Drawing with Light: the Photoblog of Charlie Doerner

Warrior Racing 8/05

2011-08-13T16:03:00.003-05:00

I took up sailing recently. I love the ocean, so it's really just another excuse for me to be out and enjoying the water. On Friday evenings, the St. Petersburg Yacht Club holds a race that starts about two hours before sunset. I was lucky to have been invited to sail on Warrior the past few races so last week I brought my camera to catch some of the action in that great summer evening light. The crew on Warrior is an awesome bunch of people and a talented group of sailors. Between their friendly jabs at one another and watching them sail the boat, I had a great time shooting the race. Below are my selects from the day.

Florida Sinkhole Insurance for The Wall Street Journal

2011-04-04T16:11:00.003-05:00

Last week I photographed Timothy Abbey, an advocate for legislation to help reduce the number of illegitimate sinkhole insurance claims. The number of claims in Florida has been on the rise in recent years. You can check out the article here.

Yankees Spring Training for The Wall Street Journal

2011-03-31T22:48:00.003-05:00

We have a lot of New York fans in the Tampa Bay area. My mom is from Jersey and is a die-hard Yankee. I grew up watching the team, before the Rays came to town and even after (c'mon, they were pretty terrible in the beginning). So, the opportunity to photograph them during spring practice was pretty exciting. There was also a good amount of nervousness, as this was my first time shooting baseball, not to mention MLB. But I survived, made some photos and Derek Jeter even talked to me (okay, so he technically yelled at me, but whatever). These are my favorites from my time at George M. Steinbrenner field. Only one of them ran in the paper but I think together they give a good look at what I saw.

St. Pete Grand Prix

2011-03-25T18:52:00.002-05:00

Lonely Nights

2011-03-19T12:31:00.001-05:00

Recent Work, 1/2011

2011-01-21T19:54:00.002-05:00

Pictures of the Year

2010-12-27T18:18:00.002-05:00

Seems like everyone is posting a recap of their year in photos. I'm not sure I feel comfortable calling these my best photos from this year, but they are some that stood out to me as important for different reasons. All the photos, except for the wedding one, are from formal personal projects or from shooting my daily life.

Tess

2010-11-06T13:48:00.004-05:00

Pets are awesome. Aside from Tess, I'm usually home alone during the day most weeks, so it's nice to have her around when I'm bored. She's a great model and she works for treats! These were shot with a Bronica SQ on Fuji 400H.

Tess was the runt of of the litter but I'm not so sure she knew how small she was. Even though she was just skin and bones for a while, she was pretty tenacious and always wanted to play. Here is a video of her when she was really young, and pretty darn cute too.

Superheroes

2010-10-01T18:07:00.002-05:00

I photographed a movie-to-DVD release party where I heard there was going to be a superhero costume contest. Three web-slinging Spidermen (who I followed to the bar at a nearby Chili's), Wolverine, a fading green Hulk, Kick-Ass and several other heroes were in attendance. Clicking away with my camera, I suppose I might have been confused for Peter Parker.

Katie and Justin's Wedding

2010-09-16T12:36:00.002-05:00

I had the opportunity to assist Chad Pilster a little while back when he shot Katie and Justin's beautiful wedding in Clearwater. It was my first time working a wedding so I was excited but nervous. It was great to be teamed up with Chad and his second shooter that day, Chip Litherland, for my first wedding shooting experience. It was a lot of work but a very fun day and I learned a lot from them both. I'm definitely excited to shoot more weddings in the future. Here are some of the images I took that day.

Squares

2010-09-08T13:37:00.005-05:00

I really enjoy shooting with the Bronica SQ I picked up recently. I used to be afraid of cropping images square. Somewhere along the line I really began to appreciate medium format and the square. These images are from the first roll I shot through the Bronica, random days last week. I went back and forth between using my DSLR as a meter and estimating the exposure with the Sunny 16 rule, but I just bought a meter to use in the future. I'm still figuring the limits of this camera out (getting tack sharp focus when looking through the viewing screen is harder then I expected) but am excited about using it for some projects in the future.

noise

2010-09-07T23:27:00.000-05:00

stillness

2010-09-06T19:19:00.002-05:00

Food

2010-09-01T17:06:00.002-05:00

Food photography is challenging for me. I can cook pretty well but when it comes time to make a picture I seem to have trouble. Getting food to look like more then stock photography is particularly tough. So today I decided to get some practice in with some stuff I had around the house: a shredded chicken chili I made last night, some cherries and a few peanut butter cookies leftover from my sister's birthday.

Caylen's Sweet Sixteen

2010-08-22T15:21:00.002-05:00

I took some pictures for my sister during her Sweet Sixteen party. I shot portraits of her and her friends on the beach, but I liked these better. Happy Birthday little sis!!

Geekfest

2010-08-03T14:21:00.002-05:00

The best little photo gathering is back again! It's almost time for Geekfest 2010 in sunny St. Petersburg, FL. As always, the wonderful Melissa Lyttle has lined up a rockstar crew of photographers from across the country to come give a big dose of wisdom and inspiration. Check out the flyer and head on over to A Photo A Day to register now!

Stuck in the Back

2010-07-15T16:31:00.002-05:00

On the drive home from North Carolina I was somehow tricked into sitting in the very back. All 6'3" of me shared the tiny backseat with several suitcases. Needless to say, I needed something to distract me for the 12 hour drive. I shot the ride home with my Nikon FM and some expired film.

I keep going back and forth on the results I get from this camera/film combo. Sometimes is great. Other times not so much. The light leaks have become my least favorite surprise from this camera. Somehow on this roll I got two exposures to overlap. Not really sure how that happened but it has an interesting look. Regardless, its good for shooting random stuff like this.

2010-07-13T22:39:00.001-05:00

Pottery. NC.

2010-07-12T12:37:00.001-05:00

The calm cool waters of the Oconaluftee River. Cherokee, NC.

Family Vacation

2010-07-07T10:22:00.003-05:00

Here are some portraits I shot of my family while on vacation in North Carolina.

Natural North Carolina

2010-06-27T11:17:00.002-05:00

Last week we made a family trip into the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina. I photographed the trip with a light-leaky Nikon EM and a bunch of expired film.

Site update: Cowboy Action

2010-05-26T22:02:00.002-05:00

There is new work on my website! Take a minute and go check it out!

Friends

2010-05-24T21:49:00.003-05:00

I am so grateful for all of my friends. Whether they are drinking buddies, study partners, sports teammates, comedic relief or, of course, photography subjects, I am thankful for every role my friends play in my life. I know without them I wouldn't be who I am today. I love you guys! (And now for some embarrassing pictures of the brave ones who let me take their photos! Yay!)

Florida Outlaws

2010-05-22T14:57:00.002-05:00

American Cowgirl

Bareback Johnny

Muleskinner Carol

Budroo

'The' Nickster

Two Tone John

2010-05-18T07:50:00.003-05:00

Corcoran Kid

2010-05-16T16:44:00.003-05:00

Myakka City, FL

Roots

2010-05-14T10:01:00.000-05:00

This is where I come from.

Cowboy Action - Antelope Junction

2010-05-09T10:16:00.003-05:00

Cowboy Action Shooting is a sport that has been growing in popularity in recent years. The Single Action Shooting Society, the sport's largest governing body, has gone from just a few thousand members in the early 90's to near a hundred thousand today. Here is my first take from a monthly match of the Antelope Junction Rangers in Clearwater, FL.

Neighborhood Health Clinic for Guideposts Magazine 2

2010-05-05T14:46:00.002-05:00

Here's how the images I shot for Guideposts Magazine ran in their April 2010 issue. It also ran online. See more on my previous post.

From the Archive: Sky Surf

2010-04-24T16:13:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite photos. Maybe I should add it to my portfolio. What do you think?

Broadway Burning

2010-04-07T21:06:00.003-05:00

Walking home from Central Park, I noticed a bunch of fire trucks coming from all directions. I stopped to check out what all the commotion was about. Turns out there was an electrical fire under 53rd street at Broadway. It moved along the street, only visible where it burst through a manhole. At one point there was an explosion which sent chunks of concrete flying in all directions. It seemed as if the entire New York Fire Department was there and slowly the crowd watching grew as well. In the end, 7 fire fighters were treated for injuries, the block was evacuated and the streets shut down for several hours, but the fire was put out.

Nail Polish

2010-03-28T17:05:00.003-05:00

Just some beauty stills I shot for Shape.

Grillin

2010-03-26T20:18:00.002-05:00

Shot lots of stills for Shape today. Most of the day was spent learning how to shoot nail polish. I still have a gnarly headache from inhaling it for five or six hours. I'll leave those for another post. I got to finish of the day shooting this grill. It was fun because basically I had my lights and a bunch of office supplies. I built a makeshift studio out of paper, foam board and other things at were around the office. This is how I shoot most things at Shape. Lots of paper. Lots of tape. Below are a couple of the results, plus the set-up. Basically, just two lights and some bounce. Umbrella on the left. Snoot (made out of paper, of course) on the left to hit the inside. Hopefully it looks okay. This was my first attempt at silhouetting an image in post.

Snow Daze

2010-03-24T20:57:00.002-05:00

These photos didn't really have a home, but that's what the blog is for so I figured I'd give them some life.

2/26/2010
Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY

Happy Times, Left Behind

2010-03-22T21:51:00.003-05:00

Bar 4, Brooklyn, NY
Cellphone Picture

Neighborhood Health Clinic for Guideposts Magazine

2010-03-20T21:17:00.005-05:00

In December, I shot the Neighborhood Health Clinic in Naples, Florida, for Guideposts Magazine. It was my first paid shoot for a magazine and I was very nervous! The Lascheids were very nice and a pleasure to photograph. Below is how it ran online and some outtakes.

Over the Brooklyn Bridge

2010-03-13T19:47:00.002-05:00

Brooklyn Bridge, NYC, New York

Hydrants

2010-02-28T20:19:00.002-05:00

For some reason I find these fire hydrants interesting. After it snows, they kind of remind me of mushrooms popping out of the snow.
Nikon EM. Expired Fuji 800 and Kodak 400 film.

Fly

2010-02-23T16:46:00.001-05:00

Noticed these while going through my archive.

Chinese New Year

2010-02-21T18:33:00.002-05:00

Chinese New Year 2010, Chinatown, New York, NY

Dune

2010-01-02T14:42:00.003-05:00

Treasure Island, Florida.
Holga. Fuji Reala 100.

Film Scanner!

2009-12-28T20:58:00.002-05:00

I got a CanoScan 8800F for Christmas so I scanned a bunch of film tonight. It's pretty easy to do with this scanner, but I still have to practice and get better at it. All of these, except for the two rectangles, are medium format shot with a Holga or Kodak BrownieCam. I really want a real medium format camera. The two rectangles are from a Nikonos V. Some of the scans had a dark band going across it and I'm not sure what is causing that. Another thing I need to figure out. Anyhow, enough talk. Look:

Power

2009-12-18T12:03:00.003-05:00

A few pictures from the coal power plant in Palatka, FL. Taken with my cell phone while assisting Alex McKnight on a shoot.

Uni

2009-12-14T14:12:00.001-05:00

Help Portrait

2009-12-13T11:39:00.003-05:00

A few photos from yesterday's Help-Portrait event.

Tata and Cedo

2009-11-13T13:28:00.003-05:00

My grandparents visiting from Arizona.

Arabic Food

2009-11-13T13:20:00.003-05:00

Kelaya, made from beef, onions, jalepeno and tomato sauce, and Bamya, okra, onions and tomato sauce.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-28T21:48:00.003-05:00

Carved this tonight. It was a lot of work and I messed up a little. It should say "Army OF Darkness" but I messed it up. Oh well, I think Bruce Campbell would still be proud.

Tess

2009-10-23T12:34:00.001-05:00

Mahi

2009-10-22T17:59:00.002-05:00

Grilled Teriyaki Mahi Mahi with Jasmine Rice, Peach Salsa and Broccoli.

Lunch

2009-10-13T11:35:00.002-05:00

Grilled chicken and peaches with red wine glaze. I like cooking and shooting food a lot.

Nikonos V

2009-10-07T14:06:00.004-05:00

I was kind of bored this afternoon so I decided to take some product shots of my Nikonos V. I set up some lights and a roll of white paper and went at it. Here is the result.

Incidentally, if anyone is interested in purchasing this camera, it is for sale.

Squalor

2009-09-23T23:01:00.005-05:00

Photos taken with my cell phone camera.

Today my brother and I were charged with the task of cleaning out the property my grandparents own and rent to others in St. Pete. The house, which seems to have been rented by a new set of tenants nearly every year, was, as it always is upon the eviction of the current residents, in a state of complete chaos. Last time we found dogs, crated and starving, inside the back room of the small house. Peeking through the window into the small kitchen I could see that this time there were no animals, only waste from the several dogs and birds, and the tenants themselves, that lived there.

Mounds of garbage filled the small, covered outdoor carport. A sheet covered the filth and when it was removed the smell hit you hard. Even those with the strongest of stomaches would have been tested. It was impossible not to gag. Had I eaten breakfast I'd have seen it again at that moment. The pile throbbed and moved. Flies buzzed about, angered by our intrusion into their domain. When we finished clearing the pile we had filled our 30 gallon garbage can 4 times over and underneath it all the floor moved like a white carpet.

All around the home was evidence that children had lived there. At times it was hard to tell if the toys were meant for the large dogs the tenants kept or their children. Probably both shared them. Neighbors said they tried to help the children, who often had lice, but that child protective services was never called.

At one point a pair of people showed up in the back alley. They were collecting metal to sell to the recyclers. Immediately the woman began digging into the garbage which I could not even stand to be near. I tried to warn her that it wasn't safe and could make her sick, because of the bird feces and other things that were mixed in the trash. She didn't speak english and couldn't understand my warning. The man who I assumed was her husband followed us around the yard as we handed him pieces of metal, aluminum cans and an old bike frame. They were appreciative and waved goodbye as they finished loading their trailer and left the alley. I think they serve a great purpose in our society by recycling the materials that would be otherwise thrown away.

My parents are talking, again, about the repairs and upgrades that need to be done on the house. It's just another point in the cycle of restoration and destruction as one set of people follows those before them. I'm not sure if the house will ever reach the standard that they hold for it. The neighborhood is transitioning and is threatened by becoming overrun by drugs and wasting away. All I know is that afterwards I needed two showers to feel clean today, and as I look at the pictures and write this, I feel the same itchiness across my body that I experienced this morning.

Octopus

2009-09-16T18:38:00.001-05:00

I was really inspired by Allison V. Smith at Geekfest. This reminded me of a shot she has of some plugs on a wall. Also reminds me of an octopus robot type creature.

The Beta Bunch

2009-09-14T13:28:00.004-05:00

I know its a bit of a stretch but these betas kind of reminded me of the Brady Bunch.

Geekfest 2009

2009-09-13T20:52:00.000-05:00

A few images from this incredible and amazing weekend.

Arizona, Part 1

2009-08-23T23:13:00.004-05:00

In Arizona, visiting family and taking pictures. Below are my cousins Ellora, three, Aidan, five, and Evan, one.

Squeeze

2009-08-18T10:09:00.001-05:00

Photo Illustration

Mini Tess

2009-07-29T21:38:00.003-05:00

Going through my archived images. Sorting it all out in Aperture. Tess just turned 1 (I think). Look how cute she used to be! Tiny too! (The white paper is resting on the seat of a chair!)

Coco Cay Holga

2009-07-20T12:04:00.002-05:00

A few shots with the Holga at Coco Cay, Bahamas. These are scanned prints. It's now painfully obvious to me that I need a decent scanner. Also, Soundslides seems to be taking out some of the contrast or reds in the scanned files. Not sure why but anyhow, here it is.

Bahamas

2009-07-07T18:29:00.001-05:00

Time-lapse 2

2009-07-03T18:50:00.009-05:00

This one is leaving Port Canaveral.

Port Canaveral Time-lapse Video from Charlie Doerner on Vimeo.

Cruise Time-lapse

2009-07-03T14:34:00.007-05:00

The first in a pair of time-lapse videos (or maybe stop motion? I'm slightly confused on the difference) I made while on a cruise ship to the Bahamas. The quality isn't the greatest because I didn't plan on making them. So I improvised since I didn't have a tripod (or any way to mount my camera steadily for that matter) or an intervalometer.

This one is while the ship is entering the port in Nassau, Bahamas. The captain actually backed into the port. It was pretty amazing.

Nassau Time-lapse from Charlie Doerner on Vimeo.

Bowl-O-Rama

2009-06-21T14:37:00.002-05:00

Seminole Lanes. Cell phone camera pic.

Lucy

2009-06-18T20:56:00.000-05:00

Lucy by the pool at night. Taken with cell phone.

Hula

2009-06-15T17:21:00.000-05:00

Rain

2009-06-14T13:58:00.001-05:00

CloudBeach

2009-06-14T09:14:00.001-05:00

Zoo

2009-06-01T17:48:00.002-05:00

From a trip to Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. The zoo has seen better days and, despite the fact that it has seen improvements in recent years, attendance seems to be seriously lacking. I remember visiting as a kid and there being lots of people at the zoo. Today, there were very few visitors. It could make an interesting photo story. Below are a few of the photos I took today.

Howl

2009-05-31T16:15:00.003-05:00

One of the greatest bars I have ever visited, Howl at the Moon at Channelside in Tampa is an experience unlike any other. Center stage are two dueling pianos, complete with a trio of witty musicians. On any given night there could be a variety of characters patronizing the bar, from rowdy bachelor and bachelorette parties to chatty singles and couples. If you have the chance, go to Howl at the Moon and be prepared for a wild and amazingly fun night of singing, screaming and drinking. (The photos below were taken with my cell phone.)

Waiting

2009-05-25T16:14:00.002-05:00

"Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends." -Alexander Pope

Tessi-Poo

2009-05-24T23:36:00.002-05:00

Tess equipped with spotlight: +5 VIS; -15 STEALTH stats

Seaside

2009-05-23T18:07:00.002-05:00

The docks by Fish Tales, a restaurant/bar in downtown St. Pete.

XY

2009-04-15T22:29:00.005-05:00

My brother, Chris, and my dad.

Amanda's Piratey 21st

2009-04-13T21:29:00.006-05:00

Arrgh! It be Amanda's 21st birthday, so we commandeered Captain Nemo's Pirate ship and had a mighty grogfest to celebrate.

The good Cap'n taking a prisoner. Parlay!

First matey (Little) Jon

Jolly James (not quite so Jolly)

The wench Ali (Three sheets to the wind)

What's a grogfest without rum? Even if pirate Jeff be just a lad.

The lad pirate Jeff

The birthday wench Amanda

Big Air at Hardrock

2009-04-13T20:59:00.012-05:00

I spent a few hours at the Hardrock Motorcycle Park in Ocala, Florida, with Amanda as she worked on her project about MotoX racing. There were some pros jumping the freestyle ramps and a few kids hanging around to watch. It was really cool, like a free stunt show, and I had the best seat in the house.

Martin Gisborne and Aperture 2

2009-03-26T21:52:00.002-05:00

Today in photo class Martin Gisborne, the Product Marketing Manager for Aperture, came to give us a quick overview of the photo software from Apple. Now only was it interesting and entertaining, but Martin seemed like a pretty cool guy, right down to his charming English accent.

So I knew Aperture existed but was never aware of the total power of the software. I have a feeling the Martin only scratched the surface of what the program is capable of, but even so, it was a convincing lecture. If I owned an Apple computer I wouldn't think of using anything else. Maybe soon after graduation that will be possible.

There are so many powerful tools built into this program that it would seem like a challenge to use. Fortunately, it's so brilliantly designed that most of its functions (or at least the ones we covered in class) are simple enough for anyone to understand and begin using.

Aperture really seems to take advantage of the power of shooting RAW. It also makes dealing with files a non-issue. That is because you never have to even really see the files themselves (unless you want to of course). It makes it easy to story your files in a way that makes sense to you, so you can access them quickly and know where everything is when you need it. Also, because all of the changes you make to the files are non-destructive, you never have to worry about messing up or saving over your original files.

The details in this program also really help to set it apart from other similar ones (like Adobe Lightroom which I am currently using). The way the interface is laid out is exactly what you would expect from Apple: clean, simple and powerful. Also, images can be easily thrown back and forth between several different programs and plug-ins, often without ever leaving the Aperture environment.

Martin explained that Aperture is a database which looks at the changes you make to an image as "recipes" for how to display the image. That means that you can have many different versions of an image while still only working from a single master file. This is also useful for applying a look or change, such as white balance, from one image to many in one action. It also allows you to go back to that master file at anytime and create a new version from scratch.

Overall, Aperture seems like a really powerful software that is a must-have for any serious photographer. I'm sure it has tons of capabilities that we didn't even get into during our short demo. Though I haven't gotten to use it for myself yet, I am excited about what it has to offer and can't wait to try it out.

Three Two One Go!

2009-03-24T13:16:00.004-05:00

I am giving a new start to this blog of mine. Over time it has been lacking in structure and direction, so I will try to give it a little more of both in the posts to follow. In the beginning I intended to use it as a portfolio space for my photographs, however that purpose is being served elsewhere.

I want this to be a space that is professional, but also personal, where I can share what I know and what I do not know. This is, mainly, a photoblog so to that end I will post anything photo related that I find interesting or noteworthy.

Most importantly, I want what I post to be useful. While I am not sure if anyone ever reads any of this, I will do my best to post in a way that will be beneficial to any photo people that come across it. I really do love sharing with others because I think it helps to create a community where knowledge is freely (and enthusiastically) exchanged. So, if you have any questions or anything to add, please leave a comment or send me an email.

Thanks!