George M. Steinbrenner Field, Spring Training site for the New York Yankees in Tampa, Florida, Thursday, March 8, 2012.

I was in Florida all of March, with the intent of shooting Spring Training. Unfortunately, I never got a Spring Training assignment. hurrumph. Maybe next year. But I kinda expected that to happen. That’s not to say I wasn’t busy with work. Don’t worry. I made some money while I was down there. But, rather than twiddle my thumbs waiting for a phone call, I just went to Steinbrenner Field. Nobody was playing, which was fine. I really just wanted to explore the field and see what I could come back with.

Rather than just show what this stadium and its facilities look like, I tried photographing it’s character.

Allen Born and his 10-year-old son Caleb Born, from Sacramento, California,  take pictures of the Yankees Spring Training Stadium in Tampa, Florida Thursday, March 8, 2012 for a school project. Rather than miss school, Caleb is conducting a school-sanctioned independent study. Caleb is a Giants fan saw them during Spring Training last year in the Cactus League in Arizona, but Allen is a “die hard” Detroit Tigers fan. Neither are big Yankees fans, but Caleb’s teacher is.

Finally! Grandmommy agreed to a portrait session Saturday, August 13, 2011. She’s 83 — I know! can’ you believe it? She looks great for her age.

For the occasion she made us some grilled cheese sandwiches and served ice cream cones for desert. The shoot was also during the Brave’s game. They lost. But it was fun to capture her reactions, like the one above.

She used to pose for Grandaddy all the time. He was a technical service rep for Kodak and part of his job was to test out the product. Grandmommy gave me one of the many prints Grandaddy made of her holding a gray card. Ha! The way she would pose for Granddaddy was a lot more traditional — y’know, smiley, posey — than what i want from my subjects.

I like to set up the lights and see what kind of life happens in front of me. In general, I like the interaction I get with my subjects while I’m shooting. But I also like it when they get distracted by, say… a Brave’s game.

I’m into the imperfect.

I think the unposed portrait situations yield the most interesting results. That’s usually when the subject’s personality comes out. …wether they like it or not. hehehe.

Bottom line, I’m uninterested in people’s “camera faces.” Not that I don’t like it when people smile for photos, but I like the smile to be genuine, spontaneous. …ideally the apex of a laugh. Those are the kinds of smiles viewers can feel.

On the flip side, we can all spot a fake smile, right?

Admittedly, I need to figure out a better way to explain this to my subjects. In general, I don’t want them to look like fools. Sometimes they looking a little silly is a good thing. But I think they should be, for lack of a better phrase, “in on the joke.”

Of course what I think makes a great photo is highly subjective. Subjects tend to focus on what they like least about themselves & hone in on that feature in photos. I’m certainly guilty of this. I tend to dismiss otherwise great photos of me because my belly is a bit too pronounced. But, y’know? I’m a burley guy. It’s part of who I am. And of course, some photos frame my gut in a more flattering or interesting (funny?) way than others.

Even beautiful people make ugly photos sometimes.

I’m sure Grandmommy — who I think is gorgeous — won’t like parts of the final edit, but hopefully she knows I love her unconditionally. And I love her look! …even her nose. I might like her nose more because she dislikes it so much. But Somebody’s gotta love it, right? …besides, I have her nose. And I think it looks pretty good on me.

Granddaddy. …love that guy!

 Grandmommy kinda looks like a sad Betty White in this one, doncha’ think?

…and we’ll end on a funny one. This is Grandmommy doing a little Cheesecake pose! ha! isn’t she adorable?

Six-year-old Joe and his dad Brad play a made-up game at the Griffin, GA Starbucks Wednesday, August 10, 2011. They balled up a “cannonball” from a Starbuck’s napkin and knocked cups over. Brad said, “I guess you could call the cups soldiers.” “…like toy soldiers,” clarified Joe.

I love it when I see Dad’s who are really into their sons.

Since I’ve been in Atlanta I’ve been wanting to make a portrait of Rick and Mom for her Birthday — which is TODAY!!! August 17th!!! Happy Birthday, Mom!

They got married last summer, and I really like Rick. He’s a great guy, wonderful to my mom, and they make each other happy. They get each other. …but sometimes they’re a little gross with the cutesy baby talk. yick!

But there’s always a catch, isn’t there?

For the last month or so, Rick has been putting this prescription cream on his face. It’s not the kind that makes your face pretty. no no no. It’s quite the opposite. He jokes around saying stuff like: he looks like the Phantom of the Opera without the mask on. It’s not that bad, but truthfully it looked like his face was ringed with psoriasis.

Understandably he doesn’t like the idea of being photographed looking like he does.

The good news is, he’s on a new ointment now! …and he’s a good sport! I guess he’s in stage two of this treatment? This one works to reverse the damage of the other one. So, at the time of me writing this, his face is looking waaaay better. …but it’s still red — more like a giant birthmark than a chemical burn.

The other day, after eating lunch, I was talking with them about getting their portrait made on Mom’s birthday. And then I noticed he wears those glasses that turn into sunglasses when he goes outside. I asked if he had any other glasses for the shoot. He has some old glasses that don’t look very good. Just joking around, he suggested we just take the photo with a bag over his head. …so I thought, well, why not? That’s a cute photo idea.

Admittedly, I don’t think this was a very good execution of the idea. The lighting could be better. I’m still trying to figure out the potential of my 86″ PLM and how versatile it is. But all n’ all, it was a fun, short shoot.

I realize these photos kinda paint Logan & Melissa into a stereotyped corner. Don’t get me wrong, they’re obviously gun owners, tobacco users, and unabashed Southerners. …and proud of it! But there’s more to em’ than all that.

I remember Logan saying one of the things he absolutely loves about Melissa is how “country” she is. In my mind, they’re a super couple! They’re just as strong together as they are apart, and they’re big fans of one another. The coolest part is that they seem to super-charge each other. But like more and more of the Southerns I meet, their beliefs are complex. Some of them are conservative in some ways, liberal in others. …maybe downright radical when it comes to some stuff.

Don’t get me wrong, I think stereotypes are important for a society. They help mold our interactions, and expectations of strangers. And, of course, people love proving stereotypes wrong — which always is a fun game to play. And lets be honest, there’s no getting rid of stereotypes, either. But I think the Southerner archetype — especially for the Generation XY & Y-ers — has evolved way faster than what the rest of the world thinks. I’m a Baltimore transplant and I find I have to defend the South more often than I’d like. But, y’know, people have their ideas…

I’m sure there’s a lot more to be said on the new generation of Southerners, but I really just wanna show off this photo shoot. So, enjoy!

There are all sorts of stories — most funny, some embarrassing — from my trip to NYC in January.

And I had every intention of writing them here! (well, maybe not the Bolt Bus bathroom story. that’s an “in person” story.)

…but the task became a bit too daunting. And the longer I waited to post them, the bigger the deal the post became.

Sometimes I just need to cut my losses. So, here are the photo. No rambling stories.

Just quick comments.

I know some of you will appreciate my restraint.

So click below the jump to see the rest. 

biggest dumbest nose bleed ever. at like 1am

…for no reason.

…well, okay, I picked my nose. But really, who doesn’t?

don’t judge me.

Ha! “III”

no no no. no symbolism here. (well, I guess you’re free to make your own if you like).

You know the whole “you break it, you buy it” slogan. …yeah.

this is where I broke it. Tiny tiny place.

Making this picture made me miss my train. The door literally closed inches from of my nose.

With TWENTY MINUTES between trains (middle of the day, too) I made  this photo. what else was I to do? no cell phone reception.

For the 1st half of our trip, there was no internet or power on the Bolt Bus, either. So I toned my photos from the trip. (and finally posted them two months later!)

Instead of an after dinner mint, our amazing Red Lulu (heads up, their website has audio) waiter brought out a gigantic puff ball of cotton candy!!! …so we did what any civilized person would do — COTTON CANDY FACIAL HAIR!

Mike’s quite dapper, no? (MORE PHOTOS BELOW THE JUMP)

Last April, I went to NYC with my girlfriend Jess, her Aunt Janet, and Janet’s son Jack. More photos after the jump…

Jess ambushes me with a snowball on the Boardwalk. Awesome!

Jess really wants me to unlock the door. hehehe. Funny story… The snow was covering up the median, separating the parking 28th Street Plaza’s parking spaces from Coastal highway. In my attempt to park, I jumped the median.

his photo makes me laugh. I like how Elvis looks like he’s staring at me. Jess ordered steamed shrimp, which she loved. I had a subpar greek salad. I guess Ocean City is a place to get good seafood, not necessarily vegetarian cuisine — which Coins had none of. At this point we haven’t found a place to sleep. Winging it was part of our plan for the weekend. if the weather was better, I was planning to pit hotels against each other, seeing who was willing to give us the better deal for our business. But as it turned out, we really just needed a place to park and sleep.

Jess made this photo. She’s pretty good, huh? We got stuck in the snow a few times over the weekend. Parking lots were particularly aggravating to get in and out of. I was kicking snow away from my car’s tires. Gotta love snow boots.

Jess leads the charge to our hotel suite at the Princess Royale.

Once we opened the curtains, they stayed open. We also cranked the heat, a luxury we rarely let ourselves indulge in at home.

I love how delicate this image is. The still, almost frozen plastic chairs, practically submitting to the weather while the curtain gently sweeps on Jess’s leg.

Jess’s silhouette shot through the curtain.

I LOVE the infinity effect in mirrors. This was shot in our bathroom.

Jess, reflected in the room’s mirror, checks her e-mail during a Hallmark movie she watched on the room’s flat screen TV.

Jess was in and out of a sleep in the morning. I got a little creative with this shot, juxtaposing her reflection in the window with the snow covered beach dunes.

Dough Rollers was one of the only places open for breakfast. They also did a pretty good job clearing out their parking lot. So, they were awarded with business. I realize the local chain is one of the more beloved Ocean City establishments, but for goodness sake, their coffee is horrible! The last time I ate there I remember thinking the same thing.

I’d be willing to bet the bird population far outnumbers the human population in Ocean City in January.

Dinosaurs seemingly try to escape the Ice Age at the Old Pro Golf course on the 6800 block of Coastal Highway in Ocean City in the off season Sunday, January 31, 2010.

This is the second of three posts from Jess’s and my recent workcation trip to off-season Ocean City, Maryland . Here’s the first.

I also wrote a first person travelogue for The Howard County Time’s travel-ish section called Go! — as in, “go” here and/or “go” do this. Check it out if you have the time. It’s a pretty quick read.

The moon, still prominent in the sky, moments before the sunrise at Ocean City in the off season Sunday, January 31, 2010.

An ocean bird flies past the rising sun in Ocean City Sunday, January 31, 2010.

A dune fence pokes out from a snow drift Sunday, January 31, 2010.

The parking lot at the infamous Ocean City beach club Seacrets is snow covered and bare Sunday, January 31, 2010.

The boardwalk is sparse in Ocean City in the off season.

The amusement park in the inlet, formerly known as Ocean City Pier Rides, now known as Jolly Roger at the Pier, is locked up Sunday, January 31, 2010, and inactive until Easter weekend.