BREAKING THE "HORIZON AT THE MIDDLE" OF THE PHOTOGRAPH RULES

Mad River Slough at Ma-le'l Dunes Area

There was a lot of discussion at today's camera club meeting about how it is generally unacceptable to have the horizon line of an image at the center of the composition. This image pretty well is flying in the face of that rule, and  I think I can get away with it.

I suppose that most rules of composition are there for valid reasons, but I assert that once an artist understands those rules, that they have a license to explore variants on the rule. I think because the foreground elements of this image lead the eye toward the horizon that the horizon becomes the subject. I think too, that in this image the subject is made up of elements of the brown fields, the water, the hills, and the sky. I think all of these elements make for a strong composition.

A DETAIL OF THE STEAM DONKEY AT SCOTIA

PART OF THE STEAM DONKEY AT SCOTIA

I took this photograph while I was photographing PL Number 8 at Scotia in November. I did not tone this image. I have been giving my black and white prints a slight toning, and I mostly like it. However, a lot can be said for straight black and white.

LADAKH MEDITATION SERIES

THE BUDDHA'S FEET, THIKSEY GOMPA, LADAKH, 2008

This is another image that I took while I was staying at Thiksey Monastery in Ladakh. The time that I stayed there became a meditation. It did not matter if I was walking about, sitting in a temple or gazing at the scenic Himalayan mountains, I was always in a state of prayerful receptivity. I was on my own as Thupten was at his home, and I was pretty much the only English speaking non-resident on the grounds. Therefore, there were few distractions. I was just there.

I became aware of everything. My senses were keen, and my peace, joy, gratitude and composure were all as one aspect of my consciousness.

HOWDY!!

CALUMET SAYS HOWDY, Las Vegas, New Mexico, 2010

I just really like this photograph. I spent some time on it this morning, tightning the compostition, and adjusting the contrast. I printed this one a year or so back on the matte paper. I am considering printing this again on the wonderful semi-gloss paper I have been using lately.

Many of the  works I have been sharing here are ones that I intend to show at the C Street Hall Gallery. The exhibit opens for Arts Alive on February 4th. I will include images of Ladakh as well as some of my more recent works. I am reprinting many of the Ladakh Meditation series, and I am very pleased with the outcome. The photograph that I posted two days ago looks downright stunning on the new paper.

TENZIN ANGMO AND HER GRANDMOTHER

Tenzin Angmo and Her Grandmother in Thiksey, Ladakh, 2008

This photograph was one that I took after spending some time in grandma's house. Tenzin was wearing her favorite hat. The hat came from Arcata, and she wore it everywhere.

I spoke with her father, Thupten, today. Tenzin received the jacket and boots that we sent to her. Thupten said that there is much snow this year in Ladakh. That is good because the glaciers have been shrinking at a very alarming rate. Almost all the water in Ladakh comes from glacier melt, and once they are gone...

DOOR, THIKSEY MONESTARY, LADAKH

THE DOOR TO ONE OF THE TEMPLES AT THIKSEY MONASTERY, LADAKH 2008 

One of the recurring themes I worked on while I was in Ladakh were of doorways. I was especially drawn to the Kata Shawls that were on many,  but not this particular door. I just now reprinted this image. The original was printed in 2008. Back then I was using Photoshop Elements. At the time, my digital darkroom skills were in their early development stages. The differences between the two prints are subtle, but as I recently read, "every element of a photograph matters (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/understanding-series/everything_matters__it_is_all_about_the_small_details.shtml)". I like the new interpretation much better.

TATA

TATA is a brand name for vehicles made in India.

I took this photograph on July 12, 2008 while en-route to Alchi Monastery. I think that many of the trucks that I saw in Ladakh are marvelous examples of pride and celebration.

MISTER FROG ON THE WINDOW

This little guy was clinging to the glass on our front door last night. The light came from the porch light off to the side. This little guy was a nice visitor on a rainy evening.

THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS AS THEY SEEM

SAINT BERNARD CHURCH, EUREKA 2011

This photograph is one wherein I put a lot of time. I took the image on a Sunday evening last September. The facing walls were bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. I thought that the clouds were noteworthy. The camera produced jpg shows much more yellow, and for this image I decided to show something closer to the actual color of the walls.

This photograph was an exercise in many aspects of photography. By using my 17mm TS lens on my 5dmII, I was able to stand directly across the street from the church. This freed me from having to deal with other elements that would have been in the foreground.

SAINT BERNARD CHURCH FROM THE PARKING LOT ACROSS THE STREET, 2011

I think this photograph is visually more interesting than the first one. This was taken with my 24-105mm lens set at 28mm. I think conveys a more even sense of the structure and its environment. The colors are closer to what I felt in that golden evening light. By-the-way, this was the first photograph that I took of the church that day.

I spent a lot of time cloning out the power lines in the first photograph - literally hours! I really like both images, and it may be awhile before I chose one over the other. The point is that I am able to make either. If you get a chance, go by the church and see what a challenging photograph the first one was to make. I'm not bragging here - just sharing my process. I know that it is vital for any artist to master their craft. One may have lots of raw talent, but in my experience I realize that one must apply one's self to learning how to use their tools.

A TRIBUTE TO MY EARLIER DAYS

A SOUTHERN PACIFIC TRAIN SOMEWHERE AROUND CHICO C. 1985 PRINTED AS A BLACK AND WHITE AND THEN COLORED WITH PHOTO OILS AND COLORED PENCILS

I just read the news that Kodak filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. That news is an additional reminder of my history. It further establishes the fact that as time marches on change is inevitable. It also creates in me, a reference point in my timeline of life's events. I have seen many changes in this lifetime, and I hope I will see many more.

The photograph above is one I took in the mid eighties while I was on a photographic outing. It was likely taken on Kodak T Max film, developed in either D-76 or T Max developer, fixed with Kodak Rapid Fixer, and the print was developed in Kodak Dektol paper developer.

I was not a Kodak loyalist. When I first started dark room work, I almost exclusively used their products in everything from black and white film to color slide film and chemistry. It did not take me long to reject Kodak's black and white papers (with the exception of their "G" surface papers which I used for hand-coloring photographs - like the one above).

My point is that many things have changed during the course of my life. The Southern Pacific Transportation Company is long gone.

This photograph is important to me in that it represents several important parts of my life. My life is valuable to me, but like the Southern Pacific, there will come a day when The Thomas Bethune no longer runs. I suppose, in all honesty, that I still wish to leave a mark and some forms of reference that will remind others that Thomas Bethune was here, and that his life was of some value.

I occasionally return to Bakersfield to visit family. While we are there, I always make several pilgrimages to the shrines of my youth: The site of the Southern Pacific's yard in East Bakersfield; The house I grew up in; the house I owned as a young husband and father; Caliente; The Tehachapi Loop; Tehachapi; Summit and Mojave; EBHS; Mt. Breckenridge; the foothills. All these places are parts of what helped form me as a man, and all of these places have and are changing.

I accept that change is inevitable. I fully get, understand, and embrace that fact. I am not living in the past when I reflect on the past with my blog ramblings. I do draw strength, pride and gratitude for the events that took place in/at the above-mentioned places. I know that who I am is a result of the lessons learned at these and many other places and times.

I hope that the images that I create as an artist carry with them my connections to The Southern Pacific and Kodak. I trust that aspects of Tom as the father, husband, son, grandson, railroader, soldier, photographer, and so on carry through in my expression as an artist.

The above photograph does clearly convey my love of trains and of photography. I think that other not so obvious photographs do so as well without the subject matter being a train.

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.