Sept 2014
I had just purchased the Nikon D610 a few days before. I guess I was carrying two camera bodies. My last shoot was the West Indian day parade. Nice. Colorful. Naked women – not quite – galore. It was a show! No selfie today. I was all about the pageantry and spectacle. Photo op!
This is the last shoot – mostly – with my trusty Nikon D200. Seven years. Not bad service for a digital camera. I was not compelled by changes in camera technology till then.
I am not naturally outgoing. I am shy. I do not want to confront people with my camera in order to obtain a shot. I don’t put myself forward.
West Indian day parade, NYC. It’s chaos! People everywhere. I was early and heading to find a good location to view the proceedings. As I walked down the sidewalk, I pretty much bumped straight on into these three gals. I held up my camera spontaneously. They smiled shyly and I got three shots. Iconic! In my real life I never would have had the nerve to do this. As I said, spontaneous, it was completely an unguarded moment for all of us. We parted a moment later. The image lives as a precious candid. Had I a chance to think it over I never would have been so bold. Did I mention that I am shy?
One click. One before and one after… it’s but a moment. Seconds. Five seconds between three shots. I am seeking the best shot. I will edit later. For now, shoot early and shoot often. Does it work? Are they all worthy? Edit? Does it mean to discard bad shots? Does it matter? Hard drive memory is pretty much infinite. But cluttered! Discard and it’s easier to find good images later. Did you mistakenly discard an image that on the “next look” was one that should have been kept? Go ahead make yourself crazy. Meanwhile, I shoot early and often and keep all. There is less anxiety. Edit? I rate my images with stars and look at the “2’s” and upward.
They are all around us. Hard to get. But easy is you see it. Ya gotta look! And sometimes it’s work. Special? Yes, when they work.
The last morning of the balloon festival they launched in the morning fog. I chased the balloons along the river. There was no set course they were following, mostly letting the gentle breeze carry them along. I stopped and popped thru the trees along the river to capture the reflection. Symmetrical. Symmetry. About near perfect. Probably too perfect. But this is something you cannot stage. You are just there as the opportunity unfolds. Take care and focus.
This picture makes me happy. Hoop dancer. The metadata suggests it was the Indian powwow on Labor Day 2006. It’s a good shot. Good lighting. Nice composition. I’m glad I was there. No complaints.
The pandemic is over. I just got another booster. Omnicron? I’ve lost track. 3rd booster? 4th booster, fifth shot. I now have two CDC cards with all the dates and so forth. We went to the Indian Powwow. Outdoor venue, a large crowd gathered. Not much social distancing. One mask. I did not see another. We did not wear one. Safe? Many in the extended family have experienced Covid infection. No one died. No one was hospitalized. One cousin had a relapse Covid case. Should we fear it? I was just about first on line for the latest booster. So far so good.
The main criticism: centering. I try not to center my subject in the center of the image. It’s static. Eh? You can. We do. But, I find it more interesting to put the subject to one side or another. Rule of Thirds? Put the interest at an intersection of lines. No matter. These shots were on the run grab shots of the crowd and marchers in the line. And the mask illustrates my point no matter where it is in the image.
PhotoCritical 