Loving What I Do

I've heard it said before, "Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life." Actually, that's not true. I love photography and it's that I love it so much that inspires me to work harder than money ever could. But this week I embarked upon what I hope will open a new chapter in my so-far uncharted and unorthodox ride here on Spaceship Earth. I did my first paying real estate shoot and the Realtor likes my work well enough that it looks like I'll have a nice foothold into that niche. In fact, he booked two gigs two days apart. 

But enough of that blather. You came here to look at pictures, so here they are.

Some house. At $489K it had better be. The pics turned out to be a lot of work (as in A LOT OF WORK) but it was cool to explore practically every square inch of the place. And how 'bout that kitchen?

The formal dining room was a challenge. I had to set up two 500 watt softbox lights to get the lighting right. That's where a lot of the work came in. But I still spent the whole three hours telling myself, "You are getting PAID for this" as I alternated between pinching myself and giggling manically. 

I could live on this sun porch. All it needs is a margarita machine and I'd never have to leave. And the dog standing outside was such a baby. He just knew I was there to take pictures of him. 

Okay, I might have to leave the sun porch every so often to take a nice, soaking bath in the jacuzzi. After all, man does not live by margaritas alone. 

Different bathroom. Great shower. Great everything. The lighting in here was great, though. I used the natural light and it came out great.

I now know what I want my home office to look like. It won't, but I know want I want it to look like. 

The view from the third floor landing. Yes, I said third floor. As in three of 'em. Just looking at the picture makes my nose want to bleed from the altitude.

The "Game Room." With a fully stocked beer fridge and wine cooler. This is definitely a well thought out abode. 

This bedroom required a lot of finagling and extensive post-processing before it was suitable for viewing. The lighting was very challenging and even after I got a good enough exposure the file needed a lot of tweaking to make it look good. And it was well worth the effort. 

This guest room, on the other hand, was almost too eager to please. The two big windows and the bright paint scheme made it a breeze to shoot and post-processing was minimal. (For those who might be curious, I use Digital Photo Professional 3.10 by Canon mainly with additional processing done through Adobe Photoshop 7.0)

Here is a third full bath, this one with a gorgeous clawfoot bathtub. The woodwork throughout this house was incredible.

Here is the view from the second floor landing. The only problem I'd have with living in this house is I'd work myself to death going from one floor to another looking for stuff. Because it's some kind of rule that if you need something it will be in another room if you have more than one room, and on another floor if you have more than one floor. That's just how it works. I don't make the rules. 

Urban Photo Outing

These days it seems like I'm always testing one piece of photo equipment or another, whether it's lens I'm considering or a camera body, lighting equipment, you name it. Even something as simple as a hand strap to help stabilize a camera body. One way I test out some of these things (like the hand strap I tested yesterday) is to take a walk around town. 

Sometimes, just walking around town, you see some of the coolest stuff. 

I'll bet this church used to be one of the tallest structures around. No more. Even the building across the street, which is one of the shorter buildings now in Downtown Little Rock, is taller. 

And I had no idea Arkansas has a boxing club, much less in downtown Little Rock.

You can find examples of urban scrawl everywhere.

Literally everywhere. 

The bars used to keep people out look a lot like the bars used to keep people in. 

Really. 

No urban exploration would be complete without a gratuitous photos of a purple parking deck. 

Now the snowman on my desk is saying TTFN (ta ta for now).

These photos and more can be found residing in splendor and comfort on my Flickr account site. No plastic snowmen were harmed during the production of this blog post. 

A Few of My Faves...

I thought I'd go through my photo archives and pull out a few of my favorites. There is no particular theme here. Just some photos that I like. 

Fright Night

This is a second-hand shop in my neighborhood that sells some pretty cool stuff. And every so often some really creepy stuff. Hillcrest Junk. If you're ever in Little Rock, check 'em out. 

              Dead Cows Reporting For Duty                                                                     Skater 

I think both are pretty self-explanatory. 

Doorway To....

Dead End

Pretty much says it all. No turning back from here. 

Fenced in 

The interplay of light and shadow caught my eye here.

Urban Solitude

This is one of my earlier digital efforts. Untitled, it was a chance shot of the son of a friend of mine during a basketball game. 

Day Is Done. 

I shot this at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol Building in Little Rock one evening. 

For anyone who is interested you can view more at my Flickr account in My Personal Favorites album. 

The Gathering Storm Only Hides the Sun

As storm clouds gather they seem to blot out the very sun itself.

Overwhelming the light...

Struggling mightily the Sun tries to keep the upper hand... 

But it seems as though it is no match for the storms in its path.

Until...

Once again...

The sun emerges...Victorious.

Once again...

And always....


You can find more of my photos of clouds, sunrises, sunsets, and other atmospheric tomfoolery in my Flickr Photo Album. 

 

Busy As a Bee

I went out at lunch one day last week and wandered by the Arkansas State Capitol Building to admire some of the landscaping. While wandering through the garden I came upon one particularly busy bee so I thought I'd try some of my close-up photography chops. 

 



And, speaking of close-ups, would anyone care to take a guess as to what this might be in the photo below? I'll give you one hint. It has nothing at all to do with bees.

In the Dwelling of Marie Leveau

Swamps are mystical, magical places where sounds are either amplified beyond recognition or muted below the ability of humans to hear. It all depends on the whim of whatever particular swamp you are in on whatever particular day it happens to be and whatever particular mood the swamp decides is fitting. Because you don't get to decide. A swamp is not a democracy and you are not at the top of the food chain here.

To be lost in the swamp is no minor thing...

Because no matter which way you turn...

Every feature looks the same...

But different...

It's a Swamp Thang, ya'll....