James Newton Howard is undoubtedly one of the greatest film composers alive today. Already, I may sound nerdish (which is true...), but I promise that there is a Crimson Fox point to this. Of the few film score lovers out there, some may disagree with my appreciation for Howard, but he is undoubtedly responsible for my two most memorable music listening experiences.
The first was when I sat down to watch the film
Signs in the theater some years ago (2003, was it?). In the span of two minutes, his intro to the film builds through a number of integrated yet unique tonal cues that call back to the works of score legend Bernard Hermann. At each turn, I felt more and more compelled to leap from my seat but decided to save myself the embarrassment and simply internalize my excitement.
My second memorable experience was while watching
The Great Debaters. Oftentimes, I'm aware of the film composer responsible for the score to a film before I sit down to watch, however this was one of those cases where I did not. Whenever I don't know the composer ahead of time, I listen to the music intently as I try to predict who it is. Most often, as long as it's not a nobody, I get it right, but this time I couldn't seem to settle on it. Was it James Newton Howard? James Horner? Rachel Portman?
I struggled with it up until one defining moment in the middle of the film entitled "Train to Boston"...my revelation being all the more magnificent because it was perhaps the most beautiful part of the score so far. The beauty of the revelation was how it slowly solidified on me, sounding like Howard more and more as it built to a huge smile on my face as I finally knew it was him. The beauty of the music itself was the synergy of its conflicting tones, the sadness of the moment was ironically also hopeful and victorious; Howard truly captured this nuanced moment in the music and it moved me so.
Crimson Fox is about those nuances. Yes, I will always strive to give Photography customers of mine what, on the surface, looks like the beautiful work that they so faithfully hire me for. But my vision is to give each photograph a soul of its own - to capture their moment for every nuance that it has to offer..for those who care to look beyond the surface. Those nuances - like the genuinely proud mother who will nonetheless miss her college-bound child so much - that emotional complexity is what makes life so interesting and so precious; it is the foundation of stories told and Photography has the power to tell those stories. If I continue to grow as an artist and I've done my job, then I will capture those nuances properly to let others remember and share the beauty of the life they've lived...and ones viewing it will become a part of those moments as if they've lived those moments themselves.
Even the richest photograph will always just serve as no more than a slice of life, but I will always always shoot for so much more.
I loved my time at the newspaper some years ago because of the diverse photog opportunities it presented, and some exciting things are happening yet again! I'm noticing a spike in the wedding leads coming in, which may be from some of the Valentine's Day proposals or just people in preparation for the coming Fall 2009 / Spring 2010 season in general. I had a great wedding consultation yesterday with a fellow North Carolinian who will be having their special day here in Arizona. These mounting leads are important to take notice of since summer in Phoenix will make for some almost non-existent on-location portrait sessions. However, Concerts in the Park is coming up for Spring, as is Prom season, and the club scene is sure to be hoppin' throughout the Summer, so I look forward to shooting the nightlife around the Valley.
I've had some new equipment come my way, which is definitely exciting. I've been proud of my ability to make use of the "lower end" kit that I had, but part of the game is brand image in some ways. Myself and other professional photographers could probably work some above average wonder with a point-and-shoot camera, but what kind of faith would you put in a professional who shows up with "equipment" on par with your own? Of course, the mantra still remains that it's the photographer that makes the photograph, not the equipment. I've been participating in Photography clubs in my area, thereby meeting some great people, and engaging in some very interesting discussions in various forums online...all a part of further honing my craft.
The work that can be seen on the Crimson Fox website is clear evidence of how much I have grown in eight years of Photography, but my new lens, additional flash with wireless capabilities, and light modifiers (despite their resemblance to Tupperware) has given me some additional flexibility. With this flexibility comes a new yet welcome learning curve; I am excited about the wedding I just completed a couple of weeks ago and the one that is to come in another two weeks. For the wedding coming up, I've rented an additional camera and lens (Canon 5D with a 70-200mm f2.8) to serve as backup, which will be the trend from now on. It's just that little extra edge to ensure that each moment is captured in the best possible way.
