….a housewarming party for Neil’s new apartment!

Bring a Pillow, get a portrait:
Bring a pillow for my ultra boho portrait couch and you’ll get a web res digital portrait like the ones in the event gallery! drop by or stay awhile and mingle.

Starving artist print sale! Help Neil clean out his boxes of prints and frames, walk away with fine art 8×10″ print for $20 and framed works for $40

Movie showing at 9pm!
“BLOW UP” a 1966 British-Italian film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, that director’s first English language film. It tells the story of a photographer’s accidental and incidental involvement with a murder. One of my favorite art flicks!

Please RSVP by Facebook, or in the comments here:

• Pillow Party 1 Tuesday September 22nd
• Pillow Party 2 Sunday Sept 27th 5-9pm

This will just be a mellow mixer, unless you bring me a bottle of Tequila and get dancing started, feel free to come and stay or just drop by!

Pillow Pickup map if you need help finding a pillow for the party!

Hey busy day for me today so I thought I’d just mention who all I met this morning at BNI breakfast.

• Alan L Davidson (704.543.6592) invited me through their website as he does web design and hosting with RP Design Services
• Bruce Lentz (704.927.9553) met me with a crisp white shirt and a handsome bow tie, see him in sales at Steve Moore Chevrolet
• Janet Jannelli (704.596.4744) and I talked art because she does custom promotional and advertising items
• Jay Charles (704.821.4500) admired my business card because he is a printer with Paper and Ink Printing in Matthews
• Robert Adler sells insurance, (704.522.1985)  but what we talked about is his blossoming barbecue business for which he competes
• Maria Marshal (704.321.3234) was very insightful and helpful with my transfer of auto policies to North Carolina
• Michael Baker (704.907.0595) might help me with some business insurance, or he might have me do new head shots for the modeling he does on the side
• JD Pearce (704.578.8222) took the cake though with his beautiful southern drawl as he sang a presentation for us! he also delivers packages across the South East

Watch out in the twitter stream tonight as I will be photographing the Charlotte Twestival gathering at the Cans Bar Charlotte  - 500 W 5th St from 6pm on – stop in if you want a free Headshot for your online profile, avatar or a new professional business card showcasing your own personality!  Just in case you need to reach me out and about tonight my mobile number is 585.721.0632

The WPJA awarded my photo from New Zealand 4th place in it’s quarterly awards:

However the judges comments went like this:

But I have to comment on this category in general. There were so many pictures of people walking away from the photographers that it puzzled me. I saw so many pictures with stunning light in other categories that I wondered what the photographers were thinking when they got to this category. All of the moments and good storytelling went away.

Who is this judge that feel’s so strongly that there’s no story from this image that they take the liberty to complain about my photo as exemplary of the category? But they award first place to a haphazardly composed and monochromatic image of the same theme? Boy does that sting.  In my experience this goes to strengthen the stereotype that ‘photojournalistic’ images are ‘careless snapshots in black and white’ and doesn’t work toward showing how a good photojournalist can transcend the basic elements of what’s happening and make an image with stronger themes. I would love to hear Sister Wendy discuss the results.

Realistically, when you’re up there your eyes are glued to the splendor that’s enveloping you! When the couple looks at the camera the image loses it’s compelling fixation on the mountain. When you’re there, just as in the picture, it feels like you can reach out and touch it. In my picture I worked to transcend the basic experience of being dropped off on the side of a mountain by helicopter, and tried to capture gesture and pair forms that form an allegory for the wedding experience.  I was looking for body language that helped describe the awe we all felt.

It’s funny how every time I hand out the business card with this image on it, the response is – “did you photoshop the background?” Nope, I was really there – and the story of this image, doesn’t just begin when the shutter clicked. You see, it was my vision to wait until the very last minute to get the sunset on the mountain. In this position, we’re in danger of being surrounded by clouds moving up the mountain. Here’s Nigel, our pilot on the lookout for clouds coming in.

The only reason we were able to make this picture is because of Nigel’s experience, daring and willingness. He told us that on his warning we would have to be back in the chopper within 1 minute, because if a cloud covers us – we can’t take off – because the pilot flys visually. The helicopter is perched on loose stones, and Nigel got out and propped us up with extra stones before he would let us get out. The helicopter is idling with the blades spinning so we can make a quick takeoff. On the port side of the bird, there’s probably only two meters to the edge of the cliff from the rotor tips. So Nigel has made a pretty difficult landing at my request, so that I can capture this scene.

From this angle, you can see the clouds at our elevation across the valley.

Oh boy wouldn’t I have loved to had the time to get to the Tasman Peak & Ben Ohau Mountain Range side of the valley to land the couple on the west facing ridges – but that will have to wait until next time. From that side I could get more of the turquoise hues of the glacially fed Lake Pukaki also. Just plan your destination wedding at the Luxurious Mt. Cook Hermitage Hotel and I’ll be there to make unforgettable images with you!

So as a bride which would you be satisfied with a few snapshots from the top of the mountain, or would you want something that transcended your experience? something with allegorical intent?

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