2012...

Ok, the 3 shots above were us goofing around before getting serious about taking some pictures that could actually be used in advertising. The idea was to capture the attention of everyday people with antics we've all done in front of a camera.


My friend and model, "Tye" agreed to help me with what will probably be my final photo shoot of this summer. The T-shirt she's wearing bears the slogan, "2012...because B.O. is worse than flatulence". You've probably guessed that the B.O. referred to is the present occupant of the White House.

She's a dream to work with because she needed very little direction. We used a small park located in Overland Missouri as our setting. And, were careful to include the gazebo as part of the background. The idea was to go for the "girl next door" look, because the shirts will be sold on the "www.yardsellr.com" site. A social, networking site where everyday people buy and sell. No super models, or aristocrats, just everyday normal working class people. The shirts will be for sale beginning Labor Day Weekend.

The camera used was a Minolta HTSI film camera, with a 70mm - 300mm Tamron zoom lens. The film was 800 ISO, (film speed) Fuji brand 35mm film.

More Pictures of "Cotton"

Remember little "Cotton" (her real name is Marley) from my previous posts?  Well, here's an update.  Little "Cotton" isn't so little anymore

 

                                    Amazing what regular feedings will do.  She's "potty" trained now.  

Old Cars

     Remember the "good ol' days" when plastic models of cars like these were only $2.00?  Tubes of glue (model cement) were 10 cents, and tiny jars of model paint were 15 cents each.  The big names in model kits were (at least in Nashville, Tn where I grew up)  Monogram, Revell, and AMT.  If your (Parents') budget didn't allow for such extravagance as these, there were the 29 cents, and 50 cents models.  They didn't come with genuine rubber tires, metal axles, or the "chrome" bumpers and windshield borders like the more expensive models, but you just had to buy some black and chrome paint to fix that problem.   Seeing these real life cars reminded me of that much simpler time before computers, the internet, or cable TV, when people had to use their creativity and imagination.

    These pictures were taken with my Minolta HTsi 35mm film camera, using Fuji brand 35mm film.  The lens was a 300mm telephoto lens, and the film speed (ISO) was 800. 


 

Marmaduke?  (Tied to a pole in the center of the picture.  Left click on the picture to enlarge it).  This picture was taken in St. Louis's Central West End area, near the Medical Complex of Barnes Hospital, and Washington University Medical Center.  A financially and socially upscale area where an eclectic, cross section of society is the norm.   

Central West End sidewalk

Small flower garden outside a Condominium complex.  Why the Owner chose to plant all the same kind of flowers is a bit puzzling to me.  But I thought this "mini-floral sea" would make a good shot.  All three pictures were taken with a Minolta Maxxum 3XI 35mm film camera.  Using, Fuji 800 ISO film. The lens used was a 35-80mm zoom lens.

Remember my new (to me) toy I posted about a few days ago?  The Minolta Maxxum "htsi" 35mm film camera I won on Ebay?!  I took it out today and shot a role of film with it. Below are some of my pictures.

This last picture is of a local "ham" (front passenger side of vehicle) who saw me taking pictures in the Central West End area of St. Louis, and yelled out "take my picture".  I'm very happy with the camera. It performed flawlessly. 

 

St. Louis St. Patrick's Day Parade

St Patrick's Day Parade in St. Louis, Mo

Model T Ford Club

Irish Pageant Queen

What lawn mowers have to do with St. Patrick I haven't figured out.  But these guys were in the parade.

The USO

These Guys are sitting in motorized movie theater chairs.

These are some of the pictures I took at the parade.  They were all taken with a Minolta Maxxum 3XI  35mm film camera, equipped with a 35-80 auto focus, zoom lens.  The film is Fuji 800 speed film.    

My Minolta Auto-Focus Camera

The picture above (top) of my neighbor's door was taken in the evening.  As you can see by the "decorations" these pictures were taken back in October. (I'm back logged on film developing)   The picture below it of the skeleton positioned in front of the Overland, Mo Fire Department, was taken at night.

This picture has nothing to do with Halloween, but it's one of my favorite places to eat.  They've got super chicken wings.  Their buffet prices are reasonable.  It's a family oriented restaurant (as far as I know they don't serve alcohol).  And, the owners are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet.  If you're ever in the Overland Missouri area, you'll want to stop by the "CHINA FUN BUFFET" restaurant, located at the corner of Woodson and Midland roads.  


All of the pictures posted here were taken using Fuji 35mm film.  The film speed is 800.  And the camera used was a Minolta Freedom 70 EX with auto focus. 

Downsized

  This post is a long time overdue.  I had hoped to post it during the 2nd week of January, but a lingering cold virus kept me both off of work, and bed ridden until now.
  On January 2, 2011, I showed you a modest 2 bedroom apartment. The room-mates living there had to (for economic reasons) downsize their living accommodations.  What actually happened was two former friends have since parted company.  He was trying to help his "friend" get back up on her feet financially by splitting the cost an apartment for 6 months.  She promised to pay her fair share of the expenses.  For the sake of  privacy we'll call him Mike, and her Mildred.  In my previous post you saw the apartment.  This post will show you how far down he has downsized.

   This is the hallway of Mike's new living quarters.  It is a room in an older hotel.  There is no central heat because the Owner neglected to pay the gas company, and the gas has been turned off.  Each tenant/guest has an electric space heater for warmth.  There is a "common" restroom and shower that the tenants share.

   Mike discovered that his "friend" was a drug addict.  Originally she claimed that she had no real family living in the area.  She had lived with her brother, but claimed that he was not very responsible financially.  Over a 5 month period Mike learned who the financially irresponsible one really was.  In that time frame, his friend paid rent on time once.  After that she either was late, or didn't have the money at all.  So, in an effort to cut his losses, Mike simply notified the landlord of the situation he was facing and moved out.  Mildred couldn't (or wouldn't) pay the rent even though she was working the entire 5 month period.  He later learned that she was blowing the money away on lottery tickets and marijuana.   Today Mike is much happier even though his living accommodations are not what he's used to.  The rent is just over two hundred dollars per month cheaper, but you get what you pay for.  The obvious reason for the need for cheaper rent is the judgment the previous Landlord acquired against them both for breaching the lease.  Mike is currently paying $50 monthly to satisfy the judgment, and it's rumored that Mildred was fired from her job, and now collects $90 weekly in unemployment benefits.  The previous Landlord (through a collection agency) is seeking to garnish her benefits.   The pictures below are of Mike's room.

             
  

              

         2 Bedroom Apartment

   

            

  These pictures are all of a modest apartment located in St. Ann, Missouri.  It is a 2 bedroom apartment, but only one bedroom is shown here for the sake of the privacy of the occupants.  As a photographer, I thought it would be fun to shoot pictures of how most of us still live.  And also show how the down economy has forced many, to be creative as they've downsized their living accommodations.  The apartment shown here is of  brick construction. The floors are carpeted.  Their is central heat and air conditioning, and there is an on site laundry room.  You can't see the cable TV box, high speed internet modem, or telephone jacks in any of the pictures, but they are there.  For most of us these accommodations are "standard".  Next week I'll be shooting a rooming house, and showing the creativity of the same occupants who've had to downsize their living area.        

The Woodson Road Project

In addition to photography, I also have a (part time) interest in flipping Real Estate.  Flipping, is a term used to indicate a quick purchase and resale of property.  This little 2 bedroom house on Woodson Road in my area looked like the perfect candidate.  I met with the Owner, who is a professional investor. He indicated that he had long ago paid off the house, and was taking his time disposing of it, because he didn't need the money.  He had dropped the price down to $19,000 cash, which is what got my attention.  So, I took the pictures you see, with the intention of posting them on the web, and to some investors I know.  The hope was to generate some interest, quickly write up a contract price for $21,500 to my Buyer. Then do a double close where I would pay the Seller $19,000, and pocket the difference of  $2,500.  Unfortunately (or so I thought) someone else had access to immediate cash, and actually got the house for around $17,000.  You win some, you lose some.  I've since learned that there may be some zoning issues that I wasn't aware of.  The new Owner did begin to make some rehab efforts, but the work has stopped.  The little house has been in a state of dis-repair for several months now, so it appears that the one that I didn't get, didn't get me. With the economy being as bad as it is, I think real estate is one of the few vehicles that still offers the little guy (that's probably most of us) an opportunity to make some good money in small chunks.