Creativity on a whim

This video was shot using a Canon G9 during two games of bowling last Sunday afternoon. The beauty of having easy access to inexpensive video tools is that we can now create fun stories on a whim. I didn't intend to make a video of our holiday bowling bash, but after taking a couple of shots a storyline unfolded. It's not professional quality by any means but it was a blast to make and share.

Here is the story synopsis:

On a dreary Sunday afternoon, a group of bowlers with the hopes of going pro descend upon the local bowling alley in Bainbridge, NY. There's nothing better than family, beer, fried food and bowling during the holiday season.



Music by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The energy of this song seemed to fit perfectly.

How to Photograph a Christmas Cookie

(Posted by Ryan)

It's no coincidence that food is on my mind. Larissa and I just finished eating a fantastic recipe from the November issue of Bon Appetit . . . butternut squash risotto with shrimp to be exact. Although I love the recipes in Bon Appetit, it's really the photography that keeps me opening the magazine. I'm not sure when it happened, but at some point in the last two years Bon Appetit has undergone a major shift in the way it chooses to have it's recipes photographed.

I have noticed a dramatic change in the way food is depicted. The style of shooting has become 20 times more interesting to me and ultimately keeps me interested in the magazine and its recipes. In an age where print is dying, Bon Appetit is making a strong effort to differentiate itself.

For example, when I opened the December issue the other week I saw one of the most creative Christmas cookie spreads I've ever seen. Photographer Isabelle Bonjean photographed 3 beautiful "cookie landscapes" for the December issue. I'm not sure who the food stylist was, but whoever they were, they did an amazing job. Creating surreal landscapes from sugar, flour and chocolate is no easy task. These photographs must have taken considerable time and patience to create.

It's creativity like this that sets Bon Appetit apart from other magazines. They are giving photography extra emphasis in their pages and by doing so are keeping readers like me interested in the magazine. I hope they continue to push the bar with photography and that their magazine can continue to survive in an age where many publishers are calling it quits.

And for the record, Larissa made the cardamom orange sugar cookies last weekend and they were spectacular!

What's your favorite magazine? Favorite cookie?

Powered Paragliding

I have put myself in a lot of strange positions in order to get the shot I perceive in my head, but I've never been able to truly get into the sky. Hanging off the side of a cliff, standing on top of a crane, or teetering precariously from the top step of a 12 foot ladder is one thing, but to be able to truly shoot from the air is a completely different beast. I have had a desire to photograph from the air for years and have never had the opportunity.

Recently, by a series of unrelated but oddly similar coincidences I have been introduced to the idea of powered paragliding. It wasn't long ago that I read an article about photographer George Steinmetz in PDN and was blown away by the uniqueness of his work. The other day I was talking with Zander Hartung, who happens to be a talented filmmaker as well as a paraglider. He reminded me of Steinmetz' work so I went back to take another look.



By looking at George and Zander's work, I was inspired all over again to find a way to shoot from the sky. The area in which I live offers a perfect platform for shooting from a powered paraglider. I live in a wide open valley with rolling hills, farmland and unique mountain features and have often dreamed of soaring through the valley.

It is my hope that in a few years I will be sharing aerial photographs of Mercersburg and the surrounding areas of Franklin County with you.

What inspires you?

Thankful

Today I am thankful to be alive.

I am thankful to have a kind and loving family who supports me in all my endeavors.

I am thankful to have shared the past 9 years with my soulmate, Larissa. She is my wife, business partner and most importantly, my best friend.

I am thankful for my most loyal adventurer, Sadie. She pushes me in ways that only a four-legged creature can and she never holds a grudge when I have to cut our run short.

I am thankful for the abundance in my life. I am never without love, friendship, food or a home.

I am thankful for my eyes and I am thankful for my career as a photographer. The people I have met and the places I have been are held close to my heart. I am thankful for the invention of photography. I am thankful for the continued creativity and passion for which people pursue this medium.

I am thankful for the challenges in my life. They remind me of what is truly important. These challenges force me to adapt and learn in unexpected ways.

I am thankful for my health.

I am thankful for this planet and all of its intricacies and I am thankful for all of the wonderful mysteries contained in this universe.

What are you thankful for today?

Austin City Limits turns 35

(posted by Ryan)

I believe this is relevant not only because I am fascinated with time lapse photography but also because I love Austin City Limits and have a soft spot in my heart for Pearl Jam. I was only 11-years-old when Ten was released and although I've lost touch with the band over the years, it was this album that began to shape my early teenage years. In 7th grade I wrote all of the words to "Jeremy" in calligraphy for an art project. My mom didn't completely approve of my choice in songs, but we compromised by removing the f-bomb from the lyrics.

From what I understand, this video was created by using over 10,000 still photos. Yep . . . 10,000. Photographer Jonathan Jackson shot a photograph every 6 seconds from 9:09AM – 11:29PM to make this video.

Enjoy!

Pearl Jam / Austin City Limits TV Taping / Time Lapse from Jonathan Jackson on Vimeo.

A Day in D.C.: The Best of Both Worlds

Posted by Larissa

This Wednesday, Larissa and Ryan traveled from the country to the city for some face time with ad agency creatives and DC Fotoweek exhibitions. We had traveled to Baltimore for similar purposes last week, so we made sure to grab our little sack of quarters for parking and made our way to our nation's capitol.

Once again we were reminded of how expensive D.C. is in comparison to Baltimore. Both cities are equidistant from our town, but Baltimore seems to be where we have spent the majority of our "city" time of late. Ryan and I laugh now at our innocent little sack of parking meter quarters we never used after spending $30 on parking throughout a day of zipping around Georgetown and other parts of the city. Lesson learned...again.

We had several portfolio showings with some great firms, met friendly, creative people, and even managed to grab an IPA and antipasto at a brasserie in Georgetown. We saw some amazing international photographers at the D.C. Fotoweek exhibits such as Ernesto Bazan, Ziyah Gafic, and João Pina. At the Embassy of Sweden we saw an exhibition called "What Lies Beneath: Nature & Urban Landscape in EU Photography." It is always nice to spend some time immersed in other photographers' work, not just your own.

We made our way from appointment to appointment, to exhibit, to a seminar, to our friends' apartment for a late dinner, all through a consistent drizzle with no umbrella, Ryan tucking his portfolio under his jacket for protection. These adventurous days, outside the norm of our daily farmhouse office lives, remind us of our old city life and all the precariousness that came along with it. They remind us that this urban existence is just down the road, as are our clients, but we can always return happily to our simple country life at the end of the day. Can we have the best of both worlds? I like to think so.

Inspiration and the Shape of Things to Come in Wedding Coverage

Posted by Larissa

© Stillmotion Photo + Cinema

Sometimes something comes along that causes one to stir in one's desk chair with an energy outside the daily trudge through the to-do list. You suddenly see that there is something to all of this endless searching, social networking, brainstorming, organizing, perfectionistic tendencies, and questioning that you do in the business of creativity. You see an artist's work that inspires you beyond voyeurism and envy - that inspires you to keep molding and refining your art and how you represent your art in doing business.

A friend passed along a link to Stillmotion Photo + Cinema, a wedding photography and videography team based in Canada whose work has inspired me today. While we are not solely a wedding photography enterprise, we do enjoy shooting weddings from time to time. Watching the videos on the Stillmotion site reminded me of why so many professionals are drawn to the wedding industry. I got so much joy from looking at the photos and videos on their site, not just because of the intrinsic bliss of a couple's wedding day, but because of the sheer level of craftsmanship that goes into each of Stillmotion's pieces of work.

I only hope that people can glean the same level of inspiration from our work, wedding or not. And stay tuned! The integration of video and still photography is certainly the shape of things to come here at Chace + Smith Photography and Ryan Smith Photography.