Restart coming next week

For years this blog has sat receiving very little TLC. That is about to change. In my efforts to turn my obvious passion for photography into the means by which I attempt to fulfill my role for providing a better life for my family, this blog will soon receive a restart. There is much I have to learn, but also some which I can teach. As experience is the best teacher, I will be making every effort to share some of what I have learned. This blog will be meant for the novice photographer/dreamer, at least to start. That and those who have taken an interest in me and my work, beginning with an introduction that will link back to my official site, Engine3Photo.com. Included will be a new look for the blog, as much as I can fashion, at least.
Have a great night, and don't lose any sleep over me...

Why pay for photography when you can just right-click

As I write this reboot of the blog where I started trying to gain some traction back in 2008 as a serious hobbyist, the question that titles it seems all too menacing. I confess to substantial frustration at my inability to generate even a modest income to help pay for the repairs on a car that needs a total overhaul after 3 years without being roadworthy, or cover the property taxes that will soon force the sale of a property that's been in my family for 40 years. I've even gone so far as giving my time and talents to my local minor league hockey team in hopes that their owner might see some benefit from having a photographer on hand for everything. All I've learned from that experience is that if I'm not willing to do it for free, someone with less skill who's where I was 3 years ago will.

In a sense, I stopped caring about selling my photography this summer. I still want to make it happen, but a few months ago, a fellow photographer here in Southern Maine was hit with one of those hairpin turns in life. His name is Scott, and while he was on a family vacation, he got sick and was admitted to a hospital in Florida. He found out that he had Cirrhosis of the Liver. That vacation cost an extra $14,000 in medical expenses. The hospital started calling on the bills and about a month ago said that if he could come up with ten, they'd forgive the other 4. I sent him a message asking him why he didn't offer some of his photography for sale. He ended up selling a greeting card pack with a shot of Screw Auger Falls he had taken. Between that and donations, he was able to meet the hospitals arrangement. I'm glad that sort of thing worked for somebody. Scott still has serious needs, has been in and out of the hospital and will not survive without a liver transplant.

The answer to the question I started this with is because for most people doing photography today, it's not about a big house, fast cars, etc. It's about getting out from under crushing debts caused by living paycheck to paycheck with health insurance that prevents catastrophic losses only ($2500 deductibles per year to make health insurance affordable should be a crime). It's about being able to keep their car in proper working order, before an engine block splits or a tire blows or the radiator stops working right. And it's about being able to cover the mortgage AND taxes rather than ask themselves who would take possession of the property the fastest. So the next time you see a picture you really like on a photographers website, consider buying a small print or download, or contacting the photographer by e-mail asking them what they would want for the picture. It may only be $5 to you, but if 1000 people did the same, that photographer might be able to eliminate ten other creditors phone calls. That would be the power of the American dream right there.
Enjoy the sunshine while you can, because when you need it, someone else might need it more.

Daily Photo - Cross to Bear (8/7/2010)

My intent with this photo is not to offend, but to be honest about my own faith. Looking back, I placed every own of those nails on this cross with my thoughts, with my actions, with all the ways I've failed friends, family and even strangers. Martin Luther, one of the founders of the Protestant movement in England, ...made the following statement:

"I have held many things in my hands and lost them all, but whatever I have placed in God's hands, I still possess".

I found that quote, clearly legible on a soaked scrap of paper, floating in 18 inches of freestanding water in my bedroom in 1998, shortly after I pulled a submerged, live surge protector out of the wall and up out of the water, when it instantly began to smoke. I didn't realize it was still plugged in until after I was standing calf deep in the water in front of it. I did not take a shock.
This post is in honor of my parents and my Grammy, Grampy, Memere and Pepere. They are directly responsible for who I am today, both by their presence and their absence (as well as many others). I wish they would have been able to hold their grandson and great grandson this fall...
"Everything is Wonderful"

Special thanks to Matthew Mishkin Photography http://www.matthewmishkin.com/
for the use of the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L USM lens used to make this photograph.

remember...

Eight years ago today, the world we had lived in vanished in an enormous cloud of smoke thundering down the streets of Manhattan, chasing innocent bystanders like a scene from an old Japanese monster movie. Where the scene differed from those movies, in addition to the fact that it really happened, was in what you saw before it happened. In those movies, you rarely saw more than one or two heroes who dared to run towards the monster that threatened their lives and the lives of those around them. But in our surreal-ish reality, there were hundreds who stared into the gaping throat of the monster and lunged without regard for their own safety to rescue their unknown brothers and sisters of the human race.
On that day, I prayed with all of my heart for those true heroes of American history. It still turns my stomach to remember. As the son of a volunteer firefighter who died in the line of duty, I know better than most the ache of loneliness that those children will feel for years and decades to come. It may become more bearable, but it never goes away. I didn't know the number, but I knew many would likely not make it out. Still, each day after September 11th became progressively harder, short term, as it became apparent that survivors would be rare.

343....
That was the final tally of firefighters who gave their lives doing their job.
May God's peace be with the families of the 343 today and always. And may his mercy be with the souls of those who left this world in preparation for eternity that day.
Whenever you see flashing lights or hear sirens wailing away, let it serve as a reminder to pray for God's protection over the lives of those men and women who are willing daily to sacrifice all they are and have to keep our communities safe.

Inspiration through Insomniatic ADD

So I woke up this morning at about 4:10. I decided that after a few solid weeks of rain, I wanted to stay up for the sunrise. I also decided that I didn't want to watch the sunrise from the front yard, looking out over Prout's Neck like I usually do. Instead, I took a 10 minute drive and was transported to another world. This bridge stands at the entrance of the Scarborough Marsh. Beyond it lies a diverse ecosystem of flora, avian life (birds) and sea life. It was low tide when I went, so part of the marsh bed was exposed. I was, as usual, content to watch the sunrise, when my wife told me to look at the snails. "What snails?" I asked. She pointed along the rocks, where dozens of snails were sticking to the sides and tops of the rocks. We also saw a small crab, no more than 2 inches across. Pictures will be up on my website, http://engine3photo.smugmug.com
I was very pleased with the way some of them came out.
Just goes to show you a taste of what the rest of the world is missing when us insomniacs wake up and stay up at 4 AM.

It's about Redundancy, noob...

It's a term you don't think much about until it walks up and smacks you in the back of the head.
Take this morning, when I woke up at 4 and went out to check out the sunrise from a different perspective. Over the years, I've gotten some beautiful sunrises from the front yard on Scollard Road. Today I walked down to the West Grand Ave side of the Pier to photograph a different view of Saco Bay. As I composed my first shot, the camera shut down on me. I tried to turn it back on, but the batteries were dead. I swapped them out, not realizing that the rechargeables I had in the bag were also dead. Thus, I packed up my gear and began the walk back to my home to a growing palette of yellows, oranges pinks and blues. As I continued my walk, I watched as an entire flock of Canadian Geese, in v-formation, flew before my eyes ( apicture I will watch patiently for in the coming weeks). The cloud cover this morning was made of appoximately 10 horizontally banded streams in what can best be described as an opened clutch fan held before you at about a ten degree angle, with the convergance point to the right of the skyline. It was a beautiful sunrise.
From it, I learned to have a backup of a backup with regards to my batteries.

The Green Box and Presets: Unleash your art...

Many people live their lives in a number of boxes...the work box, the church box, the family box. Many snapshootists, shutterbugs and photographers spend their lives in the Green box, the face box (portrait mode), the sports box (sports mode) and so on and so forth.
My challenge to you, as a fellow artist, is to unleash your art by not allowing your camera to tell you how to take a picture and what settings to use.
I offer a brief illustration; The following pictures were taken the other morning. On this shot, I decided the white balance, iso setting, shutter speed and aperture opening. Afterwards, I tweaked various elements in photoshop, but not by much. I did a simple levels adjustment to darken the entire image slightly, followed by +20 bumps in saturation levels in the reds, yellows, blues and cyans, to really work the definition of the shot.



This shot was taken using the camera's landscape mode with no post processing.

This is the same image, post processed in a similar manner to the first.

While I like the look of what the camera presented for settings, I just feel the composition I got by switching to manual mode and working all the elements worked with more dramatic lighting elements. Again, I encourage you to unleash your art and learn how to work the entire dial on your camera, not just the presets. They give you a safe picture, but not always the one you wanted.