Dreary day in the studio . .

Nothing going on, no pressing projects, nasty weather. Perfect for experimenting in the lighting studio; something I don't do enough of.

Simple enough setup . . Three halogen lights, home-made soft box, heavy tripod, a black vinyl notebook for a background and my watch. Here goes . .

35 years ago . .

While sorting through all of Dad's boxes in his basement, my brother and I found this! This is the camera I learned photography with 35 years ago. It's a c.1950 Voigtlander Bessa 1, 6x9cm (2.25x3.25 inches) format.

Dad was always into photography when he was younger but had pretty much given it up a few years after us kids came along. When I reached 14 years old I asked him to teach me. Dad had better cameras then this one, but he figured this was the perfect learning tool. Everything on it is manual. There is no built-in exposure meter and no range-finder for focusing. You have to estimate the distance from the camera to your subject and understand depth-of-field if you want sharp pictures. You have to know how to use a light meter and how to set the exposure. You only get eight shots per roll of film, too, so you better be sure what you're shooting is worth it. There's no double-exposure lock out either, so if you're not paying attention you'll end up with eight shots on the same frame.

Dad's axiom for good pictures was, sharp lenses, big negatives and smart photographers. This camera had two out of three with me, but I learned.

Here's one of the first images I made with it, processed and printed by me.

What material says "Plumbing"?

Copper, of course!

Yesterday I photographed the newly remodeled Reeves-Wiedeman Company building ("Plumbing Supplies For Contractors and Industry") at 3635 Main, KCMO, for their tax credit application. Helix was the architecture firm involved, and I really like their work.


A spectacular feature is this skylight/atrium lined with copper located over the order counter.




The entire elevator bay is clad in copper as well.


The elevator bay is mirrored by a copper wall in the office lobby.



A stairway surrounds the elevator bay providing a dramatic blast of sleek copper color. Nice!

Real Estate? Sure, I do that.

I was recently asked by a friend of a friend if I would be interested in shooting a home for a real estate listing. "Sure! " was my response. This is one of those things I wish I could do more of. Photos on real estate websites are generally pretty sad, and that's the point of first contact for any potential sale.

Anyway, are you in the market for a nice house in North KC? Contact Jeff Johnson and ask him about this beauty!

Cooool School

WAY past due for a new post here . .

Last week I photographed an elementary school in southeast Kansas built in 1951 for a National Register of Historic Places nomination. Many would not consider a building of this vintage to be historic, but it qualifies in every respect. And, I like the style.

The job was fairly unremarkable, except for the fact that on this day it was 28 degrees outside and 32 degrees inside!

Dry Dock

Pomme deTerre Lake in SW Missouri is not a big lake, even by Missouri standards. So when the Army Corps of Engineers announced that they would drop the water level by 6-12 feet below normal pool this fall/winter for dam maintenance, the ramifications were obvious to everyone. This is a flood-control lake and as such the water level can raise considerably. But it rarely drops by much, and never in the history of the lake has the water been this low.

It's not this dramatic everywhere, but some of the coves really took a hit!







On the other side of the dam it's a different picture. The increased and sustained flow from the spillway cleaned things up nicely.

Building Spelunking

Spelunking is the technical term for cave exploration. Building spelunking is what I call picking through the dark recesses of old basements. Sometimes they're so dark you literally can't see your hand in front of your face. And other times there's just enough light to creep you out. Many times I don't know what I'm shooting until I see the image on the camera.

Yeah, it's fun!