Merry Christmas to All!!, originally uploaded by TimDD.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes — how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.”

… and to all a happy and healthy 2010!

This has been a challenging year for many… so here’s to a positive year of growth, good fortune, and good health to all of my friends, family!

The umbrella is far further to Eric’s right — causing the starker shadow down the center of his face. A new reflector helped fill back in camera right… you can see it in the reflection on the sunglasses.

Teenagers are tricky to work with — to get them to relax and be natural with all of that equipment around.

This is the first of three I got of Eric — and I think they show accurate aspects of the young man.

Lighting info: Softbox over Eric’s head, facing straight down (positioned behind the backdrop… hanging over precariously).

Second strobe / reflecting umbrella camera left. Both at 1/16 power.

Photoshop: I imposed a small amount of surface blur to bring “sharpness contrast” between Eric & the Gator, and the backdrop.

You can see the sunset sky, and at the same time the lighted hall to the changing rooms. There’s no other way to do this than to layer multiple exposures. In this case, 7.

A fascinating sculpture that warranted some enhancement to help tell the story.

It was a rainy day, so I boosted the color and created a slight vignette.

Now I remember the experience of walking into the castle courtyard and seeing this for the first time!

This young couple rested outside the Giger museum after a long day — or was that last night?

I think Giger’s scultpture is absolutely startling. So too was this rather dark looking couple having a sweet moment of rest. I don’t know if they knew their heads were next to go into the chamber of Giger’s pistol…

Every Labor Day weekend, in Lawrence, MA, the local Italian-American community celebrates “The Feast of St. Alfio,” also known as “The Festival of Three Saints.” This photo is of two young women working at one of the stalls that line the streets of the city during this annual “Festa.”

From a great site referenced on wikipedia, here is the story:

The story of the Three Saints and how they came to be martyred has been handed down for centuries in the small villages of eastern Sicily. It is part of the oral tradition of that area, but in modern times the story has been well researched and documented.

During the time of the Roman Empire, a noble couple, Vitale and Benedicta, had converted to Christianity. Their three sons, Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino were privately educated in the Christian faith by their parents and by Onesimus, a Greek scholar. In the year 250 AD, the Emperor issued an edict demanding that all Christians renounce their faith and demonstrate allegiance to the State by worshipping him and the Roman gods. Failure to obey the edict was considered treason, and the penalty was death. Benedicta refused to obey the edict and she was martyred. Vitale escaped to a monastic community, leaving his sons in the care of their tutor. At the time, Alfio was twenty-one, Filadelfo was twenty and Cirino was nineteen years old.

Because the brothers were so young and came from a highly regarded noble family, the Roman authorities hoped to convince them or force them into a public renunciation of their Christian faith so that others would follow. However, a succession of officials failed to get the boys to yield. Finally, they were sent to Sicily where a young Roman patriot named Tertullo had already gained fame for ruthless interrogation and torture of Christians.

The brothers landed in Messina on August 25, 252 AD. They were marched from there to Taormina with a heavy beam strapped to their shoulders. The brothers arrived in the village which is now known as Trecastagni on September 1, where they rested for the night. While many assume that the name of this village can be literally translated as “Three Chestnuts”, the name was actually derived from the Latin, Tres-Casti-Agni or “Three Chaste Lambs”, referring to the Three Saints. The brothers were then marched south to Catania and on the 3rd of September they entered Lentini.

Wherever Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino went, miracles were attributed to them. Their suffering and their refusal to give in to the power of the Roman authorities inspired more people to convert to Christianity. Tertullo tried several means of torture, all to no avail. Furious, he ordered the final instruments of death for the brothers: a pair of tongs to tear out the tongue of Alfio, a gridiron set over coals for Filadelfo, and a cauldron filled with hot oil for young Cirino. On May 10, 253 the three young men refused for the last time to renounce their faith. Before his death, Alfio spoke these words to Tertullo: “You may remove my tongue so I cannot speak, but I will never cease to give thanks and praise to God in my heart, for the eternal truth for which I die.” Led by the eldest, each brother went to his death, a martyrdom which earned them the everlasting love and respect of all who had witnessed their bravery and devotion. Their tombs remain in Lentini to this day, beneath the Church of Sant’Alfio.

Seventeen centuries later, in the towns of Lentini and Trecastagni, there are still feasts held on May 10 each year in honor of St. Alfio and his brothers. Faith in the intercession of the Saints is strong, and miracles continue to be attributed to them. Wherever the faithful gather — whether in Trecastagni, or on each Labor Day weekend in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the people remember and they shout: Viva Sant’Alfio!

Jonathan a Tad Closer, originally uploaded by TimDD.

I stumbled across this crop while working on the larger image. The full-frame has this fantastic white vignette… but the intensity yet gentleness of this close-up convinced me to produce it separately.

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Laura was part of the high school crew gathering “down the cape” in July for a beautiful, relaxing summer weekend. Those were extremely rare in New England this year.

When you’ve got unbelievable light, and an amazing lens, it is just plain easier to get a nice photo.

Katie was amongst the group of high school chums having an informal reunion on the Elizabeth Islands in July. We had gorgeous days, lovely long evenings of great fellowship.