“You are beautiful, my darling, beautiful beyond words. Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair falls in waves, like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.” – Song of Solomon 4:1 Kristen walked into my life one afternoon when she interviewed to be my assistant. She became a vital…
Monthly Archives: March 2010
“Perfection will paralyze you” Keith Carter Walkabout sounds Australian. The Native Americans believed that you could find spiritual guidance in the everyday. An art walkabout is a personal spirit quest— a letting go of all expectations. Being present and immersed in the moment. Exploring whatever moves you as you walk. It’s about moving away from…
9 comments
Love these!
In your hands I think Lensbaby = Time.
Love the balances in these… the color, the textures and the stillness.
Told you that you would like the feel of it. ;0)
Wow, vivid and rich colors, great placement of focus. I’m glad you took it into the realm of art and approach vs. the nerdlinger techie stuff I asked for. The isolation and decay are beautifully haunting. The grain elevator reminds me of a prison guard tower. Thanks Randy.
Nice to see some of your non-portrait images. Not everyone is gifted to take on different subject matter so successfully as an image maker.
Really like all these image choices (I know there were more) and of course your insightful writing.
I like how these images are so dreamlike. So vivid, yet fleeting all at the same time. So in the moment, yet… to be honest with you, I was thinking that this would be a great lens to take portraits of my kindergarten class… so sharp, colorful and focused, but always in motion. Great inages Randy!
Thanks for the comments guys! I really appreciate your thoughts on my Lensbaby Art Walkabout in Kansas. This is a great lens for portraits, but it’s very different than what you’re used to. As with anything, the more you practice shooting with it, the more you figure out how to make it work best for your style.
The lens is totally manual. You focus it manually and the aperture is controlled with magnetic discs that you drop in. There is a set of discs that come with the Lensbaby. Each one has a hole that represents a different f/stop. With no disc, it’s the equivalent to f/2.8, but there are discs that range up to f/22. I think most of these were captured using the f/8 disc.
There are some wonderful effects with this lens using it wide open, with no disc. The smearing I was talking about is very evident. Personally, I wanted to mimic more of a tilt/shift lens or a vintage 4×5 camera. The unique aspect of this lens is that the field or plane of focus is not flat. It’s kind of a sweet spot bubble type of focus. If they ever develop a flat plane focus model, I’d be the first to buy it!
Randy,
I’m not a photgrapher, so I can’t respond in the language of photography. But I’ll say this. These are friggin’ gorgeous. I like how the eye is drawn to the one thing that that seems to be the focus and how it become such an intense and beautiful moment to look there (the color, the shape, the light), while everything else that is happening in the lense (the blurring, the other images) inform that one thing/place. Wow. The colors in all of these is quite remarkable, how rust and a broken windwhield are so lovely and, well, broken at the same time. It is about being present.
I also like what you said about learning the technique and then breaking the rules. As a writer, I’m just learning how to break the rules.
Jackie
Jackie,
Thank you for the wonderful and inspiring comments! It’s always wonderful when non-photographers stop by and take the time to comment. It really makes my day. 
I feel I have only begun to tap the potential of this wonderful new tool that helps me see in a new way. What a gift, to be able to change your perspective. As in life, it brings a freshness and opportunity to step away from the rut of experience.
I love following writers. So hard to find someone who takes the time to express a good turn of phrase. I look forward to reading through your blog.
Thanks again!
I love my Lensbaby. And I love Keith Carter. A good mix, actually.
8 comments
This is wonderful, Randy! Fort Scott has a charming presence in your pictures… looks like a great place. My personal favorite of this sparkly couple is the kiss in the car lights. I bet they were really, really happy with your work!
I also think Theresa might just kill for those shoes…
Beautiful work Randy. The intimacy and sincerity of your post is clearly evident in the images. I really like the creativity and diversity of all the settings, posing and lighting.
Brilliantly creative as always. Only 33 images here and I think you have told thier story.
What a beautiful wedding. She is just stunning. And happy too. I love the shoes, that’s a great shot, and the almost kiss with the light coming through — lots of love coming through in all of them.
Fantastic photos Randy! I love the one in front of the rounded wood door, and the brick background with finger pointing.
Amazing work as always , Really like the way you capture images! very nice!
Stunning images. I love the ones of her getting ready, coming down the stairs… and then the last one of the couple in the dark. Fabulous!
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