End of an amazing era...

I was in my office this morning and looked on my wall and noticed some things that I really hadn't paid much attention to lately. It's rather remarkable that I had "forgotten" about them with the latest news and headlines concerning the Space Shuttles' last voyage. I've noted in previous blogs that I've been extremely lucky in life both through the friendships I've made and events I've witnessed or been a part of. In 1980 one of my friends and the owner of one of my commercial accounts, Art Swenson, alerted me about a fund raiser the Kansas City Philharmonic was having. One of the movers and shakers in K.C. had come up with the idea of filling an L 1011 airplane with passengers to fly to Orlando the day before the first launch of the Columbia, Americas first Space Shuttle, and witness history in the making. The plan was to fly from K.C. to Orlando, check into Disney World, relax, have a social hour, dinner with a talk about the space program, and then be turned loose on the park for a night of having fun. We were cautioned however, to get to bed early as the wake up call would be at three am and we would depart Disney for Cape Canaveral an hour later. They would wait for no one.

As a kid I had been mesmerized by flying, rockets, and the Space program, starting with the hearing the testing of rocket engines at "Rocketdyne Industries" which was several miles from a Boy Scout camp I attended in the summer. We could hear the roar of the thrust of the engines during the tests and my imagination conjured up images of men in space suits conducting the tests with clipboards and some kind of thruster packs on their back. It was SPACE......RIGHT !! Suddenly I was in Florida, about to witness the launch of Americas' first Space Shuttle.....how could this be. I couldn't sleep.

We left Disney World at four as promised, but what style. We consisted of a motorcade of Limos, lead by a pair of Highway Patrol cars in front of us, using both lanes heading for the Cape. Obviously someone had really thought this out because as we drew nearer to Cape Kennedy and the launch site, the traffic slowed and then stopped. This was a California style traffic jam. The Patrol cars did the only thing they could to keep us moving. The entire motorcade switched onto the other side of the four lane, the lanes coming FROM Kennedy, where there was absolutely NO traffic, and we sailed onto the site.

Daylight was breaking and we were let out of the Limos, and gathered in the Launch Vehicle Staging area. We got a tour of the facility and then were escorted to the V.I.P section about a half mile from the launch pad. In the short distance the Columbia was poised pointed to the sky.

( to be continued )

Put the "Dancing Shoes" on !!!

Over the years I have pursued different types of clients, primarily because it looked like the assignments could be fun. I have been fortunate however to have clients come to me with some really great projects. One of the ones I always look forward to are the dance studios. It seems that most young girls love the theater of "Dance". The costuming, 'Ballerina Imagery", and the excitement of presentation, all roll up into a girls dream, sometimes leading up to a career in performance, teaching, or a refined appreciation for the "media". If you have not been to a dance recital you owe it to yourself to see one. Generally the youngest come on with the first routine, then the next age group, then combinations of ages then the grand finale. There are multiple clothing changes and groupings it is really fun.

When I am engaged to photograph a Dance Troupe, I like to complete the photography a week or so before the actual dance recital which comes at the end of a season of classes. This way the dancers can receive their portraits on the afternoon or night of the recital. The age ranges from very young to teenagers and young adults. I've found that in the youngest performers I generally get some fabulous expressions. I have found that it works well to set up a "studio" at the Dance School location as everyone knows it's location and it is familiar to the young dancers. Starting in the morning we photograph individuals and groups and the event can last most of the day. I have a wide array of packaging that allows a great selection to choose from. I've included some images from my last shoot.

Great Sounds........

I'm back from the F.I.G.A. gathering in Oklahoma City that occurred this past weekend. I had a great time and heard some absolutely amazing playing. This association encompasses fretted string instruments. This covers a lot of territory. Guitars, banjos, mandolines, fiddles, anything that is strung can be included. I was impressed that perhaps more importantly than the older crowd of musicians getting together, the up and coming kids were astonishing in style, talent, but also numbers. There was a group from Texas that numbers in the hundreds.

Throughout the Sheraton puck up groups would get together and Jam, all ages invited. It was just great. The levels of accomplishment ran the spectrum from beginning to professional. Several of the kids had started on the guitar but transitioned to banjo and have prospered.

One gentleman that I spoke with at length, pulled out his case and opened it to show me his violin. His father presented the violin to him, after making it for him as a 9th birthday present in 1944. Talk about a treasure. Stories like that make you glad to be alive and know that there are special people around that can do almost anything.

The American Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City was one of the sponsors of the event which was just a couple of blocks from the Sheraton. What a display of instruments. The detail in some of the backs, sides, and necks of the instruments in the Museum is incredible. The displays cover not only the instruments themselves but also the history of the banjo. After being surrounded by the pickers, players, and great people.....I want to be able to play a banjo.

Dueling Banjos...

Starting tomorrow I will be in Oklahoma City at the National Four String Banjo Hall of Fame,(aka American Banjo Museum)documenting the event and producing Professional portraits of some of Americas finest Banjo players. It should be a ball of fun. Musicians and fans from all over the world attend the event and it will be centered around the Museum. Saturday afternoon a stage will be filled with players directly across the street from the museum and music will be flowing from different areas through the featuring not only Banjos, but also Ukuleles, Mandolins, and Guitars. Yeeee Haaaawwwwwww..I can't wait. Images soon to follow so look for the notice soon.Banjos - Ukuleles - Mandolins - Guitars

The Broken Arrow Color Guard Summer Dance Theatre

As I mentioned in my previous blog I had photographed the Summer Production of the Broken Arrow Color Guard Dance production. It was a production !!!! I was totally blown away from all aspects. The style, movements, color, intensity, and flair was just outstanding. I could rattle on like this endlessly, but instead I'll just post a couple of images from the production. I'll NEVER miss this again.

Adam, A Broken Arrow Junior

Adam is one of the members of the Broken Arrow Pride Band, a very prestigious position to hold. The Band is outstanding in every area of competition, both Nationally and within the Midwest region. Their marching style is unequalled and the Broken Arrow Color Guard, who work in tandem with the Band, are are equally creative. Adam is a member of that also having participated in the Summer Dance Theatre. The Dance Theater was a complete surprise to me as I was thinking it would be similar to other productions I had seen through the years in Missouri. WOW !! was I ever wrong.

I have never seen a production so expressive and professional in scripting, music, production and style. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The ideology of the scripting, style of dancing, and set design was far superior to any production I have ever seen.I would put it on even keel with the production of "Phantom of the Opera" that I saw in Chicago in the early 90's. It was just blown away and impressed. I'll get some images of that on the Blog tomorrow. Back to Adam.

We spent some session time yesterday photographing for his "Chrome" book. It amounts to 20 pages with Adam and his car and horns. It was a great shoot and we got some exceptional images.

Exciting stuff..........

I have just completed a session with a client that is a Junior at Broken Arrow High. The session went well and we have some really great images and I think he will be very happy with them. I'm doing some new things with the images and be sure to come back to see the results.

Great NEWS !! Speak !! Speak !!

I was notified last week that I have been accepted by Millers Digital Imaging as a Speaker within their Speakers Team. This means that they will sponsor me on the Professional Photography Speakers Circuit which furnishes knowledgeable "talent" to give programs to Photographic Guilds, State Associations, and the National organizations such as the Professional Photographers of America, Wedding Photographers International, and other groups in other countries. Acceptance within this speaking group is difficult to attain and it is an extreme honor to be included with this group of photographic professionals. This is going to be fun !!!