fluidity in your house

i have put a book of my fluidity project together that is now for sale at blurb.com. you can get to the book by clicking the link below. i kept the price as low as possible (i will only make $10.00 off of any of the sales) so i wouldn't break anyones bank.

so buy buy buy. you only live once right?

fluidity

By josh ritchie

Book Preview

a night of firsts or fists either one is fine

last night i got to shoot my first mixed martial arts fight. i have shot a little bit of boxing in the past, so i felt like i knew what to expect.

there were 13 fights, three of which i was covering for my client, so i decided to shoot most of what was going on just for me. i felt like i really wanted some time to play. some time to rediscover the photographer with in me, and not just be the guy who is worried about all of the stuff i have to do in the office, or who my next client will be. it was a great escape.

i spent the a lot of the evening becoming a kid again. exploring different angles, and just trying stuff to see what would happen. it was so liberating and educational at the same time. most importantly i now know who i need to shoot for every time i pick up the camera. ME!!!

i ended up with eight photos that i feel took my vision in a different direction, and are good enough to show the world.

september 2008 newsletter

the september version of my monthly newsletter is up and running. it will keep you up to date on where my photography has been taking me, and the new images that i am showing to the world on my online portfolio.

you can view it at...

http://photojosh.com/newsletter

and you can subscribe to via the link on this blog, or by going to...

http://photojosh.com/newsletter/subscribe.html

enjoy!

photojosh.com 2.1

once again i have updated my website www.photojosh.com. the new version includes links to this blog, my newsletter, and a new picture category entitled "a love affair". the images in this category are from a portrait project i did about men and their love for their high end cars back in july and august.

please feel free to take a look. and never feel bad about loitering. it's totally allowed.

lest we forget

i am always amazed at how children seem to know intuitively the right thing to do at the right time. most adults i know either are too busy with daily life, too jaded from everything that life has thrown at them, or have many excuses to not care about things the way a lot kids i have met do.

case in point. i followed three young brothers, between the ages of 18 and 8, around today as they placed flags around their neighborhood in honor of the 9/11 anniversary. the placed a flag at every mailbox, every fire hydrant (in memory of the fire fighters), every utility pole, and every traffic control sign. i know we all care about what happened that day, but these three kids have been doing something every year to show it.

kudos

the silent majesty of a sunrise

there is something that happens to a person when the sun pokes it's head through the waters of the atlantic. something renewing. something primal.

as the sky becomes a canvas for a solar painting the world's inhabitants stop in awe of the shear beauty.

it's the earth's promise that each day will bring something new, and it is never too late to start over.

i just wish it didn't happen so damn early.

quickie

of all of the professional athletes i have photographed mma fighters are the coolest. they tend to be very open to having their portrait taken, and take instruction pretty well. now if i could just get their pr guys to give me more time.

this is urijah faber. i had about 15 minutes, including set up, to make this image which was taken to go with a story on his upcoming fight in hollywood, fl. i used two lights both with grid spots, a 20 degree and a 30 degree. both were placed across from each other while the subject was placed in between so the exposure of each light was the same. the final exposure for this shot was 1/250, f-14 @ asa 100.

i really wanted to make him look like a bad ass that could beat the living snot out of you, so i decided not to use fill to lighten the shadow on his face and eyes. i did shoot a couple of images that were less dramatic, but i this one accomplished what i set out to do.

best of luck urijah

a near miss

hurricane gustav had everyone in new orleans on edge. everyone was fearing the worst. i heard reports that some of the levees on the western edge of town may fail and there may be some significant flooding in the city again.

i got a call at 10:30 on sunday night from a client saying they wanted to send me. i knew i was behind the eight ball with the storm scheduled to make land fall on monday, but i decided to catch a flight into birmingham, al (which was the closest open airport) and make the 5 hour drive to the city. along the way i hit some pretty heavy rain and mildly gusty winds which contributed to making my trip 3 hours longer. once i got to the city i was relieved to see that the storm had caused only minor damage and all of the levees had held. there very few images to be made (except for an empty bourbon street) by the time i got there, but i was glad to see that the more than 2 million evacuees would be able to return with their homes still standing.

i guess if these things are gonna happen i want to be the guy who can help the affected people by telling their stories. i wish that they wouldn't happen, but i will be there when they do.