Iowa City

On the way to a shoot in Iowa City, I passed by these characters walking down the street. Had to turn back and ask them if I could make a photo. Apparently there is a Japanese Animation convention in town and they were dressed up like characters. In the past, I might have just kept on driving, but this was too good and I had all my equipment with me. Can't let these opportunities pass me by. Even if the photo turns out to be a dud, the encounter with the people never is.

My shoot at the Hope Lodge for the American Cancer Society was at times emotional but went well. I will have photos in a future post.
It was a big day...600 miles of driving with a full day of shooting in-between.

"Hope"

I am lucky enough to have a project with The American Cancer Society. I will travel to the four "Hope Lodges" in the upper midwest (Minneapolis, Rochester, Iowa City and Marshfield, WI) to photograph those who benefit from their services. Because many travel from great distances to access hospitals, Hope Lodges are places where patients and their families can stay when they are receiving treatment. Tomorrow morning I am traveling to Hope Lodge in Iowa City.

Erik, a 24 year old, recently stayed with his mother at Hope Lodge in Minneapolis.

Work like this surely helps me keep things in perspective. My problems are miniscule in comparison.

The Salvation Army

An image from The Salvation Army I shot in Portland last week.

Finally...

It has been forever since I have made a post to the blog...so I apologize to those who read it. Things have been busy to say the least with all sorts of crazy things. Presently I am in Portland working with The Salvation Army. We spent yesterday and today photographing the people of "The Army" in a variety of settings...shelters...camps...support situations...they really do good work and get things done. Tonight I travel to Seattle to shoot for a Rescue Mission in Everett which is a suburb of Seattle.

Here are a few photos from Heritage Hill State Park, that were shot on a recent family trip to Green Bay Wisconsin, where my wife, Lori and I both grew up. (slightly after the time that is depicted at the living history museum that is Heritage Hill.

Pez

The Pez display is in place in the new space, which is an indicator that I am now "officially moved". The Pez have really become a focal point within the space. It results in many questions/comments which vary depending on the age of inquirer.

Adults:

How long have you been collecting pez?
about 20 years

How many do you have?
about 350

Are any of them worth a lot of money?
I only buy them when they are introduced, so I have usually paid about $1.29 or so for each. Over the years, people have given me some that are actually worth much more (they usually are the ones without the feet)

I never knew there were so many?
there are well over 1000

What are those?
asked by someone from a deprived childhood



Children:

Do you have all of them?
no

Can I have (fill in character)?
I do have extras I give away, although I chose

Who ate all that candy?
(this is my favorite, which is usually asked by an 8-10 year boy. I get to say, "I did" and I gain their respect, not because I have all the dispensers, but because I ate all the candy)

Good Samaritan

I have started to do portraits of the elderly in assisted care and long term care facilities. It is my hope that the photos will benefit the families of the residents who might not otherwise have a photo done.

Yesterday, I went to the Good Samaritan in Inver Grove to continue the project. In addition to the portrait we took, I began to notice the hands and how interesting they look....the way they are held together, the experience in the lines...the stories they must be able to tell.

"Unique" Nate

Nate was one of the first to respond to the craiglsit ad "Looking for unique people for personal photo project" when I began the series at the beginning of last year.

To date I have photographed over 90 different people and have learned much. Everyone is indeed unique, but the interesting thing to me is what each individual thinks that might be. It isn't always the same thing that is the most obvious. It often times lies deep within each person and isn't externally noticeable. There seems to be an inverse relationship to how outwardly unique someone looks to how inwardly unique they are. It is as if the individualism factor is 100%. If 80% is shown on the outside, there only needs to be 20% held on the inside and vice versa which can really leave you speculating.