[Michael DeAngelis] [Photography]

Blog Relocated

2011-02-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

Hey All! Thanks for stopping by. I moved my blog to where my site is hosted, www.mdeangelis.net/blog. So check back there often for interesting photos and witty prose! Until then, happy surfing!

White House Farmers Market

2011-02-14T23:10:00.000-08:00

Quality market. Purchased some wild blueberry muffins. But no Michelle. Sigh.

Astor, Night

2010-08-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

Rawlings

2010-08-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

Steel Structures

2010-08-02T13:08:00.001-07:00

People Live Here

2010-07-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

A tall apartment building directly east of 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.

Fun With Filters; Fun At Night

2010-06-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Newly Discovered Photos From The 2003-2009...

2010-06-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

Self-Portrait. Boston. 2007?

No idea what this is. No idea where this is. No idea when this was.

Relax & read for awhile. Oxford, Mississippi. 2006.

Broken Heel. DC. 2008.

Krispy Kreme, yum. DC. 2009 (I believe).

Reflections of the esplanade. Boston. Long time ago, maybe 2004. (Take with 35mm film).

Keep Out. SF. 2003.

More Photos From The Past

2010-06-10T11:54:00.001-07:00

Add caption

I Used To Shoot Film

2010-06-08T21:02:00.000-07:00

Some time During The Winter of 2004-2005. "Whiteout On Comm. Ave." Boston, MA.

Another Cold Winter, 2006. "Where I Used To Play As A Boy." Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn NY.

Early 2004. "Cranberry Fields Forever." Cranbury, NJ.

Undetermined Date. "Light On The Path." Princeton, NJ.

Birds, Then & Now

2010-06-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

A late night post. A couple of shots. Feathered friends. For some reason birds tend to find there way into my photos. The first, is from a couple (maybe more) years ago taken in Brooklyn, with the Coney Island parachute jump seen in the upper left. The second, I captured today, while roaming around in the rain on the way to the Phillips Museum and a DC Jazz Festival performance.

Sometime in the dead of winter. Brooklyn, NY. The Brooklyn skyline from the beach, right under the verrazano bridge.

Spring, 2010 (Today). Dupont Circle, Washington, DC. Bird on a street light.

Kitschy Remnants Of The Past

2010-06-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

I went digging and came up with some of these odd, kitschy, hopefully interesting photos...

July 4th, 2006, Boston, MA. Tiny 2-Wheeler.

July 4th, 2006. Boston, MA. Paddling down Comm Ave.

Fall 2006. Coffee Shop, Memphis, TN. WTF?

Summer 2006. Somewhere along the Northshore in MA. Best way to spend a quarter.

Fall 2006. Memphis, TN. That's what she said.

Sometime during 2007. An undisclosed bathroom in Brighton, MA. Guess the sex?

Time/Place irrelevant. Someday I'll get the guts to go into one of these things.

Fall 2008. Washington, DC. Missing an arm.

Nat Geo Bee - Slideshow

2010-06-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned on Facebook, and on here, I got to shoot the National Geographic Bee last week for DCist.com. It was great fun, well, at least for me it was! I hope these photos show the intensity of the contestants, and the pressure each kid was under to get every question right. Even if they answered zero correct, these not-quite teenagers should be proud - they advanced to the semi-finals after beating thousands of contestants in each of their states. Enjoy the photos!

Wandering, Wondering On My 29th

2010-05-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

I can't take credit for this one, but this is me in all my glory - a year out from #30.

Silver Springs Blues Festival

2010-05-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

Blues. Dancing. Smiling kids. What's not to like? Not even a little rain got in the way of the concert goers who attended the Silver Springs Blues Festival this past Saturday. As one of the performers said during the day's festivities, "A little rain ain't never stopped the blues." I totally agree. Also, below the slideshow are my random ramblings that I posted on Facebook after walking home in the rain. Don't try to make sense of my thoughts, I don't even understand them half the time!

...Finding a cold Arnold Palmer at the late night Falafel joint downstairs left me speechless. MD signing off, but "...don't say good night love, the blues ain't done with you..."
Sunday at 1:27am
...The headliners of today's blues fest at SS, the Nighthawks, covered the theme song from The Wire, "Way Down in A Hole." I knew every word, and I was proud of it. Splendid...Quote of the day - "The rain ain't never stop the blues." Also, just for the record, when things get wet, pictures get good...
Sunday at 1:27am
A nice way to end year 28: I can't think of a better combination - live blues and having the luxury to cover it for a real-live-local-paper (yes, those still exist)...Second, people need more live music in their life - they get happy, they get moving, and they actually talk to each other (whoa)...
Sunday at 1:26am
And finally my favorite two images from the set. I think the expression in the bluesman's face and the dancing girl sums up why music is, well, the elixir of well-being...

Winning is Exhausting at the National Geography Bee

2010-05-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

Emotions and stress ran deep today at the semi-finals of the National Geography Bee - You wouldn't guess it from this photo, but this boy, the contestant from Virginia, made it to the finals.

I Go Walkin' In the Rain, Part II

2010-05-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

In The Rain, Columbia Road

2010-05-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Grabbed these photos on the way home from the Silver Springs Blues Festival. I felt bad that I hadn't used my 20D in some time, so I took it out along with my lovely toy-like plastic 50mm lens and snapped away. (Don't tell Mr. 20D, but I wasn't about to take Mr. 5D MII out in the rain. Shhhhh...)

The Deconstruction of Her Morning Elegance

2010-05-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

If you are an artist, or have any sort of interest in creative works, I'm sure you have seen the video by Oren Lavie, Her Morning Elegance. The video went viral and it won a Grammy. Now, the creators, Oren Lavie, Yuval & Merav Nathan, and the photographer, Eyal Landesman, have decided to deconstruct their video. Not only are they taking prints of the frames on the road, but they are selling one print of each frame. Which on is your favorite? It is definitely a cool idea - in the end, the video will end up in the hands of 2,096 people, the number of frames in the video.

Alone On The Interstate

2010-05-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

"What funny thoughts slide into the head,

alone on the interstate with no place to be."

- Henri Cole

The Students of the District

2010-05-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

Over the last five months I had the privilege of visiting the public schools of Washington DC. Without a doubt it has been one of the best experiences of my life. It was great to visit the schools, and interact with students and staff. I'm not a writer, I'm a picture taker, so I'll let the photos above tell the story of the students I met along my journey.

My Moment in Time

2010-05-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

The below photo is the photo I chose to be a part of NYT's Lens Blog's "Moment in Time" mosaic. They are still assembling the galleries of over 10,000 images taken around the world - so surely check out the site in a few days when they are completed.

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 - "Chilling in the alley" - Adams Morgan, Washington DC.

Traveling Elvis

2010-05-03T16:52:00.000-07:00

In my search to find fine art galleries in the city, I discovered the Govinda Gallery located in Georgetown. The owner, Chris Murray is sponsoring a traveling exhibition, "Elvis at 21," by Alfred Werheimer. These photos, iconic and timeless, capture Elvis as a performer, but more importantly his innocence before he went out to international fame. Inspiring, without a question.

Tardy, Yet Still Shameless Plug

2010-05-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

About ten days ago DCist picked up photos I shot for DCPS's Prom Dress Boutique. It was a really fun event to shoot, with smiles all around. It was also nice to discover that after DCist ran my photos, readers commented on the article expressing the desire to donate their old wedding and prom dresses - pretty cool! Here is the link to the article, and a few photos from the event:

The Capital's Obelisk

2010-05-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

Here are two photos from my walk around the city from a couple weeks ago. If you didn't notice, both were taken at the Washington Monument.

"Rest Stop"

"Eclipse"

Hitting the Vaults, Yet Again

2010-04-14T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more shots from the vault:

Summer 2007. Downtown Memphis, TN.

Early Summer 2009. Institute of Contemporary Art. Boston, MA.

From the Vault 2.0

2010-04-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

My baseball card collection is stored safely away in my parent's basement (I hope). In the same way my old "collector's edition" photos have been stored securely on numerous hard drives over the past decade. Well, I should be honest here - in the last 5+ years I have had two or three hard drives die on me. Those were challenging times. I cried, I cursed, and I probably listened to some kind of melancholy-indie music (Thanks, Elliot Smith/Nick Drake). Indeed, I have lost some meaningful photos over the years, but luckily, I have been able to keep my photo collection intact since 2003. It was around that time when I really started "getting into" photography. On this rainy spring day I have found myself looking back at these old photos from my minor league days. Below is a selection of some interesting ones I found that I "brought back to life" thanks to Lightroom. This process, I imagine was probably what it will be like to one day open up those binders of baseball cards, and find some really valuable and nostalgic cards. Note - Given the recent admissions of steroid use by several baseball players, I'm sure my cards will fall into that second category. Thanks Barry and Mark!! Anyways, enjoy the photos! - Mike

Winter 2008. Rosemary Beach, Florida.

Spring 2007. Mission Beach, San Diego. Random Old People.

Spring 2007. Mission Beach, San Diego. Dad.

Spring 2007. Mission Beach, San Diego. Skateboarder Dude.

Spring 2006. Providenicetown, MA. Downtown?

End of Summer 2004. Boston, MA. The Hancock and Pru in the distance.

DCPS Photo Project Coming to a Close

2010-04-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

Though my photography work for DC Public Schools has yet to be completed, I have only a few more schools to visit. Since December I have crisscrossed the city using every means of transportation - car, feet, bus, girlfriend, metro, cab, and camel/slow cab. I would have biked, but my two-wheeler was stolen last summer. I digress. For mostly personally reasons, I wanted to see what all my visits and traveling added up to. In the olden days of paper and pencil I would have had to stick pins into a map taped to the wall, but thanks to the gods of Google, I created the below map that highlights all my DCPS journeys. I've been to about 20 schools, and have a handful more to get to. I have surely learned my way around this city while bouncing between those markers. Still, no matter how impressive my manly feets of traveling have been, the virtual pushpins don't really capture the scope of the work, nor do they capture the truly unique experiences I have had over the last five months. With that in mind, keep your eye out for some upcoming posts of photos of the District's students. PS - Click on the markers for the names of the schools. Oh yeah, blue makers are elementary schools, green are middle schools, and red are high schools. Cheers!

View DC Public Schools Photography Assignment in a larger map

Birth of a Solar System

2010-04-12T12:47:00.000-07:00

I am a self proclaimed dork, but this is pretty cool. ET, is that you?!?

PIXELS

2010-04-09T06:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Neglected Blog, Yes, I am still alive. Sorry for not updating you recently. I do have some blog posts coming down the pipe, but now, this inspiring video will have to do. Yours Truly, Michael. PS-I love legos and kitsch

Dupont Circle, It Has Been Too Long

2010-03-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

So I've been in the city of politico love for about two years and I have been consistently drawn to Dupont Circle since moving here. The circle serves as a meeting place for tourists, business travelers, and society's forgotten. After completing a photo essay on the circle in the fall, I told myself that I would keep going there to photograph the circle, but sadly that has not been the case. Sure, the weather was awful this winter. Sure, I have been busy with other photographic pursuits, but these are no excuses! OK, so flash forward to today. I finally make it to the circle. Here is what I ended up with: a bird, a biker, and a scary old woman. So much for capturing the diptych nature of the circle!

Photos of the Commuter

2010-03-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

I'll call this group of photos "First St. NW Pt. 2". These photos were taken closer to Union Station than the NY Ave/Florida Metro stop. I shot these from the "hip", or the "ankles". I knew I wasn't going to get a sharp image, so I went with it and shook the heck out of my camera (sorry 5D).

I was recently asked to describe myself in three words. I couldn't do it. I do admit I am verbose. So without rambling any longer, here are the photos:

(click for larger views - I always forget to write this)

First Street NE

2010-03-12T08:50:00.000-08:00

This might come off as hypocritical, but as much as I have loved working with DC Public Schools project, I have not shot that much outside of this project. Working on "personal projects" is imperative to keeping a photographer's creative juices (I'm sure there's a better word) flowing. Balancing work that makes you bank and work that you love is hard to do. It is something that all artists struggle with. This topic seems to come up often in conversation between me and my friends in the business, who like me are just getting their feet wet in the photo world. Anyways, I grabbed some photos on the way home after a shoot at DCPS's headquarters. It was super nice out when I left their building. I had no excuse but to fire off some shots for my own creative good! Instead of hopping on the metro at the New York Ave stop, I walked down First St. to Union Station. I thought it to be a cool path home, but remember, I do like alleyways, underpasses, and dirty city things. Take a look:

My Work with DCPS

2010-03-07T19:48:00.000-08:00

Since December I've visited 15 schools in the DC Public School system. It has been great to get back in the classroom (especially with the little ones). Of course I haven't been teaching, but there's an energy especially in those elementary school classrooms that can't be described. It is infectious - one teacher told me recently, "You have the itch. I'm sure we'll see you teaching here soon!" She's probably right, but for now I'm working on this photography thing and enjoying my time crisscrossing the district. I just got the go ahead to use these photos on my blog and on my site so look out for more installments in the near future. The below are two of my favorite subjects. The boy who I photographed in an early ed classroom was transfixed with this microscope and his rock for several minutes. I stuck around and enjoyed watching him do his research. The 1st grade girl with amazing pigtails had this radiating smile and was so enthusiastic to be doing work. I probably took 50 photos of her. Hope you enjoy! -MD

The Capitol from the Newseum

2010-03-04T19:26:00.001-08:00

Back in January I took this pretty generic shot from the balcony of the Newseum. Nothing exciting at all - a photo you have probably seen 1,000 times so I decided to go "Phillipich" all over the Capitol. By that, I mean, I "borrowed" my fellow Six Shooter, David Phillipich's processing style - turn all the dials in Lightroom way up. Think Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future when he turns the volume on the speakers way up and blows himself into the next (or previous?) decade. OK, this photo isn't taking you back to the 60's to jam with Hendrix, or going to take you to your parents' prom, but it's one cool editing technique. Thanks DP!

PS - Click two times - First, click on the photo for a larger version, and then click on David's name up there and check out his funky fresh work.

Ford Truck Part 2

2010-03-01T15:21:00.000-08:00

(Found another photo of the Ford truck in my catalog)

A Haiku...

2010-03-01T06:35:00.000-08:00

A beautiful haiku from my brother the philosopher:

Kant, Euro thinker
of the sublime, tornados
he never did see.

Just For Fun..

2010-03-01T06:28:00.000-08:00

Henry the Pigeon Rides the TTC in Toronto (I had no idea what the TTC was before writing this post)...

"The Interrogation"

2010-02-28T14:35:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, circa 2PM - I find a corner (no, I didn't get in trouble) in the CDIA office space. I remember how to turn some Profoto lighting equipment. Two fellow photographers and friends join me. One, performed as great assistant (thanks Gaston) and the other, (sorry Tony) was subjected to looking into a light for about an hour. Below is what resulted. The photos are somewhere between that of an interrogation and Tony seeing the "light". Nonetheless it was a fun exercise to figure out how to make a boring corner of an office look interesting.

The Olympics in 3D

2010-02-25T11:26:00.000-08:00

Where do art and technology meet? Well, here... The software Photosynth is brought to you by Microsoft (see Bing Maps for the technology's more "practical" application). It analyzes each photo and compares it to others to see how they match. Think about how you match pieces of a puzzle together that's pretty much what it is doing. Check out Photosynth in action - the streets of Vancouver:

A Child's View of Haiti

2010-02-25T07:13:00.000-08:00

Like the non-profit here in the U.S., Critical Exposure, the organization, Zanmi Lackay, gives children in Haiti cameras and teaches them basic photography skills. The work of these organizations can not be diminished - they give this tool to children to express themselves and tell the stories of where they are from. Like the war photographer James Nachtway says, photography is just a vehicle for telling stories. The photo essay produced by these Haitian children is powerful and reaffirms my dedication to the craft that I love.

Recall the Politicians

2010-02-25T07:08:00.000-08:00

Haiti, the Aftermath

2010-02-23T13:54:00.001-08:00

Dear Blog readers (Mom & Dad),

It has been too long. I've been working a lot on the DCPS project and I haven't worked much on any personal projects. I have come across some interesting and inspiring work during my recent travels on the web. First up is a beautifully shot (all with the 5D Mark II) video piece on Haiti after the earthquake. The moving images work like powerful stills - organic and alive.

Haiti Earthquake Aftermath Montage from Khalid Mohtaseb on Vimeo.

A week after the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, I was hired to shoot ENG footage for two international networks. This is a montage of personal footage I shot of the aftermath during my spare time, in and around Port au Prince. We were in Haiti for a total of 6 days in which 2 of those days were spent traveling to and from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Due to the situation on the ground, all the footage was shot in 2 days, under direct sunlight and a great deal of pressure. As demanding as it was, it taught me how to pick shots on the fly, and in "not so perfect" lighting or shooting conditions.

In regards to equipment, we traveled very lightly as security and logistics were our main concerns at that time. Once again the Kessler Pocket Dolly proved to be an essential tool in capturing my images.

Lenses used:
Canon 16-35 f2.8 L-series
Canon 70-200 f2.8 L-series
Canon 24-70 f2.8 L-series

Locations: Port au Prince, Leogane, Carrefour

Producer: Susan Modaress

Music: Eric Wollo

Editing/ Color grading: Khalid Mohtaseb

If you have any questions/ comments feel free to post them or email me at khalid@nextlevelpictures.com

I Ain't No John Cougar, but the Heartland is Pretty Cool...

2010-02-16T21:51:00.001-08:00

This past summer my buddy (GG) and I took a little road trip from Boston to Kansas City. Now, I'm a city boy at heart. More specifically, I'm an east coast city boy. OK, let's put it out there - I'm a New Yorker (soft 'r'). Anyways, the point is I haven't really enjoyed the heartland of America. The few tastes I have had of it have been swell (Gracias Memphis. Your BBQ and Blues are top shelf). The below photos are of a Ford Pickup truck that lives on GG's Uncle and Aunt's farm somewhere in central Missouri. In the evening I heard frogs in the rain, and in the morning I photographed a baby bird on a feeder. Splendid right? Pretty much so. I guess there's always a little country in a city boy. Enjoy the photos!

Stunning...

2010-02-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

CCTV Ink from Troublemakers.tv on Vimeo.

"Steal"

2010-02-13T09:30:00.000-08:00

Digging Out...

2010-02-11T14:50:00.000-08:00

I sloshed around Adams Morgan today to take photographs of some local schools buried in the snow (DCPS and most other schools have been closed since last Friday afternoon). During my walkabout I took a few more shots of my neighborhood covered in its white veil. Below are a few photos from today and then a slideshow of the complete set of photos from "Snowmegeddon The Aftermath". Enjoy!

The Siege of Dupont Circle

2010-02-08T17:35:00.000-08:00

Washington, DC. Dupont Circle. Snowmeggedon 2010.

(click to enlarge)

4,000 descend upon Dupont Circle for a snowball fight to end all snowball fights.

Aural & Visual...

2010-02-04T10:04:00.001-08:00

Looking for a sonic landscape for my visual dreams to live...

Stained Radiance - Nels Cline & Norton Wisdom from Greenleaf Music on Vimeo.

The Invisible Man

2010-02-04T06:18:00.001-08:00

Grabbed this shot walking around Union Station yesterday. Call it nice little photo accident. The shot that I wanted to originally get was a walk by-portrait-street shot (my favorite kind of portrait). The photo below resulted from my finger hitting the shutter speed dial. Mistakes can be nice sometimes.

Wilco+Feist=Sublime Goodness

2010-02-03T21:46:00.000-08:00

Record Club: Skip Spence "Broken Heart" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

America, 2010...

2010-02-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

The Future?

2010-02-01T17:07:00.000-08:00

(click for larger view)

For some reason this photo reminds me of a scene from "Minority Report". I have no idea why. Maybe it's because the school girl is so freaky looking?

Do All Old Men Have Big Ears?

2010-01-28T19:38:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I had the luxory of enjoying a comfy cab ride from Van Ness to Foggy Bottom. The driver, an old man, had the biggest ears I've ever seen (maybe a slight exaggeration). This old man-large ear connection was a topic of riveting conversation during the State of the Union Address last night. It was hypothesized by those of us at Mr. Reed's apartment that all old men have big ears. Agree? I don't know who this old chap is, but I saw him at a Nationals game this past summer and I had to capture his likeness.

*See any male in my family for further evidence of this connection.

Basketball Photography Sans Basketball Shots

2010-01-26T17:50:00.000-08:00

Sooooooooooooo I set out on Friday to take some sports/arena shots at the Wizards game. They turned out so-so (see my CDIA buddy Tony for better sports photos!). I ended up with a few random shots. The fisheye lens helped with its wider-distorted view of the world - kind of poetic I suppose.

Super Hi ISO and Movie Watching @ the Newseum Fun

2010-01-25T15:56:00.000-08:00

Two quick notes - 1 - The Newseum is awesome and definitely worth the price of admission. 2 - My new 5D Mark II is amazing. These photos would never have been possible if I was still shooting with my 20D.

Rice Balls + 5DMII

2010-01-25T07:04:00.000-08:00

I like (love) balls full of rice and mozzarella. I also like (love) my new 5D Mark II. Last night I began messing around with my new tool (correct word?). I'll float a few more photos out there soon. I'm still learning how to deal with these big files and the absence of grain and noise!

Color or B/W?

2010-01-22T09:53:00.001-08:00

Yes We Can One Year Later

2010-01-20T05:52:00.000-08:00

That day was quite magical day and a culmination of the hard and impassioned work of those of us who had helped in the grassroot movement that helped Obama ascend to the presidency. One year later, dissent has grown on both sides of the aisle, Obama is on the verge of losing the young popular base that elected him, and more critically, the stifled economy still putters along and we are still embroiled in two wars. Obama can still make good on his promises of a year ago, but he has to go big or go home - stop playing bipartisan peacemaker and hold true to the beliefs that got him here. Yes We Can, maybe.

Anyway, here are a few photos from last year's historic event. I'm working on a much delayed multimedia piece centered around that day - I figured the one year anniversary would be a good time to do it.

I May Not Have an IPhone, but...

2010-01-18T20:12:00.000-08:00

my Blackberry still can be fun too. I came across these photos from my BB that were lost in the Lightroom archives. My phone is about a year old. So I figure these images were taken from about Jan '09-May'09. I dusted them off, bumped up the contrast, and added a dab of vignetting. Here ya go...

To see more fun photos taken from this fancy camera click here.

Lonely City

2010-01-14T17:58:00.000-08:00

Leaving my keys at home and having to meet my girlfriend in Foggy Bottom left me surrounded by empty yet still well lit office buildings near Lafayette Park. Luckily, I had my trusty G9 with me and was able to grab a few shots. This then became a fun exercise in fixing perspective (still not perfect) as these lovely point and shoot cameras aren't the best for shooting architecture.

(click for larger view)

Old Photo/New Treatment

2010-01-13T18:34:00.000-08:00

"Graphic interpretation of Brooklyn's skyline"

Thanks to a tip from Jeff Hutchens, who came into CDIA today to asses our portfolios, I converted the above image from color to black and white. The sky was this vibrant sky blue that although pretty, took away from the whispy nature of the clouds and geometric stylings of the building, which I feel are the strongest elements of the photo.

All Over the World

2010-01-13T06:29:00.000-08:00

A beautiful synergy of music and visuals. I love the grain in the video. Great videos and photos don't always have to be perfect.

"Never Stop Creating"

Move Your Money

2010-01-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

The below is a simple argument done through a well done video. It calls for people to transfer their money to more "ethical" banks (bye bye bye BOA). It is done by film Eugene Jarecki who made "Why We Fight" - one of my favorite films from the last decade.

Portraits - My Favorite People

2010-01-03T09:18:00.001-08:00

I took these photos during the holiday season that has just come to an end. Sunlight at noon, indoor tungsten lamps, and a flood lights attached to a tree were used as lighting sources. Working in the studio is fun, but using these ambient light sources to create a well lit interesting photograph is at times more challenging and intriguing. See larger versions here.

"Mom (Linda)" - Princeton. Night. Light source - Flood light attached to tree 20 feet above subject.

"Girlfriend (Shannon)" - Somewhere in Pennsylvania. Mid-Day. Light Source - Sun (in front and above).

"Dad (Art)" - Home (Princeton Jct.). Night. Light Source - One tungsten bulb (lamp on end table) directly behind head. On camera flash used as fill light.

"Brother (Pete)" - Home (Princeton Jct.). Night. Light Source - Tungsten bulb (on desk) in front and slightly to the left of subject. PC monitor (florescent) served as small fill light on face (see reflection in glasses).

These exercises or experiments in using ambient lighting was fun. Thanks to "my favorite people" for the continued support in my photographic pursuits and always allowing me to shove a camera in their face.

Oh yeah, happy new year to all in the cyber world. I hope are your wishful thinking comes true. - m.d.

Kitchen; Small World Cafe; Princeton; NJ

2010-01-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

American Landscapes

2009-12-28T07:58:00.000-08:00

The photos seen below are from a collection of photos that I admit do draw inspiration Burtynsky's "Oil". The barren cold landscapes of America's industrial infrastructure and the disappearing farmland have been continually represented in my photography. The factories built to support the industries of America's past for me symbolize the unnatural creations we have added to this earth to increase in wealth and in size...Farms saturated the terrain when my family moved to New Jersey in the late 80's. Like a systematic magic act, the installment of cookie-cutter developments replaced the apple, corn, and tomato farms. Most likely the families who owned these farms did profit from selling their land, but one has to ponder what were their financial situations when they made these decisions. I suppose the dichotomy of this collection represents the addition and subtraction seen in America's landscapes over the last 100 years.

I'll Be Home For Christmas...

2009-12-25T09:20:00.001-08:00

Holiday Travel is always fun. The most direct flight home from Cleveland left from Akron for Philly via Atlanta. Now, that may seem ridiculous, but my other options were to go to either Chicago or Dallas. Makes sense, right? Anyway, I was sitting in the terminal waiting for my plane to arrive when I noticed an interesting reflection in the window that made the photo I was taking appear to be a composite of two. Here's the kicker - while I was taking the photograph, my plane had already arrived. Apparently they announced the arrival when I was roaming around the terminal and investigating the smoking room. Because of this lovely sequence of events, which included trying to capture the photos below, I almost missed my flight while sitting 10 feet away from the entrance to the jetway.

Tidings of good cheer and safe travels home or to wherever you are going during this holiday season. Thanks for stopping by and looking around and reading some of my ramblings and musings about the visual world. PS - Santa, if you are reading this I really really really want a 5D Mark II. I have references that speak to how good I have been in 2009 except for the time when I convinced two people who shall remain nameless that Pat Sajack died.

Wide Open America

2009-12-23T06:46:00.000-08:00

I kind of stole the title of this blog entry from a song by a KC musician. We'll call him GG. I'm working on a series of photos taken from the road. Literally. Some I took driving. Some I took as a passenger. The below is a view of beautiful Pennsylvania or maybe Maryland or maybe Ohio. I took them on a holiday trip to my girlfriend's mother's home in Cleveland. Thankfully for me and more importantly her she was driving. She probably would have killed me if I tried to shoot these from while behind the wheel. The drive didn't take us through the Big Sur or through the Blue Ridge Mountains. We did get to see some trees, power lines and some farms. I think there was a horse some where along the route. Exciting, right? I think I'm drawn documenting mundane subject and transforming them into something interesting. Some sepia-toned loving helped with that process.

School #2 - Payne Elementary

2009-12-09T20:34:00.001-08:00

My project with DCPS brought me to Payne Elementary in South East DC yesterday. A relatively small school with a student body of about 200, Payne has classes from Pre-K to 5th grade. I got my shots, but it is more than just "getting the shot" when working on this project. Heading into practicum I knew I wanted to work with an organization that's primary mission is in education. I originally was assigned to work with a non-profit in its infancy which never panned out due to access issues. As my girl friend says, things happen for a reason -> I was assigned to DCPS to continue the work that CDIA students had started in the spring - documenting "recruitment" schools - schools that excel in important scholastic areas, but are under enrolled. This has provided me with the opportunity to explore urban education in its true form - to see it's weaknesses that is much covered in the media, but also the positive things that are occurring in the district's public school system.

I feel that Payne is one of those places that gets many things right. It has an attentive and hands on principal, thoughtful and patient teachers, small class sizes, unique programming and active parents and community members. I was only there for a half day, but I got a sense of a strong and vibrant community. The is the "hip hop literacy" after-school program which I got to sit in on was especially entertaining. I was able to grab some fun shots of the students flowing to the beat, learning how to tell stories, and confidently expressing themselves verbally and non-verbally in front of their classmates. The class ended with a lively version of a drum circle with the instructor joined by rotating students on the djembe and with students leading the group through rhythmic chants. The class was definitely fun. I wish I had programs like this when I was growing up! I also got a chance to photograph Payne basketball team. The students are not quite at the age where they understand the subtle details of game so there were a lot of air balls, hard falls which sometimes made the game look like a football game. Still, they played with great energy. It was great to see the kids support each other - pulling each other up after getting knocked down and slapping each other five not only when they made a shot, but also when they missed. What struck me the most was how enthusiastic the parents and other community members were about teaching the kids sportsmanship and teamwork.

Next Up: Smothers Elementary

School #1 - Roosevelt STAY High School

2009-12-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

Over the next seven days I will be photographing five schools across the city from early childhood classes to adult education programs. My first visit was to to the STAY program at Roosevelt High School in North West DC. The program provides invaluable services - classes in history, ESL, culinary arts and computer literacy. As I was cordially shepherded around the school by the principal I learned that the program serves two groups - current high school students who are trying to make up credits so they can graduate and adults who never completed high school. It was motivating to see the enthusiasm in the classes especially in the ESL room where all the students were actively participating. My visit coincided with STAY's college fair. Small local colleges, community colleges and tech schools were represented and served as what the faculty hopes to be motivation for students to finish the program at the high school.

My anecdote from the evening comes from my conversation with the librarian at Roosevelt - an immigrant to the states who grew up in NY living in all the five boros. As a fairly new resident of the district and a interested learner of history I was intrigued to learn that she moved to DC in 1968, the year MLK Jr. was assassinated. Of course all of us know what ensued. DC was hit hard by the aftermath and riots especially in the U Street Corridor. My friend, the librarian had front row seats to all this as she lived in Adams Morgan (where I now call home) during this period of strife. Giving some personal truth to what I already had gathered about my neighborhood's history she told me that it was not until the last decade that the area truly recovered. Our conversation went on to cover the drag queens in her old apartment who held late night parties and that her rent was a trim $165 in 1968 and stayed rent controlled (Yeah, do the math!) until she moved several years later (this kind of makes my stomach turn as I pay a king's ransom for 900sq feet). Finally we discussed the scope of my project and why I was documenting her school. She got to the core of why the STAY programs and adult education programs are so important. It was highly inspiring to listen to her. I can only hope that my photos in a small way shed some light on the STAY programs in DC and and bring more attention to their importance to the district.

*I won't be posting any of the official photographs from this project as DCPS has exclusive rights to the photos. To be able to post the photos here and on my site would require me to obtain releases from all subjects (minors especially) documented in my work. So exterior shots of the schools, empty hallways and maybe some faceless portraits will illustrate my time in the DC schools over the next week here on my blog.*

Bud Vases in Blue

2009-12-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I had some fun in the studio messing around with a light kit, come reflectors, and a set of bud vases (I had no idea what these were before this shoot - Thanks Shannon!). It had been some time since I had been back to the studio at CDIA. The photography of still life in the studio is a very subtle and technical, but can be creative at times. The shot below was one of a few shots that came out close to what I envisioned them to look like. I don't expect this to end up at the MoMa, but it was a fun excercise nonetheless.

Unplugged and The Aural & Visual Connection

2009-12-07T07:19:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving night, 2009 - After all the turkey and pie had been consumed I got a chance to take a few photos (full photo set here) of my brother, Peter and good friend, Chris "Towers" Jankoski who make up The Concerned Citizens of Yesteryear (CCOY). Their music combines punk rebellion and classic folk. During the few hours of jamming (in the most sublime sense) they rehearsed a new song written by Chris and a few songs written by the gods of folk, Woody and Mr. Dylan. Stripped down to the core, their playing reveals the honesty of the lyrics that are at heart of any great song.

"I want to photograph Jeff Buckley's voice"

The aural and the visual connection:

I am inspired by a lot of visual artists (Kandinsky, Basquiat, Avedon...), but I am also greatly inspired by musicians (Debussy, Jeff Buckley, Miles Davis, Radiohead, Jeff Tweedy...). I think music and photography (other visual art forms too) melt down to the same organic substance. I'm not sure what that is, but it's intangible and organic. It stirs the listener or viewer in someway that draws them deeper into the photo or closer to the lyrics. Getting back to Thanksgiving night, I tried to capture the honesty of the CCOY songs and the interaction of the two musicians. Chris and Pete have known each other since middle school where they played trumpet in the school band and later played in their own band together in high school. They share a musical bond that you don't often find (Lennon-Mccartney, Page-Plant). I tried to get to this connection and the way they feel when they play these songs. I don't think I got completely there, but hopefully the photos kissed the surface of those feelings.

I want to make creative and honest photos. To approach this craft from a different perspective and the subconscious. Music propels me to do this.

Who Are We living For?

2009-11-28T11:23:00.000-08:00

An Unexpexted Visit to Philly's Reading Terminal Market

2009-11-25T14:44:00.000-08:00

Traveling home is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get... After my bus ride from DC I ended up in Philadelphia and had an hour to kill before the next train to Trenton. More importantly, my belly was grumbling. Not straying too far from the SEPTA station I stumbled upon the famous Reading Terminal Market. I'm not sure if you can call this a "discovery" as the spacious indoor market is filled with vendors of every foodie's desire. Anthony Bourdain and Bobby Flay have visited the market so this place must be cool. But I digress. Searching amongst the cornucopia of food options I found a crepery and coffee roastery. The crepe was satisfying and cheap. The coffee was superb and I'm a coffee snob. With 45 minutes still to kill I looked around and took in the scenery. I found myself in a vibrant and bustling environment. Although I was still recovering from the high-class Greyhound ride from DC, I knew I could not leave my trusty 20D in my bag. Roaming the market carrying a backpack and duffel bag was a tough enough. Now, trying to take photos in with my bags became an ultimate photo test! Weaving in and out of the aisles full of bustling customers I managed to avoid running over any elderly people and small children and grab some photos. I was like Hershel Walker in his prime (with a camera). None are earth shattering, but I hope they capture the colorful nature of the market. As I began to leave a tall man in a dark over coat approached me. Yeah, I know where you think this is going, but... We began to talk and he asked me about photography, specifically about what camera he should purchase. Shortly into the conversation, I noticed his white collar. A man of the cloth who likes photography! The conversation was brief, but he appreciated my help and asked for my card. As we shook hands and parted ways he told me he was a bishop in Philadelphia. He might not have been Donavan McNabb or Chase Utley, but it's another story I can now add to my list of growing interludes created by my photographic adventures.

Click on the grid to see the photo collection from the Redding Terminal Market.

Marriage-Equality Rally, November 4th, 2009

2009-11-20T07:25:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 4: "A vigil of LOVE" An impromptu protest rallying for marriage-equality and against the Maine vote on November 3rd.

For more information on Standing On the Side of Love, one of the rally's organizers, visit there website here: "Harnessing Love's Power to Fight Aggression"

© Michael DeAngelis All Rights Reserved

Manufactured Landscapes

2009-11-03T06:37:00.000-08:00

Massive in scope, this project by Edward Burtynsky, comes close to capturing the entirety of man's affect on the world and the environment. His current exhibit "Oil" is a project that traces oil from the fields to the cars the use them, and then finally to the broken down rigs left to clutter the earth. Below is a talk given by Burtynsky at TED.

I'm in a New York State of Mind

2009-11-02T08:56:00.000-08:00

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Oren Lavie 'Her Morning Elegance'

2009-11-02T04:33:00.000-08:00

My fellow classmates have already seen this, but it is worth putting out there again. A sublimely well done video. Raises the bar just a bit for the upcoming week!

The Merchants of Nairobi

2009-10-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

Storytelling is an ancient art. The methods and medium of how stories are told have changed, but the significance and the beauty of emotions within these stories will remain the same. As my interests continue to grow and change in the art of photography I now know that telling stories particularly ones that are passed over by the mainstream media is what intrigues and inspires me to grow creatively and drives me give more meaning to each successive photo I take. As the great war photographer, James Nachtway says, "Photography is a medium that I use to bring social awareness to an issue of great importance." Below is a video created by the photographer Steve Bloom . It is simple and cohesive - a photo essay at its best.

Steve Bloom talking about his book: Trading Places - The Merchants of Nairobi from Steve Bloom on Vimeo.

Stunning; Artificial; Organic.

2009-10-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

Geometric from Gwen Vanhee on Vimeo.

First run with a new video-render system which allows me to manually draw audioresponsive video.

See www.revoid.be/geometric for more work in this serie.

Audio: Public Enemy - By the time I get to Arizona

www.publicenemy.com

2009 UN World Drug Report

2009-10-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

I'll be short on the words here as this image and the rest in the report speak for themselves. See the rest of the images here. (From the Boston Globe)

Children's Military

2009-10-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

From Demotix:

A patriotic military camp which is located in mountains of Crimea (Ukraine). Young Cossacks train in hand-to-hand combat, weapon handling (with real weapons) and physical and endurance training. All the children are orthodox Christians and say a prayer before every meal. Ukraine. 07/08/2009.

The International children's military-patriotic camp "Crimea-Sich",which is located in the mountainous of the Crimea, accept the young Cossacks for the fifth time.
Boys between the age of 10-18 years come here from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. During 15 days, the young Cossacks study military affairs and hand-to-hand fighting. The camp was organized by the union of the Cossacks of the Crimea. Admission is only open to those who joined the Cossacks in their town. The camp's capacity is nearly a hundred people, and is never empty. Most of the young people come here more than once and had already experienced the training. The camp is geographically located in the Ukraine, but there is one Ukrainian flag in sight, only the flags of the Cossacks, Russia and the Republic of Crimea.

Frankencamera

2009-10-21T12:05:00.001-07:00

Forget that green, square-headed abomination from horror stories and the silver screen -- this is the Frankencamera, and it's here to change the way digital photography is done.

A Hackable Model

Developed by a team of Stanford scientists, the Frankencamera is an open source camera that could change photography by giving users the power to manipulate its features and capabilities in ways that might not yet have even been imagined. (From Linux News)

Playing With Light

2009-10-20T13:10:00.001-07:00

Interesting video provided by Wired magazine feature computational art - something I would like to try sooner than later.

Capture Your Life

2009-10-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

From NewScientist: A camera you can wear as a pendant to record every moment of your life will soon be launched by a UK-based firm.

Originally invented to help jog the memories of people with Alzheimer's disease, it might one day be used by consumers to create "lifelogs" that archive their entire lives.

Worn on a cord around the neck, the camera takes pictures automatically as often as once every 30 seconds. It also uses an accelerometer and light sensors to snap an image when a person enters a new environment, and an infrared sensor to take one when it detects the body heat of a person in front of the wearer. It can fit 30,000 images onto its 1-gigabyte memory.

The ViconRevue was originally developed as the SenseCam by Microsoft Research Cambridge, UK, for researchers studying Alzheimer's and other dementias. Studies showed that reviewing the events of the day using SenseCam photos could help some people improve long-term recall.

See some images taken using a SenseCam during trials in Cambridge, UK.

Where is Intenlligent Life?

2009-10-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, this is supposed to be a blog about my work in photography and my musings on the art form, but I do love all things created in the visual arts - sketches, paining, etc. Creations with meaning whether it be my own work or others always grabs my attention. The above cartoon did just that this morning. Enjoy! - md

Sherpard Fairey In Trouble

2009-10-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

From PDN: In an extraordinary admission Friday, artist Shepard Fairey said he submitted fabricated evidence after it became clear he had made a major mistake in his ongoing legal battle with the Associated Press and photographer Mannie Garcia...

Fairey’s admission resolves one of the strangest elements in the suit. Despite obvious evidence to the contrary, Fairey repeatedly cited the wrong AP photo as the one he used as a reference in his famous Barack Obama campaign poster.

Fairey insisted it was a photograph by Garcia that showed both Obama and George Clooney at a 2006 event, even though it was a different photo by Garcia that showed only Obama. The difference is legally significant because of Fairey’s poster is a much closer match to the tightly framed Garcia photo than the wider photograph...

Most Expensive Photo Ever Sold

2009-10-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

From Wiki: The artwork 99 Cent II Diptychon from 2001 is a two part photograph made by Andreas Gursky probably in 1999, as the work is sometimes called "99 cent.1999"...The work became famous as being the most expensive photograph in the world when it was auctioned at Sotheby's on February 7 in 2007 for a price of US$3.34 million. Another auction in New York in May 2006 fetched $2.25 million for a second print, and a third print sold for $2.48 million in November 2006 at a New York gallery.^[1] These would be the third and fourth-most costly photographs sold, as of 2008.

Other Photos that made bank:

Andreas Gursky, 99 Cent II Diptychon (2001), $3,346,456, February 2007, Sotheby's London auction.^[1] A second print of 99 Cent II Diptychon sold for $2.48 million in November 2006 at a New York gallery, and a third print sold for $2.25 million at Sotheby's in May 2006. ^[1]
Edward Steichen, The Pond-Moonlight (1904), $2,928,000, February 2006, Sotheby's New York auction.^[2]
Edward Weston, Nude (1925), $1,609,000, April 2008, Sotheby's New York auction.^[3]
Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffe (Hands) (1919), $1,470,000, February 2006, Sotheby's New York auction.^[2]
Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffe Nude (1919), $1,360,000, February 2006, Sotheby's New York auction.^[2]
Richard Prince, Untitled (Cowboy) (1989)^[4], $1,248,000, November 2005, Christie's New York auction.^[5]
Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, 113.Athènes, T[emple] de J[upiter] olympien pris de l'est (1842)^[6] $922,488, 2003, auction.
Gustave Le Gray, The Great Wave, Sete (1857)^[7] $838,000, 1999.
Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol (1987)^[8] $643,200, 2006.
Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico (1948)^[9] $609,600, Sotheby's New York auction, 2006.^[10]

Simple. Not Always Easy.

2009-10-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

The concept of simplicity is used to single out parts from its surrounding. Those new to photography can quickly grasp the concept for creating a successful image with the understanding of the crucial importance of impact in relation to keeping photos simple.

Remember the 5-second rule! If the viewer stares at your photo for 5 seconds or more, there is a successful component to your image. Any less, the image can be considered unsuccessful, a mere snapshot, or stronger yet…oh hum, boring. When the focal point is hard to find and it takes the viewer 10 seconds to locate it, is it a successful image? Actually, no. We want the subject to be easy to find, while the image keeps us attentive because the photograph invokes a reaction, being so pleasing we want to linger, think, reflect, dream, ponder, admire, smile, etc etc. Certain images create inspiration while others create yawns. Become an expert when viewing photos, see what images work and explore the reasons why some do not. - Judith Farber, doubleexposure

Another Disaster from Ralph Lauren

2009-10-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

No doubt. A disaster. Where was the creative/photo director on this one?

Interesting bureaucrats...Who knew?

2009-10-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

From NPR's "The Picture Show". Photos by Jim Banning.

Why I Will Never Become a Fashion Photographer

2009-10-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

Ralph Lauren was called out by a model who was fired because she was "too fat". Outrageous. The below photos speak for themselves.

Any questions?? This type of photography pays extremely well, but my morals come into play in this line of work. For some it doesn't matter, for others, like me it does.

Polaroid is Back!

2009-10-14T06:17:00.000-07:00

Digital is great, but nothing should cause film and specifically Polaroid film to cease to exist. Glad it is back!

Flickr Censorship

2009-10-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

Interesting article about how Flickr has removed photos and even accounts from their massive database of images. This is the first time I have heard of such actions. Google has a gaggle of legal advisers that determine if YouTube videos, blogs, other information should be removed from the web. Of course this begs the question, shouldn't everything stay out there? Who controls the web? These questions have been pondered at critical times when leaders of countries have asked Google to remove material from the web.

More Fun with Cartoons...

2009-10-13T11:40:00.001-07:00

As a techophile and photography, this is pretty damn cool

2009-10-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

Sketch2Photo: Internet Image Montage from Tao Chen on Vimeo.

Not so Fast...

2009-10-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

Expanding for a moment the theme of my blog to all visual media, "Mr. Fish", a weekly contributor to Truthdig.com recently created this appropriate response to the critiques of Obama's Nobel Peace Prize:

Testing Technology

2009-10-10T18:35:00.001-07:00