cellular obscura

Site redesign and migration

2011-04-03T18:18:00.003-04:00

Hi. Thanks for dropping by. As you can see it's been a little quiet around here. But we're in the process of changing that. While we upgrade and toss around ideas for the newest incarnation of this blog please visit my new website where there are two galleries devoted to this ongoing project. See you there.

cheers,
Shawn

Boylan Heights ArtWalk time again!

2010-12-03T00:02:00.000-05:00

Boylan Heights ArtWalk is one of a kind. Over one hundred local and regional artists set up on porches and front yards in one of Raleigh's historical and easily walkable neighorhoods. And I'm thrilled to be part of it again this year. It's this Sunday from 12noon to 5pm, so if you live in the Triangle area or just by chance happen to be driving through please stop on by. I'll be on Ethan's porch again at 319 S. Boylan Ave. and I'll have about twenty-five different scenes for sale and at an affordable price. I'll also have some of the large (24x30) prints that were just in the last gallery show on display.

Hope to see you there.

Honorable mention at photoSpark

2010-09-16T22:07:00.000-04:00

Just found out a 16x20 print of Air Force One (previous blog here) won an honorable mention at tonite's opening reception for this year's photoSPARK at SparkCon.

And uhmmm...I didn't plan it this way but a 24x30 print is also hanging at Visual Art Exchange's N.E.W. show a few blocks down. That's definitely a first.

So if you're in Raleigh, check 'em out. A number of people are surprised to find out that prints this big came from a five-year-old cellphone camera.
And anyway SparkCon is a great weekend of cool events all over downtown. Like last week's Hopscotch music festival, Raleigh will once again feel like a big city.

Two gallery shows this month

2010-08-04T22:13:00.000-04:00

From my understanding August is the slowest month of the already slow summer season for a lot of galleries and many owners and curators take this time for a bit of R-n-R . Well, if you're not heading to the Hamptons or OBX you're all invited along with all my friends and family to Raleigh. Four pieces from the Cellular Obscura collection will be on view for the month starting this Friday; two 24x30s and one 8x10 at the Exchange Gallery and two 16x20's at Raleigh City Museum. It's First Friday ArtWalk which is a great time to visit all the galleries downtown. Hope to see some of you there.

Nature bats last

2010-07-09T17:40:00.001-04:00

A scene along US 501 in Rustburg, Va. I kid you not. I photographed this first and then learned where I was. The town forefathers were certainly clairvoyant.

The American pursuit of happiness

2010-07-03T13:51:00.000-04:00

It's pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness. Poverty and wealth have both failed. ~Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard

Happy Independence Day.

No Diving

2010-04-14T15:45:00.005-04:00

Heading back to Charlotte

2010-04-08T22:22:00.006-04:00

The Southern Short Course is back in Charlotte, NC this year, and for some crazy reason they've asked me to speak about this little cellphone project. So at 1:30 pm on Saturday I'm the opening act for Scott McKiernan and then William Albert Allard.

I remember my first SSC conference back in 1997. I was two years out of college. The freelance was starting to pick up but I was still working as a manager for a catering company because the pay and benefits were a necessity and my portfolio wasn't opening any doors yet for fulltime positions. Washington Post photographer Michael Williamson was doing portfolio reviews and a little crowd had gathered around him. He finally got to mine and subsequently started brushing each photo off, left and right. It didn't surprise me, as I wasn't exactly thrilled with what I had brought. Following other photojournalists advice I was shooting people, events, things, in order to check off categories. And this is what I presented; A check-off list and it was quite apparent. Instead of showcasing all of my strongest images no matter what the content, it had been watered down.
But halfway through, Williamson held up one of my slides and showed it to the crowd. "You have ten of these type photos... then you'll have a portfolio." He went on to use it as an example of what he was trying to get across to all of us newbies as to what made a good photo and a photo good. Years later I started to wonder if it was some sorta backhand compliment. But at the time, if I realized it, I didn't care. All I knew was that I was on some right track and I needed to keep motivated and keep working to get those other "nine" photos and then some.

There's a lot of great speakers on Friday and Sunday as well, plus portfolio reviews.
Today's professional climate is certainly different than the one in 1997, even 2007. But no matter what economy we live in, a few things still hold true... one being that what you get out of life (or anything for that matter) is what you put into it. And we all need a little help sometimes to figure out what to put in.
Conferences like these have been known to offer that help.
Hope to see some of you this weekend.

art punk

2010-03-28T17:04:00.003-04:00

If you're ever in need of coffee in Asheboro, NC, stop in to the Coffee X Change on Sunset Avenue. Not only a cool place to relax and free wi-fi but if Zach's there, you may get your portrait drawn if you ask nicely. Even Sam Abell, (who was in town to speak at our yearly NCPPA meeting at RCC) took home a personal souvenir for his wife.

Speaking of... If you ever get a chance to hear Sam speak... do. It's a learning experience to see the evolution of a photograph and hear the process of thought and reasoning behind certain compositional choices.

I think many of us intrinsically know a successful photo when we see it and can explain why on one level or another. But like the layers in his photos Sam is able to expound in depth on what makes a photo successful.

He'll be at UNC-Chapel Hill on April 20th and it's free to the public.

room of death

2010-02-24T09:04:00.005-05:00

We were in Florida a few weeks ago for a family function. My future uncle-in-law is an avid hunter and his guest room doubles as his trophy room or as the family is fond of calling it "the room of death." Kinda surreal to wake up in the morning surrounded by the kin of what you had for dinner the night before.

walled in no more

2010-02-17T20:59:00.004-05:00

For 17 years Greg Taylor was locked away for a murder he didn't commit.

On Thursday he was "the first person in North Carolina to be exonerated using a new process established to handle convicted people's claims of innocence. Last September, the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission voted unanimously that Taylor's case warranted further review." The commission is the only state-run agency in the country that investigates post-conviction claims of innocence.

Exonerating innocent men is a storyline that is sadly becoming all too common in this state over the past few years. Darryl Hunt, Joseph Abbitt and Dwayne Dail were in the courtroom today to hear the verdict and welcome another man into their unique group. DNA (or lack thereof) helped their cases. It did to a certain degree with Taylor. But it was the lack of any substantial evidence that led the the three-judge panel to their decision.

But for the grace of a higher power, any one of us could have been in a situation like Taylor's for whatever reason. He wasn't an innocent man, but he was innocent of this crime.

For more on this story by please go here.
And there's a photo gallery here.
And check out the video. If you don't get a bit emotional for the family who now has their son-brother-father back in their lives, you might want to check your pulse.

As for the photo above. Taylor broke away from his first post-incarceration meal with his family -pasta salad with shrimp and little pizza on the side- to speak with some friends he hadn't seen in a long time. Like many things in the coming days of his new life, talking on a cellphone is an unfamiliar experience to him. Funnily enough, he was constantly apologizing for yelling as he wasn't sure how the sound traveled up to the mouthpiece.

cherry

2010-01-18T00:56:00.003-05:00

I'm teaching an intermediate photojournalism course this semester at UNC-Chapel Hill. We'll be concentrating on learning how to light with strobes; studio and the smaller 35mm flashes. But first we're learning to see light. Because it's all around us it's easy to take for granted. So to get everyone in the habit of consciously seeing what they can work with and to learn not to feel intimidated, I sent them out to create/take ten photos that use one light as the dominant and noticeable source. There's always going to be at least one. And if not, then you create your own. And sometimes that's all you want or need. So that's where we started.

Heading out after class I came across this scene at the bottom of the stairwell outside the East End Martini bar. It summed up my evening's lesson plan perfectly. Irony of the "tobacco" state's recent legislation banning smoking in most restaurants and bars aside, this is the kind of scene photographers-in-training, be it at UNC, the local camera club, or a mid-life career changer should be looking for when learning about lighting and what does and doesn't work. It may not be the best photo; it may not be the best for the assignment you're on; but by consciously photographing it, you're filing that experience away. And it's this compilation of experiences (and the act of compiling) that helps you become a smarter photographer and therefore a better one.

going rogue is the new black

2009-12-07T16:02:00.004-05:00

When I mentioned to friends a few weeks ago I had to cover Sarah Palin on her book tour, the usual groans and giggles and shaking of heads in disbelief (as to how her popularity has come to evolve to where it's at today) ensued.

But usual for who? It didn't seem to be 'usual' for the few thousand people who waited hours (some almost 24 hours) queuing in the rain to have her sign copies of her book.

As I looked at the line of folks that wrapped around Ft. Bragg's North Post Exchange, whatever real or imagined snobbishness I may have harbored towards the whole Palin spectacle melted away if just for a second.

I know what and who I like and don't like. But this made me think I was missing something. Something important that needed to be known, understood and respected. Much like learning to never stick your finger in an electrical outlet.

In this job you photograph people from all walks of life. The world is your office. So this sense of disconnect was a bit disconcerting. Where was I? And how long had I been gone?

Because these people weren't aliens from another planet. They weren't just let out of a mental hospital. They weren't enemies who wanted the idea of America to fail.

They were my mom, my sister, my nephew, my cousin, the next door neighbor you barbeque with on Sunday afternoons. They were intelligent, hard working (and retired) red blooded, white and blue collar American citizens.

And they were fans and supporters. And that line around the PX was growing longer by the minute.

I started to feel like the joke was on the groaners, gigglers and headshakers.

Funny enough the LA Times had a recent opinion piece that makes some troubling sense.

Boylan Heights Artwalk

2009-12-03T21:20:00.004-05:00

So, about this time last year my friend and fellow kick-ass photojournalist (and now proud papa) Ethan said "Shawn, I think you need to show your cellphone work at the Boylan Heights ArtWalk." He lives in the historic neighborhood and, like all his neighbors, had opened up his porch and driveway and front yard to local artisans for a Sunday afternoon art fair.

About the same time we had just said goodbye to some beloved colleagues who were let go from the paper.

The writing wasn't on the wall, but it seemed the pen was well in hand. So I figured it'd be a good way to dip a toe into the world of the Art Fair, not knowing what I may be having to do to support my photography habit and pay the bills if future rounds of layoffs cut deeper than the previous.

Well, the Artwalk is this Sunday from 12noon to 5pm. And if you live in the Triangle area or just by chance happen to be driving through please stop on by. I'll be on Ethan's porch at 319 S. Boylan Ave. and I'll have about 25 different photos for sale and at an affordable price. I'll also have some of the large (24x30) prints that were just in the last gallery show on display. They're also for sale.

Hope to see you there.

Oh, and for those of you who haven't received your print yet for ordering my book from Blurb... they'll be on the way shortly. I upgraded to a new (older but better) printer and there were some really inane software issues to work out. In this day and age... silly, just silly. Really.

Happy Holidays
Shawn

brasstown bald

2009-11-09T18:14:00.005-05:00

With its 'grotesque beauty' and 'deceptive serenity' (not my words, but how this mountain was described in a fourteen minute video, well... more like a powerpoint presentation, for tourists) Brasstown Bald is the highest peak in Georgia. And like many of the highest or best places in America, a parking lot is usually found right around the corner, though maybe not quite as obvious as this one. Grotesquely beautiful indeed.

state fair time

2009-10-22T08:06:00.003-04:00

The NC State Fair is in our backyard so one of us is out there just about every day through the two-week run. I had my chance again yesterday as reporter Matt Ehlers and I did a story on what happens in the hours that the fair is closed to visitors.
It's a lot of cleaning up, restocking, laundry, then sleep. The hours for this fair (8am-12am) means that many carnival workers are working 14-16 hour days. It's the longest and hardest fair of the year for them. So there's not much partying going on afterwards. Though the traveling village and the lifestyle (party and non-party alike) is pretty interesting. I wish I had had more time to invest in that side of the visual story. Next time.

The overnight gallery is here.
And here's one from opening day.

as if i can't see you

2009-10-14T22:17:00.003-04:00

washaroo!

2009-10-13T00:14:00.002-04:00

funny how sometimes the silliness of simple things takes on added dimension and power. especially when you've only journeyed halfway home and the comatose inducing sweep-swish of the wiper blades is pure mental and ocular annoyance. so you latch on to whatever it takes to lift you through the next four hour period. in the end it's just a sign (without an exclamation point). but for now it's road trip'n nourishment to help your heart/mind/soul move you a little farther on down that line.

tomb of the unknowns

2009-10-06T14:29:00.003-04:00

Changing of the guard on a rainy afternoon at Arlington National Cemetery.

the scientist of the band

2009-10-02T14:01:00.004-04:00

Better known as the Edge. During the 360˚ show in Charlottesville, Va.

arlington

2009-09-30T23:10:00.003-04:00

My fiance and I took advantage of a free day between our two u2 shows to tour DC. Our first stop off the metro was Arlington National Cemetery. I've never been, but have a feeling it won't be the last time. If you can tune out the air traffic leaving Reagan National (and good luck with that), the beauty of the grounds is in its solemnity as thousands upon thousands of stone markers march above our capital's skyline keeping watch on the politicians below. A quiet reminder to not desecrate the sacrifices of the past by squandering our future (good luck with that too).

rainy nights in georgia

2009-09-28T22:00:00.005-04:00

Just returned from Atlanta. Drove down twice in the past week and a half and both times my departure back north coincided with severe flooding hours after I left. This was the view looking towards downtown from the 15th floor of the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Ravinia on Saturday morning. So my thoughts go out to all the wonderful people I met over the weekend. I hope all of you have managed to stay dry and afloat.

The opening at the Spruill Gallery was a success (and the sun was out!) Thank you to everyone who bought a print or book or both! I'll post something a little more in depth on the opening soon.

But a big thanks to director Hope Cohn and assistant Susannah Darrow for their help, hospitality, and wisdom of all things local. Hope believed in the work and asked me to participate without having previously met me or seen the work in person. To see something on the web is one thing... so it was a definite act of faith on her part. And Susannah... your directions were perfect.

Of course it was Michael David Murphy's doing that Hope found out about me. I don't know where he finds time for it all, but that guy seems to be everywhere down here and on the web. Next time I'm down there, first round on me (if you return my phone call in time :-). And thanks to Christian B. West for a little insight. He has a community cellphone project (and gallery show too) which can be found here.

gallery shows!

2009-09-21T00:50:00.006-04:00

it's been a great year so far and it keeps getting better. starting this friday, september 25... if you're in atlanta, ga. or stowe, vt. please stop in to the spruill gallery or the helen day art center.

both are having exhibitions of cellphone photography and art. and gallery directors hope cohn at spruill and odin cathcart at helen day were kind enough to ask me to participate in the group shows. very cool. thank you both for the invitations.

so i just dropped off nine 24x30 framed prints this weekend to hope and i'm headed back down on thursday for the opening reception. there'll be ten 11x14 photos on display at helen day. and we're looking at a possible date in october for a presentation. more on that later.

the spruill show is part of the larger atlanta celebrates photography festival. it's a community undertaking and appreciation for photography on a grand scale. interestingly enough a few other galleries are also having shows which explore the possibilities, and the impact, cellphone technology has on art.

now, some people still shake their heads at the notion of using a phone to create art. but, bluntly stated, a tool is a tool is a tool. and in the end if it works, what's the difference what was used. i can imagine these were the same folks who were shocked when 35mm came on the scene and started to challenge the larger formats. but evolution is messy, and you can't stop it. once it's out of the box, it's not going back in, so why not explore the possibilities and the limitations?

so i'm happy to see the acceptance growing for this little device as a means to an artistic end.

and the fact that so many galleries are devoting time and space to display the results, only lends a little more credibility to its usage.

of course, as you can imagine, i am a little biased in this whole affair.

but we can talk more about it this thursday and possibly next month. hope to see you there.

love potion number 09/09/09

2009-09-09T23:28:00.006-04:00

weddings are performed by magistrates on the 9th floor of the wake county courthouse. so that's where i headed today to see who was getting married on this unique date. i'll admit, i have to give credit to my editor matthew for the idea. i was in the midst of editing down a few hours of audio interviews and wasn't really thinking of ideas for a standalone photo that he asked me to find. so thanks matthew.

well i showed up as the morning session was winding down. but there was one couple left and after speaking with the judge i found out they were number 8 for the day. so i decided to try the afternoon session and see if i couldn't get happy couple no.9.

this couple isn't it. well, kinda. but if you want to get specific, then no.
she was the first bride to make it to the afternoon session and we were there for about twenty minutes, but he was having a bit of trouble finding parking and dealing with the crap elevator situation the building is infamous for. so another couple snuck in before them. but they didn't want their photo taken because they hadn't told their family yet (it would be a secret until november).

so in my world congratulations go out to Michael Wilson and JoAnn Valdez; couple no.9 on the 9th floor on 09/09/09.
my congratulations also go out to the other couple... whoever you are.

lightning

2009-09-03T14:53:00.006-04:00

well, it's been two weeks so that must mean it's time for a new entry! lots going on... all good... but mix in a some technology issues... not good... and you have a 2-week delay. anyway... if you're still here, thanks for your patience and checking back.

our good friends the meyers invited us down to their beach abode for the weekend and the first night down we were treated to a spectacular lightning show over the water.
i've tried photographing lightning before with this cellphone.

if it's one of those rare but real intense strikes that seems to last more than a nanosecond it's possible to capture it without a long shutter exposure and with a little luck.

and of course you need a little more luck if you're using a camera that has a bit of a shutter delay.

but this is what it looks like on a motorola e815.
from my understanding the bands are partly due to what is called rolling shutter effect. cellphones don't have a physical shutter mechanism. using software they record the frame line-by-line from top to bottom. it's not one single snapshot. add in this particular phone's shutter speed which is 1/21th a second (yes, that's a 21 for some reason) and you get this effect.

cruise'n

2009-08-20T08:07:00.003-04:00

a week with no cellphone service and limited internet and i never got the shakes. i'll take that as a sign i'm not as addicted as i had feared.

thanks to everyone who came out to B&H on Monday (and ignite raleigh the week before). you were a gracious audience. i appreciated the comments and questions and learned a few things myself, which is always a good thing.

and thanks to everyone who's either bought a book, voted or both! now that i'm back on terra firma for more than one day, i'll be working on those 4x5 prints and should be mailing them out by next week.

Head'n to NYC

2009-08-07T18:35:00.008-04:00

First I'm heading to a land of minimal internet and cellphone service for a week. But before I go just wanted to let y'all know I'll be presenting at B&H on Aug 17th at 3:00pm. It's free! but there's limited space, so you'll have to register. I'll have some books on hand if you'd like to see what a Blurb printed book looks like, and some of the larger prints I've done... 16x20's and 24x30's as examples of what can be done with small files.
If you're in the area, I'd love to say hello.

On another note... The Helen Day Art Center in Stowe, Vt. is having an open call (deadline is August 31st) for a juried ten-week exhibition of cellphone photos. Check here for all the details.

Have a great week y'all. Hope to see some of you soon in the big city.
(p.s. please don't forget to vote. huh? scroll up and look to your right. thanks!)
*update* voting has been closed. thank you everyone for doing so.

ignite raleigh

2009-08-05T00:03:00.005-04:00

for those of you in the raleigh area on wednesday night looking for a little inspiration, information, comedy (some of it at my expense), and good beer check out this little event going on at the lincoln theatre...

ignite raleigh.
i'll be one of 15 presenters who'll have 5 minutes each with 20 slides to illuminate the audience with some profound knowledge on some topic or another.

fyi...my goal in the time allotted is to try and convey the essence of this little project of mine... how in photography it's not always about equipment, because the best camera is the one you have with you.

this'll be my first public speaking engagement to an audience much larger than my co-workers who politely smile and nod at my little weekly soapbox spiels.
so it should be interesting entertainment.

see you there.

air force one

2009-07-31T08:46:00.004-04:00

the president came to raleigh-ville this week and i was assigned to photograph his arrival at rdu on air force one. as usual, the typical security measures in place means that you show up 3-4 hours before his scheduled arrival, find your spot on the desginated riser, shoot the bull with the other photogs... and wait. and wait. and wait.

but you're not the only one waiting. so's his advance security detail. and if you think all that meant was carrying a weapon and keeping a keen eye out for suspicious activity... well, we're both wrong. there's a lot of little things that have to be taken care of... like last minute buffing of the presidential limousine or measuring the height of the staircase to where the exit door of Air Force One will be parked.

to see the behind the scenes was definitely worth the wait.

for more in a photo gallery by me and fellow staffer corey lowenstein head on over here...

and uhmmm... have you voted yet?

We have books! And I'd appreciate your vote.

2009-07-26T23:23:00.009-04:00

**update** voting is over. thanks to everyone who did. we'll get 'em next year!

(*Update* For Blurb coupons on free/discounted shipping try this site. Not guaranteed, but it's always worked for me.)

The folks at Blurb are having their Photography. Book. Now. contest and we decided to enter this year because we love photo books in all their tangible goodness. And we like to try new things.
They have a People's Choice Award and I'd appreciate your vote. I can't promise you a handshake, kiss on the cheek, or that I'll hold your baby in return, but if my photography resonates for whatever the reason... what it is... how it was done... or what it represents, please consider taking a few minutes and cast yours for cellular obscura. You'll have to create an account but there's no purchase necessary.

But if you did want to buy a book...

We're offering two sizes. The original hardcover (with dust jacket) 12x12 inch, which looks absolutely great as most of the photos are 8x10's; a size which allows your eye to wander. And now a softcover 7x7 inch which packs the same resonance as a collection (same 65 photos, same pairings) just a bit smaller in the hands and on the wallet.

fwiw... I appreciate the conversations with other photographers about the idea of limited editions. I understand the appeal and as a business plan how it once made sense. Maybe it still does. Color me unsavvy then.
But it seems sharing is the new black these days.
Facebook. Twitter. Flickr. blogs.
(and there may be the argument that there's too much sharing going on.)
Yet in the spirit of the movement, and of the positive response this body of work has already received, I want to make it as accessible as possible.

But if you do order a book, I will send you a somewhat limited edition 4x5 print. Please read the book profile for details on that.

Thanks for looking and voting.

some samples from the 7x7...

the glass fortress of sas

2009-07-23T17:01:00.004-04:00

had to do a story out at the sas campus a few weeks ago. there's some pretty interesting architecture like Building T here.
for those that don't know...

according to fortune magazine's list of 100 best companies to work for... the privately-held analytical software company sas ranks 20th. it's tops for healthcare, childcare, and work-life balance which is why its annual turnover is around 4%.
which i'm sure is damn near the lowest in the industry.

sounds like a fortress for keeping people in than keeping people out.

parallels...

2009-07-20T02:03:00.006-04:00

...draw your own.

i know this is a common occurrence. but i'm always intrigued as to why. swift alien abduction in between slurps of dr. pepper? performance art? or just utter disregard and disrespect for yourself, your neighbors and nature. and if that's the case what else are doing to ruin our day.

satellite junkie

2009-07-13T16:49:00.006-04:00

television is king. and joker. opiate of the masses? maybe. but what i find telling as i travel past dilapidated barns and unkempt trailer parks outside this ville and that town, that ville and our town, out of reach of a hardwire delivery system, people have always found a way to get their fix.

the gloves are on

2009-07-07T18:23:00.004-04:00

i walked down to the raleigh convention center during lunch to see what was set up for raleigh's own michael jackson tribute. some bands and then a live feed of the memorial was what was on tap.

by the time i got there though the bands were over, and i presume the dancing too.
a couple of photos later i realized it wasn't working for me or whatever i had happened to think i was going to get.
which was good because i happened to bump into ginny skalski and she was heading over to cooper's bbq for lunch. sounded good to me.

and that's where i found my photo. while a boombox played mj in the background some of the waitstaff like johnsie worsley here were wearing white gloves in honor of the singer.
she'd been wearing it for a couple of days now and wasn't planning on taking it off until it fell apart. and to that end she was mainly using her ungloved hand.
like many her heart broke when she heard the news of his death.
"i shed a tear. i just couldn't believe it." as the opening creaks of thriller started up she headed to another table. "but this is our way of remembering."

allowed to grieve

2009-07-06T23:20:00.003-04:00

so the previous post touched on a little about what makes this job not so much a job. of course it's not always so positive.

today was spent on the road an hour east in goldsboro trying to find some art to go with a follow-up to the tragic story of four people who died on the 4th when their truck full of fireworks blew up on ocracoke island.
story here.

all four were members or had some connection to the the lord's table church.
so that's where i started. and so did every tv station in the area.
i hate these kind of things. especially when you have no choice but to work with a large pack of other journalists armed with tripods and mics... like a school of piranha waiting to attack any new news morsel. times like this it's easy to see why the profession is often despised.

well there was no memorial set up yet. the church doors were locked and no one was answering my calls. and i can't blame them.

though my intentions were good. and one of the reasons (if not the most important) we're here is to make sure these victims aren't just seen as victims but as the human beings they are is not often easily (or quickly) understood by the survivors we descend upon. once again... i can't blame them.

but senior pastor bill wilson was in and he finally came out to welcome all of us in for an interview. a very generous and tough thing to do. one of the victims, terry holland, was like a son to him as they'd known each other for twenty-something years and holland had been the building maintenance worker for the past few years.

anyway... there was still nothing here in terms of active storytelling art that we needed. but i did notice a lot of tissue boxes laying around from sunday's service. that was storytelling in what the congregation had to go through the day before.

sadly sunday was the first time in eleven years that pastor wilson dreaded going to church.
but he did and this is what he told his flock. i think it's apropos to a lot of life's tragic misfortunes...

"we need to be allowed to mourn and grieve and weep and cry and you do all those. it's natural. it's part of the process.

but after you've mourned, grieved and wept, you need to submit.

need to submit to the fact that it did happen.
you didn't want it to happen, but it did happen.
there's nothing you could have done about it.

you need to forgive and not blame anybody.
you can't battle 'why this? why that'.

then you need to celebrate the positive things in the individual's life.
during the bad times you have to remember the good times.
and we had some good times through the years.

and we will work our way through this process.

there are times i'm stronger, times i'm weaker. same for you. but we draw strength from each other. there's no 'big potato', no 'little potato' here. just mash potatoes. we're all family here."

crowns of glory

2009-07-03T12:16:00.003-04:00

had a wonderful assignment last friday. the photo report could be a little better, not that it's bad, but there was a lot of potential and for some reason i got hung up on shooting everything and not slowing down for a sec and really thinking. maybe because i only had about an hour before i had to rush across town to hang out with the governor. oh the life of a community photojournalist (insert sarcasm here).

anyway... this is a little backstage scene from the crowns of glory fashion show at the ywca in downtown raleigh.

hats are a tradition in african-american churches and are more than a fashion statement.

wearing decorative "crowns" was based on the origin of a bible passage stating that women should cover their heads while in church. that meant needing a hat. and a special one at that if it was for sunday service.

so it was also a way to honor god by presenting your best like Mrs. Ada Elliott is doing here despite having to get around with the help of a walker.

through the years (especially since the ugly days of slavery) the hat has become a symbol of prosperity, freedom, beauty, celebration and of course an expression of cultural identity.

as you can imagine... learning the story behind the story as the clock was ticking down to my next assignment i knew there was something else here visually that would do the story and the ladies the justice that they deserved. not that it had to take a heavy and serious turn... it was a party and fashion show.

just something to think of next time.

columbia, nc

2009-06-30T07:45:00.005-04:00

the n&o just started a summer series where we're retracing many of the routes found in the 1939 Federal Writers' Project publication "North Carolina: A Guide to the Old North State." It was part of the WPA, which was Roosevelt's attempt to stimulate the economy out of the depression.
the FWP's purpose was to help put unemployed writers and editors to work. a lot more people than just writers, and some of them still employed in their "regular" jobs, helped produce the books though.

so intrepid reporter josh shaffer and i headed out to Tyrell county and specifically Fort Landing which was milepost zero for U.S. 64 back in '39. back then i'm sure it took the better part of a full day to get from raleigh to the small fishing village, pop. 310. today it's an easy 2.5 hr drive down the four-lane route 64.

easy to get there and easy to leave. which apparently a lot of people did. the population probably reached its peak in '39, because there's relatively few residents out there today.

columbia, above, is the county seat. but about the only thing moving that day was the growing rust and an empty trashbag crinkling and billowing in the humid breeze.

skater punk

2009-06-28T13:37:00.006-04:00

running late for a going away party for co-worker and esteemed editor rob waters (he'll soon be senior editor at the Southern Poverty Law Center), i forgot the byob sixpack at home.
counting my change in the grocery store checkout line, a blur of spikes fanned by the exit door.

he wanted a dollar, when i asked him if i could take his photo. seems he made $18 at the mall the other day via similar requests. true or not, i've never ponied up money before. maybe a beer. but obviously not this time.

but the day's miserable heat had broke... the evening light was sweet, my sixpack was on sale. it was a good vibe all around. and my generosity only had to extend to the 37¢ jingling in my pocket.

you've got questions, i've got answers

2009-06-24T23:42:00.013-04:00

Wow. It's been quite an interesting day in this little corner of the web.

I appreciate the response to the NYTimes' Lens blog article on my work ... the kind words, the insight and goodwill, and yes even the critiques.
So a lot of inquiries have been made about the workflow and the imaging that happens to get these photos to look the way they do.

I'm more than happy to share because I'd be interested and maybe a little skeptical too if I was on the other end... (I am a journalist and not accepting things at face value is a blessing and a curse). Though I hope the irony here (of explanation) is appreciated (in a humorous way mind you) just slightly.

Back in the darkroom days you had to pick a paper grade to print on or if you were like me and used Ilford Multigrade paper with a numbered filter. I usually used a 3 or 3.5 filter for good contrast. Sometimes a 4 if I unfortunately underexposed the film.
Then there was the decision to using an RC (resin coated) paper or fiber based...glossy? matte? pearl?
My favorite was RC pearl. Glossy's too distracting. Matte too flat. Fiber too expensive for a college student and time consuming in order to dry it correctly to keep it from wrinkling too bad.

Basically choices had to be made back then. Choices have to made today. There's no escaping. With this project I decided to keep those choices to as much a minimum as possible.

Like many cellphones the Motorola E815 offers different color modes and white balance options. The contrast can be changed as well. But most importantly it also lets you change exposure slightly by adjusting the brightness.

The photo of the pedestrian walking through a shaft of light that lives on the front page above was made that way. Originally the whole scene was bright... too bright... flat... boring... uninteresting (to me). So adjusting the brightness to expose just for the center... the sides drop off to black in "camera." Same with the band and the hard-hats photos below. I went for the highlights and let the exposure fall away in "camera."

And that's where the description of "velour-like" blacks comes in. If you expose for highlights and let the mid-range tones go dark, the underexposure in the bottom of that range just takes on a very rich dimension.
So I usually shoot in the b&w mode as it's more forgiving in the pixelation department. Color works great in bright light, but degrades quickly in low light. b&w holds up better.
Now the b&w isn't true black and white. It's a muted color version and comes up as RGB in Photoshop. So I change that to b&w before I start toning.

So...these photos are not directly from the cellphone to the blog like Chase Jarvis does (I think...haven't asked him personally).
Like many, if not all of us, I do use Photoshop to tone them up.
Because I always use automatic white balance and sometimes that gets fooled. And sometimes that works out great, but if the color is way off the charts then I'll rope it in a little. And I hardly ever touch the "camera's" contrast option.
And in both instances it's because you have to go through menus to get to those options. The camera has enough of a delay (albeit not too bad) already besides having to change those parameters too for each shot. So choices have to be made and mine are to keep it quick and simple.

But my background is photojournalism where many of us photographers place a high standard on ethics and telling the truth about a scene as best as can be told... or in other words to not purposefully deceive our audience. Obviously with the decisions we make in terms of lens choice and composition and timing there is no sure truth and photos lie... all the time. (which is the true version of the building photo? all bright? partially bright?) but that's another conversation.

So I'm not heavy handed when it comes to toning an image. I'll use levels or curves and bring the black and white points in to where it works best for the delivery vehicle at that moment: ie... web or print.
Maybe a little dodging here, a little burning there. Unsharp mask as a final step. Nothing out of the ordinary for many photographers, and nothing that would be considered a breach of ethics at my paper at least. Though really, this is my project and I can cross whatever line I want with some greater degree of impunity. But that's not how I operate and it's not in the spirit of this body of work.

As for prints... by interpolating up in 10% increments in Photoshop I have printed a few of these up to 24x30 inches (and yes they were on display in a December 2008 show and had many people doing doubletakes as they walked by).
Now, I know there's software out there that probably does a better job of increasing file size. And yes, I have a feeling I could be doing this differently in PS for better results and I am experimenting with those. But the quality was actually pretty good using this original model. Pixelation wasn't a problem. And the print took on a kind of painterly aesthetic if you decided to get up close, real close.

If you're in the Raleigh area there are a few 16x20's hanging now in the Portraits of Raleigh exhibit at the Raleigh City Museum till August. They were printed at JW Photo labs and are wonderful examples of what can be done.

Obviously not all cellphones are the same. Not all of the E815s I have are the same, quality wise. That's one reason serendipity has played its part. I could have easily gotten a cellphone whose images weren't of a quality that got me excited to see what else could be done. And this journey would have been over before it started.

I truly appreciate the opportunity that VAE, Helios, 30Threads, PDN, Photoshelter, then LOOK3, and now the NY Times have afforded me. But i'd like to make something clear. This was and still is my way of scratching a personal itch, creatively speaking. There was no agenda. No destination per se. As I summarized in my LOOK3 presentation I started this for myself... a personal assignment. And within that regard it's been and will continue to be nothing but a success. And if it was to end tomorrow... no worries. I'm a better photographer and person for the experience.

Yet, the business I'm in... communications... is the business of sharing and, in part, success is based on the audience's ability to relate... to find that common ground in the vision you're blessed with the ability to share with them.

So if this work resonates for whatever the reason... what it is... how it was done... or what it represents, then that affords me a little insight to know I'm on some right path. And therefore I'm more than happy to share.

get busy living or get busy dying...

2009-06-24T01:30:00.013-04:00

...it comes down to a simple choice.
ahhh, the shawshank redemption. love that movie. solid all the way around. one of those movies that when it comes on tv, no matter how many times you've seen it before, you sit there and watch. well, at least i do.

visiting charlottesville i came across this scene during a break in the festivities and that quote just popped into my head. i watched these two men, one playing violin, one sitting, under two sides of a marquee in the pedestrian mall. i didn't ask for their stories, but they were both asking for the same thing from us; money.
the juxtaposition was both funny and sad.
the only truth to this scene is that for personal reasons a choice was made. the outcome of which now left mainly to our assumptions.

karaoke

2009-06-21T22:37:00.003-04:00

"empty orchestra" is the usual definition. but "broken voice" is a little more apropos for some of us.

cellular obscura presentation for look3

2009-06-15T18:04:00.006-04:00

allen over at photoshelter was kind enough to include my work in his blogpost about the look3 festival. he mentioned my presentation which included a quick video of my cellphone "portrait session" of obama. (i blogged about that once before here).

well... here's that presentation which was projected during the friday night Shots event under the big top. there's a little van morrison, a little explanation of why i do what i do. but if you want to go straight to the fun part it's at 5:14.

btw...the video doesn't do it as much justice as seeing it on a 30x40 movie screen. that was a thrill. and i have to thank jon golden and kevin burtnett for making all the shows look absolutely stellar.

i'm definitely a fan of technology for making it easier to upload photos and video to the web for mass consumption. but one of the things i was reminded of this past weekend was that there's just nothing like seeing photographs up close... in person... real... unplugged (or plugged in with the volume at 11)... the work (and the viewer) interacting with the physical environment of sights, smells, sounds... adding an additional sense of depth and reality. appreciation for the skill/luck of making/taking photographs can definitely be enhanced by the art of producing and printing and design... and flow.

kinda like the difference between buying a cd and going to the concert. both have their merits, but the collective experience of the latter carries the possibility of a spiritual experience. or at least a damn good time.

schrute cakes!

2009-06-13T14:39:00.004-04:00

look3 has been absolutely amazing so far. old friends, new friends, inspiration galore and a vibe of positivity that should be bottled up and packaged as the cure for what ails ya. more on that later when i have time and battery power for a proper post.

c-ville has been a great host and now i understand why the festival's here.

where else can you go and get pancakes adorned with dwight schrute in confectionary sugar?
it was almost a shame to eat breakfast. but if you're up to that challenge head down to the blue moon diner. the coffee's pretty damn good too.

some schrutism's to set you in the mood
"...Actually, I do own property. My grandfather left me a 60-acre working beet farm. I run it with my cousin Mose. We sell beets to the local stores and restaurants. It’s a nice little farm...sometimes teenagers use it for sex."

"...I have been Michael’s number two guy for about 5 years. And we make a great team. We’re like one of those classic famous teams. He’s like Mozart and I’m like...Mozart's friend. No. I’m like Butch Cassidy and Michael is like...Mozart. You try and hurt Mozart? You’re gonna get a bullet in your head courtesy of Butch Cassidy."

furlough trip to look3

2009-06-09T22:27:00.003-04:00

well this week is my furlough week at the paper. kinda bittersweet... nice to have some time off, sucks not getting paid. anyway... i'm making the most of it and getting ready to head to the look3 festival in charlottesville, va.

i was planning on going this year anyway. from the stories i've heard, it's an event not to be missed. lots of inspiration. lots of positivity. and in a cool little town at the foothills of the blue ridge mountains. uhmmm, yeah. sign me up!

but what makes the trip a little more exciting is that i was accepted to show a multimedia presentation on this little project we have going here... cellular obscura.

it's happening on friday night, june 12 at 9pm in the pavilion downtown. it's part of a two-hour group show called Shots.
so if you can make, would love to see you. and we can all be tourists for a few days.

speaking of tourists and inspiration... just found out that matt mallams is in hawaii. (nice interview here)
oahu (the whole island) is a documentary utopia for street-style photography. i'd like to go back some day and really dig my teeth into the juxtapositions on the island between the rich tourist trade and the high unemployment rate and a populace who tolerates mainlanders. you get the sense they're rubbing together like a blister, not quite bleeding on the surface, but hurting a bit underneath.

anyway looking forward to see how it looks through matt's lens. you should too.

see you in charlottesville.

you're all invited, again!

2009-06-04T21:08:00.003-04:00

if you happen to be in the raleigh area anytime between friday june 5 and the end of august, stop by the raleigh city museum.
i'm fortunate to have six of my photos selected for a juried exhibit. (here's a sneak preview at some of the other artists)
three were already on display till last week and the other half now till august.
with the exception of one they've all premiered on this blog here, here, here, here, and here.

but now they've found a new home as 16x20 prints.

the public opening is this friday and it's first friday artwalk so all the galleries will be open later, most serving food and wine and music. it's a good time to be downtown.

the lost colony

2009-05-31T13:14:00.005-04:00

an assignment on tourism and the economy sent me out to the obx with a stop in manteo on roanoke island where sir walter raleigh tried (and failed) to establish a permanent colony back in the 16th century. while there i was able to hang around backstage of the final dress rehearsal for the longest running outdoor drama - the lost colony. it's a historical play based on raleigh's attempts and the unsolved mystery in the disappearance of about 120 people from the last settlement.

it's an interesting story and the production is pretty awesome. it's a good way to break up a week's trip to the obx. which btw people from all over (ny, nj, maine, pa, sc..) were still doing. seems it's a better value to get a house down here than it is in the major beach towns up north closer to where they live.

i guess recession or not some people still want to get lost.

positivity trumps adversity

2009-05-27T15:41:00.005-04:00

marie neal is an extraordinary young woman. sixteen, and a high school sophomore, neal was recently diagnosed with alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, a rare genetic liver disorder which immediately placed her on a transplant list.

but she's dealing with such a serious issue with cheerful toughness. a few weeks ago we caught up with her at a fundraiser at a chick-fil-a in cary town center. hundreds of friends and supporters came out to donate money to help pay for the future transplant and many expenses not covered by insurance including the immunosuppressant drugs that she must take for the rest of her life.

i swore she was greeting and thanking people for three hours straight. and always with a smile and laugh, captivating each and every last person there.

here's our story.

and if you'd like to donate to her (and/or other kids in need of transplant help.)

closed

2009-05-20T15:48:00.002-04:00

just something to make you go "hmmmm?" cause that was my first take. seems like purveyors of gently used goods or junk if you will would find their clientele growing as many of us try to weather today's economic climate as cost effectively as possible.

and btw... we're not closed here. some extra work, a few technical glitches, and three days laid low with a case of the crud are to blame for lack of posting. but we'll be back on track soon.

bain

2009-05-11T12:43:00.004-04:00

this past saturday jo and i witnessed one of the most unique sound performances i've ever heard. at least in the raleigh area.

gears that haven't been oiled in decades squealed and groaned; a symphony of friction, metal on metal, rippling through the cavernous space that is the abandoned art deco styled E.B. Bain Waterworks Plant.

artist-musicians spun wheels in the depths of empty water filtration tanks summoning the ghosts of 20th century industrial progression. or the soundtrack to lost.

it was part of the bain project. a collaborative installation by twelve artists specific to the site.

it's a beautiful building, ornamentally designed for a utilitarian purpose. even the decay... almost tinsel like.

they definitely don't build them like this anymore.

it's open again this saturday may 16th. you won't see, or hear, anything like this around here anytime soon. check it out before some planning committee gets a hold of it and turns into another strip mall or condos, albeit fashionable ones.

charleston chewed

2009-05-08T14:32:00.004-04:00

visited charleston, sc. a few weeks ago with my lovely fiance (wow, that sounds so much better than girlfriend). it was a little bit reunion for her grad school friends, a little bit celebration for the two of us, and a little bit stimulation for the economy.

charleston is a beautiful (and expensive! you better thank us economy) city. but like most cities there is a dark side. and it can be found on the utility poles surrounding the market.

the gumshoes are losing to the gumstickeruppers.

seems the threat of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine hasn't deterred these salivating scofflaws.

but they are stimulating this guy's bank account.

the good life

2009-05-04T07:26:00.006-04:00

NC 12 is the main highway along north carolina's outer banks barrier islands (obx for short). a two lane road that's frequently covered with sand and/or water as some sections are just meters from the ocean for miles. and then there's the free hatteras-ocracoke ferry which is still considered highway 12 though the pavement below you is a metal hull rumbling through the shallow waters of pamlico sound.

the 40 minute ride is usually accompanied by dozens of laughing gulls who're able to score a free meal from the passengers on board... if they're not diving for the fish churned up in the wake.

love 'em or hate 'em... they're a good sign you're in the right place. of course a beer and burger at howard's with family and friends is damn good proof too.

out of touch

2009-04-29T06:50:00.002-04:00

i was never a big fan of organized religion. my years in catholic school (k-6th...heck i was even an altar boy) soured my view. as a kid i couldn't rectify the hypocrisies i saw. and no-one was able to explain them to me in the pragmatic way i needed in order to reach an understanding.
killing in the name of (insert your god here)... the idea that if you weren't christian you were damned, but if you asked for forgiveness at the 11th hour there was hope for salvation... jesus was a jew, but he wasn't jewish... how other religions or spiritual endeavors were "wrong".... etc etc etc.
you just can't take that these things are "meant to be" based on faith alone.

as an adult with a little more worldly experience under my belt, i better understand those hypocrisies are more closely tied to the subjugation of something good by the hands of people who selfishly sought opportunity.

many church groups affect positive change due to the inertia of organization. for that, the need and idea of community built around religion is a good thing.

but without the ability to trespass and be trespassed upon how would these organizations justify their empowerment?

in the long run the truest part of the relationship with whomever you choose to worship is based on the personal, not the communal aspects of such.

tip proof

2009-04-22T22:16:00.003-04:00

a little bit of country found at the crossroads of eli whitney in southern alamance co.

stone cold accessory

2009-04-13T22:37:00.006-04:00

the life of former pro-wrestlers live on in strange places. stone cold steve austin was inducted into the wwe hall of fame on april 4. he's been retired for years. but still has a fan base that's ready for the next throw down. especially if you talk smack about their choice in fashion.

add another banner

2009-04-09T07:14:00.010-04:00

the unc tarheel men's basketball team won another championship monday night. it's their 5th national title and the 2nd in the last five years.
with our esteemed sports shooters robert willett and chuck liddy in detroit to cover the game. ethan hyman, ted richardson and i made sure the chapel hill scene which erupts everytime they beat duke or are in the finals was well documented.
then we turned around and covered the celebration the next day at the dean smith center.

after 3 hours sleep in 2 days, walking about 2.5 miles with a computer and 3 cameras hanging off my shoulders and sending a coupla hundred photos and a time-lapse and a panoramic of franklin street i finally had time for a little cellphone goodness.

this security guard was the last one in the dean dome. somebody has to turn off the lights.

time lapse of franklin street eruption.

panoramic

celebration

party the day after at the dean dome

and my little personal video from the roof of Spanky's restaurant.
(better in hq)

nice shoes

2009-04-04T14:27:00.001-04:00

signs

2009-04-01T14:45:00.003-04:00

matt slaby has a well edited and photographed slideshow up at time.com on america's love for and fascination of guns. the majority of owners, by far, understand the responsibility that comes with owning a firearm and respect the lethal power at their fingertips.

and then you have someone like Robert Stewart who walked into Pinelake Health and Rehab in Carthage, NC with numerous guns and killed 8 elderly residents while wounding 3 including a police officer before that officer shot and wounded him.

i was sent down the day after it happened to try and get the requisite mugshot of the assailant, cover the press conference and maybe speak to some of the families who lost loved ones if they weren't put off by the horde of local and national press that invaded with their satellite trucks and fleeting interest in a small community in the middle of the country.

as usual... access to almost everything that would make for a more poignant photo was restricted. and the little that we got was through dumb fortune and tender persistance.

but as i was leaving the unattended home of mr. stewart (after getting the pre-req house mug) i spotted this down his dirt driveway. i wasn't able to investigate long enough to find shells, but the reporter did... finding some small calibre and small and large shotgun shells.

though we don't know mr. stewart's m.o. or mental capacity, for me it was the most storytelling photo of the day.

confident

2009-03-29T14:59:00.004-04:00

when cesar comanche arrived for his portrait in a black t-shirt with the word confident on it i knew i made the right choice in the location and time. usually midday sun is not the typical time to schedule outdoor portraits. but when i found these stairs leading up to a blank wall the day before while scouting out locations, i knew i wanted to incorporate what they represented for artists, of any medium, in what sometimes can feel like a sisyphean journey to do things in a way that doesn't subjugate their craft.
but i wanted to balance whatever negative connotations that symbolism represented with cesar's recent successes and the hope of his future endeavors.

and to be quite honest, my first reaction wasn't that heavy or smart, but more along the lines of curiosity and wry humor as to what the hell i had just stumbled across. and that i had the good fortune of finding a clean background that didn't involve the cliche musician photo of brick walls or railroad tracks.

anyway... i didn't know much about cesar before the assignment except that he's one the founding members of the Justus League, a north carolina group associated with the more hyped Little Brother and producer 9th Wonder.

after a little research it became clearer cesar was one of those local musicians who's found fame and success outside the mainstream (and the local music scene) by doing it his way.
and with a new album out to good reviews it seems mainstream is catching up with him.

early bloomer

2009-03-26T23:39:00.006-04:00

it's been cold wet and freezing. but the future's in bloom. some just don't know it yet.

hot air

2009-03-22T23:04:00.003-04:00

desaturated

2009-03-18T10:00:00.008-04:00

it's how a lot of my colleagues and friends are feeling these days. especially in our newsroom when just this week the bloodletting continued and we learned of about 30 more people who were given a pink slip, if they didn't decide for themselves to leave on their own volition.

a weekend trip to the beach (before the impending word was delivered) was cloudy rainy cold and nearly colorless. fitting for the times we're living in.

there's an ocean of content and information out there, but the old delivery system just isn't going to cut it anymore.

trudy struction in full effect

2009-03-14T02:14:00.008-04:00

bless her heart, nancy sinatra ain't got nothing on these shit kicking ladies. on track the carolina rollergirls blend sex, violence and kickass names into good clean fun for the whole family. off track in those dimly lit hideaways you just better watch your step and don't let the fishnets fool ya.

speaking of shitkickers here's some fine malt lyrics to get us in the st. patty's day mood... rollergirl/house of pain style.

TarHeel Nation

2009-03-10T22:35:00.003-04:00

despite tv contracts and student-athletes skipping out on their final years there is still a slight sense of innocence to the college game. factor in that athletes have a rather short finite amount of time to win the big one and though possessing pro skills and attitudes, players are still babes in the woods... the thrill and the agony is that much more sincere, genuine and infectious.

mix in 30,000 plus fans in the immediate vicinity and it's hard not to be caught in the wave of tribal emotion that washes over franklin street. especially on the days when they beat their tobacco road nemesis.

79-71

2009-03-10T01:57:00.006-04:00

it doesn't have to be march (technically) for madness to ensue when unc beats duke in men's basketball. as per every win over the blue devils, bonfires
erupt on franklin street in chapel hill.
here the green man does his part to get the party started right.

gettin' shaved & blowin' up

2009-03-06T17:02:00.007-05:00

*updated*
tim "tnt713" turner is one of the coolest IT people going. and he's had this sweet hairdo for as long as i can remember. well ~~tomorrow~~ today it's getting shaved off and for a good cause. he's raising funds to help fight pediatric cancer.
you can share bittersweet tears with him ~~tomorrow~~ today (saturday) from 3-3:30PM at napper tandy's on 126 N. West Street in raleigh. or if the economy hasn't beaten all philanthropic ideas from you yet you can donate in his name here.

you're all invited

2009-03-05T08:21:00.002-05:00

if you happen to be in the raleigh area anytime between friday march 6 and june 1, stop by the raleigh city museum.
i'm fortunate to have six of my photos selected for a juried exhibit. (here's a sneak preview at some of the other artists)
three will be on display until june and then the other half till august.
with the exception of one they've all premiered on this blog here, here, here, here, and here.

but now they've found a new home as 16x20 prints.

the public opening is this friday and it's first friday artwalk so all the galleries will be open later, most serving food and wine and music. it's a good time to be downtown.

i'll be there for a little bit and then i'm heading over to helios to catch this show by the luceo group of photographers. these guys and girl have always kicked ass but they're really tearing it up as of late. and they have some big things in store. can't wait to see what's around the corner for them.

hope to see you this friday.

i'm minding my own business

2009-03-03T20:12:00.005-05:00

life is risky. survival... tough. there's enough to worry about than what happens behind closed doors of people i don't know.
so long as you're kind, decent, have good intentions, don't steal my lunchbox, and add a little more than you take away, what more could i ask of you?

i had to photograph a rally today where the majority of participants were pro traditional marriage. or in other words against legalizing gay marriage. i'm straight, but not narrow, and we'll leave it at that on this subject for now.

but i've always found it fascinating how some people like to meddle into others' private lives because i never understood why those persons would worry about decisions that didn't directly effect them or had a high percentage of possibly effecting them after the fact.

let the people vote indeed and in the meantime i ask why can't we all just get along.

and the flakes were thaaaaaat big!

2009-03-03T00:01:00.003-05:00

wow. the new york region really got walloped today. even u2 were helping shovel the streets.

ghosts of recession present

2009-02-25T23:40:00.005-05:00

had to cover a job fair today for engineering and technology candidates. hundreds of people showed up, if not closer to a thousand or so. many were electrical and mechanical engineers recently laid off. some with phD's. a few whose severance packages were not being honored by a company who filed for insolvency weeks after their positions were cut.

and today more friends and colleagues have been let go at news companies (we're not just papers anymore) that were once revered for doing things right. 75 positions gone from the San Antonio Express-News; 6 in the photo department. the Hartford Courant is dropping their staff to about 135 people, or roughly half the number of employees who worked there this time last year.

my paper is faring no better. we're bracing ourselves for another round of layoffs and then furloughs and paycuts for the staff that are fortunate to make it through. our stock at one point this week was selling for 49¢. a penny less than the daily newsstand paper. good times.

which made the irony a little more poignant and comical that today's job fair was sponsored by no other than my employer.

down with love

2009-02-22T00:00:00.005-05:00

the queen city

2009-02-20T00:45:00.003-05:00

obama comes in third

2009-02-16T22:00:00.011-05:00

last week my election photo story on barack obama came in third at the north carolina press photographers POY contest. the winning images haven't been posted yet but you can see a few more from two earlier posts of mine here and here. but i'm reposting this one for those of you who are waiting for your dinner to microwave or coffee to brew and have about a minute to watch the video backstory of this portrait. i was holding off (don't ask why) but gregg, james gregg, and some of the other crew at ssc really wanted to see this. here you go guys...
(video by pailin wedel)

by the way... of the fifteen minutes, fourteen were spent doing an interview with the reporter and videographer. i knew i only had a minute or two at most and realized it was only going to be enough time for one light setup. of course it would have been great to work with him a few more minutes and try to get something "else", but platon i'm not.

meet gregg...

2009-02-15T19:29:00.008-05:00

james gregg. i met james for the first time at last year's southern short course. he had a little longer hair then (and here) and a great disposition for letting me put it up in a ponytail. the only thing missing this year was the hair. though the future isn't so bright for our profession, james is one of the ones putting up a good fight and trying to build a better tomorrow.

i can relate

2009-02-13T01:14:00.005-05:00

i was on a portrait assignment at a local theater the other day and as fate would have it (or a busted documentary assignment that turned into a portrait session instead) this guy happened to be mopping the backstage floor while we were working. so i left the light on and asked him to come on over. it's one of those opportunities that you'd kick yourself later on if you allowed it to pass by.

photographing photographers I

2009-02-11T00:45:00.005-05:00

last year we had a great late night/early morning beer infused portrait session at the southern short course. we tried to get it going again this time 'round. though it was nowhere near the same scale, a fun time was had by all. and of course there was beer and rebecca ducker's mom's homemade vodka. (the smoothest i've ever had. watch out grey goose)

this is ms. ducker here modeling, well... i'll just keep it simple and say modeling ross taylor's jacket. ross and his moon-unit jacket are a whole other blog post entirely. i'm now going to ask his permission. and if he says yes, you'll see why i had to ask.

btw... this is ducker's photo from last year. i did polaroids as one last hurrah before the last box was sold out.

we're just flies on the wall

2009-02-07T18:33:00.004-05:00

that's a photojournalist's mantra. well, at least mine when i'm explaining to subjects that they need to pay me no attention and go about their day as if i wasn't there.

it's also the name of a u2 song off their achtung baby record. as some of you know i followed them as much as i could on their elevation tour in 2001 (22 concerts... which was no where near the amount of shows some of the good people i met along the way went to) and i'd do it again for this upcoming tour if i was independently wealthy or -ahem- on assignment.

anyway... the hotel we're in is full of crazy, some kitschy (like any hotel) backdrops. this was one and my immediate reaction was remembering bono's act against the video screen during the fly live (go to 6:25 if you're impatient). andy delisle did a spot on impression not knowing what the hell i was talking about. thanks andy.

out out out out out out in out out in out.....

2009-02-06T02:07:00.008-05:00

taking a little break from hawaii, here's a frame from the first day of the Southern Short Course -slash- North Carolina -slash- South Carolina photojournalism conference. i asked nicole fruge, nathan armes and preston gannaway to choose (judge) the first of the next series of images from the conference. this is from the sun setting on the room i'm sharing (ahem-sleeping on the floor) with erin brethauer and ross taylor.

update: it's been brought to my attention what the title means.
for the uninitiated that is the sound of three judges dismissing many photojournalist's year's worth of blood sweat and tears as they whittle down hundreds of images to the handful which will then be awarded first, second, third place or honorable mention.
more on that later.

the other side of the rainbow (state)

2009-02-03T00:45:00.005-05:00

sunk almost 68 years ago, the uss arizona memorial still leaks a little over a quart of oil a day into pearl harbor.
the color bubbling to the surface gives a quieter reverence to hawaii's moniker as the rainbow state. and up until our last day on the island this was the only "rainbow" that we saw.

give respect, get respect

2009-02-01T12:56:00.004-05:00

winter is the time of big surf on the north shore of o'ahu. sunset (seen here), banzai pipeline, waimea bay are some of the world's most famous surfing spots. storms in the northern pacific are the creative force behind the 15-20 foot waves battering the shore and attracting professional and wanna-be surfers alike.

surfers paradise has a dark side though. and i didn't find this out till we got back home. an article published in the international herald tribune (funnily a day after our trip north) speaks to the degree the locals are with protecting their territory.
the video is well worth the time too.

we didn't see anything like this, but of course we weren't really looking. but now i wonder why these two were hesitant to enter the water. were they newbies initimidated by the pounding waves or by the pounding they'd get for breaking an unwritten code.
gives a whole new meaning to surf and turf.

duke's on sunday

2009-01-28T20:51:00.002-05:00

i'm definitely not the crazed buffet fan like some of my friends, but he was dead on with this song. a cast of characters for sure show up on sunday afternoons at duke's to watch the sun set and either end (or start) their party weekend.

sleep deprivation leads to rare find

2009-01-28T01:36:00.004-05:00

a minor case of jet lag, sunburn, and umbrella drinks deep into the evening can knock you out for the night or help you find a second wind after the party is over.
i was happy it was the latter for me as (after everyone was smartly in bed) i stumbled upon a rare case of bioluminescence washed ashore.
well, no... not really... it's just a translucent inner tube.
but i never did see another one the rest of the week.

endless summer, retiree style

2009-01-25T23:08:00.002-05:00

aloha!
it's been awhile as i had the wonderful opportunity to visit hawaii with family, focusing on a little r&r and leaving the internet behind. with batteries recharged it's back to the chilly reality of the east coast. but we'll keep the theme on pacific time for a little while longer.
honolulu, specifically waikiki where we stayed, is unlike the rest of the islands from what we were told.
it is a resort town... mixing retiree snowbirds with old money from the states and newlywed lovebirds with new money from asia (specifically japan) and a little of everything else in between. it felt like a pre-req class for a trip farther west.
the "real" hawaii is found outside the city limits. true or not, the city was fascinating and a visual experience i would like to revisit... soon.
more later after this jet-lag passes through the system.

move over modernist, here comes modern

2009-01-14T09:11:00.003-05:00

the garland jones building in downtown raleigh is being razed to make way for a new $215 million justice center. you can read about it here.

and here in a wonderfully written tour by raleigh architect Jon Zellweger.

baggage

2009-01-10T14:17:00.003-05:00

from travels down wilmington street in downtown raleigh.

fog

2009-01-07T22:40:00.003-05:00

for ira

2009-01-06T23:35:00.002-05:00

i guess this is one of those instances where you really need to know ira. either he's a wee bit shorter than average in one measure of stature or the ladies -ahem- love 'im in another.

but this isn't about ira.

it's about those crazy ideas that visit you at 3:00 in the morning, or while squeamishly counting the minutes of a two-and-a-half hour movie as 32 ounces of diet coke slowly balloon your abdomen wall. (btw... $5 for a small popcorn and $5 for a soda should be grounds for larceny).

i was asked the other day if i had any regrets in regards to not photographing certain scenes or situations. and the first, and honest, answer was 'no.'

but now it might be 'hmmm, maybe.' and ira has made it clear that i have my work cut out for me.

without giving it all away, i'll just put it in this context... kramer would dig it.
now if i can just find an open minded investor like he did.

happy new year

2009-01-01T21:40:00.004-05:00

this time last year i was in the midst of multimedia hell after having been up since 3am and walking 7+ miles with the broughton high school band in the tournament of roses parade in pasadena. having to feed the print beast and online beast and edit down a timelapse video from 2k photos all within an east coast deadline it was a great (albeit a tad stressful) way to start out a great year.
and, never having an overwhelming urge to ever visit Smogville USA, i had no idea i would like LA as much as i did. for a new york boy now living in the flatlands of NC what a crazy-beautiful visual mix of concrete and palm trees. water, desert and mountains.

it's an abusive relationship, photojournalism is these days, it seems. a lopsided state of affairs where as photographers we give of ourselves in a manner more adherent to ideas and ideals. carrying the torch in worn out shoes; butting against corporate practicals yet still redrawing the line in the sand just a little farther down now. and again. and again.

the silver lining in all this may not put food on the table or pay the rent but it's there. i had to travel 2500 miles to remind me of it once. my resolution this year is to not forget it again.

tarheel of the year

2008-12-30T23:45:00.005-05:00

our man/woman of the year profile is one of the biggest open secrets in the newsroom.
this year i had the good fortune of being the photographer and i say it that way because our pick is an amazing person full circle. if there are any kinks in his armor i couldn't find 'em. and i think my IQ may have gone up a few points just by osmosis.

and ever since i saw matt mallams supercool overexposed photo a few months ago i've been keeping my eye open for any opportunity to honor his unique vision with the sincerest of flattery.

this is close. but it'll have to do for now. thanks matt.

it's the most wonderful time of the year

2008-12-29T01:05:00.005-05:00

especially when you're invited to someone else's company's holiday soiree (with open bar and hotel food crackling under hot lamps) and in light of the fact that your company's doing its damndest to try and stay solvent and the last thing on their mind is finger foods and beer selection. betty in accounting or prime rib with hollandaise sauce for 200? unfortunately betty's getting the ax anyway but not before she trains her replacements half a world away. so it's not much of a toss-up. but i do know someone around here will be eating well no matter what happens. let's hope they show us all a little ebenezerly love and at least pass the leftovers.

happy holidays!

es

move on up

2008-12-15T23:19:00.008-05:00

today the fifteen member north carolina contingent of the electoral college cast their ballots for barack obama and joe biden. and what that has to do with this stairwell is that after 13 years in raleigh, the state capital, i finally ascended the stairs to the second floor of the old capitol building. i've been in there plenty of times, but for some reason remained happy to keep my travels to the first floor. anyway, today i went up for a birds eye view of the ornate old house chambers, circa 1840, and the crowd of political dignitaries and electors below. turning a corner to head back down, i saw these which lead to the third floor. off limits, btw.
though i could probably sit and enjoy the space for a good long while, i couldn't stay with this scene as i had to "work" the one down below.
but now i have a good reason to move on up and leave the first floor behind.

choices

2008-12-12T18:38:00.005-05:00

sorry mom. dad. joey. but i've been fooling myself for too long. so it's about time i came clean and admit my addiction to...

orbit gum.

love the stuff. can't get enough. though all their new flavorful choices are a bit overwhelming when i stand in the checkout line at supertarget. i want to try a new flavor i really do. but always i find myself going back to the original plain ol' spearmint and peppermint flavors that got me hooked (because it's the longest lasting flavor i've found) though i do like to indulge in the mojito mint. but i can't seem to find that anymore. so if you see a pack in your checkout line. send one down. it would make a good stocking stuffer.

journey's end, raleigh style

2008-12-08T18:02:00.008-05:00

(update: gallery of photos for the news & observer now up)
cliche as it sounds... raleigh is a melting pot. and i don't just mean northerners and southerners. we have a large latino population and many immigrants from india and east asia.

there are also many followers of the muslim faith.
as witnessed today at dorton arena where five or six thousand gathered to celebrate Eid ul-Adha or "festival of the sacrifice."

it's a holiday that marks the end of the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to mecca, and commemorates abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son ishmael as an act of obedience to god.

dorton arena is no mecca for sure. but it is unique and its mesmerizing parabolic design does add a sense of a destination to travel to and seek out. and in the end it really is about the journey.

witness to a resurrection

2008-12-06T13:05:00.012-05:00

i was on hand yesterday for the unearthing of a new thomas sayre earthcastings sculpture at a private residence in north raleigh.

it was, as jim melnyk, the co-rector at st. mark's episcopal church and one of 30 or so spectators on the scene, best described it as; "resurrection like."

two 30-foot long bowl shaped towers of cement and earth "cooked" and took shape underground for a month before being born into the open air with the help of an industrial crane.

soon to be set in a foundation of concrete they'll stand aloft casting shadows and inquisitive interpretation until their next reincarnation.

reasons to celebrate

2008-12-04T20:11:00.008-05:00

aaaah, where to begin.
well first off... i'm having my first cellulara obscura exhibit at cafe helios through the month of december.

i haven't had an exhibition for some years now, but there's been a lot of good feedback with this body of work.
in the last few months three different photos placed in three juried shows. one took home second place. and another a merit award. it was an unexpected yet pleasant surprise.

so when an opportunity arose to show some prints (thanks juli!) i would have been a fool to pass it up.
so if you're in the raleigh area please stop in and let me know what you think. all opinions welcome! and if nothing else grab yourself a coffee (or now beer... $2.50pints) and enjoy the atmosphere.

in other news... posting has been minimal as i work on setting up a new website and blog. slow going but we're almost there. of course you'll hear about it first right here.

until then.... thanks for looking and happy holidays.
shawn

electrified

2008-11-05T09:23:00.006-05:00

wow.
it was great to see the country so energized for the past year and a half.
for years i felt that we as citizens cozied up on the la-z-boy in sheets of apathy when it came to anything politico.

i guess when things are going well it's easy to take the idea of america for granted.

only when there's something to lose or something worth fighting for (or against) we find our way back to that idea our founders articulated 232 years ago.

i guess we do have one thing to thank w. for.

now for the sake of our future let's hope we can maintain this momentum.

where to now

2008-10-20T22:39:00.009-04:00

a 1950's era oldsmobile 88 rocket found alone ny rt. 30 near long lake. i passed it but the blur in my rearview mirror made me reflect for a second.

of course for me it's only a book-read memory.... of a.... bygone country bristling with promise, new technologies and big dreams yet with the attitude of a generation that knew what hard times really meant and made sure there was enough under the bed to see them through. now it's collecting cobwebs inside a rusting shell. even its only way of rocketing anywhere sporting a flat.
but the flag is still waving.

memories

2008-10-14T23:43:00.002-04:00

so it's been a little while but after 2750 miles and two weeks of family, friends, and foliage, i'm well rested and recharged. and it's a good thing too because there's lots of stuff going on. but more on that later.

here's a little slice of highway americana i found on rt. 17 a few miles past liberty, ny.

raleigh's next top model

2008-09-21T16:56:00.005-04:00

behind the scenes of this year's sparkcon fashion show. one last pose after the catwalk in moore square.

we'll see

2008-08-15T09:39:00.002-04:00

though they had a few good seasons way back when, duke football has been an oxymoron. they haven't had a winning season since 1994 and only 3 in the last 20 years. but many "iron dukes" are hoping all this is going to change starting now.
they're on the right track by hiring coach david cutcliffe .
he's clearly earned the right to win.

fountain of youth vs. geriatric scooters

2008-08-05T00:39:00.011-04:00

geekfest, the annual gathering of the aphotoaday community happened this past weekend in the backyard (no. not literally) of founder, mentor, and inspirational leader melissa lyttle. about a hundred (young"ish") photojournalists from all over the country descended on st. petersburg, fla. for a little inspiration, motivation, support, and of course a few frothy beverages.
it was a much needed positive break from the fear and confusion that seeps in on a seemingly daily basis these days in our profession.
(even when we were drafting ways to save this thing we love, on friday another blow was finalized.)
so it was an eerie parallel that most of us (cycling for transportation, btw.) were rooming at the ponce de leon, a hotel in a city slightly beset by snowbird retirees lazily humming down sidewalks, missing our sandaled feet as their scooters motored by.
but to paraphrase my friend ross taylor "in chaos there is opportunity."
and some of that was seen and proven with everyone who spoke. so there is hope. but it's going to take some pedaling to get there. anyway.....