New Orleans in August!

So, who in their right mind vacations in New Orleans in August? Apparently, not too many people, as it turns out. That probably explains why Betty and I scored such a great price from Expepia. It was the proverbial deal we couldn’t refuse.

After talking with a client from Zatarain’s about the charms of New Orleans we decided to take advantage of the bargains, damn the heat and humidity. I live in Baltimore, after all, how bad could it be.

Pretty bad, as it turns out, but we had a great time and the change of scenery was exactly what we needed.

We spent several days wandering (and sweltering) around town; the Garden District, waterfront, cemetery tours and of course, the French Quarter.

On one trip to the French Quarter we happened upon a photography gallery appropriately named, A Gallery for Fine Photography, http://www.agallery.com

There, we were greeted by the owner who, owning to the utter lack of foot traffic, spent several hours talking with us about the artists represented, the gallery’s inventory and reviewing some of his favorite portfolios. A great way to wile away a hot summer afternoon in NoLo. An amazing gallery and a really great collection of new and vintage photographic art.

Below are some of my  snapshots of our time in the Big Easy.

Street scenes

A face lift

Mid-day in the French Quarter

Cafe Du Monde

Wild Raspberries

Ah fresh picked, wild raspberries. One of the two unrivaled delights of summer. The other being home grown tomatoes, of course, (blog post on that to come).

I am always on the lookout for a substantial bramble of berry plants during the oh-so short growing season, generally beginning early July and typically gone by mid August. If you pay attention, you can find small clusters of plants growing by the roadside near wooded areas. These can be frustrating because they very often don’t produce significant amounts of berries and they tend to be discovered and heavily picked over.

If you venture into the state parks or other wooded areas where there is less foot traffic, however, you can sometimes stumble across what seems like an endless bounty of succulent little red gems, waiting to be plucked and enjoyed. Such was my luck a week or so ago, while riding my bike off road through Patapsco State Park. I discovered what seemed like the motherlode, a veritable ‘Treasure of Sierra Madre’ of berries. More than I could possibly pick, and believe me I tried. There is something about being surrounded by such a rare, delicious treat, hanging from a gracefully arching branch, free for the picking.

On a technical note, what I am picking are Japanese Wineberries, a species of raspberry native to northern China, Japan and Korea. And, in fact, the raspberry is not a berry at all, rather they are drupes, a stone fruit like cherries or peaches. Each tiny globe in the cluster of what we think of as the berry is a separate fruit with a tiny little stone in the center. Those little seeds which invariably get stuck in your teeth. Also, raspberries are a member of the rose family.

the little gems in their natural habitat

So, with my bounty, my lovely wife prepared a couple of delicious desserts. Here are some shots I took, which illustrate the story arch, from picking to eating. Enjoy.

home from picking and ready to be washed and cooked

Betty's lemon raspberry tart, yuuummm!

Nature Conservancy/Design

Custom Designed Display Cases

I recently had the pleasure of making a small contribution to a fantastic project created for The Nature Conservancy www.nature.org/ in conjunction with Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and Pentagram Design.

The project involved having world renowned designers such as Maya Lin, Isaac Mizrahi, Yves Behar, Abbott Miller and others dispatched “to specific places around the world to create functional objects that reflect and celebrate the natural landscape. Out in the field, the designers learned about a raw material’s source and the communities that produce and depend upon that material for income. Each designer’s final object draws inspiration from the landscape, the people and the material in it’s most basic, unpolished state.” The materials ranged from vegetable ivory from Micronesia, to chicle latex from Mexico to salmon leather from southwest Alaska, among many others.

I was fortunate to work with the very talented designer and artist Abbott Miller of Pentagram Design www.pentagram.com to photograph many of these final objects, as well as the raw materials and some of the custom designed display cases. We shot in the studio and the exhibition and book “Design for a Living World” www.nature.org/design feature the work of several talented photographers who documented the process and the landscapes from around the world.

I am honored to have played a minor role in the realization of this worthy celebration of sustainable design and encourage everyone to investigate this project in depth.

Chicle Latex from Mexico

Indigenous Materials from Bolivia

Spring time in the cemetary

This is another in the ongoing documentary project I call my father. For some reason and without fully realizing it, I have been creating body of work with my dad as the focus. Perhaps he is a metaphor, maybe I just think he’s photogenic,

Or maybe I’m trying to make up for lost time. Whatever the reason, he’s a fun subject and I hope to have plenty of opportunities to keep him in my view finder.

These shots were taken in the same Whipps’ Cemetery that was featured in an ealier blog entry.

Now it is spring and the daffodils are in bloom. Not quite as laden with symbolism as the dying light of a cool autumn evening, but rather imbued with the hope of rebirth, the fragrant breath of life.

The light was nice too.

©2009 Dan Whipps Photography

©2009 Dan Whipps Photography

Arbutus craft fair

As another aspect of the on-going documentation of my beloved Arbutus, I did some ‘slice of life’ photography recently on main street during the 36^th annual Arbutus Arts and Craft Fair. While the fair could be said to be much more about crafts (and food) than art, it is a popular attraction and an annual institution for the residents and businesses of this area.

Does it really rain every year during the fair, or does it just seem that way?

Bliss

We recentlycompleted a week long project for one of my favorite clients and some of the nicest people around www.blisslivinghome.com.

What is especially nice about shooting this catalog, besides the pleasure of working with Amber and Charlotte, is that we take every shot utilizing the beautiful natural light which pours in through the west facing, floor to ceiling windows at the front of my studio.

We also shoot product for the companion company, Chesapeake Bay Candles www.chesapeakebaycandle.com in the same manner.

Main Street Portraits

As the economy has temporarily slowed the pace of our studio jobs, I’ve taken the opportunity to begin a project that I have thought about for a couple of years, but finally have time to pursue. Being located, as I am, in the heart of what could charitably called a embattled commercial district, in the heart of beautiful downtown Arbutus MD, I have taken note of the diverse, eclectic members of the business community.

 Everyone from a Nigerian immigrant trying to make a go of it as a coffee shop proprietor, to the pizza shop owner who has been in business for 35 years to the owner of the new head shop and hookah bar, this area represents a beautiful convergence of entrepreneurial ambition and brutal reality.

Shown here is just a few of the portraits I have created in an effort to capture the essence of the men and women who make Arbutus, like every struggling small town commercial district, a place of opportunity. I create an environmental portrait of my subjects in their shop, then invite them into my studio for a (very) close up, intimate portrait. I hope to work throughout the summer on this project, as time permits and to produce a final body of work for a fall exhibition.

Murray the Bushwacker

Joyce, the Liberty Tax Lady

Kevin, the coffee man

Odalisque d’ Automne

My beautiful wife has been and continues to be a source of inspiration to me.

Recently, and for no other reason than I had a vision of her as a classic odalisque, I decided to create a scene in which Betty played the role of harem slave girl, with a twist. In my image, she represents the embodiment of sensual, hedonistic pleasure within the context of a specific stage of life. She is the vision of womanhood in it’s natural, beautiful ripening as summer growth and vigor slowly evolves into the mellow fullness of late summer and into the wane of autumn.

Her hair is going grey, her voluptuous figure, as succulent as the final harvest. She is in repose, with pleasures in hand, as one with nature.

©2009 Dan Whipps Photography

We set this up in my studio with the help of our friend and accomplished hair/makeup stylist Nancy Broadfoot. A print was framed and hung for the annual MAP “Out of Order” show and auction and will be hanging in the upcoming Creative Alliance ‘Big Show’.

Studio transforamtion

The assignment; create a scene in which a car, a tent and assorted camping accessories could be presented for an article in Open Air magazine http://www.openairtoday.com about green camping options. Ideally a ‘verdant forest setting which suggested camping in the great Northwest” could be achieved.

In Baltimore…. In January…… In the middle of an ice storm!

No problem.

A little creative thinking, a day of prep and prop gathering and viola’ my studio is transformed into a camp ground in Cascadia.

©2009 Dan Whipps Photography

Below are some shots of the pre-production with my lovely partner Betty.

©2009 Dan Whipps Photography

A Weekend in Whipps Cemetary

My father, Robert, came along for the ride and the opportunity to explore
some of our history in the fading autumn light.

Entrance to Whipps' cemetary

My Dad in the fading autumn light

Visiting time