Ron’s Photo World

Nothing like a crunchy aphid for lunch.

05-31-2011

At the end of the movie, “Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy says that if she ever goes looking for her heart’s desire again, she won’t look any further than her own back yard.

A couple weeks ago I put out a call asking for the best place to find ladybugs. I wanted to take some closeup shots and I knew this was the time of year for them. I got several suggestions, most of them fell into two camps: 1) drive way the heck up into the hills, or 2) buy a bag of them and wrangle them myself. Instead, I took Dorothy’s advice and looked in my own backyard. Our fruit tree is heavily infested with aphids so it made sense that I would find ladybugs in the tree.

Sure enough. As I got closer to the tree I could hear the faint cry of aphids being devoured alive (and dead).

Don't bug me, I'm busy.

This photo raises a question: What do you call a male ladybug? I learned the answer is: a male ladybug.

Gear talk: These photos were taken with a Canon 7D, 50mm f1.4 lens on a 20mm extension tube, and two Nikon flashes (left and right side). (ISO:100, 1/200, f/11) The camera and flashes were mounted on a home-made bracket (natch) that is pretty mobile and well-balanced.  I can get more magnification by using a longer extension tube. Focusing at this magnification is very critical, depth of field is about 3/8 inch.

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Gary, Nick, Pat and me at Pat's birthday party. Her granddaughter joined in.

05-30-2011

Today I received news that a dear friend had passed away on her birthday. Pat and I had worked together 30 years ago and we stayed in touch throughout the years. In the office, we called her “Mom” and sometimes when we
were out to lunch, we’d all sing “Happy Birthday, Mom” just as a joke. She’d usually cuss us out and walk out of the restaurant. (We were done eating by this time, anyway.)

A couple weeks ago I heard she was in the hospital and the doctors were not sure of her diagnosis. At first it looked like malaria, then maybe it was a form of lime disease. She was very weak had several blood
transfusions. Finally she was diagnosed with a form of blood cancer. Her doctors and she agreed that chemotherapy was not practical. She passed away this morning surrounded by her family.

Upon hearing the news, one of my first reactions was to look for photographs of her – I found one (above) that was taken at her 70th birthday party three years ago. This was our old workgroup. I had brought along a point &
shoot camera to her party; rather than be “the camera guy” I just wanted to enjoy the celebration with her and her family and friends. I took a couple of photos, but this was the keeper. I take comfort in looking at this photo.

I’ve been thinking about this photo and the reasons we take photographs like this. I’m not talking about portraits or artistic renditions. This obviously was a point-in-time photo which serves the purpose of capturing a
few people in one place and time – “for the record” so to speak. For myself, I often feel like I need to capture a scene that my brain would likely forget.

It’s rather strange when I don’t take a photo like this, I feel like something is missing. The other day I had a chance to have lunch with my son in San Francisco. We had a great visit and only later did I realize that I didn’t have someone take a photo of us. For awhile I felt sad about it, and I’m not sure I can explain it. In one sense, it’s like the photograph marks a point along the journey, in much the same way a rock climber will install an anchor every so many feet – in case he slips, he falls back only so far. Or maybe it’s just a break in the routine – I usually pull out a camera and encourage a quick shot of the moment, so I might have been suffering a minor case of withdrawals.

As my sons were growing up, I took thousands of photos of them (this was before digital, so think “photos”, not image files.) Every birthday, vacation, graduation, first-day-of-school…every milestone captured on film. I guess I thought it would slow down the process but it didn’t. It just documented how quickly time flies and our kids grow up. I’m not sure why I took so many photos, but I couldn’t imagine not doing that. I could stack the photos and make an enormous animated flipbook of their lives.

I place a high value on having photos of events and people that are important to me, and I know this has something to do with my passion for making photographs for others. I feel like everyone should have photos like that and it’s my job to make sure they do, especially if they can’t do it themselves.

If I were a SuperHero, my super power would be Image Capturing for Everyone.

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My custom cargo trailer helps me use my bike for photo jobs.

05-15-2011

The month of May is officially designated as Bike Month. Several events throughout the city help raise awareness of bicycling for commuting, recreation and exercise. I am committed to find more ways to operate my photography business on two wheels. It’s not just the recent rise in gas prices that motivates me; it is much more than that. I’m interested in getting some good clean exercise. I’m interested in conducting my business in a way that attracts like-minded people…clients who appreciate the extra effort and commitment it takes to use a bike. And to expand my range, I can carry quite a bit of photo gear if I add two more wheels, as in using a bike cargo trailer.

I bought a used Burley bike trailer last summer at a yard sale for $20(!) and spent some time over the winter building my custom gear trailer. The wooden box is very light, and the design gives me flexibility for arranging the cargo space. A partial platform leaves space in the lower section for light stands, umbrellas and a tripod. The rest of my gear rides on the top of the platform and a latch on the lid keeps it all in place. The smaller format of the trailer makes a narrower track and the trailer is hardly a burden, even when loaded with equipment.

The lower section holds a tripod and several lightstands. The upper platform holds the camera and lighting gear.

This is the rear view of the trailer - the rear panel is an interchangeable placard.

For fun, I created an interchangeable placard that fits inside the back frame of the trailer. I can easily change the placard to display different messages, depending on my mood at the time.

When possible, I plan to use this rig to go to photo assignments. Naturally, distance, weather and personal safety will dictate the times I’ll use it. I have already used it a couple of times and I believe there are probably a lot more opportunities than would originally come to mind. There are some other errands that I can take care of on a bike as well, if I plan ahead well enough.

I’m trying to figure out how to incorporate carbon credits into this – perhaps someday I will be able to issue carbon credits to clients who hire me for photo jobs that work well with the bike/trailer rig. I don’t know what a “carbon credit” looks like, do you? Maybe I can just figure out how much gas I’m not using and print up a certificate documenting that and give it to the client for framing. You never know where this idea can lead.

So watch for me on the road. Honk gently and wave (with all your fingers) and I’ll wave back – and while we’re on the topic, please Share the Road.

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