A Night Of Fun
Happy New Year!
Know you, a large portion of photography historically focuses on human suffering and atrocities. One aspect of being a photographer is documenting all sides of life, the good the bad, and the ugly. Throughout my career I’ve photographed a variety of situations, including those that aren’t pretty or positive. But these days I tend to move away from negative imagery. Even if I feel compelled to photograph something that could be considered negative, I often choose not to share those images for public consumption.
Having suffered a number of tragedies in my personal life, I’m at a stage where I feel I just want to immerse myself in positive energy only. So I love to photograph candid moments of people just being themselves. I love to see people enjoying themselves, going about their daily lives. My favorite subjects to photograph are those that depict joy. And I know happiness in “serious” photography still seems to be frowned upon, but it’s what I like to see, and more importantly, it’s what makes me feel good inside.
With that out of the way, here are some photos I made at one of my favorite places to hang out and people watch. Here you’ll notice ordinary moments of humor, fun, and details you might otherwise miss.
Moving forward I will continue to photograph any and everything that sparks my interests, but I will consistently share work that promotes positivity. I hope in some small way I inspire you to do the same. There’s NOTHING wrong with being happy. And it’s certainly nothing wrong with photographing people who AREN’T suffering. Believe me, choosing joy will help lift your spirits as well as add some much needed variety to your portfolio. If enough people adapt this mindset maybe we’ll finally start to make some positive changes in the photography community.
Peace and blessings!
Santa’s New Sleigh
As this year comes to a close I thought I’d share one more favorite from 2022.
Shoutout to the city, coordinator’s, and all of the participants who showed up, despite the bad weather, to put on a really fantastic parade.
This photo of Santa arriving on his new sleigh served as the climax to this years Electric Light Parade. I love this photo because, of all the different elements involved. From the lights, to the colors, to the visible raindrops falling from the night sky. This photo is also the conclusion of a beautiful night full of fun and excitement.
More importantly though, it’s the conclusion of another year full of photo making for me. This is my last big photographic event of 2022, and it was also one of the most fun! God willing, I hope 2023 can provide as many wonderful photogenic moments as this year did.
To you and yours, Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!
Peace and Blessing to you all.
A Lowrider Christmas
This year’s 35th annual Electric Light Parade was cold, dark, windy, and very rainy. But you know something? I loved every second of it!
The winter months in the desert are the very best to me. It’s the only time the weather reminds me of my home in the Midwest. It’s also the only time we get a break from the intense heat, so I absolutely love being outdoors during this time of year.
This was my first time attending the Light Parade, but I had so much fun. Seeing all the people out despite the weather was really refreshing. I honestly thought that maybe they would cancel the parade due to the poor weather conditions, but to my surprise the event went on without any issues.
The photos I’m sharing represent the highlight of the entire evening for me, the lowriders. I love that the city embraces this part of their culture, allowing lowriders to participate. I love lowriders and I’ve been anxious to finally photograph some. I only wish there would’ve been more in the lineup. I look forward to meeting some of the owners of these beautiful and unique vehicles, so that I may do more in depth photo work with them.
For now, here are a few of my favorite images. Enjoy!
State Fair Favorites
Last but not least, here are 4 of my favorite photos from the State Fair. I love these particular images because, of their combination of colorfulness, humor, and timing.
Until next time, enjoy!
State Fair 2022
Fall is my favorite time of the year, and each year I look forward to attending the State Fair.
I love the sights, the sounds, the smells. All of the different people interacting, having fun. The lights, the rides, the colors. It’s really a beautiful experience. It’s also a literal playground for photographers.
With that being said, I’d like to share a few moments from my trip to this year’s fair.
Enjoy!
Midnight Shift
A late night portrait of a fireman as he and his crew prepare to deal with an electrical fire. Taken in my neighborhood at around 1:30am.
Gift Shopping At The Bonanza
On our last day in Las Vegas my family and I had to stop in to see “The World’s Largest Gift Shop” for ourselves. It was very nice and very overwhelming! My kids were particularly interested in all of the wonderful handmade Native American souvenirs available. I personally loved the big bold signs outside that completely draw you in, even from far down the street. As I walked around the store the experience was bitter sweet because, I knew it was my last day in this beautiful, chaotic city. Las Vegas did leave an major impression on me. I enjoyed myself so much that now I’ve even added Vegas to my short list of places I’d like to move to. To be totally honest, I really hate I have to go back to my boring reality…I pray that I can make a move very soon because, there is so much more in this world to be explored and enjoyed! This trip reinforced that belief. Until then…
Halloween
Halloween in downtown Columbus, 2014. Lots of kids, people, costumes, candy, fun, food, a 5k race, and good music!
October Fair 2014
It’s that time of the year again already! Fall means the county fair, and I love going! I try to take my kids every time it’s in town and this past weekend we were able to go once again. The weather was nice and we had a really good time. Below are a few of the many pictures I took while there.
Snack Truck
A late night stroll on the beach reveals a snack truck open for business to fulfill the sweet tooth’s of night owls like myself.
Feeling Like A Kid Again #2
Here’s another image taken from my March post on bike riding, plus a group of men riding bikes similar to the big wheels toys we use to ride as children, and how much fun it can be.
Feeling Like A Kid Again
There’s something about a bike that makes you feel carefree, like a kid again. These gentlemen all experienced this sense of nostalgia as they rode bikes up and down the city’s dark streets. I was fortunate enough to be present with my camera to capture a few fun moments.
Hula Hooping In The Cold
Hello once again everyone! Last night I went out on a very fun photo excursion with my aunt for the first time in downtown Columbus. It was very cold, about 43 degrees, and the wind was whipping hard. There weren’t as many people out as usual but, there were a group of drummers and singers out performing on the stage that sits right in the middle of downtown. They were singing Christmas songs, and imporvisiong instrumentals. Among the few people out enjoying the music as well as the atmosphere were 2 very cool hula hoopers. Pictured here is the second hula hooper. I found her to be interesting because, she was able to continuously hula hoop for about 20-25 minutes despite the freezing temperatures that continued to drop as the sun disappeared. I’ll try to post pics of the first hooper later as she was the one who performed the most tricks and proved her endurance by hooping to the music for hours, even well into the night.
Admission To Amazing
Hello everyone. Unfortunately I’ve been sick all week with the flu, and today I only feel slightly better but, I wanted to share a pic I shot while at the city fair last month. Of course I shot many pics and I will share more over time but for now I need to go take more meds and rest. Peace.
Versatility By RNJ 