The Beautiful Stylists of HairM

Beautiful Stylists of HairM, a photo by donlee98 on Flickr.

Saturday I had the pleasure of shooting the beautiful stylists of HairM Portland and Beaverton. They are not only beautiful people, they are amazing at what they do as salon Stylists and Massage Therapists. Their annual corporate party was held at the Falcon Community Arts Center in Portland, OR. It was a great place for a party and a photo shoot as the basement is filled with incredible paintings and drawings created by local artists.

Don & Karen

Love is
being happy for the other person
when they are happy
being sad for the person
when they are sad
being together in good times
and being together in bad times
Love is the source of strength

Love is
being honest with yourself at all times
being honest with the other person at all times
telling, listening, respecting the truth
and never pretending
Love is the source of reality

Love is
an understanding so complete that
you feel as if you are a part
of the other person
accepting the other person
just the way they are
and not trying to change them
to be something else
Love is the source of unity

Love is
the freedom to pursue your own desires
while sharing your experiences
with the other person
the growth of one individual alongside of
and together with the growth
of another individual
Love is the source of success

Father & Daughter

Father & Daughter, a photo by donlee98 on Flickr.

I captured this image in the summer of 2009 while roaming the streets of Chinatown in San Francisco.

Here a father tends to his daughter, helping her with a drink of water. I always enjoy seeing these genuine moments between children and their parents. It makes me think back to when my children were smaller and how much I miss those days. Although my children are more than capable of simple things like getting a drink of water, there are so many other challenges in life I have yet to help them prepare to deal with on their own. And although the thought is quite scary considering all the dangers of the world, days like today remind me of the joys of parenthood and how having children has changed my life.

Happy Father's day to all!

Mobile Phone Photography

Pedestrians, a photo by donlee98 on Flickr.

The iPhone camera has become a regular piece of gear for me. Why? because it's always with me! I have been able to capture some of my favorite images with the iPhone.

In just a few short months, Apple will be releasing iOS 5 which will add even more great features to the iPhone camera. We can expect things like AE/AF Lock, Grid Lines, Pinch-to-Zoom, and image editing all built right into the iPhone camera application. These new and enhanced features only make the iPhone camera more powerful and convenient as a legitimate replacement for a point and shoot camera.

The image above was taken with my iPhone 4 camera on the streets of downtown Portland outside of a local Starbucks. It's hard to believe that only a couple of years ago images like these were not possible to capture with a mobile phone. Both as a Technologist and a Photographer, I am excited to see what the future holds for mobile phone photography.

Strum

Strum, a photo by donlee98 on Flickr.

Well it's starting to look like summer again here in the Northwest and that means more people on the streets and a street photography assault.

My approach to street photography isn't quite 'shock and awe' but I do like to jump into an interesting scene and capture moments like the photo above.

I found this gentleman at last year's Alberta street fair. He was just strumming along with his fingers and looked up at me just in time for me to catch his eyes in the crosshairs of my camera lens. He just kept strumming so I just kept clicking. It's dynamic moments like this that I just love about street photography.

Senior Prom 2011

Senior Prom 2011
Originally uploaded by donlee98

What happens when you get 10 high school seniors in your studio all at once with parents, corsages, and hair spray? Well...I'm sure you can imagine!

Shooting prom pictures this year was nothing short of chaotic and fun. In fact, it's a lot like herding cats...or chickens...or any other creature that has a plan of its own. But at the end of the time, we got it done. 10 seniors, 5 couples, and some pretty nice looking images!

Say "Cheese" class of 2011!

Project 44

Project 365 Photo of the Day: 8/365
Originally uploaded by donlee98

Project 365 began on January 1, 2011 and quickly ended as Project 44. It was a great idea...but I ran out of steam about 44 days into the project. It reminds me of those new years resolutions where you make a commitment to go to the gym on a regular basis to loose that tire around your stomach. You are extremely motivated at the beginning and go to the gym 6 days per week. However, you soon begin to loose steam and eventually stop going completely.

Project 365 was no exception for me but now I tell myself that it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. The focus should be on doing something photographic with some sense of regularity with one or more clear goals in mind. I started Project 365 with no goals other than to take at least one original image everyday of the year in 2011. It didn't take long before I began to run out of creative ideas and to reach the point where I was taking images just for the sake of taking an image. I had no creative flow and I felt rushed and constrained; I was clearly no longer having fun with photography.

So my new mid-year resolution is to just have fun with photography...much like my son Jared (pictured above) has fun in front of the camera. After all, shouldn't the things we love doing the most be fun and enjoyable?

Via Flickr:
Jared

A very defining image of my youngest child during one of his many spontaneous acts of jest.