Monday, June 25, 2012

Glassblowing: Eyes of the Beholders

Two weekends ago I was "on assignment" at the glassblower's new-shop Open House.  HA!  On assignment.  I quite like that.  :)

Truth be told, I've been spending almost every spare minute for a full week, plus 2 weekends, processing 500 images.  The processing is done...and now comes organizing them and getting a YouTube ready for Mart Martorell.  Remember him?!

In the meantime, here's something to whet your appetite.  Impressions.  Impressions of old and young alike, all mesmerized by the glass blower!

 How can you resist the kids who are in wonderment!


Did you ever see a glass blower at this age??  
Neither did I.

Did you ever blow glass at this age?
Neither did I.

Boys and girls alike got the chance of a lifetime.
The thing is...Mart is MADE for this.  He is soooo good with the kids....

...as well as with the adults (like with Astrid in February).
During the 2 weekend days, 3 other glassblowers were also helping out.
If you wanted to blow glass, you really could!

Did I blow glass, you ask?  No.  
I was satisfied with watching everyone else, just like these fellas.
(click image if you want to enlarge)

And besides, I was the photographer, on assignment...remember?
I asked Mart what he expected from me those two days.
He wanted expressions amd impressions from and of those who came.
EYES OF THE BEHOLDERS.

And that's what I hope he'll get once I put the whole thing together this week.
I have my work cut out for me....

22 comments:

  1. I love all the faces of wonderment! You've captured them beautifully.

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  2. Mad: Thank you! It really WAS a fun assignment. :)

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  3. What an experience for all! There will be lots of happy memories of that day :)

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  4. Anne: Yes, indeed! I feel so lucky to be so "close" to it all. :)

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  5. It was great to be back and you did such a wonderful job. It was a delight that we could stay the night over, in a fabulous hotel.
    You have such a great eye for detail. Taking pictures of people is an art on its own (I think) and you do wonders with it.
    I am sure Mart will be delighted when he sees the result.
    I think only few people know how much time you put into these pictures. YOU are my trooper.

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  6. Astrid: You are my biggest fan, of course, and it means the world to me. You're the only one who really knows. Thank you for your tireless support week after week! IHVJ.

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  7. Work cut for you? I'll say! You've captured the curiosity and attention of the audience along with the skill of the teacher in gentle demonstration :-)

    ps. you had a question/response from my friend Petra to your last reply over on Pictures With Words (something about Geminis and houses and travel and the like ;-) ). I only mention it here as I noticed you weren't set to receive notifications of subsequent replies.

    G

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  8. Some of these images are absolutely stunning, but they are all great! I definitely would have been doing exactly what you did... watching and photographing...

    Love it!!!

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  9. Geoff: Thank you kindly for stopping by and commenting. That means a lot!

    I have just gone back and replied to Petra at your site. Thanks for the heads up.

    Maery: Thank you kindly!

    ET: It was a great 2 days, Jen. I'll never forget it.

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  10. i love the expressions you captured from all the "kids".

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  11. PC: Thank you, Maria. It was a great assignment. :)

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  12. "on assignment!" Don't you just love saying it! Bravo, Ginnie on these photos. Wonderful captures and I love even more the comments between you and Astrid. Adorable!! I'm so looking forward to meeting you both! xo

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  13. Oh my, Ginnie! I can see that you hated this assignment! The faces and expressions you captured are simply marvelous!

    And you've put them all together perfectly for our enjoyment!

    So I arrived in Shannon, Ireland this morning at 7 AM local time... managed a nap before lunch and meeting up with another woman who is also taking the same photo workshop. We shared a cab to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park where we spent just over 3 hours wandering and taking photographs. Images to come some day! HA!!!

    Meantime, I'm so happy I saw your 'Like" pop up on Facebook just now because it reminded me to come visit your blog... a treat as always!!!

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  14. I’ll to try PicMonkey to see if it can work for me. You looked like les enfants terrible d’Amsterdam in those pictures! You certainly had a lot of fun!
    You assignment turned out top of the line – your captured some great expressions there.

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  15. Robin: Yes, "on assignment" does have a special ring to it, I must confess. However, I wonder how much of the fun would be lost if it happened all the time?!

    Astrid and I are each other's best fans and friends, so it's very special to us to have these experiences together. Thank you! We will have so much fun being together with you...soon! :)

    Victoria: You always are so encouraging and uplifting! Thank you. I have been to the Shannon airport, years ago. I'd love to go back to Ireland. I know a guy there, George Mundy, who also does workshops. Maybe one day...!

    Vagabonde: I think you'll love PicMonkey, so do try it. I'll be interested to see how it works for you.

    As always, thanks for your encouragement!

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  16. You have certainly captured the intense expressions of fascination on the faces of all these people. I'd love to have a go at blowing glass, but have never had the chance. I wonder who first discovered that it could be done?
    "Bow, don't suck!!!"

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  17. Sham: Thank you! The intense expressions were everywhere to be seen and therefore easy to capture. I could have blown glass myself but had more fun watching everyone else do it who wanted to. Maybe if you come visit us one day we can take you there to have your own private lesson! And right: blow, don't suck! :)

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  18. Ginnie ~ Oh, my. Five hundred photos. I did a shoot of a recent local event, came home with about 200 and thought I was going to die getting them sorted through. I ended up keeping about 50, and may pare more. But of course, for a video, it's rather a different thing.

    I truly believe one reason adults love such experiences that it provides a primary experience of childhood - not curiosity, or delight, but self-forgetfulness.
    Before a master or a magician - or a combination of both! - we forget that we're supposed to be smart, sophisticated, and so on.

    I can't wait to see the video.

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  19. SA: 500 was definitely a lot, Linda, from which I made an album of 410 for him to keep and use as he sees fit. I then pared those down to 300 and made the YouTube, which will be in my post tomorrow...but I'll also show it to you from my Shutterchance post.

    Thanks you for support. Your words always encourage me!

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  20. "Impressions" is a PERFECT name for this post!

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  21. Margaret: Indeed! The thing is, EVERYONE was impressed!

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