CordaNation Blog — BENCORDA

Numb Fingers and Visible Breath:

I often tweet that I need models asap. It usually happens when I like how the weather looks and go for a quick drive to scout for locations. I like spur of the moment shoots, certain types of light play to the creat… — **Numb Fingers and Visible Breath:**

I often tweet that I need models asap. It usually happens when I like how the weather looks and go for a quick drive to scout for locations. I like spur of the moment shoots, certain types of light play to the creative parts of my brain and I will just have to slam on the brakes and snaps a few frames.

Living in a college town inundated with photographers, locations are precious. I take pride in not using the “normal” ones or the “go to” ones that take away from the mystery of the shoot. I like people to wonder where my photoshoots take place.

During this cold snap and the “snow day” that canceled classes, I took a drive to try and find a monochromatic landscape. Although I told myself I would not shoot the ice (just because everyone else was doing it) I could not pass up the chance to capture the normal browns turned slightly white.

A few wrong turns into my endeavor to get lost on the back roads of Ruston landed me on HWY 818. I found a nice spot and contacted a photog/model. By the time all was worked out, I had lost the light. Jessica, ever the trooper, still was game and so we carried on, changing the concept from a monochromatic image to, well quite frankly, anything we could get. Thanks to Jessica for modeling/freezing, be sure to check out Jessica’s Blog, The Awakening, as she is a photographer and writer as well.

Ben Corda January 13, 2011

Ice, sleet and a swan:Honestly this was one of the most laid back fun shoots that I have had the chance to do in a while. A friend of mine had labored through a whole world series to make her version of Bjork’s Swan dress. An astonishing feat … — **Ice, sleet and a swan**:

Honestly this was one of the most laid back fun shoots that I have had the chance to do in a while. A friend of mine had labored through a whole world series to make her version of Bjork’s Swan dress. An astonishing feat to be sure, from the ruching of the bodice, to the diamond eye of the swan and even an egg purse.

To catch the morning light, we started the shoot at 8am in an empty room with three windows that did a great job of letting in that cool light from the east. The cold weather outside helped by condensating the windows, masking some of the cars parked in the street.

Not watching the clock, I was free to experiment with some techniques, including throwing ISO to the wind. Even the D300 managed to keep up allowing some shots @1000.

I can’t give Kacey enough props for making such a fantastical costume and being a patient model. Here are a few shots that I enjoyed.

Ben Corda January 10, 2011

Ben Corda January 6, 2011

Power Up:

As I draw near to the end of my college career, I realize that I have been fighting against what I know. A university is a “town” condensed. It crams different people, skill sets and hobbies into a box.

Im an adventurous person. I like to explore. I have been in and walked around every building on campus, often taking pictures. I did this very early on… and now these building seem boring. The thing is, that not everyone has been in these buidlings, therefore something boring to me can maybe, just maybe catch someones eye and have them wonder where it is.

I am trying to approach what mundane things I have to shoot here during my remaining time at Tech with the idea that these places and individuals may not be mundane for most people.

Here are a couple shots of the power-lifting team… or rather a couple of shots from any weight room, at any gym, in any town, in any state…

Leaking:
The sound of jackhammers is not fun to listen to when you are trying to go to sleep. Even less fun, though, is waking up to the sound of them.

I had seen the maintenance workers fiddling around with something across the stre… — **Leaking:**

   The sound of jackhammers is not fun to listen to when you are trying to go to sleep. Even less fun, though, is waking up to the sound of them.

   I had seen the maintenance workers fiddling around with something across the street from my abode when I left for classes that morning - and they were still there when I returned in the evening.

   Curiosity got the best of me and I ventured over to see what they were working on. Turns out a water pipe had broken and they were trying to locate the problem.

   The white hooded suits they were wearing and the industrial work lights cast an alien-like shadow on the workers, so I pulled out my cam and snapped away.

   Later that night, I awoke to get some water, and when I cranked the knob to the faucet to refill my brita filter, no water came out. This part is not really important, just though I would share.

Ben Corda January 4, 2011

Ben Corda January 2, 2011

so tumblr deleted my post about 3 times, so here are just some pics from my drive back from nola… if this decides to work. my last three were original witty and spoke to a new year…this is not.

Haircut:

Ok, I rarely take pictures of myself. But I felt I needed to take a few more shots after I got a haircut, because that last facebook profile picture was a wreck… kinda reminded me of Nick Nolte’s mug shot which is pretty scary.

Ben Corda December 30, 2010

Ben Corda December 30, 2010

The Cottage:

So over the holidays, we all went out and helped my dad put up a few walls in the cottage. Here are a few shots I was able to snap, while working VERY hard. It looks good and will probably be ready for its final shoot here in a bit! I am really excited for my parents, as they have been looking forward to this for a long time.

Christmas Portraits:
I like to document every day life. The human scenery gets exponentially more interesting when people come visit for the holidays.
Last year, I took portraits of all the members of the family that were around and cam… — **Christmas Portraits**:

      I like to document every day life. The human scenery gets exponentially more interesting when people come visit for the holidays.

       Last year, I took portraits of all the members of the family that were around and came out with some good images, as well as capturing how everyone looked that year. I shot with one speedlight in my closet with a dark, wrinkled cloth as a backdrop. I also shot at 50mm f/1.8 in hopes to minimize post-production work on the background.

        This year, I was ready. I set up a little studio in the living room and mercilessly bothered people until they sat for me. You would think that a photographer’s family would be used to being the subject of photoshoots and random shots, but my family still resists A LOT.

        In the end, they all sat for me, but almost all of them had me promise that the images would not be posted on the internet. (Im shaking my head right along with you… I dont understand it. )

         So I have some classy images of all of them that are going to sit on my hard drive until they change their mind… or forget… Here is one of my subjects that didnt mind being posted on the web.

Ben Corda December 29, 2010

Ok. So, I have been hanging out in Houston with an old friend. During a nice day of shopping in Montrose, I snapped a few shots of people that I enjoyed, but not much worth sharing. On a drive out to the west side of Houston, near Cypress we ran acr… — Ok. So, I have been hanging out in Houston with an old friend. During a nice day of shopping in Montrose, I snapped a few shots of people that I enjoyed, but not much worth sharing. On a drive out to the west side of Houston, near Cypress we ran across a church that was near where he directed a choir. After shooting a bit, I started to walk away, looked back and saw the moon peaking right over the roof. I ran to the car to switch lenses and was only able to get a few shots off at a high ISO ( not able to set the tri-pod up fast enough) before the clouds/smog completely swallowed the moon.

Ben Corda December 23, 2010

Ben Corda December 21, 2010

Lunar Eclipse:

With tired eyes and horrible cloud cover, it was hard to get a clear shot. Here are a few images I ended up with…

Ben Corda December 16, 2010

Go Fly A Kite:

After a great panini lunch at Frothy Monkey, we could not resist the draw of the blue sky and warmish sunshine. It was a beautiful day, so we decided to fly kites.

Determined not to set foot in Wal-Mart, we visited most every dollar store in Ruston, our search just resulting in confused looks. Finally resigning ourselves to go to the “savings place,” Wal-mart did not sell kites either.

Headed out of the parking lot, we saw one more dollar store, Dollar Tree. Take note, this is the one store that apparently sells kites year-round. Armed with our starwars and ironman kites, we headed out to find wide open spaces.

Flying kites is harder than it looks, especially in Louisiana. After a few successful flights and a lot of not so successful ones, we decided that our kites were scared of heights.

As the sun was falling lower in the sky, we headed to a nearby park to relax and watch the water.

In all, a great way to spend a sunny day and a relaxing way to gear up for the night…

The Mood:

I feel like I have been cheating lately. My past few blog post have been photos dug out of an archive. Although these images have never seen the light of day or been edited before now, I feel like Im perpetuating my non-creative mood… — **The Mood:**

     I feel like I have been cheating lately. My past few blog post have been photos dug out of an archive. Although these images have never seen the light of day or been edited before now, I feel like Im perpetuating my non-creative mood of late.

I watch people go around town. Just running errands and not much else. Its not comforting to see people just going about their business without pursuit of things that they believe. Where is the drive, the passion?

      I have shot little since I have been back in town. I try to grab my cam, when Im just out and about, hoping I will run across something unique. Honestly though, I am tired of the looks that I recieve. I am in no way ashamed of what I do, but why must you give me these looks of wonderment or judgment, thinking that im trying to show off.

      I am ready to be lost in a city…

Ben Corda December 11, 2010

I recently conducted interviews for staff photographers. Dodging “sir” and “mr.,” it made me feel old. the little friendly globe with a face and hands with white gloves (this is what represents maps, the world and life … — I recently conducted interviews for staff photographers. Dodging “sir” and “mr.,” it made me feel old. the little friendly globe with a face and hands with white gloves (this is what represents maps, the world and life after graduation) proverbially pimp slapped me in the face.

   I found it very interesting to hear how each one of them found their start. One of the applicants wanted to experience the south and moved down to a school with a variety of people. (Tech? really?)

   It was a bold move that I found myself thinking, this is a cool dude.

   I want new eyes and slowly I am pulling my self out of the funk of “having seen it all before.”

   Louisiana has a weirdly wide range of scenery and I will have to revisit Hwy 84…

Ben Corda December 7, 2010

The Witness:
       I was rearranging and looking back into the void of some old backup hard drives the other day. I ran across some images that I snapped when a couple friends and I randomly road-tripped to Memphis, TN.
      I saw these two … — **The Witness:**

       I was rearranging and looking back into the void of some old backup hard drives the other day. I ran across some images that I snapped when a couple friends and I randomly road-tripped to Memphis, TN.

      I saw these two images an thought that they might bode themselves well to the “formula” that I have been using lately. Although they were never shot with the intent to be displayed together, I though it just might work.

      The Lorraine Hotel is the site of The Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, and the spot where the world lost a great leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.

       The man in the image is the Reverend Samuel “Billy” Kyles, a close friend of MLK and was present that fateful day.

       We had just watched a documentary ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBe4VnpCSwY ) at the museum and learned that the witness of 306 was at the museum.

       It was a privilege to meet this great, articulate man…

Ben Corda December 7, 2010

Ben Corda December 5, 2010

^^^Its a slideshow!

My Last College Football Game:

Yesterday, Tech played their last football game of the season. As I was walking out of the stadium, I realized it was the last college football game I would shoot as a student.

Never big into watching sports, I gave photographing them a try my freshman year at college. Shooting with my Nikon d40 and a sigma f/3.5 55-105mm manual focus push-pull lens that I found in the newspaper storage room, it was a challenge.

I maybe was able to snap two or three usable pics (usable by my standards then) like the above photo taken almost four years ago. I was ecstatic when the paper would actually use these, though I look back and wonder why. Nevertheless, the people were so positive, I never doubted my abilities and for that I am grateful.

A mentor of mine, told me to get the shots that I need for our team, but also shoot the other team as well because in a portfolio, it doesn’t matter what team the image is of… Because of that, after the game was over, I stuck around on the Nevada sidelines to snap some reactions of the win that made them a shoe in for the Vegas Bowl.

Politicians:
Needless to say, it has been too long. I have returned from the New Mexico Road Trip and my Thanksgiving break, back to the land of internet (I couldn’t submit a blog post via my parents’ dark ages dial up connection… — **Politicians:**

   Needless to say, it has been too long. I have returned from the New Mexico Road Trip and my Thanksgiving break, back to the land of internet (I couldn’t submit a blog post via my parents’ dark ages dial up connection).

   A well-rounded photojournalistic portfolio would not be complete with out some images of politicians. I never had an interest for politics and can’t really say that I do today. For now I will blame that on my need to stay neutral to preserve the photojournalistic integrity of my work.

   Yesterday I added the maverick-y Alaskan governor to the list of politicos that I have had the opportunity to photograph. The highlights of the list includes former President George W. Bush (thanks Anne), former President William Clinton, Gov. Bobby Jindal and now Gov. Sarah Palin.

   Promised a five minute shoot by Harper Collins (Palin’s publisher) I was limited to a one minute and thirty second motor drive frenzy by a Hitler-like publicist of Books-A-Million….from about 10 feet away… with Palin fans in between myself and the Governor.

   In all though, not a bad experience, considering that some TV news stations were not even allowed in by Fräulein Hitler, who enjoyed her power entirely too much. Well, you win some and you lose some, and some you just get by…

Ben Corda December 1, 2010

As we drove back in search of more photo opportunities, we realized that if we did not stop and shoot something, we would end up in Ruston tonight- and that was just too soon of an ending for our roadtrip. We stopped in a McDonalds in Vern… — As we drove back in search of more photo opportunities, we realized that if we did not stop and shoot something, we would end up in Ruston tonight- and that was just too soon of an ending for our roadtrip. We stopped in a McDonalds in Vernon, TX and set up accounts on Model Mayhem… which we did not realize took some time to get approved. Our original thought was to add some models into the mix of this landscape heavy photographic journey. We found some profiles in the next “big” town on our route, Wichita Falls, TX. Although we killed about two and a half hours (killing our laptop batteries and listening to the drama of the employees) at that McDonalds, we still did not get approval from the site to set up a casting call. Bordering on being a little bit creeperish, we found the models on facebook and messaged them.

           We arrived in Wichita Falls and killed some more time at Best Buy, where I should have bought a new external and a 77mm filter and Cody should have bought a new card reader, but after playing on every gadget in the store, we left without purchasing anything. We decided to give up on the models, because we were restless (even though we only gave them about two hours notice). So, we got back on the road to stop in Dallas and find SOMETHING to shoot there.

           Thinking of things in Dallas made me remember shooting a concert there not to long ago at the House of Blues, right near the American Airlines Center. I remembered that someone told me that the Dallas Mavericks (NBA) played there. Not an avid sports follower, I wondered if the Mavs had a game on this random Tuesday night.

          Randomly the Mavs were playing the Detroit Pistons, and I worked my cold calling magic. Although 24 hours notice is usually required, I managed to get us photo passes and our parking comped at 5PM gameday. Nervous and excited about shooting my first NBA game, we once again SLAMMED on the breaks and plugged up our camera batteries to charge on the hour drive left to the D.

          So… needless to day, we walked in like we owned the place and ate one of the better meals on the trip in the media hospitality suite. We then proceeded to find our place on the court, sitting cross-legged and not allowed to move much. The game was so exciting that I had to force myself to shoot and not just watch.

         On a technical note, one photog that I talked to said he liked to get 1/1000 shutter, for me I was pushing the old D300 @ 1250 ISO to pull 1/640 or 1/800 shutter. One of the most surprising things to me was watching one of the NBA photogs. He was shooting with an elusive (I cant seem to find it online) 38-300mm f/4 Canon Lens. Why f/4? Well, right below the area lights were strobes of the same size that fired on all sides remotely. I caught the flash from these in a couple of my shots and shooting at f/2.8 they were completely blown out. All I can say is wow.

In all though, great experience and I would do it again in a heart beat.

Ben Corda November 24, 2010

Monroe’s Peach Ranch:

Going on 27 years, Monroe’s Peach Ranch has been selling in the same stand along Hwy 287 just outside of Hadley, TX. Troy was kind enough to be a subject and shared some elk jerky with us. — **Monroe’s Peach Ranch:**

Going on 27 years, Monroe’s Peach Ranch has been selling in the same stand along Hwy 287 just outside of Hadley, TX. Troy was kind enough to be a subject and shared some elk jerky with us.

Ben Corda November 24, 2010

Day 5: The challenge

Today started as a slow day photo wise. I think subconsciously, we knew that it was one of the last days of our journey and the scenery began to look all to familiar. Getting restless driving, we saw an old gas station and Cody… — **Day 5: The challenge**

Today started as a slow day photo wise. I think subconsciously, we knew that it was one of the last days of our journey and the scenery began to look all to familiar. Getting restless driving, we saw an old gas station and Cody SLAMMED on the breaks.

Ben Corda November 24, 2010

The Depth:

The landscape of the Southwest never ceases to amaze me. The changes are so drastic. One moment flatland/grass and the next sand dunes or canyons. Today we left the sand and ended up in the canyons at Palo Duro State Park just south of A… — **The Depth:**

The landscape of the Southwest never ceases to amaze me. The changes are so drastic. One moment flatland/grass and the next sand dunes or canyons. Today we left the sand and ended up in the canyons at Palo Duro State Park just south of Amarillo, Tx.

Ben Corda November 23, 2010