Scottsdale Six Drive-In Theater ...Now Closed.

An image I shot back on July 5th, 2011 after a huge dust storm we had here over the Phoenix area. I was driving to the gym a couple hours after the storm came thru and about an hour or so after it had passed, and the route I mostly drive to the gym is past the Scottsdale SIx Drive-In Theater. I noticed the projection light piercing thru the air, and thought that has to be the dust in the air filtering the light as I've never noticed it like this before 1,000 other times I've driven by this at night. So I said screw the gym, I went back home and got my camera and tripod, and here's what I came up with. This was shot about 11:30pm. I was pretty satisfied with the result so blowing off the gym to go back home and get the camera was well worth it.

Super Moon - March 19th 2011

So this was the once every 18 years "Super Moon". I really didn't think it was that "Super". I got out a good 20-30 minutes later than I should have (I would have got to shoot it a little lower in the sky had I got out a little earlier), but overall, nothing is Super about this moon. I've seen the moon around Halloween and at other points throughout the year and it's low and big early in the evening - no bigger than I can tell during these other times of the year where the moon is big and bold, but I'm sure NASA knows better than me and when they say it's the largest appearance the moon will have in 18 years, it's probly slightly bigger than other times during the year, but nontheless still bigger even if minimally so. But I'm glad I shot it so I'm not fixating on what I might have missed!

My Latest Photo

I've wanted to do this photo of my grandmothers hands for about two years and hadn't done so on previous trips to NJ ...so while I was there earlier this month I finally shot some photos of her 94 year old hands.  It was the day I was leaving and went over to say bye to her, and not knowing how they would come out before I started, I was getting some ok shots with the natural light coming thru the doors from what I could see on my cameras LCD screen. You don't always know until you load the images on the computer and start working with them, but sometimes you can get an idea if you got something to work with. My main concern was light and would it come out good enough to work with in Aperture.  (I don't do a lot with my images as far as post production and I only have Aperture on my Apple Laptop.  If I need something done more than I'm capable of and Photoshopped, then I send them to this really good Graphic Designer I use from time to time.)  So this photo came out well when I converted it to black and white and I'm pretty happy with the result.  It came out just as good as I envisioned it so I might be able to leave this shot alone and not revisit it.  If you know me, if I shoot a photo I really want, and it doesn't come out how I wanted or is lacking something, I'll shoot it again, and again, until I get it right.  I don't think I can do anything more with this shot other than be happy with the result.  Anyway, I hope you like it.  

Here's some photos from Ashley's and Kenny's Wedding at the Gainey Gold Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.  I was an assistant to a local photographer (Anne McCarthy - http://www.onefinedayphotography.blogspot.com) and made a great contact with her 2nd camera man James Baker (http://www.2LifePhotography.com) who's already taught me a thing or two.  Since I pretty much never make use of this Blog space I have here, I thought I might as well start using it and so I've posted up some of the images I was able to get this past Saturday, April 25th.

Anne...

Jim realizing I'm too old to learn new tricks so he found someone younger and more trainable...

More "About Me"

I've been shooting Photography for over 20 years since high school and have gone from the early days of it being a hobby, to the present where I do a fair amount of paid work. I thought I'd try and use this Blogspot to post some of my photography and be able to talk about it, as well as fill in some info about myself since my website doesn't have any info about me. I'd like to link it with my website and be able to talk about some of the new things I work on and post on my website. I've got plenty of updating to do on both my website and blog ...I know I'm getting around to it. I've got lots of new stuff to add to my site and I'm trying to figure out how to make this blog useful to myself and to the few friends who visit it ...along with hopefully making some new online friends who share similar interests, as well as become interested some new things that have interested me for a while, like health, wellness, eating right, and doing it yourself home improvement. I'm also very passionate about animals and animal welfare. I despise people who abuse, abandon, or treat animals in any way as a lower form of life. What else ...I am from Roselle Park, NJ (a little over 15 miles from Lower Manhattan to give you a reference point), and after getting my Associates Degree from Union County College (Cranford, NJ) in 1992, I transferred to Arizona State in Tempe. I've been here since August '92 when I was 21 and it's safe to say I've done my adult growing up out here. I still visit NJ regularly as just about all my family is there, so even though I've been in AZ all these years, I'm not distant or displaced from having NJ in my life. It's where I'm from, I loved growing up there, but have enjoyed living out west all these years. I still see myself being out west for many years but eventually would like to be a seasonal resident and go back and forth. Realistically that will most liked be once I'm in retirement. Drop me a line, ask me anything you'd like to know.

Finally - Some Content On My Website

After 4 years of having it up (www.nickflorio.com) but with nothing more than my logo on the main page and a few photos floating around, this weekend I've finally released Version 1.1 as I'll call it. Version 1.0 would be the one I just mentioned with nothing really on it other then the fact that it's been a hosted site and had my logo, some random photos, and had a hyperlink to my email. Currently there's not a lot of images up but it's a start. I have some of my really good stuff up and then some so-so stuff up. I think I might only have 5 really good photos anyway in all my years enjoying photography! So much for giving myself credit. I currently have 23 images up to be exact and it's very simple to navigate thru.

If you visit my site, I hope you enjoy some of my photos and I look to actively add a lot more this upcoming year as I aspire to accelerate in my photography interests. Also, I will eventually go thru my 35mm film negatives dating back to 1989 thru 2006 ('06 is when I last shot film and bought my digital camera). On my site (as of today - Jan 13th 2007), the only two photos that are Not Digital you'll see are the first two on my site - the "Stage Entrance" and the American Flag are 35mm b&w film.

My 2008 goals are to focus on lighting techniques (using light and controlling it) as I get more into photographing people - headshots, casual, swimsuit, pretty much any portfolio work people want. Eventually get a lighting kit and some backdrops to shoot indoors (I'll probly take a workshop in lighting this year). And if you didn't know this about me, I've always loved signs - neon signs and mostly old vintage Motels, so I look to build up my neon motel sign gallery this year. I'm also looking to build a gallery of tattoos. Neat or unique tatts, just focusing on the art of it. I don't have tatts myself, but have always taken a liking to them. That's something more new in my interests ...so off I go to photographing more People, more Motel Signs, and some Tatts. Feel free to contact me if you might have anything to contribute (i.e. you know of an old Motel you'd like to inform me about, or you or a friend has a kool tatt).

Nick
www.nickflorio.com