Outside Looking In

Outside Looking In
Originally uploaded by lucienphoto

The story of the times. Man drinking alone in a bar...sort of inside a glass house. Hope that he is not throwing stones anyplace else.

Portrait as Still Life

Portrait as Still Life
Originally uploaded by lucienphoto

Here is the meta photographic image. A still life photo of a group of people looking back at the camera in a mirror. Fun, fun, fun!

Going Someplace

Escher mode
Originally uploaded by lucienphoto

The election has now been over one month. People are still fuming about the outcome. I am shocked by the vitriol spewed in net letters and editorial comments. Some people simply do not seem to understand that we have a new president elect. Come 1/21/09 he will have completed his first full day in office and there are bound to be some changes.

As a nation we can choose to wallow in what we perceive to be defeats or we can pull together to tackle the problems that got us here. In mental health circles we call this being solution-focused. Think about asking the drowning man how he came to be in his position rather than focusing on assisting him to safety.

Yes, we do have problems. And addressing those problems will not be easy. Let's try to go back to being The United States of America rather than the Blue or the Red States that are in proximity to each other. You have to be the one that makes the first move. We have to be willing to get our hands dirty. We have to be willing to add value to what we produce. We have to be willing to not buy from seedy producers or contractors. We have to be willing to pay our neighbor a living wage. We have to be willing to not buy convenient or cheap and purchase quality. We have to be willing to forego the quick buck and support all those other ideas. Think crystal versus plastic. Diamonds versus fakes.

 
 
 

One of my co-workers needed a bit of help yesterday. She needed someone to supervise a visit. I volunteered because she would not have asked if she were not in desperate need. We help each other out like that. Court hearings, visits, client bus cards, etc. It is one of the benefits of working with socially minded people. We understand need and being in a jam. Court hearings delay scheduled visits. Crises interfere with the normal flow of work.

This however was different. Sometimes we have families on the brink of reunification...being together again. Kids interact playfully and joyfully with their parents and siblings. Life is good. Something to be thankful for. These kids have a gruff dad, but he is better than not having a dad at all. Take a look. These are some of the happy faces of my daily grind. Sometimes they give back to us, too!

Reeds

Reeds
Originally uploaded by lucienphoto

We had our first recordable snow fall. I noticed it was snowing on my way to work, decided it was worth a stop at the lakshore to capture some snow. The cattails and reeds always have something to say to me anyway. Birds and bugs all summer long, and a path that abruptly ends where the shallows start. I see blackbirds and other signs of life. I appreciate this small urban hideout where I can stop and think.

This photo is the result of what I found. Hope sincerely that you enjoy this and find ways to allow winter to happen. Peace...namaste.

Someone to Watch Over Me

We are just people. We have needs and wants. We have strengths and weaknesses. We have love and hate. Of course we try to get our needs met. It is always something and it is always someone else's fault. My wife hurt her back. She does not know how. She does not know why. What she does know is that she does not want to take any kind of pain medicine and does not want to take a muscle relaxant either. She just wants to wince and whine about her pain. I get the sense that the pain i more emotional than physical; that the pain really serves a purpose for more than just a signal that something is wrong.



Even if we listen to the angels and heed their warnings, we will still know pain. It is not synonymous with evil. It merely exists to tell us that something is wrong. Pain is a test of faith and will. Pain is already now. Pain is.

Headshot

Headshot
Originally uploaded by lucienphoto

what do you think of her eyes? they were mesmerizing to me. she also has such a beautiful smile that I took many many shots of her. this one is perhaps one of the best. from a recent model shoot featuring vintage clothing.

Lauren

Lauren
Originally uploaded by lucienphoto

Sometimes someone sees your work, calls you and sets an appointment. Most of the time I feel as if I am chasing down clients. Daily review of craigslists and some other places. Anything to get work noticed. Lauren called me though. She is new to this fashion/modeling/glamour/goth scene and asked if I would work with her. Hungry as I am I jumped at the opportunity. This is one small part of a very successful shoot. I know that she wants to do more grunge type work and I think I have just the right spots in mind. Thanks, Lauren.

 


In light of foreclosures and $350,000 1 BR condos and rising gas prices and food and everything else I enclose this photo of artwork on the side of what was the Farmers and Mechanics Bank in Minneapolis. I pass by this almost everyday. The bank has been transformed a number of times. It went from Farmers and Mechanics to F&M to First Bank to USBank and now it is a luxury hotel with valet parking out front. This is what happens to the few good things that are created for working people. Noblesse obtained. They have to have it all. Three and four vacation homes; luxury this and that. Glitz and greed. That must be the malady my sister succumbed to in her quest for fame(?) or whatever it is she seeks. Look around you. Youth, pure physical beauty, greed and lack of social awareness is what have brought our society to the brink. Those who have choose not to think about those who do not. Calvinism at its rampant best.

Gerber

0420420-R4-020-9
Originally uploaded by lucienphoto

One of my co-workers bought herself some flowers (tulips, roses) that have been posted into my flickr account. I am lucky enough to have some great north light coming in my window and grabbed these beautiful flowers before they began to wilt. The daisies I grabbed because the return of the glorious evening light is at hand. No longer am I trudging home from a long day of work in the dark. The skies are beautiful with clouds and texture. The light after dinner is nearly perfect for photographing objects and maybe some people. But I have been doing lots of studio work lately. I am ready to head back out into the fields for some live floral shots, some macro landscapes and some environmental portraits. What is it that you are longing to do with the change of season?

Christina

Christina
Originally uploaded by lucienphoto

One thousand words...that is what it would take to describe the fun that I had on Sunday with this model. She talked and interacted and listened and smiled so well. I could not believe how wonderful it was to work with her. I think that she will like this as well as a couple of other photos that I made.

Teens II

 

this is the world of the teenager. in light but mostly obscured by shadows. the teen wants your resources but often is not willing to give in return. the teen wants to be in the know, but is not ready to share knowledge. i think of these difficult times as a renaissance of self. shedding of the skin of family and the taking on of the individual personality. this is my daughter. it is highly symbolic of a child who needs considerable guidance but shuns it; needs help but refuses it; wants love and attention, but curiously pushes all loving people away; wants to be independent, but manifests drama and need for monitoring and caution. what a glorious time in her life. i am glad that i am here.

 
 
 
 


I have taken lots of time off. No extra time when I was working, coaching and trying to generate some buzz about the biz. Spent some time with my daughter and her friend today. We were just goofing around, but I knew that we would eventually nail some great shots. Here are just a few of them.

Boys

 
 

Two boys, same basketball team. One is the son of the coach, the other of the assistant coach. Irony is that both boys love to play but have trouble focusing on the game. It is strange to watch the boys play. Here comes the ball.

What does your car look like after a road trip? We had french fries on the floor and a promise from the 13 year old that she would pick them up (she forgot). We had snippets of miscellaneous paper from wrappers being opened. We had bottles of water that were partially consumed and we had the grime from crusty old dirty snow stuck into the carpet. Does all this make it a more memorable trip? You tell me.

Bluefin Bay

We are having a couple days of vacation. First day was very cold; we checked in a just crashed...four hours plus icy roads and snow were too much for everyone's nerves. But there were good reasons for staying here. See the beautiful ice on the rocks here in Tofte.

Breaking the Rules

 

Nothing special about this photograph. It was New Year's Eve and I simply had my camera for some candids. The parents will probably appreciate this though. Here is the story. The girls are digital know-how camera hounds. Shoot and chimp so they can see themselves. I had to work hard to get them to stay put long enough to capture the image, before they were bolting over to see what I had done.