February 2012
25 posts
Day Fifty-Four
11:10am. My Powerbook has been in the shop for several days and working from the iPhone is growing weary. Guitar work done for the day. I had an ‘Aha!’ moment this morning while playing…like I was ‘in it’….everything had come back! This weekend I’ll be at Tybee Island and intend to get a lot of playing in. Maybe writing? We’ll see. Portraits will...
Day Fifty-Three
The Dead Letter Office. We’ve heard of it all our lives, but I never stopped to think about a physical place where all misguided mail or packages that the postman didn’t feel like delivering end up. I’m putting a twist on it today. I mailed a thank-you letter to an old friend who passed away years ago. Gene Allcott was a prolific painter who was legally blind. I met him on the...
Day Fifty-Two
Today my little girl turned thirty. How is that possible? After a dinner of sushi with the family, we returned to the house to celebrate with presents and Oreo cheesecake (Lauren’s fav). Our portrait was shot in the bedroom that was hers as a teenager. Quite different now. And so is she…..still as beautiful but wiser and stronger. Love you.
Day Fifty-One
My son-in-law, Daniel and I swapped some tunes on guitar today. As the sun got late in the sky we ventured out to shoot.
Day Fifty
This started as a much wider, busier scene trying to create a mood and story with accessories, but I decided the real story was told well enough by just the face. Meet Lizzie Murphy. Friend to the Burns family for 28 years. After dinner at our house Lizzie and I moved to the living room to make pictures. Here it is.
Day Forty-Nine
Thank -you and guitar done. Now it’s time to meet some more of my family. Lauren, Daniel and Grayson are visiting for Lauren’s birthday. Grayson and I got this just before the rain. Enjoy.
Day Forty-Eight
Take a good look at this one. My macbook has fallen ill and it may be fatal. Until the doc takes a look at it, I’ll be limping along.
That being said, the analog portions are zipping along.Today’s thank-you will be so totally unexpected! I love that.
Our subject today is Atlanta architect Jose Tavel. http://www.tacstudios.com/ Here, Jose is in his new home situated nicely near the...
Day Forty-Seven
Just to mix it up today, I wanted to share with you the power of Thank-You. Over the years, I’ve hosted many a visit to StudioBurns for school groups. The teacher brings a class over and we do a setup and take some ‘pechrs’ and act crazy. Lots of fun. Then a couple days later I get these wonderful Thank-You notes from the kids. Priceless!
Here’s one from Corrye when she...
Day Forty-Six
“According to Plan’……..c’mon, how often does that really happen? And beyond that, how much is it really worth? So you didn’t get your way…….wah, wah, wah! My 4pm sitting cancelled so I hit the streets and within minutes found ‘Day Forty-Six’ at the local skate park. Like the artist said….’Could Be Better’, but it Could...
Day Forty-Five
Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone! I don’t know any Valentine songs, so I just played songs with the word ‘love’ in the title. There are plenty.
And nothing says love like a crusty old biker! Meet Van who can wear any hat you like…actor, musician, rider, philosopher, you name it. He slowed down long enough for me to capture one facet of his character.
Day Forty-Four, a+b
Today we have a two-fer. A rather conventional portrait and an experimental one. The first one is Matt & George at home with their pups. Beautiful dogs, and the humans aren’t bad either.
Fast forward to the evening and we have Ansar. This one is lit entirely by candles.
Day Forty-Three
Sunday ‘Dunch’ at the Earl. http://badearl.com/ Good live music and food and a chance to rest your head from the night before…if you need that. I caught up with The Front Porch Session Players’ http://www.myspace.com/frontporchsessionplayers for a rousing set. During break, I pulled Aaron, guitarist and vocals, into the back room for a portrait. Fun times and great tunes!...
Day Forty-Two
Tonight brings us to the basement laboratory of Dave Stanhope, revered brewmaster of Decatur. He and Buddy (standing) just back from a day at the Marlay House in brewing competition. This is where the magic happens, overseen by Dixie (lying down). Yum!
Day Forty-One
About ten years ago I had one of my first interns at the studio. Dana Haugaard. Dana was great because he was enthusiastic and didn’t need hand holding. Always working and finding a way to be helpful. Through him, I met his dad, John who is an avid and accomplished photographer. Turns out we had a lot in common, birth year, kids the same age and love of Walker Evans. Here we are in his home...
Day Forty
Well, well, well. Forty Days! Sounds almost Biblical. Forty Days and Forty Nights, Noah and the flood, Forty nights in the desert, Forty years wandering in the wilderness, and forty minutes on the internet reading about all things ‘forty’. Anyway, I met up with a former student and friend, Joe Martinez http://www.joemartinezphotography.com/ for lunch today. Joe is moving to NYC soon...
Day Thirty-Nine
About fifteen minutes guitar this morning before I had to scoot off to work. Shooting at St. Regis today, call time 8:00. Lots of waiting around due to unpredictable schedules of UPS board members. Penned thank-you to a former assistant and friend from long ago.
End of day crew shot is today’s portrait. Reminds me of an Olde English nursery ryhme from 1798.
“Rub-a-dub-dub, three men...
Day Thirty-Eight
Pre-light day at the St Regis. Gotta do some real work once in a while ;-) Yolanda standing in.
Day Thirty-Seven
Welcome back! Day Thirty-Seven begins with a letter to a dear friend of 27 years whose occupation was listening to the problems of others (among many other things). He listened plenty to me and I hope I did the same in return.
Made the journey to my old stompin’ ground, Grant Park, to give the three stringer back to John. You may know him as Day 20. I got a few last licks in while waiting...
Day Thirty-Six
I’m running out of thank-you cards. That’s a good thing. I suspect that the last month has surpassed my lifetime’s output of analog correspondence. One more temporary replenishment should hold me until the real deal arrives.
I’m meeting my friend, John, to turn in the 3 string guitar tomorrow, so I’ll have my last session with it today.
This morning I headed out for...
Day Thirty-Five
The memory is a tricky thing…….the thank you card seems so long ago. It’s 2:22am and it was a awhile since I wrote it at 9:00.
Joined friends for dinner tonight. Peg hosted and cooked tonight. She was one of the great food stylists who made me look good in the 90’s when I shot a lot of food. Wonderful night of conversation and song.
Say hello to George and Bob in the...
Day Thirty-Four
One of my favorite records of all time is ‘The Koln Concerts’ by Keith Jarrett. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x80ek9_keith-jarret-the-koln-concert-part_music Every time I hear it time is suspended and the world around me melts away. Just like the very first time it met my ears on a Sunday in 1976 walking through Rizolli’s Book Store in the long gone Omni in downtown Atlanta....
Bonus Pic
Day Thirty-Three
My brilliant postal carrier actually found my mailbox today and delivered new strings to me. Studio Acoustic is restrung and will stretch overnight. Home guitar will get it tonight.
Thank you done to a supporter and confidant.
Today’s portrait is Randy. It takes dedication to grow a beard for this long. Kudos to people with patience.
The technique is different today. For the...
Day Thirty-Two
Boy, do I have something for you today! But first let me tell you about the note. This is the first of many that will go out with a wax seal. The seal kit was a gift from my dear friend, Rick Berg who will receive this note which is congratulations as much as thank you.
Guitar playing will come after this post…six string acoustic Larrivee rosewood sides, cedar top.
Now, the portrait....
Day Thirty-One
Welcome to Day Thirty-one….first full month complete! Thanks goes to a fellow photographer friend. Guitar work was done on my Pee-Wee Les Paul. A scaled down version of the original. I used to take it with me when I flew a lot. It fit easily in the overhead compartment and I had it rigged to a discman ( dating myself, I know) and headphones so I could get in some practice on long flights....
January 2012
31 posts
Day Thirty
Today’s note written before coffee to a good friend and neighbor.
The portrait today takes me to that strange land outside the perimeter but to catch up with an old friend, Judy Austin. Judy plays the autoharp and sings beautifully in an Appalachian/Gospel style. She’s very authentic and unaffected by the world and it’s silly trends. The bonus pic includes her grandson and pup.
...
Day Twenty-nine
Back to the six string guitar this morning. Broke most of my fingernail yesterday so the sound is not so crisp. They’ll be back in a few days.
Today’s thank-you goes out to my friend Matt who introduced me to Jimi Hendrix. Not in person but he bought ‘Are You Experienced’ the second it came out and brought it to band practice. Nothing was ever the same after that. To be...
Day Twenty-eight
First a little background on the project in case you’ve joined us recently. I dove into this rather quickly and had to make a choice between keeping things timely and perfection. Since nothing is ever perfect, I went with being on time. Details will improve as it progresses. Example: Thank you card… no time to do anything custom but that is in the works. If you’ve already...
Day Twenty-seven
Today began at 7am @ StudioBurns http://www.studioburns.com/ Tom Abraham, the newest addition to the SB team, and I met for coffee. Then we traversed across town to Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters http://www.batdorfcoffee.com/ on Carroll St. for, you guessed it, more coffee! This stuff was hand made and delicious! I saw a few of the regular crew from my favorite coffee house in Decatur,...
Day Twenty-six
I’m trying a new twist on the thank-you note that I think will be fun. Today’s note goes to the guy who served me breakfast this morning. Total stranger, asked him his name and now he’ll get a card.
Visited Julie Franklin @ Bumblebee Press http://bumblebeepress.com/ and photographed her with the Heidelberg. She used to work out of the StudioBurns building on Elizabeth St. years...
Day Twenty-five
On location with Jessica and Nicole, hanging out, being themselves.
Played guitars with my friend, Louis tonight. Thank you’s done.
Tune in tomorrow.
Day Twenty-four bonus pic
In the course of their daily work, all photographers end up with a few self portraits while testing the lights, etc. Today’s bonus shot:
Day Twenty-four
Welcome to Day Twenty-four. Today we take it back to StudioBurns with our guest, Mia. What a delightful little girl with the most captivating eyes. It’s impossible to feel anything but happy when she’s in the room. Mia’s mom, Melissa, has agreed to design new Thank-you cards for me. It will really up my game on that end. Her sense of design and use of type is just beautiful....
Day Twenty-three
Welcome to Day Twenty-three. Yeah, I know….isn’t it called 21 Days?
So, since I’m the boss and the worker, I decided to give myself a day off on the 22nd. After all, didn’t somebody rest on the 7th day?
Today’s thank you letter went to my sister. I thanked her for introducing many firsts into my life. I flew out to California solo (1st) to visit her in 1969. While...
Day Twenty-one.
Here we are. Day 21, as promised. Every box checked, not a single beat missed. I’ve just returned to the land of wifi after being out of range for the weekend at the lake with some friends. All guys…..beer, chips, poker, more chips…..you get the picture. And speaking of the picture, say hello to Henry. You could say he’s the closing attorney. It’s been a gratifying...
No Internet tonight but all tasks complete! Look for post tomorrow.
Day Twenty
1:13pm
Woke up this morning with ‘Mr. Tambourine’ in my head….it could’ve been a lot worse. Pulled out the guitar and lyrics and played around with it for a few minutes. I’d forgotten about all the verses of this song that sort of fell by the wayside. Like:
Though you might hear laughin’, spinnin’ swingin’ madly across the sun
It’s not aimed...
Day Nineteen
Today’s letter goes out to a fellow photographer. A good comrade. 30 minutes on guitar…just like when I was eight!
Well, if you ever want to feel like your out of shape, just go spend an hour with my friend Chris. She would never make you feel bad because there’s not a mean bone in her body, but the bones that are there are more flexible than a slinky and stronger than an...
Day Eighteen
A delightful morning at Sandler Hudson Gallery with artist Elizabeth Lide. I caught up with her while hanging her upcoming show which opens Friday. Come check it out….very nice work!
Guitar mostly Drop D today. Thank-you done.
Day Seventeen
Today we step into the bizarre world of the puppeteer. The world beneath the stage in which the actor cannot see her audience and must translate all moves at 90 degree angles. Amy Rush designed this set and puppets for the National Puppetry festival and also appeared at FLUX projects. Very entertaining concept you can see in the video: http://vimeo.com/23516365
Hard to get the idea in just one...
Day Sixteen
Today begins with coffee and a card…..as every day should. My session today is with my dear friends, George and Phyllis. Today is their wedding anniversary and the portrait is my gift to them.
Off to MLK volunteer work at Oakhurst then home to play guitar and relax.
Day Fifteen
Last night was a rousing evening of music! Probably got in three hours of guitar playing in. But…there are no roll over minutes in this game! Every day. Important.
Thank-you by noon then off to Grant Park to photograph Elizabeth with her crazy van in Oakland Cemetery. Her two visitors from Montreal were immediately employed as master reflector holders. E is actualy a docent at Oakland, so...
Day Fourteen
Captain’s log: 9:07am. Letter written to someone I’ll see later tonight. A few minutes of guitar this morning but much more later. Tonight I will gather with a group of friends we call the Unusual Suspects. Singer/songwriters brought together ten years ago on the premise of “Bring a bottle of wine, a dish to pass and a Beatles song.” Many performances, new songs and good...
Lucky Friday the Thirteenth!
Well, it’s lucky 13! And it appears to be working out so far…..phone calls and emails are being returned, subjects are showing up on time….amazing!
This morning I murdered a few Bob Dylan songs and played some electric. Wrote the thank-you card to the guy who gave me my first advertising photography job more than thirty years ago. We still work together to this day but...
Day Twelve
Took my car to the dealership for a simple part replacement. While killing time I found a sunny spot in the parking lot and played guitar for a half hour. Wrote my thank you note to Bill after arriving at the studio.
The portraits all seem to be leading me down unexpected paths. Today’s is no exception. Not exactly what I wanted, but I promised to deliver, so here you go.
Day Eleven
The point of no return! I have arrived at Day 11 which puts me over the halfway mark!
Guitar first today, followed by a thank-you note by 10:00am. Lindsay fell into my trap at 10:45 and portrait done!
Day Ten
Began the day with a good dog walk, coffee and a failed attempt to write the thank-you. Went to the studio and penned the note and played Jackson Browne songs.
Spinning my wheels on the portrait…..not coming together like I thought. No worries….it’s not like I have a layout. 4:30 Plan B starting to take shape.
6:30 Kilani arrives. Here we go!
Day Nine
Started the day giving blood @ Red Cross on Monroe. Finished Thank-you while drinking juice and eating their cookies. Driving to the Studio saw ‘Cowboy Dave’ walking down Ponce. Pulled over, bought him breakfast at IHop and did some shooting.
Day Eight
For some reason, I seem to forget how strong martinis can be…..and my friend Artie knows how to make ‘em. Nevertheless, up at 8:30 and got a good practice in, thank-you note stamped and in the mailbox by 10:00.
Stay tuned.
Evening. After going to ‘plan D’ because of weather, we got something. The subject is my son, Trevor. Best looking guy in the Burns family!
Day Seven
8:20am. Perched on the floor at the coffee table in our family room looking up at the Christmas tree…..whose days are numbered. Writing my thank you note to a good friend.
The song ‘Im Tellin’ You Now’ by Keb Mo keeps running through my head. (Not the Freddie and the Dreamers one from ‘63) I’d poked around with it before but never fully learned it. Went online...