Tag Archives: photography
Jeff Ascough — Helmut Newton Was Right.
Britian’s Jeff Ascough is perhaps my favorite contemporary wedding photographer, because he does such a wonderful job of bringing the aesthetic and tradition of classic photojournalism to the wedding event without compromising either. His response in praise of a recent British TV program featuring the work and words of Helmut Newton strikes a chord:
“(T)he photographer who tries to direct the photograph is often producing something that isn’t ‘true’.”
I am most often moved by images that say more about the subject and the moment than they do about the photographer and his or her technique. Don’t get me wrong, technique needs to be a given (even in this day of auto-everything cameras), but after employing all the cool ways to make creative images at wedding, it would be a shame if you learned more about photography (and Photoshop!) by looking through a wedding album than you did about the bride and groom and their wedding. A photographer is a messenger, but it is the message that is important. Thank you, Mr. Ascough, for the reminder!
Read Jeff’s blog post here.
The Visit
Every house has them, but old houses are especially gifted. They are those little corners and angles that, at just the right time of day (or year, or lifetime) light up and play with you for just a minute or two. Or they draw pictures that last for a second. If you are quick enough you can usually figure out what is happening — a sunbeam reflecting from a nearby car, through the curtain and on to the wall. But it’s still a magic moment, if you ask me…
Today the dining room lit up, for about 7 minutes. Everywhere I turned I found patterns and images begging to become photographs. The sun decided to stop by for a visit, just to remind me that spring is on the way. But it also reminded me that winter is no excuse to be waiting for a reason to pick up the camera.
Here are my favorites, hours old. Canon 5dMkII, Pentax 50mm/1.4 lens, processed in Adobe Lightroom.
Jazz At The Brass Rail
Jamie Simon, Mike Patterson and Cliff Webb at the Rail last month. Great show — so sorry it took so long to get these posted. They will be back this coming Sunday night, I believe.
