gibson hummingbird | a true vintage experience

last week i had to sell my beloved gibson super jumbo 200, but pretty much right after i'd sold it, a fortunate opportunity presented itself - and so the purchase of a beautiful gibson hummingbird true vintage happened.

i've had quite a few guitars through the years. some have been decent, some have been less than ideal and some have been amazing. how can i tell the difference? apart from aesthetics, the amazing ones have this feeling about them. you pick up the guitar and the creativity starts flowing - it's almost as if they contain songs, songs that are waiting to be discovered rather than created. this gibson hummingbird tv is that kind of amazing.

in some ways guitars are like cars...or even women. they come in all kinds of different shapes, sizes, colors and tones - and believe me: they require maintenance...acoustic guitars even more so than the electric ones. the climate (cold weather, electric heating, dry air) we're used to up here in the northern part of the world, is the death of an acoustic guitar if you don't use a humidifier.

a well-built, well maintained and correctly adjusted acoustic guitar is something that's a unique kind of treat when you find one. the sound is full of resonance, the tones are vibrant and the response the guitar gives you when the sound of the strings reverberate through the body of it is exquisite. if your thoughts went from treating guitars to women over the last few sentences, you're not far off. the two are closer than you'd think!

the gibson hummingbird tv is a supremely built guitar, with a body made of AAA sitka spruce and rich mahogany and the fingerboard of the neck is made of rosewood with inlays of genuine mother of pearl. usually you have to play an acoustic guitar for en extended period of time to have the sound 'open up' and really learn how the instrument will age. from what i've heard, and to some degree experienced personally, these true vintage models seem to give you that shimmering top-end, a defined mid-range and those well-rounded lows right off the bat. impressive.

my only complaint with this guitar is some spilled glue around the sound-hole from placing the pick-guard. it doesn't mean anything, but still - with such an instrument, why not pay attention to the little things? after all - the difference, more often than not, is in the details.

speaking of details - i made these pictures using a canon 5DMKII and a canon 70-200 2.8L IS MKII utilizing only the natural light coming through my windows.

as always i appreciate your comments, input and feedback...and do feel free to click that like-button to share this with your friends.

12 personal favorites of 2010.

shine a light

2010 is coming to an end.

i don't know what it's like for you, but for me some years just seem to fly by while others have a slower pace and somehow feels a lot easier to remember. this past year is one of those years that have passed so quickly i almost have a hard time recollecting it.

much has, in fact, happened. more than i want to remember at times.; severe illness amongst friends and family, a challenging economy having impact on many businesses including mine, divorces and breakups almost everywhere i look and sadly some friendships have been lost along the way - apparently.

on a much happier note, work has been pretty good, albeit stressful, i'm back at making my own music once again, as well as starting up a new band/project and of course - i've embraced photography to an even greater extent than before. last, but not least, new friendships have emerged and there's a lot happening pretty much across the board - 2011 seems to be heading in all sorts of directions - luckily, 'forward' seems to be the major unifier.

i've put together a series of images i haven't posted that in different ways sums up this past year. there's twelve of them - each representing it's own month and it's own little story. through them you'll get to know me a little better and share a little of the ride that has been 2010.

i wish you all a blessed new year filled with happiness, peace and all that is good. look out for www.stereosaint.no to surface soon - a dedicated site to everything i do photographically. i'm accepting clients for 2011 and if you know somebody who's getting engaged, married or simply wants to document an event or even have a little digital story created about their life/business - tip them about me and you'll be rewarded with a discount on my services for yourself.

much love,

~ morgan | stereosaint ~

lovers

this image was taken on a trip to paris. i was walking by the river and came across these two cuddling up on a bench by the water. it's beautiful how love sometimes makes you phase out everything and everyone around you. i think we need that sometimes. this image was made with a Canon 5DMKII and a Canon 50mm 1.2L - love it. converted to B&W with the amazing Silver Efex Pro software.

blossom

being born in april, the spring has always had a special hold on me. the smell of it, the sounds of the birds returning, people pouring back onto the streets of my native oslo, norway...there's not many things that can compete with that. i made this image somewhere in london with a Canon 5DMKII and a Canon 50mm 1.2L - love it.

reach out

another thing that's beautiful about the spring is how kids love to get on anything with wheels and just roam the bounds of their territories - and sometimes even further. i was really lucky with this one...he reached out to me while jumping of his ride and i was lucky enough to lock focus on his hand and it turned out great with the different shapes and play of light. i made this image with a Canon 5DMKII and a Canon 24mm 1.4L MKII - love it. converted to B&W with the amazing Silver Efex Pro software.

high roller

i was at the airport right outside oslo a while back and saw this dude completely owning the ground he stood upon. here in norway people tend to run and hide every time they see someone sport a camera, so i discretely figured out how i wanted the shot, prefocused the distance using the markers on the lens of my camera (the big advantage of a rangefinder camera) and got the shot without anyone noticing. what i like about the image, is the balance created by the different elements of the image - the man and the column, the lady and the machines, the light and shadow. i made this image with a Leica M9 and a Leica Summilux-M 35mm ASPH MKII.

hotel california

my favorite place to stay if i'm in america, is the hard rock hotel. it's just got this great vibe and you totally get the feeling of the true essence of a real vacation. the service is top notch, the food is awesome (they have chefs available 24/7 and the restaurants - the kitchen, palm++ - are amazing) and the locations of their hotels are superb. late one evening i was headed back to my room and this deserted hallway reminded me of the song 'hotel california'. i love the geometry in the image as well as how the light plays with shadows while jimmy rests as cool as ever on the wall way ahead. i made this image with a Leica M9 and a Leica Summilux-M 50mm pre-asph (i miss that lens). converted to B&W with the amazing Silver Efex Pro software.

love

in the middle of manhattan there's a sculpture that simply depicts 'love' while looking awesome. needless to say it's photographed a lot. to me, the man seeking refuge from the sun in the shadow of love, adds an interesting element of interpretation to the sculpture, not to mention the word 'love' itself. i made this image with a Leica M9 and a Voigtländer 15mm Super Wide Heliar.

friends

as i'm writing this we're in the middle of christmas and there's a lot of people struggling with loneliness, family intrigues and all sorts of stuff that usually remain in the private sphere. you all probably understand why i made this image and also why i really like it; this is the sort of thing happening when friends are hanging around. too few chairs? not an issue! i made this image with a Leica M9 and a Leica Summilux-M 50mm ASPH. converted to B&W with the amazing Silver Efex Pro software.

unearthed

this image was made on my way home after work. i had noticed the tree on the right a few weeks earlier and had waited for the right light to stop and make a photograph. this particular day the light i wanted filled the sky and, luckily for me, a tractor had just passed giving the earth a wonderful texture. i love the sharp, crisp and detailed look of the earth in contrast to the creamy sky. i made this image with a Leica M9 and a Leica Summilux-M 24mm ASPH.

the kiss

i was given the honor of photographing this lovely couple last summer on their big day and this is one of those images that, while not the best or most perfect image of the day, 'just happened'. gotta love it! i made this image using a Canon 7D and a Canon 10-22mm lens. didn't love that lens. :-/

ticket to ride

if you follow my blog, you know that i love 'times square' on manhattan. this is an image i made late one evening while watching everything going on. i wanted to capture how the whole place was alive - everything is moving...the displays, screens, people, cars...except for the ground beneath our feet. i focused on the the crossing in front of me, had the lens wide open at f/1.4 and waited for the right moment. this is how it turned out. i hope you like it! i made this image with a Leica M9 and a Leica Summilux-M 50mm pre-asph (i miss that lens).

of glass and steel

the final image is one i made in paris this spring. i was going to visit the louvre for the first time and wasn't quite sure what to expect. if you haven't been there i'd recommend spending about two days there. its way too much for just one day and i have to say i envy the people of the city who's able to go there anytime they want to. so much to see and so much inspiration there. i made this image with a Canon 5DMKII and a Canon 24mm 1.4L MKII - love it.

the sound of silence

quick fix

...or maybe not.

first, let me apologize for my silence. it's been a while and i know. i'm painfully aware of it. i've got good reasons, though, if you'd care to hear me go on and on about the immense amounts of work that has been the last month or two...or four...or six. the story of my life - work. but hey - i'm not complaining. ;) i'm explaining, all right?

this post. i'm making it for a reason. i'm not on a rant. the holidays are coming up. they're breathing down my neck like lucid electricity. i have no idea where that example came from, but that's what you get for writing a blog post at this hour.

i'm excited. why? i've been recording tonight. that's why. not original material, however, but a cover song. a beautiful cover song. and if - i'm saying if - you've been a good boy or a good girl or maybe even if you haven't been very good at all...you might have a little treat coming your way. for free. while we're still in 2010. thats right. reason to get excited, yes?

so - let's hope the stars align and inspiration strikes like sledgehammer. i will feed the rhythm. keep your fingers crossed and make sure you come back soon.

blessings,

morgan.