What I do, why I love it, where it's taken me....

  Had I been told --say, 8 or more years ago that something I had always treated as mostly a hobby would become my "bread & butter", and on top of that, find me setting foot in cities and locations across the U.S. map -- I probably would've had a tough time believing it.  
  But there came a point for me, partially because of the economy, partially due to loss, that somehow I found the path that brought me here.  It did take some time, effort, and an overall leap of faith, but I can honestly say I'm more content now than I ever was being on someone else's payroll or schedule.  
   If you or anyone you know has ever done a full "180" with their lives, or a process of reinvention, you can probably relate. 

   So these days, I often find myself looking through a lens (or staring at an LCD) and the variety of what's on the other side may include -- a baseball diamond, a football field, a dance floor, a home for sale, or a business reaching out to new clients....just to name a few.  

   Here's a good cross-section of some of what keeps me busy:


McLeanGardensBallroom from I4video on Vimeo.

XOS & BaseballFactory reel from I4video on Vimeo.

Home Tour from I4video on Vimeo.

FRAICHE on 192448196 from I4video on Vimeo.

Dance & Cheer Reel 1 WEB from I4video on Vimeo.

  You can find these plus more of my samples at :

https://vimeo.com/user16055932

   Video can all at once be a challenge and a breeze.  Easy in the sense that following sports action is rather straightforward and nothing you do can affect what's taking place, but at it's most challenging on the creative end -- editing a produced piece and being torn over what stays and what goes.  I can attest that in editing, you can lose all sense of time-- think you've sat there for 2 hours when it's actually been 4.   

    For me, it traces back to my teens, and what was a passion for still photography over time morphed into one for moving images... So much so that for a while, while I worked regular jobs full time, I still made time to shoot and produce pieces for local cable access and even work a shift now and then doing programming playback (well before things went automated).  On the plus side, even doing what some might think was mundane did have its advantages; a chance to briefly interview Walter Cronkite, and produce a live graduation that turned out to be JFK Jr.'s last public appearance... all in the space of a year.

    Thanks to you if you've read this far, but being that I'm in the visual business, it would make much more sense to round this out with less talk, and more visual.  So look on...
 
LIFE AT 30,000 FEET
I spend a decent share of time looking down on clouds, given what I do.  Flown more in the last 5 years than my entire life before that.  Not having a window seat makes me think I'll miss something, and when I do have the chance, I've captured scenes like these....

Left:  That shadow of the plane you see projected on the cloud is not unusual, but the ring around it is. If you're lucky enough to see this effect, it's caused by the water vapor in the cloud, similar to how rainbows work.  All you need is your flight to be directly between the sun and a cloud deck.
Right:  A screen capture from a video -- thunderstorm several miles away, but producing some awesome moments.


"WORKPLACES":

Top Left:  Rooftop of the pressbox at Naval Academy stadium in Annapolis, during a game (2012)
Top Right:  This is the image from the top of the blog-- Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall (2009)
Middle Left:  High school in Washington,DC - Fall football  (2013) 
Center & Right:  Baseball evaluation events in Albany,NY (2014) and Palm Beach, FL (2012)
Bottom :  After a commercial shoot in Northern Virginia  (2014)

EYES OF HISTORY:
This past fall, while in the DC area, I dropped by the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue; as it turned out, two separate exhibits happened to overlap -- bringing two of the most important imaging devices in history under the same roof for the first time...

...... .
Left:  The RCA video camera that sat on the surface of the Moon the night of July 20,1969 and beamed images back home of astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin taking the first steps on another world.
Right:   The Bell & Howell 8mm film camera once owned by Abraham Zapruder of Dallas, TX.  The first and last time it was operated:  During President Kennedy's visit on November 22, 1963.

More from the window seat...

 Remember how I said on those occasions I don't wind up at the window during flights I feel like I'm missing something?  Very true -- mostly due in part to what I do, I'm sure.  Working in visual media tends to have the eyes always peeled for new visions everywhere.
 And so I've found looking out the window isn't only a way to pass time when you fly, it's also a source of some amazing sights.  When the light, reflection, and shadows line up just the right way, the upper atmosphere can be one incredible palette....




   Timing is everything if your goal is to catch something memorable, and here's proof:




Left:   All I was expecting was a nice shot of how the low-angled sun was playing off the clouds...then another airliner enters the scene, right where it should. (Moving from right to left, upper half of photo)
Right:   This was shortly after takeoff from Atlanta, heading east. "Waves" in the sky - Never had seen anything like it before; they're called Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds, and they're pretty rare. Surf's up!


 "AUDIENCE"
 These distant cloudtops form what reminded me of a performance or seminar in progress -- do you see it?  Stage to the left, with a crowd to the right.

   Don't get me wrong -- it's not always so scenic.  You know those flights where there's nothing but a gray haze out the window?  Sure, if you're not looking to sleep, you can always pull out your tablet or laptop for entertainment.  But if all else fails, put your thinking cap on and amuse yourself with good old pen & paper. Rather than doodling, you may write the next bestseller.  Or if you're any good with word play, do what I did on a flight a while back -- (these are real, scribbled during the same flight)


  There's even occasions when it's nearly a requirement to focus on what's below rather than above.  And I think these qualify ---

 
 Top Left: Washington,DC & Potomac River; the entire National Mall runs left to right.
 (March 2014)
Top Right:  Chicago and a partially frozen Lake Michigan (Feb.2013)
Bottom:  New York City, almost the entirety of Manhattan - from part of Central Park at the left to Lower Manhattan at the right. (June 2014)

Some words about resilience

June 18, 2014

Earlier, I spoke about reinvention -- being able to weather your storms and come out better off. Recently, I saw living proof of this in nature as well. Outside of my home, there've been two rose bushes planted by the previous owner over 10 years ago. One bright red, the other a striped variety (I'm not sure of it's name). They've both always been healthy and vibrant until about a year and a half ago, when the striped one gradually began dying off stem by stem; I couldn't tell why.  Both have gotten the same treatment.  While the other stayed robust, I was sure the striped one was finished --even the last bit of stump dried up and withered.
   Suddenly, early in June, emerging in the same spot I'd last seen it, I discovered a new stem breaking through the soil with a single bud ready to bloom. With some assistance from small sticks to keep it upright and some extra nurturing, it's back -- don't know how or why, but trying to reach it's partner's height once again -- Talk about resilience...it really is everywhere.

Downtime....

Having a non-traditional work schedule can make it challenging for free-time planning, but the important thing is to relish it when it comes around; your weekdays can seem like a long weekend. Whatever the case, you make the most of it ....

From a trip to coastal Maine, visiting friends (2009).
Hiking on Cadillac Mountain - Bar Harbor sits in the distance.
At Marshall Point Lighthouse, made famous in "Forrest Gump" as the end of Forrest's cross country run; he jogs up the ramp and only then realizes he's reached his destination.  Great scene.
Campout at Eagle Lake, Acadia National Park.  Just after dusk, overhead is the constellation Sagittarius, sometimes called "the teapot".
A boat navigates the Maine coastline just as a cold front sweeps in, with this striking sunbeam cutting through.
__________________________________________________________________


Two occasions where work trips were long enough to explore where I was :
Charleston,SC (2012)  &  Galveston,TX (2014)
___________________________________________________________________

Home grown tomatoes in the summer -- face it, the ones you grow yourself always seem sweeter and tastier than anyone else's...we all think that. Every year I change up the varieties I try; last year, this turned up on a container planting I had. What would this be called -- a siamese triplet tomato? Wonder if I could've sold it on EBay?
____________________________________________________________________

Reading... a lost art? Not for everyone.

I'm not one that's ready to give up the printed page completely.

_____________________________________________________________________

Alexis and Daniel

No question, these two are an important part of my downtime. Both rescued by me at crucial times --

Alexis (calico) was already grown a few years back when the family she had gave her up.  After almost a year at Caroline Co. Humane and then Chesapeake Cats, I couldn't resist and adopted her. 

Daniel (tabby) I literally rescued as a weeks-old kitten I found one morning calling out under a shrub outside. No idea how he got there, but glad I heard him.  Alexis became accustomed to him gradually, and now tolerates him mostly as the annoying "little brother".  But he does bring out her maternal side too.  Giving them both a second chance is one of the more rewarding things I've ever done.

Local odds and ends....

As I said above, photography was my original path, until video took over on a professional level.  And not all of the still shots I go after these days are from a plane.  Some personal favorite images from here and there in my neck of the woods:

 

These are both in and around the Oxford,MD boatyard - summer of 2005, during production of the film "Failure To Launch", with Matthew McConaughey & Sarah Jessica Parker.  I had been briefly involved assisting during some setups, and took these as filming went on late one night. Couldn't escape how the set lights cast an eerie glow over the marina.

Abandoned church just outside of Royal Oak, MD 
(2011) 

"The Path"

From an early morning drive close to St. Michaels,MD  (2009) 

I can't recall specifics, but I know I was going down a side road and this sight made me pull over....Sun, trees, and some leftover morning fog = this.

 This is why you carry a camera with you.  

A parting shot

So you've seen the scribbles of a mind from a long flight (up above) using word play;  Here's one done with some other free time using two unrelated images.... How better to close a blog than with a smile?
( If you're under 30 and don't get the joke -- all is forgiven )

Hope you've enjoyed -- If I can be of any service, don't hesitate to ask...contact info at upper right.