Visuals Please

I think its time for pictures and art, don't you? 1) D's Angel in serpia, this is from the angels in the hood series, colorized using photoimpression, this particular angel comes in 4 different colors angels can be made for special order which would include the 3-D effect of the wings, which are layered 2) D' Angel in pastel from the same series same process, the angels range in price from $20.00 to $300.00 depending on size and whether it's made by the collectors specifications 3) This is the original, no enhancement 4) This is the Opera House in Australia this was taken back in 95 or 96, I'd have to look it up. It's a beautiful sight. 5) My friends are always subjected to being a part of my art and sometimes they come up with ideas of their own as with this picture taken in Seattle on Broadway 6) Of course, my signature photography, outside of a museum in Sydney, Australia 7) I enjoy photographing statues, this was taken in New York City 8) Mannequins, I enjoy photographing them also, sometimes they are so life like 9) the skater, taken on the New Orleans Lake Front, this is one of the locations where people go to bar b que and ride their bikes and cruise and chill. When the hurricanes are coming in, people go here to watch the waves coming over the steps. As a kid we used to swim in Lake Pontchartrain, but in the mid 70's it was not healthy to do such a thing, but they continue to work on the man made beach to get it up to par, the changes I have seen in this city 10) A beautiful smile

If you are interested in seeing any of my work, making a purchase,or prehaps creating your own art in front of my camera, send me an email and we can set up a consultation.

Thanks for stopping by, keep an open mind.

In honor of art

In honor of Rain Vodka, here are a few sketches from my sketch book. Only one of the images has been transformed into a post card at the moment. Maybe I'll run into some of you tonight or maybe not. Thanks for stopping by, keep an open mind. All images were inspired by photographs. The sketch is just the starting point of what my imagination can create with one image over and over. They become masters and I can do anything I wish with an image. I can create different settings and put the character in various actions. There is an unlimited world for me when it comes to art. Now with such art programs it even makes it easier to create and try things out before I lay them on paper for a finished project. I can experiement with colors before painting. Thanks for stopping by, keep an open mind.

I shoot people, don't I?

I prefer taking photos of people more than anything. My psychological background allows me to see in a photograph what a person is about. What they are capable of. Photography is a moment frozen in time, but tells many stories. A series of photographs during one sitting or over the course of several months or years can tell a lot about a person. How they have changed, whether they have a sense of humor. If they are full of life or just bored silly. The following are photographs taken with the Pentax K1000. Some of people, but I have a broad spectrum when it comes to photography. My mood changes like I do. I can inspire myself just as I inspire others and they inspire me.

1) Just using props 2) Aussiemen, this was taken at Bondi beach in Australia 3) Before Lil Kim, this was taken at a beach in Galveston Texas 4) A bit of fashion 5) D artist in leather 6) D artist and the K1000, fashion and art combined 7) Father and Son 8) strolling on the beach 9) A girl on the rocks 10) Abs 11) Tat, a buddy from ATL 12) Model taking direction 13) Mother and son at Bondi beach 14) Walkin in NYC 15) Ride 16) Silouhettes on Bondi Beach

Thanks for stopping by, keep an open mind

Getting the best shot

For an amateur, getting the best shot can be very difficult. For most professionals some shots are very time consuming. If you really have an interest in photography or any type of art, you must have patience. The creative process takes time. You go through phases. Most amateurs, buy a bunch of equipment that they use for a week or so and they may never pick it up again. It's one of those had to have it phases. Then there is the what do I do, where do I begin, phase. Writers get writer's block, but artist in general go through a phase where they just can't think of anything new to shoot. I prefer to shoot a few pictures at a time. I study my pictures. I look for my own flaws. The things that most people wouldn't see. If I'm photographing a subject, I want to make sure it is only the subject in my picture and no one else. If there is enough room perhaps I can put the subject off to the side. Most books will tell you to center your subject. What has made me different is that I don't follow those rules. I don't do the typical potraits or wedding photos. I don't use the standard backdrops and I like using natural lighting and lots of colors. The contrasts of the finished product is what makes it art. Here are a few shots I took just this week. They just popped into my view and I went for it. Some shots do float around in my head for a while, but those usually involve a model. All of the photos are digital.

1)This first image was taken on my visit to the St. Louis Cemetary #3. The sun was two my right side. I stood at an angle right up on the statue to get this shot. The auto white balance was on for all of the shots you will see. The time of day also adds to the effect of some photos. This was taken between 9 and 10 AM. 2) This image was taken indoors with natural lighting. It's a lizard caught between the screen and the iron gate. I thought it was an interesting scene and decided to capture it. One of the reasons to always keep a camera handy and loaded with film. The thing about digital is you don't have to worry about film, but you should check your batteries and always keep spares with you. Most cameras over $100.00 will hold the memory of the photos if you're not using a card. So if you're batteries go out you do have some time to change them, but don't wait too long. Most cameras when hooked up to a computer don't drain the battery.3) My signature photo, it's me waiting for the bank to open. I don't believe in wasting time, just as well be creative. 4) The trolley, or Street car as we call them has expanded to other areas of the city. This is at the start of the line at Wisner and Esplanade Ave. at the entrance of City Park. It was a nice sunny morning and the red bursts from the car. Bayou St. John is in the background. 5) The camera was set for cloudy as it was this morning. This shot was taken on my way to run errands. I'm still learning about my camera. It can do so much, I just have to figure it all out on my own at my own pace. 6) After watering the plants I watched the water form and decided to capture it. My brah had taken some photos in his macro mode and it gave me an idea. My camera doesn't have a macro mode. The 35mm can capture things, but not the digital. Somethings just aren't meant to be seen my the naked eye, like the micro organisms that live on our bodies. 7) A closer look at one of the leaves wet 8) A view in City Park, it's one of my favorite spots to photograph. I like the way the trees almost touch, like 6 degrees of separation. This was also set on cloudy mode and taken this morning. 9) Even trash can be made to look like art. The camera can do some incredible things and black and white images do look so much better. There was a time when I stayed away from black and white photography. I just didn't have the right eye for it the way I do with color. I could always take a colored photograph and know it would look good in black and white. There was a process that could do that. Now with digital you can go back and forth, getting your technique perfected. The world of digital holds so much to be explored. The creation of art, the creation of life, the creation of you as an artist. The possibilities are endless. 10) These are a few houses in my hood, on the opposite side of the street. On a clear day you can see the skyscrappers downtown. I'm only a hop, skip and a jump from the French Quarter. Well that's D's photo tips for today. Tune in next time when we delve into another realm of digital photography as I learn it hands on. LOL. Thanks for stopping by, stick with your dream and create some art. Most of all, keep an open mind.

let try again pics

Just some visuals

1) Taken from Bayou St. John, plantation home 2) Cabrini Church, view from Bayou St. John 3) Pull 'em up 4) Interstate 5) Exit 6) Mall walking 7) Speaks for itself 8) Macy's 9) House by a canal 10) Public sculpture by John Scott 11) Clouds 12) Public sculpture by John Scott in City Park 13) Tee shirt 14) Tee shirt 15) cut outs 16) Cut outs 17) Nature, tree 18) Digitally enhanced, but this effect can be created with some digital camera and if you use Iford film, there is a serpia tone. It gives the aging process to photos 19) Angel 20) The hip cross, this photo was not toyed with in any photoshop programs  thanks for stopping by, keep an open mind

D's tips to buying essentials

As you all know, I was a skeptic on digital photography because I liked the control I had with my SLR. And digital cameras seemed to be so small. I wanted something I could hold on to. As I began research on a digital camera I saw that what I really wanted was very expensive. In most cases you are paying $100.00 per mega pixel. The higher the megapixel the better quality depending on the manufacturer and what you plan to do with your camera. I had done all the research and finally Pentax came out with a digital and now they have several. I had just purchased my first point and shoot for those spur of the moment occasions. But I wasn't ready to shell out $300.00 or $400.00 for another camera and I had other things on my wish list. You have to prioritorize everything. Well, I do. After seeing my friends camera I thought maybe I should look into it again. Last year I purchased a small digital camera by Argus, the model was DC1730. I was in Wal Mart and it was staring me in the face. It shot digital stills, but it also worked as a video cam and that was what sold me on it. I got it home, hooked it up and it was amazing. Then I did my first pictures. I was shocked. I began taking pictures of some of my photographs since I didn't have a scanner. It was hard to tell the difference. I had stumbled onto something. There was something digital could do for me after all. I then went out on the street and took some pictures and they were good, but the camera doesn't zoom and it has a glare that you can't see in the view finder if there is too much light. All in all its a good camera and still holds up. I actually got a few other people to purchase Argus cameras, but the DC1230, the DC1730 was no longer available. A few months later I started thinking about movie making again. (I used to make movies when I was younger and it's still a dream of mine) and other things I could do if I had the right camera. I saw a camera in my Neiman Marcus catalog, yes, Neiman Marcus, it's not that big of a deal. They were showing a camera by Aiptek and it appeared to be interesting. It was a video camera, and still camera for $129.00. I figure this would be cool to play around with, get more experience before I invest more money into something that I'm not familiar with. Someone had bought me a 3 in 1 scanner, printer, copier and fax. Oh, wait, that's 4 in 1. LOL. I had already researched that and when I was in officesupplies Lexmark was a manufacturer that I pushed their products and what I had used myself. So I was getting everything I needed. Before I purchased the digital camera I then saw that Aiptek had another model, and it included video, still images, digital recorder, MP3 player and it was only $150.00. I figured this would benefit me more, so I decided to invest in it instead. I'm glad I did. I'm still learning about my camera and what it can and can't do. I love it when I can figure things out and since I've misplaced the manual I have to learn it on my own. Good thing I know something about electronics and cameras. In fact, when I bought my point and shoot I got a discount because the manual was missing. In todays technological society, you can find most manuals online. In fact you can even download programs online. The future is now. So what I'm saying is whatever it is your planning on getting into. Think of it as an investment. You can go from one level and then upgrade instead of putting all your money into something you don't know a lot about. It's better to have more than one and you can always sell one to go towards the next one. Just a thought. Thanks for stopping by, keep an open mind.

Getting visual

A visual kind of mode, enjoy, thanks for stopping by. Keep an open mind. A few photos from the sculpture garden at New Orleans City Park.

Here's some photos

As promised, here are some photos and some tips on achieving some of the effects.

As most of you know I still have issues regarding digital photography. Like everything it has its good and bad points. I like being able to see an image instantly and checking out my mistakes. I can discard it or work on it in some photoshop program. I like doing things that makes it my own. You'll get a glimpse of that in a few images I'm displaying here. I like the idea of being able to take the same image in color and doing the same thing in black and white or vice versa. Of course with the right photoshop program you can do this also, but sometimes it isn't always exact. 1) in color a man chillin' on the beach in Kona 2) the same image in black and white 3) This is one of the techniques I've created. It sort of gives that fish eye effect that you can get with a lens on most SLR cameras. While walking with the camera, I aim at my subjects, but never stopping. This way they have no idea I'm taking their picture. The result is the natural look of the subjects and the curvature of the images in the picture. It works incredibly well with the black and white mode. 4) The pirate outside of the bar Durty Jakes in Kona 5) Once again I use the technique in black and white while driving, everything appears to be on an angle. 6) and again, but I like the way the clouds appear in the background. 7) When I'm around no one has any privacy. If you look closely you can see me in this picture. It's another thing I like to do with all of my pictures. Sort of like Alfred Hitchcock, appearing in his films. 8) These hula dancers are sculptures at the Kona International Airport.  Thanks for stopping by, more photos to come and more images of that same technique.