Good Work, With and For Good People.
Last blog post here at Vhoton Images, I told you of John and Audrey VanHorne, of VanHorne and VanHorne Architects. I hope you had a chance to visit the John VanHorne gallery here at Vhoton Images, where you’ll discover samples of the warm, quiet, peacefulness of John’s work. The experience of learning about John and meeting Audrey was one of great pleasure for me. Making a new friend in Audrey has been an honor, and I wish her happy birthday today, which is not actually her birthday. LOL! I had the joy of offering my happy birthday wish in person, already. However, I’d like to share with you readers, that Audrey has reached her 93rd year, and is one of the most vibrant beings I know. She's told me that she has plans for a happy birthday with family, and I couldn’t be happier for her. When we last spoke I regaled her with stories of my recent activities, and I’d like to share them with you too.
Audrey and myself have a mutual friend in Gardner Maurice Frazier. He calls himself a gardener, but that’s really his Clark Kent disguise. He’s actually a Horticulturalist, a darned good one too. His gardens are lush and bold. Full of texture, and scents to tantalize the nose and mind. It was Audrey’s idea to produce a book to display Maurice’s gardens, for which I was happy to do the photography. I anticipate the display of those photos after the completion of the book.
Let’s talk Cosplay. I find it interesting having been introduced to what feels like a new world to me. I’m personally an anime, superhero, pop TV SCI FI, fan but I’ve never entered the world of becoming the characters I admire or enjoy in the stories. Well, that’s not exactly true. I did dress up as a character from a book one year for Halloween. A dark and all-powerful wizard with golden skin and, hourglass eyes. That was participation in a culturally customary practice. I’ve come to learn the Cosplay world is a rich custom all it’s own. The first thing I learned about was how photographers and Coplayers interact based upon the exchange in the activity. Cosplayers are models. Wanting to work with people who use the characters they portray in their own photographic artwork. Photographers who work with Cosplay models are typically creating their own artwork or looking to market themselves. My experience thus far has been with Cosplay groups that offer a bartering exchange of modeling for sharable images. It’s been quite the fun experience!
Imagine wading through the massive crowd of colorful costumes and characters from comic books, manga mags, or anime TV shows. Each one unique, yet all homogenous in spirit and fun. I saw people dressed as characters from D.C and Marvel comics plus others dressed as characters from the ever-expanding world of Japanese comics and cartoons. There were a lot of photographers out on the same endeavor as myself. Lots of competition! But, also lots of opportunity. I’ve worked with Characters like Wolverine, Tinkerbell, and Dragon Ball Z’s Fageta. In doings so, I”ve learned that Cosplay models are more than just models.
I think it was the third floor of the Seattle Convention center, where I found myself photographing Spiderman in front of one the large windows that wrap the building. We’d met before, earlier in the day. I took the opportunity to photograph the model as himself, the guy behind the mask. It was this guy’s lips moving behind the Spiderman mask as I photographed. He shared with me details of his family relationships, friendships and even his personal goals. This young man was very open, trusting and generous. I was very surprised by this as I’d not expected this level of conversation. I felt privileged that he would share such aspects of his life with me. As we were chatting and photographing, a little boy, his fraternal twin toddler siblings, along with Mom and Dad came to ask for a selfie with Spiderman. The joy and excitement Spiderman expressed in this moment was not only infectious, but insightful. When Spiderman’s attention returned to me I was told of the gratification he gets out being a hero for the young ones, of the fulfillment received from the warmth and openness others show him as Spiderman and other characters he plays. I came to realize that despite my inclination to say that the many masks I'd encountered that day were hiding the personalities of those who donned them, the masks may actually be that one portal to accessing the liberty of being their true selves. The faces of birth may be the true masks. Cosplayers are rich in genuineness, exuberance, and warmth. I was welcomed into their folds without hesitation or judgement. I’m glad to have made friends with several of them.
Cosplayers are also very dedicated to their craft. Craft is a good word for it too, as they are often creating their own costumes, investing hours even weeks toward creating the best rendition of their characters. One Cosplayer just LOVES to jump and will jump and, jump and, jump as many times as needed to get the best photograph possible. It’s always a pleasure to work with people are serious about their craft and want to be the best at it. You can see some of what we’ve produce here in the Vhoton Images Cosplay gallery.
I’ve also spent time working with Evolved Clothing Co., a new line of hoodies and Tees produced by an ex coworker, now turned fellow entrepreneur. Evolved Clothing Co’s designs were originally intended to highlight the spirit of being in the Northwest. Their logo is a raindrop, a perfect representation of the wet life we live up here in the Evergreen State. They’ve come to expand beyond this simple yet, regionally appropriate concept and now have several different and unique designs. All of which I encourage you, reader to check out at https://www.evolvedclothingco.com.
Evolved Clothing Co and myself gathered together a cadre of young pretty faces who served as our models for this project. One of whom is my cousin, and another my niece. Both of which did a wonderful job, especially considering that neither they or any of the others had ever modeled before! Working with fledgling models was a growth experience not only for them, but me as well. There is a skill and a talent involved in posing one’s self so that the viewer sees posture that expresses confidence, beauty, comfort, or even happiness. The challenge as a photographer was communicating the differences as I saw them. Asking a model to lift their chin so they look confident or place their weight on one leg more than the other to appear comfortable in their stance. The models were very excited to be involved, and very "gung ho" about taking direction, working to produce quality work. Here too I feel as if I made new friends, as the models were all good people with kind personalities and were prone to merry making. Lot’s of laughs and funny jokes!
We photographed at the Chambers Bay golf course in Tacoma, WA., on Alki beach, and along the Tacoma Waterfront. Each place gave us wonderful locations to use as backdrops. My favorite was the golf course, as it was not only a beautiful park, but too the ruins of the old rock quarry that used to be there add just a bit of wonder and curiosity to the surroundings. Chambers Bay golf course park also has a bridge that leads down to the waterfront, along which people have placed padlocks carved with the names or initials of love bound couples from all over. The second day of shooting there, we discovered that we had just missed a proposal upon that very bridge. Rose petals strewn along the bridge were our first clue. Yet what sealed it in our minds was the ‘Will You Marry Me?” written along the stony shore with rocks. Sadly though, we’ll never know what the answer was. I’d like to believe there were tears and joy and a wholehearted yes.
We took LOTS of photos, which was quite a load placed upon my desk. This project particularly has kept me rather busy and will be an ongoing thing as Evolved Clothing Co. would like new photos on a regular basis. Though, we’ve strategized a way to keep the work load manageable. Working with Evolved Clothing Co has also been a joy because of the growth I see them experiencing as a new business, learning about legalities of working with models, navigating the process of organizing a shoot, and developing their own add campaign. It’s a struggle out there for the small business looking to make traction in their industry. Trust me, I’m among them.
I’ve also had the pleasure of working with a lovely family on their Family portrait. My client came to me with a vision. Which turned out to be a great idea, as I think the images turned out really quite well! We shot in the WA Arboretum, which offered lively, natural backdrops and plenty of sun and shade. We waited for nearly a month to have that sun and shade. Hoping each rainy weekend for a sunnier one to come along. We were well rewarded with a gorgeously warm and breezy day. We met at the north end of the Arboretum, at the Wilcox Footbridge where we clogged traffic a bit, but made the best of our time there. With the help the Staging and Design Network, we were able to execute my client’s vision of an outdoor shoot, with a touch of the indoors manifest by a tufted black leather chair. My client’s family were a brilliant spot in the day, as they were full of joy and in the case of the smallest, energy. Their personalities produced some wonderfully heartwarming images that I was happily privileged to capture.
It’s amazing how time flies by when having fun. I’m very grateful to have been inspired to pursue my photography passions, as it has lead me toward opportunity to make new friends, to help people with their projects, to execute their visions. I couldn’t be more fortunate. Doing good work with and for good people. Perhaps sometime it'll be you and me producing images that make you happy. I'm game!
Audrey and John...
I met Audrey Legh Van Horne. Through a mutual friend, as I was commissioned to photograph some of the paintings of her late husband John Russell Van Horne Jr. Both Audrey and John were the founders of Van Horne and Van Horne Architects in 1956. They shared a life of design, painting, and photography until John’s passing in 2003. I come into the picture when Audrey tells her gardener and our mutual friend, that she would like to photograph some of John’s paintings, not only for preservation, but so that she can share his work with more of their family members.
It was a joy to meet Audrey. She has a warm personality. Is a gracious, welcoming host, and quite the conversationalist. She has a sharp mind, a quick wit, is full of energy, and always has a project she’s working on. Audrey is 94 years young, is perhaps 4'5" tall, with a bright smile, and a determined demeanor. Her sweetness juxtaposed with her humor quickly endeared her to me. I had the privilege of being welcomed into her home, where I saw family artwork everywhere. A bust of one of her daughters, which I believe was made by the other daughter. A wood carving her mother made of an eagle out in the garden, not far from a large sculpture of a blue wooden dodecahedron. In the living room hung a large abstract painting, with bright primary colors and basic geometric shapes, constructed of individually painted wooden blocks placed together to form a 2-dimensional, interactive image. This painting I later learned is one of John’s, as is the dodecahedron. It has a name, Flag Language.
Flag Language
John R. Van Horne Jr.
One painting was particularly interesting to me. It was of a little toe headed girl with blue eyes and rosy cheeks and frilly clothing. This oil painting is perhaps 2.5ft wide x 4ft. tall and is framed ornately. Looking into those eyes I could sense something yet, wasn’t sure what. It nagged at me until I decided to ask about it. As it turns out this rosy cheeked little girl was Audrey herself. I’d recognized Audrey’s eyes as her own through the painting. Audrey seemed to derive joy through my recognition, as It became my opportunity to see that same rosy flush emerge before my eyes. It was clear to see that Audrey and John followed Audrey's parent's mold in creating an artistic family and home. Even the home it’s self was designed and crafted by their own hands in tandem with the neighboring home, in which lived a pair of their personal friends.
Audrey Van Horne-Architect, Vincent Howard-Photographer, Maurice Frazier-Gardener (Hoticulturalist)
Over wine, dinner, snacks and conversation, I was told of John’s life as a father, husband and architect. The life they lived together was an amazing one, and I am privileged to have made a new friend in Audrey and the opportunity to share a small part of the fruits of John’s artistry. While photographing John’s paintings in a temperature-controlled storage facility, I learned that Audrey’s mother (Francine Garrett Jupp 1891-1976) too, was a painter and sculptor. Two of her works were included in the shoot.
Francine Garrett Jupp
PAINTER / SCULPTOR
The lives of Audrey and John have been part of the history of Seattle. Their works include residential homes, as well as large projects such as the Imperial 400 Motels designed for the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962, as well public works projects with the City of Seattle including low income housing and more. You can read more about the two of them and discover their impact on Seattle for yourself via the provided links below.
John’s artwork spans his lifetime. He paitined even as he served in the Navy with the SeaBees during WWII. John painted primarily in water colors yet, was also prone to work with other mediums at times. The works shared exclusively in VHOTON Images's gallery offer a small sense of the evolution of his eye over a period of his life. John was not known to name many of his paintings, or even sign them. Audrey shared that he was more likely to sign one if it was to get class credit. He painted while vacationing, and at home alike, and tried differing styles over his years. I hope you enjoy and, find your own connection to his work as I have.
http://www.docomomo-wewa.org/architects_detail.php?id=141
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/seattletimes/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=985382
http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/person/4672/
http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/person/4671/
Dreamer, to doer of stuff. Yeah...Stuff!
"...the only way to manifest a dream is to do it. Do stuff!"
A few days ago I opened my FB chat window to find that my sister sent a video clip of Will Smith. If I’m being honest, I have to say that I don’t usually open these things. They usually turn out to be some sort of chain message. I always hated chain letters back in the day, turning them into videos doesn’t make them any less irritating. But when I saw that it was a celebrity I happened to enjoy, I decided to give it a hear. I know, shallow. But it’s true.
Will was sharing a motivational message about protecting one’s dream. He quoted some other person I’d never heard of in saying, “Set your life on fire, and seek those who fan your flames.” The idea being that if you if have a dream, pursue it, surround yourself with those who will help you build it. Through support and encouragement, education, motivation, or even tangible aid. This is something I’d heard several years ago, when first introduced to the concept of entrepreneurism. I’ve experienced my share of pyramid schemes, motivational seminars… It was certainly one of the most indelible messages I received. I’d also heard a variant of it as a young boy with this simple biblical admonition, “Bad association spoils useful habits.”
I got to thinking about this message and somehow, I had the presence of mind to invert the message. What about spreading the message of fanning one’s own flames? Is it enough to simply have a fire inside? Or do we need to fan our own flames so that our dreams grow and manifest? One way we can fan our own flames is to educate ourselves. Educating yourself, By Yourself is possible. There’s even a word for it, my favorite word. Autodidactic. The more you grow your wealth of knowledge and skills the more capable and ready you are to push back at the world to manifest your dream.
I listened to a pair of talking heads this morning, one of which said that he thinks that if people have talents that can help to make the world a better place, then he feels they have an obligation to themselves and the world it’s self, to employ them. Or something rather close to that. I happen to agree. Making the world a better place can be as simple as selling a homemade bath bomb to someone that needs it at the end of a hard day’s work, or sand etching a stone with a client’s last name. The perfect decorative item for their door stoop. The other talking head said something else I agreed with, which was that the only way to manifest a dream is to do it. Do stuff! Make things, go places and talk to people, bring your creative force into the world. Gain support to create momentum.
I've been working on my own dream. In fact, this blog post is one way of doing so. But other than that, today I went to my first open shoot. This is a bartering event where photographers and models get together to work on building their portfolios. I had a blast! I went in the spirit not only of seeking to build my portfolio, but also to help manifest my dream by doing stuff. More to come on that experience.
If you’re walking through your days with a dream in your head. I encourage you to introduce the world to your dream, by building on yourself, and simply doing what you dream of doing, on whatever scale you possibly can. Success doesn’t often come over night, and when it does most humans wouldn’t be ready to handle it, because they’ve leaped past the struggle. Don't be afraid to grow.
Have any of you heard of skill share? Skillshare.com is a site that offers classes on all sorts of things. Business courses, photography courses, painting and even knitting. Almost anything you can think of. I consider it a valuable resource. Amazon! Did you know that amazon offers free educational e-books? Then of course, Youtube should be mentioned. There’s also Minds.com which is a growing alternative to Youtube. One of my favorite resources is Audible.com. I’m an on the go multitask kinda guy. Audible is perfect for absorbing information on the go. Then there are good ole’ books. Half Priced Books is one of my all time favorite places to fan my flame on the cheap.
I’d like to mention a few people within my own personal reach, who are building on dreams, and fanning their own flames. Ash Brannon, who hand makes some awesome aromatic, fizzy bath bombs. One can see what she does at her Etsy page BATH IN PARADISE (all caps=link). Don Wilcox, who loves to make all sorts of things with rocks and minerals. Please enjoy his work on his site, TUNDRAFOX.COM. Diana Tallada is a wife, mother and CEO/Founder of the Purpose Driven Empire, centered around fitness and health. Visit DIANA.TALLADA through Instagram.
Fists up for the small businesses of America! Fanning their own flames to manifest dreams.
A Kick in the Pants
We were happy together, my D3100 and me. But I missed the ‘ole FE...
I've heard it said that “the shoes make the man.” Well, my last shoe purchase were two pairs of sneakers. They were perfect for what I did with my day. I mean really, a warehouse manager doesn’t wear men’s casuals to work. But a home organization designer…well that guy certainly would, so yep! I’ve got some men’s casuals in my closet from my design days too. I’ve got a pair each of black and brown leather soled professionals, ‘cause they matched the ties I wore to the bank every day. The collection grows as you walk back through my various jobs. It seems my life has been one big shoe shopping experience. One pair of shoes after another, one job after another. Heck, even one entrepreneurial opportunity after another.
Seriously, though. Who doesn’t want to get ahead in life? It takes a sense of adventure as well as what a friend of mine always talks of, a sense of “awe and wonder” to take chances, allow one’s self opportunity to grow and evolve in ways unexpected. Oh, and apparently lot’s of room in the closet for shoes. But truly there can be too many shoes in one’s closet, right? That’s why I’m so excited to have finally found the right set.
That’s right, set. Not pair. Casuals, sneakers, wellington boots, hiking shoes, professionals, and a bright, solid red pair of Adiddas. Perfect for the go everywhere, adventurous, I can do it photographer. As it turns out the right set for me is derived from my passion. Which is why my shoe collection was once in constant growth, there was no passion in the jobs it represented, they were just…jobs.
Working as a warehouse manager, I actually had a rather comfy situation. Well, aside from the usual personality conflicts anyway. Even those were worked out with professionalism and flourished into friendships. It made for complacency. That is until I got the news. “Vincent we have to let you go for a while. We’ll bring you back in a few months, but you’re being furloughed.” Usually this would be some rather disappointing news, but actually…it was the best news I’d heard all day! You see, I’d already been planning on taking some time off anyway. But then too, I had a revelation. This was a proverbial kick in the pants!
Photography has been a part of my life for over 15 years. While living in Atlanta, GA I walked around with a chrome Nikon FE 35mm camera. It was like an appendage. I have a small red Igloo cooler full of black and white prints from those days. Sometimes I still pull them out for a dose of nostalgia. You can see a few of them in my THE BEGINNING album. I’d planned to attend photography school there in Atlanta, when a friend of mine called me from Seattle. “What are you doing down there?” she asked. I really had to think about it. Photography school was still just a burgeoning plan, and I’d recently changed other aspects of my life, so the more I thought about it the idea of moving to Seattle began to seem like a good one... adventurous to say the least. So, I packed up my camera and belongings and was on my way within a month.
Seattle was like returning home. I remember the moment I felt so for the first time. I’d found my way to Victor Steinbruek Park, where I encountered pigeons. The boldest, most unperturbed pigeons I’d ever seen! I could trying shooing them away by waving my arms, or kicking in their direction, all to no avail. This interaction somehow took me back to my days in the Bay Area. I’d launched my adulthood from the city of SF, and oddly enough bold pigeons took me back to that time and place. I had no idea that Seattle would be the place where my photography passion would flourish. My Nikon FE served me well for a few more years in Seattle, but we sadly spent quite some time away from each other when I left it behind at my sister’s house in SF, while vacationing one year. During it’s absence, I was given a Nikon D3100. Can you say elated? It was like I’d grown my missing appendage back! I didn’t even have to pay to develop my photos anymore!
We were happy together, my D3100 and me. But I missed the ‘ole FE, and was excited to be reunited with it when my sister got married. Ah, but how short lived our reunion was. While I celebrated my sister’s marriage the back window of my car was being smashed in, and my ‘ole Nikon FE found a new owner. Reuinted only to be torn forever apart. My heart was broken. The worst part of it was having to admit to myself my stupidity in leaving it out for people to see in the back seat. My friend was gone, but I returned home to my D3100, and my snap happy self continued on.
I’d post my pictures on Face Book. Social media can be so rewarding! Feedback and encouragement… it was like having my own personal gallery in the palm of my hand. My tendency is tell stories with my photography. To offer a sense of what it was like to visit the places I’d go. Who, what, when, where in a series of photos. My D3100 was my best tool for artistic expression. I CAN DRAW, though not exceptionally well. I paint too, once again not all that well. So my camera was an amazing mode of bypassing my weaknesses. While it requires quite a bit of learning and training to be able to offer expressive photos, the camera is my fastest way toward offering renderings. So once again, I was heartbroken when this tool was stolen from me too. This time at 2AM, from the trunk of my car, right out front my condo. I caught the whole thing on camera! But alas not clearly enough to identify the culprit. MY D3100 has a new home. I hope it is being treated well.
I was blessed to have another path toward a camera (credit). This time I upgraded to the Nikon D5300. I have a brother who also finds passion in photography. In fact, his has burned in him since his high-school days as a school paper photographer. What a lucky guy I am to have him as my brother too! Not only has he fostered my passion and growth, but he’s also given me some of his hand me down photography equipment, increasing my capabilities and confidence. My beloved D5300 and me, we go everywhere together. We continue to make art together. To make people happy.
While working as warehouse manager I had a coworker who went out of his way to inform me of how well he enjoyed my work, and strongly encourage me to make strides toward entering the photography industry professionally. This seed grew within me as my confidence grew along side my realization of my complacency at my job. So, when the kick in the pants with a boot called furlough happened, it made total sense to move into the industry that thrives on my passions. Thanks Garrett Larson for that needed element of support.
It’s a blessing when you have a chance to follow your passion. But too it's a blessing to have an opportunity to help others make their special moments, perfect. Or to see the joy in a person’s eyes when they see the portrait we made together. VHOTON Images would not exist if not for the people who supported me and, encouraged me to follow my passions. But more importantly VHOTON Images would be nothing without the happy people I have the privilege to do my work for and with. I can only say that life brings us many shoes to walk in, when you find the right ones well, you know it.
