Verb Ballet Multiple Exposures

A Verb Ballet Dancer multiply exposed.

The ballet offers opportunities to try some of the lesser used features on some digital cameras.  I always take a number of multiple exposure when shooting the ballet.  This first shot is series of 4 individual images of a single dancer as she moves.  They are all recorded on a single image.

A Verb Ballet multiple exposure.

This second image is a multiple of 3 images of a group of dancers performing.  As you can clearly see, this multiple exposure technique can produce some striking and unusual photos!  This effect can also be simulated post production on the computer but it’s much easier doing it in camera if your camera includes this feature.

Today’s cameras offer many more features than most people will ever master, but every once in a while I’ll consult my camera manual and learn how to use a new feature I’ve never used before.  Multiple exposures are one of my favorites and I’ve used it on a number of occasions and on different subjects.

The Verb Ballet Honors the Shakers

Cleveland's Verb Ballet honors the Shakers.

I had the honor of photographing Cleveland’s Verb Ballet as they rehearsed for a performance at St. Ignatius High School’s Breen Center for the Performing Arts.  This dance honored the Shakers, and was visually stunning!

Shooting the ballet is a photographic challenge.  It usually requires high ISOs in order to use shutter speeds needed to freeze the action, while at the same time exposures that do not allow the highlights, or whites, in the scene to lose detail.  It’s often a balancing act while trying to deal with dark backgrounds and very bright stage lighting.  The costumes in this dance number were a little more subdued than some of the others having white and black costumes, making it somewhat easier to balance.

Capturing the Action

A pelican dives for a fish.

I just returned from a week’s vacation in St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  It was literally another world of extreme poverty living side by side with extreme wealth!  A beautiful place that many of the people I met, visited and never returned home from, but decided to stay.

On vacations I find myself shooting wearing two hats, or in two different frames of mind.  I’m always looking for the artistic, action or people shots that I generally prefer to take, but I also find myself also wanting to capture the typical vacation snapshots that record the time and place as a record of my vacation.  On this vacation I took 1253 photos, using 3 different camera, my Nikon D700, my Canon G12, and my new Nikon AW100 underwater camera.  All 3 cameras performed admirably and for different purposes.  I would estimate that about 1000 of my photos are of the record snapshot variety and about 250 of the more serious nature.

This photo kind of bridges the gap.  I was shooting a beautiful bay, with azure colored water and noticed this pelican continuously diving for his dinner.  Shooting in continuous burst mode, I was able to capture this shot just a fraction of a second before he hit the water and gobbled a tasty fish he had been eying from above.  Not a shot you see everyday!

Mentor Headlands Fence and Shadow

Mentor Headlands fence and shadow on a bright sunny day.

In many parts of the country these types of fences are called snow fences.  They were designed to prevent snow from drifting beyond them and were commonly used along the sides of highways in the past.  I don’t see them used in that way too often anymore.  Where I do see them used most commonly now is on beaches as a way of producing and growing sand dunes.  I’ve seen them on all of the coasts and this photo shows them growing and holding a sand dune on our Northcoast, on Lake Erie, at Mentor Headlands State Park.

Now most of my friends live around the Great Lakes anymore and the sight of sand dunes on beaches is not unusual for them to see.  Many of my friends however live in other parts of the country and think of lakes as small, calm bodies of water with little or no beach.  For those of you, let me tell you, the Great Lakes can produce some mighty storms, think Edmund Fitzgerald, and have some beautiful beaches, dunes, and lighthouses.

I live about 6 miles from this beach, Ohio’s largest, and captured this shot on a bright, sunny winter’s day in 2003.  Bright, sunny days can cause shadow problems for photographers, but in this case the contrast of bright sand, fence and dark shadows just makes for a beautiful black and white image.

Red Tails and Blue Tail

A P51 approaches the beach in Conneaut, OH.

This past weekend I saw the new film “Red Tails” at the movie theater.  The critics have not given it many good reviews, but I enjoyed it.  The film tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the group of African American fliers during World War II who proved themselves to be among the best fliers there were.  The title, Red Tails, relates to the paint scheme they chose for the P51 fighters that they received after flying older, slower planes until given more meaningful assignments.

In 2007 and in 2010 I took photos of a D-Day Reenactment that is done in Conneaut, OH every summer.  During the 2007 reenactment I got some fantastic photos of a P51 as it did a simulated strafing of the beach, held by German reenactors prior to the Allied reenactors’ beach landing.

I was sitting high on a bluff overlooking the beach, much like Normandy, which is why they choose to do this reenactment in Conneaut.  At times, I was actually higher than the P51 was.

In Conneaut, the P51 had a blue tail, but it was incredible to see its speed and maneuverability as it buzzed low over the beach with Lake Erie in the background.  In many of the photos, the pilot can clearly be seen as well.

The reenactment is quite a site to see.  I self published a book documenting the 2007 reenactment.  It contains about 40 photos of the event and can be seen and purchased at www.blurb.com.   http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/226707   The book would make a great gift for those World War II vets in your life or anyone interested in P51′s, flying, warfare, aircraft, D-Day, or just an overall interest.  Along with the air strafing, it documents the entire invasion from landing to German surrender.

A Salute to One Who Serves

Cleveland Police Officer Jeff Stanczyk delivers materials for the children.

This past Sunday HandsOn Northeast Ohio sponsored the annual Homeless Stand Down at Cleveland’s Masonic Auditorium.  As a member of the Cleveland Photographic Society clevelandphoto.org , I was there to assist in taking photos and providing professional quality portraits for the participants.  While I was shooting near the entrance, in walked a Cleveland Police Officer who immediately attracted everyone’s attention.  Homeless participants, volunteers, the media, and children all seemed to gravitate to Cleveland Police Officer Jeff Stanczyk.  I immediately sensed that this was a very special person!  I followed Officer Stanczyk for a few moments and one homeless participant, watching me, said to me, “Be carefull or he’ll invite you to his retirement party.”  I decided right then and there that I wanted to talk to this guy.  He was kept quite occupied by people and I thought I’d try to catch up with him later.  An article published on cleveland.com http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012/01/volunteers_lend_a_hand_at_home.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter   mentioned that Jeff had been circulating amongst the crowd doing rope tricks.

Officer Jeff Stanczyk talks with a Stand Down participant.

I finally caught up with Jeff a few hours later and said to him, “I heard you were planning to retire?”  We struck up a conversation and he told me that he had approximately 13 months to go.  He said he was feeling it was time to move on to new adventures.  In talking further I learned that Jeff had worked all of the Cleveland Browns football games for 30 years and had recently worked his last game.  He had watched Browns fans who he first saw at the age of 5, grow to adulthood and who now bring their children to the games.  Fondly he told me that the Browns had provided him with the opportunity to go into the stands and say farewell to many of these fans during his last game.

I found on Google that Jeff works with the Community Relations Unit of the Cleveland Police Department and it certainly didn’t surprise me.  Here is a man who embodies the what all of us believe a police officer should be, and most are, I might add.  In just talking with him for a few minutes I could see why he seemed to be known and respected by all.  I felt like we were old friends.  When Jeff Stanczyk retires, the Cleveland Police Department will lose a real treasure.  I will wish him the best and I salute his service!

Coffee Time

Coffee jars lined up and reflected

In my last post about the faces photographed at Cleveland’s Westside Market I mentioned how friendly the vendors are at the market.  Relative to that comment, this photo is of coffee jars lined up and reflected at the “City Roast Coffee and Tea” booth at the market.  As I stood at the end of this booth, shooting these jars from different angles and with varying apertures for a variety of selective focus photos, the worker at the booth asked me if I wanted her to move anything or change the lighting in the booth in any way.  I was blown away by her willingness to help me, even while she had a steady stream of customers!  The market is a remarkable place and I’ll surely return to “City Roast Coffee and Tea” for my liquid refreshment anytime I am there!

The photo itself appeals to me for it’s abstract nature, it’s many highlights, and the reflection of the jars and cups in the back of the showcase glass.