New York City for Thanksgiving

Andei and I left Friday for Durham to pick up Adam before heading to NYC to visit my parents and spend a few days in the city.  We had a great time hanging out with his mother Robin and step-dad (Willie).

Adam and Andei with Capitol in Background

We drove out of Durham at 10:00am and made it to Washington DC by 2:30pm where we decided to spend a few hours walking around the Capitol area and visiting the National Gallery. After walking through the Impressionism galleries and soaking up the Monet’s, Renoir’s, Van Gogh’s and Gauguin’s we had a snack at the museum cafe and then walked back to the car and drove to Delaware where we stopped at a cheap motel for the night.  We made it to my parents house on Long Island yesterday in time to watch some football and let Adam and Andei spend some time with their grandparents. The kids are still asleep and I am enjoying some coffee before heading out to the local library where I hope to find some wireless to catch up on my grading for my online classes. Tomorrow we are taking the Long Island railroad into the city and plan to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Modern and Times Square.

Andei taking Photos in DC

I have a hotel at Central Park so we can spend 2 days in the city then we will have Thanksgiving Day with the folks, my brother Terry and his daughter Virginia.

Dad in front of National Gallery

All in all this is a low key trip – a time for family to reconnect and some down time for me to enjoy one of my favorite pastimes soaking up art at the museums in Manhattan.

Andei and her Grandma in NY

Rekindling that Creative Spirit!

Its been relaxing and rewarding weekend. I was a proud Dad this past Friday night at the reception for the Adopt an Artist exhibit sponsored by the Arts Council. Andei has 3 color “Holga” photographs hanging in the show. It was enjoyable for me to watch her in the limelight and hear all the positive comments about her work. She’s a very creative, motivated and focused 16 year old. Needless to say, Friday night was very special for all of us including her Mom, Step-Dad and Grandmother.

After a busy Saturday cleaning house and taking a van load of clothes and Andei’s old toys to the Salvation Army, I went to visit Shannon in Swansboro and had a great time enjoying a few beers at the Yacht Club and Irish Pub. Afterwards we shared a pizza at a new Italian Bistro that wasn’t all that great, BUT we were hungry and devoured it anyway. It was fun hanging out in Swansboro and sharing some down time with a great friend.

Flowers at Graveyard by Andei 11/2008

I went to Church with Andei this morning, that special time together in itself means a great deal to me. After watching some football we decided to get on our bikes and go make some photographs. I must admit she’s been the spark rekindling my creative spirit in photography. I’ve not gone out just to take pictures (except when I travel or work with students) in a long time.

Andei has such an good eye for someone who’s never taken a formal course in photography. I bought her some new photography equipment both digital and film – she’s totally immersed herself in the photographic experience. I love to watch her work. We’d ride bikes for a few blocks and then she tells me to stop so she can make some pictures.

As we get older I think we loose that intuitive sense of wonder at the everyday – commonplace things around us. She has NOT lost that fascination and that’s what makes her photographs so fresh and unique. I say to myself…“why is she taking that picture?” and then when I see it printed I smack my head and realize it’s I who’s lost some of my ability to SEE.

Unfortunately I’ve become somewhat desensitized and she has not and that’s what makes her pictures unique to her – she definitely has a personal style developing and in my own small way I’m trying to nurture that in her – sharing what I’ve learned over the years when I feel the moment is right for her to absorb it – Sure, Andei’s learned a great deal from her mother and I, but I will admit…I’m learning from her as well. She brings such a fresh approach to her photography and this is something all artists must strive for.

Captain Bills By Andei

Andei in Late Afternoon Light – Photographing at Graveyard

Wreath at Grave and Shadow – Andei 10/2008

Andei on Bike – Coming Home after an afternoon of Photographing

All I can say is I’m a very LUCKY and BLESSED man!

It’s About the Image!

The election is OVER – Thank God! Time to shake the dust off and get back to the other facets of my life – my day to day reality  – stuff that makes me tick – makes me enjoy waking up in the morning.

I’m in Ashboro, NC attending the Society for Photographic Education regional conference. This is my 22nd conference but what makes it so very special is I have my daughter Andei with me and she is soaking up the workshops and speakers like a sponge. We also had a fantastic opening reception at the college Library for Andei last Thursday and now enjoying this great conference together. I just bought Andei a Diana Camera at the Vendors Exhibit. She is in heaven with it – she is out shooting with it as I write this blog entry.

I’m sharing a room with my old friend “Art Ranger” Joe Champagne. Even though we are on total opposite sides of the political spectrum we both share a love for photography and Photo Education SO we choose NOT to discuss anything political and we get along just fine.

Mark Taylor, myself and John Scarlata at SPE Members Exhibit

Most of the conference participants are liberal but that’s ok – we are about all things related to photography here and that is our common ground. The owner of Dalmation Black & White Fine Art Labs made a comment in her talk that stuck with me and I titled this blog with it.

IT’S ABOUT THE IMAGE! It doesn’t matter if you are using a $20 plastic camera, film camera, point and shoot or high end digital camera -it really is about SEEING and the person making that picture. Cameras and computers are nothing more than tools for making images. You can create great pictures with any image capture device – its what we put into the image – our passion – our feelings – our connection to the subject – the CONTENT and how we compose our subjects – the tools should be secondary to this and that is what I have always taught my students.

Andie and I at her Photo Exhibit reception CCC Library

I am loving having Andei here with me – my daughter brings me great joy especially since we can now share a love for photography and art together. more to come later…pictures to follow.

Andei’s Friends and Family at her Photo Reception

The American People Have Spoken

This will be my last politically related post for now. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t normally veer into the political sphere on KeOBlog. This past week has been the exception because the election has been the #1 issue on my mind and I just had to share my thoughts about it. Ok…with that said, I appreciate all those who commented to my last blog from both sides of the political spectrum. Luckily we still live in a free country and I for one will respect the will of the people. I’m not going to cry in my beer (did drink a few last night however), and I’ll try not to whine or complain about the results of the election. I would love to see everyone (both elected officials and people in general) come together for the sake of this country – time will tell if Obama and the newly elected Congress and Senate can (or are willing to) do this and begin seriously solving the problems facing our nation. I hope and pray they can.

It’s time to get back to work…back to our normal everyday lives and continue doing our small little part in moving this country forward – that doesn’t mean giving up on what we believe and our conservative principles. Congratulations to President elect Obama and everyone from both sides of the aisle who won their seats.

I’m thankful for my friends, family, children, job and our great country! Let’s HOPE this CHANGE we’ve been hearing about is for the better and not just more empty rhetoric that we’ve heard in the past from so may politicians from both sides.

Pray for an Epiphany in the American People

President Obama – AHHHHHHH!!!!

Tomorrow is election day and I for one am going to be extremely glad when the damn drama and endless onslaught of political e-mails, commercials and campaigning is over. It seems like this thing has been going on forever and now election day is just about upon us. I know in my heart that God is truly in control, but it’s still very difficult not to be filled with anxiety over the direction this great nation of ours is going. To think that a first term RADICAL LIBERAL Senator with no real experience in running anything could be our next President is absolutely frightening to me. A man who wants to redistribute the wealth in this country is mind boggling to say the least – How can a politician who literally says he wants to take money away from the people earning it and give it to those not working be winning this Presidential race? WAKE UP AMERICA!!! It’s totally SURREAL to me – a man who approves (and voted for) partial birth abortion and procedures that literally kill babies that survive abortions UNBELIEVABLE and still people are going to vote for this guy in mass. A guy who wants to shut down the coal industry, put regulations in place that make energy prices sky rocket and will not explore drilling for oil on American soil so we can break our dependence on foreign oil is NUTS, yet people are going to vote for this inexperienced radical socialist. This is a man who has serious ties to terrorists like Bill Ayers and Marilyn Katz who is actually fundraising for him. Obama has no clue or experience (in my opinion) to be our Commander and Chief.

That alone should scare the crap out of you in these dangerous times with threats and outbreaks of terrorism around the world and here at home. If Obama gets elected I will lose my faith in the American people. This is NOT the America I know and love. Sure…there are millions of people in this country who believe like I do – unfortunately the traditional media has been Obama’s #1 supporter and cheerleader since he won the Democratic primary and even before. The media is an absolute joke and should be ashamed of itself. The traditional media are suppose to be the watchdogs and expose the inconsistencies, lies and flaws in the candidates, BUT with Obama they’ve been hiding them, lying for him, covering up for him and rooting for him while they do everything in there power to crucify McCain, even though he used to be their golden boy because he has reached out to democrats and liberals in the past.

Yet I sit here and still have HOPE. There is something inside me that says the American people are going to have an epiphany at the eleventh hour and reject this man and see him for what he is. This is my hope and what I will pray for tonight. This election is monumentally important as far as the direction this country will be taking in the next 8 years. Will we travel down the dead end road to socialism and the redistribution of wealth? – Lets face it…Socialism has been tried in the past and has failed miserably every time OR will be regroup and fire up our great capitalistic and enterpenurial spirits and continue to be the greatest FREE nation on earth. Time will tell! God Bless America!

Pray people PRAY for that Epiphany!