Photographers Exchange

Okay, back to the regular programming.  Until I have my desktop/internet connection resolved hopefully by Thursday, I will not be able to provide an current images to finish my digital black and white thoughts;- )

 I had a nice request from Anita over the weekend about the group that meets monthly that I usually participate with called the Photographers Exchange. If any of them read this and I made a mistake, I hope they provide a correction.

It was stated about 18 years ago by Larry Vogel (photography artist represented by the Susan Spiritus Gallery in Newport Beach) and Larry Pribble, a non-art photographer who really enjoys photography. It is a really informal group meeting. We look at prints and only prints; no models to photograph, no studio lighting, no class, no lessons (except life lessons), no rules of conduct, no officers, no minutes, no awards or merits, no judging, no limits except: bring up to 5 prints, sign up to show them, show them, listen to what others say, enjoy the evening.

We meet once per month for two hours, some get together before hand to eat at a local pizza joint and perhaps drink some beer. We have a group that carpools from Long Beach/South Bay, drive up from San Diego or just drop in. Many are exhibiting artists, with a varied background.  As an example; Frank Cancian has a one-person exhibit in the small gallery at the Irvine Fine Arts Center where we meet and just published his book & essay by the Uof New Mexico Press, and he is a professor of Cultural Anthopology with Uof Irvine here in CA (and I just had him sign my copy).

Over the years, with some donations, they have five easels with gallery lighting for the print display. Pribble puts together a monthly regional photography gallery update. Once per year we have a big print exchange, you bring one, you take one, something like that.

Hopefully, you will find that something like this is nice to set up.  You can get the word out to the local galleries to let the artist know its happening. And perhaps in a couple of years, you will have some very good friends, even though I have been only particiapting for a year, I am already developing some friendships and getting some good feeback on my work. (I had written “nice”, but then I remembered the first reaction to my series Bad Trip – Sad Trip)

Best regards, Doug

Grayscale or Black & White?

To pick up again the discussion that was start Sunday by Tim Atherton  where he states “the digital B&W images are driving me nuts – not their content, but their “look”, recognizing that he is not taking exception to the image content but the presentation and look even giving this blog some kudos for “fun and interesting” (Thanks!!).  Tim also further characterises the look as … so smooth, “perfect” and characterless, and he finishes with… but as it stands right now this is Greyscale photography, not black and white when he describes a color digital capture that is converted into a black and white image.

So the question is a color digital image capture that is converted to a monocolor image a grayscale image or a black and white image?  My answer is Yes.  The final results are Grayscale, Black & White, as well as Monocolor and Continuous Tone and all of the other discriptors given to this look of the photograhic medium.  It does not bother me what label you want to use, as I have seen a lot of them over the years.

Perhaps more to Tim’s point, what is the “look” of the results?  Does the look make a difference?  I will admit, in the mid-1970’s I thought the Kodak Polycontrast prints made with the Kodak polycontrast filter set in a condensor enlarger were awful to look at.  And I did not enjoy looking at them.  Then came along the first resin coated papers which made the Polycontrast look pretty good in comparision. But what I liked best was the graded F papers using a two developer bath sequence. Niceeeee.

Today, Multigrade IV with a color head enlarger that can expose/dodge in one contrast and burn in with another contrast can create a wonderful print.  I just chose not to go that route.  And when I want a Black and White image and use my MF and film, I use color negative film. I want to have every option that I can obtain, and that is it. And that works for me. I am not a Paul Strand who welded his LF camera to give him a fixed image.  Egads, I also crop.  Okay, enough scarcism.

Tim looks at a lots and lots of images and he can quickly pick out subtle traits in the image look that bother him.  And I think that I understand and I don’t have an issue with that.  I am truely myopic and mostly look at my own images and very concerned about my content, and I also do my critical evaluations with a print (300dpi) and not on a monitor (image at 72 dpi, but most monitors running at 96dpi or better).  The monitor can make a big difference in your image evaluation, and Tim’s is probably differnt than mine (and hopefully it is not because I just learned how to post an image on the internet last November, I keep getting pointers from Colin on how to optimize my images for my post).  I accept that my work flow today is different than my work flow even a couple of years ago, and the look of my images will probably reflect it.  And in a couple of years from now, my workflow will be changed again as well as the internet, interfaces, monitors, etc.

I just hope that you all can see beyond the look to understand the content, even though I understand the look does become part of the overall experience.

Best regards, Doug

Why Convert Color to B&W?

It seems that I have been chosen to provide examples of what is bad about trying to converting a (digital) color image to black & white by Tim Atherton over on the Large Format Photography Forum. I find this midly amusing, as I was not aware that many could figure out from where source I made the intial image.  and that it mattered.

As to why I convert color to black and white I will get to in a moment.  But at least let me say that when I look at my black and white prints and show them to others, few can distinguish between those I made with my Mamayia 6×7 on Tri-X (developed with HC-110, dilution B, usually N or N+1 development), or my Hasselbald with color film, both films scanned on my Nikon film scanner and subsequently into Photoshop, or those I created with digital capture.  hmmmm, much better eyes than me, I suppose.  Now I can tell the difference with 35mm Tri-X with HC-110 (B) when I make a 11×14 or larger print.

My goal is usually a black and white print.  I like them, they are abstract and yet are easily interputed as reality.  I have a greater latitude to work with the tonal ranges to create seperation and the meaning that I want to convey. With color, you don’t usually have a lot of latitude to change the tonal relationships.  In the past, to change tonal (color) relationships, you had to use filters over the lens and you were locked into the results.  But why be so limited in your creative endenvours with the options that we have today?  I am continually amazed at the fine tuning for my black and white images that I can accomplish with the software tool options.

If how you capture an image can impact the final results, how do you think that I made the image with this post; B&W film, Color Film, Color digital capture?  No fair looking at my earlier post in which I provide the answer;- )

and again, does it really matter??

Best regards, Doug

P.S. yes, I continue with my connectivity problems, but now WordPress has added to my issues by having me get a new password every couple of days.

Note: I hope the issue with Tim is not that I have recently chosen to move to a warmer print tone. When I was printing the Seagull Oriental papers and subsequently selenium toned the prints, I had chosen a selenium dilution and toning duration to pick up a slight warm tone to anotherwise cool toned paper.  I have found that I like an ever warmer tone print and I achieve an image with a lot more life than my old semi-gloss F finish prints.  And I still recommend that you read Tim’s blog, as he provides some nice insights, even if he does want to pick on my process;- )

Getting feedback

Wildflowers  (from the series Bad Trip – Sad Trip)

I am still suffering with my internet connectivity, but I have developed a work-around, so I will be posting without images for a short duration, or as in this case, using a previous posted image to help make a point.

Getting feedback on my images I believe is a healthy opportunity to help me develop. When I state feedback, I am thinking more about healthy comments are based on trying to understand what I am attempting to achieve and feedback about whether what I present actually connects.  As a photographer who spent a lot of time in the darkroom, there was just usually me in there and I can get isolated, as I suppose any visual artist can who is tying to create a work of art. Visual artist are not usually immersed in a group function, such as a band who come together and interact as they create new music. Thus we need to seek out friends and groups to air out our thoughts and our art work. I have two of those groups now, the on-line Stills, and a monthly group here in Southern California called the Photographers Exchange.

Sometimes at these sessions I learn more about how my images impact others, what else they see, do they understand what I am trying to suggest. Another thing I find out about is how my images look when placed within another contex, rather on my monitor or a small print resting in my hands.  Case in point, the other night at the Photographers Exchange I brought 5 different 9×14″ prints from my series Bad Trip – Sad Trip to display, including this image Wildflowers.  While I listened to the comments, I had a chance to look at my images from a distance to further evaluate them.  The different location helped disconnect me from my usual viewing process and allowed to to gain a fresh perspective on these images or pardoning the pun, see them in a different light. 

Of the five prints, this image was not working as well for me, and then I think I found the issue, the open sky at the top is too dark for the rest of the image.  A pure white in an image will attract you eye to a particular region of an image, but likewise an unually contrast will pull you in, which was the case of this really dark open sky next to the cloud formation.  Looking at the sky in this image is not allowing you to see what I would prefer you to see.  So a sky adjustment for this image is in order, but that needed adjustment was not as apparent to me while working in my light room.

And spending time developing some new friendships is very nice as well…..

Best regards, Doug

Still having connectivity issues

My IT guy and I still couldn’t figure out my internet connectivity issues last night, so you could say that I’ve got my feet up and coasting along for the moment.  Good opportunity to go capture some new images……

BTW, this image is from a prior post, no way to upload anything new at the moment…..(and I just noticed that the image tilts towards the bottom right, so this was created before I started double checking for that visual phonemon)

Best regards, Doug

A Sideways Glance: Going deeper

Last Spring there was a conversation that Paul Butzi initiated about essentially either going wider (broader context) or deeper (more in-depth) regarding your own artistic development. I believe that this concept can be applied in a variety of ways regarding artistic development.

As I continue my series A Sideways Glance, I find that as I look, see and discover this specific region over an extended period of time, I feel that I am going a lot deeper.  I also find myself re-evaluating my initial assumptions and first impressions.  In one regard, I still think that my first impressions were mostly correct.  But where as I felt that this section of landscape was representational of the larger region of the Inland Empire, I no longer hold that belief.

In trying to understand this landscape, a while back I had come across a discussion of another artist’s work, which was described as described as looking at a transistional seam.  hmmm.

In thinking about what I saw and experienced yesterday during my drive, I realized that I was witnessing two different environments co-exsisting at the same time, and the words transistional seam just jumped out.  Exactly!  Neither here nor there, but that gray ambigious area in between.  And I feel that my understanding has come about by spending more time in the same area, looking and seeing, thinking and reflecting, essentially peeling the layers off an artichoke to reveal was is hidden inside, not taking for granted the difficult outer layers. 

 And probably still more yet to come….

Best regards, Doug

Photo of the day: Murrieta Dirt Path

Unusual morning, it was overcast at home, then on the drive to Riverside in the morning, the sky turned to a light haze, followed by a cloud bank and subsequently open sky and then finally into a light fog.  I saw there was fog also up in on the Plateau, but I had a morning appointment and I did not have time for a detour to consider any landscape images.  Perhaps tomorrow;- )

Then on a subsequent drive into Murrieta later in the morning, I spied this road side memorial and stopped to take some exposures.  So this is the photo of the day, but I’m still considering the composition.

Best regards, Doug

Update: and I have realized that although I had rotated this image counterclock wise to get the horizontals in perspecive, I still am falling out the lower right corner and so it needs just a little more rotation.  Maybe that’s going to be a trademark of my images.  I hope not.

Insomnia and the color Blue

I have started working on my series Insomnia: Hotel Noir again, including making prints.  First realization was that most of the images created todate were using my prior Photoshop CS workflow.  I have reworked a couple of the image using the CS3 workflow and I now know that I will have to use the CS3 workflow to arrive at an image that I will be statisfied with.  So I have a number of images to modify, but so far the results are really worth it.

I have choosen to create this series with an image tonality that is Blue, initially trying to re-create a cyanotopy appearance selectiong a Prussian Blue color.  My reaction to the print was that the color/hue that I chose looked right, I had too strong of a saturation.  Thus I have dialed back the saturation a couple of notches.

I know that the choice of a blue tone for this series is really borderline cliche (Nope, it really is a cliche, but I am going to try to ignore that, my creative choice) with the Picasso “Blue Period”, which is why I do not want the color to be overwhelming blue in saturation. I like the mood association, but I also like dark (noir) night effect as well.  I want a little intrigue and mystery, to suggest the unknown and the disassociation that travels with it. 

The reality is that at night with all of the newest street lights that reduce the electrical cost, most everthing at night seems to have a very warm tone.

Best regards, Doug

No internet connection last night

When you think you have something to post, and you can’t due to technical reasons, it is frustrating for me.  grrrr

I’ll get to it shortly, I just need to vent.  again.  grrrrr….

and now feeling better already,

Best regards, Doug

My China trip is delayed

I was just notified that my pending visit to China,  first arriving at Shangahi and then down to JaiXing, is being delayed for another month.  I think that I had also come to terms of what I was going to photograph when I was there; essentially everything that interests me. 

If I can’t achieve any clarity of what is going on for me while I’m there, I’ll try to make sense of it after I return. If that does not occur, then I hope to have some nice Singular Images!

Best regards, Doug