Sketches

Mar

2015

Sketches: Behind the Chutes

Last fall I attended several local rodeos here in New Mexico: the Casper Baca Roughstock Rodeo Fall Series and the Bosque Farms Rodeo Association Fall Rodeo. Both rodeos allowed me up-close access, for which I am grateful. This kind of access allowed for photographs beyond the action in the arena and a glimpse into the focus and preparation involved in rodeo competition.

Recently a short series of behind the scenes images from these rodeos were posted on my Instagram, Facebook, and Flickr feeds but were neglected here. This post rectifies that.

A young cowboy awaits his 8 seconds on the steer. Bull riding is as much a mental game as it is a physical one.

Bull and Rider

A bull rider sits on a bull in the chutes leading to the bucking chute. A sense of familiarity appears to exist for both cowboy and bull.

A cowboy awaits his ride. There is a lot of time spent waiting for the 8 seconds aboard a bull.

A cowboy perhaps ponders what could have been after a Bosque Farms Rodeo Association Rodeo, Bosque Farms, New Mexico.

May

2014

In Memoriam

It is Memorial Day here in the U.S. A day designated to the rememberance of those who have served in this country’s wars. It saddens me that so many men and women had to give their lives in defense of their country; and it saddens me that anyone has had to shorten their lives in this way, for any country. I think of all that has been lost due to these sacrifices: the potential works of art, the music, great leaders, visionaries, healers. Not just from those that died directly but also from those who could have been born to them. So on this day of rememberance, I think not just with thanks to those that have died, but also with a sadness that anyone has had to die, or kill, for a country, a thought, or a belief that necessitates killing another in order to uphold it.

Feb

2014

Sketches: Distress

Liam realizes his brother has claimed the last piece of watermelon.

Jan

2014

Sketches: In The Beginning

Oct

2013

Sketches: Slow Burn

Each year Autumn makes its slow burn to winter.

A wistful time.

A transitional time.

A time all of itself.

Each person’s Autumn has its own timbre,

its own scent.

A last breath.

Inevitable.

May

2013

Sketches: El Grullo

Apr

2013

Sketches: Lexus

Apr

2013

Sketches: Moments

Moments gained. Moments lost.

A look. A gaze. A pause. A burst of energy.

Life comes in stops and starts, flits.

A breath, an exhale, a sigh. A smile. A frown.

And the world turns around.

Don’t blink. Here. Gone.

Moments gained. Moments past.

Mar

2013

Sketches: Applying the Lesson

Last week posted here were a series of images playing with shadows, darkness, and a creative vision with the camera that did not include respecting the in-camera metering system. It seems some of you liked it. I certainly have been enjoying making these images. They were all made with the Nikon D80, a camera that has a limited sensor while still remaining manually customizable. I enjoyed pushing myself within the limits of poor high-iso performance and a single lens.

Then, through the generosity of some incredible people, I came to be the user of a new camera – one with much higher ISO capabilities and manually customizable settings

At first I wondered if the camera might change my approach. But then I decided I didn’t want it to.

What I wanted to do was exploit this new camera’s capabilities while still forcing it to do my bidding.

Essentially using the tool to create what I wanted and not letting the tool dictate the image to me.

I’m happy with the results so far. What do you think?

Mar

2013

Sketches: Lookout-Your Pictures Are Getting Dark

I guess my wife is paying attention. The title above is something she said to me recently. I guess she noticed.

I have been playing with tones recently. I started last year as I decided to take a step backward regarding gear and emulate some of the old-school photographers working with what would today be considered outrageous restrictions – Kodachrome at ISO 50, in a darkened room, or at the edges of the day, without a tripod, or a monopod.

Think about it, these photogs shot with stuff you and I spend lots of money to get away from, and they made iconic photographs.

Damn, they were (or are) good.

So I grabbed my D80 and one lens last fall and committed to it. As others upped their sensor size and crazy-high-iso-capability-I-can-shoot-in-the-dark cameras I went the other way (story of my life, my parents tell me.) I grabbed a camera with an ISO rating that shouldn’t be legally rated above 400 and went at it. Man that was hard.

It was hard because out of the camera my files were not going to compare in quality to what others were shooting. Because I was going to miss and flub a lot of shots – and I did.

But I learned something. Those limits pushed me to look, to search, to seek, to struggle around the edges of things, and to learn to trust my eye and my brain rather than the light meter in camera. I don’t think I shot anything “properly exposed” according to the camera. It was a lot of “half a stop over” or “1.3 stops under” or even “3 stops under” My images began to look like what I wanted them to look, not what the scene actually looked like in front of me.

And that is when I started creating images. Took me some years to get here.

And now maybe a new camera….