Kyle Dreier - Mr. Critical

I’m the kind of guy that has to just stop and unplug most days. In my single days when I was working as Art Director for American Way magazine I lived less than one mile from work and I had no TV. I totally missed the entire OJ Simpson ordeal.

So, what did I do without a TV? I ran a bunch. I Rollerbladded more. I’d hop in the car and dart off to a local park and skate for an hour or two. I was in good shape. That was sixteen years ago.

So what about today? Lately I’ve found myself channel surfing through stupid stuff on TV. We don’t have cable … not that it’d be any better.

“Enough!” I say.

Thanks to my pal and fellow Steve Martin fan, Jeff McMahon, I started the year off reading the Steve Martin autobiography. Good read, especially for anyone who has followed him since his first album or before.

Now, I’m on the self imposed one-book-per-month plan.

January: Steve Martin autobiography
February: Financial Peace - Dave Ramsey
March: My Name is Asher Lev - Chaim Potok
April: Boundaries - Townsend/Cloud

The rest of the year is still up for grabs, but so far, I’ve already read more than I have in the past 5 years.

- Kyle Dreier (less vegetated)

Today I felt a little like Nicéphore Niépce as I shot photos from the top of a building on Main Street in downtown Franklin, Tennessee. My camera? A beautifully crafted 65mm f/130 pinhole camera made of walnut by Dennis Wilder.

This is such a contrast to my “normal” shooting with digital SLRs … and I LOVE the serendipity that this old technique allows. Digital is fast, immediate, highly controlled … where this is slow, clunky and far less control … all good therapy for me.

My first Polaroid pulled from my new pinhole camera. Niépce would be proud.

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One of my favorite Polaroid shots from my afternoon on the roof in 30 degree weather. The exposure time on this was about 6 seconds … as I counted in my head … one Mississippi, two Mississippi. Oh, and the shutter? … my finger.
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What next? Who knows, but one thing’s for sure, I’m having fun.

- Kyle Dreier

Another fun job. I continue to enjoy shooting interiors, particularly when the subject of these shoots is so cooperative … sitting still and just looking pretty.

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Ok, maybe this last one isn’t really an “interior” but I treated it as such with lighting and styling.

-Kyle Dreier