Snaps and Frames

I took a Sunday drive with two photographer friends of mine today and these are the snaps I found along the way. In my job as a newspaper photojournalist, I don’t get to experiment with black and white photography much. The day was gray and foggy, so the conversion to B+W seemed natural. I spent the first half of my career shooting Tri-X film and printing my photos in a darkroom. I sometimes miss those days–except for the smell of fixer on my hands and clothes.  All teses photos were shot with my new Nikon D4 and a selection of  Nikkor Lenses (24-120mm f/4, 300mm f/4, and a 60mm macro.)

Rarely does my daily newspaper photography stray from the reality of photojournalism. But then there are those accidental times when I bump my camera and it fires randomly. I love these snaps because they are happy accidents that usually produce a blurry frame of abstract colors. I keep a folder of these mistakes and use them as background frames for titles in my video stories. This one snap feels different to me. Because there is a face in the frame, it creates a different mood for the viewer. It’s mysterious in a vague sort of way. It is not a great photo, but I like it for how it makes me feel.

I was assigned to illustrate a story on a proposed homeless tent city in Spokane. The reporter’s suggestion was to photograph a holiday dinner for homeless at a local church. I skipped shooting that event after seeing this group gathered in an alley behind the church. I just walked up to them and introduced myself and asked them if I could take their picture. In most cases this could go either way, but I was surprised when the all agreed. At that point they just ignored me as I slowly snapped away. There were technical challenges to overcome with this image. This photograph looks like it was taken during the day. In fact, it was nighttime in a dark alley lit only by an overhead streetlight. I jack my ISO to 3200 and turned on vibration reduction in my lens. I think I was shooting at around a 1/15 of a second. I like this frame because of how authentic it feels. Each expression is different and the guy holding the Elmo doll adds to the mystery of the image.  Nikon D3s, Nikkor 24-120 mm f/4 lens

During a strong gust of wind, Michele Purkey’s umbrella flips back as she crosses the intersection of First Avenue and Wall Street on Monday, Nov.19, 2012, in downtown Spokane, Wash.

I’ve been been waiting forever to capture this proverbial wind-blown umbrella photo. I got my chance when a woman flipped her umbrella in a huge gust of wind, and then fought to keep control of it it as she crossed the street. I stood with the wind at my back for 20 minutes while I waited for some kind of wind moment to happen. When it happened, I was all over it. I’m just glad  she was willing to give me her name  for the caption. I sent the photo to the Associated Press, where, much to my surprise, it was used by dozens of newspaper websites to illustrate the wind and rain storm that hit the Pacific Northwest on Monday. Nikon D3s, Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 Colin Mulvany © The Spokesman-Review

I was invited by three of my friends to take a photo excursion into the Palouse Country Sunday. In my five day a week job as a newspaper photojournalist, I usually take snaps of moments, but today I just enjoyed shooting static subjects. My creative energy  was focused on looking for light and composition. My hunt was fruitful– from a 10-year-old farm girl’s ripped  jeans, to some cool old car relics that seemed to be in every farm yard we passed. I like to tell my students: There are photographs to take all around you; you just have to see them. Today was a good visual exercise and a reminder  that good snaps can be just a round the corner of a country road or in my own back yard.

                                      Farm girl, Rosalia Washington

                Volvo Duett, Malden Washington

                            Volvo Duett interior, Malden, Washington

                               Corn, Rosalia, Washington

                              GMC late ’30s panel truck shell, Malden, Washington

                               GMC late ’30s panel truck shell 2, Malden, Washington

                               Broken car  window, Malden, Washington

                               Palouse field , Steptoe Butte, Washington

Members of the Mead High School marching band’s clarinet section take a few minutes to run through their program before taking the field in the Sounds of Thunder marching band competition held Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012, at Joe Albi Stadium.

Here is a photo I like, but it really doesn’t say much. I passed over it initially during my edit, but I came back to it because spoke to me in a way I can’t really articulate. Maybe it was the blue color, or maybe the pattern of the hats and clarinets. It was just kind of an odd scene. This is an image that would probably never run in the newspaper, but I’m glad I can share this snap with you. Nikon d700 Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 lens Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

As a wind storm arrives on campus, Whitworth University students Eli Deitz, 19, left, and Elisabeth Spencer, 20, watch the pine needles fly from the window ledge of Deitz’s McMillan Hall dorm room Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012.  Today I was trying to shoot a feature photo of students walking through a cascade of pine needles during a wind storm when I spotted these two perched up high in dorm room window. What caught my eye was the light and shadows. I fired one frame and reviewing the image. At first I thought it was under-exposed. Looking closer I decided that it looked more dramatic just exposing for the highlights while letting the shadow go dark. When the woman turned her headI know  that would be my best snap. Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review Nikon D3s, Nikkor 300mm f/4 lens

I just shot one frame of this vendor at Valleyfest Saturday, but during my edit I was struck by saturation of all the rainbow of colors. It is a photograph that doesn’t have movement or moment, but it does grab me in other ways. Color can be such a powerful influence on the mind. For me it stimulates my creativity leading me to other photographic possibilities. Nikon D700 Nikkor 24-120 mm f/4 Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Tyson Ross passes time watching an episode of  “Friends” on his iPad in front of the RiverPark Square Apple Store Thursday while waiting for the release of the Apple iPhone 5 on Friday Morning. Ross said this is the seventh time he has waited in line for an Apple product, but this is the first time he has been at the front of the in line. “It a lot better experience than buying online,” said Ross who said he was ready for a long chilly night. “I have a couple of sweatshirts, he said.” Nikon D3s, Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 lens. Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

I was shooting a photo assignment in Riverfront Park Friday and looked up and saw this pattern in the Rotary Fountain. Not sure why I like this photo, but I do. The raw file was flat and uninteresting, but when I jacked the shadow slider in Photoshop’s levels to the right, this wonderful blue sky popped out. Nikon D3s Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review