If you click on the title below it will take you to a site that was put together by commercial photographer Chase Jarvis, who lives and works in Seattle. I follow Chase and read his blog and his entries on Facebook, because he is both talented and  innovative.

Now I know he stays very busy with his work and travels all over the world on projects for his clients, so his time must be limited. Even so, he has managed to put together a rather neat concept. This concept is called The Best Camera.

Chase believes, as most photographers should, that the best camera you can use is the one you have with you when you are inspired to bring it to your eye. Now many of us would like to have the Nikon, Canon, Hasselblad or whatever camera we use at our side at all times, ready to capture and create. That would be ideal. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. In fact, many of us, as professionals,  grab the camera if we have a scheduled job. Enthusiasts usually take a camera with something specific to record as well. Many times though, we don't have our favorite tool when we have an opportunity to create. The one thing we usually have however, is our phone. And that is the idea that Chase has put together.

in this case, the phone in question is the one favored by probably most photographers, myself included, and that is the IPhone. Now if you let the pixel envy mindset cloud your thinking, you'll say that the few megapixels in an IPhone just won't cut it for serious photography. If thats the way you think you should check out Chases book of artful, seriously creative photographs called The Best Camera Is The One Thats With You, all created with an IPhone!

Not only that, but he has created, in The Best Camera  a live streaming site where you can upload your IPhone images and they can be viewed by the world.

The best part of all this is those photos can be creatively recorded,processed with some neat effects and uploaded to The Best Camera site, as well as Facebook and Twitter with an App he has created for the IPhone, called, you guessed it, Best Camera.

I have looked at several Apps for the camera end of the IPhone, but this one is by far, the strongest I have used. Plus it makes it so easy to share your photos, all from the same App. I uploaded it yesterday and while taking a respite from the rain in a local Starbucks, I tested it out and uploaded a quick photo to The Best Camera after tweaking it with some of the processing features.You can see it by clicking here.

I think all this is very cool and I just wanted to give props to Chase Jarvis and thank him for taking the time to create a cool App, a neat community site, and reminding us that the Best Camera, really is the one that is with us!

In Key West there is an expression about catching the "Last Flight Out" or the last possible flight back to the mainland. I was thinking about that this morning as the holiday week end comes to a close and WB visitors pack up and head home for what is probably their last visit to this special place for the season.

Some will wait for the last possible moment to leave, while others will be gone at first light. The weather today has greeted us with a front that has moved in and thwarted any plans for catching some last rays before the trips home. For us that live here we sometimes welcome this kind of day to slow things down. No worries.

The next few months will bring glorious weather, hopefully no storms and will be enjoyed by locals and the visitors who know how special it is here in the Fall. The beaches become quiet as the water temperatures start to drop and the birds and fish become more active. The sunrises and sunsets seem to become more vibrant as a quiet calm starts to envelope the island.

Labor Day is somewhat of a sad time as it really is a signal that the summer has once again come and gone and with it the energy of many tourists. We'll now get back to shorter lines in the stores, more manageable traffic and quieter evenings. That lull will too soon cross over into winter and we will once again long for the visiting tourists, long lines and even the crazy traffic as the summer cycle starts once again and old friends come back to visit. I find that the scenarios are the same from year to year, its just that they seem to come and leave quicker.

For now I'll watch the guests pack up and leave in shifts and think that if I was leaving here today I would, despite the weather, try to catch the last flight out and squeeze a few more hours out of the summer.

I had a beach portrait session this past week end with the Bray family, who were visiting Wrightsville Beach. The weather was horrendous most of the day with heavy rain, lightening, just the kind of day that can make an outdoor portrait session go South in a hurry.

We were scheduled to start a little before sunset and about an hour before our meeting the weather broke, the clouds eased up and we were provided with some incredible light. I guess I must be living right! Anyway the session was a success and we had a great time.

As you can see in these photos the Brays little girl, Ella, was a natural. She had great expression and photographing her was a delight. I also want to give props to the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort for their kind referral.

This time every year, we who live on the island can feel the energy start to shift into a quieter and saner mode. The vacationers are starting to come in lesser numbers as parents gear up for the coming school year and all the effort it takes to get their kids back in the groove.

The students return to UNC Wilmington, bringing yet another change of energy to the beach strand as they claim their spots on the strand as if staking a claim to a dorm room. Once there, some always return to the same piece of sand at the same beach access. Familiarity is a good feeling for us all, no matter the circumstances.

Its a somewhat sad feeling as we realize that the summer has once again made that turn to Fall, but this is always tempered by the excitement of the college kids returning and the great energy they bring with them, the fact that the waters are still warm enough for the daily swim and will stay that way for a few more months, and the lessening of the hordes who visit here. This is a magical time on Wrightsville Beach and we who are fortunate to call WB home, always cherish this time of year.

I was out on the beach at the end of the day this past week end and this fellow was working feverishly on a pretty cool sand sculpture of I guess a dragon. He was by himself, and you could tell he was just absorbed in his creation. I thought it was pretty cool and it showed how there is still an inner child in us all that just likes to play in the sand! I bet we all watch the children playing and throwing, and burying each other in the sand and wish we still had enough playfulness in us to do the same thing, no matter our age group.

This guy looked so relaxed as he carefully sculpted each line and curve. Even as he attracted onlookers, he never strayed from the task. I hope he was reliving a childhood memory, but just on a larger scale. From turning over a pail of sand, sticking a makeshift flag on the top and calling it a castle to a 40 foot dragon, complete with teeth! Good for him and nice for all of us who happened to be walking on the beach that afternoon. Just another magical moment. 

I haven't been to attentive to my blog lately, but this past few weeks provided me with a legitimate excuse.

I traveled to Manassas, Virginia to endure the passing of my Mom. She was 87 when she died and lived a long and I'm sure she would say, a mostly satisfying life. She had spent the last 14 years of her life in Manassas, having relocated there from Connecticut after the death of my Father, so she could be close to my two sisters and her two grandchildren.

A few days after her death we needed a break from the chores that are involved in preparation for a funeral. Chores that suck the life out of you I might add. We decided to go to the Manassas Farmers Market which is held in Old Town Manassas.

Now I always try to have a camera with me when I attend a farmers market, as you usually get the chance to meet some interesting people. The gentleman pictured was interesting indeed. I'm going to call him Jack, as I"m pretty sure that was the name he gave. Anyway, Jack was selling honey and organic Japanese Matcha Green Tea.

My wife and i were drawn to him by his joyful appearance and the tea on the table. We are somewhat knowledgeable about fine teas. We got our education from a gentleman by the name of Wayne Powers who is incredibly versed in teas of the world. He has a business out of Charlotte called Tea Rex.

Now Jack was very enthusiastic about his honey and his tea and healthful benefits of both. We spent some time talking with him at his table and I asked him if I could take a quick photo. He was most accomodating. The morning was a welcome respite from the weeks main focus and Jack provided much needed levity and nice energy.

I almost wanted to thank him for his unknowing contribution, but was satisfied for the inner smile that he provided. He was a true delight.