Personal | azsmartphone

Some of my earliest lessons in Visual Composition didn’t come from a camera at all — they came from hoeing long bean rows with my brother on my grandpa’s farm in Iowa. Watching Grandpa Carl paint scenes of small town rural life introduced me to the quiet power of visual storytelling long before I ever held a camera.

Those early days taught me something simple but lasting: “Meaningful images often begin by paying attention to ordinary moments…”

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION – Believe it or not, a kitchen blender filled with debris from an on-site construction dumpster served as the inspiration for thIs break from the ordinary. I was fortunate to find the right client, and we taok that break together.

AD TEXT – “Place all managerial ingredients in the glass container. Don’t overfill. Blend until smooth and bake in well-greased estimating pan at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cool on rack and top with nutritious public relations butter icing, Remove and cut into squares. Serves one highly motivated client.”

CONSTRUCTION IS… These half page ads provided an opportunity to create messages with on-site photos of crews and phases of construction. Wore a hard hat and tried to stay out of everyone’s way. With an architecture background, job sites became my favorite places to be.

FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHY – In addition to shooting for architects and contractors, I shot a series of “environmental portraits” for a glossy business magazine. Although labor intensive, brainstorming ideas with these entrepreneurs was all about adding photographic sizzle to their stories.

Look out… here comes Composition, Lighting, Creativity and ‘Working the Scene’… Early signs of the Ten Commandments of Smartphone Photography.

LEARNING PATIENCE – In construction, there are always moments on a job site that transcend time. To the enterprising photographer, these sites resemble stage sets where dramas are measured in months, then weeks, then days, then hours before Grand Openings.

Arrived at 430am. No construction equipment parked anywhere in the scene. Just the crane, the columns in formation, and my ladder to clear the fence… all of us waiting for Mr. Sun.