Inspiration in Savannah

So I decided I would drive to downtown Savannah to do a little shooting but had no idea what to shoot. I was running low on gas so I decided to swing into Parkers Market on Drayton for some gas and authentic German chocolate. As I was nearing my destination a bright blue scooter caught my eye and I now knew exactly what I would be shooting.

I quickly made my purchase at Parkers and strolled on over to Motorini Vespa of Savannah. The sun was bright but fell perfectly on the cool little scooter shop. I walked inside and was greeted by a cheerful girl who was eager to assist.

I explained I was a local photographer and asked if it would be alright to snap a few shots of the scooters. She said that would be just fine so I grabbed my gear and snapped away.

After five or so minutes I packed up and was on my way.

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If you are visiting Savannah or are just looking for a fun way to see our beautiful city, swing by Motorini Vespa and tell them Mark sent ya

WOWed at the Savannah Bee Company

Several days ago I was walking around down town with my camera in hand and I made my way into a store on Broughton St. When I pulled open the screen door that stood between me and my curiosity I realized this was no ordinary store. I found myself singing "I'm just a little black rain cloud...." as I walked in but snapped out of it as soon as I was greeted by a member of the staff.

  The first thing I noticed was an enormous bee hive that stood in the middle of the store and although not easy, I fought of the urge to get inside and play. After looking around for several minutes I asked if they sold raw honey. Well I might as well have asked if their honey was made by bees. Yes they did have raw honey and lots of it.

My attention was turned to the bar where I saw several different types of honey in bottles and I knew what was about to go down. I have done coffee tastings and wine tastings in my day but I was not prepared for what I was about to be a part of. You guessed it, a honey tasting. I was always under the impression there is either honey or there is not, but on this day I was about to find out there is honey and a wide variety of it. So with miniature spoon in hand I began to understand what the Savannah Bee Company was all about.

I tried 5 or 6 different flavors of honey but one stood out above the rest. It was as if the honey grabbed my taste buds and said, "listen here punk, I'm going home with you tonight". I cant even describe what I tasted but if I had to try Id say it was a spicy but sweet taste, very complex. It was called "raw sourwood honey" and it is amazing.

raw sourwood tasty goodness

I grabbed a bottle and handed my $15 to the girl at the register. I took my receipt and thanked her and was on my way.

If you guys get a chance to make it to the Savannah Bee Company downtown, do yourselves a favor and pick up a bottle of raw sourwood honey. Make sure to tell them Mark sent ya. If they ask who Mark is just tell them some guy with a camera and a new love for honey.

Mark

Don't blame the camera

A year ago I believed I had outgrown my camera and I knew my pictures could be better but it was my equipment holding me back. Looking back I'm actually glad I was "stuck" with the camera I had because it forced me to be more creative and practice more. As I did, my work got better and I realized it was me that was lacking not my camera.

6 months ago I took my first HDR photo and it was horrible. I immediately blamed my camera but once again it was me that was at fault.

 I wonder how often people upgrade their equipment thinking it will fix bad pictures when actually their lack of experience and  their unwillingness to practice is the true problem. As I browse Craigslist and Ebay and see the amount of high end cameras for sale, I wonder how many of them where purchased because someone thought it would magically make them a better photographer.

I took this picture with an 8mp Canon Rebel XT using a Sigma 10-20mm. It will be the last picture I take with this lens because it will have a new owner tonight. I will have a new camera soon and I wanted to remember what lots of hard work and practice looked like through my favorite lens on my highly capable Rebel XT.

Before you trade in your camera for the latest greatest thing, remember you are the one taking the pictures not the camera.

Mark

407,000 Died for your freedom

I rolled out of my warm comfy bed this morning and took a long warm shower. Later today I will eat more food than some people eat in an entire week. I will probably drive somewhere today and take pictures with my wife. There is no agenda today, I am free.

I wonder how often we take for granted the freedoms we have and forget how rich we really are as a country. The US military was involved in WWII from the beginning but became an official combatant on December 8th 1941, the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Brave men and women fought and died for you and I so we could be free.

So as you sit around and enjoy time with friends and family, be thankful for the brave soldiers that died for your freedom.

If you are visiting Savannah today or any day, take some time out of your busy schedule and visit Savannah's WWII  monument on River Street. People you don't even know died so you could live in freedom.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Mark Rodocker

Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons

Its funny how when you live in a city you take it for granted. The trees, the cobblestones and the restaurants. Yes, the restaurants!

Having lived in Savannah most of my life I have eaten all over. I have my favorites and my go-to places when I don't want to wait or when I'm trying to stay within a budget. If you like Greek you go to the Olympia Cafe. If you like pizza you go to Vinnie Van Go-Go's. If you like southern cooking you go to The Lady and Sons.

So last night I walked the streets of Savannah with my tripod and camera in hand and decided to walk over to Paula Deen's restaurant located at the corner of West Congress and Whitaker. It is an awesome building with beautiful architecture.

I decided to set up my tripod and wait.......and wait......until finally I was presented with a shot clear of people. I snapped 6 or 7 photos before the tourists were all over the scene again and decided I'd have to do with what I got.

I was happy with what I had captured but I realized the cars, buildings and traffic signs took away from this beautiful building so I decided they had to go. After an hour of editing I was happy with the end product and I wanted to share it with you.

I hope everyone enjoys this photo as much as I did creating it. Keep an eye on my blog and I promise to continue sharing photos from around Savannah.

                                                                           Mark

Laugh

I think my favorite pictures of all times are expressions of true happiness. Not posed or forced but captured laughter and smiles. I had a chance to snap a few photos today at a church event for Gateway church in Pooler and this photo made it all worth it.

When was the last time you were happy just to be? If you cant remember a time then go find a slide and slide till you cant contain yourself.  Life is short, laugh a little!

Mark Rodocker

ti·tle- –noun 1. the distinguishing name of a book, poem, picture, piece of music, or the like

So after many requests for prints of my work I have decided to take a friends advice and offer some of my work on Etsy.com  This seemed easy enough until I started to list my first piece.

Title- ummmm.... wow, Ive never named any of my work. The only thing harder than creating my photos will  be naming them. I know how to envision a photo, set up the shot, snap the shutter and edit the photo until it becomes a work of art, but this whole naming my work business is new to me.

These will be my first 2 photos available for purchase. I love them and I put a lot of time into them but they are not my prized photos. I'm actually not even sure I will offer my favorites for sale. Is it because I fear the value I put on them is more than I think someone will pay or because they are my personal favorites? A little bit of both I guess.

So here we go on this new venture.

  I hope you guys continue to enjoy my work! Do me a favor, If you like what you see tell someone about it. Someday if it be Gods will I hope to feed my family with my work.

Mark Rodocker