My Poster for Jazz Central

poster and original photograph by Larry Hoyt - copyright 2008 Larry Hoyt
-- click on image to enlarge --
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Every once in a while I get called upon to create a poster -- or, out of necessity, I find I need to design a poster for an event that I'm responsible for.

I think I am moderately good at designing posters, and every now and then I come up with something I think is pretty good.

Such is the case with this poster I designed for a silent auction and live jazz event at Jazz Central.
Whaddaya think?

Westcott Street Cultural Fair - 9/21/09

all photos by Larry Hoyt - copyright 2008 Larry Hoyt
-- click on photos to enlarge image --
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ah yes - the 17th annual Westcott Street Cultural Fair -
so much to see;
so much music to listen to
and dance to.
So many people to talk with -
old friends
new acquaintances
such a varied mix of people
in all colors, shapes and sizes

Despite some less-than-ideal weather, a good number of folks came out to this year's Fair, and I'd say a good time was had by all.

Above are just a few of the many photos I shot.

Melissa and Bill at the Orange Line - 9/20/08

all photos by Larry Hoyt - copyright 2008 Larry Hoyt
-- click on photo to enlarge image --
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I stopped into the Orange Line Gallery, 307 Montgomery Street, for a bit on Saturday afternoon -- shot a few photos of Melissa Tiffany and Bill Harper, and their view of the State Tower Building from the gallery.

Oktoberfest in Syracuse - 9/20/09

all photos by Larry Hoyt - copyright 2008 LarryHoyt
-- click on picture to enlarge image --
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I stopped by the Oktoberfest in Clinton Square, in downtown Syracuse, for a wee bit Saturday afternoon -- here are a few photos that I shot.

C.J. Hodge - Painter

all photos by Larry Hoyt - copyright 2008 Larry Hoyt

all paintings by C.J. Hodge - copyright C.J. Hodge

click on the picture to enlarge the image

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On Thursday evening, September 18, I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with C.J. Hodge, a painter whose work is part of a new exhibit at the re-opened Delavan Art Gallery, 501 West Fayette Street, in Syracuse.

At a reception that was part of the monthly Th3 art gallery program, C.J. spoke about his process of shooting photos, manipulating them digitally, and then creating paintings based on those photo images.

In this process, he adds a grid-like pattern, as if the painting were being made of decorated little square tiles.

I found his paintings to be very colorful, intricate, emotional, expressive, and worthy of concentrated viewing time.

I want to thank C.J. for taking so much of his time to talk with me, and to allow me to shoot so many photos of both him and his paintings. It wasn't until after I was finished shooting that C.J. confided that he really doesn't like to have his photo taken -- instead, he likes to be the one shooting the photos! (and then turning them into paintings...)

C.J.'s website is http://www.cjhodge.com/

The Carousel Center and the Galleries of Syracuse

The top seven pictures were shot at the Carousel Center in Syracuse;

the bottom three, at the Galleries of Syracuse, downtown.

All photos by Larry Hoyt - copyright 2008 Larry Hoyt.

Click on a picture to enlarge that image.
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I don't go to malls much.

In fact, on my very limited budget, I try to do as little shopping as possible.

But I recently did something that I haven't done in a long, long time -- I went to a matinee of a Woody Allen film. In this case, the film, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," was fairly entertaining and perhaps even a bit thought provoking. There were some slow spots in the film, but it also had some wonderful moments and some excellent performances.

Practially everywhere I go these days, I bring one of my cameras with me.

On this day, I brought my smallest camera, the pocket-sized Traveller DC-6900 - a basic digital camera that had cost me around $100.

I've been surprised at the fairly good quality of the images this little camera can capture.

I'm becoming addicted to taking pictures, practically everyday.

There's always something to see; there's always something to record.

Sometimes, I get lucky and a worthwhile picture appears.

I guess that's one of the reasons I'm doin' this photo blog.

My travels on this particular day took me to the cinemas at the Carousel Center, and also to the Galleries in downtown Syracuse.

The Carousel Center, on the north side of Syracuse, at the south end of Onondaga Lake, is fairly modern, stylish and colorful, but it's still just a great big decorated mall.

The Galleries of Syracuse is much more bare bones, but there's something about the framing of the glass roof at the Galleries that has always kind of impressed me.

For the most part, the architecture in Syracuse reflects the basic values of Syracuse.

There are some charming old buildings and some interesting attempts at modern design, but most of the buildings in Syracuse fit well into the envelop of conventionality.

Still, as has been said before, an awful lot depends on how one looks at it.

A Model Shoot - 9/14/08

Above are some of the photos I shot during a model photography session in downtown Syracuse on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008. I highly recommend clicking on the photos to enlarge the image.

It had been a while since I last photographed real models under these conditions -- where models actually pose for a few minutes while both they and I made adjustments to get the best possible shot from each pose.
That takes time, patience, creativity, and a mutual desire to achieve the best results.
In most other cases these days, when I'm shooting photos of other people, it's a much more hurried process. Usually it's just aim and shoot and hope for the best.

But on this late Sunday afternoon, I got together with a few photographers from the Syracuse Modeling Meetup Group, plus three models, and for about two hours we did a photo shoot in downtown Syracuse, on a shady street between an office building and a parking lot.

The other three photographers and myself had photographer models before, but the models themselves were pretty much novices.
We were all patient with each other, and I'm pretty happy with many of the photos I shot. And I really look forward to seein' what the other photographers captured as well.

Homecoming on the SU Quad - 9/13/08

One of the most colorful rituals of late summer/early fall is Homecoming Weekend at Syracuse University.
This year's festivities were filled with much pomp, pageantry, music and dance -- provided by the SU marching band and dance team, plus this year, a statue of football legend Ernie Davis was unveiled. The oldies vocal group, the Coasters, also entertained with a lively set of Motown-flavored tunes that got the young-at-heart dancing.
There were many opportunities to shoot photos of people, young and old, havin' a good time.
For me, it was a real treat to meet sports broadcasting legend, and SU alum, Bob Costas, who used to do play-by-play for the Syracuse University radio station, WAER-FM.