Julie and Steve 2015
I really like this group of pictures, but it is proof-positive that photography is most often about timing and luck. I separate the two because timing implies some measure of skill.
After timing I usually have a debate with my fellow photographers about whether it is, experience, skill or equipment that comes next. Because so much of my shooting style relies on it, I am usually on the equipment camp next. Their argument for skill/experience/talent is that a good photographer could shoot great shots with any camera, this is true (this was a Canon S120 point and shoot held at arms length without looking at the LCD screen), but having the right equipment at the right time can make the shot so much better. “The best camera is the one you have on you.”
Retrospection: the “selfie” and the self-portrait
I was going to write an entry that explained the difference between a “selfie” and a self-portrait, however, I have come to the conclusion that both are forms of auto photography with the photographer simply as the subject.
Auto photography, as a tool in research, involves giving people cameras and letting them loose to photograph things important to them and let them pick the ones that most represent them; you then get an intimate picture of who they think they are – their identity, as it were, through their choice of subjects photographed and the images they choose to represent themselves. An artist’s body of work tells a lot about who they are, but the self-portrait lets you in a step closer.
So, the self-portrait composed, is an auto photograph that is an almost narcissistic in composition and a self-interpretation of one’s identity. The difference between a self-portrait and a “selfie”, I think, are that”selfies” are self-portraits capturing the moment and the place to document as if in evidence of existence more than a crafted photographic self-portrait in the more traditional sense. The “selfie” is the snapshot of that moment in their life, and the traditional self-portrait is the lens of how the photographer sees themselves. Both are valuable insights into psyche, and both preserve time and memory for retrospection.
Click the picture above or this link to read more about the reason I shot these self-portraits and see some other pictures that did not make the top four cut.
Father’s Day at Great Waves
Ah, the local water park, the great equalizer: all walks of life, all shapes and sizes for all to see.
On the left June 23, 2015, on the right July 12, 2014.
Strasburg – Curie at two years and Elia at 17 months.
I really don’t have justification for this collage other than this is when each kid went to Strasburg to see the trains. The reality is I really love the four pictures of Elia together and have a similar collage of Curie that just so happens to be when she went to Strasburg first too.
I really like the color pallette with Elia’s skin and hair with the chair and her shirt with her lips. I then felt bad that I was putting up so many Elia collages, so tried to remember when Curie had a similar great palette of colors and remembered the Strasburg pictures.
Elia hard at work
While putting together the staging for Elia’s June collage, I realized these pictures would never make the collage because you can’t see her face in most, but they are all of Elia hard at work: Elia at the keyboard, Elia with a book, Elia drawing and writing with her crayon, and Elia on the potty. 🙂 Elia hard at work. All of these were taken this past month.
Best Pho in NoVA? Our thoughts as of June 2015
So it should be said that pho is probably Albert’s favorite meal, so much that once when he was sick, Erin didn’t really believe it until he couldn’t finish a bowl. Now, we have had thousands of bowls in hundreds of restaurants all over the world, though we have not been to southeast Asia yet. And, while Albert once tried to compile all the pho restaurants he has ever eaten in with reviews on noodle texture, soup complexity, and temperature, we are not trying that here. In fact, Albert will claim the best pho he has ever eaten is still in Little Saigon at Pho 79 on Hazard, but he hasn’t eaten there in a while. So instead of trying to talk about the best pho in the world, we will only talk about NoVA (Northern Virginia). That being said, Albert will even say that Pho 75 may rival Pho 79, so there is that.
Read the rest and find our ratings here.
Strasburg 2015
Erin’s father came down to visit while her mother and sister were in France, in a moment of spontaneity, we decided to go to Strasburg for a little adventure. If you recall, the Strasburg Railway and Train Museum is where Curie kindled her love of trains. While Elia had been here before, this is the first time she could see the trains with wonder, and pointed out a lot of things to us. We actually found Strasburg before we had children, and, even then, we wanted to take Erin’s father.
Thomas comes to Strasburg three times a year apparently and as we were leaving Erin’s father noticed a covered engine in a shed with remarkably familiar colors. You can see it in the picture right above the little Thomas picture. We had to tell Curie that Thomas was asleep; she was so excited.
Memorial Day Weekend 2015
My Photography 2015
As of late, I have had a bit of time on my hands and have been thinking a bit about my photography, especially after reading a few other tips from other parents and photographers. I am strictly an amateur, but I like what I shoot so I thought I would write a few tips of my own in a blog article on our website.