Category Archives: photography

Train chasing

Durango Silverton train

Last year I rode the Durango & Silverton train with my Photodude’s buddies. It was a great trip and we got lots of shots from the open-air cars of the front of the train as it snaked around bends in the Animas River canyon. Yesterday, I got to shoot the train again but not as a rider.

I met the train at the station as the locomotive was being positioned. It was a cool morning and the steam was belching into the sky backlit by the early morning sun. I shot until the train pulled out and then hopped in the car to race ahead to a spot I had remembered from last year’s ride where the train would pass a lake surrounded by pastures of horses. Mapquest was a huge help in finding places where the roads and tracks would intersect. I don’t think I would have ever found the spot without it.

It was fun to get another chance to photograph this great train. I understand they have some special excursions for photographers where they will actually stop the train and allow you to photograph it as it steams past, then it comes back to pick you up again. Maybe I’ll get a chance to do that some day.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Eureka Springs, AR

Since getting back from Texas earlier this week, I’ve been trying to get caught up from my backlog of post-processing. I usually try to be no more than one trip behind (finish processing one trip before leaving on another) but with the move this summer, I’ve fallen uncomfortably behind. Thus I have just finished going through my Arkansas shoot from May, including this shot from Eureka Springs. If you’ve never been, this is a crazy neat little town. I’ll be happily revisiting it in November so you can expect to see moreHopefully I’ll have that trip — and all my 2008 travels — processed before New Years. It’s good to have goals.

Texas

bottles

I’m back from Michigan and, after just over 24 hours at home, I’m now in Fredericksburg, Texas for the rest of the week.

The bottles above were set in mortar above the door to a log bed & breakfast guest cabin making an informal stained glass transom. These Texans are an inventive bunch. More to come…

Stremelling technique

birdbaths

Stremel (streh’ mull) – To “Stremel”, it’s been “Stremelled”, I’ve been “Stremelling”.

Definition – the act of making an image largely through the use of luck. Term coined in reference to one Doug Stremel – the luckiest shooter on earth (although one Bruce Snell has also been instrumental in the development of the technique).

***

These blown-glass bird baths were on display outside of a garden shop. I went wide with my 17-35mm Nikkor and blindly held the camera underneath them pointing up to the overcast sky. It was all luck from there — no careful framing or focus point selection — just hoping for the best.

I’ve seen both my brother, Bruce, and Doug using this technique and I have to say that they look a little odd doing it. Or maybe they just look a little odd. I don’t know. Anyway, I’ve found myself following their lead on several occasions lately — recklessly abandoning the use of the viewfinder — and it’s almost always worked out well. Go figure.

Tagged

Your Cover's Blown logoMy friend and oh-so-talented illustrator, Christy Schneider, tagged me on her blog last night. I’m honored that she listed me among her favorite reads and will now, in turn, share some of mine.

In no particular order:

Bruce L. Snell — Yeah, he’s my brother. But he’s a darned talented photographer, too. Mostly portrait and wedding work but I think he can shoot pretty much anything he sets his mind to.

Doug Stremel — I’ve known and worked with Doug for quite a few years now but he’s just recently rediscovered his love for photography. You’d never know it looking at his work. The guy’s got a great eye and makes it look like he’s been shooting for a lifetime.

Montreal Photo — The photo blog of Julien Roumagnac. I’ve been following this one for awhile. Stunning images and a really great presentation as well.

Daily Walks — Diane Varner’s photo blog is an inspiration. She has a way of taking the most ordinary objects and making them art. I love her color sense as well.

One Floor Up — I guess I’d call this an industrial design blog but it’s filled chock full of beautiful, modern stuff. Stuff I want.

Drawn — Tons of great illustration related posts. Makes me wish I could draw. (Okay, maybe everyone can draw… to some degree. It makes me wish I could draw better.)

Jonny Crossbones — If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of the old Tintin comics. Jonny Crossbones is a strip created by cartoonist Les McClaine in a similar style.

Design Sponge — Tons of cool design and decor stuff here.

There are many more blogs that give me inspiration but that’ll have to do for now. I still need to pack since I’m leaving early tomorrow morning for the first of two back-to-back shoots. In case I don’t have time — or a connection — to post while I’m away, here’s an oldie from my South Korea trip to tide you over. I’ve been pulling images for an upcoming story and hope that the photo editor will agree that this could make a great cover shot. The contrast of the old and new? You can never go wrong with that. Or, as another stock shooter once told me, any shot with a flag in it. Two flags are even better. Maybe I can Photoshop one into this shot…

Seoul, South Korea

Abstract cat

eclair through glass

I know. “Not another cat photo!” I can hear you from here. Tough.

When we moved the office back into the house, I knew I wanted to separate the two spaces. The four-legged furballs were among the main factors in that decision. So, we added a door to a hallway in the new house that defines “office” from “house”. We chose a ridged glass door to let light through and keep the back hall from getting dark and dreary. An added benefit is that I can see who is lying in wait outside when I go to get a snack from the fridge. The distortion of the glass makes for interesting patterns and I’ve been thinking about working on a series of shots of the cats through the glass in various stages of recognizability. Here’s the first — our calico, Eclair.

I’ll see if I can’t get an actual travel shot up tomorrow and then it’s back on the road on Sunday. I’ll post if I have access. See ya there.

Back to business

Banff, Alberta, Canada

With the move more or less behind us it’s time to get back to business. Today that meant catching up on some stock submissions that had been accumulating in my outbox. This shot of Vermillion Lakes near Banff, Canada, among many others will soon be available for licensing through Robert Harding World Imagery. I’m still backlogged in my post-processing but it feels good to be moving forward. I have two weeks before my travel schedule picks up again. We’ll see how much progress I can make before then.

K4 show at the Muchnic Gallery

Banff print

k4 logoI mentioned earlier this year that there would be lots of changes and new things going on for me. Well here’s another of those new things. Tonight I’m hanging my first show with three other photographers; my brother Bruce L. Snell, Ferry Keizer (somebody get this guy a website!) and Doug Stremel. We’re operating under the name “K4” since we’re four Kansas photographers and it’s been great fun working with these guys to select images and get everything organized. I’m looking forward to seeing all the images in one place tonight for the first time.

The show will open August 20th at the Muchnic Gallery in Atchison, Kansas — just north of Kansas City. There is an artists’ reception scheduled for August 22nd from 5 to 7 p.m. The show will be up until October 18. Stop by and check it out or, better yet, get yourself over for the reception!