A Seasonal Confession....

I'm having a great time with the Christmas season. While in Home Depot about a month ago I was "stalked" by a woman that came up to me and asked/told me that I would make a perfect Santa, and had I ever done  that ? Over the last couple of years I have been Home Depots' Santa for pictures with the kids and families so it wasn't like a new challenge for me, or for that matter, a strange question. It actually ranks up there with the "are YOU David Crosby?" but that's another story. I hear that a lot .

I thanked her and she then told me that She was needing several "Santa's" for the "Polar Express" that would be running in Bristow, Oklahoma for the Christmas holidays. The ride would feature a real train ride to the North Pole, magically 30 minutes out of Bristow, pick up Santa and he would walk through the train greeting all and giving, to all of the Children under 12, a silver bell and instructions to help mom make a bunch of chocolate chip cookies, a glass of milk for Santa, and 2 carrots for the Raindeer as they are running hard around the world.

It is more fun than a barrel of Monkeys. The wide eyes, screams of "Santa !!!", and the looks on the kids faces is just amazing. It is also a great time to chide the Adult men mentioning that next year would be their year, if they cleaned up several issues that I have heard about. It is a real kick in the pants...what a great time.

I also got an inquiry this morning asking me to produce imagery for an interior design company. I'll follow with more information once it is more concrete.

Have a great holiday season and do the unexpected for someone else. Merry Christmas.

New Challenges..........

You may have heard the bells toll for my trusty Mac Pro that I have used for many years. Three weeks ago it started to act really strange and then just gave up the ghost....the screen went black, 

lights out, not gonna work any more......

I did some hand wrenching for a couple of days as to what to buy next, a Mac Pro for a lot of money,

or a Mini Mac maxed out with ram and a large storage drive. I decided on the Mini Mac and a three Terabyte storage drive. In the process several tasks have changed and the Ol' Dog has to master some new tricks. I really hate that but you have to move with the technology not against it. 

I'm going to have to transfer several drives from my old machine into the new one and hook up with iCloud to hold all that I have. That necessitates a trip to the Apple store and a sit-down with a "Genius" that may or may not be able to help. As we used to say in the late sixties...onward through the fog.

I have however had another very successful Senior Session a couple of days ago. In our consultation we discussed some options and decided on a direction to go. One of the neatest images of the session I have included on this blog......a pretty nice shot. I love my job.

16,000 VIEWS !!!!!

It has happened ........ 16,000 views since starting the blog. The number isn't just a number, it's an incentive for me. I started the Blog for no real reason several years ago....it just seemed like it was something I had to do. No real reason....just had to. I have no idea where the idea came from other than I have had the amazing good luck to be at the right place at the right time and lucky enough to figure it out. I hope that shows a bit in the Blog....Many of the adventures, opportunities, and associations I have had with individuals came through chance encounters. With a bit of nurturing, many have developed into lifetime memories and chances. In many cases one would build upon another.

Had I not gone to Southwest Missouri State, I would have not had the life changing educational association with Alan Brown who lit the fire of photography in my soul and showed me how to "see".
From the opportunity that gave me, I worked with Don Sothern, owner of Sothern Studio and learned the "business" of photography and learned to "see" studio lighting.

Had I not gotten my Masters Degree, I would not have separated myself from the other photographers in the area of my first studio, and given my first big commercial shoot by Jack Manning, owner of Joplin Printing. Nor would have I started my business in 1972 as I was "over-educated" and unemployable in a down economy.

Had I not entered and won two years in a row in the 70's the Kodak "Decorating with Photography" competition I would have never met Paul Ness from Kodak, whom I spent July of 1987 in China with as a member of a team of Professional Photographers sent over as Ambassadors from Kodak to talk with our Chinese counterparts.

I would have never become friends with Byron Morgan a writer and film maker from NASA that asked me to go to Baghdad before the Desert Storm and document our retrieval of Japanese Hostages which in turn led to the Japanese getting the American Hostages out as we were landing in Los Angeles. Had I not gone on that trip I would have never met the most wonderful women in the world, my wife Karen, as a result of of a multi image slide show of the trip.

Had it not been for Karen I would have probably never left Carthage, and would have missed all of the opportunities I've experienced in Tulsa. And it just keeps getting better. My commercial photography business is growing and I am seeing the inside of manufacturing and sales. It is just getting better and better.

I am a firm believer that opportunity is continually knocking, we just have to recognize the sound and not be afraid to take the leap. 

Forty Two....

As of last Monday, Morgan Studio was 42 years old. I opened the studio in Carthage Missouri in 1972 at Third and Lyon in a three room rented office. I was there three years and considered buying the building but I couldn't get a favorable price from the owner, at least not from my perspective.  As fate would have it a building became available down the street at 340 Lyon and it was perfect. I bought it and my Dad and remodeled it. It was built in 1883 and there was not a square corner in the building and the walls weren't plumb. We fir stripped the walls and got it in shape, paneled the reception area, painted and laid a flat floor in the studio area and the business really took off. At this time I had the largest studio area in the immediate area and it increased my commercial business.

The studio was open for thirty years and saw some great images from "Prom Portraits", Commercial Images, Dance Groups, Families, Seniors, Babies, Pets, and a multitude of other different assignments. From this location I based all of my photographic efforts which led to assignments throughout North America and the World.  I'll follow this note up soon with some images of the building transformation and more images from it. I love my job.....

16,000 views looming on the horizon....

Checking out my views just no I see that I'm almost reaching the 16,000 views I never expected. Thanks for looking ..... 20,000 is soon to follow !!!!

Senior Portrait season starts again.......

Last week I completed the first session of what looks like will be another great Senior Season. It's really pretty amazing when you think about it, but the Senior Portrait is a true milestone in a persons life. Marking twelve years of academic success, these images are probably the last Professional images that will be taken until the wedding day of the individual. From my historical view, the next set will be marking the first family portraits after the birth of the first child. Then in many cases, it will take another Senior Portrait before the whole family is professionally photographed again. Below are a few of the images of my client.

The Cleveland Wrecking Yard....

A friend of mine, Tom Webb, years ago recommended I read "Trout Fishing in America". I've fished and thought it might be a good read so I gave it a whirl. The book wasn't a bit about fishing.....but was one of the best collections of short stories I've ever read. It was written by Richard Braughtigan and was the first of his books that I devoured. I was reminded of it this last weekend in in a junk store, excuse me, Architectural Salvage store we visited. In one of the stories, "The Cleveland Wrecking Yard", Braughtigan had ventured in to a junk store to get a friend of his a birthday present. As I turned the first corner around a bunch of used somethings, the story suddenly came to mind.

The descriptions and wording of all of the books that Mr. Braughtigan wrote was a big draw for me. In a paragraph he set up mental images that resonated a reality that had to exist. In the "Cleveland Wrecking Yard", after wandering through the stacked doors, chipped columns, random bricks, and broken windows,  he turned a corner and wave of white light reached out to him, drawing him closer to the source. A white brilliance that had to be celestial in origin was radiating towards him. He walked slowly into the vortex.

As I walked through the building I saw, lined up against the wall  scores of Toilets, Lavatories, and Bathtubs, in various states of repair. The sunlight danced off of them serving as bait to the eyes of the unsuspecting. It was almost delightful experiencing the chapter I read decades ago. Lined up against the wall were the objects of discussion in all forms and styles. The light was amazing and I was taken back to the past. The following images are from the store, nothing was purchased, but a memory returned.

Published Images...............

I just received my copy of Planet Laundry, the Magazine of the Coin Laundry Association, with two of my images from the commercial shoot I did for Liberty Laundry. I was pleased with their inclusion in the articles written about the running and building of a successful laundry business. I was very pleased with the images and they printed well in the magazine. These are the two that were included.

I love my job....

Memorial Day...

I worked Memorial Day for an account I've had for a number of years that recognises Veterans with a day long event including some top Military speakers.  This year I captured two images that stand out in my mind. The gentleman on the bench had a flag that he wished to place on a past friends grave, a Veteran from WWII. He sat for about 10 minutes then rose and walked to the grave of his friend. He placed a flag on it, paused for several minutes then walked away...........old friends are never forgotten....

The second image is one that I saw after the event was over and most of the crowd had left. I would say that it was probably placed there for the same reasons the older gentleman placed his flag on his friends grave. Never forgotten.........

Busy Summer to say the least.....

Sorry I've neglected you, I've been up to my ears in work and creating a new backyard complete with several locations for portraits. It's been fun, somewhat costly, but will reap great rewards for my clients and my leisure time. As a matter of fact, my first Senior Portrait session is this Wednesday signaling the opening of the 2014-15 Senior Portrait season. It will be a great time. Some portrait samples are soon to follow.

The additions I've made have enhanced the wildlife population in the backyard too. We have a marked increase in Dragonflies, birds, a couple of squirrels, and a tribe of rabbits. I eliminated a hill which I have hated for the last twelve years, enlarged and relocated the Koi pond 16 fold, and added 16 new fish. The decks are two levels with a total of three. They are in the shade from early morning till 11:00, then back in the shade from 3:00 on. They are a photographers delight. You'll see results sometime toward the end of the week.

I have more plans for another addition to the design that I'll show you when I get that part done. Hopefully it will be completed in three weeks, weather permitting. Here are a couple of shots of our new friends that are starting to hang around. Stay tuned for the upcoming addition.....

15,000 Page views !!!!

We passed 15,000 page views this week...THANKS !!!  I photographed this orchid last week just for kicks. It was given to our family and I knew I could keep it growing and thought I might get it to bloom. Hot Damn !! It worked !!!

Thanks for helping the Blog pass 15,000 views.....

Approaching 15,000 views...........and some thoughts concerning my job..

Today should be a good day. I'm expecting to get news on the new account I talked of yesterday and am going to do some shooting for myself this afternoon. I'm also just short of 15,000 views of my Blog and should hit that number today. I find that amazing and quite frankly somewhat stunning.

The original intent of the blog was to give me an avenue to talk of my work, generate some new business and expose the public to what I do professionally. I NEVER expected to have this many views in so short of a time. In a profession that is saturated with individuals trying to break into the business of Professional Photography, with the minimum of professional training, I felt as though my Blog could help clients see the difference between a "smart" camera, and a photographer who could who makes decided decisions concerning his photographic imagery. These decisions involve time of day, light, design, expected look of the image, and intended use of the image. A camera can't make these decisions, the experienced trained photographer does. The images are generally "Pre-Designed"
before the camera is even loaded to go to the site. It is totally impossible for me to deliver the best of my work without laying down a shooting plan to arrive at the image of what I want. It's just the way I work. It saves my clients money, and saves me the frustration of having to figure it all out on the spot
with totally unexpected surprises.

I try to control all of the elements of the image in composition, color, light, design, and view. This does not mean that there are a few unexpected elements that come into play. I have to accept the draw  of the day, clouds in the sky, wind, and elements that may appear as I push the shutter and make the exposure. Sometimes these random elements work to my advantage and other times I have to wait for them to change and continue the shoot. That's one of the parts of the job I love......every shoot is different....every one is a challenge. What a great profession.

A great meeting............

I met with a gentleman yesterday in a marketing effort to gain access to one particular account I wish to pursue. This potential client owns one of the most visible buildings in Tulsa and has been very successful in the business he is in. The man I met with knows him well and will arrange our meeting so I may offer my photographic services. I really like the look of the building and have never seen a photograph that does it justice. All of the images I've seen have not taken into account the problems with vertical lines of the building and especially the color balance inside the showroom. The photographers that have delivered the images were either rookies or just untrained and inexperienced. The three things that are on my side are experience, knowledge of light and the season of the year.

Due to the way the building is situated it needs to be photographed in the early Spring as the sun is in the South and the light that is available now is perfect for the setting. I will probably photograph it at two different times of the day for two totally different looks. I'll post the images as soon as I get them completed....they should be pretty amazing.

A lost spring Robin...

We came home yesterday from a great lunch for Mothers Day with family and Karen called me to the Peonies we have in front of the house. She pointed to one of the branches and the baby Robin didn't move. On the fence not far away was the mother or father, worm in mouth, waiting for us to leave so they could feed it. We did the ol' "Exit stage left" and watched through the living room window for awhile.

We have a yellow and white cat that resides in the neighborhood that had a good lunch on three doves in the same situation last year. I hope the Robin makes it.

Invasion as witnessed by Black Crow...

While sitting at TU ( Tulsa University ) yesterday waiting for clients, I suddenly noticed a Crow watching an incoming invasion of Flying Saucers on the grounds near the Library. Although startled, I did pick up my camera and bang off a shot or two before the Crow scrambled away cawing loudly. I guess he just didn't realize that this seems to be a right of the summer season. If the Crows' memory would serve him well, he would remember that the same thing happened last year about this time. Get used to it Crow....it'll last through September and then they will return to their home planet, Umbrellus,

and stay for the season there. Remember Crow..........it's only a movie....

Red Moon Rising..........

I had heard about the Red Moon on the news and thought it would be good to see. I got up thanks to Karen and went out as the Eclipse was just starting. Using my 300 MM lens I started looking at it to check the progression of the movement. It's very early in the morning, about 1:30, I don't have my contacts in OR my glasses on so I have hampered myself to some extent. I fumble with the camera, set up I can obviously do blind, and head to the back deck. The moon is up but looking through the lens I figured I was led astray by the new people...it wasn't RED......It looked black and white.
Over the next hour or so, the magic happened, the Moon grabbed a tinge of Red from the celestial
pond and BINGO....Red Moon !!!!   YeeeeeeeeeHaaaawwwwww  What a kick............

In a place Far..Far...Away...

As many of you know we have been going through my Moms' home as she passed recently.....

In doing so we have come across some amazing images taken in the mid 60's, some of which were taken by the NEW and AMAZING Swinger...Polaroid camera. I must have been a sophomore in High School, standing with Scott, Gaye, and Rob on the lawn of the Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage. I'm on the far left, and looking at the picture I noticed a 1951 Chevy Panel truck turning onto the Square. I am absolutely positive that this was driven by Onis Hutchins, a local plumber in town. It is, upon looking back, pretty nice to see it running through the image. I bought that Van from Bill Barksdale about 30 years later and reworked the drive train, wiring, interior, chrome, radio, and repainted it a deep metallic brown on the body and a gloss black on the fenders and running boards.  It made a great studio vehicle because of the room and individual look. I had it several years and a guy dropped into the studio one afternoon asking about the Van parked in front.  I told him it was mine and he asked if it was for sale. I replied that everything is negotiable, was he interested in buying it. Answering yes, he asked what the price was. I wasn't really expecting that and I priced the Van to him. He sat down and wrote me a check, and said he was in town for a week and to cash the check, he would pick up the Van on Friday. On Friday....as the Van drove away.....my heart sank. The Van was going to a new home in Florida..........I've been looking for one ever since......a 1951 Chevy Panel truck.

Solitude in stone...

Growing up in Carthage Missouri it was made known early on that I lived in the "Limestone Capital of the World", which for years only meant that there were a lot of rocks around. At 16 and a new driver, I found the "Quarry Quarter", a strip of road out in the country, that ran past a VERY large hole in the earth that Limestone was quarried from and turned into marble by Carthage Marble. The "quarter mile" had been marked off and that became one of two locations were you could find out how fast your parents car was. It was obvious that you had to run North as if you ran South you would run into the "T" at the start, and crash. You also didn't want to veer to the East as you would go over the rim of the quarry and drop a hundred feet or so onto a limestone floor. That happened once without good results.

In addition to Carthage Marble, another company, Locarni Marble, was located just south and across the street. Locarni furnished the building trade "Art Marble" of various colors and origins. Absolutely stunning marble was finished by them and sent all over the United States and Canada. Recently the company closed and I got permission from the Real Estate Agent to enter the buildings and photograph the working and storage areas. The buildings and areas are protected by video surveillance to prevent theft and damage from vandals. It is interesting that the cameras also have night vision. These are some of the images from the session.

Liberty Laundry

I had the distinct pleasure of photographing a new Laundry service location here in Tulsa. Liberty Laundry's facility is on South Delaware and is a "state of the art" facility. They offer a self serve or drop off service and this is the third location within the chain. I love to photograph chrome and this location is loaded with it. Just a really clean look that photographs well....I love my job...

WOW !!!! Topped 14,000 !!!

Thanks to everyone for having the interest in my Blog top put me over the 14,000 views that I have gotten. Who would have ever thought that such ramblings and misspellings would create such an audience.....Hope you like the imagery and tales also. 

Family history.....

A friend of mine purchased a 1966, 427 Corvette convertible, several years ago and I told him that I had the perfect location to shoot it at. We met there, about 175 miles away, and waited for the light to get right. As it turned out one of his relatives, uncle I believe, had painted the original sign on the building behind the car. After speaking with him a couple of weeks ago and asking about the car, he told me he had sold it. Once again an image becomes family history.

Been gone...Now back..

It's been a wild first of the year...I have been working in Missouri on a project that won't be done till June, and have had no time to sit down. I came across the real definition of a Shoe Tree that I thought I should share.

There has to be a story behind this.....