When you have ideas, sometimes you don't always think them through. I knew it would be difficult to walk around inside this giant culvert in high heels. I did think about that before hand. I didn't change my mind that thats what I thought would look cool. I did think that it was cold out, but Janae seemed ok with that. What I didn't think about was that there were spiders in the pipe and as it turns out, Janae isn't a big fan. So after sending her a few pictures tonight I decided to make this picture for her before I went to bed this morning. Maybe later I'll make a piece for her from one of the pictures taken under the bridge where we shot that will read ' there was a lot of pigeon poop! Photographic manipulation by Richard Sayer
When I saw the crews installing this giant culvert pipe up at Cora Clark Park I knew I wanted to make photographs in it. I did a senior portrait there last summer and really liked how the light shined off the repeating rings inside. I mentioned this photograph to Janae last fall byt winter quickly came upon us and we didn't get to make any pictures there. last week we chatted about trying it again because the weather was warmer so we decided to have a go of it today....well the temperatures didn't cooperate again but Janae was a trooper and we tried to get a few frames in. There is potential in this pipe I know there is and even though we got a few good pictures here--there is another shoot or two before I get exactly what I think we can get here. Photograph by Richard Sayer
NOTE: SayerMotterPhotography has been nominated in the Meadville Tribune's Readers' Choice Awards 2010 Best of the Best. In order for us to win we need folks who believe we are the best to fill out the form in the Sunday Meadville Tribune and send it in. We appreciate all of you who frequent our website for the daily featured picture, we enjoy doing it and its nice to hear from the folks who check it out daily! Thanks! I left work Friday night after photographing the rehearsal for the Barbershop Chorus Yesterday's Sound as they prepared for an up-coming show. Today I got to photograph the United Faith Fellowship Church choirs and invited guests rehearse for a couple projects they have coming up. On is Gospelfest 2010 at the Academy Theatre next week. I got a chance to meet a very strong and beautiful woman today. Denice Jamerson guided the choirs through several songs where she sang for over three hours in all different ranges from Soprano to Bass. She is a leader! I felt immediately comfortable with her and as I watched her work and listened to how she seemed to earn the way she sang the words of the songs and felt them deeply, I grew in respect for her. She transformed in a matter of a half an hour a song that hadn't been sung before by the choir into what sounded a lot like a finished piece. I'm sure in the rehearsals to come the songs will be tweaked even further and the layers of sound will increase to create a rich and beautiful experience for the listener. Meadville Tribune photograph by Richard Sayer
I like to garden, I don't have time to do it right, but I do like to plant things and watch them grow. I don't have any real talent for it, only that nature is really something and seems to take care of itself somehow. I did learn from some native Americans that one thing I do do is right in tune with nature. When I plant something I usually use my hands as opposed to just shoveling in dirt and packing it down with my feet. I use my hands and that connects me more to the plant. I liked how a lens flare in this picture made it more interesting. Not necessarily really interesting---but more interesting than if it weren't there. Photograph by Richard Sayer from his backyard.
I once heard that opposites attract and that is why I love Andy Warhol. Andy was once quoted saying "I am a deeply superficial person." My name is Harmony Motter and "I am not a deeply superficial person," that is why I love Andy Warhol! Andy Warhol was born Andrew Warhola on August 6, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He died in New York City at 6:32 a.m. on February 22, 1987. According to news reports, he had been making good recovery from a routine gallbladder surgery. Andy is buried at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery in Bethel Park, Pittsburgh. Yoko Ono (John Lennon's wife) made an appearance at his funeral.
I plan on visiting Andy's grave in a couple of months. When, most people pay their respects to Andy they leave a can of Campbell's Soup. I will not leave soup. I am going to leave this photo of Buster the Cow and myself. I will thank him for all that he has given to us! Harmony Motter Today I photographed an event that was heavily about Allegheny College and some of its community initiatives and how they are working hand in hand with other community initiatives to try to make Meadville a better place to live. So photographer Bill Owen was on hand to take pictures for the college. I've known Bill for a number of years now and he is both a fine photographer and person. We laughed today as we were both at the same place at the same time photographing same people doing the same things. Neither of us were really getting the pictures we wanted. So Bill said in a joking manner, I'm not taking pictures for the newspaper so I can set things up. He then asked the students to lean and point and look at each other and he said that this will appear in a brochure or booklet someday to his subjects who then sort of smiled and laughed as they posed and talked to each other. It was funny because as a journalist I really can't do this, my job is to document whats there the best I can. Bill knows this and made a point to say what he did loud enough so I could hear it and that gave me the chance to bust his chops. I invited him to my 'truth with the camera' lecture for one of my classes. I told him after I heard him setting up the picture the only way I could ethically shoot the picture now was to include him. So I did. We laughed. What he is doing is showing Allegheny College at its best, he can't afford to not get a picture that shows that. I just need to get a picture to tell the story, I don't need to concern myself with how good or bad it looks, just how it looks. On the way out I saw this picture below---not sure where it falls into the ethics debates, but it was a reflection in a metallic trash can that I thought looked pretty neat. Meadville Tribune photographs by Richard Sayer.
Here are some more photographs from my shoot with Angela Belvin and her family.
Photos by: Harmony Motter I photographed Angela Belvin and her family on Sunday April 11, 2010. Angela is eight and a half months pregnant with her third child. I met Angela when I was 22 years old and working at Ponderosa Steakhouse in Meadville, Pennsylvania. I was thrilled that she allowed me to take part in such a special moment in her family's life. This is one of my favorites from the shoot. This is her daughter, Jasmin kissing her unborn baby sister, Tilia.
Photograph By: Harmony Motter I've often said that dogs are my favorite kind o people. Good dogs are the best. They remind me of the qualities I see in the best of people. So today when I was visiting with my friend Jim and he kissed his dog Hunter, I saw the best in life right in front of me. Jim is one of the best people on the planet. He recently got Hunter and its been great for both of them. I'm impressed how good Hunter is and seeing him and Jim Jim together makes me sit back and know what a great thing it is to have such a bond with your dog. I love my dogs. They are our best friends for sure--well them and good people like Jim. Hey before I forget--today's my sister Deb's birthday! Happy something something sis!!!!! Photograph by Richard Sayer
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