The Arctic Light

The Arctic Light from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

Doesn't get more beautiful than that.
Terje Sorgjerd
www.tesophotography.com

XO
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Mastermind Monday: Terence

My housie, Terence, is quite the chef.
Experimental by nature, our dinners are always full of an array of tastes and textures.

Tonight was an inspiration.

Pork loin marinated in a Jamaican Dark Rum, Brandy, Cointreau,
mushroom soy sauce, moko jumbi, brown sugar, fresh garlic, ground ginger,
cayenne, fresh black pepper and habanero hot sauce.

Roasted baby beets, pearl onions and garlic cloves
in fresh thyme, rosemary sprigs and olive oil base.
Atop beet greens sauteed in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a lemon thyme dressing.

Nutty green beans of the pecan variety
sauteed in worcestershire sauce with black pepper and butter.

Grilled corn on the cob with lime juice rub
and an orange slice to garnish.

And Louis M. Martini
Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon
to rinse the palette.

That's a mouth full to say the least.
And with that I am way full and tired.
Must sleep.
Cheer and Pom photos tomorrow.

Cheers.
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Fallen Angels

It's Memorial Day.
In honor of all those who have fallen, a new piece by Manuel Rebollo. Aptly named.
And on this particular day, really speaks with emotion.

And a shout out to one of my favorite soldiers.
Staff Sgt. Bart C. Davis

My cousin.
And the recent recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross Award.Of course, we are so proud.
It appears he has been the first enlisted marine to receive this award since Vietnam.
Hard-working goofball.
Love you.
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It could be worse...

Tomorrow could be the last day of your blessed life.
You should take a moment to reflect on just how lucky you are to be alive.
And how precious your life is.
You can do so much.

"Only a life lived for others is worth living."
Albert Einstein

You can only gain from having a positive frame of mind.
So go out tomorrow and enjoy every little moment.
Lend those helping hands everywhere you go.
Open a door. Share a smile. Give a compliment. Say I love you.
They are free and could make someone's day.

Goodnight cosmos. I love you.
BIG KISS little kiss hug hug hug hug hug kiss BIG HUG hug kiss
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imnotaphotographer

I'm Not a Photographer

Photographers carry around big cameras, big lights, big flash contraptions and little meters, they talk about film stock, ISO's, F stops and capturing the perfect light right before dusk.

Photographers creep through neighborhoods of poor people looking for interesting poverty related things to "capture" in black and white or muted color.

Photographers spend lots of time in cramped dark rooms with red lights and chemicals that smell like egg farts.

Photographers get in heated exchanges about the direction Leica is headed or that one camera maker that sounds all german, hasselhoff?

Photographers have lots of lenses that they will tell you about whether you ask them or not, like the one that can see an ass hair on a mosquito or the remarkably "bright" one that can photograph the pope's underwear tag from a tower in hell.

Photographers say "glass" a lot, "Thats a nice piece of glass you got there Danny." which would be funny if it was a joke. No it wouldn't.

Photographers show you shoes hanging on wires, pink boxes in the green weeds, little black girls with blue eyes and nuns sitting under billboards of naked men.

Photographers have all kinds of cameras, most of them are rare and vintage but they love to remind you that their absolute favorite cameras are crappy plastic cameras they found at the thrift store for 25 cents.

Photographers LOVE Polaroid because you can take a picture of absolutely ANYTHING with a Polaroid and it will look like you got your BFA.

Photographers know the names of every other photographer who ever lived and they can tell you exactly who took the first picture of an old barn door or a naked girl on a sofa.

Photographers talk about how little they use photoshop IF AT ALL, and even then it's only to "adjust some curves" or "make the blacks a little more black."

Photographers make use of make up artists, hairdressers, location scouts and stylists which is way way WAY different than photoshopping out zits and wrinkles.

Photographers freeze moments to show the REALITY. They love that word, "reality" also they like to say "RAW" a lot.

Photographers have websites with big black or red sans serif fonts on white backgrounds.

Photographers put their client list at the bottom of the side bar where it looks like they don't really care about it but just in case you didn't like their photographs you can see who did.

Photographers list their accomplishments in a timeline so just in case you didn't like their photographs you can see who did. Wait, did I just say that?

Photographers have strong opinions about Terry Richardson.

Photographers get upset about cropping.

Photographers like the anticipation, surprise, expense, delay, grain, smell, challenge, discipline, texture, and overall unpredictable "magic" of analog, soo opposite of effing digital.

Photographers use the word amateur to describe most other photographers.

Photographers miss the good old days when photography was expensive and out of reach to amateurs.

Photographers blame the lab a lot.

Photographers go to school to study photography because you can't tell if a photo is good just by looking at it.

Photographers whisper cutting edge poetic gems like "digital has no soul."

Photographers only really like 2 or 3 other photographers, the one's whose photographs most resemble their own and they like to keep those books right out on the coffee table where everyone can see them.

Photographers think all commentary about photography and photographers is likely directed at them.

So yeah, I don't give a stumbling poop about any of that stuff.

I'm not a photographer.

Now Parker:

Parker - Distracting a Turtle From Making His Way to a Tray of Sandwiches While The Turtle Seems More Interested In a Book Called "Publish It Yourself Handbook". Decent Jump Though

That's all for now.
Don't get caught YouMightBeARedneck-ing everything in sight.
Your Local Heretic,
Snacking On Your Guts McGillicutty

I have been thinking about kittens since 4:30 AM
25 people pooping on parties

All of the above was copied from threequestionmarks.com

Shevaun told me of this imnotaphotographer page.
This list cracks me up...and loosens the forehead stress lines :)
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More Paper Mastermind Monday

Unfortunately I can't credit the mastermind. I wish I could.
If you can, please do.
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Mastermind Monday: Matthew Cusick

Look closely. This work by Matthew Cusick is created from maps!

And these are the whitewashed and scrubbed pages of old books!
Click on them all to see them larger.

My mind reals with all the art created on this wee planet.
I will never get enough.

KETCHUP: Edward, Henri and the Norman art experience

Last night was my first Norman Art Walk. After scouting for the wedding I'm shooting today-it's going to be B-EAUTIFL by the way- Shevaun, Terence, Gary-a friend of T's and myself popped over to the Mainsite Contemporary Art Gallery to see Carol Beesley. She's a friend of Shevaun's and also a New Mexico frequenter. Her paintings reflect the NM influence. Such beautifully saturated salmons, blues and marigolds. Also showing were the talented Alan Atkinson and Debby Kaspari. Oddly, I was pouring myself a glass of water at the bar and saw a face watching the gallery flow from a laptop. I stuck my head over and asked "Are you live?". It was Debby Kaspari, skyping from Massachusetts where she was a resident artist at the moment. We chatted about this and that. It was such a wonderful simple human experience.
I love mingling and hearing the stories of artists. There is such passion whether gregariously portrayed or subdued, I am addicted to the art driven soul.

After the showing, we met up with a gathering and I was not only introduced to more amazing souls but lead into rooms containing original photographs of photographers I admired from the pages of my art history books. This is the one that completely shook me. The Henri Cartier-Bresson portrait of Alfred Stieglitz not long before he died.
Subtle and simple, the portrait of a well-lived soul.

Alfred Stieglitz, New York by Henri Cartier-Bresson 1946

And this Edward Weston image called Johnny. I've never actually seen this before but it has all the soft curves characteristic of a Weston. And can you get enough of that texture? I think not. Again, such subtle, simple beauty.

Johnny by Edward Weston 1944

I've been composing an email for some time now, intending to update family and likewise friends of where I've been popping around since Paris and where I could possibly be now.
It's just not the same without photos. So, please bear with me if you are already informed or are otherwise uninterested in my wee comings and goings.

I was emailing around Oklahoma for freelance assistant work while Sam settled back in from Afghanistan and I prepared for a move to NYC. My plans suddenly changed when I was offered a full-time position at Shevaun Williams & Associates and ever so quickly become the Associate Photographer of the studio. With a commitment to stay for at least a year and a very busy season ahead, I also found myself a new resident of Norman, Oklahoma-moving into one of the spare rooms of my boss, her husband, Terence and their cat Johnny. It is evident kismet. I couldn't have fallen into the lives of more active Norman residents. Terence and Shevaun are true "promoters". They give the DL of every little thing and I can't deny the true pure inspiration I've experienced here. Shevaun was recently awarded the recognition of the 2011 Celebrated Artist of the Mayfair Arts Festival. More ART.

In a whirlwind of events after only a month, I found myself in the newspaper next to my new boss and roommates in my new place of residence, Norman, Oklahoma.


I feel like I've found another version of my beloved art community in Seattle. This time closer to my family and with the promise of daily inspiration to get out and execute all the shoots and ideas I've been carrying around with me. I know when this chapter comes to a close I will be just as heartbroken yet hopeful as I was leaving the Evergreen State but with the kismet in the air, a killer portfolio to knock the next chapter dead.
Thank you world.
Kiss Hug
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Wishlist

Liebling Shoes via Oh joy!

Um, I want.

Tim Walker in the sand and sun

I'm shooting a wedding for a couple that is moving to South Africa after the wedding...and I'm inspired to share my fantasies of following them for photoshoots galore!
Please enjoy this tasty editorial by Mr. Tim Walker.
Oh how i love it.
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Maria Robledo Photography

These striking photos of David Austin's antique roses were shot by Maria Robledo for this month's Garden Design Magazine.
Full pages of soft, vibrant photos. Breathtaking!

On a little reconaissance mission I found that Robledo just won the photography award from the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) for her photography in the Chanterelle cookbook.
Congrats and thank for you for the inspiring and gorgeous photos!

Now off to work.
Bisous.
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