RAINY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN, AND THE DANSE MACABRE

A DIFFERENT LOOK AT THE LLOYD BUILDING

In my effort to post something daily, I present another look at one of my favorite walls. It was the shadows of the trees on this beautiful canvas that first drew my eye. It does not take a lot of imagination to see a cast of shadow figures performing the Danse Macabre.

RUDY'S KNOB

I don't recall sharing this photograph here. I took this several years ago. I printed it, and was happy with the results. I just now reworked it, and I think I improved on it considerably. The main thing I changed was that I cropped it enough to bring the "Rudy's Knob Lane" sign into the right-hand edge. 

I like this business of allowing images to age a bit, and then taking a new look at them. Not all of my imagery is print worthy, but I am finding that I can rely on my initial vision of a subject. Because I trust that initial vision, I can go back with my better developed skills in post production processing to create a new interpretation of the subject. It turns out that most of the time when I do this that I see some improvement, and a validation of my original vision. When I am photographing, I can as often as not, rely on that initial sighting of the subject to often be spot on.

Ladakh Meditation, A New Look

Orange Door, Chemray Gompa, Ladakh, 2008

I have not spent much time on this blog regarding my adventures in Ladakh, nor have I given an update on how Thupten and his family are doing after the flood. I intend to bring regular updates here on this site starting today.

Thupten, Tenzin Angmo, Lhamo, and Me in Ladakh, 2008

These three people are my adopted family. Lisa and I have supported Tenzin's education from grade one. I was fortunate enough to spend three weeks with them in their home in the Himalayan mountains in the summer of 2008.

In 2010 a devastating flood washed through their lovely mud-brick home, and washed away everything they owned. The flood waters almost claimed their lives. Dozens of their neighbors were washed away, and buried under the massive wall of boulders and mud.

I will, over the course of time, relate the story of my trip there, but for now I just want to share some of the images that I created while I was there. I will again offer some of these for sale as a fund raising enterprise to help them with the building of their new home. Please see my postings from 2010 about the flood at: http://thomasbethune.blogspot.com/2010/08/print-sale-for-ladakh-releif.html

 I am reworking some of the photographs from my Ladakh series. The photograph at the top of this posting is an example of the work that I did at the many gompas (monasteries) that I visited with Thupten. Many of the photographs I took were of doorways. I suppose there is some symbolism about entering into sacred space, and the passage to Spirit, and I will allow the viewer to interpret what ever they sense.

The Site Of Thupten's Washed Away Home, 2010

Another Long Term Project

Sacred Snags Number One

This image is of a snag that I have photographed since the mid eighties. It is in the Arcata Community Forest, and not far from our property. I first worked with it, and other nearby snags, with my old 4"x5" Korona view camera. One day I intend to scan some of those negatives, and present them here and likely on a gallery wall.

This particular shot was made with the Canon 17mm Tilt/Shift lens on my Canon 5dMII. I used a portable light to paint the snag while the shutter was open. I feel that I am close to getting the image that I am seeking, but there are a couple more things I want to try before I call it a wrap. I am always working on methods that will allow me to photograph in the forest during daylight. The problem I always confront is the contrasting light levels between the trees and the sky. I suppose that I should incorporate some HDR methods.

This particular snag is now only about one-half the mass that it was back in the eighties. When the city logged this area in 2010 the contractor knocked quite a bit of this snag down.

The Pink Lady

The Pink Lady, Eureka 2011

The Pink Lady, Eureka 2011

I printed the color version of this photo to enter in the upcoming Redwood Art Association exhibit. I printed the color image on matte paper, and it has a very nice look. When/if I print the black and white image I will use a glossier paper.

The Lloyd Building, Eureka

The Lloyd Building, Eureka, 2011

I took this photograph last April. This was at least the second time that I worked on getting "the shot" of this building. The first time I worked on it there were cars in the lot. This time I went early on a Sunday morning, and had the lot free for hours. The lighting was actually brighter than this shot depicts, but I decided this exposure more closely matches the mood of the place.

The shots that I took several months prior to this show that the attempts at painting the wall are slowly progressing. I suppose that I should go back soon to determine what other changes have occurred. I will miss the sign, but perhaps there is a mural in the works.

Photo Of The Day

A Lovely Residential Building on the Corner of Fourth and E Streets, Eureka

I shot this with the Canon 17mm TS lens, using the rise function.

Dancing Fairy Trees, Another Perspective

Here is another interpretation of this image.

I printed this last night and it looks very nice on paper.

Dancing Fairy Trees

SPIRIT TREE SERIES, DANCING FAIRIES

I took this image a year ago. I sat with it for all these months, but I did not know what to do with it. It was very challenging to take. I was hand-holding the camera. It was after sunset, and I had to set the ISO to 12,800. Whenever I looked at the raw file, I would remember the magic of that evening at Stone Lagoon, but I could not get a grip on how to make a print that would convey what I felt at that time. 

Well, I figured it out this afternoon. I am very pleased with how it looks on the screen, and fairly happy with the print I just made. I printed it 9.5"x 15", and it does show the noise, but it does have a nice look. I will put it under glass and in a frame tomorrow, and I bet it will look stunning.

I also worked the image in black and white, and may print it tomorrow. I think it is a toss up as to which is the most successful image at conveying something I have been trying to say with a camera for over twenty years. Yea!

Korbel Bridge 2006

The Same Bridge Taken in 2006

Korbel Bridge

The Bridge at Korbel

I think this bridge spans what is called the north fork of the Mad River at the former Simpson Timber plant at Korbel. There are many more shots of this structure to be made. If I can locate it I  will post a couple that I took back in 2006 with the Sony R1.

High Five

High Five, Lisa's Garden

I took this a little while ago in the flower bed. I photographed the hand several years ago, but I found that it was beneficial to work on new ideas around this image. I think it works in black and white.