No Flash Allowed

Friday September 25th I help lay a good friend to rest. I was asked to be the first reader. I was very honored to do so. The reading was about people dying at a young age. Sometimes people are given tasks to do by God and some people just happen to be able to do them at an early age. This passage I read hit home for me, for my first wife was taken at the early age of 28. Now clearly the people in charge of assigning these passages did not know me even by name. Yet it was intended for me to read this for the family of my friend, his friends, and also for me.

When all was said, and my friend laid to rest, I left a different person. Home I went, sat down , and starred at a black computer screen. With no intentions of turning it on what so ever I get up to do something that I can no longer remember I hit the power button while setting my phone on top of it. So I sat right back down and waited till it came up with the intent to power down but no I hit the email just because it felt right. My editor for the newspaper I photograph for had left a message for me wanting me to take a few photos of a concert because another photographer bailed out.

I called him up asking if anyone else volunteered for the assignment and no they didn't. Come to find out the concert was inside a church. Okay so now I say to myself "Another church to go into today, the first was hard enough" I show up at the church to find that the concert was not a typical concert but that this person or persons who, giving the concert, are composers of the music your hear in just about any church with a band you go into. So here's where it get interesting. A few of the songs that were performed had a lot to do with the situation I had been through with my friend passing away early and what he had done in his life to help others that needed help. And to top it off a few people who were at the funeral walked into the church. Well I stayed for the whole thing even though I needed only a few photos I obviously needed more than photos.



Let me ask you. Do you think someone (ahem!) was trying to send me a message?





Peace,
Brian

Annapolis

5:00 AM comes early for me. I am by no means an early person. But I wanted to get out early and try to shoot a sunrise in Annapolis and that I did. Even though it isn't a great sunrise photo and it wasn't going to happen that day. The sun was going to blow out the scene very early this day So i salvaged what I could from what I did shoot. In the photo you can see the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the towers that loom over the defunct David Taylor Research Center. Maybe next time I'll get a really nice sunrise but maybe I'll just take a trip closer to the ocean for it.


I walked along the main street trying to salvage the rest of the day pondering what I should shoot. The water was starting to move about a bit more than when I first arrived in Annapolis. But it was still enough for the photo above. I really like the angles here. The reflections of the masts in the water instead of above like something normally seen. This was shot facing north were the sun has yet to saturate the scene. I actually stood there for about ten minutes just watching the reflected masts change its vertical shape, flowing in and out, drawing me in the direction of the current. I'm sure someone looked at me nodding my head as if I were agreeing to some one or as if I lost it. Might could have this early in the AM...

Walking along the Eastport draw bridge I stoped to look at the sailboats moored in the creek and there was a shot I could not pass up. The moon was setting as the sun was rising, and the angles were just right as well. The golden hour had just begun during the time I was starring and nodding at water on the other side of the bridge. So by the time I had ventured to this side the beautiful golden hue was blanketing the entire area. The moon is more visible in the larger photo. Which will be up on my website in the next couple of days.

Hope you've enjoyed my little sunrise trip to Annapolis as I did walking it.
Don't forget to comment.
Peace,
Brian

Community Labor Day Party

During the last weekend I had photographed a community party for labor day. A small community but with some of the nicest people I've ever met. Ross (photo above) was very busy checking his traps for crabs up and down the private dock pulling out some very nice sized Chesapeake Blues. This one tried to escape to no avail.

These two were a bit comical in trying to get the dingy out to the traps. However they managed to get there without too much trouble. The weather was a bit questionable the entire day. As you can see in the above photo what looks like heavy fog is actually a good rain. We may have gotten a few drops here and there. The cloud cover did manage to bring about excellent conditions for photography. No harsh shadows.

Here (above) I tried to get everyone in the photo but not everyone was here. Sometimes it's strange that when a large group of people get together they break up into smaller group of 3 to 5 people and each group lasts about 15 minutes before a few leave and a few more arrive. If I had setup a time lapse you'd see that each group moves around and changes people. Maybe next time I'll do just that.

The food was awesome. Kudos to the Paella cook! Crabs, fish, chicken, paella, beer and wine and of course some very nice company - who could ask for more. How about another photo of the Paella.

Here you are. Hungry yet?

Thanks for looking and don't forget to comment.
Peace,
Brian

Said the Spider to the Fly

" Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly, "Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy; The way into my parlor is up a winding stair, And I've a many courious things to shew when you are there. "Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again ......"
- Mary Howitt



Well now here's a tid bit of info for ya!
For those that are squeamish about spiders, please don't hit your monitor with your shoe, I wont be held responsible and it will still be up on this web site.
Down at the in-laws house there was this huge web and a huge spider in the center of this web. So out came the camera, of course, and the 105mm macro lens. I love this lens even if it isn't a Nikkor lens it is still a sharp lens. Back to the web in the photo above. This was accomplished using a flash off camera to the left to get the web to seriously stand out.
If you look you'll see little tiny fly's that got trapped. The sun was getting ready to set and the clouds were getting ready to roll in.

Now here is the huge spider that I got too close even for myself, we're talking only about 6 inches, close enough for it to jump and take a bite. It was not happy I was there taking is photograph to begin with. Through all that it was very interesting to be able to get the rest of the web to the left lit up enough to show. The web was about 3 foot in diameter and it's body is alost 2 inches long. So here it is sitting in the middle of it's recent creation waiting for a meal. Funny thing is the right side of the web is attached to a swing chair and on the arm which goes up to the caonopy is, yep! a fly. This fly was sitting there on the arm and didn't even budge when I got close enough to photograph it. Two times, 4 times, it moved when lightning stuck up in the clouds above us. Here is that fly.

Now fortunate for the fly , unfortunate for the spider these storm clouds made a little wind and rain and destroyed the web. I've gone to look for the spider but with no luck.

Well now I hope you all have enjoyed my little story. Of course comments are always welcome.
Peace,
Brian