It is over

According to a post today on the Online Photographer the case of the the alleged "lost Ansel Adams negatives" is over and the conclusion is that they aren't Ansel Adams negatives (Surprise -NOT!). Mike Johnston's writing makes for an amusing read of an otherwise dull outcome. The second case he reports on is interesting too.

Today's photo is a continuation the newest explorations I've been doing. Like the first it is based on a pattern of rocks I found in Inman Gulf last summer.

A New Series of Images

One of my less admirable qualities is that I get distracted easily. I tend to wander off on new projects and ideas before completing existing ones. I've been described as having "too many irons in the fire". I added another iron last night.

The new "iron" is the result of a couple of things. I watched a webinar that Rick Sammon did for Topaz on "Awakening the Artist Within" using some of Topaz' filters. I didn't care  much for some of images he created (Sorry Rick. Nothing personal. Just a matter of taste) but some of the things he did to them must have simmered in the back of my head. Later I was using Stumble Upon to look at some art sites and found some abstract paintings by Sabine Spiesser that reminded me of some rock pattern photos I made last summer. I wondered what would happen if I applied some of Rick's filter ideas to those patterns and I was off and running (figuratively speaking). I applied two separate presets (tinkered with them both), added the circle with a copy>paste>invert>change blend mode sequence and came up with the above. I did several more but this was the first and the one I like best so far.

Natural Destruction

 

Last night I sat watching the Dateline coverage of the disaster in Japan. It took my mind to this waterfall which, like large areas of the Japanese coast that were obliterated in the tsunami, no longer exists due to a natural disaster albeit of minuscule scale compared to the disaster in Japan. Several days after the landslide I went through the mountain pass where this waterfall had been before Hurricane Floyd. The photo below was taken on that hike.

Prior to the landslide there was stand of mature Yellow Birch in the pass and ferns growing beneath. No lives were lost in that landslide and it was only a minor inconvenience to hikers who had been camping on the other side but walking through, or rather over, the 30' deep debris I got a real sense of the immense power of nature and the fragility of humanity. 

I will be sending money to aid the Japanese recovery but I would like to do more. To that end I am offering up 10 signed prints to people who send me scans of evidence of donations of $50 or more to relief efforts within the next 30 days. It will be on the basis of a drawing from those that respond. I'd love to make it open ended and send one to everyone who donates but I can't afford that. At least I hope enough are encouraged to donate that it would bankrupt me if I did make such an offer and if you were assured of getting a print for the donation the IRS won't let you deduct it. The print area will be approximately 8½x6½ matted to 11x14 and it will be signed. You'll have to buy your own frame. I hope I will get dozens if not hundreds of replies. My Gmail name is jim.bullard. Put "Japan relief " in the subject line.

P.S. If you can't give $50 please do what you can. Here is a link to places that are taking donations via text message. (they add it to your cell phone bill). If the link doesn't work, copy and paste the following to the address line of your browser:

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/11/6246445-japans-earthquake-how-to-help

A New Trick

Another photo of the tree with galls during our recent snowstorm. The faux circular mat cutout is a new trick that I just figured out. I'll write it up and post the technique shortly.

Winter Returns

We had temperatures in the mid to high 40s yesterday, much of the snow melted and I briefly entertained thoughts of spring. This morning was another story. It began snowing early and they forecast 4" during the day. We had a bit over that before noon. Fortunately it stopped but more is forecast for tonight, much more, Possibly 14" more. I went out and bought some more gas for the snow blower.

While I was out in the weather I took my camera along to see what I could find. I re-found this tree. It has been featured on this blog before in a B&W diptych that I shot with an old Voightlander Vitessa L, and I have photographed it several other times as well. This time I shot an overlapping cluster of images with a Canon G10 that I then assembled into a digital montage. I think I will repeat the process in spring, summer and fall to create a "Tree with galls" series.

Why We Do It

I spent 2-3 hours yesterday with my potter/photographer friend Ron. I'm planning to offer my services to fellow artists/crafts folk photographing them and their work for their promotional materials etc. and I needed some samples of what I can do. Ron agreed to be my victim. Of course we spent a lot of time talking about the trials of marketing our wares and Ron told me the following story (parable).

Three craftsmen went to a bar for a beer after the close of a fair they just exhibited at and they were commiserating over the difficulties of making a living in crafts. After a bit another man came over to them and said "I've been listening to you and I'd like to make you an offer. I'm extremely rich. I'll give you each a million dollars if you tell me what you will do with it." That sounded pretty good and they all agreed. The first craftsman said "I'll quit this business, buy a farm down in Virginia and raise horses". The second said "I'm quitting too. I'll invest the money and live off the interest as I travel around the world". The third thought a bit and said "You know... I actually like what I'm doing. I complain about it, but I even like doing the fairs. I think I'll just keep doing it until the million dollars runs out."

We create the things we do because it is who and what we are. If anyone wants to offer me a million, I promise to keep doing until the million (and I) are all used up. :-)

Photo: Canon 7D, Live View mode (camera inches from the window that  main light source), 1/25th sec. @ f/6.3.