Contrast, Balance, Harmony

This was my son's first burger at In-n-Out. I wish I'd gotten a little lower to hide the stools behind him better and if I'd had a better lens with a shallower depth of field, maybe a prime 50mm, I could have given more impact by setting it between his nose and hands. I like the way that the red chair curves into his back and seems to come out on the other side as his shirt. There is also a balance in the red upper left and the darker gray on the lower right. I have to admit, its not one of my better photos, but it captures the moment of his first burger.

I took this in Moab, UT. On a trip to Arches, my brother-in-law posed for me under one of the arches. I like how he is placed low in the frame, while the arch hangs over him.

A group guide in Peru. She had a great smile and was a fun person to learn about the culture and history from. This is a good example of the rule of thirds, because I have her framed to the right, while the stairs up to the ruins or out of focus to the left. With only a few color pops in the back ground, the green and the blue, the image is almost all browns, flesh tones and white.

This woman offered to be my wife, as part of the exhibition they gave us. We learned how they made the dies to color their cloth. Unfortunately I was already married and my wife was there to protect me. I like this picture because it looks like a dutch angle, but she is actually leaning to the side while I was square with her. The bowl she is using and the hat she wears makes an interesting balance in the frame.

I just couldn't get enough of the women in uniform in Cusco. I wish I'd noticed that the guy walked through as I took this, because she moved away not long after that and I wasn't able to capture a better shot of her. She was riding a motorcycle around the town square.

One night, I stayed in a campsite near a small mountain town along the Inca Trail. Outside my tent was this cute fella tied to a tree who was also my alarm clock that morning. My favorite part of this picture is the hair and the texture it ads to his face. Then there is the bridle made of a nylon weave or something hand made there in the mountains. It has another texture and color that draws a line around his face. He is framed in green almost all around, with just a hint of blue sky in the upper left.

Visceral Response

I have so many things I'd want to talk about, and I couldn't choose just one, so I picked 3.


Art: Oath of the Horatii by Jacques-Louis David

- I love this piece. I like how its broken into 3 registers by the arches in the background and each part of the scene is telling different parts of a story. Its about Loyalty and Patriotism, but you have to know the story to understand the details. Even so, from the emotions and poses, you can understand the feelings it can cause.

Design: Sony "Play Beyond" Playstation Ad Campaign

- I've always been a huge fan of Playstation, ever since the first console came out. Sony has had many successful ad campaigns, but they always seem to die out to soon. The "Live in your world, Play in ours" was another of my favorites, and to this day, I still quote it. That was the slogan in the late 90's and its 2014. I don't know if that kind of stay power exists with other gamers, but it seems to have worked with me.

Sculpture: Pieta by Michelangelo

- I always have a feeling of awe and wonder at the detail and time that went into a piece like this. My favorite periods are Classic Greek and Hellenistic. What I look at is the posture, the head facing down, the draped fabric, the slumped body of Christ. In another Spanish Pieta, that is made of wood, the image has more pain in the face and even red ink stained into the arms and head to mimic blood.