• Candid Portraits,  Documentary/Street,  lifestyles,  People/Portraits

    Playing the piano

    November 25, 2019
    Playing the Piano
    Playing the Piano

    There is a piano outside in the lobby of the Lory Student Center theater for people to play. It seems to me I almost always see and hear someone playing. I find it interesting to see these young people sit down and play. Some are dressed poorly, some carry a backpack of books and are using this time to relax between classes. And, the talent is wonderful. There were no words said between us as I just walked around him composing images. He sang one song and actually brought tears to my eyes. Thankful for autofocus.

    P.S. And, the snow began falling around 2:00 pm, just as perdicted. They say 14 inches. Sigh!

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  • Black and White,  Candid Portraits,  music,  People/Portraits

    Friday Night Art Walk

    May 5, 2019

    First Friday Art Walk is a monthly self-guided walking tour that celebrates creativity, culture, and community in Downtown Fort Collins on the first Friday of each month from 6 – 9 pm. From fine to funky, First Friday Art Walk showcases a spectrum of artistic styles to entertain and engage amateurs and art aficionado of all ages, interests and backgrounds. The website says 22 venues partake in it. Some are art galleries serving snacks, drinks and musicians and some are the local bars. This past Friday I made a trip down to Old Town because my friend Don Thurn was playing. In this image he is playing Starry, Starry Night by Don McClean at the Walnut Creek.

    This store is a great place to buy and sell unique jewelry, repurposed furniture, boutique clothing, vintage goods and a plethora of other knick-knacks and handcrafted gifts, representing about 80 local artists. If you can think of it I bet you could find in there. 🙂

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  • Black and White,  Candid Portraits,  Documentary/Street,  music,  People/Portraits,  quotes

    A Little Jazz Music

    July 31, 2017

    The music is in His Soul
    Jazz musician near Bourbon Street in New Orleans

    “More photographs of beautiful moments have been lost by looking at our cameras than will ever be lost to missed focus or poor exposure.” David duChemin

    I took this image of the musician near Bourbon Street in New Orleans back in 2008 while I was still flying (working). There were perks with that job and one was the photographic opportunities offered on the longer overnights. 

    Through those long overnights my interest in street and documentary photography was discovered. My camera equipment changed as the smaller mirror-less gear was more to my liking and much easier to travel with. The “decisive moment” began to take on more importance, knowing I could not come back and retake an image if I missed it.

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  • Documentary/Street,  music

    Tickling the Ivory

    May 8, 2015

    Street Musican in Old Town
    Street Musican in Old Town

    This past week I encountered three young people in Old Town enjoying a jam session. One young man was on the piano and the other two were playing guitars and singing. I just stood there and listened to their music with no intent to shoot. I finally took five shots then moved on. This image reminds me of Johnny Hahn who has played the piano at Pikes Market in Seattle for years. We need artists like this in our world who work at their craft for the love of it not the popularity and money.

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  • Documentary/Street,  music

    Street Musicians

    March 14, 2014
    Street Musicians
    Street Musicians

    Had a chance to roam the streets of downtown Durango, Colorado last week looking for a place to eat. Ended up with a piece of pizza the size of a large pizza. 🙂 I encountered these musicians playing some foot stomping bluegrass music. No way I could not stop watch and enjoy. A lot has been happening in my camp the past week and I’ll share that in an upcoming post. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

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  • Candid Portraits,  Canon Powershot G12,  Cityscapes/Urban,  Travel

    Musician and the Dancer

    November 26, 2012

    Musician and the Dancer

    “Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music.” ― George Carlin

    A couple years ago I had a long overnight in Seattle with a fellow flight attendant named Tracey. As it was Memorial Weekend we took the train down to the Stadium to watch about five innings of the Mariners game then headed to Pikes Market. We walked the streets, ate a nice salmon dinner and just enjoyed ourselves. It is overnights like this we consider one of the perks of our work.

    These two young men we entertaining to watch. The one was playing drums with the glass bottles and plastic buckets while the other danced up a storm. Even though they were in a major part of town they stayed in their own world of music and on the same page.

    Want to pass along this link to a pretty good read on difference between a photographer and an artist by Mike Johnson.

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