My World - A view of the world how I see it

Last weekend was fantastic from a creative point of view. Exhausting and fantastic all at the same time. Starting with the Kitty shoot Saturday at the Willamette Humane Society, moving into a planning session for my photo group's workshops. It was a long and rewarding start to a weekend. 

Then Sunday came early, 5:00 AM to be exact to prepare for winter shoot at a local park.

Then Sunday afternoon came and it was time for the shoot with Nathan Smith of SmithFineArt.com. Pardon the raw look to this, it is merely a first draft; the final will look super-d-duper.

After the shoot with Nathan I hung out while a couple of other photographers spent some time shooting him. While they did their thing, I assisted with lights and shot some background plates.

Once I got back home, I began editing. Until my student came over for the weekly mentoring session. Yup... that's right. I am mentoring a person for the year. Helping guide this individual to discovering their true potential and find their path to creative enlightment. This will be an annual project with a new student each year. So far it is going swimmingly, although after the assignments I handed out this week, this individual might not feel the same way.

I did more creatively this weekend than I did over the entire summer (June to August). It feels great, but I am exhausted and ready for some sleep.

Willamette Humane Society Photography

It was another glorious morning at the Willamette Humane Society. Glorious because I got to give and get some love from some amazing animals. Also, it was glorious because there weren't that many cats. Oh, don't worry, there are plenty of cats for you to choose from, but there weren't nearly as many as the last time I visited which means more people are giving these loving animals good homes and that makes for an exciting day for me.

There are some wonderful cats at the Willamette Humane Society right now, here is a select few from this morning.

Penelope

Penelope is a sweet kittie that was a little camera shy at first (aren't we all), but then warmed up to me and came in for some loving coupled with some purring action. 

Schnider

Schnider isn't up on their site as of yet, he is that new, but he was a fun, loving and handsome guy. If you want a cat that can be both snuggly and playful, then Schnider is the one for you. 

Sweet Melinda

Yup... that is her name. Sweet Melinda lives up to her name. She is sweet as sugar and loves to lay in your arms and have her head, right between her ears, rubbed. Sweet Melinda can make any home a lot more loving.

Wallace

Wallace is a little shy at first, but once he warms up to you, he bend over backwards for some attention. I truly love his strong jaw line and deep yellow eyes.

Last but not least, is my Cat of the Week. Each visit I pick one kittie that gets a little extra special attention. I set up a small studio, bring my favorite kittie in and do a little something extra-special. This week's pick is... 

Simone

See the full gallery on Posterous

Simone is a very loving kittie with some beautiful features. She sat in my arms for close to fifteen minutes before we began the portrait, and she never once tried to move. She was happy and content. Once I put Simone in the studio and snapped the portrait, she hopped down and began exploring, returning to me every few minutes to get a little more loving. She quickly becomes attached to people and like to get some love frequently. She is also a fun kittie, lying on the floor rolling around and crawling on her side playing with me.

Simone is waiting for a good home, but I doubt she will have to wait too long because she is quite a catch and will make a great addition to someone's loving home. Could that someone be you? Could be if you hurry.

That's all for this week. Take a trip down to the Willamette Humane Society and see what new family member is waiting for you. Better yet, head on down and ask how you might be able to help make all the animals' short stays a little better.

Until next time... Be loving to your animals, because they deserve nothing less.

An Afternoon Creating with Others

Yesterday afternoon I spent a few hours with Nathan Smith, Michael Conkey and Chris David. Only, for the most part, I wasn't shooting. I was the subject. The guys, plus Chris Sabato who was out of town for this shoot, are working together to deliver portraits for each other that communicate the essense of who each of us are... a project that originated with Nathan.

It was cold. It was dreary. It was amazing. It was fun. Spending time with these guys is always entertaining, educational and a huge collaborative super nova of creative energy. I didn't shoot much, since today I was the subject, but afterwards... I was sent loose and had a little fun with my camera.

The location is a building that looks like a abandoned warehouse, but in fact it is a working foundry. The owner, Jackie, was in this day and invited us in to look around. Jackie showed us around and told us stories about the foundry, which he started working at in 1964 and then purchased in the 80s. Jackie was a friendly man willing to take time out of his busy day to talk with us and show us around. 

I walked around capturing some HDR series of the interior for reference in planning a future shoot at the location.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Since it was cold, Jackie fired up a natural gas torch for a little heat. Well, being the 12 year old that I am I was drawn to the fire like a moth to a flame but because I have a slightly bigger brain than a moth I stopped short of getting burned. I got some cool fire textures. One of the things that I love about photographing fire is that with every frame captured, fire is different. Fire is a living and breathing creature that is in a constant state of change. Fire is awesome!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Also... check out my new watermarks for my images. I have developed eight new watermarks for lightroom. There is one for the right, left top and bottom of images in both light and dark versions.

Can't wait to see the results from Nathan, Chris and Michael. Thanks guys for the fun time.