Saturday, September 10, 2011

It Only Takes a Moment....

In Memoriam of September 11, 2001

As I have been traveling around the country this summer working, exploring our world and searching to isolate my niche within the field of photography I have had many realizations. Many of said realizations would certainly be of little consequence to the reader of this blog, perhaps, but to me each one of them was unique and significant. Each realization I had, had stemmed from one small moment in time. I would be going on about my day or night in regular procession when - BAM! CRACK! POW! -The moment would overtake me and a flood of understanding and clarity would whisk across my busy mind and would slow all thoughts to a crawl, and then to a stop so that each particular realization could cross the highway of thoughts, beliefs, and opinions safely. Each thought, belief or opinion subsequently was forced into looking them-self in the mirror for a moment of rapid judgement... OK, so that was my attempt at a riveting narrative...My point is, quite simply- It only takes a moment to change our lives, our hearts, and quite frankly; the very motives & purposes of what it means to be a human.

The second the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The moment the first brick hit the ground at the Berlin Wall. The nose section of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center in Manhattan. All of the above moments changed humanity as a whole in the amount of time that it takes you to read this sentence. The first contact of Neil Armstrong's foot to the surface of the moon. The moment President Lincoln's pen lifted from the parchment of the Emancipation Proclamation. More moments that transcended the way that people thought, behaved and lived. Seconds that would define the purpose of decades and even centuries. Each moment holds great opportunity and infinite possibility...Whether the moments to come will be mostly good or bad is uncertain, that is why it is on us as human beings to see that it is not the moment that defines us. It is how we move forward after the moment has taken us.  Because just like the universal principle of duality demonstrates; where there is light, there is dark.

As a photographer it is most often the case that I am brought to serve the moments of the light, so to speak. Those moments of family gatherings, reunions, romance, or otherwise peppy scenarios are the most commonly desired clients because lets face it; its nicer to focus on those so-called happy times. But I am here to say this; It is my desire to say that the happy moments are not the only moments that change our lives, we must recall that it is the moments of overcoming tragedy, adversity, ailment or the like that most often work as the catalysts for the greatest change! Those moments of stress, loss, and anxiety bring about some of the rawest and truest emotions that we can feel as people, not to mention the most collaborative. A wise man once said "Inspiration stems from love and stress compounding". When tragedy occurs people unite, generally speaking. But as time goes by they detach as they retire at the end of the day to there own pursuits, forgetting the union that once was. Furthermore, when anniversary of said events occur people spontaneously remember the thoughts that once were, while within that first moment. Interesting...so those feelings didn't fade from our mind after all...we just chose to go back to what we believe as happy every day-mainstay thoughts... hum dee dum dee dum...

In conclusion, it is my belief that images and memories of tragedy, loss, or the like are not inherently negative, for my memory is clear of that fateful September day back in 2001. It was a scene of terror and confusion. My brother was 18 blocks from the twin towers, so believe me I was scared.  But it was also a mind filled with outgoing prayer and hope. Thoughts like; United We Stand! We stand against tyranny and oppression, we stand against the separation of choice and liberty! We will not be attacked! Whoever did this will see this great nation have vengeance! My mind state at that moment serves as a great example of the power of moments. So I choose to go forward in search of capturing both light and dark because I know now that it only takes a moment to change everything, for better or for worse...and I also know that positivity and progress will show themselves at every turn, waiting for you to grab hold of them. Even in the face of tragedy. For if we can find beauty within the darkness of night, then the beauty of a day in the sun is all the more beautiful.

It only takes a moment to book a personalized and affordable photo shoot or event booking with I:.M:. Photography. Take a moment now to contact me, and I will make sure the moments you treasure are captured. So those images may serve as visual references to that special time of your life, that regular day in your world or that special event you have worked so hard to reach, or even that special pet in your family...whatever the subject, space, venue, or occasion it is...Immortal:.Moments:. Photography, for those who get lost in the moment. In memory of the tragic events of 9/11/2001 I will donate 10% of my proceeds from the next 2 weeks of photo shoots to a 9/11 charity of your choice.

God bless America, God Bless Freedom, and God Bless those in need of Love

We will never forget those who gave their lives in defense of this great nation on that fateful day, as well as the families across the world who lost loved ones to 9/11. Deus Te Amat

Sincerely & Creatively,


Blake D. Brinker 
Proprietor & Founder 
Immortal:. Moments:. Photography 


Office: 503.910.1808
Email: blake@tallcat.com

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

360 degree Moments

Welcome all, to the Immortal Moments Photography Blog! Thank you for checking me out, my name is Blake and I am at your service...well actually quite literally I'm at your service as Fee Lance Photographer in Oregon, USA. Please feel free to email me about Photography Services. The more original the venue and the more special the event, the better. 

Ok, now, with that business taken care of, I'd like to tell you a bit about my philosophy. Without a doubt your no doubt saying...."So, who is this guy? Immortal Moments? um...almost seems like a magicians autobiography or something...did I stumble upon some community college course or something?" Well, to answer the first question; I am Blake, and I am Immortal Moments Photography. My mission as a photographer is to immortalize the special moments of my clients experiences. I seek to capture in photo form the subtle energies and feelings that lie in the fold of our experiences. Because it is those moments that people connect to the most. You know what I mean, those moments where time doesn't exist and everything drifts together into one place. As a photographer I'm interested and compelled by the above stated notion. Because, in relation to the special nature of people realizations about that occaisional "one-ness", to be able to freeze those rare moments in time is...well, a thousand years ago they might have called that magic. Interesting. I will speak more on that later...

The forementioned brings about the other side of the equation; Quite simply put,  living beside rather than within the moment is nothing to aspire to, yet time and time again we as people look for the future as if its on a bullet train with an assured arrival time. Foolishly we aspire for what the future may bring, instead of realizing the only time that we actually have is the present moment. Presentmindedness, as I and many others have coined it is the essence behind attaining a high quality of life as well as the essence of a great photograph, is it not? Lets examine the ladder a bit closer; those of us with a camera search high and low around this great world for visuals that will convey a moment "in time", and by doing so those of us with the camera slip in between the moment and its capturing...almost as if he or she is in two places at once. But is it not the mission of any artist to somehow bring the two places of consciousness together into one? Hmmm...well go more into the previous question another day.

Within this Blog I will share my journey as a photographer with you. My Immortal Moments photos will be our muse for ponderings and discussions, along with my experiances...and who knows maybe we'll both learn something.

Today is drawing to an end, and I'm sure your attention span is too. Until next time then. Cheers.

Creatively,

Blake