REAWAKENING TO LIFE

Division. (Washington, DC) - Self-reflection in the house. Polaroid SX-70.

With State College safely behind, I finally feel like the tires have hit the road, the duck has flown, the lobster has been eaten… this is it. Do or die.

For those of you following for a while, here is an update: I have quit the day job and have now taken up commercial and personal photography full-time on the Hill in Washington, DC. What is surprising is the ratio of time spent doing actual photography to working the business - I would say it is close to 20% shooting and 80% administration/communication. I have also taken up a part-time job at a local bike shop (Capitol Hill Bikes), which has really been great. What can I say? Life is good, one day at a time, and the front-facing camera is a much better view than the back-facing one.

I don’t know at what conscious-level this occurred, but after being here for two months, I feel like today is the first day beyond the honeymoon phase of being here in DC. I raised my photo rates today, I have been contacting new leads, and a fresh wind has come into my head regarding art and photography. I feel the roots heading down, down, down, where before I was fighting this downward growth tooth-and-nail in Central PA. Not that there was anything wrong with that region necessarily, but it never felt like DC feels now…

…Like home.

Attention, Attention. (Eastern Market, DC) - Cold dog on a cold morning, with radar ears at half-power. Canon 5D Mk2, Canon 50mm f/1.4.

Snow Storm. (Washington, DC) - Dave out in the snow, looking for a convenience-store source of butter and whipping cream for snow day cooking. Canon 5D Mk2, Canon 50mm f/1.4.

Whim. (Boyertown, PA) - One of the extra shots from a shoot with Amy and her sister over Thanksgiving break. Thought it was well worth keeping. Canon 5D Mk2, Canon 50mm f/1.4.

Sugar Ray Robinson (State College, PA) - Nothing like Halloween at 2AM downtown with a camera. I wish I could have stayed longer for more ridiculousness. And here are the rest: Halloween 2009! Canon 5D Mk2, Leica 21mm f/4.

Un/seen (Washington, DC) - Part of me never wants to publish another color photograph ever again. Canon 5D Mk2, Canon 50mm 1.4.

Hope all is well out the ‘blogosphere.’ Lots of weekend traveling (NJ two weekends in a row!), covering a PSU Printmaking class, cycling, photo shows, and spending time with the One-and-Only… what can I say? Life is very, very good.

Riding Skills > Walking Skills. (State College, PA) - Clay riding his knobby-tyred bicycle across the famous Three Bridges section of the Wilderness 101 endurance race. I had a great wedding that afternoon, so I could only photograph in the morning, but the sun coming through the fog made for some great back-lit shots. More to come, probably on the event blog soon. Canon 5D Mk2, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8.

Land of Waters (Domaine Poutrincourt, Canada) - Oh Canada, you will be missed. Just the memories of lakes full of fish and stomachs full of beer to last us for now. We will let this summer go by without seeing the aurora nor the moose tracks in the sand, and we let the walleye grow fatter for the next year. Leica R5, Leica 35mm f/2.

Boxed (State College, PA) - My life is packed into boxes, which are packed into a Forester, which are unloaded from said Forester, and then are dumped into a new place. Repeat five times. This is the last known picture of me in the Old Boalsburg apartment, and have since moved into the Stilson’s KILLER basement apartment. I have a park for a backyard… :D Canon 5D Mk2, Canon 50mm f/1.4.

Harpist (State College, PA) - A musician entertaining at Megan and Sam’s wedding a few weeks ago. Canon 5D Mk2, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8.