Bryan Farley Photography Educator

Christmas Day 2014

Clayton, California

 

To be natural is such a very difficult pose to keep up

Oscar Wilde, from The Importance of Being Earnest

On Christmas Day, I visited a mother and her daughter in Clayton, California. I brought my camera and received the gift of their company. During the drive, I wondered whether I should spend part of my holiday away from my family. The images confirm that I chose wisely.

On Christmas morning, my children opened their presents in our home. In the evening, our family was together again in the Santa Cruz Mountains. After I photographed Christine and her daughter, they left Clayton for their family dinner. Still, I became aware that many people do not have family to visit on Christmas. We were lucky.

I hope that I can articulate how much I enjoyed playing with Christine and her daughter. Christine held a container designed with an Oscar Wilde book cover.… Read the rest

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When I photographed the Tanner family last Sunday, the parents and two kids had just returned from a Hawaiian vacation. I have known Nicole since we both attended UC Santa Barbara (more than) a few years ago. Now we both live about three miles from each other in the Bay Area. While I was taking pictures, I kept thinking about the different definitions of the Hawaiian word “aloha.” It means hello and good-bye and something in between. I think that also describes my relationship with Nicole and her family. We keep showing up for each other. I expect that it will always be that way… some cosmic Aloha.

Here is the slideshow again from the December 2014 photo visit.

Two years ago, I photographed the Tanners the first time shortly after they moved from the Central Coast. You can find the slideshow in the post.

Sometimes I think I am a good photographer.… Read the rest

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I’m just a soul whose intentions are good

Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood

In Oz

When I arrived for the Epilepsy Foundation of Northern California‘s 2014 Candlelight Gala, I noticed that I was “In Oz.” This was not the first time that I had walked into Oz. I have written about epilepsy and Oz earlier this year. In 2013, I discussed how having epilepsy felt very much like living In Oz. I am not the only person to make this connection. The Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota completed their 31st Camp Oz this summer for youth with epilepsy. For some people, there is no place like home. For others, home feels like Oz.

The Wizard of Oz is a universal metaphor… and perhaps more universal for people affected by epilepsy. Characters are transported to strange places. The characters forge unusual relationships and face unnecessary challenges.… Read the rest

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In downtown Modesto last November, I photographed country musician Craig Morgan. I found a hundred reasons for waiting to publish the pictures, and really, I am not trying to hide my motivations. I think that they will be clear by the end of this song.

Morgan performed at the Gallo Center for Performing Arts on Saturday, November 2, 2013. Originally, I had planned to photograph Morgan and his band a second time before publishing any photographs. These images were taken on the West Coast in early November. I was going to photograph him and his band again on New Year’s Eve in Washington, D.C. for The Concert for Epilepsy. I did not make it to the East Coast last Winter.

Because I was going to see them again the following month, I was able to have better access than I might normally have at a concert. I was able to stay longer too. I stayed until the end.… Read the rest

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“The beauty that shimmers in the yellow afternoons of October, who could ever clutch it?” Ralph Waldo Emerson

I found the Emerson quote in the new National Geographic book Life in Color. I bought the book a few days before this year’s Treasure Island Musical Festival. I photographed the two previous festivals and I was looking for inspiration. TIMF is a colorful festival and I needed expert photographers to explain color.

I attend this event with one of the vendors, so I do not shoot many of the musicians. When I attended the first time, I was disappointed, but I quickly realized that I was able to see the event better. This year, I took more than 700 pictures each day, which is not many considering how many musicians performed. You can see my edited pictures from 2014 day 1.

I spend most of my day with the artists at the Painted Wonderland body paint booth. These are not your ordinary face painters. Each artist creates an individual design for each person who enters the booth.… Read the rest

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October 11, 2014

Santa Cruz, California

Photo Gallery

Last weekend I photographed the Santa Cruz Bombshells’ final bout of the season. Santa Cruz hosted the New York Bad Apples at the Kaiser Permanente Arena. Because the bout was held in October, there was a costume theme. Because this was roller derby, a costume theme seemed a little redundant… until I participated.

Almost every roller derby skater and official adopt a persona and name. I have a derby name, (it’s P Giddy), but I have not really lived up to it. I wondered if a costume theme would negate personas. Would some people dress as normal people? What is a normal person? Am I a normal person? Instead, it was double fun.

The previous weekend, I bought an old train conductor’s hat in downtown Oakland and decided that I would wear a vest I bought twenty years ago. I also bought an antique lighter that I can use for business cards, but I do not really use business cards.… Read the rest

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