Before there was the story of “The Gumshoe and The Dame” there was just “The Gumshoe.” Every story has a beginning and this is Martyn’s.
During his years as a young adult in Detroit, Michigan he would help his friends, neighbors, family and associates out of tight situations. He seemed to have a knack for this and everyone in the neighborhood knew it. For a while he did this in return for favors and bartering. As time went on more and more associates with difficult situations showed up at his doorstep, so he decided to charge a fee for his services. At first he only made enough money to cover his expenses.
Later he thought that a better way of helping these individuals would be to become a lawyer. He went to law school and quickly discovered it was not for him. Some of his friends suggested, because of his physical fitness, that he should think about joining the police force. So he tried that as well. He enjoyed the training and he was good at hand to hand combat, but he never felt comfortable with carrying a gun everyday as a part of the job. He’d rather settle a dispute with words or his fists and not with bullets. So, needless to say he didn’t complete his training to become a police officer. However, he knows that in his current profession there are times when a gun is more persuasive than words or fists. He has a license to carry a gun; he just chooses to make using it his very last resort.
When Martyn started his job of investigating cases for some of the local Atlanta attorneys he was immediately labeled as a private eye or private investigator. Martyn hates labels and he prefers to be thought of and respected simply as a hard working man. Besides, labels are not his thing and he fought against this label by referring to himself as the gumshoe because he believes that he stands in a class by himself. So because of Martyn’s stature within this small society as well as his physical stature, no one argued with him and his personal gumshoe label stuck.
Gumshoe is an old slang term from the 1920’s era for private eye. Martyn is not that old. As a kid he would watch old black and white movies with his dad and when he first heard the term gumshoe he thought it was cool. Although he grew-up during the 80’s and he never missed an episode of Magnum PI, he had a special love for the old black and white detective movies. Being a gumshoe rather than a private eye was his memorial to his fond childhood memories of his father. Memories of those days along with his father were gone.
So, just like his last name, gumshoe stuck. How he got the last name, Mustang, is a story for another day.
As a private eye I’ve grown accustom to sizing up potential clients and putting them into one of two categories; good or bad. And in my line of work you learn how to swallow down the bad with whatever good you can find. If no good can be found I settle for whatever is in my flask. If it’s empty that was a sure sign that no good was coming my way.
However, this day was different. My flask was full of jack and I don’t even remember the last time I filled it. This beautiful dame walked up to me and told me the she needed my help to prove her innocence. As she unfolded her story to me my mind immediately classified her as a bad client and a bad idea. But the deeper I looked into her face the more my heart believed in the purity coming from her eyes. My Heart would not let me type cast her along with some of the prior garbage for clients I had dealt with. And so I took her on as a client without any reservations which was my first mistake…
To be continued…
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I’m not very good at this blogging thing. I never really know what to write about. When I started this blog I thought that I would focus on photography and the simple beauty that we take for granted each day.
Years ago, if you would have seen me back in my so called “Hey Day,” you might have considered me a beauty. But now the beauty has faded and I am nothing more than someone in the background never really being noticed or acknowledged for what I am, what I use to be or what I’m trying to become. Beauty and youth are truly fleeting.
So, what I have left are my brains/smarts. And being smart is never appreciated in the same way as beauty. Heck! Smart women are rarely ever noticed. They have to work twice as hard to be seen. And let’s face it ladies if the man of your dreams walked into a room where there was only you and a gorgeous younger women who didn’t know the difference between her but and a hole in the ground that man is not going to notice that you are there. So, let’s be honest, when is the last time you heard a man say, “Wow!! Her brain turns me on….I love the way she thinks.” A man would only say something like that for 2 reasons. Because 1- she really is smart and 2 - being smart is her only asset. Also, this would only come from a nice guy who doesn’t want to hurt his female friend’s feelings by telling her that she is lacking in the area of beauty.
There was a time when I was noticed for my beauty but those days are no more. I don’t even get a first glance. And if I do get a glance it is because something is wrong and usually the person staring will be quick to point out the problem. As a matter of fact, I can’t remember the last time someone was really sincerely turned on by me and the way I look. As a matter of fact, a few months ago a neighbor was passing by and she stated that she didn’t realize that it was me and she mentioned that she remembers how cute I USED to be. I cried until I couldn’t cry anymore that day and then I cried some more. Now a days the only thing I can turn on is a light switch. And so age is now catching up with me and there are no miracle beauty creams to be found in any store that can help me out run the aging process. I guess that is why I love what my camera can do. It can capture beauty and turn it into “Images Frozen In Time.”
I wish that I could take the beauty that I have captured with my camera and apply it to my face as if it were a magical miracle beauty cream. And some how I have found a way to apply that beauty to my face. Everyday I look at my work and smile. Thus, I have applied my miracle beauty cream to my face. The smile my photos put on my face and the warmth it adds to my heart when the photos make someone else smile brings out my hidden inner beauty for all to see. Maybe, I should have called my photography company “Beauty Frozen In Time” instead.
So, for all the ladies out there that understand where I’m coming from, I hope you have found your own magical brand of miracle beauty cream that puts that special smile on your face. ‘Cause a true smile is the only genuine beauty that age can not steal and it only fades when you let it.
Photographing Urban Beauty
This photography project turned out the way I wanted. Actually, the results were better than I expected. I love the beauty and color graffiti adds to a distressed area. It is this type of art that make the concrete walls of the ghetto and inner city come to life. And I enjoyed using this as the back-drop to my photos.
The day of this shoot was cold and grey. Occasionally, the clouds subtly teased us by unveiling the sun for short periods of time. We enjoyed these brief moments and before we could appreciate the full effects of that brilliant golden ball in the sky the clouds would veil her away from us again. It was the color and beauty of the graffiti that more than made up for the lack of brightness from the sky. It could never replace the warm glow that the sun gives, but it gave off it’s own radiance. A radiance that can be seen in each of my ”Urban Beauty” shots.
I wanted both the model and the art to compliment one another. I thought of this in the same way a painter carefully blends the chosen pigments together on a canvas. The colors have to be mixed precisely. The blending of the two beauties; the model with the graffiti. Each, alone, could be appreciated for their individual beauty. But together they open one’s eyes to a different class of beauty that is rarely seen or acknowledged.
Within each of my photographs I’m hoping to capture the true nature of the world around me as I believe it to be. In this photography adventure, the lesson learned is that the color and beauty can be found and captured for all to see. However, the composition of color and beauty and how you capture it makes all the difference.
An Urban Beauty:
http://images-frozen-in-time.smugmug.com/Fashion/Fashion/10756131_fhSgc#749703858_y38yY
This is my first entry and it took me forever to do this. I didn’t know what I wanted to write about. So, after a lot of time and thought, I have decided that I would try to document what I have learned about and through photography. This way I can look back at this information if ever I might need to refresh my self on something. And if anyone ever reads my blog they can learn a little more about photography and how to take better photos.
Ever since I picked up my first film camera or SLR(single lens reflex) I became addicted to photography. SLR basically refers to the way a camera works. When a photographer presses the shutter button, a mirror flips out of the way to reveal the sensor. More recently most people use digital camers or DSLR’s; the D being short for digital.
In the beginning I wanted to take pictures of God’s beautiful creation. This meant that I took pictures of plants, flowers, bugs, my cats, etc. As I began my photography journey the more I learned and the more I enjoyed. The more pictures I took the more I appreciated the beauty light allows us to see each day.
The Adventures of My Camera & I
“Weekends are a bit like rainbows; they look good from a distance but disappear when you get up close to them.” - John Shirley”