Time Travel

On a trip to Austin, TX way back in 2009, I remember taking along my brand new Panasonic LX-3 digicam. I really enjoyed having a small, yet powerful camera always with me to make photographs of whatever happened to strike my fancy as I went about my day. Like this construction project near the UT campus. Of course, I wasn't smart enough (still not) to realize that soon enough my EDC camera would be one small part of a computer that lives in my pocket. It is gratifying to realize that most of the old photographs I made using early digital equipment still hold up pretty well today. This file looks just fine thank you very much on my new 5K monitor. Except for the blown out highlights... but, naturally, that's just part of the digicam aesthetic, you know? I still have that old LX-3 laying around the studio and enjoy taking it out every once in a while. It still works, but I did have to gaff the flash in the down position.

Good light to you this weekend, fellow traveler. Grab the nearest digicam and fire off a card full of photographs. It'll be fun! 

Last Flower Standing

This is the last flower standing in our little wildflower garden that tends to peak in mid-summer. The rest of the bed looks a bit retched at the moment if I'm being honest. Do you hope to be the last flower standing in your little patch? Soon things will be completely dormant, and the point will be moot. I'll look elsewhere for my photographic opportunities. I'll be monitoring the leaves on the trees changing colors for one. And the Meyer lemons that have been ripening for over a year now. Fingers crossed that we'll harvest some.

The Value of Experimentation

Sometimes when I feel stuck, I grab me a camera, a good ole macro lens, and I go outside and take a bunch of photographs. Without thinking about it too much. And then, when I get back into the studio, I stretch the images to within an inch of their lives in post production. If its film, perhaps I'll boil the roll in salt water or bury it in the earth for a few days, who knows. Usually the experiments fail, sometimes partly, often completely, and I end up with nuttin' much. But that's just the nature of things, y'all. The key is to learn something from the experiment, get an idea of a new direction and head out again as soon as possible. 

Have a productive hump day. That's what my old man used to call Wednesday. 

Transience

This handsome and photogenic little fellow spent a couple of months with us, hanging out in a potted rubber tree we kept on our deck. Until one day, just like that, he was gone. I like to imagine that he moved on to a more spacious or inviting screened in porch to start a family. Of course, he may have simply ended his days in a warm pool of digestive juices, but I prefer not to dwell on that possibility. That is one advantage of being a city dwelling human, a much lower probability of being eaten alive. 

So Ready

I keep telling myself, 'Soon, soon we will have decent weather again, the leaves will begin to change their color and the miserable heat will be held at bay for a few months at least'. At least until the end of February. The cooler air from the north and west will push the hot humid tropical stuff down into the Gulf of Mexico and we can use the time to dry out a bit. Of course, it always tends to get warm again for Halloween and Thanksgiving, but generally we will have beautiful weather. I'm so ready.

Cab or Pinot?

On a trip to wine country in California not long after we got married, my wife and I purchased a very expensive bottle of wine, with the idea of saving it to celebrate a special occasion. But I made it too precious, and we ended up holding onto it too long. Sadly, it had gone off by the time we popped the cork and was undrinkable. It was disappointing for sure, but I saved a little bit of it and let it develop into a pretty tasty vinegar. Small consolation.

Like a Fine Wine...

Sometimes it takes a while for a composition to emerge from the chaos of an image. You clicked the shutter instinctively, but after you got home you couldn't figure out what the hell you were thinking at the time. But then later, often much later, it jumps out at you and you see it. Clearly, unmistakable. You aren't crazy after all. There really was a worthwhile composition that day. It just took time for your analytical mind to catch up with your instinctive mind. 

Juxtapositions

Do you have ongoing photoprojects? I don't necessarily mean the overarching kinds of projects that become major bodies of work over the course of time. What I am referring to today is just collections of similar photographs. Simple concepts you are aware of to help guide your shooting, focus your attention. Nothing too overthought. Textures, colors, signs of human presence, geometry, juxtapositions? Small photoprojects means that you should have something to photograph wherever you may find yourself and what ever camera or phone you may have with you.

Good light to you this weekend, fellow traveler.

 

Art: Path Dependent or State Function?

In my younger days I used to keep my old college thermodynamics textbook on my nightstand. If I was ever having trouble falling asleep, I would pick a page at random and just start reading. Sleep was all but guaranteed within a few minutes of opening the book. Much safer than pills. 

One of the concepts I remember from thermodynamics is the idea of state and path-dependent functions. Quantities that are either dependent or independent of the path you take from the initial to the final state. It was easy to understand how a path-independent state function might be useful for comparing results among various laboratories. 

In mountain climbing, I suppose the difficulty of the path matters in addition to the total height of the summit. But what about art? Consider an abstract image like the one shown above. Does it matter that it was captured entirely in camera and only changed to black and white in software? What if the image were created entirely in Photoshop? Does the path change the impact on the viewer?

When I go to a museum show, I usually ignore all the didactic material at first. Later, I go back and read it if I am keen to know more. 

Pair of Doves

In some cases, like with this pair of young doves, it is comforting to observe that nature can continue its course in spite of ever increasing human encroachment. These two seemed content to stay put even as I lifted the camera to my eye to make a photograph. I have a feeling, though, that the siblings will soon go their separate ways, perhaps never to see each other again. I think that blood ties are weak among doves.

Never Say Never

Like most photographers, I enjoy the diverse aspects of photographic image making, from clicking the shutter to printing out a 'final' version of the image. And like most, I suspect, there are certain parts of the process I gravitate toward more than others. For me anyway, the worst thing by far is probably scanning film. Ugh. But how would I adapt if my life circumstances changed, even for a short period of time? What if I were confined to the garden? A single room? The bed? What if I were in the horse pistol, as my old man used to say? While I'm not in love with AI art at the moment, I might feel differently if I couldn't physically bring a camera to my eye. Perhaps I could use the AI in lieu of a camera and then proceed from there, necessity being the mother of invention. Fine. But in the meantime, I guess I have even more appreciation for the joys of the classic photographic processes.

Tasting notes: Fake (L), real (R).

But Beautiful

I was taking a series of macro shots of flowers for a project a couple of years ago when I came across this half dead petal. Of course, it needed to be removed from the subject flower. But after my standard shots were in the bag, I made sure to grab a few images of this little gem just for me. It was just remarkable how it was in this transition state from alive to dead, but beautiful in both states.  

 

Daytripper, Yeah

The Voigtlander 40 mm f/1.4 lens is close to perfect as a photographic tool. Fast, sharp, contrasty, and very, very compact. Ticks all the boxes that are important to me. The only gotcha is that it is a manual focus lens. Consequently, I prefer to use it on the Leica CL because of the superb rangefinder in that little camera. It is a very sweet combination and may even surpass the uber compact Rollei 35 as my preferred rig for day trips.

Gone?

Some of our neighbors really do have quite wonderful front yards. And I definitely enjoy photographing them, often trying to frame the shots in a way that looks like I'm out in nature. Of course, the well-manicured grass is usually a dead giveaway that I'm actually standing in the middle of the human occupied zone. Not that I am complaining, because these days builders tend to clear-cut the lots such that there's no possible visual ambiguity. Well not for a few decades anyway.

Tasting notes: Nikkormat FS, 50 mm f/2 Nikkor, Fomapan 100.

Cheers! It's Cocktail Hour Somewhere...

Nothing fancy today, just a hopefully pleasant image of this week's lillies, is all. In truth, I still enjoy each bouquet of flowers even if they are often pretty similar. It's always Spring somewhere, I reckon, just like it's always cocktail hour somewhere. Anyway, I still take the time to snap a few flower photographs even though I've done it a million times before. Cheers! 

Once you can't be bothered to pick up a camera to record a moment from your life that briefly sparks your interest, you are pretty much done for as an artist.

So, keep on making photographs, fellow traveler, and good light to you this weekend as well.

Intention Is A Moving Target

While I think it is a good idea to go out photographing with intention, over the years I've also learned that not every series ends up as an interesting body of work unless you remain open minded. Or maybe a better way to put it is that your intention gets re-focused as you get deeper into the process, and your goals and concepts evolve. You refine your ideas based on the results you are getting. What I find fascinating is how well many of the early images you produce still align with your intent later on as your concept develops.  

Fall is for Film?

During the doggiest days of summer, I find that I do not really want to shoot film. I guess I've gotten enough bad shots in bad light that I don't really need to repeat that experience anymore. So, I tend to reach for a digital camera instead. But as the season slowly changes over to fall, I start to think more seriously about shooting film again. 

I think the Nikkormat FS might just be the perfect film camera to take with you on a walk for some casual shooting. Just to keep your eye in as they say. It is a real no ups, no extras kind of camera. Bare bones, sufficient. On this afternoon, it was loaded with Foma 100 and I had a period correct 50 mm f/2 on the front. The FS is not burdened with a built in light meter, so I made my exposures using the Sunny 16 rule. I developed the Foma in DDX developer and got 36 decently exposed negatives. Mostly the photographs were pretty boring, though, and to my further dismay, it looks like my manual focusing skills are a little bit rusty. 

Triptych Tuesday

There was a funky old home not too far from where we lived that was designed by a well known architect. It had been neglected for years and was what the experts refer to as a 'tear down'. So one cold February morning, we drove out to the property and made photographs for a couple of hours. It was a lot of fun. The walls were notched and angular and gave very specific views of the trees on the multi-acre lot. I still remember the old place nearly 15 years on. Not long after these photos were made, the land was subdivided and is now occupied by several large, expensive, yet somehow very uninspiring homes. I am confident that the vistas are still pretty amazing, though. 

How Literal Is Photography?

To me this photograph looks like it was made in the dead of winter. Which is weird because I'm the photographer and, fact, the image was captured just a few weeks ago, in late August. The temperature was in the upper 80s and the air was humid, of course. I wasn't really even thinking about the weather at the time I made the exposure. I just enjoyed the the way the windows were designed on this building and wanted to incorporate that into a composition. It was only after the fact and after converting to black and white that I thought about the weather at all. Perhaps such ambiguity opens up multiple possible narratives for the image. The viewer will ultimately decide for themselves, and that is fine by me.

Fake Fake Fake... Or?

Indifferent to them, hate 'em, or love 'em, I think it is worth investigating images generated by artificial intelligence. If only to impress upon yourself how fast things are changing. Which seems to be pretty fast, honestly, and the pace certainly will only pick up from here. So, a month ago I added my name to the DALL-E waitlist, and recently was allowed to sign up for an account. The first experiment I tried was to generate some fake Malevich, see above. 

Later, I tried some fake Cezanne, specifying a particular color palette.

The four variations make a nice little quartet, don't you think?

One of the photographers whose work first resonated with me when I was young is Aaron Siskind. I've always appreciated his expressionist photographs of textures, patterns, and the like. Here is some fake Siskind for your consideration.

To my eyes, the AI does a better job of faking the art of the famous and prominent, which makes sense, of course, as there are more examples online. The good news is that those of us toiling away in relative obscurity might be safe for a little while longer!

An Abstract Saturday

These are literal photographs; the only modification to the recorded lens image is the removal of color information. A feeling of abstraction arises due to the ambiguity of scale and the emphasis on the formal properties of the image. I wonder how Artificial Intelligence would do with the concept of abstract art. I'll have to try to find out. Stay tuned.

Personal Images

Many of our photographs end up being what you might term 'personal images'. Stuff that is mostly of interest to us and us alone. These images often do not resonate with many others it would seem. Problem is, sometimes it's hard to tell, you know? Like when you post something you are particularly keen on to IG and it goes over like a led balloon. I'm sure you've been there. That's certainly one way to identify your 'personal' work, but it sure is not the most pleasant. For instance, the subject matter of this image is not epic by any stretch, but I'm interested in the color of the water and in how all the colors work together overall. The interplay of the reds, ochres and blues are interesting to me.

So, fellow travelers, good light to you this weekend, and I hope you find time to make some personal work.

Fugly

Good city planning can't ensure that every possible view is spectacular, but come on folks, we can probably do a little better than this, eh? That said, gentrification is heading this way, so we'll see what we are in store for sooner rather than later, I think.

How To Groove

The magnolia, ancient and mysterious, always has something to offer the curious photographer. Often, when I am trying to warm up, to find my groove, I look to the magnolias that are so plentiful around here. There is usually a composition to be found, an interesting stage in the life cycle of the plant to document. These shots in the bag, I find I am usually in the proper mindset to continue photographing. Over time, we all develop our personal warm-up routines. 

Morning Still Life With Pears

This scene was illuminated from two sides by natural window light. Direct morning sun was coming in at a low angle from the right hand side and diffuse northern light from the left. Natural cross lighting you could call it. It made for a rather pleasant visual experience while preparing the coffee this morning. Fortunately, there was a decent camera nearby that I could grab and capture the moment. Fortunately because the pears aren't going to be around much longer.
 

Do The Work That Only You Can Do

Based on my very limited observations, I'd say that every gardener has their style. This individual would appear to be pretty fastidious, to my eye at least. Even though this little shed looks to be constructed from materials at hand, it is all very tidy indeed. I can't even imagine what wobbly little disaster I would have cobbled together from the same pile of stuff. 

Blame It On Wordsworth

By this point in human history, most would probably consider the 'lonely cloud' a tired trope, downright corny even. Not worth a click. Indeed. These days a cloud needs to be pretty special for me to consider photographing it. The other day, however, I was gazing out a window -- taking a little visual break after looking at a lot of art that didn't particularly resonate with me. At that moment, this little cloud looked pretty sweet and captured my mood. It's corny for a reason, I guess.

When Photography Is Not The Main Course

Yesterday was all about a drive through the countryside on back roads, spending some time looking at art, and enjoying a good meal with friends. I did bring a camera, a small and unobtrusive one, but I only took it out once or twice. You see, I don't like being 'that guy' with a camera. If you don't know the guy, you've seen him, I'm sure. But at least I did get to try out a feature that simulates having a neutral density filter on the lens. I have to say that it works pretty well. Although I still need to practice with it a bit, I can at least understand how such a feature could come in handy one day.

Brightening Someone’s Day

It doesn’t have to be about you all the time, does it? Photography, I mean. Sometimes it can be okay to grab a photo or three that you know will bring a smile to someone else’s face. Just every once in a while. And frankly, getting a butterfly shot in decent focus can be rewarding even if you aren’t a bug person. That’s how I felt as I was chasing this little fellow. And, it works another part of your brain and confirms your ability to operate a camera.

Good light this weekend, fellow traveler.

The Man With the Golden Assam

Confession: I don't do golden hour. The experts tell us that's when the light is at it's warmest, complemented with beautiful extended shadows due to the low angle of the rising or setting sun. Fair enough, I'm not here to argue. Candidly, I'm generally enjoying a cup of coffee or tea at that time. You could say I prefer my Golden Assam to golden light. And the thought of getting up at four o'clock in the morning when it is pitch dark outside to drive to a location in time for sunrise, it would have to be very exotic indeed. So, over time I've slowly come to embrace the notion that I am a high noon photographer, a tea sipping cowboy with a camera. By the time we rolled up to this project site, it was almost 11AM and approaching 90 F. Thankfully, the humidity has dropped a bit and the quality of the light was still pretty great. And I got my grid.