Pilot and photographer Dave, photos4u2c, and I are in a smackdown now. O, yeah!
It started out friendly and now? Still friendly BUT. It’s Iron Chef Photo Competition, now. He told me to prepare for a world of pain inflicted by his photo greatness.
I’ll let you pick, Dave. Do you want to be Bobby Flay or Mario Batali?
We are going to challenge one another to take photos of people, a subject neither of us has spent any creative time doing, except for children.
Neither of us likes to go up to people and say, “Hey, may I take your photo?”
But, he’s a young, good looking airline pilot with a uniform. I’m 64 and my hair looks like I’m plugged into a light socket.
Advantage Dave.
He’s also technically savvy and versatile and could teach all of us about composition.
But, (rubbing hands gleefully) there’s nothing I like better than a challenge from a gifted creative regardless of sartorial or skill advantage.
So, let the fun and games begin. Check his site sometime today for his first “people’ photo and this is my second.
I started out with a photo totally in focus. I developed the hives after posting it. I haven’t posted a totally in focus photograph in my life.
So, I’m gonna have to rise to this challenge in my own unfocused, blurry way.
Exhibit A: The car wash attendant this morning.
I so loathe going up to people that I’ve decided my angle is going to be a photographic essay of people working in my town. We all know people without work or worried about losing their job or hours on the job, and we have all read about unemployment in the news. I saw a photo essay recently by an unemployed photographer of people who’d been laid off that was very touching. But, there is no way on this green (it’s still green, right?) earth that I could go up to someone who has lost their job and ask if I could photograph them. But, I think I can do it if they are working.
We’ll see, won’t we?
I started with the car wash this Saturday morning. I asked the guy who dried the car after the wash tunnel if I could take his photo and he agreed, but I didn’t ask this one who prepped the car so I left his head out.
I’m coming for you, Dave. A headless torso and all.
I think I create better images if I have a structure so I’ve named my people series, “Working” and a plumber may be coming on Monday.
For the first time in my life, I have a creative reason to be waiting at the door for his truck to round the corner.
“Will you help me win the Iron Chef Photo smackdown, or if not win, just come in a respectable second (I know…I know…there’s only two of us)?”
The stakes are high, though.
Fun.
©Pat Coakley 2009
PHOTOGRAPHY CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION
***For those flower lovers who read my blog, I now post all of my flower and plant photos at Simgular Sensation along with a photo tip with each posting. Tips 1-5 and images to match are on display. Just think, you, too, could take images of blurred beauty!
You are so damn funny…. dang. Do they really let you out???