MOCA LAB Gallery Opening

On Thursday, August 5th I am having an opening at the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (affectionately known here as MOCA). Well, sorta. I'm not actually in the museum, but in their museum store called the LAB Gallery. This is an area reserved for "emerging" local artists who need to get exposure to the public. Hey, that's me! It's a great idea. There is an application process and your work is displayed on easels in the store for a month. For more information on the program visit the MOCA website.

Exposure is an important aspect of building an artist's presence. It's part of marketing yourself and also part of engaging the public in your art. I enjoy meeting people and talking to them about photography. Nowadays, everyone is a photographer, so my work can perhaps be useful to those wanting to increase their skills or find different viewpoints.

For the exhibit I decided to gather a selection of images where the subject is water. I've been looking for the opportunity to put this together and now I have it. Throughout my travels to various national parks and gardens, I find myself often observing a body of water from a lookout point or the shore. Where water meets the land always creates an interesting situation. Two opposites meeting. Sometimes a clash, sometimes a harmonious union. I plan on maintaining this body of work and adding to it. Establishing thematic categories for your work is important. More than just keywords (plants, trees, water, etc.), a theme addresses an underlying concept behind an image and serves as a reminder to look deeper at a subject.

Displayed with each image is a small story about the making of the photograph. Sometimes the story is more interesting than the image, together they enforce each other. If you can't make the opening, please drop by to see the exhibit which runs until September 1.

Brooks Jenson DVD workshop on Finding an Audience

"Emerging" artists (don't you just love that term?) are always looking for attention. For the most part most of us are shy, introverted people, who would rather spend a day in the studio or field by ourselves toiling blissfully away on our art. But ultimately, most of us feel the need to bring our art to the public. Sharing our creations fuels our production, and if we measure success, it usually comes in the form of monetary recognition. I'm a great fan of Brooks Jenson and his LensWork publication. I discovered LensWork back in 2006 when I picked up a copy of the magazine at a Barnes & Noble in Columbus OH. I now have a shelf devoted to the magazines and extended DVDs and these have become some of my most valuable and used reference material.

Jenson recently published a Visual Workshop DVD on "Finding and Audience for Your Work". It seems like all famous photographers have found their way into the education business, and the workshop format has been a staple of photographic education since Ansel Adams. Taking advice from other photographers on the business of photography is another story. Here we must rely on people who have achieved success in doing what we plan or want to do. Brooks Jenson is not a household name as a photographer, he is not part of any museum or corporate art collection (not that I know of) nor does he have multiple galleries representing him around the world. He is well know among fine art photographers for his LensWork publication (one of the best), but as a photographer, Jenson can be considered "one of us" (although he is a very talented photographer in his own right).

Jenson's workshop provides a comprehensive overview of the business of fine art photography and offers several ways to think about the relationship of business to art. As in all business endeavors, it all starts with your mission, or as Jenson puts it, "What juices your jets." Understanding what you want to accomplish with your art is fundamental to how you should be bringing it to market. And Jenson provides a "spectrum" of possibilities, with an exhaustive analysis of scenarios. You will either subscribe to Jenson's preference for "photography at real people prices" or not. Yes, our egos get in the way all the time. But this man who has sold over 40,000 prints has a point, and a quality of thought and accomplishment to back it up.

The high end "elite" art world is really elusive. Perhaps we should all aspire to being a part of it. Hey, this is America and anything is possible, right? But honestly, do you have what it takes to participate? Are you willing to do what you need to do? Or do you struggle just to find courage to show at the local art fair? This workshop offers some tangible advice and a roadmap for your journey. It's meaty, comprehensive, funny, and valuable. If you have any funds left over after your Adobe upgrades, treat yourself to this workshop. For an excellent preview, visit Jenson's promotion page for the product and watch the videos. You'll get an education just with those.

Andy Goldsworthy

At he suggestion of Dolf James, I've just finished watching the movie "Rivers and Tides," a documentary on the work of Andy Goldsworthy (and here), artist, scuptor, photographer, and environmentalist. It is a fascinating view of a remarkable man. Goldsworthy was the A. D. White Professor at Large at Cornell University for eight years, which peaked my interest (my Alma mater). His large environmental sculptures are made of completely natural materials and are fashioned by found objects as tools. Photography is used to record the various states of a piece, as it adapts to its surroundings, often floating down a river, washing out to sea, or melting in the sun. The ephemeral quality of the film and Goldsworthy's narrative makes this an extremely effective presentation. I enjoy hearing artists talk about their work and why they are compelled to create, especially if I can understand them. It's hard to believe that there are people who can create at this level. The link is to the 1st of a series of 9 videos snatched from the DVD. A worthwhile 90 minutes if you are into this kind of stuff.

Another great video of Goldsworthy's last lecture at Cornell:

Group shots using composites

Question: How do you get 40 dancers to pose and not blink for a group shot? Answer: You don't.

On Saturday evening Dorian had her dance recital. After weeks of practice, her tap group at the Mina Nelson Turning Point of Dance performed and gave a marvelous show. I was asked to take some photos of the dancers and knowing that the night of the performance would be too hectic, we opted for shooting during the dress rehearsal. The goal was to get group shots after each performance and then to composite them into one big poster of the entire dance company. This was inspired by an article in the May 2010 Professional Photographer magazine titled The Big Picture, where photographer Drake Busath provided instructions to composite large groups from smaller images. Why not try it out? BTW, Professional Photographer is one of the few magazines that I actually subscribe to, always has useful articles which you can get on their website for free.

We set up on the stage in a side area where we had a black background and wood floor. I taped off a small box on the floor for people to stand, and set up the camera on a tripod. I used two umbrellas on either side. As each group finished, we corralled them off to the side and took their photos. There wasn't a lot of precision in the posing, but I tried to make sure everyone stood in the marked area and never changed the zoom on the camera. It was quite a challenge getting everyone positioned as things needed to move along and people were not focused on getting their pictures taken. I also noticed that someone was playing with the overhead lights totally screwing up the ambient light situation. The fact that the lights were colored didn't help. I paid dearly for this when trying to merge backgrounds of different color and intensity.

 

I ended up compositing 13 different images for the final. Took me about 6 hours of meticulous blending. Is it perfect? No. But it was fun and the result pretty amazing. I added some text and made it into a 12x36 poster, printed at Costco. Just about everyone ordered one. Lessons for next time: 1) Control the ambient lighting, this was the most difficult part to deal with when blending the layers, 2) Use a seamless if possible, especially if you are going to include everyone's feet. I'm looking forward to trying this again on another project soon!

Smoky Mountains Spring Road Trip

  We just returned from a spring road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains NP, staying 3 nights in Cherokee and 3 in Gatlinburg (Best Western of course!). Traffic on I-95 and I-26 was surprisingly heavy, but Cherokee was still in pre-season mode. We planned to follow many of the hikes featured on the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage which is a 5 day educational program in its 60th year. Go to the site and download their program for some ideas of places to check out. We arrived one week before the program to beat the crowds, but it seems that Hiway 441 through the park is perpetually busy. There are also many road closings throughout the park including the Cades Cove Loop, Clingman's Dome, and the Roaring Fork loop. Parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway were also closed between the park and Asheville.

 We started out from Cherokee as home base. Day 1 included a morning sunrise at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. A good "warm up" shoot in that it is virtually 5 minutes from Cherokee. Don't you love it when you arrive at a site and there is no one in the parking lot? We had some fog in the field at the Mountain Farm Museum. There is also a 1.5 mile nature trail that runs along the Oconaluftee river. From here we returned to the hotel for breakfast, then a nap, then west to Bryson City to check out the Deep Creek area. There is a loop trail that takes you to 3 waterfalls. I was expecting the area to be empty but there were quite a few people there enjoying the sunny day. I was looking for clouds and overcast but bright sun and blue skies followed us for 3 days. We stopped in Bryson City for ice cream and visited with a gallery owner, Charles Heath. It's always nice to chat with the local artists. We ended the day at Mingo Falls, which is not in the park but easily accessible off of Big Cove Road near the park entrance. We saw one family there and that was it. This is probably the most impressive falls in the whole region.

   

Day 2 included our big adventure to Cataloochee, located on the east end of the park. We were up at 4:30 AM for the drive. The last 10 miles is on a one lane gravel road in the mountains. It was still pretty dark so we really didn't know what to expect. Dorian was nervous. But we made it and were greeted by a herd of elk on the main road, then a group of wild turkeys. There are several old buildings as this was a main settlement area similar to Cades Cove. We also hiked the first mile of the Caldwell Fork Trail, starting with a log bridge over the river. Now this "bridge" was literally a log, flattened on one side, spanning about 30 ft over a river. There was a rail on one side to hold onto (for your life!). With tripod and camera gear I didn't look down and just kept walking. As you reached the other side the log was getting narrower and bouncing! Ok, so I'm a wimp. We ended the day back in the park at the Mingus Mill and then to the visitor center parking lot for some shots of the redbuds and dogwood. It was dark when we finished.

  

  

Day 3 we packed up and headed to Gatlinburg. On the way we pulled off for a few shots of the Oconaluftee River from 441. The sun was still behind the mountains so the valley stays in shadow until about 9:00. We stopped at the Newfound Gap viewing area and hiked a bit on the Appalachian Trail. Only 1972 miles to Katahdin, Maine from here! The afternoon included another hike on the Chestnut Top Trail where 73 meets Little River Road to look for wildflowers. There were many people there and all very friendly, pointing out their finds. We then proceeded down to Cades Cove...and yes the loop was really closed for repaving. On the way back we stopped at another pullout to check out the river. There are numerous points to stop and we took advantage of them. I can't understand why some people need to tailgate you on a national park road, they must be in a hurry to go somewhere! Traffic is bad in the Smokys so you just have to get off the road and walk a bit. We rolled into Gatlinburg and headed towards Cherokee Orchard Road which is part of a loop that includes the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Roaring Fork was closed for repairs so we went as far as we could and rewarded with a bear sighting...wow! My camera was in the back of the car so I made a small movie with my G10 and here is my fuzzy snap. Onwards to the Best Western.

 

Day 4 started at the Cove Hardwood Nature Trail located at the Chimney Tops picnic area. We arrived at around 7:15 AM and there were a bunch of photographers there. Got some cold stares as we walked by them, guess they forgot how to say "good morning." I think some photographers are territorial and they feel like someone is infringing on their space. This compared to the wildflower hikers who were eager to share their discoveries. There was plenty of space so we just moved on. The flowers on this trail are great and the scenery and soft light very nice. It's a 1 mile loop through an old growth forest. The sun didn't poke through until around 9:00 and even then there were plenty of shady areas to keep working. This trail is highly recommended, in addition the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River also flows through the area. Lots of stuff to shoot. After our shoot we returned to Gatlinburg for a late breakfast and then a nap, then on to Laurel Falls. Some clouds began to roll in and I was happy. The trail to Laurel Falls is 1.3 miles on a paved road uphill. Definitely worth the hike. Getting to the base of the falls was a bit treacherous. The hike back was great downhill. On the drive back on Little River Road we stopped to photograph a field of blue phlox until dark.

   

Day 5 saw the results of my rain dance for the past week. The good thing about a rainy morning is that there is no sunrise, so we grabbed breakfast before we made our way to the Greenbrier entrance to the Porters Creek trailhead. From there we hiked in about a mile before it really started to rain hard. I love shooting in the drizzle but when the rain comes it gets tough. We saw a few other photographers on the trail looking for wildflowers. From here we went back into town and drove around the arts and crafts loop in Gatlinburg and it was back to the hotel for a nap. As the rain began to let up we headed back into the park on Newfound Gap Road and found that the mist and fog were settling in. The light quickly disappeared and we headed back for a nice Italian dinner.

 

We headed out the door on Day 6 and probably should have gotten an earlier start. There was nice morning light and some remnants of a nice sunrise. Back through the park one last time on Newfound Gap road, stopping at a few overlooks. By 9:00 what was left of the fog had burned off. At Newfound Gap it was quite chilly and very windy. I waited for a composition with the clouds but the light was harsh and the landscape burned out. It was on to Cherokee to fill the tank and grab some lunch for the road. From here we jumped onto the Blue Ridge Parkway south to 74, then to Waynesville where we took 276 through Pisgah National Forest then to 64 and eventually I-26 and I-95 to home. It's always a little sad to leave the mountains. The Interstate has a way of bringing you back to harsh reality.

   

Click here for my Smoky Mountains Spring gallery (everything!).

Imagination Squared

I just spent the afternoon at the studio of Dolf James, artist, designer, craftsman, and tinkerer extraordinaire, and one of the masterminds of the Imagination Squared project along with Christina Foard. Dolf was busy working on his "squares" for distribution to fellow artists. Find out more about this fascinating "creative response experiment" on their Facebook Page and website. There are over 600 5x5inch wood boxes/squares in the hands of artists throughout the area who are in the process of embellishing it with their own marks. More are being made and distributed, with no planned limit. "I'll keep making them as long as artists are asking for them!" These will be collected and integrated into a single installation - a grid of creativity. If you would like to participate, contact Dolf or Christina through their Fan Page or email at squares@imaginationsquared.com. This is a perfect example of one of the many roles artists must play in the community. To engage, excite, create, and have fun with others. I think the outcome will be more significant that anyone could have imagined. It is probably one of the first projects that is unifying all creatives in our area, bringing together many people for the sole purpose of creation. That's pretty cool!

 The process of making squares...

    

    

    

Welcome to the Hunger

Today I found this bit of wisdom on one of my favorite blogs, Hugh McLeod's Gaping Void. It's part of a new book Hugh is authoring on success called "Evil Plans." I found it particularly meaningful at this point in my life/career and thought I would share it with you.

The Hunger to do something creative. The Hunger to do something amazing. The Hunger to change the world. The Hunger to make a difference. The Hunger to enjoy one’s work. The Hunger to be able to look back and say, Yeah, cool, I did that. The Hunger to make the most of this utterly brief  blip of time Creation has given us. The Hunger to dream the good dreams. The Hunger to have amazing people in our lives. The Hunger to have the synapses continually fired up on overdrive. The Hunger to experience beauty. The Hunger to tell the truth. The Hunger to be part of something bigger than yourself. The Hunger to have good stories to tell. The Hunger to stay the course, despite of the odds. The Hunger to feel passion. The Hunger to know and express Love. The Hunger to know and express Joy. The Hunger to channel The Divine. The Hunger to actually feel alive.

The Hunger will give you everything. And it will take from you, everything. It will cost you your life, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.

But knowing this, of course, is what ultimately sets you free.

Thanks Hugh!

Exploring the Okefenokee

I've been looking for a chance to get out to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Georgia. The drizzling rain in Jacksonville and forecast for more rain looked promising for some overcast conditions so I took a chance and headed towards the West Entrance to the park near Fargo GA. It was a good 2+ hour drive out I-10 and then north on 441, connecting with 177. My last visit to the swamp was back in the early 80's and can't say I remember much except that we couldn't restart our outboard engine on the boat rental (a story for another day), so I really had no expectations about the trip.

The rain started coming down hard as I headed west as I had a sinking feeling that this was going to be a bust. Once I passed Macclenny FL the rain let up. Driving in rural FL on the back roads is an experience. I was literally in the middle of nowhere. I regrettably passed an old abandoned gas station that would have made a great shot. What is it that keeps you from stopping? There were 2 other great photo ops that I passed. Maybe we are too self-conscious of stopping the car, getting set up, and taking the shot. Or maybe we don't value our instincts. On some occasions I create excuses about how the shot would be lousy only to avoid that guilt of not stopping.  I don't know what it is but it's the courage to get the shot is something I need to work on. Stopping to shoot or being in a situation which is potentially uncomfortable to shoot makes the successful capture sweeter.

 

My first stop was at the boat launch off Suwanee River Sill. There is a nice stand of cypress trees on the far side a a canal, complete with sleeping gators. I was there for quite sometime before I saw another photographer. I then proceeded to the end of 177 where the concession facilities and boat rentals are. From the size of the parking lots I could see that this is a busy place in height of the season. Lots of campsites too. I took a guided boat tour which took us along Billy's Lake. I can see renting a small boat next time to do some exploring and to get some peace and quiet. There is something about the guided tours that completely distracts from the ambiance of the place.

What I find disheartening about visiting some National Parks is learning about the history of the areas. Our entire history seems to be fraught with stories about the displacement of Native Americans and exploitation of natural resources. The Okefenokee is no different...in 1899 the Hebard Cypress Company purchased the land from the state of GA and systematically removed 431 million board feet of cypress timber, harvesting giant magnificent trees that were hundreds of years old. It's not that they removed some trees but they literally raped the land, building a railroad to haul the trees out and leaving the area to waste after they were done. It's good that we have at least some of these lands under responsible supervision. In the name of progress, in the name of jobs, in the name of the public "good" we did (and continue to do) some terrible things.

 

After the boat tour that lasts about an hour I walked along the Trembling Earth Nature Trail which includes a 2100 ft boardwalk into a cypress grove. Then I headed out and stopped a few times on the road as the sun was setting. The mosquitoes come out as soon as the sun went down. I'm eager to visit the east side of the park. I have a feeling it is more geared to hiking and nature observation than recreation. Perhaps on the next overcast day.

Click here for my Okefenokee gallery.

Snow day in Prospect Park

On Feb 25 it snowed in NYC. I mean we got 20 inches. In nearby Brooklyn things were pretty socked-in. Cars were covered, schools closed, and no one was going anywhere. We ventured out from the apartment in Park Slope to Prospect Park where winter was in full swing. People were having a blast, sledding and skiing and just enjoying the day. It was a great time to commiserate with the trees and I took advantage of it. There are over 150 species of trees in the park so it was a big treat for me to be there in such unique conditions. My tour started at the north entrance and proceeded along West Drive, then across Long Meadow and at that point I started wandering south. The snow was very deep in places (over a foot) and I followed whatever trail I could find. The sun was peeking in and out and I just kept walking knowing that at a certain point I should hit a roadway. Well, the parks in NY are rather large and I probably didn't realize that walking a few miles in the deep snow would be quite the workout. I was carrying two camera bodies, one with my 24-70 and the other with a 70-200. Needless to say the camera bag strap (a Think Tank Urban Disguise 50) began to dig into my shoulder...ouch! Luckily I did not have my tripod to lug around. I think I ended up walking about 6 miles that day. When it started to get dark I had a little bit of panic. The snow started coming down hard and there were less and less people around. Could I actually get lost in an urban park? I saw some buildings in the distance and headed towards the lights. I popped out at 9th Street and Prospect Park West, about 15 blocks away from the apartment. At least I knew where I was now. And did I say it was getting cold? 

The trees covered in wet snow were magical to me. As the sky darkened and snow began to fall I experienced a calm peacefulness enveloping the entire area. In the middle of Brooklyn I found a sanctuary. Now I have to find my way home.

A snowy tree gallery is in the works...stay tuned.

Fairytale Fashion by Diana Eng

  Our daughter Diana has been busy at the Eyebeam Art and Technology Center working on a grant for a project called Fairytale Fashion. It is a program for young girls to explore, design, and make fashions with technology embellishments, combining craft and science into a fun experience. Diana's culmination of the grant was a fashion show in New York Wednesday night where she unveiled 9 new looks, complete with glowing wires, sound sensitive LEDs, inflatable dresses, and deployable structured hoodies. Over 300 were in attendance as the event started up at the Eyebeam Atelier in Chelsea on West 21st Street. The runway was crafted by overhead lights and the music was provided by a eclectic mellow mix by a circuit bending quartet of DJs. I was one of many photographers there capturing a very special moment for Diana at her first runway show in New York.

 

 

A lot goes into putting on a show like this, and we were in New York a day early to help out and do some behind the scenes photography. The final touches were made to the garments in a lab, with as much soldering and chip programming going on as cutting, sewing, and steaming. An interesting mix of craft and technology.

   

There was hair and makeup to coordinate, final fitting of the models, and of course program debugging on the fly. Another dimension to the usual chaos of a fashion show. For a video of the show go to the Fairytale Fashsion website and the Craftzine blog. Here is an article about the show in the June 2010 issue of The Atlantic.

Beto Perez, Zumba creator, knows how to party!

Friday was an unforgettable evening in Jacksonville at the Zumba Master Class with Beto Perez. I really didn't know what to expect, except that my good friends Johanna and Gonçalo Santinho invited us to take photos at the event. Gonçalo warned me that this guy is a rock star. The hall filled with over 350 Zumba instructors from across the region, all eager to see, learn, and experience Beto's program. The place was filled with energy and enthusiasm for 2 hours as Beto lead the dancers through a series of moves, gyrations, and fun. It's always totally exciting for me to photograph excellence in motion. Trying to capture the essence of the dance and the friendship and devotion of the instructors was a big challenge.

     

Dorian held an off camera softbox on a folded up lightstand, and I had a flash on camera. I'm sure Beto was getting tired of us having a light in his face all night! Before the event we tried to circulate around to get shots of participants. It was so obvious that this group was not only fit but ready to do some serious partying! After the workshop we took pictures of those who wanted to pose with Beto. I could tell that Beto loves his fans and what he does. The depth of his smile is genuine.

My favorite shot of the evening was after the workshop when Beto was posing with his fans. He went to the corner to change out of his shirt which was soaked from his performance. A small crowd started screaming. He put on a hoodie and began to zip it up, turned to me with a big smile, pointing to his body. I got off two shots. He laughed and I showed him on the back of the camera, "got it" I told him. I made posters of this and another image from his performance.

  

For those of you who attended and looking for your photo please contact Johanna, Christine, or Ananda at Zumba in Jax for the link.

My Fogle Artist Lecture on "The Art of Seeing"

Yesterday I presented my first "official" public lecture as an artist as part of the Fogle Artist Lecture Series at the Jacksonville River Club. I was nervous about this event and questioned whether I had anything significant to say. I wanted to give attendees some insight into what photographers look for, and to provide some inspiration for aspiring photographers to look at things differently. I started off by showing some examples of my work along with a narrative about different subjects and feelings. Then I handed out a "Great Image Checklist" inspired by George Barr's post on Luminous Landscape. We used this list to review several of my images from downtown Jacksonville. Great Image Checklist 1.   Eye catching 2.   Strong composition 3.   Relatively few picture elements 4.   No elements beyond what is required 5.   Uses light and or surface reflections effectively 6.   Contains a limited color palette which contrasts or complements 7.   Has a message 8.   Leaves you wondering, while at the same time satisfying you that the image is complete 9.   Shows the unusual, the unnoticed or interesting juxtapositions 10. Tells a story or triggers memories 11. Gives you reasons to come back to the image 12. Captures a unique moment in time 13. Has something extra magical about them

I received many compliments on the lecture from friends and fellow photographers. I think I was able to provide a good introduction to myself and provide food for thought to people wanting to improve their photography. It was fun, despite the butterflies and nervousness of public speaking. I love to talk to people about my work and hopefully help others hone their interests in photography. So many people have helped me.

I also realized the importance of getting out and meeting people, especially for artists. People want to know what you have to say, and the more they know you the better chance that they may want your art to be part of their lives. I'm thankful to Fogle Fine Art for letting me kick off the series and look forward to many more presentations in the future!

Savannah and Tybee Island

This weekend we took a small roadtrip to Savannah to see my daughter Diana present at the Telfair Museum Jepson Center.  She was part of the Pulse Art and Technology Festival, and she provided a workshop followed by a lecture on Fashion and Technology. The Jepson Center for the Arts is an incredible building by architect Moshe Safdie. It was a perfect venue for the event which hosted special exhibits, presentations, and events throughout the week.   

I love Savannah and the Southern charm it exhibits. The architecture of the historic district is genuine. The brick paved streets and landscaped squares provide an elegant setting for the many historic buildings. The city is best "digested" by foot, and this was not the trip to do anything extensive. I did drive out to the Bonaventure Cemetery hoping to find some interesting sights. It was around 10:30 in the morning and the light was just not right. I've been to large cemeteries in Montréal and NYC, and Bonaventure was a bit of a disappointment. Perhaps a foggy or overcast day would have improved conditions. I did manage to visit the gallery and studio of Bryan Stovall on Whittaker Street near the river. This is one of the few photography galleries in Savannah and has some nice work by many local artists.

 After some good family time of shopping and eating, I had one Saturday to exercise the camera. When we woke up it was raining. Given the choice of drizzle or a cloudless sky, I'll take the drizzle.  We drove downtown to put our name on the waiting list for Paula Deen's restaurant Lady and Sons for dinner. Then we headed out to the area around Chatham Square for Dorian to do some shopping. Between raindrops it was easy to find some nice architectural details.

From here we headed out on Hiway 80 to Ft. Pulaski NM and then out to Tybee Island. The rain was letting up so we thought the worst was over. Ft. Pulask is an impressive fortification. There are some nice hiking trails taking you to the surrounding marshes. After walking through the fort and watching the musket firing demo we headed out to Tybee. We followed Hiway 80 to the end then made a left to the last cul-de-sac with access to the beach. The rain started coming down hard and it was time to put the camera away. We then made our way to the Tybee Lighthouse, which charged $7 to enter. We passed on that. Across from the lighthouse are some old fortifications which also charged admission to enter. It seemed that everywhere on Tybee there was a machine for charging you to park. I guess that's how these guys stay in business. Overall the island is way too commercialized for me, lots of cheap (but expensive) hotels, condos, and houses crammed along the dunes. It was a good thing that the weather was crummy and no one was on the beach. We returned to the place where we started so that I could try to get some images of the jettys and the shore at low tide. After about 20 minutes the rain started up again and it was time to go. Right now I'm working on some minimalist landscapes so here is the result...

 

[nggallery id=14]

Dinner at Paula Deen's that night was memorable...fried chicken, catfish, pot roast, limas, black eye peas, creamed corn, collards, mac n cheese, mashed potatoes, and the BEST blue cheese dressing you can imagine (looks like cottage cheese!). And I had to drive home to Jacksonville after that.

Epson 9900 is up and running!

With some help from a friend, I finally got the inks loaded, the paper holder assembled, firmware updated, and everything hooked up. Last night my first 8.5 x 11 print came off the printer. Of course I forgot to set the color profile and paper type correctly and it looked like crap. Panic! By paying attention to what you are doing some things work themselves out. The print was awesome. Which goes to show the importance of monitor calibration and proper printer profiles in your workflow. There are lots of articles and workshops on these topics. In fact books are written on this. There IS a way to get your screen and print to match. But remember, you are viewing on screen images through a backlit monitor, you are viewing prints through front lit lighting, big difference. So in some respects, you will never get things to look "exact".

If you need some good test prints to run through your printer, go to Bill Atkinson's Download page and grab the Profile Test Image. This covers both color and B&W situations and will give you a good idea of how your printer is doing. If your monitor is properly calibrated, the image should look good right out of the box. A print with the proper paper settings and profile should give you an idea of what is off. You can also run the Grays Test Image which is a B&W gradient at different settings in the Epson Advanced B&W Mode. This will give you a good preview at various tonal ranges.

 

A cold morning at Big Talbot

I wanted to bring my visiting friend, Cliff Mair to my favorite place at the end of Blackrock Trail on Big Talbot Island. Problem was that record cold temperatures were predicted, and I am not fond of freezing my butt off at sunrise. However, a low tide at sunrise was too much to pass up so we headed out. Please remember that I lured Cliff here to Florida because of our warm winters and great clouds. The day he arrived a cold front blew in and took all the clouds away. 4 days of record cold, freezing nights, and cloudless skies. For an outdoor landscape photographer this is not fun.

After about an hour after sunrise Cliff was ready to go. I was too. It's tough to find compositions when the light isn't cooperating. Not that I didn't try. I was looking for shadows, patterns, and details, but the light was just too strong. We decided to head up to New Berlin Road to shoot the cooling towers at the JEA power plant. I've been out there before but usually on weekends. Today the security guard decided to show up. He was not happy with us pointing our long lenses on tripods at the towers. We were going for some long exposures to capture the smoke trails using a Vari-ND filter from Singh-Ray. Great technique if you can get a 10-15 second exposure. The guard asked for ID, and now I'm in the database as a suspect. If anything happens to those towers I guess I can expect a call.

Washington Oaks State Park

Washington Oaks State Park has an interesting outcropping of coquina rock along the shore which is exposed at low tide. This is one of the few places where Florida can claim a rocky coastline. I took Cliff out mid-afternoon just for some sightseeing. Another cloudless day and very cold. So what do you do when conditions aren't ideal? You can leave your camera at home. Or you can just fool around with no expectations. I decided to try out my variable neutral density filter on the waves. I'm really fond of the effect. Usually what gets created is just a mush of softness, nice but not what I would call anything significant. Which goes to say you can't just point your camera and shoot. But it's worthwhile to practice your technique, see what exposures work and what wave patterns work for you.

First shoot of 2010 - downtown Jacksonville

2010 has come quickly along with some frigid weather. As I am typically looking for excuses not to get out the door, the cold weather was not helping. On Sunday my good friend from Scotland, Clifton Mair arrived and he was excited to head downtown for some urban landscapes. I met Cliff last year at John Paul Caponigro's Next Step Workshop. I would give you a link to Cliff's exceptional work but he does not have a site...yet (did you read this Cliff?). We headed downtown to the Southbank Riverwalk and the river was calm. As the sun set we headed back across the Main Street Bridge. I was struggling with my tripod on the bridge and didn't realize that at 5:30 there is a continuous stream of traffic crossing the span vibrating everything. I saw Cliff handholding and wondered what he was doing. I should have taken his lead and tried some long exposures with the lights. Next time. That's why it is always a benefit to get out with a friend so that you can share techniques and ideas. We tend to work alone on personal stuff and that keeps you doing the same things over and over. Resolutions: hang out with your friends, learn from others, try something new.

Art for healing at the Shands Cancer Center

In September several of my images were selected by Fogle Fine Art for placement in the new Shands Cancer Center in Gainesville. Today Dorian and I visited the facility to see the installed work. We were met and escorted by Tina Mullen of the Shands Arts in Medicine program, a very progressive and innovative resource that works directly with patients using art as an integral component to healing. The building opened on Nov 1 and is a gorgeous state of the art facility with some incredible art placed throughout the public spaces and in the individual patient rooms. Over 400 pieces were selected, which included photography from employees and local artists. It was obvious that a lot of care and consideration went into the choice and placement of each piece.

    

This project increased my awareness of extensive research linking the physical environment in hospitals and places of healing to the well being of patients. It has been shown conclusively that healing is positively influenced by what you see, and that images of nature are effective in creating nurturing environments. I am proud to contribute to such an outstanding institution and knowing that my images could bring comfort and peace to those who need to be healed.

Help-portrait, giving not taking pictures

Yesterday Dorian and I took part in a global project called Help-Portrait. We made our small contribution to the work of over 3000 other photographers providing portraits to those in need. It was a humbling and joyful experience. This story was covered on CBS Nightly News and CNN.

Special thanks to Mark Landschoot, Executive Director, Family Promise of Jacksonville for all he has done to make Jacksonville a better place for all to live: http://www.familypromisejax.org/

For more about the project Help Portrait, please visit http://help-portrait.com

Thank you Christine, Bruce, Rachel, Michael, Daronya, Samera, Brandon, Darius, Booker, James, Mike, Amanda, Michael, Michael’s Grandma, Mike, Rebecca, Mathew, Lea, Hannah, Stacey, Saul, Sasha, Trinity, Makenna, for sharing your smiles with us yesterday. It was a great pleasure meeting all of you and we wish you peace and happiness throughout the holiday and beyond. Your courage and spirit is inspiring to all.

City Views at Fogle Fine Art

Work from my Jacksonville 400 project is now part of my "City Views" body of work displaying at Fogle Fine Art. It is great to see these images printed large and framed in a gallery setting. Fogle made excellent choices for the frames and I am thrilled at the results. I am curious to see the success of these images in the marketplace. So far the reaction has been very positive.

 

If you are in the area, please stop by to take a look. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday, 10a-6p and located at 3312 Beach Boulevard (in the St. Nicholas area). Here is a selection of images on display: