Monochrome Jazz

Jake's Bistro in Steilacoom is a pleasant little place and they have great food, but their stage lighting leaves something to be desired. I took a number of shots in the dim red light, and wasn't pleased with the result. But a little work in Photoshop to desaturate the image, and this shot of singer LaVon Hardison became something much more interesting. A little grainy, but full of the energy and style she exudes in her performances. I suppose the black & white also evokes a time past in some now-forgotten jazz dive...but I don't miss the thick layer of smoke that would have overlaid that scene.

Can't miss it...

Our iconic city landmark, caught in the afternoon sun.

Lost Surprises

I was experimenting with my new $2.09 macro studio last night (about which, more soon), and one of the subjects I used for test shots was this old German film camera. It's one my dad gave me, and I used for several years before getting a more "modern" film camera.

It brought back memories of photographic surprises. I wasn't a prolific photographer, and sometimes a roll of film would stay in the camera for months before I finally finished it and had it developed. So when the images came back, they often contained surprises I'd forgotten about.

With digital photography's instant feedback, such surprises are few these days. Not that I'm complaining...just a little nostalgic for that lost element of being truly surprised and delighted by something a second time.

...Make Lemonade

Before you say anything...yes, I know that lemonade is made from lemons. But this equally yellow flower brought to mind that saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." The lemons in my back lawn are dandelions. I don't really mind them and I don't work on making my lawn picture-perfect. Or rather, I guess I consider the oddities of my lawn the very things that do make the yard picture-perfect. The weeds, the moss, the white petals falling from the Gravenstein tree. Because really, who wants to look at photos of a uniform green lawn?

Borrowing Art

I've been having an ongoing conversation about the ethics of photographing other people's art. Clearly it's one thing to take a photo of a public piece of art and identify it as such, while it would be clearly less ethical to take unauthorized photos in a museum or private gallery or home, even if the photographer gives the artist credit.

I'll stay away from that dicey territory here. Although I don't know the name of the Tacoma artist who did the work above, I appreciate their vision in turning an ordinary fire standpipe into a piece of colorful folk art. For a wider view of this, click here.

From the vaults...

I've been scanning old photos, slides, and negatives to reduce clutter in my basement, and have run across a few real gems in the process. Like this photo, take at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo (I think) in the mid 1980s. Scan is from a color negative. I laughed when I saw this, and that seems to be others' reactions as well. Something funny about shortening one of the tallest critters on the planet. Or maybe they're playing hide and seek.

Then and Now

Shooting hummingbirds on the deck, 1974
Self-portrait in teapot, 2008

fingers of spring

The subtle unfolding of a fern caught my eye the other day. It's not the symmetrical wonder of a fiddlehead, but it has its own charms.

Arts Walk Exhibit

Images from my photography exhibit at Olympia's Spring 2008 Arts Walk. Thanks to everyone who dropped by to look and chat! I had a great time and got some very helpful comments on the pictures and presentation. Also sold a few pieces, so special thanks to those people!

Procession of the Photos

Thanks to everyone who came to my debut photo exhibit during Arts Walk! Downtown Olympia was teeming with people last weekend, and I had some great discussions with many of them (you) about photographs and other things. People seemed particularly interested in my Planet Olympia image and other miniplanets, so I'll keep working on more of those curious creations.

Above is something simple and pink: a small part of the great sea of flamingos known as Samba Olywa, the culminating group in the Procession of the Species.

Oly, here I come!

Got the Arts Walk exhibit set up this evening, and I'm all a-tingle with anticipation. I'm eager to learn what people like (and, yes, don't like) so I hope you will drop by. My display is at the Christian Science Reading Room, 120 4th Ave E. in downtown Olympia, WA.

I'll be there much of the time Friday and Saturday evenings, except perhaps when I'm out looking at other folks' work, and except definitely for 4:30-5:30 pm Saturday, when I'll be enjoying (and taking photos of) the Procession of the Species. I will NOT miss that!

This image was taken in a downtown Olympia alley. Something about the subtle shades of paint on the way contrasting with the rust and red of the pipes. Also, there's a funny red-nosed face in the pipes, but don't look for it if you're afraid of clowns.

Taiko Intensity

I may be scrambling to finish last-minute details before this weekend's Arts Walk here in Olympia, but that doesn't mean I don't have time for fun. Got up to Tacoma to catch the show by Fubuki Daiko, who are both musically talented and photogenic. Bruce Robertson (who, according to the band's website, "enjoys jumping around like a monkey...then laying inert for long periods of time afterwards") gets the most intense look on his face when playing. This photo captures a bit of his intensity.

More pictures of the show here.

Planetwear

Some cities feel self contained. Well, what about the concept of a city as its own planet? I've been experimenting with the idea, and creating some miniplanets from ordinary photos. I hope to create these for other cities as well, but for now you can trumpet your Olympian-ness, or become an honorary Olympian, by wearing this shirt. Available at CafePress.com.

Image detail.

Want one of your own city? Let me know, and I'll see what I can do.

Building an onion

I recall a story I read once about a disgruntled court artist who created a portrait of the king that looked fine on the surface, but made everyone uneasy for some reason. Turned out he had created it through a process of compiling many layers, more than a few of which showed the king in some embarrassing position or with an unflattering expression.

I recalled this story this morning when trying a new photographic technique, called the Orton effect. It does something similar, building a finished image from disparate parts. In this case, several layers of the same image that are exposed differently, or with differences in focus. This image is my first attempt, and I'm fairly pleased with the results.

Traditionally, this was done with two different film exposures. Today, of course, I'm using Photoshop to Ortonize things.

Arachnophilia

One of the most unusual attractions in Victoria, BC, is the Victoria Bug Zoo. Inconspicuously located in the heart of the city, the Bug Zoo is not for the squeamish. It features an elaborate ant farm with tubes running through several rooms; many displays of giant, odd, and even dangerous creepy-crawlies. Guides even let visitors handle some of the bugs including a foot-long black millipede.

The crowning attraction, however, has to be the giant spider exhibit. Protected by thick panes of safety glass, even the arachnophobic can enjoy the antics of the mammoth birdeater spider, which in its native habitat of Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela actually catches and dines on birds. (Oh, they can live for up to 25 years.) I love this image of a father and son fascinated by the spiders.