Sharing My Crayons

Freeze Frame!

I tried to keep both arts alive, but the camera won.

I found that while the camera does not express the soul, perhaps a
photograph can!

Ansel Adams

In case you're wondering, no that isn't Ansel Adams in the photo above. That's merely photographic evidence to back me up when I say that I have had a very longtime love affair with photography. That's me in high school trying to express my soul.

Like Adams, I too tried to keep both arts alive – art and photography. I was on newspaper staff and my senior year was only the second person in the school's history to be both art AND photo editor. I was better at one, but loved both – and for me the pencil won out over the camera.

Photography for me now is like picking up a pencil and drawing in the sketchbook. It can be the genesis of an idea, but most often it's merely a good way to stir up the creative stew. So without further ado, I'll share some of my personal photography work as promised last time (clicking the images below opens a larger, more detailed view). I'll try to organize them into categories because . . . well, I'm just kinda anal that way.

My Animal Side

I love shooting animals. A trip to the zoo or a hike in the woods is like a little photographic safari for me. I love trying to capture God's incredible creative diversity in the animal kingdom.

Right Place, Right Time

"I'd rather be lucky than good." I don't know who the first person to say that was, but I'd bet they were a photographer. For the countless times I've missed a great shot because I didn't have my camera when the shot was there, here's a few where Homey got lucky.

OK, the bottom shot is a good example of why Photoshop is so great, even for the casual shutterbug. This was exactly the shot I wanted – the one that captured the time spent with my daughter as she watched the seals play. But the shots with the seal also had many other silhouetted children in them as well. Combining a great shot of the seal with the right shot of Summer (minus the adult who was partially in the left of the frame) captures not just how I remember this in my head, but in my heart as well.

I'm a Family Man

One of my favorite subjects to shoot is my family – especially our children. I love it when you get just the right shot that transcends being a snapshot and captures the essence of the child, or communicates the emotion of a moment perfectly.

Purty Pitchures

Capturing beauty has long been the pursuit of both artists and photographers. I'm a big proponent of design as a storytelling mechanism. I try to tell stories in my photography as well. Sometimes, the story is just the communication of what strikes me as being beautiful – what Ansel Adams would call "expressing my soul."

Going back and reworking some of these shots for this post has reinforced just how closely related design and photography really are. So close in fact that (as these examples have hopefully demonstrated) when I take the camera out for a little spin, design always ends up riding shotgun. My sense of design influences the way I shoot, and working the shots after the fact hones my design skills. All of which makes me very excited for my next opportunity to play in both sandboxes – Photoshop for the Soul.

ALOHA my friends!

My Brutha From Anutha Mutha

how subtle are

the links which

bind two souls

which are so 

closely allied.

Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

OK, the image of Ray Milland and Rosey Grier from The Thing With Two Heads next to the almost poetic quote from Arthur Conan Doyle was just too much to resist. Hey, it's Friday and I needed a laugh.

The title of this post comes from a greeting a friend and I give to each other. It's not only fun to say, but it speaks to a unity that runs deep; to a connectedness that is shared, but may not be obvious to the casual observer.

This came to mind as I was planning this next post in a series on the Photoshop for the Soul event that I will be heading out to in just three weeks. I want to illuminate some commonalities in the relationship between design and photography because with two National Geographic photographers teaching alongside Photoshop Hall of Famer Jack Davis, the direct benefit to a graphic designer might not be immediately apparent.

I will say this up front however, part of the appeal of this event is that it does not directly impact my day-to-day workflow. For me, that's part of the "for the Soul" of the whole thing. It's cultivating the creative spirit and not just learning a new tip or trick (though I'm sure I'll come home with quite a few of them anyway.)

Here some of the subtle links which bind the two souls of photography and graphic design.

Telling A Story

This is after all the underlying goal of all visual communication: tell a story. The more compelling the story, the more successful the endeavor. Learning to better swim in the current of photographic storytelling will strengthen my ability to do so on the design side as well.

Emotional Connections

An art professor in college said that art is all bout evoking a reaction – an emotional response – from your audience. In photography this is often done by artistically capturing your subject. In design it is done by artistically capturing your brand.

Creative Visions

In both photography and design things can be presented as they really are, or they can become a window into the mind – or heart – of the one crafting the piece. Sometimes reality is skewed strictly for the sake of aesthetics. Other times it is part of a larger, strategic effort to connect with the audience.

A Closer Look

Whether through the lens of the camera or through the imagination of the designer, both disciplines force the creator to be cognizant of what is seen, both by themselves and by those who will view what they create. Success comes in both fields by looking at things from different angles and producing the unexpected and the extraordinary from out of the everyday.

Even without these parallels, Photoshop for the Soul will allow me a chance to stretch myself creatively, which I always love to do.

Next time I'm going to share some of my personal photographic work. I try to bring some of my same design sensitivities and ideas into my personal photography. Here's a little sampling to whet your whistle. Clicking the image will bring up a larger sample in a new window. Till next time – ALOHA!

Photoshop for the Soul

I thought my book

was done,

then I went to Hawaii

and the whole last

chapter happened.

Mariel Hemingway

I like what this quote says about how a change of scenery, a time of relaxation and a nurturing of the spirit can have a dramatic impact on creativity. It's true. I can't tell you how many design conferences and seminars I have been to where the keynote speaker will talk about the value of unplugging from your desk and taking time to intentionally nurture your creative spirit. Ways to do so are often suggested – but I'm taking a cue from Mariel and going to Hawaii!

I've never been to Hawaii, but I love the IDEA of Hawaii. I already have more Hawaiian shirts than I really need. My favorite pair of Vans are my dark blue Duke Kohanamoku Surfers. I have four 20" FunKo tiki statue bobbleheads (two red ones and two that glow in the dark) in my office – so you see, I had the mindset before I had the opportunity.

But this trip is not just for fun (no, seriously). I have a big passion for learning and getting better at what I do. I seek out conferences where I can be challenged and stretched. In recent years that has become a harder to bill to fill. The last big conferences I went to were a disappointment, so I am ready for something fresh and new in this arena.

Several years ago at Photoshop World, in a killer session taught by the great Jack Davis (I remember it was killer, because all of Jack's classes are killer), he mentioned a training event he puts on once a year called Photoshop for the Soul. My ears perked up and after the class I chased Jack down to ask him about it. He said that it's an invitation-only event that he teaches once a year along with National Geographic photographers Rik Cooke and Dewitt Jones on the island of Molokai in Hawaii. The workshop is held at the Hui Ho'olana Retreat Center on 100 secluded acres that have been in Rik's family since the turn of the century. You shoot one day then Photoshop those images the next.

I tried to conceal my drool as he spoke.

The not so good news? The event is limited to 12 people. Jack always invites workshop alumni first and, as you can imagine, the spots fill up quickly from that group.

Flash forward three or four years to a Photoshop Seminar I attended a few months ago in downtown Indianapolis. I spotted Jack in the front row (he was part of their "crew" but was not teaching this day) and tracked him down. After some chit-chat I asked if he was still doing Photoshop for the Soul. To my delight he not only said that he was, but that a group of women who come every year had to cancel and he had a spot open. He asked if I'd like him to send me an invitation.

I felt the drool kicking in again.

Long story a bit shorter, I leave for Hawaii in a little more than a month. I'll be on Molokai from November 7th through the 13th. To give a little more insight into why I'm so excited , here's the description of the workshop from the invitation:

This workshop is about exploring the art in our lives and within our selves. On our many fieldtrip/shoots, we will also provide essential insights and assistance on the technical side of photography for us who would like to take advantage of some truly gifted National Geographic alumni - our own Dewitt Jones and Rik Cooke. We’ll all also be taking part in evening slide shows after incredible dinners (with a chance to recline with a glass of wine while unwinding from the day) that cover both these two areas of inspiration and information. This week is dedicated to sharpening the eye, expanding the mind and opening the heart. And attendees can also plan on some dedicated one-on-one Q&A time with Jack, if they would like, in addition to all the field-trip, demonstration and lab time we'll have together.

There's much I'd like to share about this in the time leading up to my departure – as well as from the workshop itself. Stay tuned!

For now, I'll just drop a little drink umbrella in my iced tea, dial up my Big Kahuna & The Copa Cat Pack (with Matt Catingub) Hawaiian swing music on iTunes (or Jimmy Buffett if you prefer), and bid you – for now – Aloha!