Calm Photos

I feel I need to get a post or two up on calmphotos before the holiday weekend.

It has been a crazy-busy two weeks for me - new home, new office/studio, daughters here with me for the summer, several large print orders and a few assignments as well.

I never realized just how much goes into putting a new household together from scratch. It’s always, always something. And I’m still not finished with the moving-in process.

But it will all be worth it.

The following are my favorite shots from three recent photo shoots, all within the last week. Corporate portraits for Battelle and Battelle, event photography of the President’s Club Brunch at the University of Dayton and home exterior photography for custom home builder Dan De Vol, of his strikingly beautiful Mariner home at the 2008 Homerama.

Basic Jones: More Than TV | Outdoorphotographer.com

Pro Nature Photographer Dewitt Jones writes about how photographers can use Apple TV as a great way to display their images, especially if there is a studio or gallery location. I started doing this when Apple TV was first introduced, which I think was about a year and half ago. I run continuous slide presentations, set to music, on a Sony Bravia flat screen HD, connected to the Apple TV unit and managed via iTunes on my MacBook Pro and Apple AirPort Extreme wifi system.

Once visitors to my studio notice the show they don’t want to leave, including unsuspecting sales people who often forget why they first came in.

Compared to prints on the wall, my nature, scenic, wildlife and cityscape images on the Apple TV/Sony Bravia combination literally pop with color and sharpness and jump off the screen. I also customize slide presentations for private and commercial clients, reviewing architectural and portrait shoot proofs.

Dewitt Jones makes a good point in his article indicating that the Apple TV unit was never originally designed for pro photographers, but rather consumer use of video. This is why I love my Macs. My favorite program for creating slide shows posted on YouTube and elsewhere is iMovie - once again a program that was originally designed for display of digital video. The versatility of the Apple system and software is pure nirvana for all of us “creative types,” photographers included.

imaginginfo.com - Article - Sneak Peek: Canon Rebel XS

One of the most common questions I’m asked by friends and entry-level photo enthusiasts is “I want to buy a better camera - which one should I get ?”

Instead of trying to name a particular model and make right off the top of my head, I usually answer them with several questions of my own, including what type of photography do you enjoy doing, are you going to want to add lenses down the road and perhaps most important of all, what is your budget.

There is also the problem with the fact that I am limited in knowledge when it comes to camera manufacturers other than the one that I’ve been using for the last 30+ years, in my case that being Canon.

I love it when people rattle off Nikon model #’s and expect me to know exactly every feature for each one. And when I admit I don’t know much about the Nikon line, it’s even more fun when I get the typical I’m-a-techno-geek-nerd-with-no-life response of “I know more than you do, I know more than you do !”

Really. Too bad all the knowledge doesn’t translate into one ounce of artistic talent.

This happens more than I’d like to admit. Interactions such as this remind of going into an aquarium/tropical fish store, not knowing much about fish, and then having the I’m-a-tropical-fish-geek-nerd-with-no-life assistant store manager have his brief brush with fame when he impresses upon you with his vast wealth of tropical fish knowledge while failing miserably at understanding and serving the customer. Happens a lot. I don’t know if this is a Dayton or an Ohio thing, or what.

But I digress.

I am familiar with Canon quality when it comes to digital imaging, and it looks to me that Canon has another consumer-market winner with the soon-to-be release of the Canon Rebel XS. Here Canon has taken many of the top-end features of the 1D EOS line and incorporated them into the much-less expensive and consumer-designed Rebel, most notably of all, the self-cleaning image sensor (my absolute favorite feature on my 1D Mark III), the 2.5″ LCD screen with live view (my second favorite feature which is a great back saver when shooting in low, tight positions) and the Digic III processor.

Yes, it’s over 10 Megapixels, but one thing I like to emphasize in my workshops and lessons is that it is not the number of Megapixels but rather the quality of the sensor that truly makes the difference, with the Digic III Canon ranks right up there as one of the best.

A Visual Celebration of Spring 2008 in Ohio by Jim Crotty

During many travels throughout rural areas of the Buckeye State I have had the good fortune of visiting several locations that provide glimpses back through history and how the original Ohioans (the pre-European settlers from 10,000 BC through to the 18th century) lived and worked the fertile flood plains of the many river valleys and hunted in the woodlands that at one time covered nearly the entire area now known as Ohio.

Miamisburg Mound, Serpent Mound, Sunwatch Village, the Newark Earthworks, Mound City Group in Chillicothe and Ft. Ancient in Oregonia - these are sites I have walked and photographed and represent just a few of the hundreds of archaeological sites scattered throughout Ohio. Many of these sties were built and occupied first by the Adena cultures, followed by the Hopewell and Ft. Ancients. Their ancestors - the Shawnees - were the last native people to occupy Southern Ohio prior to their populations being decimated by the eventual contact with the European Settlers, beginning in the 1600’s.

I have always been intrigued with Native American Culture, particularly here in Ohio. My interest probably started with the stories of human bones discovered in hillsides near where my grandparents once lived along Tait Road in Moraine, not too far from Sunwatch (pictured below). Construction of a home was delayed while archaeologists were brought in to carefully mark and exhume the sacred remains.

The land of Ohio is not only rich in natural beauty, but infused with human history - a history of a people who learned to live in harmony (or as close to it as possible) with the ebb and flow of nature and the skyward journeys of the sun, stars and Moon. Similar to the ancient Celts of Western Europe, the Adena, Hopewell and Ft. Ancient people worshiped and respected all that the ‘Great Creator’ provided, recognizing the divine in every animal and plant they came in contact with and the wonder and beauty of the light of the never-ending circle of the seasons.

By no means do I have a background in archaeology. For that I highly recommend Brad Lepper’s book, Ohio Archaeology: An Illustrated Chronicle of Ohio’s Ancient American Indian Cultures, published by Orange Frazer Press in 2005 (you might also see a few familiar Jim Crotty nature photographs in there as well). What I do claim is my interest and respect for Native American Culture, which is why I was excited to hear about the annual inter-tribal powwow held every June at Ft. Ancient. This year’s celebration was held during the weekend of June 7th and 8th. I was there on the 7th to capture a few images of “A Gathering of Four Directions.”

The color and movement of the dancers were wonderful to photograph and the atmosphere of the event was great to take in - from the beats of the drums, to the chants and songs within the center of the circle and even the background chorus of cicadas - all combined to re-awaken the spirits of those who danced on this land before.

Woodland Cemetery in Dayton is much more well known, with many local notables buried there, including the Wright Brothers and Paul Lawrence Dunbar. But I often prefer visiting and photographing the older section of nearby Calvary Cemetery, especially during spring.

My apologies to a few of my local competitors, but guess what ?!?  I’m staying in Dayton ! Yeah !

Yup, despite the challenges I’ve faced over the last five years (I started Picture Ohio, llc in April 2003), I have worked hard to build my reputation as a professional photographer here in Ohio. If anything, I think it has become more clear to me recently that I’ve been selling myself short when it comes to my reputation and the quality of my work.

Previously I announced that I was going to relocate to Dallas, Texas. But all those plans have changed.

I will still be moving out of my current retail space at the end of June. At that point I will be relocating my photography business to my home (which I’m currently searching for) somewhere in the Dayton area. From there I will continue to grow and develop my assignment and editorial photography services for publishers and corporate clients, provide on-location portraiture services, sell licensing rights for my stock images and begin marketing and conducting regular scheduled photography workshops, to be held in the field and at different venues throughout Ohio.

Sales of fine art prints of my work with Ohio nature, landscapes, wildlife and cityscapes, as well as other scenic locations throughout the United States, will continue by way of my online storefront, for retail customers, and direct purchase, for commercial art dealers.

Cool. Now I don’t have to change the name of my business to “Picture Texas.”