P52 Week 30: Street Photography

I've been reading a great Street Photography ebook By James Maher.  so it inspired this week's post. I rarely do this type of shot, mainly because of a misinterpretation I had about shooting in public. I thought that if you took a picture of someone, you then would need a model release in order to post it. And that can be a drag, to carry around releases, and have to take the time to get them signed, etc. But after reading this book, I understand the law better. If you take a picture of a person in a public place, it is fair game, unless you are using that for advertising and such. If I post a picture of someone in public on my blog, or in a book, it is art and is ok. Now if I was in someone's home, that would be a different story. Of course, there are moral issues, and I would not want to post something to intentionally embarrass someone. I could, but that's not me.
Anyway, here's some shots from my week. Nothing exciting, but it's a start.

While out on a bike ride this week, I passed the restaurant where Sue, and Mom and I had lunch when I was down for my interviews in April. It's when Sue and I decided that we could definitely like to live in the city. And it's also where my favorite waitress works (Penny). I saw a guy walking in with his kids.. Looked like a good subject.

C'mon Kids! This is way better than Disney World..

On that same bike ride, I couldn't find many people out. So I went up on a parking garage and looked down over the Harris Teeter parking lot.  Finally saw this woman frantically searching for her keys. And the sign "Don't Forget..." seemed appropriate. The little kid in the sports car shopping cart spotted me, so I moved away. Didn't want them to think I was a sniper. She found her keys by the way.

Don't Forget

Went to see Dave Matthews Band last Wednesday in Charlotte.  Used the panorama on my iphone to catch this shot of the lawn people. Lots of empty blue chairs at this point. And the skies were ominous.

Waiting for the show.

And then the skies opened up. With every flash of lightning and boom of thunder, the crowds roared. It was pretty cool, until they announced that the lawn people and those of us with uncovered seats, would have to evacuate. The storm was coming straight for us. BUMMER! The show still went on, but not for us. I'll admit it was dangerous, but if I was by myself, I would have been dumb enough to stay. I mean, come on...It was Dave Matthews! But here's how bad it was. Walking back to the car there was a slight slope on the driveway...And the rain water was still over our sneakers...Yup. Lotsa rain.

Mr. Helpful

The next night, we went to see Keith Urban-one of Sue's favorites. Not my kind of music, but I'll admit that he is a great guitar player and puts on an awesome show. And we had 4th row seats right in the middle...And undercover...And it didn't rain...

Keith Urban

Walking out after the show... I spotted this energetic drunk singing and doing sit ups all by himself in the parking lot. That's the kind of odd behavior you look for in street photography.

Working off his beer

Sunday, Sue and I went to the farmers market. Brought my camera and tried some candid shooting. That's part of the fun of street shooting-get the shot and be discreet. I just kept my camera at my side on auto-focus and took my chances. Got this shot of some folks chatting.

Nectarines

 More gabbers by the potatoes and onions. It's a real social event at the market.

Big Pot-atoes

And lastly, got this shot of a farmer refilling his baskets. Yuck..Eggplant..

Eggplants 1.39/lb.

I also looked at a book by Ansel Adams this week. And one thing I noticed was the names of his pictures. Something I struggle with is coming up with a name for my shots. But it's something that you really need to do. Some of his shots were named so simply. Like 'Stump and dirt", (not a real name of his stuff, but something similar). So I'm going to make a point of naming all my shots and trying not to over-think things.

Hey, I hit 100 likes on Face book this week. Going to have to have a give-away to mark this occasion, so my thinking cap is on. And anyone who has like my page will be in the running. SO stay tuned!

Have an AWESOME week folks!
Em

P52 Week 29: Snapshots

 Hey gang, If you're looking for any inspiring art this week, you will be greatly disappointed. I had a great week, but photography was far from my mind. As you know, Sue moved down here last Sunday after we got all our business taken care of back in NH. 2 months apart, and it was was wonderful reunion. And work was actually good this week too. I'm catching on to the new company, and I had someone waiting for me when I got home! So I was happy. Sue was busy unpacking, and decorating and turning our plain apartment into a home. I think she likes it here in Charlotte. And she said she was impressed with my familiarity with the area. She's not impressed with the 3 Red lights she said I blew through, but I've tried to explain that they are "Optional Red Lights". They weren't quite red. I think they were sort of yellow. I've definitely brought my defensive Boston driving skills with me. The thing is, if you miss a light down here, you wait AT LEAST 5 mins for another green....I know...I'll try to behave...

Anyway, my family has been haunting me for pics of our apartment. So this week, I'm just posting some hastily taken snapshots. And I'm doing some reading on street photography, so I'm hoping next week, I'll be back on track with some new stuff.
Without any further ado...Some before and afters

Living Room Before

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Dining Room Before

Dining Room After

Guest Bedroom Before

Guest Bedroom After...Sorry, guests....

Master Bedroom Before

Master Bedroom After

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Hallway Before

Hallway After

Ok. some of those may have been an exaggeration, but I think Sue has done a great job. Here are the real afters:

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Dining Room

 Dining Room

Guest Bedroom/Office

Guest Bedroom

Living Room

Living Room

Kitchen

Hallway

So there you have it. The new digs. No lawns to mow, to driveways to shovel. Utopia!

C'mon down! I'll move the guitars and leave the light on. Speaking of guitars, we've got a great week of music lined up. Dave Matthews Band on Wednesday, and Keith Urban on Thursday. 8 miles away. Sweet! That will take care of Sue's and my upcoming 15th Anniversary.

Ok, come back again next week and see how my street photography went.

Cheers!

Em

p.s. Here's a daisy from a bunch that my neighbor Velma brought over to Sue...Yup, she's the same great neighbor who was keeping me fed with chocolate cake the last couple of months....She's a sweetie.

P52 Week 28: Home and Back

This was a hectic and emotional week to say the least. I crammed a weeks worth of work into 4 days so that I could finish up my projects at the office and go home to NH. I headed home Thursday night. Paid extra so that I could get home early (by 10pm)...Of course there were delays and I ended up getting into Manchester at 11pm. Regardless I was anxious to get home and see my honey. When I got to Manchester, and got off the plane, I felt like I had just returned from Afghanistan. I hadn't seen my wife in 7 weeks, and I missed her badly. The welcome that I got from her at the airport made the difficulty of the past 7 weeks a distant memory.

Friday was a busy day of packing and loading the moving truck and visiting the kids and family. That was really tough. The realization that "Yup, this is it. Going to be away for who knows how long." The only saving grace is that we have their love and support as Sue and I embark on our adventure. We also met with the folks who are renting our house. A really nice family, and I'm happy they will be living there.

Sue and I got up early Saturday. I took some last pics of the yard, and we hit the road by 6:30am.

Front of House

Back yard

We drove about 15 hours Saturday. 4 hours of that was spent stuck in traffic. Either for construction, or accidents. We saw a major accident where a car was demolished, which made us feel bad for griping about being stuck.

In my rearview

We had a call from our tenants Saturday night, to tell us how they were doing, and to see how we were doing. Very thoughtful. Then the husband told me they were enjoying our hot tub. That's when it hit me that "Some stranger is in our hot tub ..We really are moving, aren't we?" Before that, I was just too busy to even think about it...Well, we had 14 years in that house, and it was time to move on...Ok, I'm over it... Now on to Charlotte!
We only had a 7 hour drive on Sunday....I was so excited to show Sue the city I've come to love...

Going to Town

We arrived about 2:30pm. I hired a couple of young guys to unload the truck for us. I'm not one to ask for help ( I don't know why)...and I normally would have done this myself, but this company put a flyer in my mailbox for moving and such. Well worth it! The kids did a great job. If you are in the Charlotte, Virginia, or Atlanta area, look up LocalMovers 

Wow. A whole new me! Asking for help..Who woulda thunk it? How else have I changed? Well, I actually went grocery shopping with Sue...And I enjoyed it! Well, I hadn't seen her in awhile, and I wanted to spend time with her.  So let's just say that I 'tolerated' grocery shopping. I'm sure that will pass...Don't worry about me.

Basket  O' Goodies

Anyway, we're here safe and sound, and the place is getting a woman's touch and starting to look like a home. I'm a happy man. Hope you will come visit! We'll leave the light on...

C-Ya!
Em

Project 52: Week 27: America the Beautiful

Three days and counting...That's when I can go back to NH and pick up my bride and bring her down to her new home. Can't wait! I have been keeping it low key down here. Not doing too much exploring since I want to wait and do things together. But I have managed to find things to do for myself. This week I went to a Charlotte Photographers Group meeting. Enjoyed a great program by Steve Lindenman on sports photography. That is a subject I really enjoy, having covered sports for the Laconia Citizen last year. Someday...maybe I can get trampled in the end zone of Gillette Stadium... That's on my bucket list. Anyway,  I think I found a really good group of creative and interesting folks.

I headed over to Symphony Park in Charlotte on Wednesday to see the fireworks. It's only a 1/2 mile walk which is really convenient. The Charlotte Symphony was playing at their version of the Hat-shell (Boston Lingo here). The stage is built up on a the water, and its a great atmosphere.

I was enjoying the fireworks listening to the 1812 Overture, and Stars and Stripes when the cannon went off. Holy Cow. Scared the heck out of me. Made me think of Boston at the marathon.

After another day back at work, I wanted to do something that I was sure Sue would have no interest in, her being afraid of heights and all. So I thought of going to Chimney Rock. Sue and Mom and I went there back in April while on vacation. but the road was closed to due to a wash out. So I looked online. This time, they said the elevator was out of order and you'd have to walk up 26 flights of stairs. "Good workout!" I thought. I asked Sue if she had any interest at all of going back there..."Have a good time, she said! And please don't hurt yourself." So I planned on getting a good hike in on Saturday. But when I got there, the elevator was back in order...And a good thing it was..Because once you ride up the elevator, there is still a hike to get to the very top. And my ol' creaky knee was sore thanks to the frequent rain..

It sure is beautiful up there despite the rain clouds and gray skies.

If you ever get a chance, be sure to check it out.

So, where is Em off to next? Back to NH tomorrow night! I'll see some of the family on Friday, pack the U-haul, and then head right back to Charlotte on Saturday with Sue and Bella. So next week's post will probably be about my mis-adventures on the road.  Wish me luck!

Have an awesome weekend.
Em

P52 Week 26: Keeping Busy

In case you're keeping track - I've got my numbers all messed up..No, you haven't missed week 25..I had two 24's in a row. A Math genius I'm not. So here's 26.
Gonna be another quick one. I'm taking a break in between some jobs I'm running for work, but I wanted to get something posted. It was a rough week at work. Bit of home sickness, and loneliness, and an over-abundance of work. But ended the week on a high note. Had breakfast on Friday at the 'Original Pancake House' with a new acquaintance I met while hiking Crowder's Mountain last month. Someone who admired my photography and blogs. We talked about our families, and business, etc, and I really enjoyed it. So a shout out to Dale! Thanks again.
Then I ended up the Friday night with bowling and beers with a couple buddies from work. I needed that. So thanks Dilip and Bibek!

The 'Dude' from the bowling alley...

Saturday I got up early and went to IKEA..I wanted a bookshelf, and they had the perfect one. I had wanted to wait til Sue got here, but I really wanted to get the apartment spruced up. So started the day doing my least favorite thing...Shopping...But Whoa! What a place! I really had to show restraint and just get what I went for. I called Sue and kiddingly said...'Don't kill me hon.'' "Oh NO! Are you ok? What did you hurt?" Hmm. I must be known for getting myself hurt or something..Nice that she was worried about me though. "No I'm fine, but I went to IKEA without you.." "That's ok, we'll go again when I move down", she replied. That's my girl!.

So then I went about putting the bookshelf together, and marveled at how smart Swedes are with their design of both the shelf AND the packaging. And I would have marveled at THIS Swede if I had read the instructions before I put the shelf together. Probably would have finished in 1/2 the time.

I finished up my day with a trip to the 'Sleepy Poets Antique Shop'. Just to check it out and look for some inspiration. Well I ended up buying something...Don't kill me hon...

My new Accordion

Just kiddin hon..Didn't buy an accordion...But it made for a fun shot.
I followed up the day by going to the movies to see World War Z. Good zombie action flick by the way.

Sunday was chore day. Catching up on things around the apartment, and taking care of business. I did get out later in the day, and went exploring on my bike. As I did in NH, I like exploring under bridges.

Didn't find any naked hoboes as I had in past bridge explorations, so that is a good thing.

I ended up the weekend by discovering we had a library around the corner from my apartment. It was closed, but I found a nice guy named Charlie planting flowers. He is the research librarian there, and we had a good conversation. I'll say it again...People are sooo friendly down here. Love it! Anyway, I had a bunch of subject matter to shoot.

Salvia 'Lipstick'

No Clue

Indian Summer Rudbeckia

Mexican Sunflower

Salvia 'Lipstick'

Kniphofia
(Red-Hot Poker)

Sunflower

Don't be impressed by me knowing the names of these flowers...All but the red one had tags on them!

Alright, Back to work for me. Tomorrow, I'm going to a meeting at the Charlotte Photographers club. I'll tell you about it next week.
Till then, enjoy your week, and our holiday..God bless America!
Em