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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.

A friend posted this quiz to her blog, so I thought I’d take it. Taryn and I watched this series earlier this year and really enjoyed it. It’s a shame the show was cancelled, especially considering the widespread and rabid fanbase it inspired.

Which Firefly/Serenity Character Am I?

You are Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)
Honest and a defender of the innocent. You sometimes make mistakes in judgment, but you are generally good and would protect your crew from harm.

Malcolm Reynolds (Captain) 60% Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command) 50% Wash (Ship Pilot) 20% Alliance 20% Inara Serra (Companion) 0% Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic) 0% Jayne Cobb (Mercenary) 0% Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic) 0% River (Stowaway) 0% Derrial Book (Shepherd) 0% A Reaver (Cannibal) 0%

Click here to take the Firefly/Serenity Personality Test

Although most folks think of the Raleigh-Durham area as a social backwater, that is far from true.  One of the really neat things that we have is the annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.  Tommy & Kendall talked us into going to see two photography related films this year, one on Edward Weston, and one on Helmut Newton. While the former was interesting and melancholy, the latter, called “Helmut by June” was interesting and loads of fun too.  Now, through the magic of Cinemax, those of you in the hinterlands of New York and LA can enjoy the film too.  Troy Patterson of Slate Magazine, reviews the movie in this article.  June was Helmut’s wife, and documented quite a bit of their personal and professional life with her video camera.  Most of the footage has a home movie feel to it, but the folks in front of the camera are uber-celebrities (Cindy Crawford, Sigorny Weaver, etc).  As a photographer, I was engrossed in the details of his work on set and with the models, as well as his philosophy of shooting, which was sprinkled in.  As a view into the lifestyle of one of the modern masters of the medium, this was more than worth the time.

IMAGE: Helmut Newton was known for having highly sexualized and socially controversial images.  He walked the tightrope of fashion, fine art, and pornography.  He did it very successfully too, remaining one of the most sought after commercial photographers until his recent death.