Michael Jordan had 101 or 2 temperature the night he scored 60 points in a playoff win. Wilt Chamberlin scored 100 points on less than 3 hours sleep. Jack Youngblood had one of his most dominating games on a broken leg playing for the Rams. Sometimes when our bodies aren't 100% we focus so intently on just the basic needs of accomplishing our goal that we are so tuned in that it almost seems like were in another world and what we accomplish is unexpected and seemingly from a higher source. When I was first making this poster I was feeling pretty ill and the decisions I was making were admittedly with the idea that I needed to get this done. I posted the image below as a finished piece even though I knew(and even wrote about) that it wasn't as good as it could be. So I didn't reach that same height as the athletes I mentioned above. Over the next few days of still not feeling 100% I tweaked and tweaked and have arrived at the above image. I posted this back on the 11th to keep these together. As a teacher of image making as well as an image maker myself I find these comparisons useful. I explain often to my students that possibility doesn't end with framing a work of art--that an idea can always be taken further if you have the time. Who knows--this might go somewhere else before I'm done. I've been designing these 'posters', large prints made with some identifying words and colors to represent the sports team the person in the photo belongs. I've come up with about 5 or 6 different designs and every time I plan on using one of these designs and simply changing out the picture or colors, I end up designing a whole new poster. It seems each image demands its own set-up. Last night as I was sipping my cold season tea and waiting for the Nyquil to kick in, yes sick again, I designed this poster for Erik Eisenhooth's mom Laurie. Erik is a lineman. Its hard to get good action photos of Lineman, especially when you only spend a few moments at a game. So we did a studio portrait and I had it set in my mind that this was going to be a tight shot on his face and helmet. Here is what I came up with. I think I'll try the border in Black though---i think it will make his expression stand out stronger. SayerMotter sports poster by Richard Sayer
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Sitting in front of the Meadville Market House, Nancy Schultz, of Saegertown, sorts though floral arrangements of rose hips. Schultz has been coming to the Market House for over 20 years, selling fresh produce and fresh cut flowers.
Meadville Tribune Photo By: Harmony Motter. Sometimes in order to get my camera into a position I think would make a better picture I don't hold it to my eye--rather I hold it out. Many photographers do this--virtually all journalists do this. We'd rather try to get an angle and have it fail than sit back and just wish we were taller or could fly or whatever it is we need to get where a picture might be better. Sometimes this comes with a price. Sometimes (most times) you aim wrong missing your subject all together. Sometimes you get your own feet. I took a few photographs from this ladder and just felt the picture would be better if the camera was directly above the girls. I shot a few trying to aim my camera right and managed to get the picture I was hoping for, but a couple of the attempts were like this one, too wide of an angle and with my feet in it. I'm never afraid of taking a bad picture, I learn from them and sometimes trying something unexpected leads to pretty darn fine results. I'm in the process of editing these pictures now and haven't determined 100% if this was a one of those times that produced a good picture or not, but it was at least worth a try. Photograph by Richard Sayer
This is what I ate for lunch yesterday. It is a faux rito...also known as a fake burrito. It was wonderful! The tortilla is stuffed with sauteed green peppers and onions with meatless crumbles and black beans. It was seasoned with chile and garlic powder. It was served with sides of salsa, lettuce, tomatoes and guacamole and topped with Colby and Monterey Jack chesse.
Photo By: Harmony Motter Food Prepared By: Jack I was walking up Arch Street in Meadville, Pennsylvania this afternoon and came across this tree. It made me think of the last few days of Fall. Winter will be here soon... "I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show." ~ American Artist , Andrew Wyeth
Photos By: Harmony Motter I think one of the things that has helped me in the world of making pictures is that I'm really not afraid to experiment and try things. If I see something and learn how to do it - I go for it. When its process oriented I try and try and when it begins to seem like it has something I then try to figure out what I can do with it. And even after I work with a style for awhile I'm not afraid to take it somewhere else and try to incorporate other ideas into the process. Believe me I get more failures than I do successes. But the failures, boy thats where the learning really takes place. Last week I got distracted from doing some work and combined two pictures I hadn't thought of combining before I did. It was similar to the one above and its a few days back in the featured pictures. Tonight I was wanting to go to bed(about 2 hours ago), but was itchn' to make something new. I called up last weeks picture and a few others that I've done in between bits of work(sometimes this stuff I do in between work acts sort of like taking a deep breath) and then rifled through some other pictures of Risa and the next thing I knew I had another image coming together. I have three in this series and a forth that is loosely based on this theme as well, all with Risa. I'm not sure what I'll be doing with them, but they are really letting me take those deep breaths and energizing me. I feel another body of work coming on and these might be the beginning sketches. At least they are working out an idea that I feel needs to be bigger. Photographic manipulation by Richard Sayer
I was reminded this week how I used to be very attentive and hungry for feature photos and slices of life pictures when a dad brought me a newspaper clipping I took of a little girl at a game that I took over 10 years ago. The little girl was looking up at a cheerleader on the sidelines. That little girl is now a varsity athlete starring in volleyball at Meadville High School. That was pretty neat for them to bring that clipping to the game just to show me. Today while I was photographing the district finals I saw this little girl lying down in the stands with her face painted. She is the little sister of one of the star athletes playing for Maplewood. I thought after taking this picture that maybe in 10 years I'll be photographing her playing some sport or something and the family might still have the newspaper clipping somewhere in their scrapbooks. Pretty cool job I have. Meadville Tribune photograph by Richard Sayer
Today is my father, David's birthday. Although he is not in this photo, everything that he loves is. Growing up with my dad, I spent a lot of time outside, picking up sticks, fishing, camping and learning to enjoy the outdoors. This photo was shot last week at my dad's house. This is his grandson, Levi pulling a Perch out of his pond. My dad was standing next to me when I snapped the picture. I asked him if he wanted to be in the photo and he declined. I wish he would have allowed me to take his picture, because he sure looked happy! It made me happy to see him happy with the simple things in life...a little boy fishing in his backyard! Happy Birthday Dad!
Photo By: Harmony Motter Kelsee Kelly was prepared Friday night for her duties taking care of the footballs on the sideline of the Cambridge Springs vs. Iroquois game. Temperatures were dipping into the low 30's around game time. Its usually about this time I begin thinking how much fun its going to be photographing basketball inside nice warm gymnasiums. Playoffs start next week and I actually look forward to those--if they're dry. Cold is ten times worse when it is wet too. I admit I wasn't as prepared as Kelsee and decided to duck out before the end of the game to get into my warm car. Next week I'll remember winter shoes/boots and maybe one more layer. Meadville Tribune photo by Richard Sayer
I just can't stop it! More tattooing! When I started this tattoo in March of 2010, I didn't realize that it was going to be such a big project. I have now sat through 12 hours of tattoo work and I have 8 more hours to go...I think?? I am having my work done at BodyWorks Tattoo Studio in Pittsburgh. The tattoo artist is Steve Morris.
I wanted to make mention of that fact that I am wearing my SayerMotter Photography business T-shirt...So, does this mean that I can write my tattoo off on my taxes??? Just kidding...(Smiley Face) Photo By: Harmony Motter |