On Taking A Second Look

These patient room doors are inside the Babcock Building at the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum and were shot with a 24-105 zoom.

Before and during dawn inside buildings, I generally shoot with my 17mm tilt-shift or a 17-40, because I want wide angle shots of the space glowing blue from twilight. After the best light subsides (or once I've made a full pass through the building) I usually put on a 50mm or 24-105 to get in tighter with some detail shots. 

This doesn't always work, because sometimes I'm limited to the amount of time I have to shoot somewhere, but when I have ample time, it's my favorite way to shoot. 

Travel Companions: When You Get It Right

In the past three years, I took my first trip to the East Coast (and returned six more times), took my first trip to the Southern US, Portland and made two trips to Death Valley all in the name of photography. I have traveled with friends I've known for years and sometimes jumped in the car to drive hundreds of miles to hang out with dozens of people I've never met before. I can honestly say, I have been incredibly lucky to find such awesome travel companions. 

On the most recent trip to Death Valley, I travelled for the first time with Brian Matiash, Brian Bonham, Ricardo Lagos and Matt Kloskowski (whom I met when we arrived.) Over the last year, I have developed friendships with them online and in person, so I knew this trip would be a blast. The reason it worked so well had to do with us having a similar sense of humor and not taking anything too seriously. I find that to be a very important aspect of the relationships I create. If we don't laugh together, it just won't work.

Life is far too short to spend time not hanging out with the people who make you laugh so hard your stomach hurts. 

Don't Stand So Close... Why Not?

On my 'Flickr Contacts' stream this morning, both of these images displayed next to one another. The images are from different photographers but appear to have been taken from within a few feet of one another. I know many photographers get irritated when someone stands next to them to take a shot, but look how incredibly different the images are! There are significant differences in the composition and processing causing both images to radiate different moods. 

This is why I don't mind it when my tripod kisses another tripod.