http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm Daily photo journal from the website of fine art photographer Jim Sykes; featuring black and white, color, and infrared images. photography en-us http://www.jrsphotos.com/rss/dptc2-t.jpg http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#051706 http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#051706 Not something I do very often but I just thought that these images would complement each other as a diptych so there you go. The images came about during my recent shoot of moving streetcars. Don't have much to write today. It's my birthday and I have better things to do, like catching up on some sleep so that I can continue to age gracefully. Yeah right. color photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#051606 I love lines in a composition. Long lines, converging, diverging, intersecting, whatever. I've photographed this courtyard several times in the past but it wasn't until I tried this angle last night that I got something I liked. Too bad you can't see the original image with all it's inherent detail, every single brick in the farthest building is discernable. black and white photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#051506 In an experimental mood I tinted this one to accentuate the cool feeling that most viewers associate with an infrared image at first glance. Outside of this and some work on a few print orders I didn't do much in the way of shooting or editing this weekend. Most of my free time was spent on a long overdue cleaning and reorganizing of the data on the six hard drives that comprise my current setup. I'm ready to face a new week now that the computers are in better shape again. Maybe now I can finally get around to adding some of the images in my backlog to the sale galleries. color photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#051206 More from my night of shooting on the streets of Ybor City. I printed the motorcycle shot above at 8x12 on the metallic paper and I have to say that it looks stunning. It's difficult to describe but if you can imagine such a thing as electrified cotton candy then you have an idea what the colors in this one look like. Sounds weird, I know, but the print is really amazing to look at. color photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#051106 In front of a local saloon that is favored by urban bikers. Now that I think about it, is there any other kind of biker these days? This is from a series of test shots I made trying out a few different shooting methods to get images that would really stand out on the metallic paper. I'm definitely going back here to do some more work and take some shots that will be better suited to black and white as well. color photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#051006 After what seemed like an eternity there was finally some precipitation here yesterday. I grabbed my gear and headed out, eager to shoot in the rain after a long dry spell. Almost immediately upon entering some nearby woods I came across this bedraggled creature who didn't seem at all happy with the conditions. I can't ever remember seeing an owl with such a pathetic demeanor before this. color photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#050906 Yes, I'm obsessive-compulsive when it comes to finding and shooting framed compositions. I discovered this one last week while roaming around Plant Hall in infrared mode. I almost didn't post anything here today, my hands are pretty cramped after creating seventy-five pages of new shopping cart code for the latest event photo gallery. I don't think this brave new world of digital photography is necessarily easier than film, its more a matter of a different set of skills and challenges. Some days I feel like all I've done is traded chemistry for carpal tunnel. infrared photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#050806 I wonder if emptying the bottles was an integral part of the construction process here. I'm ready to empty one myself after 3 days of retouching work. I guess I could say it's a celebratory bottle in addition to being therapeutic, as of 2 days ago the Henry B. Plant Museum started selling some of my prints in the museum store. black and white photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#050506 This is what happens when you damn near stick your camera into the water for a shot. I love how the building on the left has the top separated and inverted in the reflection. All I need to do now is Photoshop a melting clock into the water and the work will be complete. color photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#050406 That's all I need right now. I've got a location shoot this afternoon and into the evening and I just received word from a commercial client that they want to see some proofs in various sizes today and then want delivery of lots of matted prints tomorrow. It's going to be a long day and night. I ought not complain about extra business coming my way, these are the kinds of problems that are good to have. black and white photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#050306 After having done some night shooting here the other evening I came back to do some infrared daylight work. This is on the opposite side of the building from where the twilight shot seen above was taken. It is in the park that borders the river. Compressed down to this tiny web size it looks contrastier (is that a word?) than the full size image. As if I don't do enough shooting here already I've been hired to be here tomorrow night and shoot a special ceremony and reception for one of the graduating nurses classes. infrared photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#050206 Don't hang around and let your problems surround you, there are movie shows...downtown. Maybe you know some little places to go to where they never close...downtown. OK, now that I have Petula Clark's voice stuck in my head I'll tell you about the shot. The sign is located at the historic Tampa Theater and was recently restored. I've been wanting to photograph it since I heard about the restoration but it's been dark for some time and a theater employee told me a while back that it was broken. I was driving by the other night and saw it was fixed so I parked the truck, grabbed the tripod, and snapped a few shots. It's a beautiful place on the inside, you can see an old shot I took of the entrance here. I've seen many performances there in my time but the most memorable by far is a wild and crazy Ramones concert I attended 25 years ago. My daughter now proudly wears the t-shirt I bought at the show even though it's so faded that the eagle logo is barely visible anymore. color photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm I was telling someone recently that the old Tampa Bay Hotel a.k.a. Plant Hall at the University of Tampa was a good location for night shooting. Well I convinced myself of the fact and spent some time there Friday night with a camera. Situated on the banks of the Hillsborough river, the building is an architectural wonderland and I always leave with more shots in mind to come back for. Built in the late 1800's by railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant, the hotel was a vacation getaway and meeting place for both royalty and celebrity alike. History is rich here as well; Babe Ruth signed his first professional baseball contract here and Teddy Roosevelt headquartered his Rough Riders here in preparation for the Spanish-American war. Today it is part of the university's campus and part of my family's history as well, my daughter graduated from here with honors last year. Update: I'm quite certain that you've noticed the new format for the site. It's a result of two factors. With all the design work I've been doing for other people my own home page had become a playground where I was experimenting with gimmicks for use elsewhere and it just wasn't very cohesive anymore. Also as a result of all this work I've become much more proficient in the use of css and decided to finally put it to good use for myself. For now only the home page is a complete redo, the rest of the site is simply the same old html that is now referencing the new style sheet. I just don't have the time to completely redesign it all with everything else I have going on right now. There are some new photos on the artist page however. As always; if you encounter a glitch with the new design drop me a line so I can find it and fix it. color photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#042806 Taken with a 17mm full-frame fisheye stopped all the way down. What I didn't realize at the time is that while I was composing this I became the subject of a shot myself...At home in my natural element. Kathy Porupski, one of my first students and possibly the busiest person I know, occasionally finds time to rip herself away from her hectic schedule and accompany me on a shoot. Children's dance competitions are her bread-and-butter photography work but just like me she loves to escape to the wild places and shoot just for herself. This is an effective use of leading lines and of course I like her choice of subject matter. Kathy has a new website where she currently displays her dance photos for parents to buy and will soon be displaying some of her nature and fine art photos. Since I did the original design work for the site I'm more than happy to give it a blatant plug here. black and white photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#042706 The concert ended with fireworks. The timing was a little different than planned though. The fireworks were supposed to begin during Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture however as the first rocket was launched a large dinner-cruise boat came down the waterway and under the bridge behind the the stage. The fireworks were halted for the apparent safety of the boat and didn't resume until after the music had ended. color photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#042606 This was a grab shot that I made on the way to the funnel cake vendor's stand at the park the other night. I would have liked to have had a chance to take another shot and compensate for the blown highlights but these folks quickly decided that three's a crowd and sent their would-be drinking buddy packing. black and photography http://www.jrsphotos.com/journal_00.htm#042506 I treated the family to an evening of classical music on Sunday. The local symphony orchestra performed at a waterfront park. We brought a blanket and a picnic basket with some fruit, cheese, and a bottle of white merlot. The weather was perfect and the show ended with a fireworks display. A relaxing time was had by all. color photography