Art ??

There is a respected center for photographic art in Seattle.  They offer classes, workshops, seminars and exhibitions in their facilities.  I have seen some "Game changing" exhibitions there.  Last night 4 faculty members lectured and displayed selected images (projected).  In a nutshell I shoulda stayed home.

It's probably just me.  I figure a person is a curmudgeon about the time they enjoy being called one...couple years ago for me....but.  I gotta ask:  Does art have a definition?  Does this definition have anything at all to do with real people and real situations?  Is art about pretentious nonsense about sleeping on materials to get a feel for them and give them a feel for you?  Are these people really drawing a salary for this?  Huh?

It started off well.  The first speaker works with pinhole cameras.  His few displayed images gave me an idea or two for iPhoneography.  Then he spent way too long displaying dark brooding pencil drawings an architect made in the 1920's accompanied by his reading of the architects brooding and meaningless journal.  That the architect was influenced by Kafka was obvious but so the hell what?

Another speaker went on and on about incomprehensible dream sequences she had as a child.  The final speaker showed several images of people.  First it was all legs and feet because  "didn't want to get into that whole thing about am I pretty enough or am I too old."  Then when she did show images of peoples faces she admitted she only photographed friends as photographing strangers was too emotionally charged for her.

At that point to quite the philosopher Popeye..."I've had all I can stands.  I can't stands no more!" and I was outa there.

C'mon folks.  Pull up your socks, get an iPhone or something, get out there and take some goddamn pictures!

I knew it felt slicker somehow

Or perhaps I new?

I mentioned the loose button on my shirt to the cleaner.  For a couple bucks I got the shirt laundered, the button re sewn and this wonderful tag.  A bargain!

Sunday Meandering B

Cold and hungry I passed a pizza joint and as I glanced in a very pretty young woman looked up from her book and smiled at me.  At that instant I knew pizza was the answer.  After I ordered and sat I noticed the woman's red boots and "stole" two quick iPhone images.  She was deeply engrossed in a medical text of some sort so I didn't bother her.

As soon as I downloaded the files into Aperture I knew that there was a great print there.  If I can only get it created.

I put these 2 images together with PROHDR and processed that image first in Photofx and then in PhotoStudio.In the first App I added diffusion, blur and very large grain (with a mask over the girl) and the other gave me desaturation, vignetting and a frame.  Now I have this image:

I'm getting closer but still not there.  The first few manipulations I saw going in to the process, now I'm flailing about a bit.  Perhaps a warmer overall tone to give a sunlight feeling.  The grain effect is a bit too large for my tastes so i will need to rethink that.  It's also possible I suppose that I need to make a decision whether the girl or her boots are the main part of the image.

At any rate I believe that if I can figure this out it will be the best image I've ever made.

Sunday Meandering part 1

It's been an interesting handful of years for graffiti and for the graffiti artists.  The vandalism or art questions, probably never resolved but it's certainly old news now.  The Taggers who created new art, or vandalism, over the older efforts...take your pick, art or vandalism.  Along the way the colors and creativity caught the attention of numerous photographers...me too.  Now I'm not sure what it's saying, but I think I have an idea.

Consider this image:

Multi-colored graffiti painted over with large stylized fat tags in white with black outlines telling us something I'm incapable of reading.  Over the top of that we see some person or groups calling cards, 4DC, CRUKK and what appears to be a political statement of sorts...RIP FIST.  Most recently in red we have 2 peoples names???  SOMEONE & CHARLIE DAWG.  Is this the equivalent of the heart with initials carved into a tree?  Cho Lite and Charlie Dawg true love.

What I think I'm seeing here, aside from an obvious community message board, is a reminder that street art is transitory.  If the artists don't understand that then the succeeding waves of artists explain it to them with paint.  Graffiti art in all it's forms is valid for about 15 minutes.  Just about right for photographers.

Lighthouses

Maine has approximately 70 lighthouses, the majority are Downeast (North) from Portland.  On a sunny day in the fall I now estimate driving 30 miles a day is pushing it.  It's not that Maine doesn't have highways, it has one, I-95...or perhaps two if you count US Route 1.  It's that the sights are so plentiful is's difficult to not stop every few miles.  At any rate here are a few lighthouse images, 1 film and 4 iPhone.

What it means to be from Maine

A bottled water company, Poland Springs has as it's logo "What it means to be from Maine"

I'm kinda thinking though that Sunday services at a small church in the country comes a lot closer.

Liston Grant, 87

suffers from Alzheimer's.  I'm told he doesn't remember that he plays but whenever he sits in front of a piano he plays what comes to him or what people hum.

Performing a public service

Sunday afternoon, rural Maine, shortly after attending services in a small country church I was attracted to this structure.  I liked the addition made to the original barn and the red roof was great.  I tried to get an award winning image but got these instead.  The story however is that I was driving a rental car with NY plates and a couple a two tree farm vehicles went bye while I was standing there...just starting to drizzle.  It dawned on me that I gave the locals who passed something to share at the grocery store, restaurant, gas station...

"I was drivin' down the Fullah (fuller) road t'other day and there's this fella from New Yawk standin' in a doryud in the rain, mud up to his ankles,  takin' a pictah of HOSS MANUAH."

(doryud is Maine speak for door yard which is Maine speak for driveway)

At any rate I am delighted to give back to the community any way that I can.