EngelFish.Net

I was never one to spend much time in coffee shops when I was in college.  I was too busy running a bar to hang out at someone else’s place.  That being the case, I’m learning now that I kinda like it.  When I have work to do, and the house is too quiet, it’s a great place to go.  I’m just as distracted by the comings and goings of my spacial-peers, but that can be corrected with headphones and a seat that faces the wall.

Coffee shops can also lead to jobs, as today proved.  I planned to meet my wife, but there were some other photographers already there when I arrived, so I joined them.  Later on another shooter arrived, with a double-scheduling issue for tomorrow.  Into the breach I stepped, and will thus be shooting for two hours tomorrow night at the AAC Indoor Track & Field Championships.  I’m not a sports shooter by nature, but I’m looking forward to it.  Who knows?  It might lead to a new line of work.  Regardless, the only sports which I am even vaguely interested in is running. I’ve done 5Ks through ultra-marathons, so I can fully appreciate the accomplishments of folks who do it at that level.  I’m actually looking forward to it quite a bit.

While Taryn is getting ready this morning in our hotel room in Charlotte, I decided to log in and get some work done.  So I sit down at the desk, press the power button on the laptop, and mutter, “Good Morning, open the pod bay doors please, HAL.”.  Taryn turned from the vanity to say, “Isn’t that from ‘The Flight of the Navigator’?”.   I could only laugh…

I’m sure that everyelse, like me, is super busy at this time of year.  Unlike past years, this time my hectic schedule has nothing to do with the season, but has everything to do with work!  I’ve got so much going on at the office that I’m not able to take my remaining vacation days, so they disappear on the 1st like Brittany Spears’ dignity at an awards show.  I’m still editing pictures from this summer, and I’m hoping to actually do my holiday shopping in the next 3 days (online of course).  If you haven’t heard from me lately, please be patient.  If you have heard from me, please forgive my ranting.  Cheers!

IMAGE:  This is an image I made for a coworked with his family.  He is including it as part of a humorous holiday gift for him mother.  I hope she likes it.

Although we attended several parties this past weekend, the majority of the time (including all day Sunday) was spent working around the house.  The unseasonal warmth made clearing the roof, gutters, and yard of leaves a sweat provoking activity, which was actually quite welcome and enjoyable.  I was able to get a fair amount of wedding photo editing done as well, and I’m approaching the end of the edit phase of this particular job.  I expect I’ll be able to finish the editing this week and begin work on the album, which will be another welcome milestone.  I’m sure I am not alone in feeling a sense of pleasure and accomplishment in ticking another item off my “to do” list.

Last night Taryn and I watched a really amazing, and profoundly sad movie called “Dancer in the Dark”.  While the film had a terrific cast of performers, Bjork was the star and delivered a jaw-dropping performance.  It was heart-wrenching to watch, but impossible to look away from.  While I do like, but only occassionally listen to, her music, if given the opportunity to meet her, the first thing I would do is thank her for this piece.  My reaction to this film was similar to that of “Spitfire Grill” and “Nobody’s Fool”.  It is a strong, quiet, and profound awareness that the world is not a kind and nuturing place, and that in our life and in our suffering it is up to us to find the strength to do what we have to do to be at peace with ourselves and our fate.

IMAGE:  Last weekend I got a set of cheap fluorescent lights to use in my portraits.  This was a test image I did that first night.  It’s a neat effect, and I’ve seen it used by several pro shooters to create compelling images.  We actually shot a bunch of really funny pictures with these lights on Friday night, and I’ll be posting them in the next few weeks to my Flickr account.

Outside my office window is a tree that I stop at least once a day to notice.  I have watched it roll through the seasons for a couple of years now.  Today, it looks like a funky lollipop, with reddish-amber leaves fringing an inner ring of golden-yellow, and a heart of the remaining pale-green leaves.  The sun rides pretty low in the sky this time of year, and there is a period during the day when it illuminates the tree from inside, causing it to glow with rich colors.  The wind today, although not strong, is constant, and the tree is slowly losing the battle.  Every day I can see more of the limbs and trunk, and less of the color.  In a handful of weeks it will be completely bare.  That thought makes me want to pull on a sweater, warm up a mug of hot chocolate, and settle in for the winter. 

IMAGE: Taryn with the puppies, who will officially be dogs on Thanksgiving, their first birthday.