Saturday Afternoon in Macy's

This past Saturday afternoon, I wasn't expecting to do a shoot, and I really didn't do one: it sort of happened to me.

Several local music studios (teachers and students) got together to play piano at the Macy's in Columbia. This was done as part of a benefit for Missouri Music Teachers Association (MMTA). We arrived a bit early, and heard a superb performance of Brahms' Variation on a Theme by Haydn, performed by Peter Miyamoto and his wife. Looking around, I noticed a mirrored column, where I saw a reflection of the performance, along with interesting lines of sight. The obsessive-compulsive photographer in me kicked in, and I started shooting. As I was composing the picture, a little girl wondered was so interesting:



The minute she stepped in, I loved the shot.

My son played for a half-hour:



Then I noticed this cutie:



Finally, sitting behind me was a little one who had some pretty big doubts about me (not the first person to have them). I tried to make her smile, but she wasn't having any of it.




Like I said, the shoot kind of happened to me.

Fascinating Photography Book

Today, I started a fascinating photography book, The Moment It Clicks, by Joe McNally. I've been studying photography for years, but this is the first book that I actually lost track of time by reading. It's a very simple format: an outstanding image, a story behind the image, then a brief discussion of the technical side of the photo. Then a cut-line with a lesson learned from the image.

I never thought I'd get hooked on a specific photography book. Most are read-once, get something out of it, and move on. That's why I usually check them out from the library. This one is a keeper.

Abandoned

My hiatus (unplanned) is over. It's nice to be back and shooting again.

Last week, a friend and I went to an abandoned gas station east of Columbia.



It's a fascinating place. I've shot it before, but this is the first time that I felt I really understood, or "got" the place.




While the place is largely monochromatic (lack of color), there was some interesting color studies:





There's lot more shots that I really like. Here's the gallery.