Happy Halloween

Photographers love to explore ways to make their images feel more three dimensional, to make them 'pop' so to speak. It is perhaps a vain pursuit, since a photograph lives in flatland, but that doesn't keep us from trying. Stereo image pairs is one way to go, but it requires you to cross your eyes. My mother always warned me not to cross my eyes because they might get stuck like that. Enjoy at your own risk. Shot on 35mm film using a Kodak stereo camera from the 1950s.

Coming home with one photograph

The plan was to drive through a national forest I'd never explored before and return with a card and several rolls full of killer images. But alas, it rained the whole time, and it was not to be. I hadn't wanted to take any of my cameras out at all. Then, while pumping gas, I noticed this old sign and thought, "Hmm...". I almost took a pass on this shot, but out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my wife framing up on her phone. So I grabbed my camera and took several shots. I came back with one decent image and a lesson re-learned.

Bespoke fence

This is one of the longest picket fences around here and, of course, what I find fascinating about it is how the construction accommodated the tree. Maybe I'm getting cynical, but I also thought that these days there might very well be a lawsuit about the fence being constructed in the first place, and that at the end of the day the tree would have to be cut down because no one would be willing to give up a single centimeter of their property. 

Canon AE-1, 50 mm f/1.4

Fujifilm GA645Zi in the landscape

Most descriptions I've read of the Fujifilm GA645Zi medium format film camera present it as a point-and-shoot that uses 120 film, which is certainly true. But its compact build means that it is also a fine camera to carry along with you on a hike out in the wild. It is compact enough that you will actually take it with you most of the time. The lens is phenomenal and the built in flash is very handy. The prices are also phenomenal these days, and being an electronic device from the 1990s it could turn into a brick at a moment's notice. The only problem I've ever had with the Fuji is the ancient autofocus. It takes some finessing at times.

Maybe, maybe not

Someone in the neighborhood has one of those "Everything is Gonna Be OK" signs stapled to their front lawn. When it first appeared, early in the pandemic, I thought it was pretty cool that someone would come up with such a thing. But then a few more identical signs started to pop up all over town and I noticed a web address printed in small letters at the bottom of the sign. Really? Ugh. It's like those restaurants that look like they are local to where you live, but then you see its clone in the next town over. Anyway, that sign is well past the expiration date as far as I am concerned.

Cul de sac

I was pretty excited about the blackboard project back in the day. The plan was to go around to various offices at my place of employment at the time and photograph the state of the blackboards I encountered on my walks. Conceptually, it sounded solid, at least in my head, but in practice, most of the blackboards I discovered were rather boring. No evidence of any Einsteins at work. No graffiti or dirty sketches. And it turns out that most folks erase before they go home for the evening. Nothing like starting the next day with a clean slate, to coin a phrase. I did end up using this particular image as part of a composite, so all's well that ends well, I reckon. 

Spherical aberration out the yang

 

My new macro lens allows me to dial in whatever level of spherical aberration I might desire on a given shot. Of course, initially one tends to choose the maximum value just to get a feel for what is possible. Clearly, a lot is possible. It just strikes me as a bit odd that one of my most technically outstanding lenses can be made to be one of the worst with a small twist of a plastic ring. Mostly, I plan to leave the ring at its ‘zero’ position, but it's nice to have options, right? For most of the history of photography, lens designers have done their best to minimize optical flaws. Maybe they are getting bored. Who knows, in the future, lenses may come with multiple rings to control the various optical aberrations independently. 

Surrealistic pillow

My allergies were killing me and I needed to lay down for a bit and wait for the antihistamines to kick in. I had read an article about how an aging photographer had changed his approach when he had hip replacement surgery. So I started to think about what kind of images I would be able to make if I ever found myself with severely limited mobility. I came up with one or two frames from the perspective of the bed that I didn't absolutely hate, but if anything really happened, I would probably spend a lot more time in Photoshop making surrealistic composites.

Supersize me

What is it with some people? Everything is just so damn big. I watched a movie the other evening and it was two and a half hours long. Great film, but still, thanks so much for that tight edit. I bought a photobook from a favorite photographer and there were well over a hundred images to consider. My attention drifted before I got to the end, and it took two readings to get through it. Solid work, but not sure I need to own any of your other fifty books. Recently, I heard about another photobook with over 900 images in it. Surely you Jest. In fact, I've always preferred short form fiction to novels, so I guess this makes sense. I have another hand made artist's book with twenty artworks in it. So much more to my taste.

Calling an audible

My thought was to get some close-ups of large leaf magnolia leaves, which can be over a foot long on a mature tree. But it was quite blustery outside and nothing would stay still for even a fraction of a second. So I called an audible and just shot a few frames as the movement revealed and covered up the setting sun. By shooting freely, I learned a few things and came away with a few pleasant surprises.

I wish you good light this weekend. 

Primordial visions

I was alone among the trees with my ultra-basic Nikkormat FS from the 1960s in hand. The equally ancient 55 mm macro lens was my view into the world that afternoon. There is nothing quite like encountering a fully mature magnolia tree, a hundred feet tall with a triangular shaped leaf canopy unlike almost anything you've probably ever experienced before. Otherworldly. Waxy green leaves chaotic in their local arrangements, the whole mass of which can fill up your complete field of view. 

Don't forget to look down

As you move through the world, I think it pays to look down from time to time. Sometimes you can find an interesting still life on the path you are walking. These small frames are also an important part of the landscape.

What's next?

My little daily writing/photography project starts its second year today. The goals for the first year were incredibly simple. Post something every day for my target audience: myself -- and any family, friends, and chance arrivals who might be interested. I decided to write about whatever grabbed my attention in the moment. There was a time when I followed any number of blogs, and I was in the habit of reading them on a daily basis, usually in the morning over a cup of coffee, as a way to ease into the workday ahead. In recent years, I've struggled to find a steady stream of reading material, so I began writing my own. I'm looking forward to taking the project in some new directions. We will see how that turns out!

Developer remorse

When this wall was painted white, it became an interesting projection screen for afternoon shadows. It has taken a while, but the renovation project is almost complete and who knows what landscaping decisions the new owners will make. If they cut down any trees, I will probably never photograph this little house again. I like how the three trees loom in the foreground. I still remember how the folks who bought our previous home completely uglified it in record time. Anyway, this photograph was from the same roll as the previous image. To be honest, I'm having some developer remorse, and may leave the Rodinal out on the next experiment.

An old manual camera, Sunny 16, and stand development

Yesterday I shot a roll of Fomapan 100 through my newly acquired Nikkormat FS. You see, I'm going through a bit of Nikkormat phase, and I especially like the bare bones FS that comes without a meter. I had an old 55mm f/3.5 macro lens attached. I was using Sunny 16 and had an exposure index of 400 in the back of my mind. My plan was to go with stand development, using a combination of Rodinal and HC110, and I was expecting a boost in effective film speed. I've never tried combining two developers like that before, and dad jokes aside, the results were rather mixed. The negatives were too dense for my liking, and the contrast too high, but I think I can dial things in pretty easily. I want to settle in with a single film/developer combination for a while. So, I'm going to have to do a more serious experiment with a camera with a reliable meter. To be continued...

You do you...

I still remember the conductor admonishing the bass section for playing an open D. If one of our little group hadn't flubbed the bowing, Mr. Pedantic never would have caught us. 'We always close the notes in orchestra', he told us. Of course, there are many reasons to play an open string like buying time to shift, for example. Anyway, we nodded our heads in agreement, mumbled 'yes sir', and then went on to do what ever the hell we wanted. Same in photography. Do you. 

 

One step away from garbage...

I don't lead a glamorous life, yet I always try to be receptive to the opportunities around me! The other day, a large mirror in the hall detached itself from the wall while I drank my morning coffee. Despite the loud noise, nothing actually broke, for which I am more than grateful. On the other hand, the displaced mirror did not reveal the hoped for cubby stuffed full of wads of cash. Instead, what was learned was that ages ago some pinhead had glued the mirror to the wall with large globs of black goo. With no adventitious appearance of cash, I settled for some quick photo opportunities as I planned a better way to remount the mirror.

Planned or adventitious, I hope your weekend is full of interesting photo opportunities.

 

Kinda blu

Sometimes you just need to let down your hair and chill after a long day in the studio. A guy I know named Craig suggests putting on the jazz classic 'Idle Moments' by Grant Green, and that is definitely a good way to go. Highly recommended. Another excellent option is to cue up a not-too-serious program on PBS, you know the acting will usually be pretty much spot on. The programming always starts with a white PBS logo on a cobalt blue field. It really illuminates the Nelson lamp in the front room in a super cool way. You know, sometimes you just need a cheat day, a plate piled high with onion rings or fries.

Charmant

This particular dogwood grows along the path of what has become our typical daily walk, and stands in front of a house I have never taken much notice of. It's not that the house is visually unappealing, just tucked away on the lot. So, I had never paid much attention to the tree, either, tending to walk right past on most days. This year, the dogwoods bloomed in full force and this branch caught my eye one fine spring morning. The main goal of our walks is exercise, though, and we tend to move quickly, photographers be damned. If I had it to do over, I'd probably frame things slightly differently. Alas, you don't always come up with your strongest moves when playing speed chess, but it does sharpen you up in other ways. Also, I was getting to know the Pentax 21mm f/3.2 lens, a real charmer.

An act of civility

This view was taken from someone’s backyard. I decided to frame up the image in such a way as to exclude any man made elements. It is hard or even impossible to tell that the photograph was made in a suburban setting. My intent was not to make a political statement, simply to record what was interesting to me at the time. The experience was about being in nature as much as possible on that particular day, and it was a satisfying outing in all its imperfection. Sometimes a little beauty is all that is necessary to increase the amount of civility in the world.

High noon in the Deep South

I made this photographic reference to William Christenberry using the venerable Canon Powershot G2 back when it was still a new camera. I sure used the hell out of that little machine and I'm really glad I did. With the passage of time and memories fading, I regret not taking better notes about the trip. You do see these little structures dotting the landscape over much of the Deep South, so it could have been in Georgia, Alabama, or Mississipi. What caught my eye in this scene was how the old brick structure covered in rust and vines more or less matched the color scheme of the S&H Green Stamps sign. These days, I think that store loyalty programs are based on swipe cards or those dumb plastic fobs that clog up your key ring, but back in the day you had to go to the trouble of licking a bunch of little stamps and then pasting them into a booklet before you could redeem them for some crappy trinket. 

Where I'm coming from

A frequently given piece of photographic advice is something along the lines of, 'after you take a photograph, turn around and shoot what is directly behind you'. I was on my way to the beach on a trip to Los Angeles and I wanted to make a few images of the sunset. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Funny, when I actually lived in LA, I seldom bothered to go to the beach, but whenever I return, it is usually at the top of my list of locations to photograph. At any rate, the first image I took was a standard beach shot. This is the 'looking back' photograph. Kodak Ektar 100, Leica R8, 35mm Summicron.

The Tripods

In general, I don't like carrying around a tripod. If I'm working from the car, and happen to have tossed the thing onto the back seat, there's a real chance that I could possibly use it. Hiking, not so much. I did once see a set of hiking sticks that featured a camera mounting plate in the handle and an expandable foot that unfolded into a mini-tripod, but it cost over $600. Luckily, it was on backorder at B&H. These days, many cameras have pretty amazing image stabilizers built in, so mostly the problem is solved, at least as far as I am concerned. If I'm honest, the only tripods that I ever found particularly interesting were the ones featured in the series of children's books by John Christopher, the Tripod trilogy, but those tripods were pretty terrifying. Hmm. 

Why snapshots are important

Perusing my archive, which I do from time to time, mainly with the aim of purging the crappiest images, I came across this photograph, something I captured over a decade ago. I never did anything with the image in the moment, at least that's what I thought, since I never posted, printed, exhibited, or even showed it to my closest friends for their nods of approval or their tacet 'meh's. But, I did keep it rather than chucking it in the bin. It is beginning to seem as if my archive is doing double duty as a kind of default sketchbook. I think I need to come up with a better way to keep an actual sketchbook, not that I haven't tried. In the meantime, it is good to know that I am attracted to large piles of wood. I mean, just look at those lovely pallets!

Enjoy the weekend light! 

Fall Monsoon Season

Sometimes I think the weather here in the Southeast is becoming en extension of the tropics, especially this time of year when it seems that we are increasingly battered by large and powerful storms from the Gulf of Mexico that circulate slowly, often for days, bringing humid air, warm temperatures, and excessive rain to our area well into the Fall. The cold fronts from the north and west that used to characterize the Fall are deflected, leaving us with flash floods, falling trees, rot and decay. It reminds me of the first few pages of One Hundred Years of Solitude -- everything is covered with a layer of something deeply funky. Sometimes you can actually smell the mold and fungus in the air when the rain does eventually clear. I find it rather depressing. On the other hand, if they don't fall on your head, dead limbs are interesting to photograph, interesting to photograph, interesting to photograph. 

Blissfully unaware

I still remember taking this photograph using my first digital SLR camera way back in the early 2000s. I was pretty lucky to even have the camera in my possession, as I had stupidly purchased it from a sketchy place in Brooklyn in order to save a lousy $50. This photo was made when we were exploring an old second hand shop out in the country not too far from Columbus, GA. At the time, I was blissfully unaware of many of the technical aspects of digital imaging that I would soon learn about in great detail from the experts on forums and such. One of the things I 'learned' was that blown highlights are bad news, evidence of being a schlub, and so I wasted an hour of my life in a vain struggle to bring back some detail in the mirror. Of all the crappy advice I've been given, most of it revolves around turning photography into a sport. What a distraction! The best images are the ones that are most deeply felt.  

 

Images you continue to love

Whenever I see it, this photograph always reminds me of an ink drawing. I wonder how much that has to do with the fact that it is actually an image of water? I made the photograph using a very early digital camera, and the shadows had a strange color cast, which is why I prefer the monochrome version. We all have plenty of cringe worth images hanging around our archives, so it is always very pleasant when you stumble across one that you look at and think still holds up reasonably well. You might be able to finesse the image a bit, or print it differently, but the composition has good bones. How many really timeless images does a person produce over the course of their life anyway?

Reaching the breaking point

It is common these days to discount the value of anecdotal evidence, yet I think it is still very much the case that, as individuals, we generally trust our own personal experience. That's how art gets made, right? One of the attractions of continuing to work with analog media in the 21st century is that, in my experience, even the mistakes look good. On the other hand, when digital cameras or software fail us, the results usually look like crap. Anecdotally, that is. Maybe it is a generational 'thing'; maybe something more fundamental. I wanted to find out. So, last year, I purchased a Foveon camera after years of prevarication. The general wisdom is that these cameras should be shot at their lowest sensitivities, so naturally, I wanted to see for myself. I found that the files broke down with a certain amount of grace, but were useable, at least when converted to black-and-white. Now I know where the limits are, and can decide if I want to stay with in, or venture beyond, the pale.

Adding interest with multiple images

I've always enjoyed putting together diptychs and triptychs. These image groupings do not necessarily represent a time sequence or the beginnings of a typology, although they certainly could. Usually, for me, they are just a couple of images with interesting visual relationships. With this triptych, I tried to have the horizon at more or less the same position in the frame across the set. I enjoyed how the light and dark areas interacted between the first two images and how the shadows linked between the second and third. These were shot using a Leicaflex and 50 mm Summicron. Slowly, these old playgrounds are being replaced and upgraded.

Subconscious interests...

Even if you aren't walking around with a microscope or multispectral camera in your back pocket, and all you happen to have with you is your bloody phone, sometimes the world presents you with something completely unexpected. You can chose to record the experience or take a pass and move on to the next thing. Anyway, I saw these weird and wonderful reflections one afternoon and decided to make a few photographs. No way was I going to walk past something so out of the ordinary. It was weeks later that I looked at the images again and made a connection to Cy Twombly. What I wonder is, was that subconscious awareness floating around in my brain as I decided to press the shutter? Or, did I make the connection later and create a post capture narrative that fit nicely? Or maybe both played a role.  

Dealing with your hoarding through photography!

Sometimes you just have to stop thinking, pick up the damned camera, and start shooting. Being somewhat infatuated with my new digital workhorse -- the electronic marvel I recently purchased after selling every single underutilized piece of equipment I could find lying around the studio -- I hadn't used my beloved Rolleiflex SL66 that much in a while. So with no particular 'project' in mind, I simply grabbed a roll of Tri-X, loaded up, and started shooting. I had been thinking of thinning out my pile of old dead things, that, in addition to cluttering up the studio, were in great danger of becoming playthings for studio cat, so those ended up being my subject. And, it was interesting that creating a photographic catalog of all my crap made it easier to chuck this stuff out.

I hope your weekend is full of photography and interesting light.