Since I'm going back to film for a while, at least partially, I decided to look back at the beginning of the year, to see what I was doing before I got used to digital. I realized there was actually some interesting stuff going on back there. Again these are straight out of the camera, and to top it off the camera is a point and shoot, the Cannon powershot A550 which is sort of a digital toy camera. These are from a September 07 shoot.
One way I kept myself busy over break was by shooting random events in the area. This is Ashfield's solstice gathering, which was surprisingly well-attended, and pretty darn moving. Even though most of the attendants probably wouldn't classify themselves as Pagan, the ceremony was getting at something else altogether. It was about unity, warmth, and light.
A problem I encountered was that the photographs are necessarily noisy. I was shooting with a tripod, but people move pretty fast, so the ISO was maxed out most of the time to get me nice crisp shots.
Still, even though the images are mostly too noisy to print, I think this shoot was a great success. I learned a great deal about night shooting, and using a tripod. Another perk is that I got offered a freelance job for the summer, shooting photographs of one mans nature camp. That should be truly fun, and a great learning experience.
Sorry no post for several weeks. I've been back to the homestead, where there is a wealth in images, but alas, no high-speed internet.
Above, a shot of my little brother doing what he does best. I love the intensity in his eye, and the grace with which he grasps the wheel. Sunil has been driving since about 4, and is quite good at it at this point. Better than most adults, in fact. 
Another picture of Sunil, this time helping my dad build the barn. I was standing on a ladder to get this shot.
This shot is of my dad building a wood-rack for outside the barn. I liked the idea of comparing his preciseness in angles with the similar skill of framing a shot. My favorite part is the angle down in the bottom right-hand corner.
Last but not least, above is my glamorous sister, vacuuming flies from the sunny window-sill. Bri and I plan to partner up to take some fashion shots this year, which is something we have been doing since we were 15 or so, but hope to do much better now that I have proper equipment (instead of, say, the camera on my lap-top). I should say some of the proper equipment, since we still need to rustle up some more lights. If I were a rich man...
To me there is little more beautiful than the slow but insistent work of man, the kind that I think of as "one foot in front of the other" work. My father recently put up a barn, a large and complicated one, with one buddy in the span of couple of months. I asked him how it could be done, and he told me "by hitting nails. Most things, when you come right down to it, are all about repeating a tedious action a thousand times."
Preparing for crits has been very stressful. I keep double guessing myself. See, part of me really likes my images, but part of me knows that if I'd just thought harder, moved a little more, worked them up better, and looked for more inspiration, well then my prints would be better. 
A friend pointed out how sometimes the world leaves messages for you. This is one I noticed in Northampton, Ma. Sorry, Frank, the pop reference might go over your head...
