Friday Photo Flaunt: Scapes

My dad is mostly responsible for my debilitating addiction to photography. He was a freelancer back in the day. When being a photographer actually meant something more than being lumped in with a million talentless wannabes. Professional grade cameras weren't cheap, film cost even more plus developing fees. This weeded out most of the half-assers from really following through on any scheme to be a photographer.

My dad never really got serious about being a photographer despite his relative success. He actually sold some photos to various publications, including a poster maker who used a shot of his friend doing a handstand on the summit of Mt. Rainier with one of those slogans like "The harder the journey the greater the glory". By the time he met and married my mom I was 9 and his well appointed Nikon kit was mostly relegated to taking pictures of family holidays. He taught me how to use the equipment and eventually I became the primary shareholder in his Nikon toy stash.

The railroad track boat house ramp my great grandfather mysteriously built without any help.

 Since my dad really only shot landscapes that's what I learned first. I shot almost entirely still life's until I was a freshman in college and a friend of a friend asked if I would take some pinup shots of her for a boyfriend's birthday. Of course after that I realized that my passion was shooting human subjects. Although I never forgot that I got started and I still enjoy landscape photography, although I find it much more difficult than portraits. Even though i learned most of my foundational knowledge about exposure and lighting from shooting landscapes I still don't feel like I ever had any real talent for it. Marginal landscapery aside, this FPF I decided to drop some of my attempts at inanimate imaging. A lot of them are from before I upgraded to a digital camera pack. I shot for years on a 35mm rig and I still love film although it's not cost effective. You can often tell which images were shot on 35mm film because they have a much grainier, contrasty look. Can you pick out the film vs digital shots?

Salud.

Cactus in Joshua tree.

Cactus in Arizona. On the set of "Off season" with the Airizona cardinals.

These were both shot on the same day. Industrial studies around Manhatten Beach, CA.

Joshua tree is obviously one of my favorite locations to shoot. It's just one of the places that tends to be inspiring whether you want to be or not. 

Joshua tree

Grand canyon. The most photographed piece of land ever. Meh.

My dad actually took this photo on a climbing trip.

corn, yum.

My favorite landscapes are always the ones that somehow create a story even though there are no people. What better question than "How the hell did a pair of shoes end up on the metro tracks?"

Or what's all that stuff for? Little viles? Must be something sinister. People usually fill in the rest of the story for you.

 This was a friends 1951 Studebaker I shot for a classic car calendar in San Diego.

Taxco, Mexico. Favorite mexican town ever.

Indian reservation somewhere outside Utah.