What a weekend on tap!

It seems I get to be Fotodano quite a bit this weekend and I like that.

Headshots, Ponies and Sunflowers, a closed shoot project and plenty of editing (I hope)

Look forward to a random post here or there and have a great Labor Day weekend!

Ciao Bella,

Dano

Seela Reboot

Reboot begins......


Caio Bella,

Dano

Some days it's about the footwork....

The next right thing,

Little changes,

Being present for the present.

It's too easy to get bogged down in my own personal mire of self doubt.

The truth is that yesterday I was hauling ass from 4 am to when I finally got to shut down somewhere near 8pm. An important part of the day was spent with a camera in my hand making photographs. The day was nothing at all like I planned.

Maybe I should go back and read yesterday's post.

Caio Bella,

Dano

if you would give the Gods a laugh....

show them your battle plans.

I try not to get too invested in the outcome of things. I can only do what I can do. Sometimes, things just don't work out.

Sometimes the model doesn't show up. Sometimes the power goes out. Sometimes you inadvertently open a rift in the space/time continuum allowing a small annoying and annoyingly durable mosquito to com through and torment you.
















That's why there is no image above what should be a witty and insightful caption.
I just make the plans. The outcomes are another department.


Ciao Bella,

Dano

Accept no substitutes......

I asked myself: When was the last time I got wet stomping about to get an image (OK, not counting swimming with my lens in Zion).

There's just no substitute for getting grimy to get an image. Good for the soul.

I hope you had a great weekend too!


Ciao Bella,

 Dano

Great. Now it's a syndrome.

I've been doing some reading about "Avoidance Syndrome" (my ex wife thinks I'm a hypochondriac. She'll love this).

I've got it in relation to my art. And right now it's worth looking at because I want to clear away blockages that stand in the way of living a life creative.

Oh little things like, starting lot's of projects that don't get finished. Never starting great ideas. Not letting my work stand on it's own. Blah, Blah, Blah.

Ad Infinitum.

Ad Nauseum.

The key for me is getting rid of blocks that stand in the way of living a life creative.

I suppose it may all be part of my process. Thus the journey continues.

On an up note, I'm undertaking a public/guerrilla art project that no one will know is me but that everyone gets to see (this is one I'm gonna do).

Ciao Bella,

Dano

Blog's not dead.....

Even though I felt like I was.

Cold is beat. Health is restored. I can begin to loo at things creatively again.

Ciao Bella,

Dano

No great words from the mediocre man today.

I have a cold.

I hate colds. More than I hate mosquitoes.

As I posted last night on the Facebook: "Editing photos with a cold is a sure fire recipe for self hatred. Pick this up another day."

Resolve that which is interfering with your creative process. Then return to the creative process.

I'm going to sniffle some more.

Ciao Bella.

Dano

Somehow, I wound up with more time....

Super productive weekend!I've been making some adjustments to my personal life and the results are already becoming evident.

Did some event shooting, a little studio work and finished up the set of images for Raging Clay.

Rhonda's work is truly amazing. Finding a unique presentation for each one became very natural in the studio because they all seem to know how they need to be shot.

Rhonda, I'm starting to get Ideas for our next series!

 Ciao Bella,

Dano

One more from Gina's shoot

 The hardest part was getting her to straighten up and be serious!

Gina, you are an absolute gem to work with! Thank you SO much!!

Ciao Bella,

Dano

So Dano, whadija do last night?

Spent some time in the studio with a friend.

She's a climber/photographer and we wanted to shoot some portraits. I really wanted to capture the growing sense of grace and power that she projects.

By the way, Gina? You have the bang and the pow.

Great way to spend a Wednesday evening if you ask me.

Ciao Bella,

Dano

To quote Gene Simmons:

"You can't polish a turd"

Deciding to re-open an old project is not decision I've made lightly. As with everything, I'm sure there will be a lesson involved. It that lesson goes back tot the quote from Mr Simmons, so be it. All I know is this; There is more of this story to tell.

Cryptic post? I'm sure. Trust me. More will be revealed.

Ciao Bella,

Dano

Another offering from my shoot with Raging Clay

I can't edit these images from Raging Clay without having my breath taken away!

Rhonda your work is amazing!

Ciao Bella,

Dano

There's an awful lot of "stuff" going on.

And it's too easy to let stuff get in the way of my art. On the other hand not paying attention to stuff is another great way to inhibit my creativity.

No matter what, I guess it remains life on life's terms. I just need to balance the stuff and the art.

For today, here's one of my still life/product images from this weekends shoot with Raging Clay:

More of these to come! Thanks Rhonda!

Ciao Bella,

Dano

Hi There!

I'd love to get more followers on the blog. I mean, real official followers.

Russian Federation? Germany? USA?

Sign up and let me see who and where you are, Ok?

Here's a special advance hint:

Sella: Gregorian Incursion is being re-edited for a second edition! This post WILL NOT be going on facebook so only you, the select few, know about it!

Coming soon!

Ciao Bella,

Dano

Lots of words.

One of the best parts of my summer was my Fiction Writer's Workshop. I don't think I have the patience to be a writer but, then again, I don't have to start with War and Peace. I know I am a pretty keen observer of the human condition and I've done lot's of stuff in my life. Add to that a bit of proper punctuation and I can come up with a good story--when I'm patient enough to work on it.

As a creative, I know that stepping away from my vocational medium (Thanks Mr. DuChemins)fires up my brain in different ways that effect what I do when I get back to square one.

Here's a sample and I'm off:

Excercise: A man and a woman meet in a bar and have a conversation. In one version The woman (or man) is lying. In the next she's telling the truth.

Here's my offering:

Monica and Mr Grey; Scene 1
Daniel J. Gruen
  
 Monica said, “It’s like I’m married to my own personal ‘Mr. Grey’.”, referencing the wildly popular pulp novels dubbed “mommie-porn” by the media.
   
She idly swirled the ice in her now watery double-shot of Wild Turkey and looked at me from under slightly hooded eyes. Monica held my gaze until it was just a bit uncomfortable and then looked up and beyond me. Every detail she shared was more explicit than the last. She and her husband had a “safe word” (raspberry), he had studied up on sailing knots (bowline and half-hitch) and she enjoyed the light bondage/discipline games they had started playing.
  
 She settled in her bar stool and took a drag from her cigarette making the burning ember at the tip glow cherry-red. This was not the Monica Chamberlain I was used to.
   
The fact that Monica was more than a little drunk and telling me seriously intimate details about her relationship with her husband was a bit bothersome. Why was she telling me? What did she want? There was no doubt in my mind she was telling me the truth. Her body language had confirmed that fact. What did she expect from me?






Monica and Mr Grey; Scene 2
   
Monica said, “It’s like I’m married to my own personal ‘Mr. Grey’.”, referencing the wildly popular pulp novels dubbed “mommie-porn” by the media.
  
 She swirled the ice in her now watery double-shot of Wild Turkey with her finger; wiping her mouth with a napkin after licking the finger clean. She looked at me from under slightly hooded eyes and held my gaze for the merest of seconds before breaking eye contact to look at the carpet beyond me. Every  detail she shared was more explicit than the last. She and her husband had a “safe word” (raspberry), he had studied up on sailing knots (bowline and half-hitch)and she enjoyed the light bondage/discipline games they had started playing.
  
 She fidgeted on her bar stool and took another drag from her cigarette. Finally, the impossibly long ash at the tip fell into her lap giving her a legitimate reason to squirm in her seat. This was not the Monica Chamberlain I was used to.
  
 The fact that Monica was more than a little drunk and fabricating seriously intimate details about her relationship with her husband was a bit bothersome. This normally calm and self-assured woman was acting nothing like her usual self. There was no doubt in my mind she was lying her ass off. I just didn’t know why she felt the need to.

Can spending some time writing translate into a more lyrical quality to my photographs?

Does putting creative energy into something completely out of my field benefit me to the same degree as intensive work within my field?

In know what the answer is for me. It all falls into a discussion of creativity vs. craft.

That's for another day.

Ciao Bella,

Dano

Last call for vacation photos!

I gotta call this somewhere.....

Ethereal and floral:

Critters:

People: (Thanks for the coffee Holly)

Infra Red:

That's it, I'm done. Soon they shall be a Facebook album for every one who didn't click over!

Thanks for getting the preview.

Ciao Bella,

Dano

Sometimes the phrase: Bad night's sleep doesn't cut it.

2:11am, Flagstaff Az.

Uttered a profanity lying in my bed. Should have just gotten up a blogged. Instead, I rolled around for two hours and twenty minutes of futility.

I don't think I could have found solace, even if I were back at the spot I took this.

 Strange, vacation was full of effortless sleep. Now.....not so much.

This image below taught me a bit. Not only did I go old school Nat Geo, guy in the red jacket but as soon as I wondered; "What's behind me?"

  I caught this:


Maybe that's my lesson to start my day with. Look around.

Ciao Bella,

Dano

Yeah--so, I gotta start doing this at night.

It's only sensible. I've been cussing too much in the mornings. Sad thing is, morning is when my creative stuff starts going. The last hour of the day? Not so much.

With that in mind I shall curtail my errant ramblings and through up an image:

OK, two:

 Same spot. About two hours apart. It was a really great morning at 10,000 feet. Took forever to boil water for my coffee though.

The top most image has gotten me in the mood for this weekends meteor shower. Oughtta be a good one this year.

Ciao Bella,

Dano

At a loss for words...

Yeah, go figure. Seven days alone in the car/my own head. I'm actually somewhat wordy when I'm around people. I am cussing at blogger right now, not that it helps. I guess that means I am truly back from vacation.

This little trip was one I may not have gone on if I could have changed plans. I'm glad I went. I needed the air.

Shit for words today. I'll keep it simple instead.

Ciao Bella,

Dano

Still on the road...

Regular updates will resume Monday. I've got lot's of pictures to share and a story or two as well.

Until then,

Ciao Bella,

Dano