Agamellie Photography

South Florida

agamellie — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:28:13 +0000

Today I am in West Palm Beach, FL – in Boca Raton to be exact. I always get a kick out of that name. For those of you that don’t know, I insist you translate it from spanish. This little area is arguably one of the most expensive areas in the East, and somehow became so even with a name like that. I am here getting ready to shoot a band tomorrow called “The Re-Return.” You may check out their tunes on MySpace here. Fortunately, for this cross-country jaunt, I chose to fly instead of drive. On the plane, I decided it would be fun to try for a “space shuttle image” of sorts, getting the curvature of earth at 35,000 feet. I stopped down the camera about 5 stops to get the really cool black effect (because when I took this it was bright in the cabin… REALLY bright).

Orion In The Mojave

agamellie — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:23:18 +0000

It’s Day 5 of the journey, and I am sitting in my new home in Topanga Canyon. Yes – I made it! Yesterday was massive by all meanings of the word. I started in Albuquerque, and had the intention to mull about the Flagstaff area talking with locals, and seeing the sites. My life, though, runs rampant with ADD (or curiosity… That might be a better descriptor), and I found myself not looking in the canyons, or roaming Flagstaff. Instead, I went to a place I’ve never been before, and just happened upon while driving. There was a billboard calling to all travelers “Free petrified wood!!!” Now – I understand the true meaning of “free petrified wood”… but I couldn’t help chuckling a bit at the other meaning, that the billboard makers believed that the wood was incarcerated, and was in much need of rescue, and it was written with the same authority as a “Free Tibet” bumper sticker. I have to admit, I stopped because of the latter, more imaginative meaning of the sign (mainly because the Jeep is so full I couldn’t have put an ancient piece of wood in it…)

This is how I ended up in the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park. I was giddy with excitement – I’ve seen photos of the place in publications, and watched specials about it on the TV. The ONLY downside was that it was noon, and the sun was directly overhead. I fumbled around the idea of staying there for a couple of hours to get better light for some shots, and not meaning to, stayed over 3 hours. I left in just enough time to find my way back to the interstate.

After this, the plan was to find a room somewhere around Flagstaff – easy enough right? Once again, I got distracted – this time by a phone interview with a manager that apparently my agency had set up for me (and didn’t tell me first… Surprise!) She called just before I reached Flagstaff, and was trying to concentrate enough to give her well reasoned answers, and in doing so completely missed all the exits for Flagstaff… Next stop, the Mojave Desert… By the time I reached the California border, I had been driving/exploring around 10 hours. I knew it was possible to get to LA that night, but didn’t think I would hold awake long enough. This brought me to Needles, California – the last motel for 150-ish miles. I can’t remember if it was before or after Needles, but the agriculture check station, where all traffic coming into CA on I-40W has to be inspected, was an absolute hoot. They asked if I had any fruit, to which I answered “no, only an overused and slightly stale box of crackers”, and then they inspected it… There you have it – Saltines are fruit, and I’m glad they didn’t have any of the fruit problems that these guys were looking for – otherwise I would have had to throw them away! (I wouldn’t mind never seeing another Saltine for a while…)

Onward-ho! Into the desert. Dad has told me countless times about the desert life (he was born in Deming, NM), and chief among those stories in my mind, are the ones about the appearance of the moon and stars. It was a half-moon, as well as a half-cloudy night, so the brilliance of both the stars or moon did not impress me the same way my childhood imagination had, but I could still see how the half-night was spectacular all the same. One of my childhood friends and I used to watch Orion at night. We didn’t know it was called that, so we named the collection of stars (his belt and left foot) The Big Pizza Slice… yes… I liked pizza enough to see it in the stars. Last night, in the Mojave Desert, 2000 miles away from the only home I’ve known, There sat The Big Pizza Slice to the South in the only opening in the clouds.

I don’t know why it surprised me so. It’s not like I traveled to the Southern Hemisphere… Seeing that, though, made me feel at home, and I cannot express what a relief it is to know that something so ordinary in many people’s lives can be so monumental in my own. I have always believed that I carried “home” with me, and to have it affirmed near the end of this chapter of my journey was perfect.

Moving Day 3 – Footprints on The Roof

agamellie — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:47:03 +0000

I am actually writing this on Day 4. WiFi is sometimes hard to come by in this neck of the country. On Tuesday I traveled from Oklahoma City, to Albuquerque. I have never been to Texas before now, and I have to agree with every report I’ve ever heard of the northern portion – flat and windy… It was an experience just being in a place so incredibly open. I am not accustomed to such an open space, and could not even begin to judge distance.

Before I entered Texas, though, I encountered my first windmills. I have wanted to see some of these up close and personal for some years now. What I though was maybe a half-mile jaunt off the interstate turned out to be 10 miles of unmarked gravel farm roads, and an hour of searching my way back to the interstate… I didn’t know anything about these windmills, who owned them, if I would be shot/ticketed for getting too close, but I figured I could plead the ignorance of a displaced Tennessean and all would be well. I ended up on top of the Jeep’s roof, to get a better angle of these monstrous machines. They are somewhat disconcerting to watch when you realize how big they are, and how silent they seem (naturally, all I heard was the wind whipping past me). The blades on these windmills were doing a complete revolution every 3 seconds or so, which seems slow, but they are so big!

Today I travel to Flagstaff, AZ and I think I will wander around the area a bit, and maybe go to the canyon… the day is young!

Moving Day 2 – Oklahoma City

agamellie — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 07:37:26 +0000

This morning I woke up with the stiffest back I’ve ever had (and I’ve slept out in the open under the stars on a rocky ledge countless times). After the fact (my mistake) I looked at the “mattress” that I had slept on. It consisted of 2 box-springs with a slab of yellow foam on top, and then the linens… I know now that if I’m ever in a bind to create a bed, and all I have lying around are 2 box-springs, that those 2 box springs will keep lying around while I whip up a palette made of towels or something (or for that matter, fine rubble would do just as well). I spoke with the manager about the misunderstanding in the usual concept of acceptable bedding, and he apologized, and gave me a nice refund. (even though I did not ask for one… it wasn’t the Waldorf in the first place.)

That was the beginning of today - 470 miles later I am in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (are there other Oklahoma Cities?). I got here just in time to go by the Oklahoma City National Memorial – the site of the April 19th, 1995 bombing of the federal building. I spent 2 hours there, and it was so somber. Perhaps it was the setting sun and the extremely long shadows casted about the place, but it was it’s own little world in the midst of a city’s downtown traffic. Below are photos of my experience. I’m not sure if they convey the place as I felt it, but I tried my best.

my camera is on my hip, and I am looking at the giant “9:01″ on the Eastern side of the plaza

Meet The Survivor’s Tree. I combined 9 images here for a High Dynamic Range – It is a totally unedited, WYSIWYG image made by steady hands, and an absolutely gorgeous tree. I would like to see it with leaves someday.

The church steeple is actually a block behind the wall

Moving to California – Day 1

agamellie — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 07:10:50 +0000

Now that I have a hotel with WiFi, I am going to abuse it a little, and post 3 blogs in one night Day 1 of the journey began Sunday afternoon (this is Tuesday early morning).

As with all endings, saying goodbye to my home in Tennessee was not easy. I am truly eager to begin my jaunt around the world, beginning with Southern California. You can see from the photos below that I meant business in the packing department. I sold, or gave away, everything – I mean EVERYTHING except some clothes, computers, cameras, backpacking/climbing gear, and guitars (I know – I’m not a true gypsy… yet)

From the get-go, I knew I didn’t want a Uhaul, or a trailer to move stuff – that would have been a fueling nightmare. Everything had to fit inside the Jeep or it went to my “for sale” pile. I packed very well, I think, and I even had some leftover room for my iPod and some Saltine Crackers up front ;)

After getting a late start around 2:30pm EST, I only traveled 350 miles from Kingston, TN to Memphis, TN, however, I think this will end up being the hardest leg of the trip. Tennessee has been m home for 24 years, and this is our last hoorah together – on the seemingly boring Interstate 40 (only because of familiarity though).

(The Saltines are under my open camera bag)
(I know I know… the windshield is way dirty, and my dash is a little dusty…

Christmas with the Bakers

agamellie — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:13:38 +0000

So I am sitting in a hotel room in Oklahoma City, and I figure now is a GREAT time to start to catch up on all the sessions/orders I’ve done in the past month and a half. Moving across the country while maintaining a studio is a logistical nightmare! Did you know the last thing out of my last home was my internet router and a printer? (It really helped with those last minute uploads to the ftp server… yes… no really, while loading into the Jeep I was uploading some 1,000 photos to somewhere – I promise!)
Anyhow, I spent Christmas this year with my sister Jennifer, and her husband Jeff, in Montgomery, Alabama. They were very gracious hosts, and were able to accommodate our parents, another sister Elizabeth, and our grandmother, in their home. We packed into their house for sure – but hey… we’re family! After all the festivities, we went to an AMAZING local playground and got some shots of their girls, and then ate some Thai food.

Happy New Year! I am SO far behind – almost 2 weeks backlogged!

agamellie — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 04:38:41 +0000

Yes, it’s official. I am at my capacity for about a week longer, with numerous portrait sessions, trips to Alabama, California, Florida, packing/moving, editing the numerous portrait sessions…. I promise I will post more soon! This is how lame I am for New Year’s eve – I just moved today, at about 5pm, and am staying the night at my folks house on the Clinch River (They are both well, since you asked…), where I am now catching up on Emails, editing a few jobs, watching people having fun in NY, and posting an “I’m sorry for being behind” blog. It is OK though – these are growing pains, and while they are sometimes hard to endure, they point to a bigger picture that AgamEllie Photography is growing. I look forward to working with each of you in the coming year. 2007 has been an amazing year of growth and development. Stay tuned for another year, AgamEllie is blazing into new territory!

Is it too obvious that I need a little sleep? Not bad for a webcam huh?

New to me D2X!!!

agamellie — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:46:00 +0000

I have been resurrected, so to speak, by an almost modern camera. ) I just received shipment of a slightly used Nikon D2x body, and have been shooting all over the place. I feel like the 10 year old kid again, with my sister’s Nikon F2 fully manual film camera… oh the wonders. The Nikon D2x is a HUGE jump for me from my D1H, D70s, and the trusty F2. To give you an idea, it’s kind of like moving from a pinto to a mercedes… The pinto would get you there, but the mercedes just has so many more bells & whistles that make the experience a little more fancy.

Just so you know, these were taken by the D1H, and uploaded all within about 5 minutes… It literally took longer to write the post than to make the images… so don’t hate on them Oh, and notice that the lens cap changed orientation between shot 1 & 2 … Am I anal or just attentive to detail? hehe

Disaster on Assignment…

agamellie — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:09:41 +0000

Well – it is official… I am now, in my heart of hearts, a pro photographer. You see, you can have nice equipment and be an amateur, you can have cheap equipment and make fantastic professional prints… but – at least to me, a seasoned pro has experienced a loss of their favorite camera and lens in a catastrophic equipment conundrum.

This past weekend I was on assignment for a local band, The Amend, doing some promo shots for one of their shows. I usually have 2 cameras running at a time, one with long glass, the other with short to mid range glass. At the time of the incident I was using that night’s designated short camera, a D1H with 17-50mm 2.8 (don’t laugh at the D1H… I know it’s gone the way of the Dodo bird… but expensive equipment doesn’t make you a great photographer…) My other camera, another Dodo bird, a D70S with 70-200mm 2.8 VR was tucked away in a hip bag while I was shooting with the D1H… everything was going great… then BAM somebody slammed into my backside and knocked the D70s/70-200 VR out of the hip bag onto a concrete floor 4 feet below… needless to say, there was irreparable damage. The D70s’ loss hurt – but it wasn’t major… those can be bought used for about $500 now… The 70-200mm VR is a different story…. that lens is roughly $2000 I think an insurance contract is in my very very near future. The lens is in the shop now, hopefully getting fixed. The Autofocus went a little haywire, and the Vibration Reduction module was activated at the point of impact, so I don’t know if that knocked anything loose… I thank the inventor of Lens hoods… that definitely saved the glass from being marred!

On a brighter, and more serendipitous note, I was planning on upgrading my main camera in about a month, once Nikon’s D3 really hits the market, and floods the used market with perfectly good D2x/s … So – This has forced me into an early search for a replacement body. I have been eyeing the D2x – another supposed “dodo bird” by many who are concerned with prestige. The D2x was replaced by the D2xs, a little over a year ago… The fact of the matter is that I can get essentially the same camera in the D2x for $1000 less than the D2xs…. and there really isn’t anything on the D2xs that is worth the extra $1000… That’s just my opinion – some folks really use the new features… I couldn’t care less at this point. I think there are always more bells & whistles to be had on a given camera (just how most consumers are “mad for megapixels”), but it all goes back to the quintessential basics of how to play with light, and trick the camera into seeing what’s in your brain. The MOST important part of a camera is the 12 inches behind it.

Jana’s Maternity Session

agamellie — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 23:55:54 +0000

OK – so I know a lot of you really want to see what my maternity session churned out. I would love to show you, however, that is not my choice. Out of respect for privacy I will not be posting any images of her until she she’s them all and releases the ones she doesn’t mind being seen. Sorry voyeurs, AgamEllie doesn’t play your way (remember, I’m a nurse… .

Jana wrote me a few weeks ago asking about the possibilities for a maternity session – logistics for privacy, etc. She had so many questions it was fantastic. We worked on a lot of ideas together, and she sent me samples of what she liked. This is her last pregnancy, and she really wanted to document the “pregnant life” she is in right now, as well as have a touchstone for the future baby Liam. She really wanted a classy image, something that could be shown to family without cringing in embarrassment. She also wanted a few modernistic, out of focus shots that make you go “what is that?” hehe

So, last Tusday, December 4th, I drove up to Corbin, Kentucky (which has a HUGE BINGO parlor that I really want to go back to…) and spent a few hours with her and her husband, David. We ended up eating pizza and drinking a hot mug of tea by the time it was all over with. She did a fantastic job, and we got some awesome, very relaxed shots that will be with her for a long while.