Boston, MA–10.4.2010

Above Newbury Street, 10.4.2010

Newbury Street, 10.4.2010

North End, Boston–10.4.2010

St. Lucia, St. Leonard's, the North End, Boston–10.4.2010

St. Leonard's, Boston–10.4.2010

Outside St. Leonard's, Boston–10.4.2010

North End, Boston–10.4.2010

I was reading The Given Day by Dennis Lehane during the trip and this image of the brick echo of what was whispered of the story of Aiden Coughlin and the city that is long gone.

The North End, Boston–10.4.2010

The North End, Boston–10.4.2010

The North End, Boston–10.4.2010

Watch Out for This Creep, Hanover Street, Boston–10.4.2010

Hanover Street, Boston–10.4.2010

Sea World Barbie+

My wife and I visited her cousin in Connecticut. Prior to a family reunion picnic, I wandered around their backyard and popped some snaps. Typical (for me), I pretty much put my camera away when the guests arrived...

Sea World Barbie 1, 10.2.2010

I took this one with the Canon G9 set on incandescent AWB, which gave it the extreme Ektachrome effect. I was waiting until the sun reached the area, but someone decided its removal was part of the party clean-up. Some people just don't get it

Sea World Barbie 2, 10.2.2010

This one was posed. I think she bares a frightening resemblance to bonehead Beauty pageant titleholder, Carrie Prejean, (Miss California USA 2009)

Koi, 10.2.2010

Our hosts had a little faux waterfall and fabricated pond filled with colorful koi. Naturally, I caught them in B/W. I did nothing to enhance the glow coming off the fish.

"The falls," 10.2.2010

Catching up-September, 2010

From the sublime to Oktoberfest in Mt. Angel, and back again. More than likely, one of our cats killed the bird. A steady victimization of voles and field mice must get monotonous. The image was shot with a Canon Rebel SXi and a EF100mm macro, as was the image of the praying mantis at the bottom. The shots from Oktoberfest were taken with a Canon G9, on September 16th-- the first night of the event.

Catching up, cont.

I taught 2 classes over the summer. One was at the Kroc Corps Community Center in Salem and the other was young men who had all been incarcerated and were residing at the Catarino Cavazos Center, under the care of the Catholic Community Services. I learned from both classes. Very different things. The photographs of Alex and Ashlynn were taken with a Canon G9 and available light.

Teaching the young men from the Cavazos Center was the first project done under Creative Matters, a program I developed a few months earlier to empower at risk youth through collaborative arts. When I came up with the idea, the thought of teaching kids in the juvenile justice system was beyond remote. A bit like being thrown into the deep end of the pool by the swimming coach. Probably not the best way to learn, but the experience will most assuredly last a lifetime. None of the guys had ever taken an art class before. A few showed natural ability. Some would just not engage. And then there were those rare moments when the wall was broken, and they would let their guard down. Their portraits were taken with a soft-box and a Canon G9 in the Metropolitan Building in Salem, location for this past summer's Project Space, in conjunction with the Salem Art Association.

Alex

Alex

Ashlynn

Miguel

Marcos

Oscar

Eduardo

Bryan

Catching up-Seattle, July 25, 2010

Catching up-Pike Street Ready-Mades, July 25, 2010

These images were found across from the Left Bank Bookstore, on Pike Street, in Seattle. They are, more than anything else, studies in composition and visual editing. The wall is a treasure trove of Dada, Pop and more than a hint of Aaron Siskind. In the effort to post these, I have done minimal exposure tweaks, most had little more than the "auto levels" in Photoshop. Some need work. Others are good to go as they are. Enjoy...