When selective color works

Portraits for Flashes of Hope, a volunteer program at Children’s Hospitals across the country, are all produced in Black and White. I have been shooting these portraits for many years, and I love the black and white, improving my work over time.  There are many good reasons for this stylistic choice: The portraits stand apart from family snapshots. They look classic, timeless. They can often make an ill subject appear more healthy and vibrant. The monochrome style puts less emphasis on clothing and more emphasis on the face.

But every so often, one of my images begs to be seen with selective color treatment. Let me show you what I mean.  This child came to me crying and refusing to look at the camera even with the comforting words of both parents, toys on hand and a little brother who was happy to help. The only trick that worked that day was a stream of bubbles. Lots of bubbles that you could reach out and pop. The bubbles just kept coming, thanks to the quick actions of my assistant, and nobody cared about the camera anymore. Even when one bubble got in his eye.

I see an echo between the bubbles, the boys’ eyes and the eyes not the minions on his shirt. I guess he should have worn goggles, too.

Personality to spare

Many children I photograph act a little shy at first. A few cry or refuse to look at the camera. (As long as I can get the parents to stop pleading, scolding and threatening them, I can usually distract them enough to get some good shots.) Other kids, in an effort to do the right thing, give me the same uneasy smile, as they listen to a parent call out to them, “Be good for your picture!”

But my favorite subjects have so much personality, that they just can’t keep it inside. Every thought seems to bring a new expression, and every minute a fresh willingness to play and pretend. This little dynamo (call him Dennis) brought me great joy with his every move.

Dennis just thinking…

My assisting photographer called Dennis “the art director,” because he kept running over to me and asking to see his photo on the camera’s LCD.

“Show me sleepy,” I asked.

Posing on Dad’s shoulders, he reached for convenient handles…

Father and son

After I asked Dennis to “Be a banana,” he obliged. Then he said he wanted to be a Chicken McNuggett.

This is what a Chicken McNuggett looks like.

 

(“Dennis” is not the child’s real name. We protect his privacy by withholding his name.)

Finds at Phipps Conservatory

If your city offers an indoor botanic garden in a conservatory, you have an escape from winter in your backyard. The Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh offers lush and exotic vegetation displayed with artistic vision at all times of the year. In a recent visit, I found a Japanese theme in a long gallery, where 24 mm lens created a compelling composition.

Japanese umbrellas at Phipps Conservatory

Through the years, I have also enjoyed photographing Chihuly glass and gargoyles harmonizing with the plants.

Chihuly glass at Phipps Conservatory, 2008

Gargoyle at Phipps Conservatory

Make a visit to your conservatory today. My favorites are the New York Botanic Garden and the Naples Botanic Garden. Feel free to share your favorites.

January Snow

“In January comes the snow, when trees are bare and wild winds blow.”

Shakespeare’s words are bouncing around in my head, and this scene in Sewickley Heights brings them to life for me. I was driving past Allegheny Country Club’s golf course last evening just before sunset, when I saw the sun, partly obscured by the moon behind this bare tree. I stopped the car and hopped out with my iPhone 6 to take a photo.

Today I brought that image into Photoshop and experimented with a few filters. I settled on the saturation and contrast I could achieve with Nik HDR Efex and some dodging and burning of my own.

Enjoy the coming snowstorm, friends in the Northeast, and don’t forget to get outdoors and take some photos!

January 21, 2016
Tree and setting sun at Allegheny Country Club

Talking about Disney World

I’m so glad that I’ve been to Disney World, so that Sasha* and I could talk about her recent trip. She had a great time and got these pretty Minnie Mouse earrings there.  While she thought about Disney World, her face told the story.

Shy at first

*I protect the privacy of patients by using a fictitious name in the blog.

I shot these portraits on January 16, 2016 as a volunteer at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for the Flashes of Hope program.

Cancer and kinship

While photographing this mother and daughter at Children’s Hospital last week, I asked Mom if she shaved her head to support her daughter going through chemotherapy.

Kinship

“I let Mary shave my head,” she replied. “My hair was really, really long, and I let her shave it all off.”

“And now you will grow your hair back together,” I said.

The intimacy between the two was also evident in the playfulness they revealed. I try to capture both the playful moments as well as the sober ones when my subjects are relaxed enough to share both with me.

Who wins?

*Mary is a fictitious name. We protect the privacy of patients by keeping their identities private.

Celebrate Pittsburgh with its Skyline

Today is a perfect day to celebrate Pittsburgh and its spirited people, as the Steelers enter a playoff game where most fans have serious doubts about a positive outcome. The Steeler Nation is still behind the team — either in person or via television all over the world. Today’s game might well be the last game of the Steeler season, which is a big deal in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh has a pretty fabulous skyline, thanks to the geography of the Three Rivers, at least two successful Renaissance transformations and a currently vibrant local economy. And Pittsburghers never get enough of that skyline.

As a gift to the ever positive people of Pittsburgh, I bring you some summer night skyline images from the North Shore on a special evening when I expected the full moon to rise over the Golden Triangle. The moon rose on cue, of course, but clouds hid the moon from me for all but about 5 minutes that evening. Patience paid off. In this first image, you can see the Fort Duquesne Bridge on the left and the Fort Pitt Bridge on the right. Lots of history here (at Fort Pitt at the Point), dating back to George Washington and the Revolutionary War.

To capture the high dynamic range, I fused three images together.

Here is a closer view of the fountain at Point State Park where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers form the Ohio River. The full moon features more prominently.

The Point at Pittsburgh, PA

Lastly, let’s take a turn with creativity. A ten-second exposure captures enough light to make the sky appear blue, and I’ve dropped in a larger moon, taken that night from another exposure when I zoomed the lens in to 200mm. The moon wasn’t this big in relation to the buildings, but the moon was the reason I waited alone on the wharf for 90 minutes, so I personally like to see it big! I think it is AOK to play with the moon size, as long as the photographer is honest about it.  Journalists can’t do this, but I am wearing my artist hat now. As an artist, I would also only play with elements captured that evening. I might be creative, but not crazy with my choices.

Artistic rendition of the moon rise with larger moon added in post processing.

Which photo do you like best? These images can be produced in high resolution  as large prints. Contact me via email at cathykellyphotography@gmail.com

 

 

Shopping in Piazza Navona

You can only sightsee in Rome in the summer heat for so long. Then, you need to get off your feet, snack on a dish of cold gelato and do some shopping. Besides, no trip to Italy would be complete without shopping for some hand made Italian goods, right? I love to shop while traveling abroad, because I know how much I enjoy my souvenirs after I get home.

If you are planning a trip to Rome anytime soon, I have a great tip for you. Piazza Navona is a lively square,  both day and night, and it is well located walking distance from the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. You can find good gelato shops and cafes there, but you can also find one of the nicest leather shops in old Rome.

I visited the fragrant leather shop La Sella in 2005 when I spent two weeks in Rome with my daughter Erin and our friends who lived two blocks from Piazza Navona. It is small but packed with high quality hand made purses, briefcases, belts and wallets. I bought myself a brown leather purse, and my husband a brown leather briefcase that we still use frequently, ten years later.

Charlie shops La Sella in 2015, ten years later.

So, in 2015 when I looked for the shop between Piazza Navona and the busy avenue Corso Vittorio Emmanuel, I was delighted to find it alive and well. So, my husband Charlie (shown in photo) and I shopped again — for our sake and theirs!

We also got off our feet and enjoyed a dish of gelato as a late lunch at Tre Scalini while we admired Bernini’s grand Fountain of the Four Rivers. That grandiose and beautiful fountain features life-sized human figures on the north, south, east and west faces and is a real challenge to photographers. It’s a fantastic centerpiece to a vibrant square, that is also dotted with working street artists.

My husband ordered a mushroom crepe, but I ordered gelato for lunch.

I shot these photos on my iPhone6, because it is so lightweight and easy for this kind of spontaneous documentation of happy moments while traveling. I thought you, my readers, would enjoy a few shopping and snacking tips from my travels for yours.

Flashes of Hope

Today I’m getting ready for a full day of shooting portraits at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for Flashes of Hope. This is a volunteer gig I do once or twice a year to benefit kids who have cancer or another serious illness. I only have about 15 minutes to capture several wonderful and different portraits of each child. The biggest challenge is to get the child to warm up and relax in front of the camera as quickly as possible. Of course, we try to make the shoot a fun experience — a special day to feel like a movie star, or just to be yourself and be loved for who you are. The children may range in age from newborn to college student, but most of my subjects have fallen into the 4 to 12 age range. I’ll bring all the Mommy charm I have inside, all the photography know-how and give it my best.

Here is one portrait from last June. Identities are confidential. Say a prayer that all these children will be blessed with a recovery to full health.

Portrait by Cathy Kelly for Flashes of Hope 6/2015

Make new friends, but keep the old

Can you sing it? “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other, gold.” Making new friends and keeping up with the old ones is a BIG source of happiness for me.

I met some great new friends at the dog parks last year. Meet Steve Austin, a PhD geologist who owns little Maggie (left), the Australian Shepherd. Steve and his wife Kelly recently moved to Sewickley. My puppy Sophie (right) who looks like Maggie’s  big sister has become Maggie’s new best friend.

Making friends at the dog park

Or April Eilers, another dedicated dog owner who is also a photographer. She loves animals and wildlife photography. She has rescued dogs and also an injured pelican. We met in Naples, Florida and are now Facebook friends. We have both benefitted from our new friendship.  I was able to advise April on underwater photography for her upcoming trip to Grand Cayman.

My friend April, dog lover and wildlife photographer (not my photo)

Old friends? We spent a week in Sardinia, Italy with the Sangregorio family, dear friends of our family since 1964. That’s when my parents met Alberto and Graciella. They were both crossing the Atlantic on the Christoforo Colombo cruise ship. Now the friendship lives on to the second and third generations. Very special!

Antonio (son) and Paola (granddaughter) of Alberto and Graciella