What’s Gotta Stay

Dereliction of Duty

On a brief walk outside of London (I honestly had no idea where I was) I found this quaint little section of a canal with various docked boats.

Though they were not derelicts, they had a nostalgic feel to them which I opted to portray with some post processing treatment.

I found that the little photowalks I was able to take on my trip were some of my most enjoyable “personal” moments.  Though perhaps a little dereliction of my intended duty on the trip, I am glad I was able to get out and explore when I did.

Canon 40D, 24-105L, 1/100 at f/4 and 200 ISO
see it larger on flickr

Tags: boats, england

Hey! Gimme That!

I had a couple of hours before my next responsibility on a day in London, so I wandered out from our hotel which was right next to Kensington Gardens. I enjoyed many different sites, and along my way happened upon this older gentleman feeding the squirrels.

Not only was he feeding them, but he was having conversations with them. Each squirrel had a name and they obviously knew him well. There were 12-15 different squirrels by my count in the few minutes I observed and took a few photos. The man was completely comfortable with being photographed as I was not the only one with camera in hand. I probably took many more than most others though

Check out the more of the series I uploaded (click a thumbnail to view larger on flickr) to get a feel for the fun I had observing this fellow.

Canon 40D, 24-105L, various settings (see flickr)

Tags: animal, old man, squirrel

A Final Farewell

Taken at the last show in London at the O2 Arena.  This is the last performance in the UK of the Osmonds all together.  It was a very emotional moment for the Osmonds and the fans alike.  The original 4 performing Osmond Brothers are being applauded by their younger siblings as this tour was really celebrating their 50 year anniversary of performing.

This is one of those times that I am happy with the shot I got, but also sad that I couldn’t be in two places at once.  I wanted the scene with the enormous crowd being a part of it, which is why I chose to be back stage.  What I didn’t realize is how emotional this was for the Osmonds, and being behind them I missed the opportunity to capture those emotional expressions from the front.  What can you do but be happy with what you were able to capture, right?

See more on this post at Osmondmania.com

Tags: concert, on tour, osmonds

Jay’s Solo

Jay Osmond has a tremendous solo in the middle of a medley from “The Plan” that rocks the house.  As he nears the end there is a pause where he strikes this pose.  I captured this from various angles, but this was one of my favorite of the moment.

It’s moments like these I try to work hard to capture.  There are various things I look for, including individual scenes, group scenes, the entire stage and setting and interactions between people.  I am very fortunate to be able to shoot multiple shows for a project like this one, allowing me to catch scenes at a subsequent concert that I may have missed at a previous one.

Canon 40D, 24-105L, 1/80 at f/4 and 500 ISO
see it larger on flickr

Tags: concert, jay osmond, on tour

Getting the Shot

Every so often you notice something in the midst of whatever you are doing that really strikes you.  This moment was one of those.

I was scooting around the venue looking for different vantage points to capture when I noticed this concert goer working hard at getting a shot of the show.  Everyone was standing the entire show, so she had to hold her camera well above her head to try and get a decent shot.  A great shot is worth working for, right?

I framed in the camera and put it in focus (rather than the background).  This is one of those shots I value for myself rather than the express purpose for which I was there.  I hope you like it to

Canon 40D, EFS 17-55, 1/125 at f/2.8 and 640 ISO
see it larger on flickr

Tags: concert

Cloudy Morning

Finally back in the US again, I have been taking a breather for a few days from photos and blogging. This morning I figured it was time to get back into things, so snapped this shot on the way to work.

We’ve been having a very unusual spring, with plenty of swings between warm weather and back to periodic snow showers. It’s no surprise then that we had a very April-like wet few days since I have been back. I love seeing the clouds in the sky though, providing some fun, dramatic views.

I’ll be sorting through my photos from the trip and posting some of the “keepers” I find as I collect those I will use for the book. Thanks to all my flickr friends that visited while I was away, and I look forward to getting back into your streams now that I have time and a decent internet connection again.

Canon 40D, Sigma 10-22, 1/125 at f/8 and 100 ISO
see it much larger on flickr

Tags: landscape, mountain, panoramic

Good morning everyone. Recovering after a late night and an incredible concert at Wembley Arena. That placed rocked! Seriously, all the Osmonds were excited for an amazing experience back and Wembley and they put on a great show.

I was tasked with videoing the concert for the PPV release on Donny.com, so this was a whole new night for me. The video turned out well (I think) and will be different than what a lot of people might expect. Rather than sitting on a tripod in the back of the theater the entire show, I decided to take the camera all around the venue and get a much more personal view of things. At times this made for some shaky video as I bumped my way through the crowd and ran to new locations, but hopefully everyone will enjoy the intimate view they get of the show. Watch for the end where I get right up on the stage with the Osmonds!

I am editing the video now to match up the audio taken directly from the concert mixing board (rather than what my camera picks up) for the best quality sound.

Tags: concert, on tour, osmonds

Press Photo - #1 DVD in the UK!

Yesterday I was able to tag along when the Osmonds met with a ton of press people during a scheduled press junket. I always enjoy attending these events to see what happens behind the scenes, and then what is edited and reported on the news that night. The press was very favorable overall from what I was able to catch flipping channels that night, and the Osmonds had such poise and professionalism throughout the long event.

I talk more about this and share some additional photos on the official tour blog.

Tags: junket, on tour, osmonds, press

Gadfield Elm Chapel

I had the opportunity yesterday to visit a historic landmark in the LDS history.  The Osmond bus made a small detour to stop by and experience this piece of history, and I was able to tag along for the ride.  You can read more about the experience on my post over on the Osmonds’ site.

The story behind this chapel is fascinating.  Read more about it here.

I have a few from the series of photos also posted on flickr.

Canon 40D, Sigma 10-22
see it larger on flickr

Tags: church, historic, landmark, lds, mormon

Conflict

Yesterday I had a couple of hours between catching up on sleep and some work and before getting to the venue for the show.  When these windows of time open up, I try to take in whatever sights I can on some solo photowalking within a reasonable distance of my hotel.  I say reasonable because I am afraid to get too adventurous and end up lost and out of time to get back!

Manchester was so interesting for me, both the architecture and the people.  I immediately noticed the diversity of people,  ethnic and expressive styles.  For me this is a goldmine of street photographic opportunity.  Making my way a mile or so down through what seemed to be a town square and through to the Manchester wheel I observed so many great scenes and people.

On the way back a street preacher was in full form, preaching to noone in particular and full volume hoping to find people to share his beliefs with.  While I observed a bit from a distance, this one youth decided it was time to engage and debate.

Conflict Begins

Once the discussion grew, a started to assemble.  Likely hoping to view things escalate to a spectacle, things seemed to stay at just an exchange of views at a verbal level.  I stayed on for a bit until people started to take notice of me shooting photos.  I took my leave to avoid becoming part of the situation.

Further up the square was a street musician that had been setting up while I was heading through before.  On my way back he was in full concert mode and putting on quite a show.

Street Musician

This guy in particular was fun to watch.  He had the full set of amps running off of a generator to put a serious show.  I was surprised he could set up with such a rig, but honestly I am happy that a city allows this kind of situation to allow impromptu entertainment to happen.  He attracted a crowd and was pulling in some good donations to the hat.

I was able to pull in a fairly wide set of photos from the walk that I will eventually go back and develop as time allows.  This is a behind the scenes enjoyment for me on this tour.  Really, how many people get such a great opportunity to be on a trip like this.  I consider myself fortunate.

Tags: photowalk, street photography