modern maternity

It's not easy to come up with something that isn't already cliché with this type of photography (maternity shots), but it's fun to try. This photograph is of (and for) a friend of my daughter and was taken a few days ago. She's due "any time now."

I tried out a lot of different things during this session, all of them using off-camera flash set in fairly close to get the more dramatic, quick fall off from light to black. For this shot I was looking for something very minimal, letting the lines (and curve) carry the weight of the composition.

left behind

lift off

From a recent "children's portrait session" for Solorzano Photography (my daughter and son-in-law's business).

blue mesmer

first spring

From a recent "children's portrait session" for Solorzano Photography (my daughter and son-in-law's business).

duet

in her dream he crosses safely

Tijuana Series. Number 5 of 5. August, 2008.

The title is a 6-word story in the spirit of the original by Ernest Hemingway who, when challenged to write a story using just six words came up with: "For sale: baby shoes, never used."

girl with scars

Tijuana Series. Number 4 of 5. August, 2008.

girl with four dogs

Tijuana Series. Number 3 of 5. August, 2008.

easy chair

Tijuana Series. Number 2 of 5. August, 2008.

tijuana neighborhood

Tijuana Series. Number 1 of 5. August, 2008.

wild life

homeward bound

abstract #1 (calla lily)

Also see abstract #2 (calla lily), posted earlier this month.

the point

garden of eden: epilogue

turn, turn, turn

From a Senior Portrait session in August of 2007.

pretty [athletic] in pink

Watching these young girls training, I was impressed by how absolutely hard they go at it. When we see them in performance they appear light as feathers and as limber as newborn babies. This photograph is my attempt to break down that illusion a little. By rotating the image 90 degrees it takes on a more aggressive, physical look — one more in line with what actually goes on behind dance studio doors, out of the public's eye.

In this second photo two ballerinas have literally collapsed after a long training exercise. It's an irony of sorts that what makes them dead tired is what eventually enables them to seemingly float about the stage like winged angels.

a single rose

The intent behind the rendering of this photograph was to make it look like you could reach out and touch the rose.

all the colors

remembering why

Taken in November of 2006, this has long been a favorite of mine. This comes from a much larger image of three ballerinas standing at the exercise bar. It was the relationship between this young girl and the ballerina in the poster she was standing next to that captivated me.

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As with my photograph, Growing Up, I essentially used the cropping tool (in Photoshop) as a "camera" and took another image out of the original. It wasn't quite as simple as that, though. You might notice, for example, that the ballerina in the wall poster was originally facing the other direction.

the tree in the hall

playground shadows

There's so much energy expended on playground equipment that even the shadows seem charged with it...

point of departure

This was taken in 2006 using a borrowed Canon 20D and the truly wonderful EF 70-200mm f/2.8L lens. I remember it clearly. It was taken from about 25 feet away and it's the first time I ever lay down on a floor to get the shot I wanted. I remember being a bit embarrassed when I heard laughter and then realized they were laughing at me.

Whatever.

I got the shot.

hopscotch

Hopscotch was invented by the Romans, probably in Britain during the early Empire. It was initially designed as a training regimen for Roman foot soldiers who ran the course in full armor and field packs, as it was thought this would improve their footwork. The word "hopscotch" is a compound of "hop" (short jump) and "scotch" (scratched line). The term dates back to at least 1677. (source)

delight

My granddaughter at the park on March 3rd, celebrating an early Spring by doing what all two year olds love to do: swinging.

DVDs

You'd think the novelty would have worn off by now, but I still get captivated by all the different things the recordable side of a DVD will do to light.

katelyn resting

My 2-year-old granddaughter. We were at the park and she was sitting on one of these "rocking horses" they have in the playground when she decided to rest for a moment. A minute later she was off playing again.

white on white

This one's quite subtle. It needs a little time before all of the details show up.

abstract #2 (calla lily)

urban fossil

One of the joys of being a photographer is that you learn to see instead of just look at things. This is a photo of a functional design that was pressed into wet cement by a construction worker. It's intended to give water a path to follow and to give a place for shoes to grip when the sidewalk is wet. The image seen here is a negative of the actual photo.