B.K. Adams + Surly Moonlander

I'm a big bike-noticer, so when I pulled up to the neighborhood cafe and saw this monster of a bike last week, well, I noticed - a big black Surly Moonlander mountain(?) bike with a smattering/splattering of bright paint perched on a pair of absurdly large tires. It was impossible for me to miss. It was also immediately obvious to me who the likely owner of the bike was, local sculptor, painter and (A)rtist B.K. Adams. If you are here in DC I'm sure you've spotted a few of his 'I am Art' stickers, a black and white stenciled portrait of himself wearing his signature welding goggles, and it wasn't long before B.K. was out and showing off his new ride.

Note: I'm not certain that this bike was the Moonlander model and not the Pugsley, but I have a hard time thinking that B.K. would pass up a chance to ride around on a bike that looks like this AND is named Moonlander.

Jenny Sammons, Jewelry Designer - Headshot Session

On Wednesday morning I did a headshot session for local Washington DC jewelry designer and musician Jenny Sammons. For the shoot Jenny chose the gardens surrounding the Franciscan Monastery on Quincy St in NE DC. This was my first visit to the Monastery, and it turned out to be a great location for the shoot, with a variety of flowering plants, tall shade trees and a cool grotto, and it all perfectly suited Jenny, who was a wonderful subject. Plus, the security guard was an amateur photographer who had no problem with me setting up a light stand or two for the shoot. (If I had asked he probably would have held a reflector for me. We were probably the most intersting thing to happen this week). It all made for a lovely morning of photography.

These are some of my favorites, but I'm also very curious to see which Jenny likes best. Unedited "for selects" are here if anyone is curious.

Butch - Portraits of Neighbors, Ledroit Park

Elm Street's caretaker, Butch. One day I'll need to ask him about his moniker.

Carolyn - Portrait Study #1

My friend Carolyn came over for an impromptu shoot on Friday. What a lovely opportunity to try out some new things! I’ve done quite a bit of work with friends and neighbors, and I’ve been making a point to try and get the people I know into my “studio” (living room) on a more regular basis. My goal is to make the tag “Portrait Study” a more regular occurrence on this blog. If there needs to be a Study #1 I think this is a good place to start!

Here are a few of my favorites:

DIY Instagram? Not Exactly.

If your phone is "dumb" like mine, you can still create your very own, beautiful, low tech Instagram photographs. All you need is a film camera (In this case a Nikon F3 - but any old point and shoot will do) and a roll of expired Kodak Gold Max 400 - preferably one that has lived in a shoe box since 1998, when you graduated and moved into that $400/month Adams Morgan group house OR, if you are 19, one that has lived in a shoe box that your mom has owned since 1991, when rent was only $200/month.

Extra points for getting the print shop to scan your film full frame and without removing the dust.

To illustrate the effect, here are a few shots from a pumpkin picking day last fall with neighbor Martha and her daughter Eddy. I know, not very instant, but isn't the memory of a cool fall day a nice discovery now that the DC summer heat is here for a while? Can you think of a better use for an old roll of film?

Individual results may varry.

And of course there were pygmy goats.