"for me the printing process is part of the magic of photography. it’s that magic that can be exciting, disappointing, rewarding and frustrating all in the same few moments in the darkroom." – john sexton
Tag: photography
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pilgrimage no.1
life is either a great adventure or nothing – helen keller
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happy first day of summer!
it’s finally here.
Congrats to Cody and Anna! I can’t wait to share the images from their beautiful wedding in a few weeks!
This image marks an important checkpoint in my walk as a professional artist. Just before I made this image, I had an amazing explosion of pre-visualizations take place in my mind’s eye. I’ve had similar experiences before, but this time, I finally felt able to direct the model [my wife], to act out what I was thinking. With very specific words, I explained the feeling that the photo should have, told her how to lean her head, where to place her hands, and adjusted everything in little increments until the image in reality and the image in my mind lined up perfectly. The awesome part is, I had spot metered on her face, set the shutter and focused before any of those artistic thoughts took place. I was prepared.
Another awesome aspect of this image is that I metered, set, visualized, executed, developed and scanned all in one afternoon. There’s just something special about self developing black and white film, especially when the images on it are fresh! It’s an amazing experience watching the images roll out one by one while unwinding the reel and hanging the strip up to dry. I foresee a lot more of this in the future.
This image is titled “The Power of a Dream” not just because the mood is dreamy but because it is a dream of mine fulfilled. Years ago, I knew I wanted to eventually make images like this and I think my confidence level is finally catching up. I certainly don’t plan to become vain in any sense, as all vanity is doused by this being the only awesome image on the 36 exposure roll [in my opinion]. But this result speaks to me with much volume: if you have a dream, chase it. Be responsible while you chase it, but don’t let it get away. I have had my eyes set on becoming a better photographer and I truly feel like I am growing every day.
The Shop
I made this image last December during my monthlong obsession with the shop. The lighting is always so low key and mysterious in there!
Aesthetic Elements
I’m just going to point out a few things about this photo that I like. First off, the light coming through the window gets to the edges of nearby objects with lots of intensity, but falls off fast. I really like that in a photo, because it makes for very defined and obvious edges. Next, I like the restfulness of the image. The repeating pattern of horizontal and vertical lines make it very “rectangular” feeling, which to me is restful, as opposed to diagonal. I also see the entire greyscale in this image, from the bottomless void of black under the counter to the heaven-like whiteness of the window, it’s all there. There are lots of interesting textures that I see. The fan cage is nice. The smoothness of the ceiling contrasts the clutter. The closet curtain on the right is very 3-D. The clamps lined up in front of the curtain are very contrasty.
Metaphorical Elements
And then I notice the clock, hiding in the shadows on the left. Especially being in the shadows, could it symbolize that time is not considered in this environment? But why even include the clock if it’s not considered? Though time can be ignored [to a certain extent], it’s always there, happening, passing, making people and things age, whether ignored or not, like a train with no brakes. Even when full attention is given to a task, at some point it will be time to stop for the day. The other symbolism that I see with time is the location of the clock. It can be pushed off to the side of the work/play area, relocating it to the boundaries of perception, but that’s as far as it goes. To the edge, but not past, because we’re always going to be subject to it. Could life be possible without time? I don’t think so. So without time, maybe there would be no life at all. The consequence is simply this: our time bombs are ticking away.
exposure time: 1/15
f-number: f/4.0
ISO:100
focal-length: 28mm [effectively 45mm on this camera]
equipment: Canon T2i with 28mm f/2.8 USM
software: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0
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Have a great week!