The Waiter

The Waiter - i'm thinking he's trying to sell a dish with some type of fancy CHeese, a CHive butter sauce... maybe something toasted JUst for a second, or, a favorite of so many... something with CHocolate. the restaurant is one of my favorites, so, even though i don't know that i bought what he was selling/explaining, i remember that it was all delicious.

indeed... you can help me

i spotted this handy guy (and his friend who happened to also be wearing a white t-shirt with blue jean overalls) right across the street from where i pick up my CSA (community supported agriculture) vegetables. i pulled over near his driveway, and before i even exited the car, i heard him say something like, "Can i help you?" i don't think that he had any idea that the help i needed would be so random... but it was quite nice to be asked, and it led smoothly into my delivery about the project. he was in his element, no doubt about it; he just barely stopped for a couple of the photos, and he worked right through the others. he is an engineer, and evidently, a very friendly human being to those in need; that's good news.

iced venti portrait

i was again saved by the neighborhood coffee shop late at night... this young woman sat with an extremely tatooed young man (who i thought was going to be the evening's portrait), and they were both very cordial and lively (maybe a bit jacked up on caffeine?) if i recall, she commented on feeling a bit uneasy and more self conscious than she was comfortable feeling... i think that it flavors the photo quite well. thanks, (young woman) for going along with this experience.

my Sittee

this beautiful 93 year old woman has been the source of so much goodness for my family... strength, faith, love, and food... all in so much delicious abundance. there is no possible way that anyone with people making skills could ever again come up with another human being like this. i am overwhelmed with gratitude that she has always been, and will always be my "Sittee" (arabic for grandmother.)

extra spirit

this young member of my extended family has got tons of extra spirit if you need to borrow some; just let me know.

(this was the 4th of july... so, i am still over 2 weeks "behind" on my posts... still hope to catch up with myself.)

blink. blink. blink.

this little woman does a big job at my grandfather's/mother's restaurant (which has been in business for 73 years.) she works the line at the open grill... she garnishes and readies the plates to be served to the hungry. she has a funny little nervous habit when the camera is directed at her... she blinks and blinks and blinks. often that might spoil a good picture, but i think that it garnishes such a project as this; it adds flavor... like a side item to a sandwich. i am grateful for the help that she gives my mom.

knock, knock neighbor

Well... it was ten till seven on july 2nd, and me and the family were ten minutes away from our departure time (to go to West Virginia to see family for the weekend,) but i did not yet have a portrait... i was not very interested in seeking one on the road in the middle of the night (in the middle of kentucky.) so, to the dismay of my wife, i strolled out the back door to solicit a neighbor or two. the first was just about to get in the shower and did not feel at all right about the way she was looking. the next, thank godness was open enough to be politely pursuaded into "modeling" for me. she was in the process of cleaning out her daughter's pool, and she probably didn't feel ready to be photographed, but i thought that her shirt was perfect, and she seemed to be very happy at the moment... and it shows. she talked and carried on through the "shoot," and she spoke of how she doesn't really like to look at the camera when she is photographed... i think that she has learned how to pose herself just right (not looking at the camera); she did a great job. i think that her spirit took to shining for this project, and i am extremely pleased with the photos and the willingness of a neighbor to help a neighbor.

McPortrait

say "cheese...burger"... another one of those late night (where in the world am i going to get a portrait) portraits... luckily, this kid was all jacked up at the McPlaypen... fluorescently lit up like a light box; ideal for this brand of late night photo shoot. he was quite a sport after his grandparents (and maybe aunts and uncles or friends of the family,) were not willing at all to share their beauty with this project...

cycle circle - no surprise

this friend has given ten hundred tons to others, and he is now being returned the love. seeing this cycle circle in front of my eyes is no surprise.

whoa.... a glow.

this is not an illusion... this young woman is actually glowing. this portrait was taken after a wedding shower for her at the day care center where she is the assistant to the director... also, the day after this was her last day at said job. two weeks later, she would be married, then honeymooned, and then transported to lovely colorado with her new, loving husband. the blushing is left over from my proposal to photograph her for this project; i think that she was extremely flattered and nervous... and i am guessing that she is still glowing.

a shirt to remember

it is very rare that i wear a shirt with any pattern on it... not a stripe, a plaid, a logo, a band name... nothing (unless it is one of my handmade tees with some obscure something scrawled on it.) i could try to explain the psychology behind it, but that would just be fruitless here. so... i mention this because this woman's shirt was the reason that i approached her for a portrait. i do my best to respect and appreciate the details that make us individuals... i am so glad that there are people out there that can wear such a shirt with such casual grace. she said that she had just been hiking, and she asked me if i could "photoshop out" the sweat and wrinkles... i said, "No, i can't."

gratitude for two

i like thai food... a lot. this friendly face is in charge of one of my favorite thai restaurants (i think that his brother, or cousin, runs my other favorite.) again, this was a simple portrait. i met my wife at the restaurant on a night when our little ones were away at the lake house... an impromptu date after work. i needed a portrait in a serious way, because we had rented two movies, and i wanted nothing to do with much besides going home after dinner and settling in with my lady friend. when i arrived at the delicious eatery, i was quite confident that i could convince one of the employees to pose for this project, i was just not sure which one it would be. and so it goes, that the first person to greet me, as is often the case there, was this warm gentleman... beaming with gratitude that we were there again to invest in his establishment. i am grateful for his khao phad.

fairy princess... for real.

this one might actually, for real, be a true, living, breathing, fairy princess. if you think you can prove otherwise, feel free.

i do know that the party that her mother concocted for her was nothing short of a fairy miracle.

good with wood

this gentleman is extremely good with wood. he was once asked to build a box for a pair of shoes that were to be sent to president obama... he built that box.

(just a side note... for the most part, i am using only natural light for these portraits. there are some that are lit by interior lights... tungsten/florescent, but very rarely is a flash used. i have never photoshopped a photo.)

Granny, the fan

even though she was flooded out of house and home, she was present at all the ballgames, cheering on the grandkids... they call her "Granny." everybody deserves such a fan.

us at work and at play

well... i have been out of town since the 2nd, and i have continued to take a portrait every day, but i have not been blogging about them. so, again, i will try to "catch up" with myself. here are two fine examples of what we are doing here on this earth: work and play. the working man was a perfect catch in the midst of a job that nearly destroyed me (yes, it ultimately made me stronger.) i was painting newly replaced windows on a house several weeks ago (when the heat index hovered around 103 degrees,) and i was not enjoying my job at all. i saw this man with his mask, and i knew i wanted his portrait... and i wanted a break from the labor. his english was a bit limited, but he clearly understood what i was doing, and i am grateful for that; he was another perfect subject. the tennis player was beaming, sunlit at sunset as i drove through a school parking lot looking for a portrait (nearing the desperation that comes with hunting at night.) he said (with a french-like accent), "no, man, i'm sorry." and then i poked around for some reason why... "it's just not my thing." i could feel he wasn't completely sure about his stance, and so i pushed a little harder with some flattery about the wonderful color that the setting sun was casting on him, and the way his tee-shirt, racket, and ball were glowing... i think that i maybe even told him that he was a "good lookin' guy." he finally conceded, and he did so with plenty of grace and enjoyment; i am glad that he did, as this project would not be complete without him.

- oh, canada.

this wonderful woman did me a big favor on this particular monday morning... she began a conversation with me while we waited on our coffee drinks of choice. she was in town from canada to see her daughter perform at the legendary bluebird cafe (pure motherly dedication,) and she asked me about the hardwood floors in the cafe, and if the flood had caused them to "cup." a recent experience had informed me on the cause of this cupping, and so i was able to pass on a little bit of knowledge, and sneak right up to the threshold of the day's portrait. she was possibly caught off guard, not expecting such a query about hardwoods to lead to an impromptu photo shoot, but she was also not too surprised. evidently, she has done her share of modeling, and it was not unheard of for a complete stranger to ask to photograph her. so, i ran out to the car to get the camera, and i think that she took the opportunity to apply a little bit of make-up. her silver and beads, swimming pool blue dress, fair skin, and blonde hair were a perfect complement to the dark wood panels on the wall... and so i guided her to the spot by the window. the shoot was quick and effortless... she had done this enough to know what she wanted to show, and it was exactly what i needed. before she knew it, i had captured enough shots to call it quits... and she commented that she had never done such a quick shoot. then, we talked like old friend for about fifteen minutes about an array of our (similar) interests. she was a delight to meet.