He shot this last summer in Washington DC just outside the Jefferson Monument.  It was about 11 o’clock (yes, way past his bedtime); I was focusing on the monument itself trying to get some neat night time stuff and he was standing there besides me when he saw the rider coming down the path.  He thought it was cool, framed his shot, and nailed it the first time.

Make sure you leave him some blog love and let him know what you think.

Instead I spent the afternoon talking down the christmas decorations with the kids and wife.  As we were taking the decorations off the tree, I looked at the pile of bulbs and thought that it would make for a very cool image that I might be able to use next holiday season.  I quickly ran downstairs, grabbed my camera and shot a bunch of stuff with my 50mm 1.4 lens.  I wanted colors that would pop with a very shallow depth of field.  I got 50% of that.

Below is the final image; But the real picture is below that.  I laughed when I saw it on my Mac.  Oh well!!

Not sure how she can see from behind that hair……..And she told me that she was not cold!

This is our the street in front of our house.  Pure ice.

Below are a series of images I took during the week.  The portait work is really just some fun, personal work;  Nothing outstanding, just fun stuff.  The landscapes: I wanted to try and capture the cold that has been running through Georgia this month.

As always, let me know what you think!!

I had a hard time with the below 2.  I could not decide if I liked the color or BW version better.  I shot this with the intent of turning it into a BW.  But in looking at it, I really think I like the color better.

Our two very good friends!!

I shot this @ 2.8 with an ISO of 8,000.  I am still amazed that I can do that!

And my favorite people in the world………..

Stats for just Atlanta:
337 portraits taken; 683 individual people were photographed; 157 Atlanta-Metro volunteers participated

Here are a few links about the day, some behind the scene photos from my location and other posts.  Amazing stuff!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/12/14/photo.shoot.help.portrait/index.html?iref=allsearch

http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxshirley/galleries/72157622867020009

http://web.me.com/dvrosa/Help-Portrait/Movie.html

http://www.terzatendina.com/FTP/H-P_Timelapse.mov

And next year?  Why don’t you join us??!!

Yea, this is a parent/dad thing.  But I could not resist snapping a shot of my little princess.  And yes, I think she is way cute!!

I shot this about 7am last Sunday.  The fog was intense;  But the sunrise made it all disappear.  It was simple amazing.  Not sure how that works.  If you look at the image on the right side you will see half a dozen ducks swimming away.  I must have just missed them.

Last Friday my 6 year old daughter was helping her mom (my wife) get ready for a party at our house for a women who was about to have her baby any moment.  As you can imagine, my daughter was having a ball helping out. The best part of it for her was that she got to spread colorful confetti all over our house. As she picked it up, it seemed to spread everywhere.  I saw the color and the magic of that moment and I asked her to stand still for just a moment.

I shot this @ 1,000 ISO 1/30th sec, f/1.4 with my 50mm.  I almost threw this out, but in the end I grew to like it.  I enjoy the fact that it is not crystal clear and that so much is left to the imagination.

As my photography business has grown, I am amazed at the people that I have met and the ideas that they have.  It has made me appreciate what I do and how I do it.  Through all of the ups and down, my wife, Priti,  has been there for me.  While sometimes she thinks that I spend too much time on a project; she is always supportive and understanding about what I am trying to do.  But maybe, as I sit here, it is not about what I am trying to do, as much as where I am trying to go.  Priti will tell you that I am having a mid-life crisis.  I am not sure I am old enough to be having one of those, but she may have a point.  I am always looking for a direction; Where do I want to go and what do I want to do.  Photography for me is not just a job, but it truly is a passion.  It is something that I think about, dream about and even fantasize about.  I love being able to take the tool that I have and create a story without words.  I know that I “got the shot” when the person’s eyes tells the whole story.  That single focused goal is what makes me get get up each and every day to do what I do

If there is something that my mother instilled in me many years ago, it was to never stop learning.  To recognize that you are not the best at something and that there are always people out in the world who know more then you do.  She told me to learn from them and to never stop having a passion for knowledge.  Those thoughts, I believe, have taken me to where I am with photography today.  I am a prolific reader; I will read anything on a subject that fascinates me.  I will listen to anyone who I think knows more than I do (and that is most people).  There are always 50 some odd podcasts in my iTunes folder that I need to listen to ( I never seem to get caught up);  Always books by my bed that I am always in the middle of.  But that is how I am.  I want to learn;  I thrive on it.  If my mom had any mantra, it was to never stop learning, no matter how old you were.

I have learned a lot over these past years trying to find out who I am as a photographer.  I have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and technical knowhow. But, maybe after these 72 hours of thinking,  I am now realize that I am at a point where that knowledge needs to become wisdom.  I need to learn how to do that.

This first shot is his and the 2nd one is mine.  Neither of us “won”, but I was proud that he was brave enough to submit his work to a judge, knowing that he could be criticized.