Charlotte Stone Crabs Opening Day
Today was the Charlotte Stone Crabs opening day when they played their first game of the season. I’d love to write some lengthy post about the Stone Crabs, but, I admittedly know little about the team OR the MLB. I was assigned to shoot tonight for the Charlotte Sun and here are some of the photos I made. Some were submitted to the paper and others are only available in my blog. Enjoy.
35 At The Fair
Colorful lights, crowd noise and the smell of fried foods fill the air, making it official: it’s festival time. I spent the night at the Italian American Fest in Venice, Florida and took a moment to make a few photos. I’ve always been in love with the carnival scene. It’s so unique, and seems to have barely change since they were wildly popular many decades ago. The carnival workers all hangout behind the rides, smoking cigarettes. It’s eerily similar to the Dumbo movie. I think it’s the combination of rickety old rides, funnel cake and shadiness that excites me so much.
In addition to my joy at being at the festival, I was also test driving my new lens — the 35mm f/2. For my wedding photography, I’ve been trying my hand at being a prime shooter (and loving it!) and this was my first night shooting primarily with the 35. I’ve long been a fan of the 50mm focal length and that has been my primary “cruising” lens, but the 35 blew me away tonight. Not only was it fast and sharp, it was a joy to compose with. Here are the rest of the images from the night:
Accident Control
When you’re out shooting, unpredictable things happen constantly. That’s no secret, any good photographer will tell you to always be prepared for the unpredictable. Sometimes you’ll make a mistake and it’s important you know how to correct or work with them. The shot above was taken on a warm day in south Florida. A common problem for photographers in Florida is the humidity and lens fogging and that day was no exception. I was using Nikon’s 14-24 f/2.8 lens which has a HUGE surface area, which I think made recovery time for my lens much longer. By the time I had gotten outside and realized the fogging of my lens, the event was already happening. I wiped my lens off, but it would just fog right back up. Eventually, as it became acclimated, I noticed something interesting. The bulbous shape of the 14-24 cause the center to thaw faster than the outsides, so I took this opportunity to experiment to, what I would consider, great success.
The moral of the story is to always be ready, go with the flow and do whatever you have to to correct small mistakes… even if it means experimenting… ESPECIALLY if it means experimenting.
Centro Ybor Y Theodore
In an effort to clear my mind and cleanse my creative palette, my friend Ted and I go down to Ybor from time to time to shoot around. Ybor’s cigar-rich history provides a great atmosphere for just this purpose. My love for photography is only rivaled by my love for history. As I sit there and ponder the past lives lived in Ybor, I felt creatively rejuvenated and stole a few frames of my good friend as he discovers his new love for photography.
Moxie!
I went to Lakeland tonight to see Moxie Le Femme with my buddy Donovan. The place was packed and had quite a few more photographers than I expected there to be. As could be expected, the crowd loved their cabaret performance. The show was sexy, seductive and fun and the ultra low-light environment provided a landscape for some great low-key photos.
Goodbye 2010
Goodbye 2010. At your worst, you were a harsh, unrelenting bully. At your best, you were a graceful teacher. I learned a lot about myself, my craft and the world around me this past year. For all the downfalls and ruthless kicks to the ribs I took, I grew stronger, more resilient and wiser. In 2010 I made a business, I began to make a brand, I made friends and breakthroughs. Many were chronicled on this blog and many were chronicled in my personal journal. Some I made public, others are to be kept private. 2010 has set me up to be extremely excited for 2011. Big things are on the horizon, I think and if not, I’ll try my hardest to make big things happen. Happy New Year everyone! Make 2011 a year to remember!
Kyle
