading center of engineering marvels in the first half of the 20th century has long given away to the bottom-feaders at the uptight-and-white suburban country clubs, enjoying life on legacy leftovers, and the creepy litigants sliming about in dark corners and going back again and again to fish the deep pockets (but getting shallower everyday) of the first mentioned group. You won’t find much in the way of originality, creativity or innovative thinking there. Trust me on that one.

What’s sad about Dayton is that it’s those particular groups of people who are currently calling the shots and making the deals that are bleeding the area dry and chasing away anyone who might go against the grain and actually think long term economic growth for the region.

I’ve witnessed firsthand such people malign and label David Esrati only to reveal much more about themselves than about David. I don’t always agree with David’s political views, but when it comes to understanding basic economics as well as the application of innovative, original thinking, David is a bright light shining in what has increasingly become a stagnant cesspool of predictable, average, fearful and just going “through the motions,” middle management-type empty suits.

David is that bright reminder of what made Dayton so great so long ago, but with the added benefit of actually understanding the economy of the future, which by the way Daytonians, is already here. Sorry to shock and surprise you. Again.

Panorama Photography by Jim Crotty

The link above will take you to my recently updated page on my static web site that features my digital panoramic landscape photographs. Before the page included a thumbnail gallery, but that just did not have the visual impact showing the uniqueness of these images. Take a look and let me know what you think. All of these panorama landscape photographs are available as fine art prints in sizes up to 24″ x 80.” Because of the unique dimensions, each is printed in my studio on an Epson 7600 using archival quality ink and Epson Enhanced Matte Fine Art Paper.

They are very impressive prints and are perfect choices for rooms and spaces with longer walls.

In our world of instantaneous digital communication and immediate viral marketing, YouTube presents an incredibly convenient “bang for your buck,” particularly due to the fact that little to no “buck” is required. And best of all, you don’t have to learn software or cumbersome code to post videos. Just simply shoot and upload. The difference in quality comes into play on the “shoot” side of the equation, with the advantage going to those who are more adept with a basic understanding of lighting techniques and basic editing.

The video quality of many of the videos uploaded by individuals on YouTube now easily surpass the ancient and amateurish techniques displayed on your typical community access television channel, soon to be rendered obsolete.

YouTube is made for digital video. The challenge for a still photographer is trying to make the YouTube interface work well with slide show presentations. Although convenient, inexpensive and just as effective as a web site in marketing images to a huge audience, the memory upload and hosting limitations (i.e. mp4 file formats) of YouTube cause most slide shows of still photography to be rendered at much lower level of digital image quality than what most serious photographers would find acceptable. This probably due to the fact that YouTube is a universal application designed to present video on a variety of devices, most recently the iPhone. In fact the slide shows I’ve created and posted on YouTube look much better when played on an iPhone as compared to a laptop or LCD screen.

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So what do I do when I’m stuck in the house on a bitterly cold, mid-January day ?

Well, I head outside with the camera to catch the Wild Kingdom in action, right in my own backyard.

Run for your life Mimi. Momma Red-tail is cold and hungry.

Sidney to the rescue ?? No, he just spotted a squirrel.

“Better them than me,” thinks the little Nuthatch.

No wild animals, pets or photographers were in any way harmed or injured during this photo shoot. Nor is the photographer responsible for placing the smiley face bow in Mimi’s hair.

The Red-tailed Hawk had flown off by the time Mimi and Sid came out to play. The bad news is that this Red-tail has been hanging around our backyard for quite a few days now.