A Visionary

My experiences with Apple started with the Apple II.  My parents bought an Apple III way back when… Then, my brothers and my Dad started a small company we registered as “InterOcean Technologies” to develop dive computers (scuba diving) and in the process, became official Apple developers.  (That is an entirely different story for another time…)

We purchased a bunch of Mac computers, and along with an Apple Lisa (with the so expensive 5M external hard drive or as Apple called it – “Profile”)!  That was 1984.  What a magical piece of ‘simple’ technology.  The family and I have been using Apple computers ever since.

Thank you Steve Jobs for the innovative, thoughtful, useful and darn it, just plain FUN products.  May you rest in peace.

These Boots Are Made For Walking

This summer, I had the opportunity to meet many good people and take many different photos.  I will be posting more as the days get rainy… and shorter.  This is one of my favorites.  I’ve ordered one for the studio walls, so I thought I would share it here as well.

Roads rolling off in to the distance have always appealed to me on many different levels.  I am not sure if it comes from some unresolved wanderlust or vestiges of long ago family’s vacations when I was a boy. Either way or for whatever reason, it often serves as a artistic draw to me… as it did in this photo.

No matter where we’ve come from or where we end up, the journey on our own road is what we make of it.  Sure we have to deal with obstacles, storms, and even a jerk or two along the way… but if we pick our way with care, we can chose a path of our own making, help (and perhaps receive help) from others along the way, and end up in a place from which we can help our own children take their first steps.

Enjoy.

So it was with great pleasure I was able to photograph Lacey and her son, Cruz, earlier this summer.  We chose the Olympia waterfront and Farmer’s Market as the location. On a Saturday.  Insanity with a 9 month old? No. Not at all!

Lacey

Now, I am not a seafaring person and asking me about the tide makes me immediately think about the clothes washer, so I was at first concerned when we got onsite and the tide (on Puget Sound/Budd Inlet) was out. I mean… WAY out.  No sweat.  We made it a feature.

Lacey & Cruz

Next stop was the Farmer’s market.  I love this location for photographs. There is lots of colors, movement, shadows, textures and light.  All of it different and all of it constantly changing.  It is the kind of place that photographers like David Hobby or Joe McNally would just eat up with their bazillion cameras and strobe units.  (OK… I tend to exaggerate a bit. A ‘bazillion’ only describes McNally…. Hobby appears to travel with less luggage…).

Cruz

Cruz’s Grandpa calls him the ‘world’s cutest grandchild’. Now, until I have my own, (NOT a hint, Amanda & Ethan. I can wait!!!) I might have to agree.  I will tell you though, I am happy to provide him the photographs he can show to brag on his daughter and grandchild.

Gotta love a job like that!

(PS… Thank you Lacey and Cruz for a wonderful afternoon!)

– Jeff

 Rob is working on a new series of defensive DVD’s.  While at FAS, he filmed a series of scenes about training for responding to an ambush.  He was looking for volunteers and I was able to make it one of the days and brought my camera.  Why not mix a little fun into the action?

I got there late and the ‘cast and crew’ had already been at it for most the day.  During the few hours I was there, they were training to defend against a car attack or hijack.  In reality, the training was also a good exercise to prepare for defensive action while seated at a table or any chair for that matter.

So, in the first selection of photos to the right, the student realizes the threat, draws straight up the side of his body, roles the pistol sideways, keeping it close to his body while directing the business end of the pistol towards the ‘threat’, leans back and shoots.  Easy as that… sort of.

Handguns and shooting is very serious business and to do it right (and safely) one should start with an experienced and competent instructor.  I found Pincus both as well as a very thorough and focused instructor.  He took interest in every student and watched everyone pushing them to perform at their best.

Shooting seated from a car is not so easy – or at least as easy as Hollywood would have you believe.  To do it right and safely takes practice and training.  Pincus ran the class through the exercise  from his ‘mobile classroom’ – a Toyota Cruiser.  He first demonstrated then had each student shoot through the driver’s (opened) window and the passenger’s window.  Shooting through a car’s window is nerve wracking enough, but the thought of accidentally  shooting low and into Pincus’ car door added a bit more pressure to the exercise.  Fortunately, no one had to buy Pincus a new door.  In fact there was no evidence that anyone ever hit the door, ceiling or dash.  However, I would bet that more than one piece of brass is rattling around in the duct work of that Cruiser.

I am not sure how Pincus’ DVD came out, but I know I enjoyed the training as well as taking the photos, some of which I have posted here.

Thanks to Rob Pincus, the class, FAS, ICE and all the others for the great evening of… “shooting” fun.

________________________

The new Nikon D700 performed flawlessly.  I love its low light capability of its 12MB FX sensor.  I used my Nikon 80-200 AFS f2.8 lens and it too performed wonderfully. I am sure Joe McNally and David Hobby would have found a way to use a flash in the photos, I decided not to interrupt the shoot (I am talking DVD now) to set up my shot.  :)

Enjoy.

– Jeff

It is always something special for me to be asked to photograph an event held for the military and their families.  They provide so much. They sacrifice so much.

Of special note, the run was organized by SSG Juan C Lugo and his wife, Toni.  Toni said that organizing this event was important to her and her husband – even so that she was expecting at any moment and still saw that the run took place.  Good thing she did not put off the event any longer, as her water broke shortly after the run started.  Being the strong and capable Army wife that she is, Toni stayed at the Military Family sculpture until Juan returned from the run.  They left immediately for the hospital!  I haven’t heard when their baby boy was delivered, but I expect all is fine in the Lugo household.

May we all be blessed with the strength of these families.

For those of you who may not know, Victoria is situated on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Angeles, Washington. Victoria is a great destination for a get away. You can get there by car (requires a ferry from Vancouver, or Port Angeles), by plane (float planes fly here from Vancouver and Seattle) or of course, boat. We’ve always traveled here by car and ferry, though one of these times I plan on bringing a bike! Hotels are reasonably priced, and the food is great. At some point, I will want to blog about the eating opportunities, but that will have to wait for a later time.

Walking around Victoria, there is much to see, starting first with the main feature of Victoria, the waterfront.

Just walk along the waterfront, you will find many different interesting sights. For instance, not too far from the photo above I found this doorway into the lower level of an old warehouse. I am drawn to old doors. Not sure why, but it doesn’t really matter. They make great subjects for photos!

Victoria is known for its gardens. This year, we were here about a week or two early. The cherry blossoms were just coming out. On the warm hillsides, the buds were blooming. In the shade or cooler areas, the buds were almost there.

I found the flowers below down along the waterside. I will have to look them up or perhaps someone will know what they are, but they were very delicate.

One of the “Grand Hotels” of Victoria is the Empress Hotel. Prominently situated on Victoria’s Inner Harbor, the Empress watches over the city’s comings and goings as the floatplanes and ferries dock just across the street. This is an impressive hotel – one that I rank right up there with the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado (where The Shining was filmed) and the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan (where Somewhere In Time was filmed). The Empress appears ready for a visit from British Royalty at any moment. In fact, they prepare authentic Afternoon Tea every day.

If you travel with a camera in hand… (and who doesn’t these days with digital cameras in every cell phone!) I recommend that one of your trips take you Victoria. Make sure you plan on bringing that camera, your favorite traveling companion and your appetite. You will not be disappointed in your trip in the least.

I have several new posts in the works including a recap of 2010 Operation: Love Reunited families and the wedding of Liz and Tyler in Cheyenne!

Until then…

You can view the slideshow on YourTube here: 

Stay tune for more updates in the coming days.  I have photos from sessions this past summer and fall I will be posting!

I’ve had the pleasure and honor to meet and photograph many of the military families over the past couple of years as a photographer participating in the Operation: Love Reunited program.  Capturing these moments of the families together in 1/250 of a second slices for the deployed soldiers is something I truly enjoy.

Last year, I photographed over 40 families.  I doubt I will do that again this year as they are all starting to return, but I have photographed some.

First up were Chris and Tricia.  Chris was home on R&R from Afghanistan.  It was a bit chilly in March, but the warmth and love was abundant.

Tricia, William, Emma & Chris

I created a small video of their session. You can see it in an earlier post on the blog.  Patriotism there, for sure.

Next up!

Ryan and Sybil

I see a lot when I look through the viewfinder of the camera.  The Ryan and Sybil were proud and excited by their baby’s first photo session.  The pending deployment was not on their minds… at the moment.  Here are three faces of patriotism.

Next up this year were Barby and Violet.  They came down from north of Seattle to Olympia for their session to send to Aaron, based in Afghanistan.

Barby & Violet

I haven’t heard that Aaron has received his album yet, but I am certain he is otherwise occupied.  Barby and Violet – two more faces of patriotism.

Nicola called me. Her husband, Brad,  just deployed in March – also to Afghanistan.  She asked and of course, I was happy to photograph her and Eden.

Eden & Nicola

Eden hated the grass touching her legs. It was fun!

Michelle and her children, Tylor, Parker and Anya wanted photos for their husband/Dad stationed in Iraq.

Michelle, Tylor, Parker and Anya

Hey Greg!  Your family is behind the tree!

The latest family to date Tara and Eddie.

Tara & Eddie

I don’t want to leave anyone with the impression that these deployments are easy.  They aren’t.  It is tough duty for those who are overseas and for those who are left at home.  Eddie was leaving that night.  I asked for a serious look and it came quickly.  Too quickly and I realized that behind the laughter of moments earlier, pain and sadness was only held back for my benefit.  Bravery when you don’t feel it – that is patriotism.

I love these men and women for what they give and sacrifice on our behalf.

These are the real faces of patriotism.

Happy July 4th.

]]> http://jlophoto.wordpress.com/2010/07/04/faces-of-patriotism/feed/ 2 jlophoto Flags for Dad _J100753p _O100028 _J102127p _O101995p _J102748p _J102925 http://jlophoto.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/signs-of-spring/ http://jlophoto.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/signs-of-spring/#comments Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:38:57 +0000 jlophoto http://jlophoto.wordpress.com/?p=139 ]]>

Signs of Spring

We moved to the Pacific Northwest in April 5, 2004, from Colorado.  It was quite the caravan:  One car with a dying transmission, 1 flatulent dog, one constipated and very unhappy cat, a very chatty African Grey Parrot,  5 hermit crabs, 3 curious Arabian horses in a trailer, being pulled by a F350.  It took three days and two nights.  There were no problems, although the car did not last the first week in our new state before it was traded in.  Anyways…

When we first we moved here, we rented a house with 7 acres and a barn (that’s why I started with the caravan story…)  It wasn’t long afterward, that we noticed that the barn and sky were full of these little acrobats joyfully flying through the morning and evening skies.  The Violet-Green Swallow makes its summer home here and other parts of the West.  They are so much fun to see zip through the sky catching and eating flies, mosquitoes, and other small insects.  The spring after we moved into our current home, we nailed a swallow nest to the back of the house and it was quickly adopted by a pair of these wonderful little creatures.  For the past 4 years that nesting box has been used and each of those years, a clutch of swallows leave the box, spend a few weeks around the neighborhood while the juveniles gain strength and endurance.  During this time, I always have a camera in hand or at least close by. You will see their photos at different locations on my site.  (Yep!  One of them are on the splash page.)  Before the end of August, the newly enlarged families start disappearing and start their flights south.

It is getting close… they’re getting close, returning from their winter vacations in Mexico.  There are plenty of bugs flying now and I’ve cleaned last year’s litter out of the nesting box, ready for clutch number 5.  Everything is ready.  I cannot wait, because the return of these little acrobats is my sign that spring has arrived!!

Thanks for reading!

The Distifeno Family

I had the privilege to photograph another family under the Operation: Love Reunited program: The Distifeno family.  Chris is about to be deployed to Afghanistan and I will be sending him his album shortly after he deploys.  They are a fun loving family and their love for each other shines.  It was a great pleasure for me to share in their afternoon.

It is obvious to anyone who knows or has worked with me that I love working with families.  Capturing these images, these slices of time in their lives, preserves the moment long after the memory of the event has faded. In fact, when the children grow older and they look at the photos on their… iPhones, iPads, iWhatever… they won’t remember who took it or even that there was a photographer present.  They will see their lives – their childhoods – as they remember them and almost from the viewpoint of an omnipresent story teller.   As they grow older, photos will become the anchor points to their life’s memories, feelings, sights and sounds.  It is being the anonymous ‘man behind the curtain,’ providing these photographic touch points, that motivates me.

I created a short slide show from the shoot.  You can view it here:

Thanks for reading!

– Jeff

]]> http://jlophoto.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/family-touch-points/feed/ 3 jlophoto _J100753p