Junie B. Jones, the Musical at The Magik Theatre.
A new school year and new friends. Sounds great, right? Not so much for Junie B.
Though I've been in San Antonio for a year now, this show was my first time shooting at any theater other than The Playhouse. Magik Children's Theatre has a wonderful home in the heart of downtown and though it's a bit bogged down due to the massive but wonderful renovations in Hemisphere Park, that area of town is set to become another gem in the city. The Magik is well-located for future success.
I have a dear friend in the cast and when she told me bout the show, I knew that it was going to be loud and colorful. Just the type of show that I like to shoot. Junie B Jones, the Musical is a children's show but the design team didn't water down their skills a single bit. Loud and colorful, indeed.
From their website:
Based on the books by Barbara Parks
Book and lyrics by Mary Heisler
Music by Zina Goldrich
Directed by Frances Limoncelli
It's time for 1st grade, and Junie B. can't wait to see all her old friends! But over the summer old friends have drifted away, and new ones have moved to town. Junie B. soon learns that things don't always stay the same, and that doesn't have to be a bad thing.
As shows go, it's not my cup of tea but I'm not the intended demographic. What I found quite impressive is the amount of effort and dedication that the cast and crew put forth simply for the ideal of sharing art with the younger generation. The show runs from June 16 to August 13, 2017 so they're just a few weeks into the run. If the cast can keep up their energy through closing weekend, there will be LOTS of entertained little patrons.
Junie B Jones, the Musical, will run at Magik from through August 18th
MiraFlores, hidden in plain sight
Hidden in plain sight, this historic gem harkens us back to the best moments of our cultural history!
THIS is why I love walking! More times than I can count, I've stumbled across artistic, architectural, or historic gems like this; MiraFlores.
I've walked and run around Brackenridge Park enough times that you'd think I'd have seen this by now. Nope! Never. It was only when I decided to extend my run a bit by trying a new path that I found this. It's not exactly hidden and the gates to the place are rich, ornate, and smack dab along the side of a busy street.
I literally stopped in my tracks as I passed the main gate and finally noticed this gem. Where had it been hiding these past months? There were no signs in front so I didn't yet know what I was looking at.
Most importantly, as there seemed to be no unlocked portal to the street, how do I get in?
It didn't take me too long to figure out that its only open entrance was from inside Brackenridge Park.
The amount of coolness near that entrance is another story altogether. Once inside, I didn't see the placard explaining things until I had already explored most of the place.
I wandered around ignorant of the true beginnings of this place and its artifacts and my mind reeled at the potential origins of these incredible artifacts.
Statues and towers and benches and tiles and fountains. A treasure trove!
After finally finding the sign explaining things a bit more, I was determined to go home and do more research into the place and make an in-depth blog post about it. Not surprisingly, a bit of surfing led me to an incredibly well-written article in The Rivard Report about Mira Flores.
On a small piece of land near the headwaters of the San Antonio River sits a sizeable stone marker, upon which are inscribed the words: “1716 Aqui se celebró la primera misa” – the first mass was celebrated here. This proclamation sits quietly in Miraflores, a former property of Dr. Aureliano Urrutia, an accomplished physician who came to San Antonio from Mexico in 1914.
I encourage you all to click over HERE to read the complete article. As it's written by descendants of the good Doctor, they have a love for the place that shines through in the writing.
Go for a walk. Then, walk some more and never stop exploring. See things, travel, read! The world is a massive place filled with thousands of colors and flavors, countless languages and dialects, and enough artifacts like these to remind us that we're all specks of dust!
Springtime in the Suburbs
I don't have a favorite season of the year. They all have their equal charms but I won't lie and say that I don't get a bit giddy when the new flowers pop up ... even the ones in the yard.
Yep. I'm still a sucker for flowers in almost all forms
Texas is blessed with warm temps for most of the year so these little suckers are popping up left and right with no fear of frost. In the fields, there are plenty of native grasses and wildflowers springing forth and in every yard in town (in this case Olmos Park), the colors are coming on full speed.
I had an hour to kill so I spent it in one of my favorite ways ... walking. This time is was through the very nice homes in this little township near my home. So much color.
I don't even have a yard at the moment so I've been tempted to find an ignored part of town to adopt and tame. I spent many years as a landscaper and as a certified Master Gardner and the desire to start working in the soil again is quite strong.
The book below is one of my longtime favorite gardening books. The folks at Sunset do a great job of updating the climate information in the various zones and the number of plants that they have contained in the book is stunning. Soon I'll have a yard again ... but not soon enough.
Don't forget to look up!
I've told you enough times ..... Look up!
I read something years ago about how we've lost our instinct to look up as we walk. Our evolutionary ancestors would need to scour all angles to be on the lookout for predators. We haven't always been the top of the food chain, ya know. Many of our primate cousins still need to be wary of raptors from the skies coming to swoop them up but the odds of a pterodactyl or harpy swooping from the skies yo swoop up a Texan in the streets of San Antonio is negligible ... so we seem to have stopped looking up.
I've always felt that this was a shame for there's so much to see in the third dimension above us.
I've never known how much planning or design goes into making a building or skyline visually appealing from this angle. Maybe it's simply a positive byproduct of good design.
There's a part of my German, analytical brain that appreciates the symmetry found in these angle yet the artist in me likes the asymmetry, too. How boring if all the angle were the same, the shapes alike.
The foggy weather was a rare blessing. It took some of the crispness out of the uppermost edges of the building and softened the sounds of the city. The mist wasn't thick enough to hide any lurking pumas or saber-toothed cats but still, I walked around looking up most of the time.
No pterodactyl gonna catch me!
2MT - Blithe Spirit at Ignite! Community Theatre
Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit as presented by Ignite Community Theater.
From the 2013-14 Season of Ignite Community Theatre's presentation of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit. The audio backing originally aired on Off the Beaten Track on CFUV 101.9 in June, 2011.
You can see the full cast and crew list HERE!
A Foggy Morning Walk
Since my arrival in San Antonio, the weather has been mostly sunny and warm. Yes, a few good rainstorms but never fog. It was lovely!
I have moved around a bunch and have lived in many different regions. Some of those residences have been in areas where the weather can often be unfriendly; on the cold side. Northern Germany, Idaho, Eastern Washington and Alaska. All wonderful and their changing seasons always pleased me.
Since my arrival in San Antonio, while there have been a few epic rainstorms, the weather has leaned towards, hot, sunny and humid. I'm not against those things, of course, but the frequency of the hot days and days in which I sweat too much come far too often for my taste. When the recent chilly days passed through and brought some early morning fog, I headed to the downtown canyons to take a peek.
Had I gotten downtown earlier, I'm certain that the fog and mist would have been even stronger. Despite my tardiness, it was still a treat to see the tops of the bigger buildings obscured by the low clouds. With such shallow cover, city noises seemed to be dampened. There's a strange type of echo where the noises roll a bit then get swallowed up by the void. It's eerily comforting.
I'm not certain if it was this phenomenon that kept the city's visitors speaking in hushed tones or simply the less-than-postcard-perfect weather but those that were out in the morning light seemed almost reverential to nature.
You'd think it odd coming from a California boy but too much sun bogs me down. I get headaches from the light flares, I don't handle prolonged heat well and, this is unproven, there's something about living in harsh, cold environments that toughens people up and weeds out the weak and silly. Where you find heat and sunshine, you'll find more people. Where you find chill, fog and sleet, you'll cross paths with folks that either HAVE to be out in it or WANT to be in it. I want to be in it.
Now, a bit of fog on a 53 degree morning isn't like haddock fishing in Alaska but it was sufficiently out of the ordinary that it seemed reason enough to make a trip to the concrete canyons of downtown San Antonio
And what canyons they are. It seems that as the city grew, the low, flat plains made it more worthwhile to build the newer, taller buildings outside of the city center. It seems that most of the buildings from the early part of the 20th Century have been left intact and the ones added to it seem to have a similar feel and look to them. Everywhere you look, you see the familiar orange stones. Very seldom will you see sleek marble or shiny steel. Sure, here and there but it seems rather tastefully done.
I dare to say that many of these buildings are on historic registers. There is certainly a large number of history plaques about, more per Sq/ft than I've seen in the US. Seeing as the city is approaching its 300th anniversary, that's understandable. So much richness!
And lastly ... don't forget to look up!
A Walk Along St Mary's Ave
You may have noticed that I like to walk a lot.
Perhaps my new friends in San Antonio have noticed that I like to walk and run a lot; to be in motion most of the time. I do so because I have a desire to see the world and experience its flavours and sights. My family emigrated here and I've been back to their homeland on many occasions to see what they saw. I've travelled when and where I could but whether I go to a faraway place like Malta or merely take walk through back alleys of Spokane, I do what I can to "see things".
There is so much colour and history all around us. Countless numbers of folks have walked through the same doorways that we have and have trod the same stairways and sidewalks. As a species, it's in our nature to alter our environment, to add goodness or remove blight, to improve efficiency or size. That's all fine and well but let's not forget that those who came before us did a pretty darn good job of crafting the world in which we live.
My new home is settled in the middle of several cool areas, all historic districts in central San Antonio. Tobin Hill, Olmos Park, Alta Vista and Monte Vista surround me and all have their splendid historical, architectural pieces interspersed with the newer ones and the hints of gentrification. All in all, it's a very pleasing mix and I haven't yet decided which areas I like best yet ... so I'll continue exploring.
For this trip, I decided to pick the low-hanging fruit. I needed to stop at a shop at the far end of N St Mary's St so it was an easy choice. If you click on the names of the shops under the images, you'll see on a Google Map exactly where they sit.
The styles of buildings are so very different than those in Spokane ... really from anywhere I've lived. California has its Spanish-styled buildings but this area seems to have a much deeper well of styles to choose from. This simple service station is an art deco marvel but I'd guess that it was considered quite pedestrian and utilitarian in its prime.
Perhaps the most striking building along the way is this 5-sided marvel. It's a cool pub and live music venue that seems sleepy most of the day then gets insanely busy on weekends. Also, WAY too loud for my taste. I give it a wide berth but do enjoy looking at the way it catches the sun and throws out oddly shaped shadows.
Another service station, this one seems to be much younger and has a more atomic-age feel to it. Superb angles and lines to it, no?
I've saved the best for last! Another 5-sided gem, this shop sits right next to Hi-Tones. If you look at them on the map you'll see that their shapes are a product of the crossing and divergent streets near them. The wonderful "Art Island" sits in the middle of the intersection where Dewey, Josephine and St Mary's meet and this place is just across from that. It was after their normal hours when I captured these images but one of the barbers, Jesse, was still there and we had a nice, quick chat. When I came back the next day, I got the best haircut that I've had in a while. Dude was awesome from start to finish.
Where should I go next? Which part of San Antonio deserves some time and attention. Leave a comment below and tell me your thought.
San Antonio Graffiti - San Pedro Ave
I've noticed that the style of graffit is quite different in San Antonio as opposed to Spokane. Super Cool stuff!
Now that I'm comfortable ensconced in my new town, I've taken to one of my favorite hobbies, walking. One of the things that I've noticed on my walks (and drives) is the very unique nature of this town's graffiti art.
Bright, loud, colorful. I won't pretend to be an aficionado of the world's different styles but the art around San Antonio seems to be laced with more humanity than I've seen elsewhere. More human elements.
This is far and above cheap street tagging. This is graffiti art in its finest form. Many of the bigger pieces have unique signatures on them and in time, I'm certain that I'll be able to recognize both the signatures and the flairs and flourishes that each artist has.
All of these images were found along San Pedro Ave and all within a few blocks of each other. As I spend more time in this town, I'll be on the lookout for more pockets of color like this
The Things I Carry - Bark Dog
She's been gone for more than 11 years but I still can't part with her leash. Good girl. Stay!
Bark's leash
The Things I Carry is a continuing series of posts and photos highlighting the valuable and admittedly silly items that I've dragged the around the country on my many moves.
If memory serves, I purchased the leash while living in Anchorage, Alaska. We didn't need it much because Bark was great about going straight from the house to the car. Wherever we went hiking, she rarely needed to be on it. Her fear of being left behind outweighed her desire to run off. I can't imagine a better hiking companion on the trails.
There's nothing remarkable about the leash. It's a very common brand of retractable leash and wasn't even one of the heavy duty ones but it served its purpose well. When I moved to more urban areas, though she was still great off-leash, I used it moreso to not offend other folks. Still, Bark being occasionally excitable, it wasn't out of the question that she would see something that grabbed her attention and quickly want to jet off.
Since her passing, I've dragged this thing from the Bay Area, to Kansas City, to North Idaho, to Spokane and now to San Antonio. Maybe I'll finally find a way to part with it ... but not yet.
I remembered the obituary notice that I sent out to my friends and family when she passed. It gives a clearer picture of her than any simple picture could.
02/172005
Dear Friends,
Today my beloved Bark has taken her final sleep.
After several months of deteriorating health, the past two weeks have seen her in a quick downward slide. She is now at peace.
Back in the Summer of '91, my ex-wife, Emma, and I made the decision to choose Bark before we even saw her. We went to the animal shelter in Columbia, SC prepared to choose the ugliest dog on its last day. That turned out to be Bark. As it turns out, we made a great choice.
Since then Bark has been my constant companion from South Carolina to Alaska to California to Kansas City and back to California. I was hoping that she would join me on my next move, but that will not be the case. She has seen the arrival of our two wonderful sons and has been witness to the wonderful and the sad moments in our lives.
Along the way, she and I have hiked countless miles in some of the most beautiful places in Alaska and she has helped me make friends of strangers at the many street side cafes in the cities in which we have lived.
I have countless stories of Bark but my absolute favorite is from a hike that she and I took while in Alaska.
Just outside of Anchorage is a small recreation area called Arctic Valley. In the fall of '93, just after the first significant snow, we set out from the parking area and went up along the ridge line of the mountain. The leeward side of the hill was almost bare of snow but the windward side had thick drifts of white packed into it. After a long and hard climb up the ridge to the top of the hill, Bark and I sat for a bit and admired the scene. Actually, I admired the scene and Bark tried to catch marmots. Because the sun was setting, the rays were pink and orange and, as they fell onto the snowy peaks of the other mountains, they made it seem as if the snow were actually on fire.
Marmots, like ground squirrels, keep sentries out to keep watch while the other marmots forage, play or do whatever marmots do. Their shrill cry of alarm is much like that of a bosun's whistle. While I was sitting, Bark was trying to catch marmots. As soon as she would see one, she would chase off after it. Marmots being ten times as smart as Bark, would allow themselves to be chased only when they wanted to be. One would set himself up to be chased by whistling its shrill cry while the other fled to safety. As soon as Bark came within 20 yds, the marmot would slip into its burrow, completely safe. Bark would look down the hole, certainly thinking that she came oh-so-close to getting this one. Within minutes she would scan the horizon looking and listening for the next victim. She would bound after the next one she saw, no matter how far away it was. Of course, the next one would escape also. Bark had such boundless energy that this would continue until I got tired of watching her. After my rest, we continued.
The area that we were in was also part of a ski resort, Along the ridge that we were on, were the tops of the ski lifts and each lift had a small cabin at its top. Because it was late and going back the way we came would mean arriving back at the car way after dark, I was looking for an alternate route down. The solution was found inside one of the small cabins in the form of a snow shovel.
From where we were, it was about a 1500 ft descent to the lower trail with several feet of snow on the hillside. I rode every foot of it on the pan of the shovel with the handle sticking out in front of me. What of Bark?
This was possibly Bark's greatest feat and certainly my favorite vision of her. As I made my way down the hill, Bark tried to run along side me. The snow made that impossible. Instead, she would bound downhill in great strides. With each leap, she would have to jump up and out of the hole that she was in, clear the next several feet of snow and land in the next bit of
powder, creating another hole that she would have to jump out of. All the while she was trying to keep up with me, following the instinct/fear she had of not wanting to be left behind.
Imagine the sight! As I was racing down on the shovel, I would glance back and she this shaggy black beast bounding again and again. Her ears would fly up as she reached the apex of her leap and would flop down again as she hit the ground. Her eyes were fixed in front of her and her black whip of a tail was set straight behind her as a rudder.
That is how I will remember Bark.
I will allow some time to pass, but soon I will rescue another ugly dog and make it my own. No matter how great the next one, Bark will always be my first.
Please remember her fondly.
Artist Spotlight - Sarah Miller
"Frankly, I didn’t think I was good enough to do professional theater" - Sarah "Wrong!" - danscape
Since I first met Sarah in the Spring of 2013, she's portrayed folks that are English, Irish, French and German. She's been a sweet mum to a hero, a filthy pirate, a sensual/psychotic air stewardess and, um ..... well, a french prostitute. It's fair to say that she's not daunted by the task of being diverse.
I put Sarah into that category of person that, if you don't like her, there's something wrong with you. Ask anyone that's ever worked with her and they'll agree that she's more than just talented. Her positive character elements shine through. I first met her in the Spring of 2013 while working on Spokane Civic Theatre's production of Treasure Island. We were filthy pirates together but she also had additional roles that kept her running backstage to make her quick-changes and to find the mental space needed to transition from one character to another. It was impressive to see her make that leap every night of the show.
Since then, I've been pleased to maintain a friendship with her and to continue to work with her on a few occasions. She's always a peach to shoot when she's on a stage but recently, she took on the challenge of stage managing the Modern-CDA's production of The Last Five Years. It was her idea that spark perhaps my favorite image from that show. I'm grateful for the idea that provided an image that so wonderfully captured the essence of that show. Again, she proved the diversity of her talents.
From Sarah:
There was a period of time in my twenties when I was finishing up college and starting my career in finance. I worked a ton of hours per week and, in my limited free time, found myself focused on a young marriage, a church, and little group of friends. I didn’t perform. Not to any great extent. Instead, I worked really hard at my company. I worked to advance! And artistry had to become a much smaller part of my life. I did a little backup harmony for our worship team. I put on little plays for church services. Though these were small projects, they were very special. Spiritually satisfying without a doubt, this creative outlet was an artistry life-line and I was grateful.
In college, I spent a lot of time doing theater and loved it. Transitioning away from the stage wasn’t easy and my heart broke when I decided to pursue a non-theater degree. Frankly, I didn’t think I was good enough to do professional theater and, even if I was wrong or feigning humility at that time, I feared I wouldn’t have the guts to make a career out of it anyway. I worked my early finance career and spent 5 or 6 years watching my college friends shine on stage and in film instead.
I hadn't been totally out of the creative community, though. I was crazy lucky to make friendships with other artists who like to dabble on side projects: low time commitment, high reward. That is where I’ve been keeping my skills sharp while not working on official projects. I’ve “dabbled” in any theatrical or artistic avenue that scared me:
- Home acting groups to “geek out” over various acting styles and methods, finding and experimenting with different exercises, experiencing the freedom to “be bad” at things in order to get better.
- Singing 1930s and 1940s music. I was asked to lead with Six Foot Swing for a season and, because I have terrible nerves when it comes to vocal performance, I took lessons from the brilliant Kathleen Cavender to handle my nerves enough to do it afraid.
- Creating the Writer and Actor Collaborative with Emily Hiller and Rie Lee so we can play with and help develop new scripts, finding an audience (which is scary, too!) by dreaming up off-the-wall events (or participating in events like Get Lit! and Terrain).
- Hanging around with 50-Hour Slam filmmakers (Film is my next Everest!), mostly to do PA work and get inspiration for future creative experiments.
- Tons of other random stuff…all with safe and supportive artists (too many to list by name).
The process of learning and exploration for a new role is fascinating. In the decade since college, I’ve been lucky to be in a production every 2 years or so at Spokane Civic Theatre, the former Lake City Playhouse and Spokane Children’s to stay in touch, but I’m now ready for more. My work life is more balanced now and my goals as an artist are to keep dabbling on side projects while trying for larger, more eclectic roles. For example, my most recent was Gretchen in The Modern-Spokane’s Boeing Boeing. Hence, the blonde hair!
I never want to lose sight of how lucky I am. I have great artist friends and we support each other as we develop. I’m nothing without them. And there are hundreds of incredible performers in our region who can fit into any role I might get and do the role amazingly. I am one of a large community of actors and musicians and I want to pour my best work into any project I’m lucky enough to be invited.
My hope is to be a day-professional that works in financial services and a professional artist that performs at night. Ultimately, I want to try everything. If I could look back forty years from now and see myself as one of the most versatile performers in our area, I’ll be elated. Although, I have a feeling the forward thinking I apply to improving my craft, won’t give me a whole lot of time to look back.
In my role with the Modern Theater, I'm privileged with the knowledge of all the upcoming casts for the 2015-16 Season and I'm very excited to announce where Sarah (and all our other wonderful talent) will be fitting into the season. For now, suffice it to say that you WILL be seeing more of her at our theaters and with as active as she is in the local community, don't be surprised if you see plenty more of her on local stages and screens.
Lili in the Golden Hour
There exists a small window of each day in which the sun gives us perfection.
Lili in the Golden Hour
The lower the sun is on the horizon, the longer its rays must travel to reach us. Because those rays pass closer to the earth, their strength is further diminished by the denser air. Those factors give us my favorite time of the day in which to capture beauty, the Golden Hour.
You've met Lili before. She was such a pleasure with which to work, she's was so very comfortable with the work AND, as I've gotten to know her better over time, I've grown to appreciate the freedom she carries with her. I knew that I wanted to work with her again and I had the perfect spot for her.
There's a natural place just south of Spokane that I've gone to on dozens of visits. It's quiet and wild and colorful and has a great view of the sun as it sinks in the west.
That sun takes a long time to leave the land before it disappears. The golds get richer by the minute and the oranges go from a faint tangerine to a rich pumpkin color. When that mix of color is applied to already beautiful skin, the results are stunning.
“Once we are aware that our nudity makes us objects of desire, we become naked.”
― Chloe Thurlow
Once the sun sets, the bright colors quickly disappear and the "Blue Hour" begins, called so for obvious reasons. Softer shades, more diffuse light and a palpable drop in temperature. The same scene, the same look a few minutes on either side of this narrow window yield vastly different images. Nature is like that, no?
To steal and morph a phrase from Heraclitus, "No person stands in the same light twice for it's never the same light and it's never the same person." We change and grow and even if we replicate our steps, we tread those steps with more grace and wisdom than before.
Now, I know that the sun and light are only small factors that make an image pretty. It takes pride and boldness, an open mind and not just a little bit of freedom and bravery. I can't create any of those traits when shooting people. That all has to come from within. It takes a special boldness to truly show yourself to the world.
How many of us wear masks so no one really sees us? How differently do we behave when no one is looking?
“It’s the invention of clothes, not nature, that made “private parts” private.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana
The Clouds of San Antonio
If you know me, I have a tendency to look upwards. So far, I've been stunningly impressed with what I've seen in the skies down in Texas.
I spend a lot of time looking at and admiring the clouds. My elder son gives me a funny look when I mention if a particular one looks cool or when I show excitement at an ominous-looking ridge moving in the sky. He's used to it by now, I suppose.
I'm in a new state now and the clouds are noticeably different than the ones in the Inland Northwest but they're still quite majestic. The flatness of the earth, and the lack of mountains give the wind and moisture far fewer impediments and allows the vapor to pool together in massive and monstrous forms.
The moisture comes up from a variety of sources and climbs up to join the flying sea. The science of temperature, air pressure, the wind, and gravity combine to create the shapes and colors we see above. The sun and its rays paint light on the great number of surfaces that can catch and hold the reflection. Within moments, white turns to blue, which turns to gray, then, as if by magic, the collection of water shifts a tiny bit and the mass bursts into orange as it captures and reflects light from the sun.
The clouds seem to be a bit different in every region in which I visit or live. Sometimes only slightly so but there are always unique shapes and sizes. I don't know the meteorological science behind them very well but that doesn't stop me from looking up to view and admire them.
I wouldn't call myself a daydreamer. That label has an air of unproductivity to it and I'm certainly not that. I like looking at them. They're an excuse to escape the stresses of the day and they give me a reminder that I'm living in the present moment. Their vastness reminds me that we're all just specks of dirt on the earth's surface and the knowledge of the great distances they travel and reminds me of the wider world.
Don't forget to look up!
All is Calm - Character Portraits
The Playhouse San Antonio has just announced that All is Calm has been added to their 2016-17 Season and I couldn't be more pleased as I have a fond history with that production
My new theater, The Playhouse San Antonio, has just announced that we're adding All is Calm: The Christmas Eve Truce of 1914 to the 2016-17 Season as the Christmas show. I'm extraordinarily pleased to hear this as I was quite sad that I'd miss The Modern Theater's 2016 presentation. I've grown to love all the folks involved with the show and had great plans for this year's portraits.
I'm excited that I'll be able to apply those plans to this cast, albeit with a twist, but I won't reveal those plans to anyone but a select few and then only in the days leading up to the shoot. It's fair to say that I intend to give this cast my very best efforts.
In the first season that we presented AIC, the cast of 11 blended perfectly and created a thing of such beauty that I can't properly describe. Words can be cheap when trying to explain such a thing but I'm sure you've all experienced such a reaction to something so exquisite. Directed by my dear friend Abbey Crawford and with Music Direction from Zach Baker (the one with the cigarette), they had the distinct honor to perform the piece to a packed house at The Bing on the 100th anniversary of the event from which the piece came.
For 2015, we lost two of our young stars to their college aspirations but picked up Nicholas and Jace, a classicly trained opera singer and a local cabaret star, respectively. Again, they created a show of near perfection and I was lucky to have been able to capture them again.
For 2015, we even made a few videos. You can see this and one more on the Modern's Youtube site.
Every show that I've shot has afforded me new opportunities to learn and improve. I'm very happy that I get to be part of this show again as I had some great successes with this show yet there also a few aspects of its weight and beauty that I feel I missed.
Soon, I'll have the chance to try again.
Dogfight - Character Portraits
My very last show with The Modern Theater family, Dogfight, directed by my dear friend, Abbey Crawford
l to r - Joshua Lee Fox, Brendan Brady and Robby French
That's it! No more! All done!
These are the last images that I have created for any Modern production! The fact that I took them for a production at the very first place that I was ever IN was an added bonus. That they were for a show directed by my very dear friend, Abbey Crawford, was an honor. Additionally, she was the director on that very first show of mine, Fiddler on the Roof.
Plus, the review from The Spokesman-Review came out today and said what I felt was gonna be the case ...
It’s been a strong year for character-driven stories at the Modern, and “Dogfight,” which closes out the season, is one of the best. - Nathan Weinbender
'Dogfight' is a musical about 60s-era Marines, fresh out of Boot Camp, who are having one last hurrah before they ship out to Vietnam. Having myself been a young recruit about to be shipped overseas, I empathize with the fear, excitement and trepidation of that time period. I didn't have a "dogfight" as in the play but I did my best to live as richly as possible during that time.
From The Modern's website:
On the eve of their deployment, young Marines set out for one final boys' night of debauchery. Rose, an awkward and idealistic waitress, rewrites the rules of the game and teaches one of them the power of love and compassion. Studded with impressive songs, an unexpected love affair, and a genuine and charming soul, this is a heartbreaking theatrical journey that stays with you long after the performance.
Again, these portraits don't succeed without actors that are dedicated to their characters. This was my first time capturing Joshua and Shelby but they stepped up and did a wonderful job of wearing their characters for the 1/200th of a second that I need them to.
Of the 30+ shows that I've shot for the two Modern Theaters, I suspect that I've shot Brandon, Robby and Alyssa at least 15 times altogether. You'll find a few of them in the portraits gallery. They're talented and prolific actors and it's been a pleasure shooting them on the numerous occasions.
What's most upsetting about this show for me is that I won't be able to watch it. It debuted after my departure to San Antonio. Yes, it's still running for another few weeks but it's a bit out of the way for a weekend jaunt.
I know the director and creative crew and I've seen the work of the talent in the cast so I'm certain that I'll be missing another fantastic Modern production.
My Very. Last. Modern Show.
Damn.
The Man of La Mancha - Character Portraits
Based on Miguel de Cervantes' fantastic 'Don Quixote', 'The Man of La Mancha' created a whole new audience for this historical work. Now, The Modern Theater - Spokane and Director Troy Nickerson, give it their special, updated treatment.
It's the end of era for me. This fantastic show, directed by Troy Nickerson, was the last show at The Modern-Spokane for which I captured portraits. The themes and settings of the show and the "look" that Troy was going for lent itself to dark and brooding imagery.
Perfect!
None of my character portrait shoots would succeed without the super-talented actors that sit for me. Posing for a still image and creating a character on-stage are completely different skills and some folks are better at it than others. Most of this cast has sat for me before so they know what I expect but I couldn't have been more pleased with how this shoot started off ... and ended up.
First up was Emily Jones as The Housekeeper! I'm not kidding, within the first 4 or 5 shots, I knew that she had already nailed the look we we were going for. A few of the other actors waiting for their turns watched this happen and they knew that they had a high bar set for them. I took a few more of Emily to be safe but she did great on all of them. She's a champ!
The lighting setup for these images was more simple than most. I had one diffused strobe off to the subject's left side about 3 feet away and a simple reflector off to their right. It was really that stark, contrast-rich look was perfect for the piece. Troy wasn't trying to rewrite Cervantes' story. He simply updated some of the visuals of it by bringing it to a modern day prison filled with modern day thieves and cutthroats. Darker, more brooding and with darker souls.
By the finished product, you'd never know that these were some of the nicest folks you'd ever meet. I couldn't have been more pleased to have worked with them. I know that my imagery doesn't affect the quality of the work on stage. The very best that I can hope for is to inspire the actors to more completely embrace their characters and to have the patrons get an idea of the mood or feeling of the play that they'll be seeing soon.
I hope I've succeeded!
You can see more of my Character Portraits HERE!
Daniel E McKeever as Don Quixote
A Walk Through the Grass
The secret to happiness is freedom ... and the secret to freedom is courage. - Thucydides
We wear masks. All of us do. In order to keep the social peace, we smile when we're supposed to. We use good manners and we keep ourselves pretty in order to be accepted. Most of the time, when we rebel against social norms, we fall into the familiar, well-used patterns of rebellion because we really don't know any other ways. Our "rebellion" looks just like those of all the other wannabe rebels.
We pretend to like the popular things ... sometimes we convince ourselves that we DO like that cool band or new movie. We don't speak our true minds. We keep ourselves so tight and wrapped up because of all the unspoken rules about how we're supposed to BE when we're in the world. So many things we have to do to conform and be "normal".
I just wondered what a thing it would be...if overnight everything you owe anything to, justice, or love, had really gone away. Free. It would be...heartless terror. Yes. Terrible, and...Very great. To shed your skin, every old skin, one by one and then walk away, unemcumbered, into the morning. - Tony Kushner
Those who do not move, do not notice their chains. ― Rosa Luxemburg
The world I held so closely, she played me like a game, I released and left her laughing to stand on my own two feet. ― Coco J. Ginger
Wallace by iPhone
As many times as I've been here, I never get tired of exploring what Wallace has to offer!
From the Wallace Chamber of Commerce:
Danger, intrigue, passion, great wealth, heroics and comedy are set against the breathtaking backdrop of northern Idaho’s Bitterroot mountains. Those are the elements of the 12 decade story of Wallace. The entire town of Wallace, Idaho is on the national Historic Register.
I think that you all know me well enough by now that I'm not one to take pictures of the traditionally photographed parts of a town .... even one as pretty as Wallace. I'm funny that way. Wallace has hundreds of buildings that date from the town's early silver-minig daysand most of them are still in use. The downtown area is quite lively and hosts a great many restauarnts, pubs and shopping opportunities for visitors but it managaes to NOT feel like a hokey tourist spot. Locals and tourists sit side-by-side in most places.
I always swing by the place after I finish a hike to Stevens Lake and I'm never disappointed. The place that I normally stop at, The Silver Corner, was undergoing renovations so I wasn't able to get their greasy burger that hits the spot after a hike so I had to go without this time. Thus, I had some extra time to walk about and find things that drew my eyes.
Wallace may be slightly behind the times but that's to be expected for small Idaho towns and, in some ways, that can be quite a benefit. They don't have a Starbucks or fast food joint on every corner. Walmart is not gonna move in, either. There's room for improvement or upgrading in some areas but the lack of development has allowed so many of the great pieces of its history to stay in place and for them to be revered and allowed to be a part of the present and future. Everywhere you look in this town you'll find countless angles and colors and reminders of its colorful past. This was my first time really taking time to photograph some of these things and had I more time, I could have spent many hours poking around.
I'll be back again just after the first snows to hike to the lakes again and I'm certain that I'll be coming back to Wallace again. This time, I'll make certain to create extra time to take it in properly.
A Trip Through Sprague, Wa
A car, a camera and a few spare hours!
The town has a seasonal creek running through it named "Negro Creek." Much debate has occurred regarding the creek's name but the name remains.
Yeah! An interesting town, for sure.
Hey! Which way do I .... Oh, I see. thanks!
For this trip, I took the GoPro Hero 4 that I've borrowed from the good folks at Huppin's. Using the Hero 4 for the type of photography I do is certainly a stretch. It has great features but I don't think that it was designed for landscapes or cityscapes and stuff. Despite that, I think that I've found an interesting mix of photo taking and processing that ends up with a pretty cool final product. I capture the images at about 14 MB so there's plenty of detail with which to work.
The area around Sprague, Wa has such wonderful views of the horizon. I intend to return again this summer and try a few new things with this camera. The time-lapse and video features will be great tools with which to capture the shifting skies. Stay tuned for that. Even in its basic modes, the expanses captured are impressive.
Hey, Buddy?! Why the long .... Oh, you've heard that one before?
I'm pretty certain that some of these images will end up on my print gallery. I really do like how the nuances of the GoPro seem to add more cool elements than they take away.
And look! I DID return to Sprague!
Under I-90 - Concrete, Steel and Slivers of Sunlight
From Latah Creek eastward to Division St, there are countless vistas, angles, colors and contrasts under the huge slab of concrete!
The longer that I live in Spokane, the more my feelings and thoughts on the town change. The city has a well-earned reputation for its grittiness and social ills. No doubt about it. We're currently in the midst of another police scandal and it seems that our homeless or indigent population is growing. As these issues (and more) ebb and flow, it affects how I view my short term quality of life as well as the long-term chances that I stay here.
What is undeniable, to me at least, is that I can still so easily find beauty in its less seen areas!
Everyone that has passed through Spokane of I-90 or conducted any business downtown has seen this monolith ... but have they really SEEN it? It's hard to miss but easy to ignore at the same time. It's loud and crowded with cars at most times in the day. It's messy and there always seems to be construction going on somewhere along its length. It's often populated with folks that are looked down upon in our society and there's no shortage of graffiti or vandalism.
Despite that, the unique collection of angles, shadows, colors, textures and sounds add up to an extraordinarily unique and beautiful part of town. I've lived in other cities and we all know that despite any urban similarities, each town has its own rhythm and heartbeat, distinct sounds and moods that make them each different. Portland and Orlando certainly have their own vibe. I don't invest energy in trying to find the words to describe the difference or to capture a proper description.
I just take pictures.
Despite this obvious (to me) beauty, I long to visit other cities and capture ... and not just their lovely monuments and attractions, but their underbellies, too. Every beautiful city in the world has parts of it that folks try to ignore. I would LOVE to visit those areas, too. I'd love to see how similar or different they are from the "rustic" parts of Spokane or the other towns I've visited.
Until this becomes a reality, you're stuck having me swim through this town and capture its charms!
2016 Lilac City ComiCon
Come for the comics. Stay for the information on eCommerce, order fulfillment and drop shipping!
My disclaimer ... I am not a fan of comics. I like the superhero movies and I used to collect the books when I was younger but I lack the fervor for them that the attendees of the 2016 Lilac City Comicon have. I come to these (and it's only my 2nd such 'con) because I'm a fan of devotees, artists and entrepreneurs that put so much effort and vigor into making this culture fun and vibrant!
Rebecca Cook was here to chat up the super cool web-series of which she's a part. Music of the Spheres, a live-action Virtual Reality series.
Several of my friends and acquaintances either had booths here or participated in the various discussion events. It's always cool to see friends engaged in the furthering of their art and passion!
Karl Schafer, the top guy from Z Nation made a fun announcement during the discussion. He said that in addition to the show still being filmed in Spokane, Season 3 will actually show the characters in Spokane in the show.
Shaun Springer leads a discussion with folks from Z Nation. Russell Hodgkinson (Doc), Karl Schafer (Z Nation Show Runner) and Kevin Cook (Z Nation Gaffer)
My dear friend, Jeremy Whittington, was here showing off both his cool originals and the Fan Art that has his distinct look and feel. Additionally, as he's the creator of all the season artwork for The Modern Theater's 2016-17 Season, he had all those posters displayed and he did a fine job of telling folks about all the upcoming shows.
Jeremy works on a piece of commissioned art for a Comicon patron.
In addition to the artists that I already knew and follow, I found a few new ones that I really liked.
Travis Bundy from Creator's Edge
Antonio J.B. Dela Cruz
Noah Kroese
These guys and their art leapt out at me. In a sea of great comic art and design, their work had a simpleness and cleanliness to it that I found appealing, Noah's especially. I was only able to chat with them for a few minutes but it's cool to see folks get animated when they talk about what they love doing.
Plus, Adam the Woo was there. That was unexpected! He has such cool videos and is a super successful YouTuber!
My inner nerd did make an appearance, after all. It wasn't for all the cosplay girls or cool costumes or characters. It was, oddly enough, in finding out all the different ways that artists are monetizing their work. All of them sold items at the convention. That's expected. What impressed me, though, was all the various ways that they sold their goods online. There are many different ways to do it ... and some of the folks seem to do it quite poorly, but others had their stuff together.
I found a few with sites that handled all the ordering, printing and shipping. All the artists had to do was set up the initial printing and sales parameters and all the rest was handled by a third party. I admit that that's a silly thing to geek out about but it's a topic that near and dear to me because of the changing landscape of photography and how to succeed in that world. A very illuminating day!
Anyways ... I'm a dork! Thank you very much to Nathan OBrien, the Founder of the event, for being such a cool host.
