Angel

During the past week or so I have been editing the Phantom images that I took while on my trip down south last month. After going on a photography trip, it's best to let your work rest for a while before taking a serious look. That rest provides distance from the personal experience and allows you to develop an objective viewpoint towards the imagery.
Here is a perfect example of an image that I might have discarded at first if I didn't give it some time. In my viewfinder, it had appeared as a fuzzy white blob in the center of the frame at its inception. It wasn't until I projected it on my monitor that I could appreciate how she had sprouted wings and swirled down the staircase mirroring the blacks, white, and grey tones around her. Now, this angel has become one of my favorites!

Spinning

"My head is spinning." How many times have you heard that? I know I've uttered those words aloud and to myself quite often. Especially these days when we're texting, talking, driving, working, all at the same time. Multi-tasking, it's the mantra of our times. I wouldn't be surprised if the Earth's rotation has picked up speed.

So a few weeks ago for the final session of a kids workshop, we spent time experimenting with motion. After showing the group of 11-year olds one of my Manhattan images of a man leaping in Times Square that I call Billy Elliot, we stepped outside of Amy's Ark Studio in Westhampton. The girls ran directly up a hill toward a swing tethered to a tree. One jumped on and started spinning like a top.
As her long brown hair swirled around her, the rest of us started shooting, trying to freeze her in the frame as she spun by. Not easy since she was moving so fast. To exaggerate the blur and create a moire effect, I chose an extremely slow shutter speed--1/8 second.

"Just keep shooting," I encouraged them. That's the beauty of digital technology, no wasted film; you can keep going until you get a good one. And that's exactly what I did; of the twenty frames expended, I was satisfied with just this one.

So, don't be shy, keep shooting. But don't forget to edit by deleting all the bad ones from your memory card so you're ready to go next time.

If you're in the area this weekend, you can see this image on view during the Westhampton Artists Studio Tour at Amy's Ark Studio & Farm where I will be displaying a new series of prints from this blog called Texture. Call 288-1954x241 for tickets.