Marc Benton dot Com

Krispy Kreme Unwrapped

I’ll admit from the start that doughnut making has nothing to do with digital photography or internet technology or any of the other odd subjects I’ve posted about in the past but bear with me for a minute and read on.  Friday night my wife and I stopped by the Arlington Krispy Kreme for some goodies and I took a few photos of their operation.  After we got home with our boxes of sugary goodness, we watched Mark Summers explain on his show “Unwrapped” the secret behind Krispy Kreme’s Original Glaze.  Having all that info at once just screamed blog post! Continue reading »

Having photo block? Head to your local airport

One of the problems my wife and I sometimes have is finding inspiration for our next shot.  To ensure this doesn’t become a frequent problem we are always on the lookout for interesting spots to take pictures.  This is also one of the reasons I started the VA/DC/MD Photography category for this blog in hopes of providing ideas to my readers.

My wife and I met my boss for dinner at Reagan National Airport before his flight back to Atlanta last night.  While walking through the main terminal it struck me how many interesting shots were available in an airport.  I thought about all the other airports throughout the world I’ve been in, the various architectural elements in each, the collections of local art that many of them present, the control towers that seem to me like snowflakes where there’s never two designed the same, and lets not forget about the aircraft which is always interesting to me.

Reagan National in particular was almost built to be photographed.  We were there at night and did not get any shots of the airfield or aircraft but concentrated on the interior.  There are high ceilings with a matrix of geometric designs, large plate glass in which to capture vivid reflections, ceramic tile artwork on the floors, and of course a large American flag hanging from the ceiling which I couldn’t pass up.  We spent at least an hour after dinner just wandering and shooting in the terminal and outside.

So if you ever get a case of photo block maybe think about heading to your local airport and see what you can find.  Let me know if you do.  Where do you go for inspiration?

A New Beginning for WorthPoint

Chris Hughes, Mary Brenneman, Mac Liaw, Kathy Kamnikar, Jim Kamnikar, Michael Glick, Lars Klores

As you may remember in a previous post I mentioned some big news coming from WorthPoint.  Last week we announced the successful acquisition of GoAntiques.  I was lucky enough to be invited to the GoAntique’s offices in Dublin, OH and participate in the early conversations concerning our combined future efforts.  All I can say for now is there are great things coming.  Stay tuned to WorthPoint and GoAntiques.

From left to right:  Chris Hughes, Mary Brenneman, Mac Liaw, Kathy Kamnikar, Jim Kamnikar, Michael Glick, Lars Klores

Link to press release:

WorthPoint Corporation Completes GoAntiques Acquisition

Another type of treat for Halloween

I hope everyone reading this received more treats than tricks during last night’s Halloween festivities. While setting up our display in the front yard an idea hit me. I’m always looking for new subjects to take pictures of and last night was going to provide a whole slew of interesting shots. Why not provide the parents a treat as well and give them a memory of their children’s Halloween?

I set up my Rebel on a tripod at the bottom of our steps and took shots of the various superheroes, princesses, ghouls, goblins and other characters that crossed our path. I then gave the parents a card with my email address on it for them to request a copy of the picture. The offer seemed to go over well, many of the parents were thrilled with the idea and the kids had fun with it too.

Here’s a few suggestions if you decide to do this yourself next year:

• Always ask the parents first if you can take their child’s picture.
• Then make sure you ask the child if they want their picture taken (don’t take it for granted).
• Don’t combine the giving away of treats with the picture. I did not want the children to think they had to pose to get their treat.
• Have a card available for the parents with either an email address or a website listed so they can easily contact you or download the picture. I decided to upload the pictures to a private gallery on SmugMug that they can go and download their picture directly. Next year I’ll have special cards made beforehand with the link to the gallery so they won’t have to go through the hassle of emailing me.
• Do not post the pictures publicly with the child’s name listed. I’m not quite sure of the ethics of this but I do not feel comfortable posting any identifying information on children who are not mine.
• After you take their picture, turn the camera around and let them see the result. Children normally love to pose for pictures but he real joy for them is seeing themselves in it.
• Be quick and don’t make it a chore for the kids to pose a certain way. While they will take a minute to stop for a photo remember their priority is CANDY and you are in their way of getting more.
• Have fun with it! Its a great way to meet your neighbors and their kids.

Here’s a few of our trick or treaters: