Janet Worne - Thoughtful Photography

Hummingbird Mystery

I saw a young visitor out my kitchen window this morning. It made my day. She sat in a yucca tree and groomed herself meticulously--long enough for me to run and fetch my camera and fire off 31 frames. Most of the hummingbirds in our yard are the black-chinned variety. This one had a prominent yellow spot on her beak that I hadn't noticed until I was looking closely at the images blown up on my computer.

I was stumped. A hummer with a yellow spot on its beak? Never heard of one. I looked further. She was cleaning her needle-thin beak with her feet.

A few frames later cleared up the mystery. The yellow must have been pollen, now washed away by the bird's hygienic habits. I'm still not sure, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that this young female is, indeed, a black-chinned hummingbird.

It's definitely adorable.

Asleep At The Wheel

I went to an open air concert last night at the Albuquerque Summerfest and photographed "Asleep At The Wheel". It was like old times. Very, very old times.

Years ago, you could find me leaning against the stage at various concerts with my camera, happily recording the visual moments while savoring the musical feast--for as long as I wanted.

These days, an army of security guards stand by your elbow ready to pounce if you override their strict rules of picture-taking. No flash photography. Only shoot from the tiny prescribed area. Only shoot during the first song. Oh, and first you must sign this document agreeing to turn over all rights to your work and your first born child.

I am exaggerating of course, but only a little. Last night, though, there seemed to be no such restrictions and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Ray Benson on lead guitar and vocals was as entertaining as ever...

And even played his guitar backwards...

Jason Roberts, center, played fiddle and vocals and Eddie Rivers, right, played sax and steel guitar...

Playful Photography

My photos are a result of my relationship with the subject. Sometimes the relationship is fleeting and somewhat one-sided and sometimes protracted and mutual. At times it is contentious and other times, playful.

While in Milan, it was my intention to get back to the Duomo after dinner in time for the best light. But I could see the golden light fading as we approached. I felt deflated and stood in front of the ornate cathedral in frustration, wondering "what do I do now?" That's when a something red to the right of the Duomo caught my eye.

It was "Toy Building N. 1", a futuristic sculpture created by Italo Rota and temporarily installed in the piazza. Okay, this was cool. I love contrasts and this modern, red, odd shape will frame the centuries-old cathedral nicely.

But then the sky darkened and the sculpture lit up and glowed and became the subject.

Then I played with both shapes equally, playing off the contrasts...

That was when I noticed the mirrors in the sculpture and a soundscape surrounded me with indescribable noises that lent a weird sense of disorientation to the scene. At this point I found myself grinning broadly and probably laughed out loud a couple of times.

The night ended as I turned away from the Duomo entirely and took one last shot of the sculpture before tearing myself away.

I love it when I have a playful experience with photography. In those moments I find it very easy to slip into that Zen state where time doesn't exist.

Happy Birthday Heather

Well--almost. My oldest daughter turns 30 (yikes!) on April 25th but I will be out of town then so this birthday wish is a little early.

This was taken 27 years ago on a drive trip across the country. I told her to run up and down a hill, yelling at the top of her lungs, during a rest stop to let off steam. What a cutie!

How To Find Story Ideas

These ideas are not new and you probably have heard them before but sometimes we all reach a dry spell where we need a little nudge. Something to get the creative juices flowing again. This list will get you started and you can take it from there.

1.    Read—newspapers, want ads, phone books—everything and anything. Even the smallest item can trigger a big idea.

2.    Cruise—drive around town without agenda. Venture into unfamiliar areas and just look with an open mind and see what you see.

3.    Talk with people—take the time to chat everywhere you go, especially on routine assignments. You’ll be surprised what people will tell you if you take the time to listen.

4.    Eavesdrop—in restaurants, while standing in line, everywhere…

5.    Listen to the scanner—not everything will be exciting enough to run right out to immediately, but it may trigger an idea to follow up on later.

6.    Keep a notepad with you all the time—it’s a cliché, I know, but I get many great ideas in the middle of the night or when I’m driving.

7.    Get involved in the community—you hear of many things while at church or club meetings.

8.    Network—make friends with police, firefighters, jailers, doctors—anyone who will keep you plugged in to what is going on in their world. Hand out your card and encourage them to call you if they hear of anything photo or story worthy.

A police friend called me at home to tell me about this mentally ill woman. She had been arrested 3 times in the past month alone for wandering into neighbor's homes looking for milk. The police were frustrated by outdated laws that required them to arrest the mentally ill instead of taking them directly to a mental hospital. Here the officer was trying to find someone to help her before finally cuffing her and taking her to jail.

9.    Steal ideas from old contest and other papers—I'm not talking about plagiarism, academic style. Just peruse other papers and magazines for ideas that can be recycled and changed enough to make them your own.

10.    Localize a national news story—the obvious thing is to watch the national news but don’t overlook publications like the Wall Street Journal which is known for spotting upcoming trends.

11.    Check the calendar—you can find “on this day in history” calendars online. Look far enough ahead and find an idea to work on and have ready for publication at the appropriate time.

12.    Make a tree—by this I mean brainstorm. Start with a universal theme like Love as the trunk of the tree. One branch might be Romantic Love, another might be Parental Love, etc. Smaller branches would break it down further and further until you come up with a more specific, usable idea.

13.    Newsletters—get yourself on lots of mailing lists. The junk you have to wade through is a pain but worth it when you find a good idea.

14.    Piggyback—many stories you may be working on have another life or two or possibly more. Check in with past story subjects and see if there is anything worth following up on.

Lucky Me

Horse racing is a sport where luck often goes hand in hand with skill and experience. I’m talking about for the photographers as well as for the jockeys and betters. I shot this photo a split second before they crossed the finish line at Keeneland Race Track. I was happy with it because of how the first four finishers lined up so perfectly and how colorful they all were against the green grass. What I didn’t realize at the time was that the winning jockey, Mike Smith, was kissing his mount as they won the race. That was a surprise I got when I enlarged it later.

Happy Easter

Sometimes, just when you think you've covered Easter Egg Hunts so many years in a row that you couldn't possibly come back with something fresh and different, a fleeting moment passes before your camera and if you're ready for it, you grab it. It isn't the traditional hugging the bunny that you think it's going to be--THE picture. It's better.

It's the moment after. The reaction. The reflection of the sunset that I had alluded to in an earlier post.

Palm Sunday Lesson

Sometimes you have every detail planned in advance. The altar boys are suitably dressed. They have been coached on how to ride a donkey. The animal’s feet have been taped so as not to mar the church floor. The boughs of palm have been passed out to the crowd. The only thing not counted on was the one aspect of a donkey’s personality that it is most known for—it’s stubbornness.

This was one of those times that I watched an event unfolding through my viewfinder, desperately suppressing a laugh. The boys tried everything to get the animal into the church but nothing worked. It reminded me of attempting to get my toddler daughter to eat when she had made up her mind not to. I learned that sometimes you just have to "go with the flow" or "let go and let God" (since we're in church mode here).

The donkey was unyielding. They finally did give up and the Palm Sunday service was held without the animal.

The Very Large Array

Under the deep blue New Mexico sky, 50 miles west of Socorro, 27 radio antennas are pointed toward the heavens, listening and gathering information. Each antenna weighs 230 tons and in some strange way, seems at home in this moon-like desert terrain.

I am talking about a trip last weekend to Socorro with my husband and brother, during which we detoured over to the Very Large Array. This was where the movie "Contact" was filmed with Jodie Foster. It's a worthwhile trip if you're ever in the area.

Homeless and Mentally Ill, Part 3

I've been working on a new website--a long and tedious process--and I've been digging through more of my older photos, including my series on the homeless mentally ill. You can see my earlier examples in April 2008 (You can click on the dates at right).

For a year I followed up on police calls whenever I could...

The mentally ill often self-medicated with alcohol...

I visited jails...

And I spent time in soup kitchens and shelters...

I was always very careful not to upset anyone. If someone was adamant about not wanting to be photographed, I tried to respect that. Overall, the police were very helpful because they saw serious problems with existing laws and wanted them changed.