Other People's Pictures

My fascination with trying to capture other people's pictures began, as most artistic endeavors, by accident. While at a football game I was getting ready capture a field goal kick when a few rows in front of me a fellow Patriots fan lifted her phone above her head also trying to capture the moment. I quickly re-framed my shot, refocused, and took the shot. The image is still one of my favorites that I have taken in a while, excluding pictures of my son.

The more I looked at the picture the more I became intrigued by the notion of taking more like it. With the development of camera phones being able to take better quality pictures more and more people have a camera on hand at almost any time of day. People are now beginning to communicate with pictures almost as often as with words. With things like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat pictures and words actually have an exchange rate (though I think a million might be an exaggeration for most snapshots).

These photos represent for me a look into how others are viewing their surroundings. Through many years of practice and many failed attempts I would like to think that I can frame a decent photo. It has always been my belief that there is a difference between a snapshot and a photograph. Maybe I sound like a snob but hear me out. Most people use point and shoot cameras or phone cameras to take snapshots. They pictures taken of people turned to look at the camera and smile for the soul purpose of saying here I was at this time in my life. A photograph is more of a statement on the beauty of a landscape, the culture of a people, or even a statement about the personalities and relationships between people.

I am not saying that you cannot take a photograph with a phone, nor am I saying that I am a better photographer than most people. For me photographs can say more than snapshots because they invoke thought, begin conversations, or have different meanings to different viewers.

My goal with this project is to take other peoples snapshots and make photographs about them. Framing a photograph is probably the most important part. When I am on vacation I try not to be a jerk about it but I take a picture of my wife and before I hand my camera to a passerby I show them the picture and ask "could you please take this picture with me in it?" Of course the next thing I usually have to say is "No you have to look through the hole the screen doesn't work like that." As more and more people take more and more pictures though they are starting to figure it out. I would be willing to say that the average teenager takes at least one picture a day, that is a lot of opportunity for failed as well as successful photos. Without realizing it the everyday average Joe is becoming a better photographer.

This whole project is about seeing the world through someone else's viewfinder. Capturing that moment of them trying to take that snapshot that will remind them of where they were that time they took that picture. It may also be a fairly safe bet to say that most pictures taken with a phone somewhere end up on some form of social media. With that in mind this project is also a commentary on communication and insight into what people are trying to say to the world.

Taking pictures is a fantastic way to preserve moments in time. They really are worth words and there is no reason that you should ever stop. Keep your cameras handy and don't hesitate to take a shot of that time you did that thing.

P.S. what does it say about me that all of these photos are framed to the left?

Learning Curve

Another year has passed and that can only mean one thing. Another trip to Cape Cod!

Last year was the first trip to the Cape that included a baby. While down there we reminisced about our younger and more wild years. No one was injured, no one passed out, and no one was hung over at any point. Instead we traded in our late night drinking for sun set sundaes.

This year was all about one thing, discovery, not to mention the fact that the number of babies has doubled!

This year Allie had a friend in my son Maxwell (who happened to be the almost the same age Allie was last year).

If last year was about reflecting on the past, this year was about looking to the future and the newest additions to our group.

The children also had plenty to discover as Max experienced the ocean for the first time, and Allie searched for sea creatures. Though I have met Allie on many occasions this was the first time that she was able to identify my wife and I. She was even able to say Max's name (she still has not said mine, my wife's, or even her auntie Julia's whom she sees on a regular basis).

Though the little ones are cute and adorable this trip also served an a bit of an introduction into what having a child around might be like. It is rare that a group of friends from college are able to remain in such good contact as ours and even rarer that we all married each other. The children we make are all going to have many aunts and uncles. There is always going to be someone there to tell stories of our past shenanigans and congratulate our future accomplishments.

This year on the Cape everyone learned something new. For some it was the feel of salt water and for others it was how fast an 18 month old can run into the water.

We are now grown ups, parents, and responsible adults ... ok, responsible-ish.

Another year passed and another successful cape trip. So many great memories with so many great friends, my family and I are truly blessed. 

In closing I want to remind you all (all 5 of you who are going to read this) to remember to take your cameras everywhere and take pictures often. Max will not remember this trip but he will always be able to look back on it. 

Thank you for reading.

More Moments With Maxwell

It has been a while since my last posting so here it goes.

My favorite little buddy is now over two months old and I have made it my own personal mission to document as much of his life as possible. In no particular order here are a collection of photos that I have compiled of his as of now.

While home My Little Buddy quickly showed that he has his daddy's sense of humor.

He also demonstrated his mommy's ability to sleep through just about anything at any time of day.

Of course babies are not exactly known for being super clean so there is of course bath time, followed by the few brief moments that he is allowed to go commando wrapped up in his towel or bath robe.

After all one has to look his best when hanging with friends ...

Especially if that friend is a cute little girl.

Over the past couple of months Little Buddy has met many new people and experienced many new things. It has been fun find out what he like and does not. As a few examples Little Buddy loves hanging out with his cousin and Auntie.

He like his uncle too, but I suspect its because he finally got to meet someone with less hair than himself.

Little Buddy did not however like it when mommy and daddy tried to get pictures of his footprints in the sand at the beach.

This whole experience has been amazing and wonderful for both my wife and I. As our Little Buddy grows and develops I get excited more and more every day as he discovers new aspects of life. Even the simplest things that we all take for granted amaze him. Feet for example, he just recently discovered that he can coordinate his feet!

To properly document this wonderful time in his life where he makes strides on a monthly scale I have been doing portraits of him in a chair with an over-sized necktie. At the one year mark I will be sure to share them all but for now as a thanks for reading here is a sample.

Thank you again for reading!

Baby in Black & White

As some of you know, or all of you since I am pretty sure only people I know read this blog, I recently had a son. Since this has happened I have taken well over a thousand pictures and he is only three weeks old. I am obviously not going to share a thousand photos but I would like to share a few.

I constructed a frame to hold a backdrop and fiddled with many lights until I produced the shadows I was looking for. These were all shot in color and converted to black and white with slight tweaking of contrast in Photoshop. Though I have found babies to be rather inconsiderate models who refuse to cooperate I feel that the end result is in fact adorable. Please enjoy.

Shooting pictures of my Little Buddy was challenging enough. Trying to do self portraits while handling a three week old proved to be too much. I enlisted the help of my lovely wife and got real creative with tripod placement to help frame these shots. In the end the results made me happy. I know I am not as cute as my Little Buddy but thirty years from now he might look at these and be amazed by how much like me he really looks. I know that happens to me every time I see an old photo of my father. Anyway, that's enough words here are the pictures.