Beautifully Abandoned

I love the image above. For it's simple lines that suddenly collide with the wild ones provided by nature. For the contrasting light. For the texture that the aging and neglected silver wood displays. For how I regret that I couldn't see the interior, left to wonder what these abandoned walls contain. If they contain anything.
This image is from my back roads trek I made earlier this month, in search of old forgotten cemeteries... but I found myself once again drawn to images of other lifeless subjects from that same day. Just thought I'd share it with you.
I've abandoned the notion for now of even posting the actual shots I got of so many interesting country cemeteries... the subject matter I'm relishing at the moment seems to have a much stronger connection with me. I can't put my finger to it exactly, but I just recall how excited I was shooting the old abandoned house, and the forgotten and charred remains of the junkyard I shall post next.
I think part of it is that for artists, there has always been an ability to see beauty in the broken. To enhance the last mysterious moments of what has been... and the certainty that all good things end sometime.
I guess I could say I abandoned my journey, to capture the beauty in the"now".

Thanks for letting me ramble on, have a good one!

Back From The Grave

"Goodbye Goodyear"

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The image above was the result of a 7 hour photo trek of area cemeteries. Sorry, you probably just did a double take and I don't blame you in the least. But it's true. Myself and another wonderful photoger friend of mine were intent on exploring hidden back roads in search of ancient cemeteries in the middle of fields and hidden in pine tree topped knolls ... and we DID explore about 5 or six we never knew existed, full of old stones dating back to the 18oo's. In Southern Ontario, you can drive in almost any direction from a major city center for about twenty minutes and suddenly you're in the country!

What in the world does all of this have to do with the resulting image above?

Have you ever gone in search of something, and instead come back with an unexpected find that makes your day? In our search for forgotten graves, full of history, and a touch of mystery (of which I will post images in future blogs) my friend and I came across another kind of "decay". Tucked behind grassy inclines, or parked in the corner of fields close to the road looking as if they had limped over on their own to collapse one final time... were cars, trucks and old parts that on this day probably excited me far more than my photo partner, who graciously pulled over for every find and patiently explored the rusty ghosts with me on our way to our next grave discovery.

This shot was taken almost mid day, with my telephoto lens at 1/500 sec.@ F4, ISO 100. I didn't mind the harsh direct light (nary a cloud to be seen) for such a rusty, gritty subject as it seemed to suit and enhance the dismal condition of the old van parked in the dirt. And it was the first in a series of shots I couldn't wait to get home to review... and can't wait to post for your future viewing pleasure.

A special shout out and thanks to my photo buddy Kat for our fun adventures yesterday, you rock. Link to Kat's gallery to come...

Leave comments by clicking the comment option below this post :-)

Thanks for letting me ramble, have yourself a good one folks!

The Familiar Explored

"Downtown Upstairs"

I've been photographing my city for a couple years now. It provides no end of interesting subjects. And although I know I'm overly familiar with it, I always come away with fresh views caught in the lens that I hadn't anticipated.

The image above was taken the other week, and although I've longed to photograph this subject really well for such a long time, THIS time it finally seemed to work. I looked at this familiar scene, and realized that I had all the right elements... great light that day, a light rain added a grainy affect, I had my tripod (which I normally won't take downtown since it screams "lone woman wandering the streets with expensive equipment") which allowed me to tighten and straighten a better crop than handheld, and good position. Whew. Needless to say, I was excited to convert this image to B&W and see how gritty and truthful an image it was.

I have mentioned I'm beginning to wander back through some of the masters or pillars of photography... right now I have been really looking hard at the work of Berenice Abbott, an American photographer. Her work largely takes place in the 30's and 40's.... but such work!!! Her images of New York city on the cusp of exploding development and city growth, the first skyscrapers and bridges being built, the population growing almost overnight... incredible! And I was taken with a quote at the beginning of a book on her work called "Berenice Abbott, American Photographer" by Hank O'Neil, that says this about

her work;

"Berenice Abbott is a photographer who is exceptional in her determined avoidance of subjects whose inherent interest - their unfamiliarity, their bizarre nature, their startling juxtapositions, their exceptional beauty- would arrest the observer's attention even without the benefit of isolation and emphasis a good photographer can supply. An artist whose eye is the super-eye of the camera."

When you view her work this is very evident. "Images unmodified by tricky exposures, eccentric and overused angle shots, removed from any clever device."

The image posted above was inspired by reading about and studying Ms. Abbott's work....

and it motivated me to spend the day exploring my own city as she had, documenting much of it just the way it is, exploring the familiar.

What part of your passion do you need to re-explore today?

Thanks for letting me ramble,

have a good one folks!

Staying True

"Roots in Raking Light"

When I first began really putting my roots down in the photographic community, I was so green it wasn't funny. In fact, in a lot of areas I'm still pretty green... but I'm okay with that. Everything will come in good time. I started out being certain of three things though.

1) That composition was my strong suit. I had come from a background in fine art, and elements of design had been ingrained in me at a very early age.

2) That I loved the classics. B&W photography to this day moves me in ways that color, digital composites, and manipulated abstracts never will. Not that I don't admire many photographers that can blow me away with their Photoshop skills, and not that I don't shoot in color (cause I do, obviously).... it's just not the same for me as a dynamic B&W.

3) That I couldn't wait to show the world what my world looked like through the lens.

Over the last while though, I think I had come across and connected with so many different photographers, and styles, and opinions.... that it was being reflected in my work. And I began to realise that the only influence that wasn't found in any of my resulting images was me! Yes, learning, growing, and expanding skills are all great. But I was forgetting what MY photography looked like. And that no matter what, there are always going to be well meaning artists that would want me to keep tweaking every photo... just a little more.... and a little more...and...

The above photo may not be perfect (don't look too close eh, just trust me. It's not, lol) but from all my images in the past two months, it most accurately reflects THIS photographer. I almost didn't post it. Which is wrong, cause I love it. And you may not agree with all of it's qualities but I'm down with that. That's why I love photography in the first place!

Over the next while you'll see me referencing some of the greatest photographers of history, mainly because it's important to recognize who's images and styles you relate to... not just the latest editing trend (and some of them are SO cool... but again, they aren't quite for me). These will be people who left their mark, their style is very unique to them. Influences, and inspiration are great I think as long as it emphasizes who you already are! So hey, if digital darkroom is totally your thing, then go for it. If you only enjoy shooting with your iPhone, then do it! If you love, love, love film and refuse to switch over to digital, then that's who you are! And for the most part, stay true to it. Show everybody who you are.

Thanks for letting me ramble!

Have a good one!

Adventures in Cake

Experiences, good or bad always teach you something. What you take from the lesson is always up to you. Thought I'd ramble on about a recent adventure in photography that had both it's good moments, and bad, and a few of the resulting images!

I was commissioned recently to photograph these beautiful wedding cakes, and was very excited. This kind of request looks great on one's resume, and helps you connect with more local businesses. The session went well, but unfortunately had to take place in the bridal show venue the company was participating in (the only time so many freshly decorated cakes are all on display together,understandably) and this was less than ideal, as I was soon to discover, lol!

Word to the wise, in situations like this, insist on being able to shoot them either before the show opens, or within a more controlled environment. Shooting during the show meant I couldn't control the lighting (there was a booth across from the cakes who's lighting kept flashing and changing, reflecting off the cakes and messing up my metering), and that I had to time my shots quickly while there were lulls in the crowds. My tripod was getting in the way, as was my assistant with the giant reflector which I was hoping would help me bounce some added light. I also had to shoot within the display, not able to position each cake ideally.

It certainly was a challenge I wasn't as prepared for as I thought. And it was a lesson well learned. I now know what I would push for when setting up an opportunity like this, as well as gear I would need for in the future in situations like this. An off camera flash unit comes to mind, lol.

This was still a very rewarding experience, don't get me wrong, and a very valuable one. And I'd be interested in hearing if any of you have had similar experiences where you realized a job or shoot was going to be more difficult than originally thought.

I thank Grace, The Artist of Cake for allowing me to expand my portfolio and trusting me to capture the beauty so evident in her work. You can find her at

http://www.gracescakes.com/

Thanks for letting me ramble on, have a good one folks!