From the Great Plains

     These next 4 images are from the exploration on to the Great Plains of Colorado that I and two other photographers did last Sunday.  We had great weather, though sort of empty skys.  I was hoping for some clouds to accent the sky.  Oh well, it was still a wonderful day !

     These 4 images are from our first stop that day in the town of Nun, Colorado.  It is the first time I have tried to photograph grain elevators.  I started distant and then moved closer.  I have found this a good way to approach most subjects.  You become more aware of what you are photographing as you move.  That deepened awareness allows you to see more possibilities within your subject as you move in towards it.

     All four images are using a 150mm lens.

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     Three of the four images I am very pleased with, and will take to final matted images.  The first one, sort of the initial introduction is the weakest of the four images.  Then again, you need to find a starting place....

     Just don't stop there,  Continue exploring !

After Dark

     I have had a great time learning how to do night photography last weekend.   It really
is a whole different world than what I am used to working in.   Here are 6 uncropped images
that I exposed with my 4x5 field camera.

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     It is a very good experience to step outside of what you are used to doing  ( outside of your safe zone so to speak ).   I still have about 2 weeks to create the final cropped images for the workshop review.   I will not be cropping them all that much.    

         

     A bit of adventure is always good as well.

Catching Up (part 2)

     Well here are the other 3 images I took to final this last week.   I have received some wonderful feedback on the first three.

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     I am taking a workshop called "Denver after Dark" taught by Christopher James of the Colorado Photographic Arts Center,  tonight and tomorrow night.  It should be a lot of fun as well as challenging.  I should have new images up in a week from this workshop.

     You should never stop learning,  especially something new...

Catching Up

     It has been a long summer, of too much happening...   So I didn't do all that great of a job keeping up on my blog.   I am back to it, trying to get all I photographed caught up to the final matted images. In the past 3 days I have created 6 final prints.   Tonight I will post three of them as they have a common theme.

     Flowing water,  at different exposure times...

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     These images have been a lot of fun to work on.  Let me know what you think, as each of the different exposure times effect the way the image looks and feels.

     No hard rules, just play.

Start to Finish

          I have learned that you needed to take your images from a start point to a completion point.  The completion point is at least matted, if not framed and up on the wall or a shelf for evaluation.  This evaluation can take days, months or longer depending on the individual...  If the image last a month, you may have a good image.  If it can last 6 months without you wanting to change it or remove it, you have a good image.  Subcounsiously you will become aware of any problems with the image during this viewing process.  Even if you can't figure out what is bothering you about the image, you will know that it bothers you.  That is the main reason to take images all the way to a completion point.

          I bring this up for another reason.  Two weeks ago I completed 4 new images, of which 2 may need some more work.  The other 2 are done, and at this time I am very happy with them.  Once these images were matted and on display here in the office I became really excited to get out and expose some more images...  So I have learned another lesson as to why you should always take your images to a completion point.  It energizes you to get out there and do more!!!  Sort of a positive reinforcement cycle that can help itself along.

          That was last Saturday, Sunday I had a great day and exposed 5 new images.  Yesterday, I got caught up on my film developing.  So today I have 6 new images to take a look at....

          Enjoy, it's all a work in progress.

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Welcome to May

          A lot has happened since my last entree, and it is a bit tougher keeping up with a blog than I  
thought.  Live and learn.  I am just finishing the teaching of my first class ( Film and Darkroom 1 )        with Working With Artists.  The second go around with this class starts May 16th, and I intend to   improve it all the way around.  I have also been asked to put together a Lighting Concepts class that  
will start June 9th, as well as a class on The Fine Print.  So this is keeping me a bit busy.

          I also helped to host theWorldwide Pinhole Photography Day on the 23rd of April here in    
Denver.  That turned out to be a lot of fun for everyone involved.  My image from that day is included  with this posting.  The exposure time was 1 hr and 45 mins.  It is of the face of the Grandfather Clock at the Zang Mansion.  I will need to try again as I didn't get what I had hoped for in the image.  Still it is a cool image.  The pinhole camera I used was a small box of matches I created to be able to expose 135mm film, one frame at a time.

          I have enjoyed the teaching and leading the workshops.  I do hope to continue this as I am
learning a lot myself while teaching.  Besides it is good to be back in the darkroom !

Images from March

          During the last week of March, I was able to get out on photo trips twice.  Once with my wife
Tanya, and once with fellow photographer, Jeff Graves.  Both trips had their moments of success,
as well as some surprises.  These three images come from mine and Jeff's trip to explore along the
South Platte River in Eastern Colorado.  After finding some early morning success, we became  
frustrated by the access problems we were having, so we headed north across the plains.

          We found the plains to be full of surprises and wonderful imagery.  These three images are all
from that northern exploration.    ( These are uncropped 4x5 images and not finals though the finals will most likely be close to full frame. )

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This may turn out to be the start of a new project for me over the next couple of years.  

As I was readying the images for posting this morning a possible title for the project came to me...  

The Artifacts of Dreams

Networking and Inspiration

          I have found lately that inspiration can come from some of the most unexpected of places.
These days I am following several painters, through their blogs web sites and Facebook.  When I
I was in High School I was also a painter, so I have a little background and understanding of
what they are doing.  Can you imagine completing 3 paintings a week ?     I can't.

          I figure I'm doing good to create one finished image a month, if I'm really lucky maybe two.

          There is a group of Pleine Aire painters here in Colorado, that have a painting challenge
going called  'Bursting into Flurries'  where they are each attempting to paint 3 finished
images a week.  Most of them seem to be doing it, and they photograph them and review them
on facebook sometimes the same week.  The fact is they are doing their art.

          I have found their drive and openness to be very inspiring to watch.  It makes me want to
get out there and produce myself.  This has opened my eyes up to another aspect of modern
networking.  We artist can inspire each other to produce our art.  To not be afraid of feedback,
which many of us need.  And generally be supportive of our art and community.
Nobody understands the need for support better than another artist. It is sort of our responsibility
to help each other when we can.  Modern networking allows us to reach far beyond the physical
locality around us.  We can reach almost any where in the world these days, create and
share our art, inspire other artist...        

                                                  ...AND INSPIRE OURSELVES !

February's Surprises

          I spent yesterday up at the Colorado Mountain Arts Gallery in Georgetown, and found a
wonderful surprise there for me.  CMAG is a coop gallery that I am a member of, that is in a
fairly good location in the historic mining town of Georgetown, about 40 miles west of Denver.
Even with the economy still sort of in the tank, so to speak, the gallery is doing good with
art sales.  That last part is most likely due to the location as well as the quality of the Artists
whom are members.   ( currently about 65 members )

     Well my pleasant surprise from yesterday, was finding out that one of my largest ever framed
B & W nude images sold on the 14th !  This is really a great feeling, and is giving me the
confidence to invest more time as well as effort and resources towards the gallery scene.

          Overall February was a great month!

                                                                   Georgetown Skyline

My First Platinum Print.

     Yesterday, I finally took that big step and attempted my first Pl/Pt print.  I had the patience and
experience of Jeff Graves to draw on, as well as working in his wonderful darkroom.  I need to
again say,  Thank You Jeff !  ( Please take a look at his work, www.greymatterimages.com )

     Okay, I had problems and it wasn't an automatic success.  No matter how much you read, there
will be something new showing up to surprise you.  The image above is the final exposed sheet
of 4 sheets.  The first two didn't come out at all, and that was the surprise of the day.  It seems
that Tmax 100 sheet film has a UVA blocker in its base for some reason...  Up until very recently
Tmax is all I have used, and that sort of really sucks.  Film change time.  We got nice borders
around the negative, but no image on the inside.  The second one with the same negative with
3 times the exposure, we got a real light image.
     Luckly I also had a couple of the newest negatives with me that I exposed on to Tmax 400
sheet film.  The first one was a touch light, but still a keeper !   I felt great and the days frustration
went away.  The last one for the day ( shown above ) is not only a keeper, but will soon be
matted and framed.

     I have so much to learn about platinum printing, and on top of that I need to learn another
film at the same time.  But, I am hooked !   It is such a beautiful print, that the time spent is time
I am looking forward to spending.

Abstract

          Once in a while I try something totally of the wall for me.  Growing and learning to see beyond
what is actually there, can be a challenge.  The world is much more fluid when you bend and
stretch time a bit.  I am not sure that this works as a final image at the moment.  No matter what I
try, when creating a new image, it takes time to decide the fate and final version of any one
image.  This image is a definate departure from my norm.

Musings

          It has almost been a full year since I launched my website.  Not as many viewers so far, as I would of hoped for. That comes back as my fault, and my not really understanding how to make this work.
          I am not in a place of much more understanding, but I am learning and will stay willing to learn.
Web marketing is not a science, in fact far from it.  The internet is changing dynamically all the time.  The social scene on the web is causing even more change, as it has almost become an entity, constantly changing with a life of its own.  There is no knowing where it will go from where we find ourselves today, to where we will be ten years from now.
          You have to stay open to this change and grow with it, is what I have learned this past year.  That is also the reason for extending into the realm of blogging.  Not so much for the marketing of ones work ( in my case photography ), but to create connections with people who might be interested in my vision as well as my creative direction and beliefs.  A sharing of thoughts, ideals, and inspirations !

Images from January

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          These are the final versions of negatives that I exposed during the snow storm on the 9th of January, 2011.  The location is the South Fork of the South Platte River, north of Deckers, Colorado.
It was an interesting day, setting up the 4x5 in the river to get the angle I wanted as well as dealing with the wind and snow.   The only real immediate supprise was that one of my wadders had a slow leak...

To Start

          There are always new beginnings, or pathways we follow.  This blog will be a new direction for me, and my images.  The goal here
is at least an entree every week, with new images every month.  It 
will be about creativity and the different paths I follow to acheive my personal vision.
          I welcome any and all feedback.  Art is not created in a vacuum, nor should we be expected to live in one either.  So this blog is about us,  please join me on this pathway to being more creative...