Gallery
Tropical Neoclassical
November 08, 2011 - 19:11
Hawaii is full of surprises, and many of them are found in unusual places. I was sent by my employer to Hawaii and had the opportunity to spend the weekend there. One afternoon, I drove around the island of Oahu to visit Kaneohe and Kahuku on the north shore. The best shrimp that I have ever tasted is caught and prepared there. A rare treat indeed.
On the way back to Honolulu, I came across a most remarkable building on the grounds of a convalescent home near Hale’iwa. It appeared to have been the victim of some sort of disaster, but its neoclassical features juxtaposed against the palm trees reminded me of a scene from Papillon set in French Guiana or maybe some other abandoned European tropical colony. I had to stop and shoot a few frames.
On the way back to Honolulu, I came across a most remarkable building on the grounds of a convalescent home near Hale’iwa. It appeared to have been the victim of some sort of disaster, but its neoclassical features juxtaposed against the palm trees reminded me of a scene from Papillon set in French Guiana or maybe some other abandoned European tropical colony. I had to stop and shoot a few frames.
The reddish cream colored columns lighted by the warm tones of the Hawaiian sun against the blue sky begged to be photographed, but the scene needed something more. After a bit our scouting, I found a palm tree to fill the empty space in the frame. I rather like the warm earthy tones of the building against the blue sky with the green of the palms. If there was a hammock nearby, I might have taken a moment for myself.
This is one of my few digital images. Shot with a Fuji Finepix S2 Pro camera mounted to a Nikon 24-85mm f/4.5 lens. The sensor ISO was set to 160. Shutter speed 1/250. Aperture was f/8.
Why I Shoot? For Myself Of Course.
June 27, 2011 - 20:50
With the increasing trend in copyright infringement, or just plain theft through the Internet, it’s hard to believe why anyone would try to make a living as a photographer.
Years ago, the profession was fairly straightforward. Someone with an eye, the talent, and the inclination would make a sizable investment in equipment, work as an apprentice for a photographer somewhere, find the connections to get in with the right crowd, and then try to sell their work to a particular market. Wedding and portrait photographers create the most revenue, but the job can be a bit of a bore. In addition, there are fickle clients, deadbeats, and the occasional Bridezilla and family to contend with.
General portrait photographers fare no better. Kids can become unruly or develop an uncooperative attitude. Parents may try to run the shoot, which makes the photographer wonder why the parents didn’t just photograph their kids in the first place. Couples can’t decide which proofs to print. Some customers want the negatives as well as the prints. So much for photographer’s intellectual property rights.
Freelance stock photography may be on its way out as a profession. As the cost of digital equipment decreases while technical quality improves, just about anyone with Photoshop on their PC can be a professional photographer. Those with looser ethical standards may just surf the ‘net and copy whatever image they want to suit their own purposes without a thought about license fees. Unless they are making big money from their ‘take’ they will likely never get caught passing the work of others as their own, especially if they can hide in a foreign country or change the images’s metadata to their liking.
I think that I did it the smart way. I first got a job, and later an education, then finally a career doing something lucrative that I enjoy. Photography is, and always has been, a hobby. I can shoot as often or as little as I choose. I can use whatever equipment is available and experiment with different optics and developers, or try different methods in the darkroom. I don’t have to worry about deadbeats. I don’t care about clients who wouldn’t know a work of art if it fell off the wall and hit them. I can shoot monochrome 35mm film one day and medium format color film the next. I have work hanging in a few small galleries that are happy to do so just to cover a bare wall. I even sell a few.
I have had access to some areas inaccessible to most photographers. I have shot flight operations on ships while I was in the Navy. I have photographed the interiors of churches where I was a member. I choose my own assignments without deadlines or production staff getting in the way. I love my job and the boss is a dream to work for.
Life is good.
Years ago, the profession was fairly straightforward. Someone with an eye, the talent, and the inclination would make a sizable investment in equipment, work as an apprentice for a photographer somewhere, find the connections to get in with the right crowd, and then try to sell their work to a particular market. Wedding and portrait photographers create the most revenue, but the job can be a bit of a bore. In addition, there are fickle clients, deadbeats, and the occasional Bridezilla and family to contend with.
General portrait photographers fare no better. Kids can become unruly or develop an uncooperative attitude. Parents may try to run the shoot, which makes the photographer wonder why the parents didn’t just photograph their kids in the first place. Couples can’t decide which proofs to print. Some customers want the negatives as well as the prints. So much for photographer’s intellectual property rights.
Freelance stock photography may be on its way out as a profession. As the cost of digital equipment decreases while technical quality improves, just about anyone with Photoshop on their PC can be a professional photographer. Those with looser ethical standards may just surf the ‘net and copy whatever image they want to suit their own purposes without a thought about license fees. Unless they are making big money from their ‘take’ they will likely never get caught passing the work of others as their own, especially if they can hide in a foreign country or change the images’s metadata to their liking.
I think that I did it the smart way. I first got a job, and later an education, then finally a career doing something lucrative that I enjoy. Photography is, and always has been, a hobby. I can shoot as often or as little as I choose. I can use whatever equipment is available and experiment with different optics and developers, or try different methods in the darkroom. I don’t have to worry about deadbeats. I don’t care about clients who wouldn’t know a work of art if it fell off the wall and hit them. I can shoot monochrome 35mm film one day and medium format color film the next. I have work hanging in a few small galleries that are happy to do so just to cover a bare wall. I even sell a few.
I have had access to some areas inaccessible to most photographers. I have shot flight operations on ships while I was in the Navy. I have photographed the interiors of churches where I was a member. I choose my own assignments without deadlines or production staff getting in the way. I love my job and the boss is a dream to work for.
Life is good.
Have You Been To Church Lately ?
February 06, 2011 - 15:35
A couple of years ago, Peace Lutheran Church in the Pacific northwest asked me to photograph their sanctuary for exhibit throughout the church building as part of a remodeling project. This gave me a chance to see the church from a whole new perspective.
The sanctuary of Peace Lutheran has tall translucent purple panels behind the altar that provides a majestic hue, but I didn’t think that it would translate well on chrome film because the rich color would be too saturated in the prints. I could filter it out post-production, but the color in the oak pews would suffer. On the other hand, Kodak TMax 100 monochrome film would mute the color while keeping the detail in the rich oak furnishings and give the prints a nostalgic quality.
I used low angles to photograph the altar and the cross behind it, an overhead perspective to photograph the pews and the organ, and a telephoto lens to compress the distance between the hymn board and the organ. In ‘Sanctuary - 28’, I used color to capture the incandescent light shining on a gold cross framed through the Advent wreathe, which contrasted well against the purple light that blanketed the sanctuary in daylight. ‘Sanctuary - 27’ brings out the cool violet hues of the stained glass. ‘Sanctuary - 21’ won a second place ribbon in the Kitsap County Fair in 2009. My personal favorite is ‘Sanctuary - 13’ with the organist’s spectacles resting on a church bulletin next to the calming structure of the organ keys.
The sanctuary of Peace Lutheran has tall translucent purple panels behind the altar that provides a majestic hue, but I didn’t think that it would translate well on chrome film because the rich color would be too saturated in the prints. I could filter it out post-production, but the color in the oak pews would suffer. On the other hand, Kodak TMax 100 monochrome film would mute the color while keeping the detail in the rich oak furnishings and give the prints a nostalgic quality.
I used low angles to photograph the altar and the cross behind it, an overhead perspective to photograph the pews and the organ, and a telephoto lens to compress the distance between the hymn board and the organ. In ‘Sanctuary - 28’, I used color to capture the incandescent light shining on a gold cross framed through the Advent wreathe, which contrasted well against the purple light that blanketed the sanctuary in daylight. ‘Sanctuary - 27’ brings out the cool violet hues of the stained glass. ‘Sanctuary - 21’ won a second place ribbon in the Kitsap County Fair in 2009. My personal favorite is ‘Sanctuary - 13’ with the organist’s spectacles resting on a church bulletin next to the calming structure of the organ keys.
Photographing the sanctuary of Peace Lutheran Church was a most rewarding assignment. The results are on permanent exhibit in the church and the church offices.
What's In A Name ?
January 29, 2011 - 09:11
Part of the artistic process that I enjoy most is placing a name on a print. It is also the hardest part. When I trip the shutter, I’m not thinking about names. In fact, I try not to think about much at all except composition, exposure, and what developer would be best to bring out what I see in the viewfinder and my imagination.
Once I have the print in hand, I have to decide on a title. Sometimes two or three prints are part of a series and I title them accordingly. In the Ancient Industry gallery, ‘Chiquero’, is named for the pens where bulls wait for their turn in the bullring. ‘Grisly Competition’ precedes ‘Vanquished’ in the timeline of a demolition derby competitor. I could imagine these cars as bulls, or even gladiators, journeying toward glory or a devastating defeat.
The print ‘Service Record’ in the Military gallery reflects the accolades bestowed upon the USS Parche, one of the most famous ships that most people have never heard of. The circumstances that led to the nine Presidential Unit Citations painted on her sail are still considered classified information by the federal government. The ship has since been scrapped, but her sail stands as testimony to the Silent Service, immortalized in front of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in downtown Bremerton.
In the Portrait gallery, there are a few images that aren’t really portraits in the traditional sense. ‘Old Friends’ reminds me of two friends, one strong and confident and the other not so much, with their heads resting against each other. I can almost see an arm from the larger mailbox wrapped around the ‘shoulder’ of the other. ‘Piano Practice’ is a portrait without a face, but the image speaks to those of us who have had piano lessons as a kid.
Sometimes the name comes easily, such as ‘Self Portrait’, which is a representation of your humble narrator in a setting that describes his passion. Sometimes, all I can think of is ‘Untitled’, but that is usually temporary.
Naming the print is not just half of the art, it’s half of the print.
Once I have the print in hand, I have to decide on a title. Sometimes two or three prints are part of a series and I title them accordingly. In the Ancient Industry gallery, ‘Chiquero’, is named for the pens where bulls wait for their turn in the bullring. ‘Grisly Competition’ precedes ‘Vanquished’ in the timeline of a demolition derby competitor. I could imagine these cars as bulls, or even gladiators, journeying toward glory or a devastating defeat.
The print ‘Service Record’ in the Military gallery reflects the accolades bestowed upon the USS Parche, one of the most famous ships that most people have never heard of. The circumstances that led to the nine Presidential Unit Citations painted on her sail are still considered classified information by the federal government. The ship has since been scrapped, but her sail stands as testimony to the Silent Service, immortalized in front of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in downtown Bremerton.
In the Portrait gallery, there are a few images that aren’t really portraits in the traditional sense. ‘Old Friends’ reminds me of two friends, one strong and confident and the other not so much, with their heads resting against each other. I can almost see an arm from the larger mailbox wrapped around the ‘shoulder’ of the other. ‘Piano Practice’ is a portrait without a face, but the image speaks to those of us who have had piano lessons as a kid.
Sometimes the name comes easily, such as ‘Self Portrait’, which is a representation of your humble narrator in a setting that describes his passion. Sometimes, all I can think of is ‘Untitled’, but that is usually temporary.
Naming the print is not just half of the art, it’s half of the print.
Silverdale Art Walk Event
November 26, 2010 - 16:12
The Silverdale Art Walk will host an artists’ reception December 11, 2010 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm throughout Old Town Silverdale. There will be twelve venues hosting local artists at the event. My work will be on display at the offices of Edward Jones Financial Services, 3255 Northwest Lowell Street, Silverdale and will remain until the end of December.
Please join us.
Please join us.
Catamaran Ferry
Welcome Reception
November 13, 2010 - 18:10
Yesterday, I experienced the great pleasure of opening at a new venue in Old Town Silverdale. This area of the Kitsap peninsula has become popular with a number of local artists. The exhibit was hosted at the offices of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
We had several art aficionados come to enjoy the exhibits, warm conversation, some nosh, and a sip of wine or two. This was my first opportunity to show some work that I had done last summer in the prairies of northwestern Minnesota. I studied grain elevators in monochrome using deep red filtration and high acutance developer to bring out the blue sky in dark tones contrasted by dramatic cloud forms. The slight overexposure and decreased development brought out the subtle textures in the surface of the structures to resemble lithograph prints. The photograph “Monarch Elevator Company” didn’t last an hour after the reception began. In “Prairie Skyscraper”, the contrast of the dark sky against the texture of the concrete terminal is better than I envisioned when I tripped the shutter.
We had several art aficionados come to enjoy the exhibits, warm conversation, some nosh, and a sip of wine or two. This was my first opportunity to show some work that I had done last summer in the prairies of northwestern Minnesota. I studied grain elevators in monochrome using deep red filtration and high acutance developer to bring out the blue sky in dark tones contrasted by dramatic cloud forms. The slight overexposure and decreased development brought out the subtle textures in the surface of the structures to resemble lithograph prints. The photograph “Monarch Elevator Company” didn’t last an hour after the reception began. In “Prairie Skyscraper”, the contrast of the dark sky against the texture of the concrete terminal is better than I envisioned when I tripped the shutter.
Monarch Elevator Company
Other artists at the event sold watercolor prints, oils on canvas, and several pieces of fine art jewelry. I sold a number of 5x7 sampler prints as well. After years of ‘recession receptions’ within the local art community, last night was a ray of hope and promise.
My next venue is a closely held secret of the Silverdale Art Walk committee, but December 11 will begin my next exhibit. I need to restock my samplers, but I have plenty of full size prints ready for display.
The Golden Age of Industry
November 11, 2010 - 09:15
Some of us remember when most of what we used was made in Cleveland, or Chicago, or Baltimore. Today, we are more likely to buy items made in Korea, or Japan, or China. How long has it been since repair shops restored broken appliances before we began to merely replace them? Even the computer that I use to maintain this website will likely fall into obsolescence before it needs repair. Being an Apple user, I expect to delay my computer’s death by technology, but sooner or later it too will become part of the recyclable waste stream.
My Ancient Industry gallery features images that celebrate America’s golden age of industry, and some that lament its passing. The flowing curves in the body of an antique fire engine restored and preserved in a museum. The soulful gaze of a headlight on an old truck, now a forgotten carcass rusting into oblivion. Contrasty shadows formed around the machined parts of an abandoned saw mill. Practical art fashioned by skilled engineers and craftsmen. These are reminders of our past when American ingenuity created what we saw everyday and exported around the world. Kings of industry no longer; consumers are we now.
I wonder if the digital cameras of today will be as useful as my film cameras forty years from now?
Makeshift Studio
October 13, 2010 - 06:25
The weather is a fickle partner in the portrait business, especially in Washington. There could be a soft pall of fog one moment and bright sunshine the next. When Nick and I went to Fort Flagler to have a go at it, rain was coming and going, but less so as the morning wore on. Still, there was a heavy overcast which is perfect for outdoor portraits. Once we arrived however, the clouds rose and then dissipated. The result? Harsh shadows and light that had my model squinting.
With nothing more than an open garage, an old cotton tarp, and some bungee cords, I set up a studio of sorts. With a dining room chair and kitchen stool to help position my models, I used a 180mm f/4.5 lens mounted on a Mamiya C330 TLR camera and a Vivitar 283 flash fitted with a Sto-Fen diffuser to shoot not only Nick, but also your humble narrator. My brick and mortar gallery has been asking for my self portrait for months, so I finally obliged.
I used Ilford Pan F+ and Fuji Neopan Acros 100 films, both processed in Rodinal developer (1+50) for 11 minutes.
With nothing more than an open garage, an old cotton tarp, and some bungee cords, I set up a studio of sorts. With a dining room chair and kitchen stool to help position my models, I used a 180mm f/4.5 lens mounted on a Mamiya C330 TLR camera and a Vivitar 283 flash fitted with a Sto-Fen diffuser to shoot not only Nick, but also your humble narrator. My brick and mortar gallery has been asking for my self portrait for months, so I finally obliged.
I used Ilford Pan F+ and Fuji Neopan Acros 100 films, both processed in Rodinal developer (1+50) for 11 minutes.
So What Is Fine Art Anyway?
May 31, 2010 - 14:10
Before I knew exactly what the term meant, I was always uncomfortable referring to my work as ‘fine art’. I always thought it was arrogant to believe that photographs produced by a rank amateur, such as myself, could be referred to as ‘fine’ anything. The mere mention of ‘fine art’ to me conjures a mental image of George Bellows or John Singer Sargent paintings hung in posh metropolitan art galleries.
The definition of fine art varies as much as the person asking the question. It generally refers to works produced by the artist’s own hand as opposed to copies reproduced by a machine, like a magazine or a sales brochure. Does that mean that your vacation snapshots qualify as ‘fine art’? Of course it does. Fine art merely indicates how the print was made, but not necessarily its artistic quality. The term is frequently used as a marketing tool because it sells art.
There are a few highly acclaimed photographers in the art world. Ansel Adams, Arthur Stieglitz, and Dorothea Lange have certainly made their mark as photographers and artists, but what is a true measure of success? Is it the artist’s ability to immortalize subjects from a bygone age? Is it technical brilliance? Perhaps the size of the prints that an artist has sold or the reputation of the galleries where they exhibit their work. In Internet circles, the aesthetic value of a photograph could be measured by the number of comments it draws on Flickr or Facebook. Are these artists just experiencing their 15 minutes of fame or will their images become recognizable icons of their generation enjoyed by audiences decades, or even centuries later?
Artists who rely on their work to earn a living are at a serious disadvantage over those of us who have a day job. For the professional artist, there are deadlines, fickle clients, deadbeats, unscrupulous agents, and the persistent threat of copyright infringement or outright theft. For those of us who simply enjoy creating photographs, we have the luxury of time and total freedom from market forces. We blithely snap away at subjects that we want to photograph while experimenting with different image developing processes and techniques in our free time. We don’t have to sell art to eat, but selling a print feeds our ego.
Making a respectable living producing ‘fine art’ may be one measure of success, but enjoying what you do and winning a contest or two along the way is another. If you are proud to sign your name to an image, you can claim to be a ‘fine art’ photographer. How successful you are is up to your audience.
The definition of fine art varies as much as the person asking the question. It generally refers to works produced by the artist’s own hand as opposed to copies reproduced by a machine, like a magazine or a sales brochure. Does that mean that your vacation snapshots qualify as ‘fine art’? Of course it does. Fine art merely indicates how the print was made, but not necessarily its artistic quality. The term is frequently used as a marketing tool because it sells art.
There are a few highly acclaimed photographers in the art world. Ansel Adams, Arthur Stieglitz, and Dorothea Lange have certainly made their mark as photographers and artists, but what is a true measure of success? Is it the artist’s ability to immortalize subjects from a bygone age? Is it technical brilliance? Perhaps the size of the prints that an artist has sold or the reputation of the galleries where they exhibit their work. In Internet circles, the aesthetic value of a photograph could be measured by the number of comments it draws on Flickr or Facebook. Are these artists just experiencing their 15 minutes of fame or will their images become recognizable icons of their generation enjoyed by audiences decades, or even centuries later?
Artists who rely on their work to earn a living are at a serious disadvantage over those of us who have a day job. For the professional artist, there are deadlines, fickle clients, deadbeats, unscrupulous agents, and the persistent threat of copyright infringement or outright theft. For those of us who simply enjoy creating photographs, we have the luxury of time and total freedom from market forces. We blithely snap away at subjects that we want to photograph while experimenting with different image developing processes and techniques in our free time. We don’t have to sell art to eat, but selling a print feeds our ego.
Making a respectable living producing ‘fine art’ may be one measure of success, but enjoying what you do and winning a contest or two along the way is another. If you are proud to sign your name to an image, you can claim to be a ‘fine art’ photographer. How successful you are is up to your audience.
Pre-Photoshop Surrealism
May 05, 2010 - 16:37
There are times when an artist has to try something a little different to jar the creativity within. Edward Hopper did this often by moving between etching, painting, and sketching. He would paint portraits, landscapes, railroad scenes, restaurant interiors, houses, and even sunlight striking the interior wall in a house using pencil, pen, watercolor, and oil paint.
I am certainly no Ed Hopper, but I am finding that my narrow focus on military subjects, particularly Navy ones, is starting to feel a bit ordinary. Living in a Navy fleet concentration area, there are many military and industrial subjects to photograph, so I try to capture them in a different way.
Many digital photographers are well acquainted with software, like Adobe Photoshop, to manipulate image color, hue, sharpness, and exposure to some degree, but it can also radically change the image until it bears no resemblance to the original photograph. Artistically there is nothing wrong with this, but to me “re-photographing” digital images in this manner is more akin to the montages that I made in kindergarten with white glue and pictures cut from old Sears or Eaton’s catalogs.
I retired the Monochrome and Infrared galleries today and, in their place, created the Natural FX gallery. This is where I can place strange or unusual photographs that I made in a more traditional way. A couple of weeks ago, I took my 35 mm pinhole camera out of the closet, loaded it with a roll of Fuji Velvia 100 slide film, grabbed my tripod and light meter, and trekked out to the Bremerton waterfront.
Photographs made with a pinhole camera have a soft, ethereal quality that is hard to match with a standard lens. The camera, a teakwood box in this case, has been fitted with a thin piece of brass bored with a very small hole where the lens should be. I’m not sure of its size, but the hole is about one-hundredth of an inch in diameter. In 35 mm terms, that would be an aperture of about f/138. In broad daylight, an exposure on 100 ISO film takes about three or four seconds, hence the need for a sturdy tripod.
You never know what you will get with a pinhole camera. Sometimes it is hard to keep the camera stable on the tripod during the very manual exposure. The shutter is my fingertip. Inadvertent double exposures are common. Sometimes if the light is low, there is a significant shift away from the expected “normal” in color or hue of the finished image. Sometimes this failure of the Reciprocity Law leaves only a dark space on the film where an image should be. Exposure variations can create either unexpected beauty or an imperceptible blur. Variability can give a ‘normal’ composition a pleasing surreal quality, or just junk.
Additionally in this gallery, I placed images that I shot using a digital SLR with an R72 filter over the lens. The R72 filter blocks most visible light below the 720 nanometer wavelength and allows more near-infrared (NIR) and infrared (IR) light to strike the camera’s image sensor. This gives us a chance to see the unseen. Foliage glows brightly while concrete and steel, which reflect less infrared light, assume darker tones. The photographer can adjust the color palette of the image post-production for a general cold indigo, warm blue-green, or copper patina appearance. In any case, the image looks very different from those created by the ‘white’ visible light that our eyes see.
I’m not sure what I will try next. Whatever it may be, I’m sure that I can do it without technology getting in the way or making decisions for me.
I am certainly no Ed Hopper, but I am finding that my narrow focus on military subjects, particularly Navy ones, is starting to feel a bit ordinary. Living in a Navy fleet concentration area, there are many military and industrial subjects to photograph, so I try to capture them in a different way.
Many digital photographers are well acquainted with software, like Adobe Photoshop, to manipulate image color, hue, sharpness, and exposure to some degree, but it can also radically change the image until it bears no resemblance to the original photograph. Artistically there is nothing wrong with this, but to me “re-photographing” digital images in this manner is more akin to the montages that I made in kindergarten with white glue and pictures cut from old Sears or Eaton’s catalogs.
I retired the Monochrome and Infrared galleries today and, in their place, created the Natural FX gallery. This is where I can place strange or unusual photographs that I made in a more traditional way. A couple of weeks ago, I took my 35 mm pinhole camera out of the closet, loaded it with a roll of Fuji Velvia 100 slide film, grabbed my tripod and light meter, and trekked out to the Bremerton waterfront.
Photographs made with a pinhole camera have a soft, ethereal quality that is hard to match with a standard lens. The camera, a teakwood box in this case, has been fitted with a thin piece of brass bored with a very small hole where the lens should be. I’m not sure of its size, but the hole is about one-hundredth of an inch in diameter. In 35 mm terms, that would be an aperture of about f/138. In broad daylight, an exposure on 100 ISO film takes about three or four seconds, hence the need for a sturdy tripod.
You never know what you will get with a pinhole camera. Sometimes it is hard to keep the camera stable on the tripod during the very manual exposure. The shutter is my fingertip. Inadvertent double exposures are common. Sometimes if the light is low, there is a significant shift away from the expected “normal” in color or hue of the finished image. Sometimes this failure of the Reciprocity Law leaves only a dark space on the film where an image should be. Exposure variations can create either unexpected beauty or an imperceptible blur. Variability can give a ‘normal’ composition a pleasing surreal quality, or just junk.
Additionally in this gallery, I placed images that I shot using a digital SLR with an R72 filter over the lens. The R72 filter blocks most visible light below the 720 nanometer wavelength and allows more near-infrared (NIR) and infrared (IR) light to strike the camera’s image sensor. This gives us a chance to see the unseen. Foliage glows brightly while concrete and steel, which reflect less infrared light, assume darker tones. The photographer can adjust the color palette of the image post-production for a general cold indigo, warm blue-green, or copper patina appearance. In any case, the image looks very different from those created by the ‘white’ visible light that our eyes see.
I’m not sure what I will try next. Whatever it may be, I’m sure that I can do it without technology getting in the way or making decisions for me.
Submarines
April 11, 2010 - 17:22
The hardest part about shooting submarines is finding them. The Navy likes it that way, but it is frustrating for a photographer with a penchant for photographing military subjects, especially those located in his own back yard.
I live just a few miles from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the submarine base at Bangor, Washington. My day job has a bit to do with supporting their mission but I still can’t get near a sub with a camera without running afoul of Navy security officers. The best I can do is use my imagination while lingering around naval museums and, of course, the mothball fleet.
When I took my Minolta SRT-200 for a walk around the Bremerton waterfront, I came across the salvage remains of the decommissioned Sturgeon-class submarine USS Parche (SSN-683) erected as a monument in front of the shipyard gate. “Secret Savior” places the leading edge of this ship’s sail against the mid day sun. I could feel the majesty of this leviathan breaching the surface of the ocean as I framed the image in the viewfinder. “Service Record” is my favorite of the two. It displays the service history of the Parche using symbology well known to submariners. I rather like the highlights of the dive planes and raised access plates against the dark structure. The grain of Plus-X film processed in Rodinal developer provides a cold and industrial nuance to the image. Also in this gallery are photographs of the World War II veteran USS Bowfin, which is permanently docked at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I gave these photographs the look of color prints from the 1950s. It was the only way I could salvage them from a lousy exposure.
You can see these images in my ‘Military’ gallery. Until I can get access to the submarine mothball docks or stumble onto a ‘boomer’ passing under the Hood Canal bridge, I have to rely on what I can find within public view at the shipyard, the Naval Undersea Museum at Keyport, or whatever else I can find locally.
I live just a few miles from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the submarine base at Bangor, Washington. My day job has a bit to do with supporting their mission but I still can’t get near a sub with a camera without running afoul of Navy security officers. The best I can do is use my imagination while lingering around naval museums and, of course, the mothball fleet.
When I took my Minolta SRT-200 for a walk around the Bremerton waterfront, I came across the salvage remains of the decommissioned Sturgeon-class submarine USS Parche (SSN-683) erected as a monument in front of the shipyard gate. “Secret Savior” places the leading edge of this ship’s sail against the mid day sun. I could feel the majesty of this leviathan breaching the surface of the ocean as I framed the image in the viewfinder. “Service Record” is my favorite of the two. It displays the service history of the Parche using symbology well known to submariners. I rather like the highlights of the dive planes and raised access plates against the dark structure. The grain of Plus-X film processed in Rodinal developer provides a cold and industrial nuance to the image. Also in this gallery are photographs of the World War II veteran USS Bowfin, which is permanently docked at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I gave these photographs the look of color prints from the 1950s. It was the only way I could salvage them from a lousy exposure.
You can see these images in my ‘Military’ gallery. Until I can get access to the submarine mothball docks or stumble onto a ‘boomer’ passing under the Hood Canal bridge, I have to rely on what I can find within public view at the shipyard, the Naval Undersea Museum at Keyport, or whatever else I can find locally.
HDR and The Zone System
March 14, 2010 - 13:10
I set up a new gallery today just for monochrome photographs. Monochrome, otherwise known as ‘black and white’, is my favorite medium because it uses shape and texture to form an image rather than color. Monochrome conveys a feeling of nostalgia or timelessness and communicates mood with form and texture. It is also easier for the ‘analog’ photographer to control image contrast and tonal width using exposure, chemistry temperature, and development time.
While at the Silverdale Art Walk last Friday, a photographer who works with digital processes visited my venue. He explained high dynamic range (HDR) imaging to me. This process involves taking a series of digital photographs using successively low to high exposure values. I assume that those exposures are 1/3 to a full stop apart from each other. Using Adobe Photoshop, the RAW format images are blended together so that the lowest exposure values can be printed closer to the highest exposure values to minimize darkened shadows or blown-out highlights, thereby controlling contrast. This requires expensive high-end digital equipment, computers, and imaging software to create the final print.
The Zone System, developed by Ansel Adams, produces a similar effect. Density values on developed film range from Zone I, or pure black on the finished print, to Zone X which is pure white. Zone V is middle grey. Each zone is different from the next by one exposure value, or f-stop. By exposing the shadows at about Zone V and decreasing development time, a photographer can do essentially the same thing. The increased exposure brings out the details normally hidden in the shadows while the reduced development prevents details in the highlights from blowing out into Zone X, or pure white in the final print. Although this process was developed for sheet film, a photographer can make a series of exposures at various exposure values on roll film and choose the best image from the scan or contact sheet. Each film formulation is different so it takes a bit of experimentation to find the right exposure/development combination for a particular film. Modern film quality is consistent, so one roll of Plus-X film will behave like another roll of Plus-X film under the same exposure and development combination.
Although I have never used the HDR method, I can practice the Zone System with a film camera, a daylight processing tank, standard chemistry, a Nikon scanner, and my Macbook Pro. Best of all, I don’t have to worry about my hard earned money fading into obsolescence when the next digital innovation hits the market.
Not better, just different. I do wonder just how long a digital image will last over time, however.
While at the Silverdale Art Walk last Friday, a photographer who works with digital processes visited my venue. He explained high dynamic range (HDR) imaging to me. This process involves taking a series of digital photographs using successively low to high exposure values. I assume that those exposures are 1/3 to a full stop apart from each other. Using Adobe Photoshop, the RAW format images are blended together so that the lowest exposure values can be printed closer to the highest exposure values to minimize darkened shadows or blown-out highlights, thereby controlling contrast. This requires expensive high-end digital equipment, computers, and imaging software to create the final print.
The Zone System, developed by Ansel Adams, produces a similar effect. Density values on developed film range from Zone I, or pure black on the finished print, to Zone X which is pure white. Zone V is middle grey. Each zone is different from the next by one exposure value, or f-stop. By exposing the shadows at about Zone V and decreasing development time, a photographer can do essentially the same thing. The increased exposure brings out the details normally hidden in the shadows while the reduced development prevents details in the highlights from blowing out into Zone X, or pure white in the final print. Although this process was developed for sheet film, a photographer can make a series of exposures at various exposure values on roll film and choose the best image from the scan or contact sheet. Each film formulation is different so it takes a bit of experimentation to find the right exposure/development combination for a particular film. Modern film quality is consistent, so one roll of Plus-X film will behave like another roll of Plus-X film under the same exposure and development combination.
Although I have never used the HDR method, I can practice the Zone System with a film camera, a daylight processing tank, standard chemistry, a Nikon scanner, and my Macbook Pro. Best of all, I don’t have to worry about my hard earned money fading into obsolescence when the next digital innovation hits the market.
Not better, just different. I do wonder just how long a digital image will last over time, however.
Silverdale Art Walk
February 27, 2010 - 06:15
I rather like the Silverdale Art Walk. Local merchants in the Old Town Silverdale area jury the work of local artists to display in their establishments. There are hors d'oeuvres and sometimes even wine tasting. It gives local unknowns, like yours truly, a chance to show their work to a broad audience while the sponsoring merchants promote their businesses. There are painters, sculptors, photographers, sketchers, and multi-media artists scatters throughout the area. It’s one of my favorite venues.
My work will be exhibited at Monica’s Waterfront Bakery & Café near the waterfront park. I shot a number of images while I was in the DC area last year so I will have a few of those on display along with some of my other favorites. Some are monochrome and some are color. Some will be framed and some will be simply matted. I will also have a number of my ‘minis’ available for sale.
The show is on Friday, March 12, beginning at 6:00 pm. If you can make it, please come. You may find pleasant surprises that are not on my website. At the other venues you will certainly see art that has nothing to do with photography.
My work will be exhibited at Monica’s Waterfront Bakery & Café near the waterfront park. I shot a number of images while I was in the DC area last year so I will have a few of those on display along with some of my other favorites. Some are monochrome and some are color. Some will be framed and some will be simply matted. I will also have a number of my ‘minis’ available for sale.
The show is on Friday, March 12, beginning at 6:00 pm. If you can make it, please come. You may find pleasant surprises that are not on my website. At the other venues you will certainly see art that has nothing to do with photography.
Aircraft Carrier
February 08, 2010 - 10:37
You may notice several photographs of ships and aircraft carriers in the ‘Military’ gallery. Bremerton hosts part of the Navy’s ‘mothball fleet’, also known as the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. It is home to the aircraft carriers USS Ranger (CV 61), USS Independence (CV 62), USS Constellation (CV 64) and, most recently, USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). These ships have been decommissioned until they are needed again, dismantled for parts, or scrapped. Some ships are fortunate enough be at least aesthetically restored to become floating museums, like the USS Turner Joy in Bremerton or the USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor.
Over the years I have served on three of these majestic warships, the exception being the Hawk, which are moored only a few miles from my home. The light changes often in the Pacific Northwest. It can be raining one moment and sunny the next. The color and quality of this light striking the hulls of these magnificent vessels keeps bringing me back. Each time I visit, I imagine myself back on the 04 level as a ‘shooter watching aircraft streak away as they are catapulted into the dark night sky. I also remember a tragic early morning fire in November 1983 as one of Ranger’s main machinery rooms exploded into violent chaos. That morning was the first time that I had ever seen the interior of a ship’s main space, or what I could see of it. Filled with thick black smoke and backlit by the dull orange glow of burning fuel, the canvas jacket of a two and a half inch fire hose was my hand rail. I followed it down into the belly of a ship in agony to swing a brass fire nozzle at a raging fiery beast.
Color slides bring out the hues of grey and blue reflected on the water against the lights on the pier or the colors of the sun settling over Sinclair Inlet. In ‘Modern Maidenhead’, rain wears paint into long blue-grey streaks down the faded grey hull of Indy. ‘Connie’ contrasts a faded grey anchor with rusty highlights nestled into the contour of her bow against the equally worn hull of the Ranger. The red hues of the rusty anchor would have been lost in a monochrome image. Likewise, the red band of an oil boom stretched against Indy’s bow in ‘Tip of The Spear’ would have been nearly invisible in black and white.
Monochrome prints bring out the curvaceous lines that come together at the bow of a ship or the menacing rows of hooks in the concertina wire that deter unwelcome entry to the pier. The curve of an oil boom pushing against the bow of Indy gives angular contrast to the curve of the bow reflected against the water. Grey tones provide structure to an image that is less obvious in a color image. The radar domes, the square and angular protrusions that transition the Hawk’s wide flight deck to the slender curve of its hull at the water line, and the chains and power lines that traverse the ships and pier give ‘Islands’ an obvious industrial feel.
Over the years I have served on three of these majestic warships, the exception being the Hawk, which are moored only a few miles from my home. The light changes often in the Pacific Northwest. It can be raining one moment and sunny the next. The color and quality of this light striking the hulls of these magnificent vessels keeps bringing me back. Each time I visit, I imagine myself back on the 04 level as a ‘shooter watching aircraft streak away as they are catapulted into the dark night sky. I also remember a tragic early morning fire in November 1983 as one of Ranger’s main machinery rooms exploded into violent chaos. That morning was the first time that I had ever seen the interior of a ship’s main space, or what I could see of it. Filled with thick black smoke and backlit by the dull orange glow of burning fuel, the canvas jacket of a two and a half inch fire hose was my hand rail. I followed it down into the belly of a ship in agony to swing a brass fire nozzle at a raging fiery beast.
Color slides bring out the hues of grey and blue reflected on the water against the lights on the pier or the colors of the sun settling over Sinclair Inlet. In ‘Modern Maidenhead’, rain wears paint into long blue-grey streaks down the faded grey hull of Indy. ‘Connie’ contrasts a faded grey anchor with rusty highlights nestled into the contour of her bow against the equally worn hull of the Ranger. The red hues of the rusty anchor would have been lost in a monochrome image. Likewise, the red band of an oil boom stretched against Indy’s bow in ‘Tip of The Spear’ would have been nearly invisible in black and white.
Monochrome prints bring out the curvaceous lines that come together at the bow of a ship or the menacing rows of hooks in the concertina wire that deter unwelcome entry to the pier. The curve of an oil boom pushing against the bow of Indy gives angular contrast to the curve of the bow reflected against the water. Grey tones provide structure to an image that is less obvious in a color image. The radar domes, the square and angular protrusions that transition the Hawk’s wide flight deck to the slender curve of its hull at the water line, and the chains and power lines that traverse the ships and pier give ‘Islands’ an obvious industrial feel.
East Coast Adventure
January 27, 2010 - 17:06
I finished processing the last of the film that I shot since August. I shot full programmed automatic on a few which worked, but did not work on others. Cameras are easily fooled. I trusted my judgment on full manual with good results. Most of the ‘keepers’ can be found in the ‘Military’, ‘Railroad’, and ‘Capitol Region’ galleries, but there are others in ‘Ancient Industry’ and ‘Portrait’.
I had a great deal of satisfaction touring the cradle of our nation while I was away on my ‘day job’. I wish that I could print those shots that were ruined by technical guffaws, but such is ‘analog’ photography.
I had a great deal of satisfaction touring the cradle of our nation while I was away on my ‘day job’. I wish that I could print those shots that were ruined by technical guffaws, but such is ‘analog’ photography.
Washington DC
January 18, 2010 - 09:08
After processing the many rolls of film that have accumulated over the last several months, it became obvious that I would need to create at least one new gallery. Late last year, my day job required that I spend much of 2009 in the Washington DC area. I worked in Annapolis, but I did have time on the weekends to explore the region where our nation grew its roots. Processing film in a hotel room is impractical at best and my scanners wouldn’t fit in my carry-on luggage so I left my darkroom at home. I simply mailed the exposed film back to my understanding wife to throw in the freezer until I could get to it.
Most tourists visiting our nation’s capitol photograph the many museums and monuments and I was no exception. For the night shots, I used both color and monochrome. For shooting structures, I use monochrome film to highlight the tones and lines of the masonry. Color film was best for capturing the red, white, and blue colors that symbolize the United States.
It’s good exercise to walk around DC and Baltimore lugging around a Domke bag full with a Mamiya M645, three lenses, film, and the usual accessories. It keeps my massage therapist in business anyway.
I still have several rolls of film to work through, so more galleries may pop up. It is a work in progress.
Most tourists visiting our nation’s capitol photograph the many museums and monuments and I was no exception. For the night shots, I used both color and monochrome. For shooting structures, I use monochrome film to highlight the tones and lines of the masonry. Color film was best for capturing the red, white, and blue colors that symbolize the United States.
It’s good exercise to walk around DC and Baltimore lugging around a Domke bag full with a Mamiya M645, three lenses, film, and the usual accessories. It keeps my massage therapist in business anyway.
I still have several rolls of film to work through, so more galleries may pop up. It is a work in progress.
