Inspired by Francesca Woodman, master of the art of self-portraiture. 

The Anchor of Time

     Just as a sailor must bear the mighty power of the seas amidst a treacherous storm, at times we also must buckle down and endure the storms that life brings. Time is like the raging seas on a dark, dreary night; a sailor trapped in the eye of the storm fights with all his strength to stay above the encroaching waters. At some point or another, we are that sailor, surrounded by a world which is being enveloped by busyness. Sailors have anchors with which they can provide their boat a pillar of security.

     Anyone but photographers never comes into contact with an often overlooked tool which acts as an anchor of time. This apparatus is called a tripod. The tripod acts as an anchor of time because when a camera is mounted atop it, time continues to flow on (Just as waves never cease splashing on an anchored sailboat) around the camera, while time becomes glaciated into an image captured by the tripod-mounted camera. Theoretically speaking, there is no limit to how long the shutter in the camera can be open. I often cope with the busy storms of life by indulging into photography. For me, photography is a meditative activity, calming, yet at times thrilling.


   

Synchronous Skeletons

Luminaria

As manager of PFNP, I photographed an event called Luminaria, hosted by American Cancer Society. To be honest, I have never photo-graphed an event like this. After the sun went down, glow sticks were cracked and placed inside white bags, which formed a border around which the walkers would circumnavigate. Each person held a glow stick, which added to the ghastly feel of the event. It was an emotional time for many people there, as some were a midst a battle with cancer, while others were affected by their loved ones' disease. Above are two images which I feel portray the essence of that dark, luminescent night.



   

   

PFNP

Now that I finally have some time this summer, I have been able to focus my efforts on creating a business called Photographers for Non-Profits (PFNP). Visit the site @  http://pfnp.org/

Pointillism

3 plastic pears sit on a table in front of a
white backdrop.

While most photographers seem to always be avoiding grain at all costs, I feel that it can be utilized to make a beautiful image everyone now and then. Note that there is a difference between noise and grain. Noise is the unattractive look that reminds you of your television when there's no signal. Grain is an antique, desirable look that originated from high ASA films, but the look can be reproduced with modern programs like Adobe Lightroom.

Through The Eyes of a Welder...

     One of my absolute favorite subjects to capture is the craft of welding. There is something about it that separates it from all other forms of machine-oriented labor; there is an innate facet of welding that makes it almost surreal. Perhaps this quality is manifested in the sheer power of the blue spark, the heart of the light, whose energy is so dangerous to the human eye that welders must wear masks in order to protect themselves.

     Despite the magnanimous surge of radiance-saturated power, the art of welding is a process of creation. To harness such power with the intent of creating something is rare, as human nature often yearns to wield power only with the desire of using it to benefit himself alone.

Balance

As I was walking from the living room to my bedroom one day, this quaint scene caught my eye. The fusion of window-lit objects, the color of the assortment of fruits, and the geometric shapes all encouraged me to grab my camera and capture this delicate and transient composite.

My best friend, Austin Harris.

What a guy.