One EMT, Good to Go!

An EMT at the heliport, Emory Medical Center Midtown

 

If you're familiar with downtown Atlanta you can probably tell that this photo was taken at the heliport of top of Emory University Hospital Midtown, originally Crawford W. Long Memorial Hospital. The tall structure in the background is easy to recognize as the Coca-Cola building.     

I think this good-to-go young man may have been an actual EMT, not just some other photogenic employee of the medical center standing in for the photo.

I didn't remember just how I had lit this photograph, so I enlarged it in Photoshop for a closer look. The main light, of course, was the sun. Looking at the square catchlights in his eyes at high magnification told me that I had used an electronic flash unit in a square softbox to fill the shadows.

By the way, the most important piece of equipment for this week-long assignment at Emory Medical Center was not my camera. It was my 30x40-inch, four-wheeled, rubber-tired cart! Since the job required several cases of lighting equipment, a camera case, a bag of light stands, and a tripod, and since I worked without an assistant to help me move things around the very large hospital, it would have been a nightmare without the cart. Just one more important tool in the life of a commercial photographer that few would even think of. 

Some people appear to think of a photographer as someone flitting around like a butterfly snapping pictures hither and yon, but there's far more to the practice of commercial photography than people imagine.

Blog note: Very soon I will be posting a link to a web site where many of my pictures will be available for order at very reasonable prices for yourself or for gifts. Watch this space.

Photograph and text copyright 2022 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

A Cool Clinician at Emory Medical Center

"Cardiac Technician" at Emory Medical Center

This poised young lady with the perfect makeup and confident expression was posed with a cardiac monitor in a hallway at Emory Medical Center in Atlanta for another in the series of personnel recruitment ads I did for the hospital.

Lighting for this setup was relatively simple: floodlights instead of electronic flashes because I could use bulbs with the same color temperature as the ambient light. I set one light stand to my right (her left). You can see the effect of that light by the shadow on her tunic and also by the soft highlight on her left cheek. A second light was placed at camera position and a little farther away to open up the shadows.

A third light was placed down the hall behind her to supplement the wall fixtures and bring the hall illumination to the proper level to make the subject stand out.

The model was a hospital employee chosen for her appearance and overall demeanor of competence. She was easy to work with and everyone was happy with the finished product.

The camera was a Canon 10D, my first digital camera. Only six megapixels, which sounds like nothing these days, but the files looked great for their intended purpose.

Blog Note: I'm busy this week doing a final edit on the second edition of Backroads and Byways of Georgia. It's supposed to be released in December, but things are not moving very quickly at the publishers. We'll see.

Photograph and text copyright 2022 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

A Week in the Hospital

Radiologist, Emory Medical Center, Atlanta

Not long after acquiring my first digital camera, a Canon 10D, I was given a week-long assignment to photograph medical personnel at Emory Medical Center in Atlanta. The purpose of the photos was to create a series of advertisements for the purpose of recruiting new employees for the hospital.

I photographed doctors, nurses, technicians, EMTs, and other medical and non-medical people in various settings. The outcome was a series of ads which ran half-page size in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other places.

Lighting the radiologist and his screens was a minor problem -- I had to get sufficient light on the man without washing out the screens. It was accomplishing by combining a time exposure for the screens with a quick burst of electronic flash for the doctor. Just one of the many challenges that make commercial photography endlessly interesting to me.

Photograph and text copyright 2022 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

 

Variety Is the Spice of Life

 Karma at Sunset Rock, Lookout Mountain

One of the wonderful things about my life as a professional photographer is the great variety of assignments that come my way. Yesterday, a set-up furniture shot for an ad campaign, today an annual report shoot, tomorrow a brochure or an album cover, the day after an audio-visual program. Another day, executive portraits. I've enjoyed it all. Truly, variety has been a spice in my life.

The creative director in charge of design and production of the annual report for Chattanooga's Cornerstone Community Bank (since absorbed by SmartBank) asked me to make some photographs tying into the theme of "stone." Since the Chattanooga area abounds in stone of all sizes, from pebbles to Lookout Mountain, that promised to be an easy and enjoyable assignment. 

For the cover photo I posed my long-time assistant Karma Newland on Sunset Rock, a cliff on the west side of Lookout very popular with rock climbers. The sun had just set, but the afterglow in the western sky provided plenty of soft light. If I had made the photo before the sun disappeared the light would have been too harsh.

The lights in Lookout Valley, more than a thousand feet below, make it appear as though she is on a rocky promontory above an ocean, with a passing ship in the darkening sea.

Photograph and text copyright 2022 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

A Day iin the Life of a Working Photographer

 Shooting an ad for Kerala Carpets

The purpose of this photograph will probably not be immediately obvious, but it is actually an advertising shot for the carpet maker, showing the carpet as part of a lifestyle.

The setting was in front of the french doors in the great room of our former home. The furniture and accessories, however, were not ours -- everything was borrowed from furniture stores and other sources by the art director in charge of the project and brought into our house. I could have created this set in my studio, but it was easier and much cheaper to do it this way. It would have required a great deal of carpentry, painting, etc., and even with all that it would have been difficult to duplicate the lovely outdoor background and lighting in a studio.

To balance the light streaming in from outdoors, I used two studio electronic flash units, being very careful to place them to minimize the reflections in the window glass. Actually, they are there, if you know where to look, but very diffused and minimal.

On a sturdy tripod was the trusty Mamiya RB67 medium format camera I used for most studio work. The lens was the Mamiya-Sekor 127mm f4.5. The film, as usual, was Fujichrome 100 in 120 size. 

Setting up for the session, making the photos, then clearing everything out and putting our home back in order took most of a day -- just another day in the life of a working photographer.

Photograph and text copyright 2022 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

Rock City Barn TN-9

 Rock City Barn TN-9 

This barn is located on Tennessee Highway 58, just south of Kingston. I first photographed it 28 years ago, on October 24th, 1994 while on my first extended trip to photograph Rock City's barns; a trip that took me up U.S. 11, then TN 58, and then on to northern Kentucky on U.S. 27 .

I made the best photograph I could, but something wasn't right that day -- I don't remember if it was the time of day, the direction of the light, or something else. But I knew this scene held promise of a better picture if I could find it, so I made a mental note to come back and try again. I often went back to a barn that I felt had more potential than I was able to capture the first time around if a subsequent trip took me back into the area.

I was not able to get back to this barn before the Rock City Barns book was published, so the picture in the book is not the one you see here. I did get there eventually, though, and everything came together beautifully -- the light, the sky, the cattle in the foreground. And the freshly repainted See Rock City sign. 

I'm not sure exactly when this photo was made, but it was on film, so it was taken before 2003, the year I switched to digital photography. The camera would have been a Canon A2 and the film, as always, was Fujichrome 100D.

Sometime later the owners of the property contacted me and bought a 24 by 36-inch print to hang in their living room.

If you don't have Rock City Barns: A Passing Era, amazon.com still has copies, both new and used.

Photograph and text copyright 2022 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

Precious Prints

  Rob, Louise, and Donny at Fall Creek Falls (Tennessee) State Park.

In the summer of 1969 we spent two memorable weeks camping at Fall Creek Falls State Park. I shot only two or three rolls of 120 print film in a Yashica twin-lens reflex camera, but made pictures that I still treasure.

Pure essence of Louise. Always good-to-go, always ready to take on life with zest.

 

I have these cherished photographs because I made prints. Of course, in those days you made prints because that was the only way to see your pictures (unless you shot slide film). Now, 53 years later, I can still enjoy my pictures. If I had been shooting with a digital camera in those long-ago golden days I most probably would not have these pictures unless I had made prints. Electronic files can deteriorate or get lost or erased in a multitude of ways. But I made prints and I have these pictures. And hundreds more.

 

Our young family in 1969. Camera on a tripod with self-timer.

Photographs and text copyright 2022 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

Make Prints!

 

Some of the calendars and booklets our children

and grandchildren have created for us.

 

Blog note: This is a partial re-post of a blog that first ran on May 10, 2021. 

This current generation has been the most photographed in history, yet will be the first since photography was invented to have no photographic history.

Think about it. Do you remember looking at family pictures when you were growing up? Was that important to you in giving you a sense of your family's history? Unless you take action, your children and grandchildren will not have that experience.

It has been estimated that more photographs are being made every day than the sum total of all the photographs made from the time photography was invented until the year 2000. Yet, where are all those millions of photos? Why are they not creating a rich photographic heritage for families all around the globe?

The answer is that they don't actually exist. They are only collections of electrical impulses in cameras, cell phones, computers, or the cloud. They have never been given actual, tangible existence. They have never been printed.

You can save those photo files on your computer hard drive, a DVD, a back-up hard drive, a flash drive, or the cloud. And you should. But those media all can deteriorate. And even if they don't, at some point in the future no one is going to have software to read those files. (Floppy discs were common only 20 or 25 years ago, but try finding a way to read them now.) But with reasonable care, prints are permanent.

You don't have to be a professional photographer to document the life of your family. I began with a very simple Kodak Brownie snapshot camera. The simplest digital cameras, even cell phone cameras, are capable of better sharpness and clarity than even the finest 35mm cameras we had back in the day.

So what is the best camera? The best camera is the one you have with you. One of my daughter's-in-law has an old Canon 20D, the other uses her cell phone. Both of them document their families diligently. But that's only the first step. The next step is to get those digital files out of the cameras and into print. If you don't download and save those photos they will almost certainly be lost.

So -- make prints! There are many online labs to which you can send your files for printing, or you can order prints at your neighborhood drug store or WalMart. Or you can take advantage of a gift of the digital age and have your photo files printed into booklets by online companies such as Blurb, Shutterfly, and many others. Those companies also make calendars, and so, each year for many years, daughter-in-law Bonnie has given Louise and me a calendar full of family pictures.

Photograph and text copyright 2022 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

 

Missing in Action

Polled Hereford cattle graze in a field along West Cove Road, McLemore Cove.

This will be a very short post because I'm working on some things that can't be put off any longer. (And believe me, I'm good at putting thing off!) I'll be back Wednesday to follow up last Friday's post about cell phone photography with a post about the importance of making prints.

Meanwhile, here's a picture I hope you will enjoy. 

Fuji X-T20, Fujicron 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 OIS lens. 

Photograph and text copyright 2022 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

My Daughter-in-Law Is Not a Photographer

My granddaughter Marlee, all dressed up for the prom. 

Kim, my daughter-in-law, is not a photographer. Yet, she takes more pictures than any non-professional I know. In that, she's like my sister Anah. I have a secret suspicion that the reason Kodak went out of business is that Anah passed away and stopped buying their film and ordering double prints of everything. Kimberly does it all with her little cell phone.

I could say that I wish she would use a real camera that would make pictures with better technical quality, but the truth is that she would probably be impatient with the complexity of a real camera and not use it much. She also wouldn't like that she could not post her photos on line immediately. The upshot is that most of the pictures that give her and her family and friends enjoyment would not exist.

In short, she loves pictures but isn't interested in photography. The cell phone is the right camera for her and many others. And that's the camera she used to make the stunning portrait of her daughter Marlee all dressed up for the prom.

Almost the whole history of photography is about the continual effort to make picture-making easier and more convenient. At a time when most photographers were using large cameras with the film emulsion on heavy glass plates, George Eastman revolutionized the photo world with his Kodak box camera preloaded with a roll of film good for a hundred pictures. When the picture-taker used up all the film he sent the camera to Eastman's lab and got back his pictures plus his camera loaded with a new roll of film. Kodak's slogan made history: "You push the button and we do the rest." 

The cell phone is the ultimate heir to Eastman's legacy. You push the button and the camera does the rest. Quickly, conveniently, and cheaply. In fact it's not just cheap -- it's free if you already own your phone.

So am I ready to give up my cameras and make photos with my cell phone? Not a chance! I'm a photographer. I love my cameras and everything about the photographic process. And I can make better pictures with my equipment. But not everyone is willing to carry a camera around all the time as I do. For Kim, and for millions of others who don't care about the limitations of the cell phone, it's the right camera. 

Just be sure to save your pictures and back them up. If you don't your children may have no photo-heritage.

Photograph copyright Kimberly Jenkins 2022. Text copyright 2022 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

 

Lula Lake and Falls

Lula Lake and the Cascade

One of the most beautiful places on Lookout Mountain is the gorge where Rock Creek tumbles down a 25-foot cascade into a round pool, nearly 100 yards in diameter, named Lula Lake.  The creek then flows on a few hundred yards to a sheer drop over magnificent Lula Falls. When I was in college I spent many happy days hiking around the cliffs and swimming in the lake. Later, it was a favorite spot for picnicking with family and friends. Unfortunately, the area was closed to the public in the 1980s.

 

The Chickamauga & Durham Railroad, completed in 1892, wound 17 miles up the mountain to the coal mines at Durham, with a trestle crossing Rock Creek just above the upper cascade. The railroad was closed in 1951, and the tracks were taken up in 1952. But in 1956 it was still possible to drive my car up the old railway bed from Nickajack Road to Lula Falls. 

Now under the control of the Lula Lake Land Trust, a non-profit organization which, in conjunction with other agencies, seeks to preserve and protect approximately 8,000 contiguous acres on Lookout Mountain, the lake and falls are open to the public on the first and last weekends of each month, April through November, and the first and last Saturdays only, December through March. Unfortunately, swimming is no longer allowed, but hiking is better than ever, with access to 60 miles of trails. Much of the road into the Trust area follows the old railroad bed. This is one of the lesser-known, yet most beautiful natural sites in the Chattanooga area.

Most of the waterfalls in the southern Appalachians are cascades, where the water runs down a steep slope. Lula Falls is one of the relative few with a sheer drop.

Lula Falls: A 100-foot straight drop into Rock Creek Canyon

Both photos were made with a Fuji X-Pro1 mirrorless digital camera. The lens was the Fujicron 27mm f2.8 -- a lens I really need to use more often.

Photographs and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.

The Andrews-Guthrie House

The Andrews-Guthrie House, McLemore Cove

The Andrews-Guthrie House was built by Otey Andrews in the 1890s for his new bride. A modified plantation-plain design, it, like many Cove houses, has a lowered second story. It was the Guthrie family home for many years, and although currently empty, is still owned and well maintained by one of the Guthrie sons who grew up there.

Andrews Lane with the Andrews-Guthrie House in the distance.

In this view from near the bridge over Chickamauga Creek on Andrews Lane, the Andrews-Guthrie house gleams in the distance, just right of center. Lookout Mountain forms the backdrop. Andrews Lane connects West Cove Road, which runs along the west side of the Cove at the base of Lookout Mountain, with Hog Jowl Road, which runs along the east side of the Cove at the base of Pigeon Mountain. The two roads come together at the south end of the Cove to form Dougherty Gap Road, which goes to the top of the mountain.

The photo at the top was made in November, 2008 with a Canon 5D Classic camera and a Canon EF 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 lens. The bottom photo was made in 2011 with an Olympus E-PL1, my first mirrorless digital camera. The lens was the little 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 Zuiko that came with the camera.

Photograph and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.