Craig Photography by John

Meet The Family

2009-12-23T09:26:00.003-05:00

Question

2009-12-22T09:50:00.001-05:00

~ What is the “It Quality ” that creates separations between you and other photographers in your market?

~ What has changed in the photography market in the last year?

Quick Thoughts

2009-12-18T10:05:00.002-05:00

~ Left over Indian food is good for breakfast
~ Martin Sexton album "Seeds" is groovy...
~ For God-sake use a tripod people.
~ Why are insurance company stocks raising if reform is on its way?
~ We are out of coffee, just a quick thought.
~ I think my wife may be funnier person than I am.
~ Also I think my wife may have better taste in music then I do?
~ The UPS truck stops at our house nine times a day. Should I get the driver a Christmas present?

Photo of the Week

2009-12-17T09:56:00.003-05:00

Camera: Nikon D700
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/1.6
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 200

County Chronicles, There's No Place Like Home

2009-12-16T11:57:00.003-05:00

You can check out some of my night photography photos that were just published in a book written by Ceane O'Hanlon-Lincoln "County Chronicles, There's No Place Like Home".

You can pre-order the book (here)

Art & Spirit

2009-12-14T11:01:00.002-05:00

I have been thinking about the relationship between art and spirit. It was my intention to write an essay on this topic, but so far I only have a list of thoughts and ideas on how art and spirit mirror each other.

~ Familiar but yet not understandable
~ On the edge of being present
~ Search for meaning in the light
~ Explore the idea of what is…
~ Perspective (Man thinking differently on what is…)
~ Transform and include, follow the wisdom
~ Chaos to unity
~ Only purpose is to serve
~ To get us in touch with what is inside of us
~ Both totally human and totally divine

Not sure where I am going with this list of ideas but at this point in my writing it seems that art and spirit create feeling which keeps society moving forward…and that is a stronger power than words.

A Big Thanks

2009-12-11T10:05:00.004-05:00

Thank you to all who attended the Q & A/Meet & Greet last night.

Last night was a night of remarkable questions, thoughts provoking conversation and making of new friendships. Photographers of all different levels came out to share their thoughts and opinions on photography.

An extra big thank you to my wife Elizabeth and David Burke for co-hosting this event.

We made a new friendship in another husband and wife photography team that will be moving to Pittsburgh next year. Elizabeth Vincent Photography, so go to their blog and leave a welcoming comment for them; let them know that Pittsburghers are a welcoming people even after a losing to the Browns.

Lastly to the lady who brought the pepperoni roll, God bless you Nikki…it was awesome…

2 Workshops: NOW BOOKING

2009-12-10T08:25:00.001-05:00

David Burke & John Craig
How To Everything (& More): PHOTOGRAPHY

In your gut you want to be a PHOTOGRAPHER. Or maybe you just want to learn how to use that expensive camera you just bought but you’re not sure who to ask. You have a great eye for composition but you just need some guidance, an advisor to help YOU fulfill your dreams. Make the jump from thinking, daydreaming and create great photographs…

Is this you?
-You take great pictures
-Everybody tells you that you take great pictures
-Your friends and family always ask you to bring your camera
-You bought an expensive new DSLR camera
-You have no idea how to use to it, except on AUTO
-The camera’s manual scares the bajesus out of you
-You love photography and want to get better

Who should take this workshop?
-If the list above is YOU
-You love taking photographs
-ISO, F/stop, shutter speed, and aperture are words that means nothing to you
-You have no idea what DSLR means
-If you want to able to tell your camera what to do
-If you want the mysteries of the photo universe revealed to you

What you will learn:
-Understanding exposure
-How to use your camera in manual mode
-How to take a photo “correctly” in camera
-Natural light techniques
-Understanding your lens
-Understanding White Balance
-Flash Techniques

Date: January 23, 2010
Location: 502 W. North Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Time: 10 am-4pm
Cost: $175.00: includes boxed lunch
Class limited to 15 people
Contact Elizabeth Craig at 724.355.9079 or by email at craigphotography@mac.com for more information and to register.

Purposeful Blogging Workshop

Every photographer that I have ever met struggles with the same issues:

I am too busy running my business; I have no time for creative new work. How do I get more time?

Or

It’s too important for me to keep creating so I have no time to run my business. How do I get more time?

These questions will be answered at my Purposeful Blogging workshop.

"Purposeful Blogging is a marketing tool for photographers who want to grow their business by building an audience through the use of new communication models. Blogging for your business is a demonstration of your skill and representation of who you are. This workshop with Photographer will introduce you to techniques that can help you launch your business into the blogosphere.”

This is workshop of must-have information on how to build your audience thru blogging and how to sustain you business.

Date: January 30, 2010
Location: 502 W. North Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Time: 1 – 4pm
Cost: $55. 00
Class: limited to 15 people
Contact Elizabeth Craig at 724.355.9079 or by email at craigphotography@mac.com for more information and to register.

Photo of the Week ~ Ambient Art

2009-12-08T08:44:00.000-05:00

Man-Spa

2009-12-07T07:48:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday I went to a man-spa for a haircut.

Man-spa is not its real name, its real name is a French word that I cannot pronounce with funny symbols above specific letters in its name. I have been to this man-spa before for other types of man-spa treatments but I am no longer secure enough in my manliness to have these other treatments done to me in a public place whose name I cannot enunciate.

Sitting in the man-spa is a very manly experience for the man who wishes to feel pretty. They offer you lattés, cappuccinos and water that comes in oddly shaped bottles that look expensive. The waiting room smells of musk and leather, I think it might be burning candles. The magazine collection is a mixture of sports, cars, and man-style fashion magazines; think Vanity Fair for men. Vanity Fair is a magazine that men and women can both read, right? Nonetheless I pick up a copy of Esquire magazine and read an article about how Robert Downy Jr. is the second best actor in America. Never did find out who number one was.

The receptionist tells me that my stylist, Jess, will be right out. Jess? An androgynous, transgendered name…that always makes me uncomfortable. Not that I care if a man or woman cuts my hair; its the not knowing of who will walk around the corner to meet me. Ok Jess is a girl, a good-looking non-confusing gender of a woman. Don’t judge me, its a man-spa, I am here for the experience.

I explain the haircut that I want to Jess. It’s a mixture of Buddhist monk meets Brad Pitt haircut in Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Jess calls it a buzz cut and places a number four guard on her clippers and within ten minutes I can see the white dome of my skull.

Next, the man-spa treatments that I am secure enough to treat myself to--scalp message with a hot towel wrapped around my face. The next three minutes with Jess are blissful.

Q&A Session & Meet-n-Greet w/ John Craig & David Burke

2009-12-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hi all ~

Q&A Session & Meet-n-Greet w/ John Craig & David Burke

Thursday December 10th from 7pm to 9pm

Meet up: My house ~ Will send out directions at a latter date.

Cost: Free

What to bring: Your questions, camera, good attitude and a friend. Let’s build the community.

Please RSVP if you plan on attending....

Peace ~ John

Coffee Shop

2009-12-03T09:12:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I was waiting in a coffee shop for a photographer friend of mine. You probably think that I am the type of person who would spend time in coffee shops. I am not but I should…

Top 5 reasons why I do fit the “coffee shop” stereotype:

1) I drink coffee.
2) I like to write in public places to steal ideas.
3) I have that scruffy-beard-artist-look-thing going for me.
4) Reading books in public places makes me feel cool. Got to feed the ego.
5) I like listening to music by white men with sad lyrics while playing acoustic guitar.

Top 5 Conversations overheard in a coffee shop:

1) Two stripper Moms trying to decide on daycare for their daughters
2) 80 year old man searching for his birth parents
3) Why fried bologna sandwiches are the best; seriously this was a great conversation to eavesdrop on.
4) Anything about religion, especially why other religions are wrong.
5) Isn’t John Craig extremely good looking?

Moment

2009-12-02T05:41:00.002-05:00

Current Reading: Juliet, Naked By Nick Hornby
Current Music: Second Nature By Dominic Miller
Mood: Looking Up
Sounds: Fan
Smells: It is 4am when I am typing this; aromas do not wake up until at least 5am
Temperature: 42 degrees
Thoughts: Be on the edge of being present

Photo of the Week ~ Ambient Art

2009-12-01T09:46:00.001-05:00

The Man Who Forgot to Die ~ Short Story

2009-11-30T09:39:00.000-05:00

A warm blanket covers me, breathing in cold morning air in a quiet room. “Another day”, I say to myself and then get out of bed and put on blue slippers.

First thing—pee. Second thing—wash face, and next brush teeth. Staring in the mirror is such an unusual thing for me each morning. Gazing at the reflection and trying to figure out who is looking back. Who does this reflection belong to?

“The reflection belongs to me”, I say out loud; “You are the man who forgot to die.” That is what the neighborhood kids have dubbed me; The Man Who Forgot To Die.

That’s the question in my head, that same repetitive question that will not go away. It will always wake me at exactly 7am. I never need the aid of an alarm clock. I have always gotten up at exactly 7am since the incident. What is up with that? Who gets up with a haunting repetitive question in their mind every day? Me, I acclaim, the man who forgot to die.

Monday 7am, the third of December I awake to the question of Existence. Not the question of ‘do I exist’ but the why and how of the longevity of my existence.

This is what I think about at 7am under a warm blanket, breathing in cold morning air. My long existence…

My existence has been mundane at best, not at all a great reality, nor a horrible one either. In all truth it has been a boring life, mostly.

I am the man who forgot to die…in hindsight it is a peculiar thing to put out of your mind, but forget I did. In truth, I did not forget to die. It was more like I didn’t remember that I was supposed to die.

It seems only natural to think about your death. Far as I know there is no cure for that condition called birth. If you are born you will die. Harsh, nonetheless true. Death has no cure.

This is the oddity of all the oddities…if you are born you will die. In between the light of birth and the darkness of death you get to think about it. On some random day for a haphazard reason you will die and there is nothing you can do to stop it. If that wasn’t bad enough you get no control over the how, why or what of your looming death. There is suicide for the control freaks, but that is a bad choice for those who have been baptized.

The compelling subject of death has missed my thoughts; I question my existence and speculate about what purpose it has. Bloody hell there is so much rubbish in my head. Truly maddening, repetitive and worthless…I need coffee, lots of it.

I turn off the running water, flush the toilet and go down to the kitchen.

Seven twenty two AM. Black coffee and toast, this is my same breakfast…mundane…isn’t it? I do use different jellies to break up the humdrum of it all.

On my kitchen table I keep a large yellow legal writing pad. In the morning with coffee and toast I like to write about myself, at least what I understand regarding my way of life. I hope that keeping lists, notes and casual whatnots about my life will help. It is my intention that these words may be of use to somebody some day. I feel bad for the poor bastard who needs these words.

Today’s page is titled ~

The Man Who Forgot to Die
~ I did not cheat death but forgot, so I remembered later, much later
~ No supernatural gifts or powers that I know of
~ No special diet or exercise program, in truth I am a slovenly lad
~ No fountain of youth or magical elixirs
~ Not a vampire
~ Not cursed, that I know of
~ Not blessed, that I know of
~ I do not pray or meditate or talk with the dead
~ Never studied on how to sustain long life
~ I did buy a juice machine off of a late night infomercial, maybe that had something to do with it? Probably not. I only used the juicer twice. Beet and celery juice is dreadful…
~ Spent a long time in a coma or hibernation or deep suspended sleep. The doctors never did agree on what to call it

*****
Twelve years ago I walked out of Saint Clair Memorial Hospital with three Kurt Vonnegut novels, two Beatles CD’s and the complete Pittsburgh Steelers decade of champions history of the 1970's in my head and not much else.

I knew how to tie my shoes and how to find my way home. I knew where I kept the coffee and how to find the post office. I even remembered my way through the local woods and short cuts to get across town.

What I couldn’t remember was:

~ My name
~ Age
~ If I had parents
~ If I had siblings
~ If I went to school or held a job
~ Was I liked or was I a self-absorbed wanker
~ Did I know love, did I break hearts or have my heart broken
~ Indian, Thai or Italian?
~ Why on earth my closet was filled up with tie-dye t-shirts, black skinny ties and a large woolly sweater with leather patches covering the elbows?
~ What was disco?

Nobody was quite sure how long my stay in Saint Clair Memorial Hospital was or even how I got there.

When I arrived at Saint Clair’s their record-keeping system consisted of hand-written notes on 3x5 white index cards that a nurse would type up in some meaningful order for the next physician to use.

When I left, patient information was readily available on something they called smart-phones that had no resemblance to a phone at all, more like a hand-held calculator with no numbers. A flat screen that gave you information when you touched it, as far as I could tell it responded to your thoughts and finger’s needs.

A doctor would walk into my room pull out this tiny black plastic gadget, wave his fingers over it and tell me that my vitals are looking good. Next the black-plastic-calculator-looking gadget would ring or chirp or play music and that was the warning sign that the doctor would say good-bye to me and walk out of the room.

With the switch from the pen to wireless technology my medical history was lost, the majority of it anyway. Dating my stay in the hospital it would appear that I have been here at least 23 years, best guess.

For the past seven years I had the same nurse; Dolores.

Dolores filled me in on much of what happened. She was the one who would read me the Vonnegut novels and play the Beatles music for me. Dolores felt sorry for me that nobody ever came to visit. Those novels and music were her son’s favorites during the wars that he was in.

Wars? What did I miss?

Dolores told me about how her son gave his life for us in a war and how the world has fallen into a world of terror, sac-religion and worst of all you can watch it all on the tellie.

So, Dolores would sit with me and mourn her son. Trying to comfort me with some of his favorite things even though I was sleeping. Dolores the Kind Nurse.

One day I awoke in Saint Clair Memorial Hospital with Dolores the Kind Nurse sitting next to me.

I was refreshed, strong and ready to go. I could bend over and touch my toes, I could do push-ups, was not sore or achy. My muscles should have been atrophied and deteriorating, but they were not. I had energy.

The explanation that the doctors had for me was that I was in a different state of consciousness during my long stay at the hospital. I was neither awake nor sleeping or dreaming. I was in an “alternate state of consciousness” was all they could figure.

They diagnosed it this way because apparently my heartbeat and brainwave activity continuously stayed the same. Neither slowing down nor speeding up. I am told that when you’re in a coma or asleep you will still have changes in brainwave activity and heart rate. I did not.

The comparison they gave me was that my brainwave activity and heart rate could be qualified as a marathon runner, running at peak condition that never altered pace or thoughts, for 23 years non stop.

To the doctors I was neither man nor angel or demon. I was unexplainable. This alternate state of consciousness left me ageless.

I aged but less; I grew strong during my absence.

I had some gray hairs on my chin and flecks of gray in my hair but I was muscular with little to no body fat. I had no wrinkles or age spots on my skin. I stood tall, well built with good posture and bone structure.

The experience should have left me decaying; in reverse it made me trans-human.

Three days after my awakening, with clarification from Kind Nurse Dolores, a barrage of questioning and tests from the medical staff, I walked out of Saint Clair Memorial Hospital with 3 Vonnegut novels, 2 Beatles CD’s and a hug from Kind Nurse Dolores.

Shortly after leaving the hospital I found out that I had become some sort of media-medical-celebrity. Everybody recognized me from the tellie, newspapers and Internet hoopla…but no one remembered me.

What type of blimey bastard must of I been? Twenty-three plus years in a hospital with no visitors and now all this media-medical-hype and still no one remembered me. I left this world and went to sleep and nobody missed me…

Over the next few years people began to think of me as this strange trans-human-being. People would walk up to me and ask all sorts of questions about my alternate state of consciousness. I favored calling it my “long-afternoon-nap”, but nobody seemed to care what I preferred.

Questions regarding the afterlife, heaven, hell, purgatory; they would want me to lay hands on them or they wanted to touch my hair for good luck. They would ask for my blessing over them or to heal their sick.

I had no answers for them. No gifts of wisdom to give them.

“Surely that occurrence must have had existential meaning to it”, they would say, or “What did you see” or “What did you learn”, they would ask of me.

Sorry to report—no visions, no knowledge, no memory…

It was disappointing to see their faces when I told them the only truth that I knew, which was “Sorry, I can not help you.”

After a while of not being able to stand all the disillusionment that I was causing in the masses, I decided to start giving one blank statement to all the hundreds of questions; Be Nice.

Be Nice ~ that was it, that was all I could come up with. Not much of a curbside prophesy but I figured with a statement like that I could do no harm.

Just like that I became “The Man Who Forgot To Die”, walking the streets telling people to “Be Nice” to one another. It looks as if nobody was listening at any rate. No wonder why I took my-long-afternoon-nap.

*****

Passing a church bake sale I could smell fresh apple pies. I remembered that I liked apple pie but I could not remember if I ever held a job or went on a date. Go figure.

I walked down into the church basement and heard my name spoken out load for the very first time and at that moment it all came back to me, my existence, my purpose, and my name.

I nun falls to her knees in front of me and said,

“Dear God”.

“Yes”, I answer.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T08:30:00.001-05:00

~ See you all next Monday, have a great holiday...

Peace ~ John

Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer

2009-11-24T09:28:00.002-05:00

Pittsburgh PA, Light Up Night 11/20/09

2009-11-23T07:34:00.003-05:00

Purposeful Blogging Workshop

2009-11-20T07:41:00.002-05:00

Every photographer that I have ever met struggles with the same issues:

I am too busy running my business; I have no time for creative new work. How do I get more time?

Or

It’s too important for me to keep creating so I have no time to run my business. How do I get more time?

These questions will be answered at my Purposeful Blogging workshop.

"Purposeful Blogging is a marketing tool for photographers who want to grow their business by building an audience through the use of new communication models. Blogging for your business is a demonstration of your skill and representation of who you are. This workshop with Photographer will introduce you to techniques that can help you launch your business into the blogosphere.”

This is workshop of must-have information on how to build your audience thru blogging and how to sustain you business.

Date: January 30, 2010
Location: 502 W. North Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Time: 1 – 4pm
Cost: $55. 00
Class: limited to 15 people
Contact Elizabeth Craig at 724.355.9079 or by email at craigphotography@mac.com for more information and to register.

AND DON'T FORGET:

Pittsburgh Light Up Night – Photo Walk
Friday November 20th 7pm
Meet up: West End Overlook
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, tripod and warm clothes ~ it will be very cold and crowed on the overlook.

Moment

2009-11-18T08:30:00.002-05:00

Current Reading: Financial Lives Of The Poets by Jess Walters
Current Music: Revolver (remaster) By The Beatles
Mood: Breathing
Sounds: Kazoo
Smells: Coffee
Temperature: 57 degrees
Thoughts: Why did it take me so long to discover the novels by Jess Walters?

Photo of the Week

2009-11-17T09:08:00.002-05:00

Camera: Nikon D700
Exposure: 0.05 sec (1/20)
Aperture: f/3.2
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 1600

Last Week

2009-11-16T07:49:00.002-05:00

This is what I remember from last week:

~ My daughter fell in love with the word poopie & mass-eating of cantaloupe
~ My wife bought me slippers that sound like I am walking in high heels when I walk across hardwood floors.
~ I spent too many half hours watching FOX news followed by half hours of MSNBC news. It left me feeling half baked.
~ Planet Green Television is the best network ever. Emeril Green & Renovation Nation are good TV.
~ Read “The Financial Lives of The Poets” by Jess Walter. Walter is my new favorite writer.
~ I discovered what happens when an observant man loses the ability to observe.
~ Bought the re-mastered Beatles album Revolver. Love it. It is the first time you can actually hear an improvement in sound quality. McCartney can play bass.
~ Photographed a painting inside an art gallery. is photographing art, art?
~ Saw Santa Clause, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan and Aladdin all in one place, local mall…
~ Drank a lot of ginger tea
~ Steelers lost to the Bengals, twice, ARRGHH..

AND DON'T FORGET:

Pittsburgh Light Up Night – Photo Walk
Friday November 20th 7pm
Meet up: West End Overlook
Cost: Free
What to bring: Camera, tripod and warm clothes ~ it will be very cold and crowded on the overlook.

Please e-mail me at jecraig@mac.com if you plan on attending, need to get a head count.

Time Off

2009-11-10T09:11:00.001-05:00

See you next week...

Workshops now booking...(see here)

New Workshop Dates Announced

2009-11-09T08:12:00.007-05:00

Photo Walk - Monday November 9th ~ CANCELED due to illness

2009-11-08T11:51:00.001-05:00

~ Please spread the word... Will reschedule.