Art Night Print

Tonight being Art Night (see blog from earlier this month concerning Art Night), I worked on a 2008 photo taken in Santa Fe.  Adobe, blue skies, clouds and a white cross with shadows all teamed up for an evocative shot.  I cropped the image a bit to have the cross in the upper third and left third of the image.  What has not adjusted was the placement of the cross in a blue space as though it were separating the clouds.  It was a purposeful composition in terms of its key elements.  Its one of my favorite images and may ultimately be part of a series of "religious symbol" photos.  Or just a nice standalone photograph. 

Refinement

Yesterday, I came across a photograph made earlier this year that I really liked (see yesterday's blog entry).  I've had a print of it on my desk during the past day and while admiring the abstract blue color on the left side of the photo, I realized that it actually distracted from the core image - the two heads as discussed yesterday.  So I've simplified the photo even more - to get to its essence.

Just because you've edit and printed a photo doesn't mean that the artistic effort is done.  If you see a way to improve a photo or view it in a different way, go forth.  It's the wonder of photography!

Today's Print

If you take lots of photographs like I do, you may also fall into the same rut of looking at them once and then "saving" them for some future use. I've been working on a couple of book projects and an exhibition, but also have a lot of other really good photos that don't fit into a specific project.  So, I've decided that I need to relook at two or three of these photos each week and post them to the blog.

Today's photo is of a couple performing a traditional Croatian dance at a special event last spring here on Bainbridge Island.  As you may have gathered for blog entries or from perusing my portfolio, I love dance and taking photos of dancers (and musicians).  I love this photo for its simplicity and color and the look in her eyes.  If the photo had been in sharp focus, I think it would be missing some of the emotion that motion can convey.  And zeroing in on the shoulders and heads simplifies the image - no need to show everything to still convey the meaning.

     

And Now for Animation

There's an interesting new website that allows you to create your own animation of a sort.  Its http://www.xtranormal.com/.  I ran across it recently based on a recommendation to watch a video on "I'm going to be a Travel Writer."  Its one of the most hysterical pieces I've seen in a long time and was produced with the Xtranormal software.  You can watch it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN6Khbe_MKM.  Warning: there is some profanity in it.  

I couldn't resist doing my own quick video on the corollary topic: "I'm going to be a Travel Photographer."   A bit more basic, video-wise, but hopefully with a bit of biting humor as well.  (And NO profanity.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64xgSQ4U-AY.

Would Chuck Stay Here Again?

Well, I've finally moved into the video-era, several decades later perhaps, but progress is progress.  I just completed a workshop with Bainbridge Island TV on creating your own YouTube video.  The project I assigned myself was the start of a hotel review series entitled: "Would Chuck Stay Here Again?"  The results are on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU5rZb9xM0k. 

The workshop entailed learning about the use of video cameras, video techniques, use of iMovie software, and the melding of video, graphics and audio into a cohesive video.  It was really a lot of fun and I'm generally pleased with the result.  With cell phones of the iPhone variety in wide use and with the newest digital SLRs incorporating video capability, its clear that video is taking on a larger role in our photographic life.  If you have the opportunity to take a video workshop in your community, I strongly recommend it.  Enjoy.
 

The Best Camera is the One You Have

This past January, I posted a brief article on how my iPhone was liberating - always having a camera with you means never missing a shot.  Now, admittedly, the quality of an enlargement is not the same as a digital SLR.  But still pretty darn good.  And for web posting, its great. I just went through my first year's worth of iPhone photos - and was really suprised as to see how many decent shots I was able to take with this most basic of cameras.  Here's a sample.  Looking forward to another year with my iPhone by my side (or in my shirt pocket). 

Catching the Train, BART, San Francisco

Sunrise, Mt Rainier from Rich Passage

 The rusting Hyak departing Seattle

Evening Spotlight on Downtown Seattle

Quinessential San Francsico

A Grey, Foggy Morning, Seattle

Rush Hour, or Why I Don't Live in Seattle Anymore

Ocean Bent, Puget Sound, In Camera Believe It or Not

Reflection, Belltown, Seattle

Sunrise from Bainbridge Island Ferry

Port Blakely Cemetery, Bainbridge Island

Art Night

Need motivation to work on your photography?  Given how "busy" our lives are these days, its not surprising that "art" takes a back seat to most other activities in our lives.  And that's just plain sad.  A friend of mine and I have come up with a weekly "Art Night."  We've committed to one another to spend one evening a week pursuing our artistic endeavors and then e-mail each other that evening or the next day with a progress report/update.  Its gentle pressure and usually just enough for each of us to delve into our artistic interests.  Some weeks the night changes, but I don't recall that we've missed a week yet. 

Maybe "Art Night" might work for you too?!
  

Definitely Journey On!

Two acquaintances, one 58 and one 68, passed away from heart attacks during the past 6 weeks.  You just never know when your time will be up.  The obituary for Warren, as published in today's Seattle Times, included a really important insight into his philosophy of life - one that's important for all of us to consider. 

Mr. Argo was born in Fresno, Calif., in 1942, and graduated from Fresno State University with a degree in mechanical engineering. After working for Hughes Aircraft in Los Angeles for two years, he decided to leave the defense industry to play music full-time.  "He said he had been to see some Shakespeare play where they talked about following your heart, and he cried so hard the tears squirted out of his eyes," said Leuba (his partner). "He just went blue sky. He got in the Volkswagen van and drove away. And he never looked back."

Amen.