troy bradford photos: 2011

leaving pyper alone...

I have so many photos to process through, but I can't seem to quit taking them. Took this one today of little miss Pyper. Wanted to take a Polaroid image of her in the leaves. The rain almost dampened that idea, but I persisted and got the image (will post some Polaroids later). While I had her out there for the Polaroid image, I couldn't resist taking a couple more with the Leica. It takes her no time to realize that she is alone and she can do what she wants. Of course she starts eating the leaves... In the picture, she is trying to get a piece of leave off her tongue. So much for leaving her alone...

So then I put her in the house while I get my shoes and socks off, because I have wet grass all over them. Immediately she stands up and starts banging on the glass door (she seems to be in the her destructive phase). The image is a little blurry because she was moving so fast, but when I converted it to sepia, I love the mood it creates. She looks so sweet...

watching like a hawk...

Was driving through downtown Greenville this morning looking for picture opportunities and something caught my eye. I pulled over, got out of my Land Rover and approached the bird. Originally I thought someone had "propped up" a dead bird on the sidewalk so I thought I would take a couple of low vantage point shots. As I got close and kneeled down to take the shot, the bird's head quickly turned right towards me and the eyes opened! My heart skipped a couple of beats... After I settled down, I approached slowly with my M8 and took a few shots from several directions. Afterwards, I couldn't resist. I took one shot with my latest camera (the Polaroid 250 Land Camera). I hope to scan some of these photos later and end up with a neat post from the Polaroids. Later determined that the bird is probably a baby hawk. Look at those feet/talons and look at those eyes. I think you can see that he was watching me like a hawk...

the bathtub...

A little self conscious of posting a picture of Pyper in the bathtub. But this picture is so incredibly cute... Amazing that this picture started with a Leica camera, processed through Aperture, emailed to my iPhone, processed in My Sketch App, emailed back to my computer and then brought into a blog post. Not exactly the best way to keep up the image quality, but I wanted to make sure that the post was not something that Pyper would say "really, you had to post that" later...

my polaroid project...

So Tyler (tylertyndell.blogspot.com) bought a Polaroid camera at a garage sale last week. We both were so excited to try something so basic that we bought some PX 600 Silver Shade film from the-impossible-project.com. Thought it would be as easy as it was when I was a kid when we used to get Polaroid film for Christmas morning or on our birthday. Took my first picture this morning and figured out something right away. It is not easy getting a good picture with the film that is available now. This is actually a good thing. It has challenged me to think about what I am taking a picture of and how much light I really need to avoid overexposing the image. The camera has a flash that always fires. This has proved to be a challenge for the 600 ISO film. It is hard to not overexpose the entire picture, but it is near impossible (no pun intended) to do the same for the subject that is near the camera. The second picture is a prime example. It wasn't as easy as just taking the picture and shaking it until it finished developing (you are not suppose to shake it at all). Had to immediately cover the picture and protect it from any light and place it in the original box for 10 minutes to let it finish developing. Over the course of the day, I took the remaining 7 pictures (8 total). With every picture all I could think about was how much each one cost ($3.00 each). I guess learning something new is not free. I have two more cartridges left. Can't wait to get them in the camera and "learn" some more. However, more than anything, this makes me appreciate the pictures from my Leica M8...

**update** see additional polaroids at my latest blog by clicking the "instant photos" link in My Other Blogs above.

caught up in the moment...

It is the desire of most people who take pictures to always take "the perfect picture". The reality is a large number of the pictures that we take will never end up posted, printed or ever looked at again. Sometimes the composition is great but many times, for me, it is less than "perfect". When I become caught up in capturing the moment, I sometimes get the composition a little off. This is one of those pictures. Concentrating on getting a picture of Pyper, I missed the fact that I cut off part of Sherri's head. Some may say that this would be a reason to delete the picture. Others may say that I should crop it tighter to just show Pyper's face. To me, this is one of those opportunities to break the rules. The head is cut off, but the essence of the emotion is still there. What a moment to remember! Pyper was starting to get sleepy, she lays her head on Sherri's shoulder and smiles. I'll always take a moment with a story over any posed photo...

sadi & my Leica...

Another shot of Sadi as we were leaving Maci's yesterday. This is why I always carry my camera with me. Never know when I will get that chance to take a quick picture. Snapshots such as this is why I usually carry the Leica...

pyper is boo-tiful...

Had the studio stuff set up, so I couldn't pass on the opportunity to take this shot. Pyper was all dressed up in her halloween attire and the shirt says it all...

emotional pictures...

So sometimes I get these ideas in my head that I never seem to be able to replicate in the camera. This is one of those times when I acted on it quickly and I think I succeeded. I wanted to produce a square head shot that showed some emotion. I love it when I have to dig deep to get the picture that I want. I used my Olympus EP2 camera, my Nikon 50mm f/1.8 manual focus lens, two of my Alien Bee strobe lights and a small white background. Studio shots such as this allow you to focus on the person and their facial features. To me, these shots really show emotion. In the top shot, Maci definitely implies that there is some joy in her life (Pyper is in the other room letting us know she is there). In the bottom shot, Tyler is determined as a person can be and to me the shadows create by the light (or lack of light) help portray this. Seeing these pictures just makes me want to create more. I hope to continue this series with the rest of the family...

pyper the photographer...

Had a quick photo opportunity with Pyper tonight. Set her up with an old camera of mine and let her try to snap a few photos while I took some of her with my Leica using a shoe-mounted flash. Wanted it to be an under-exposed background with her being a little over-exposed to add the effect of an older photo with a bare flash bulb. The setup, photo and editing took less than 10 minutes. Love it when taking pictures is this fun...

me and my girls...

I don't get to post many pictures with me and my two daughters, because most of the time I am behind the camera. This is also one of the few photos on my blog that was not taken by me. It was taken by tylertyndell.com at Tamolly's the other night. He took the picture with ambient/dim lighting using his new Canon 7D. I love this photo...

the end of a family portrait...

Took photos of Tyler, Maci, Pyper (and even Wilco) tonight. Used the sunset as my primary source of light. Set up a strobe light as an auxiliary light to fill in the shadows. The photos went great! With kids and dogs, they will let you know when you have reached the end of shooting the family portrait. Pyper pulled the bow out of her hair and right after I pressed the shutter Wilco jumped out of the chair and started running around the yard. Tyler and Maci posed for me on this one. I love this photo! Probably one of my favorites from tonight...

sunset (without the family)...

Was out in the field behind our backyard fence trying to take some test shots for a family photo at sunset. I was taking most of my pictures with the sun behind my back trying to see how the golden light was reflecting off from the trees. When I was done, I turned around and took a few shots of the sunset trying to get the Zeiss 35mm lens to flare on the M8 camera. The flare seemed to partially work, got the starbust, and a little image artifact of the aperture blades. I processed the image in Color Efex Pro and used a graduated neutral density filter to increase the orange from the top down. I know this is opposite of a true sunset, but it seems to create an eerie feeling. I had the aperture nearly wide open and most of the silhouettes are out of focus, but with silhouettes this doesn't seem to matter. Looking forward to the family photo...

clean vs grunge...

Bought a strap for my Leica M8 camera a last week. Ordered it from gordyscamerastraps.com and I would have to say that it is a great strap for a very reasonable price. Used my E-P2 camera to take a picture using just window light and a gray background (the E-P2 is my go-to camera for shots like this). Added some slight basic edits in Aperture. Really liked how clean and sharp the picture was. Today I downloaded the App Snapseed on my iPhone. It is an App created by NIK and it seems to do the edits without degrading the picture. The edit with Snapseed appears to be just the opposite of the original clean/sharp image. It gives the M8 the nostalgic look that breathes Leica. Not for sure which I really like better... Maybe both...

the sign...

I have travelled I-30 from Greenville to DFW Airport more times than I can count. Almost every time that I make this trip, I see things that I wish I had time to stop and photograph. If you know me, you would know that I always have my camera with me (at a minimum, my iPhone), so that is never the reason. Usually the reason is that I am running late. Every time that I pass this sign on the way home, I think about stopping. Has the looks of an interesting area. But I never seem to have time. A few weeks ago I decided that it was time to stop. I saw the sign and took the exit. Realized almost immediately that the only thing interesting about the area was the sign. It was on the edge of a riverbed and the grass was almost as tall as my Land Rover. Because of the area, I wasn't about to get out of the car so I just crossed my fingers and headed towards the sign. My worst fears were finding out that someone lived under the bridge (and didn't want me there) or running over a dead body in the tall grass. Well, all of the fears disappeared when I got positioned and started taking pictures. The sun was low, the light was golden and the sky was blue. All of the "signs" were pointing to a great picture...

wilco needs attention...

Went to Maci and Tyler's today for lunch. As always, when we go in the door, Sherri gets Pyper and I get Wilco. He likes to get (and keep) your attention. After a while, he finally gave up and went to the chair back for some rest...

simple memories...

Amazing that my youngest daughter Sadi is driving now. This just means that Sherri and I are getting older. Sadi only has her permit, so we have to be in the car with her. Of course I use this as an opportunity to take pictures of her. Here is one that I took this afternoon with my Leica M8. Created two different versions because both have a unique character. In the first one I used the Vintage Photo preset in Aperture to give it an faded/muted look. In the second one I used the contrast and structure settings in Silver Efex Pro to give the photo a very clean/detailed look. I love always having a camera with me and being able to create memories of all parts of our lives together as a family...

pyper posing...

Ok, so the blog is becoming the 'troy-bradford-taking-pictures-of-pyper' blog. I promise that I have some other things to post about. Pyper seems to be the only willing subject that never gripes about how I edit her photo. Took these tonight at Tyler and Maci's apartment. Love how the M8 and Summicron lens can make a mediocre picture still look good because of the bokeh. Converted them using the "Ink" setting in Color Efex Pro. The pictures are a little noisy because they were taken at a higher ISO, indoor lighting with no flash (at night). But Pyper smiled and posed anyway...

pyper in black & white...

Pyper and Maci came by today when I was leaving for work at lunch and then she was still here when I got home. She spent some time with me and my Leica out on the patio. I also included a picture from this past weekend in our kitchen. I love being able to snap quick pictures of her with my M8/50 Summicron combo and process them in Silver Efex Pro. There are no pictures like them...

an afternoon with pyper...

Got to spend the afternoon with Pyper! It would be a waste of an afternoon if I didn't create a memory... Set up my new gray background with the studio lights and waited on Pyper to wake up from her nap. Couldn't wait to try and get a good photo of her sitting up. Wow, it is hard to get a "posed" picture of a 6 month old. Here is one of the keepers...

the bench family...

Finally had the chance to shoot some photos of the Bench Family this afternoon. Tyler did most of the photography (the creative part anyway), but I shot my share of photos using my Leica M8 and Olympus PEN cameras. This is one of the first shots that caught my eye. It was taken with the M8 and converted to black and white using NIK Silver Efex Pro. To me, one of the best part of having friends is being able to photograph them...

el rebano de jesus...

After my mission trip to Peru, I decided that I wanted to post something that represented a desperate need in that country. I wanted the images to tell a story that would communicate that need. I have struggled with the whole idea because I wasn't finding any of the numerous pictures that I took on this trip that were cohesive and good enough to post. Most of this was my fault because I only took one lens to Peru and it just happened to be my new 50mm Summicron. I also have a 35mm f/2 Biogon, but I left it at home so that I only had one camera and one lens to keep up with. What I found was that it was very hard to capture a moment in a small area with a 50mm lens on an M8 (the lens was essentially a 65mm lens on this camera with the 1.3x lens factor). The field of view was so limited, I kept missing the shots.

Then I ran across the images of the kids/adults that were taken at El Rebano de Jesus. On the last day, I took pictures of everyone at the orphanage for "To Every Nation" to use in some type of sponsorship program. After the trip, during one of my flights for work, I slowly stepped through each of the pictures and studied their facial expressions and looked into their eyes. I tried to recall their personalities that came out while we were at the orphanage. I remembered how some of them were so shy and reclusive at first. It only took a small amount of loving and playing with them for them to become a different kid. How could I forget the last day... As you can see from the pictures, most of the kids were fresh out the the shower. They had just finished eating breakfast and they were ready to play. What a special set of photos these have become. I had a few pictures of each kid/adult. I tried to pick the one that represented their personalities that I remember.

So what is the desperate need? Donations from To Every Nation and other churches/organizations keep the orphanages just like this open so that kids just like this can take a shower and eat meals every day. People like Victor and Isabel have dedicated their lives to ensuring that these kids are taken care of. These kids are fighting the odds of surviving in a sometimes selfish world, much less becoming productive members of society. So the answer to the question above is "you". You need to figure out what part of you. Is it your prayers, your money, your time, your extra clothes or all four? Your decision...

Put all of that aside and take some time to really look at these pictures. Look into their eyes. Imagine what is going through their little minds. Imagine their fears, their needs, their dreams. Imagine what makes them smile...

abigail - 9 yrs old