Finding Vivian Maier

The video biography takes a closer look at the mysterious street photographer, Vivian Maier and her posthumous rise to photographic acclaim.

If you have not had the chance to view her photos click on Vivian Maier Photography to view selected photos from her extensive portfolio. Trust me, every photo will draw you into her world. I was hooked with the first photo and continue to be awed her work.

Vivian Maier was and always will be a mystery. She completely sublimated her raw talent it was only after her death that the world became aware of her talent. Her photos, negatives, and undeveloped film rolls were auctioned off and the purchaser soon ‘discovered’ Vivian Maier.

Every time I view her work, I cannot help the disquieting reality that she did not benefit from her talent. She gave her photography passion everything she had, yet never allowed her work to support her. As her photos inspire an increasing numbers of photographers today, I can only imagine the impact her trailblazing talent could have had on photography and the perception of women photographers back in the day. We cannot undo the past, just learn from it and hopefully improve.

Posted on February 15, 2013 :: Categories: Photography :: Tags: Photography
1,125 views :: 1 Comment

Farewell Chris Kyle

Source: Uploaded by user via Sandra on Pinterest

My thoughts and prayers are with Taya Kyle and their children.

Posted on February 11, 2013 :: Categories: Memorial :: Tags: Chris Kyle, Memorial
1,150 views :: 1 Comment

V-Day Gifts for Photographers

V-Day is quickly approaching and there are still some bitter clingers out there who continue to celebrate this manufactured event. Sigh. To be clear, I love the idea of celebrating love – just not the manufactured one day of the year with red roses and heart shaped boxes with stale chocolates type of scheme. I strongly believe love can and should be celebrated EVERY day of the year.

Okay, stepping off my soap box now.

For those still seeking the perfect V-Day gift, I urge you to step out of the artificial construct called traditional V-Day gifts and consider these ideas for that special photographer in your life. I’ve selected items that can be given at whatever stage your relationship is at the moment.

Gifts below the cut.

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Posted on February 11, 2013 :: Categories: Holiday
1,440 views :: 4 Comments

Post #Nemo Snow Photos

2-3 inches of snow fell overnight in Philly courtesy of Nemo. This morning I gathered Buster for a long walk in Pennypack Park near Fox Chase Farm and snapped a few photos as well.

Enjoy the snowy wonderland goodness of the park.

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Posted on February 09, 2013 :: Categories: Philadelphia, Photography :: Tags: Buster, Pets, Philadelphia, Photography, Snow
1,397 views :: 3 Comments

Got Snow? How To Get Bang On Snow Photographs

If you happen to live in the Northeast section of United States then snow is definitely in your immediate future. Why not take the opportunity to grab a photo or two of this weekend winter wonderland? To help you take better snow photos, I found a great video from Gavin Hoey Photo Training that takes a look a few top snow photography tips.

Enjoy this snowy weekend and happy snapping!

Posted on February 08, 2013 :: Categories: Photography :: Tags: Photography
1,635 views :: 2 Comments

2nd Annual Run For Sherry

Source: shutupandrun.net via Tania on Pinterest

Whatever your plans are this coming Saturday, take some time to run, walk, bicycle, rollerblade, or whatever in memory of Sherry Arnold. A woman who went out for a morning run last January and did not return home alive.

Sherry’s murder touched the core of the running community, as many of us have done exactly what Sherry did that sad morning and returned home safe and sound. It is not unusual for me to run alone early in the morning at a local park. I appreciate the peaceful beauty of the forest and the quiet time before my hectic day begins. Honestly, there are many times when I run with no ID or cellphone on my person and don’t see another person the entire run. Truth is, I don’t think of the potential dangers until after the run. So, I’m advocating to all my running readers to think about your safety BEFORE your run.

When the news of Sherry’s murder broke last year, her cousin who also runs (very well) and blogs at Shut Up and Run (SUAR) organized a Run For Sherry in February 2012. I, along with my running friend Trish, donned ‘Run For Sherry’ bibs and ran like madwomen through the streets of Philly.

This year, we are running for Sherry along Kelly Drive. I invite everyone, wherever you are to take time on Saturday to remember the life of Sherry Arnold.

SUAR (Shut Up And Run) shared some important safety tips to minimize risk and go on running and living – unafraid.

Here are some other things to do to be safe – not just while running, but in general.

Always tell someone where you are going.
Stay on well traveled and well lit roads. Don’t take short cuts through woods, poorly lit areas, etc.
If possible, run with a dog, a group or at least one other person.
Ditch the headphones.
Bring your phone.
If someone looks shady to you, cross the street or go the other way.
Vary your routes. Don’t be predictable.
Know where you’re going. Looking confused and lost can make you a target.
Don’t be distracted. Perpetrators specifically look for people who aren’t 100% aware of their surroundings.
Consider taking a self defense class. You never know when you might need these skills.
Reconsider the pony tail. This is an easy thing to grab and pull.
Have an air of confidence. Walk or run tall with your head up.
Trust your gut. If something/someone doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
Bring pepper spray, but keep in mind it can be used against you too.
If attacked, do everything in your power to not be taken to another location.

Be Safe, Run On, Never Forget…

Posted on February 07, 2013 :: Categories: Inspirational :: Tags: Running
994 views :: 4 Comments

Photography Notes

Wow! It’s February already and time is flying by. I want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in my blog survey in January. I took the opportunity to begin reviewing the data during the power outage during the Super Bowl game and hope to have a summary report of the responses by next week.

Recently, I’ve been toying around with the idea of creating my own camera obscura – commonly known as a Pinhole Camera. I’ve an idea to take long (months long) exposure of the sky in my backyard. Not sure how well it will work but it seems to be a cool photo project.

Of course the set up and results will be blogged here.

Speaking of long exposure photography – Cool Long Exposure Photography via Digital Rev:

What photo gear I invested in recently: B+W 77mm ND 3.0-1,000X with Single Coating (110)

Source: amazon.com via Tania on Pinterest

I’m really looking forward to learning the ropes of long exposure landscape shooting this month.

Happy snapping, everyone!

Posted on February 04, 2013 :: Categories: Photography :: Tags: Photography
7,764 views :: 1 Comment

Jake Tapper – The OutPost – The Untold Story of American Valor

On Thursday evening I had the opportunity to listen as Jake Tapper as he described his inspiration and experience in writing his latest book, The OutPost – The Untold Story of American Valor.

The book describes a 2009 battle at Compound Outpost Keating (COP Keating) in remote Kamdesh, Afghanistan where 58 American soldiers prevailed against nearly 400 taliban terrorists. Eight American soldiers lost their lives protecting the outpost and their fellow soldiers during this battle. The novel shares the compelling and largely unknown story of COP Keating and the soldiers who served at the outpost.

Jake described how the idea for the book came to him – he caught a brief news clip of the attack while in hospital holding his newborn son and the questions soon began. He also shared his detailed research that went into the making of this book; making sure to carefully review sections with those he interviewed. This was a good reminder of the power of due diligence during the writing process and the hallmark of a good journalist.

As he described the background history of this outpost and the battle itself, I kept having thoughts that I had previously heard of this untold story but could not recall any specific detail to confirm these thoughts. It turns out I did read of this battle on an awesome milblog called This Ain’t Hell when Jonn reported on the battle in 2009. While national media was barely covering the battle in October of 2009, milbloggers at The Burn Pitwere organizing the Combat Outpost Keating Relief Fund. It was a resounding success for the surviving soldiers of COP Keating with Target donating matching funds to this cause and bloggers going public with their thanks. Milbloggers are a special group of people and I’m happy to know these soldiers were not completely abandoned when they arrived back home. I strongly believe we need to know the full story of our involvement in Afghanistan and The Outpost makes a great contribution to our story of Afghanistan. Get your copy today!

Awesome photo credit: Richard Chaitt

Posted on January 27, 2013 :: Categories: Book Club :: Tags: Afghanistan
1,727 views :: 4 Comments

NYC Photowalk

It’s not January without scheduling a photowalk daytrip to the Big Apple – New York City.

This year Trish, Patience and I traveled to NYC with no particular plan outside of wandering around Times Square and taking photos as we go along. Fall marathon training had taken up much of my free time leaving me itching for a good photowalk. What better place to scratch that itch than NYC. It is a glorious mass of skyscrapers, concrete, shady parks and 8 million people. The hustle of the crowds never intimidates me, on the contrary, I want to explore every nook and cranny of this city. Sadly, I only had a few hours – so I made the most of my time.

All photos except for the one above were taken with my trusty Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5.

Photos under the cut…

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Posted on January 27, 2013 :: Categories: Photography :: Tags: 2013, Empire State Building, NYC, Photography, Photowalk, Times Square
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Blog Survey Update

I want to thank all of you who took the time to complete my blog survey. So far, I am happy with the quality of information I have received and delighted by the new insights that I have come to learn.

If you have not filled out the survey, please take a moment to do so. Your thoughts about this blog are important as I move forward with the redesign and refinement of blog posts.

Survey under the cut…

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