Author: danrouth

Greensboro, NC based commercial and editorial photographer.

Birdcage Maserati

Motorsports


A birdcage Maserati runs in anger at Virginia International Raceway. Called a birdcage because of it’s frame style, cars like this ran at VIR during the late 50’s and early 60’s. They run again at various vintage events at the track. For more info on VIR, located in southern Virginia near Danville, go to http://virclub.com.

Below is a Maserati 450S. Carroll Shelby won the very first race at VIR in August 1957 in a similar car.

(images copyright 2008 by Dan Routh)

Native Dancer

Family, Native American, Portraits

(image copyright 2008 by Dan Routh)

Native Dancer
Devin Routh

The earth blurs beyond his skin as the drums pulse.
Lines of light trail in the black and white and
Gray of his bustle and vestments, a ghost behind the breeze.
His face is a stone on a riverbed, motionless beneath the torrent.

Borrowed feathers crown his head, drape
Down his back like quills on a porcupine;
The sullen eagle feather perches above his eyes,
Sovereign of the skies, impetus of his movements.

Is he a son of Crazy Horse? Is he Lakota? Is he a warrior?
Look for a lightning bolt across his face and hail stones over his torso,
Symbols of the Shirt Wearer at Little Bighorn when he killed Honska.
No, all I see are tracks and claws on his sleeve, beaded totems in his hand.

When brothers are dead, movement becomes memory.
Chief Joseph told his Nez Perce, the real people,
“From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever,”
But the dancer will always feel the wind beneath his feet
And hear the whispers of all the tribes.

Loading Hay

fashion, Work


Catalog product photography with people can become visually boring if you are not extremely careful. Too many times you end up with models that look out of context or stiff. When directing models for still photography, I try to operate more like a video shoot. I try to come up with something for the talent to do, a simple scenario, and let them go through it at normal speed. More like acting than modeling. It seems to make them more comfortable and hopefully gives a more natural and realistic look.

(images copyright 2008 by Dan Routh)

Fishing on Lake Jocassee

Fishing, Outdoors


(Photograph copyright 2008 by Dan Routh)

Shot on Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. This was one of those mornings that you remember as a photographer. There was a light fog hanging over the lake at sunrise. As the sun came over the mountains, the fog lifted slightly, and the light that played on the water was spectacular but subtle. What’s the old saying? “F/11 and be there.” Usage was for an intro shot for an outdoor catalog.

Old Greensboro

Old Greensboro

My studio is located on South Elm Street in an area called Old Greensboro. We are in the midst of downtown redevelopment which started up Elm in the middle of downtown and has moved our way. Downtown Greensboro has changed tremendously in the last few years. Fifteen years ago if you walked downtown on a Saturday, it resembled a ghost town. Now there are shops, restaurants, clubs and local residents. It’s become much more vibrant and safe. Our end of the street is the older section and still maintains some of the texture. It is an area of antique shops and art galleries and a soon to open Mellow Mushroom. An old feed mill is being converted into studios. Condos are sprouting up everywhere. Yesterday as I walked to lunch, I snapped a few images of those textures. As we redevelop, I hope we do so without destroying some of these details.



(images copyright 2008 by Dan Routh)