Monochrome

May

2011

Put me in coach…

I’ve come to my brother’s house to witness my nephew graduate high school and along the way my brother roped me into photographing his production plant (hey-I do these kinds of things for free airfare!)

In addition, my nephew is quite the baseball player. Shortstop if you’re interested. And good enough to earn himself both a scholastic AND athletic scholarship to play baseball for Butler University. I’d never seen him play before so this weekend I had my opportunity to see two games and I took full advantage.

However, I’ve been encouraged by the recent push into visual storytelling that Rear Curtain has encouraged. And I had a great time watching Sabrina Henry work her way through a Magnum workshop recently where she worked with the subject of dogs. So I thought I might take on a little project while here and explore high school baseball. I don’t know how this will turn out, or if I got the shots I need to make this work in the short time allotted, but it is quite a fun challenge to try to piece together some sort of visual story out of this.

So this image is the first of the lot. It is one quickly processes to be a teaser and I hope it does the trick.

May

2011

Spinning my Wheels

My wife took pity on me. She’s noticed that I’ve been struggling with creativity for a little while now and she suggested we head down to the local classic car show here in Albuquerque. “The boys will love it, we’ll get out of the house for the afternoon, and you can take pictures!” she explained. Great!!

And it was! We had a fun time, my son ordered me around: “take a picture of THAT one, Daddy!!” I complied. Often.

I have to admit I did struggle a bit with the lighting conditions (high noon in the high desert is not a time I find optimal for photography-can anyone say “sunny 16 rule”?) but now that I’ve worked through a few images I’m finding myself quite happy. So here are a few from the afternoon. I’ve made them black and white-partially because I’m trying to learn more about this medium, and partially because I thought the images presented themselves better this way. I’ve also made one HDR that I’m enjoying quite a bit. I am waiting until tomorrow to post it because I didn’t feel like it flowed with these images, so check back again.

May

2011

Working Through the Morass in the Creative Process

It has been a slow time in blog-land for me these past two weeks. A quick peek at my last post might give some idea why. Hanging out in the morass of Resistance is never an easy challenge and this bout is sure reminding me of that. But I have not sat still.

Thankfully I know that the morass of Resistance can be the fire out of which new creativity arises. The mythological symbol of the Phoenix rising from the ashes is an apt metaphor for this. So too is the Hindu Goddess Kali-the Goddess of Destruction. Before each new creation something else must give way. Psychologists, as well as others in the mental health fields, sometimes refer to this as Alchemical Transformation. While historically alchemists attempted to turn base metals into gold through purification methods and fire, this term can also metaphorically refer to the process of psychological growth; in the fire of our difficult emotions our psychological makeup can be transformed.

To me, creativity, aliveness, has some of its roots in our individual and collective psychology. So I see my own descent into the morass of Resistance, the fires of uncertainty and self doubt, as an opportunity for psychological and creative growth. A, perhaps small, rebirth.

the working cover for my new book tentativly titled "Yucatecan Color"

So, following Steven Pressfield’s direction in “Do the Work” (read this postfor a more in dept look at this big little book) I have continued to do the work I can do. Lately I’ve taken to carrying my new-to-me Pentax K1000 film camera around and have learned about the vagaries of expired film; I’ve switched to shooting black and white on my digital cameras (I shoot RAW so the file is still ultimately in color, but the preview is B&W and that is helping me “see” in B&W”); and I have been working on a photobook with images from my trips to the Yucatán Penninsula in Mexico which will soon be available through blurb.com.

The outcome of all this work still remains to be seen. But I suppose it is fundamental to have some faith in the process; to know in one’s heart that all will be fine again, that the mojo will return and the creative sparks will ignite some fires.

Speaking of that, I’ve got this idea for a project….

Apr

2011

eBooks to Change Your Life

That is a bold statement above, I know it is. But really, if you are as passionate about the visual language of photography (as I am) and you really came into your photographic mojo with the advent of digital Single Lens Reflex (dSLR) cameras (meaning in the last 5-7 years, like I did) and therefore tend to shoot in color and allow the camera to pre-visualize the scene for you through the instant gratification (LCD) screen on the back with full hyper-saturated glory, it just might. Black and White photography is a dark and dreamy world for many photographers, a land of light and shadows where some things are revealed and some concealed, an extra step removed from reality creating an air of mystery and fascination, and while many of us just love black and white images we lack the ability to really understand how to make a compelling image this way.

Thankfully those that inhabit this world photographically are not so dark and mysterious as the medium and some have chosen to share their knowledge through several ebooks on the Craft and Vision website. At just $5 a pop they are probably the least expensive investment into your photographic journey and given the impact they can achieve on your photography I think they can change your (photographic) life quite dramatically for very little.

First off is Andrew Gibson’s “The Magic of Black and White” series (Parts I, II, and III) published through Craft and Vision where he guides the reader through the different thought processes required in making black and white images. I found that thinking about an image in terms of tones of grey, in terms of contrast, to be so beneficial that it has improved my photography overall, including my color photography.

The one drawback of Gibson’s books for me, if there really is one, is that he prefers to work in Photoshop and therefore his conversion techniques require extra work for Lightroom users such as me. Well, no longer. Craft and Vision this week announced the release of their first mega-ebook.

Weighing in at a hefty 100 pages “The Power of Black and White In Adobe Lightroom & Beyond: A Masterclass” by Piet Van den Eynde is everything the Lightroom enthusiast of black and white photography has been waiting for. This is by far the largest ebook produced by the good folks at Craft and Vision and for only $5 (or $4 if you use discount code BWLIGHT4 before April 16 2010) it is an outrageous deal. Imagine, at 100 2-page spreads this would easily be a 200 page print book! And the workflow described in detail by Van den Eynde is easily reproduced in Adobe Camera Raw.

While I have glanced through The Power of Black and White in Adobe Lightroom & Beyond: A Masterclass I cannot wait to really spend some time with this book. This is the kind of book that deserves some concentrated attention, study, and continued referencing to really mine the content. And in doing so, this might really alter your photography positively and, as a result, change your life.

But wait! There’s more! Because Piet spends a little time talking about the power of plug-ins like NiK Software’s Silver Efex pro, NiK has ponied up 3 full versions of Silver Efex Pro, which anyone that buys this masterclass is eligible to win if you buy the book within the first 5 days, which also happens to be the time frame during which you can get the book for $4, or buy 5 ebooks for the price of 4.

Special PDF Offer
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code BWLIGHT4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of The Power of Black & White in Adobe Lightroom & Beyond (A MASTERCLASS) for only $4 OR use the code BWLIGHT20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST April 16, 2011.

Apr

2011

Inspiration Monday: Isabel Muñoz

el dia de los muertos 2009 (c) LomiMonk Photography

It has been quite a while since I last posted an Inspiration Monday post; several months at least. It is not that I fail to be inspired by others that has kept me from posting, but rather that I think I am looking for that special something to inspire me. There is a lot of photography in the world and a lot of photographers working on really fantastic stuff but the more I look at others’ work the more confused I get at times. So much of it is good. So much of it is skilled. And so much of it makes me think, “wow, I want to be able to do that!” Such thoughts are a bit dangerous. They can leave me a bit scattered in my approach; they can leave me attempting to replicate others’ work, and while a small victory can be achieved in doing so, ultimately I can feel empty for not having done my own work.

So, what is it I am looking for in others? What am I looking for in their work other than that desire to copy, emulate, or recreate? I think I am looking for that person, that artist, that has moved beyond the achievement of skilled craftsmanship into the realm of communication, of expression: what many these days are calling “Voice.” I am really looking for an artist to remind me, both mentally and emotionally, to focus on my work, on my voice, on what feels right to me. I think today I have found some one who has done that, at least in some small part.

In today’s Inspiration Monday post, the 19th in this series, I would like to present Isabel Muñoz. Hailing originally from Barcelona, Isabel is currently represented as one of contemporary Spain’s bright stars at the Woman and Woman exhibition at the Instituto Cervantes building at the National Hispanic Cultural Center here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has four 66 inch by 66 inch platinotype prints hanging there which just blew my mind. Her work appears to center around how light interacts with, reveals, and conceals form and shape. Many of her images, while cultural in nature, use the human form to convey the artist’s vision at the expense of the subject’s identity. These images encourage the viewer to have a relationship with their own interpretation, visceral in nature in my case, of the image. See the images that deal with dance under her “Obras” menu, especially Danza Cubana (Cuban Dance), Tango, and Lucha Turca (Turkish Wrestling) for what I consider her best examples. She seems to use the human body as the expressive medium that depicts and expresses the nature of the culture she is interested in, be it tattooed Salvadoran gangs of LA, dancers (Cuban, Flamenco, Tango), bull fights, or indigenous peoples.

Working in medium format black and white with platinum processing, Muñoz found her medium of expression. By limiting herself to the arduous constraints this type of photographic production entails she has begun to move beyond its limits into artistic expression and interpretation. This is what I am looking for in inspiring artists: transcending the limits of technique to arrive at unique, inspired creativity.

As a nice extra, there is a “Making Of” section on her website that contains several movies of behind the scenes action from some of her photoshoots. Even if you do not understand Spanish, the feel and look of the shoot and of Isabel Muñoz interactions with her varied subject easily depicts her respect and interest in them.

Mar

2011

Gallery Hangings and the Benefits of Setting Goals.

In the effort to continue with meeting my photographic goals for the year I am hanging two prints in a gallery show this evening. I am very excited, for two reasons.

First, I am excited for the show. I have hung a few prints in shows before but my effort in them was halfway at best and I didn’t really put too much into them. This time I am attempting to do things right and I am very proud of the prints I am hanging. I am also excited for the show as there looks to be a lot of really good work being hung. I always like to see what my peers are doing; it helps to keep me motivated as well as show me some possibilities photographically that I had not considered. I just love that.

Secondly, I am happy to be moving forward at achieving my goals. It means I am taking action, and action is often the part where artists get hung up. We have great ideas, we creatives, but we cannot simply consider ourselves the “idea person.” We don’t have that luxury, at least not artists at my level; my “assistant” is two years old and not yet to be trusted with carrying through on my artistic wishes. No, we creatives must be both “idea person” as well as “action taker.”

The challenge for me is refining the sheer multitude of ideas down to executable actions in order to see these so-called great ideas materialize. The challenge is in following through on one idea-any idea. And so, earlier this year I set a series of goals in this post and am happy to report they are well on their way to being accomplished.

That was the point and it is working! So far I’ve completed one of the three Blurb books I had planned; I am hanging 2 of the 3 prints I’ve committed to hanging in galleries; I have scheduled a photo project for someone else (I’m shooting my brother’s factory again, this time better I hope); I am helping my neighbor, a writer, build her website and sell ebooks thereby helping another artist; I have read a book on black and white photography and am shooting and “seeing” more in black and white; I’m holding steady on my blog posts and writing and thinking about photography; and I have lost 3 of the 10 pounds I would like to shed. So, for the 2 months since I set the goals I feel I am well on my way and I can thank the goal setting for plotting my course and motivating me to action.

How about you? Have you set goals for the year? How are you doing at them? I would love to hear both what you are planning and what you are working on.

The Gallery Opening is happening tonight, March 4th 2011 at The Printmaker’s Studio at 425 San Mateo Blvd. in Albuquerque from 5-9pm. The show will hang for 6 weeks until mid April. I hope you can make it either this evening or sometime during the show. For those of you out of town I have hung the picture of the hats at the top of this post as well as the image shown below.

Feb

2011

Notebook Images

The other day I wrote a post about the publication of my first notebook through Blurb.com. I had a lot of fun making that book and I’ve received some nice feedback from my family for whom it was made. Now that all the intended recipients have been able to see it I feel more free to release some of the images I used. Because of the book format, all the images, other than front and back cover, are 5×8 inches and in high contrast black and white. Here are my best ones:

Feb

2011

Of Love and Other Demons

Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.
~Rumi

I swiped the above quote from friend’s Facebook post on this Valentine’s Day. It seemed appropriate to think of love in a way that is out of the ordinary for how we, and by this I mean me and perhaps you, think about love. I happen to enjoy Rumi quite a bit, especially because his writing has the habit of shaking up my perception and my perspective–good things to have happen to a photographer.

This quote, and Rumi’s ability, got me thinking: if we put up barriers to that which we often are seeking (Love), what kind of barriers have we placed in the way of our creative potential?

Sometimes it is helpful to write down, to make a list, of those negative things we believe about ourselves. Be it, “I’m not good enough,” or “I’m just an average artist,” or, “I’m just an amateur photographer,” and then to write down the opposite in an attempt to eliminate the negative belief. Whatever you might discover about your negative beliefs, about your creative self, the chances are you are mistaken. Creativity spills from each of our lives much the way flowers creatively express their inevitability.

To be creative we must be much like the flower in its expression. That is to say we must do so simply because it is what we must do; we need not, indeed perhaps must not, await another’s praise in our effort or copy what others have done before. Gavin Gough, professional travel photographer, explains and encourages this beautifully in his post today entitled “Setting Sail on Your Own Course.”

So on this Valentine’s Day, day of love and friendship, as you seek to eliminate the barriers you have placed in love’s way, why not also strive to identify and eliminate the barriers you may have placed in the way of your creativity. I imagine–no, I am sure–that both love and creativity will flow more freely from you as a result.

Feb

2011

Chinese New Year Lion Dance: Part 2

Update: I originally referred to this group and event as Dragon Dances and Dragon Dancers and today I received and email from the drummer for this group, Bao Giang, who kindly informed me that they aren’t Dragon Dancers, but they are Lion Dancers. My apologies to Bao and his friends. Accordingly I have change the reference in these posts to reflect the more accurate name. Thanks Bao!

Yesterday I posted an image of a Lion Dance performance I visited here in Albuquerque put on by a local Buddhist Youth Group. It was a lot of fun, filled with energy, invigorating movement, firecrackers, drums, cymbals, pageantry, and good humor. I really enjoyed myself shooting this event and learned a lot about how I respond to what I am shooting (more on that it a future post) and about Lion Dances. The images here are all black and white, which is what I am trying to shoot these days, but I do have some color images coming in the next few days. Let me know what you think!

Feb

2011

Chinese New Year Lion Dance

Today I went to our local international and Asian food market because I heard there was going to be a Chinese New Year performance. Boy, I’m glad I went. We don’t have what would amount to a Chinatown here in Albuquerque but today’s performance makes me wish we did. I’m posting this shot as a little teaser today as I need some more time to process the images. Please check back over the next week for more images.