My Mother Taught Me #15

My mother taught me ENVY.

She said, "There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do".

Living History Park

Today I made a twenty-eight minute drive over the state line to visit a park in Aiken County, South Carolina. I was anticipating seeing a full blown event featuring 18th Century living and reenactments, but the newspaper posting was just a little misleading. There wasn't a ton of people milling around and the promise of a major thunderstorm gave me the opportunity to get some clean shots of the park without visitors cluttering up my images. On top of that, Kay, one of the interpreters gave me a one-on-one guided tour of Living History Park since I had arrived so early.

Another treat that I experienced was visiting with Bruce Ingram who was telling stories and demonstrating 18th Century living as a slave in front of the slave cabin. Not only did "Mr. Bruce" have a strong "slave-like" handshake, but his stories were just as compelling and entertaining. I only heard two of them, but I betcha he's got tons of 'em. (Check out his website below).

Thanks to the overcast day there is a lot of detail in the images and I didn't have to fight strong contrasty lighting which can be a problem in wooded areas. At the beginning of the afternoon, moments after I decided to head back home, the weather turned into a severe weather watch that lasted until the following day. Although, I didn't see what I had expected, photographically the trip turned out to be better than I could have planned.

Enjoy!
Willie

Norwood House serves as the Welcome Center to the park.
Willow Springs Meeting House served as

church, school, and protective walls.
Bell tower.

Storytellers dressed in 18th Century attire.

Thompson Academy serves as education center.

Smokehouse used to cure meat to keep it from spoiling.

Lamb's Ear (Stachys byzantina)

"Mr. Bruce" playing music on a gourd

instrument in front of the slave cabin.

Bruce Ingram (slave character and storyteller)
Woman dressed in 18th Century
attire weeding flowerbed.

Location: North Augusta, SC
Bruce Ingram: Art Website
Equipment: Canon 30D w/17-55mm IS lens
Post-production: Adobe Lightroom 2.5 & CS3

Vianca & Claude's Engagement Session

One of the most challenging moments I have as a professional photographer is when I come under the scrutiny of another photographer as a client. Unlike the average client who contracts me to cover their wedding, working with someone else in the profession requires that I walk a tightrope that has to be a perfect balance between two individuals artistic demands. On several occasions when I've had this type scenario, I've done everything I could NOT to be contracted as the photographer because I knew what the outcome was going to be. One big "opinion fight", and who has time for that?

Well, that wasn't the case when Vianca Monroe and Claude White came to the studio to check us out as their wedding photographer. Upfront Claude mentioned to me that he was an avid photographer and that he admired my work. He also made it clear that he expected quality work because he knew what to look for, but he also wouldn't tie the hands of the photographer he hired. During the course of the consultation I will admit that Claude and I clouded Vianca's inquires about my services when we'd go off on tangents about photo equipment and techniques. To make a long story short, the three of us clicked beautifully after fielding Claude's questions and I was looking forward to really showing him what a talented photographer he'd hired.

The final thing I want to share about Vianca and Claude is this. Vianca is quiet as a church mouse and Claude is, well...plain hilarious. This guy absolutely cracks me up with his sense of humor and he's the perfect match to bring out Vianca's quietness. Claude, thanks for putting your trust in me. Here's the first installment on some great images of you and your "special lady".

Enjoy!
Willie

[Double-click images to enlarge viewing pleasure]

Locations: Fort Lauderdale Airport parking lot
Performing Arts Center

Equipment: Canon 30D w/17-55mm IS lens
Doug Box Location Softbox with Canon 550EX flash
Pocketwizards

Jessica Morris - Protege

Meet Jessica Morris, my new protege. Over the years I have had numerous photographers come into my life and we became friends and fellow photographers who have spent a lot of time learning our craft and sharing our knowledge. Jessica was introduced to me by her husband (Paul) who informed me during a brief conversation that his wife was into photography. In parting I gave him my business card and told him to tell Jessica to check out my work on my website and give me a call if she wanted to discuss photography.

The following day I got an email from Jessica saying that she loved my work and would love to learn from me, so I agreed to take her on. We scheduled our first photo shoot together with a new model, (who didn't show up), so we spent an hour taking still-life images at the Riverwalk in downtown Augusta. All-in-all it wasn't a busted trip because we got to scout out some great locations for future senior and portrait photography sessions. And, Jessica got her first new lessons under her belt.

So, meet Jessica and check out a few of the images I took at Riverwalk so that I hadn't wasted my time. Welcome aboard, Jessica, I've got plenty to teach you if you willing to learn. I think we're going to make a great new team.

Enjoy!
Willie

[Double click images to enlarge viewing]

Start with something simple...

...and add in a little technique such as a panorama.

I'm learning that "spaces" are a huge part of composition.

Location: Riverwalk, [downtown Augusta]
Camera: Canon 30D w/17-55mm IS lens
Post-production: Adobe Lightroom 2.5 & Adobe CS3