MARSH MAGIC

Last night at the Arcata Marsh

I am very inspired. The beauty that is Humboldt runs very deep. The visual opportunities reveal themselves to those willing to take a look. I studied some of Humboldt's visual hot spots many times, and I almost always find something of visual interest that I missed on earlier visits. I think that hard  work pays dividends in more than one way. Hard work pays because the artist's skills may become much better. Working also may contribute to a stronger vision - a vision that sees things that the casual eye may not appreciate. That is why I assert that the visual feast has many courses. I think many of us are just at the hors d'oeuvre table.

PREPAIRING FOR THE HUMBOLDT PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION

The Final Edition of The Kiss of Innocence, John and Laurin Bethune

I posted this photograph on this blog once before, but I am compelled to share it again. I was talking with my mother this morning, and she encouraged me to exhibit some of the portraits that I took of my grand-kids. I decided that I should be a good Tommy, and do as mom says.

I worked more on the digital negative again today. I attempted several different crops, but kept coming back to the full frame. When I cropped out the background on the left edge the entire feeling of the image changed to more of a portrait. I think the added depth gives this image a sense of place, and the background enhances the notion of innocence.  The image becomes more of an expression of innocent feelings than a study of their faces.

My ability to interpret is stronger and clearer today than it was a year ago. It is good that I have left it alone until now. I really value the "aging process" for images.

THE CARSON BLOCK BUILDING, OLD TOWN EUREKA

I CANNOT DECIDE IF THIS SHOULD BE CROPPED SQUARE OR LEFT AS A RECTANGULAR IMAGE

HERE IT IS CROPPED AS A RECTANGLE

 

 

I normally do not photograph buildings during business hours, but I had some unexpected time the other day, and I decided to take advantage of the fact that I was all ready there. I cannot judge for my self if this photograph works as a piece of art, but I can say that it is well lit, and that the quality of the lighting is worth capturing. I like all the sky in the top image, and I like seeing the grey building on the left side of the second composition.

I used the Canon 5dmII with the Canon TS 17mm lens. I don't recall doing a whole lot of processing, and at this point would not consider either as being finished and ready to print.

NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT

READY

SET

GO

AWAY

...FOR WHICH WE ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE.

I took this series of photographs this morning. A friend lent me a Canon 100-400L series lens, and so I gave it a try. I took this series this morning shortly after sunrise. I blew a bunch of photographs, and came away with the knowledge that to be a good wildlife photographer I would need to practice a lot.  I did silly thing like have too low of an ISO and the resulting shutter speed of 1/50 sec. I had lots of blurry photographs to discard. Eventually I caught on and shot at ISO 800, and as it became brighter I could use shutter speeds of 1/1000 sec.

There were several things I really liked about using the lens. The first is that it allowed me to take some fairly remarkable (to me) close up shots of some thistles and other plant life. The other thing I liked was the joy of tracking birds, and getting some pretty good shots.

The main lesson for me is that I am not drawn to wildlife photography, nor do I yen to photograph sports. If I did either or just one of those then I would acquire one of these lenses ASAP. I did do some hand-held photography with this lens, and once I figured out that I should set the ISO to 800, I was able to do get a few keepers. I did find that my 5dmII is not the best camera for fast action shots. I think a 7d would excel at that enterprise.

The gull in these photographs had a shellfish in its beak. It hovered above the trail, and dropped it so that it would crack open. The bird than dropped down and had its meal. It was kind of cool to be right there with the right lens to capture the action.

ARTS ALIVE TONIGHT!

My Exhibit at the C Street Hallway Gallery

I encourage folks to get out for Arts Alive tonight. All are welcome to come by the gallery. I will be there from about six until about nine tonight. Aside from Dan's paintings and my photographs, there are numerous other artists works on display.

I do intend to sneak out and take in some other shows. For sure I will be at the RAA gallery at the corner of Sixth and F Streets from five until about six. I really like the Curtis Otto show at the Morris Graves Museum of Art - it is worth seeing before it comes down.

NEW SHOW AT THE C STREET HALL GALLERY

STUPA, LIKIR, LADAKH 2008

I will be on hand for Arts Alive tomorrow, Saturday, February 4th at the C Street Hall Gallery in Eureka. The gallery is located on C Street between 2nd and 3rd Streets. It is a fun place to visit. The building is the home of the studios of numerous artists. Many of them will be on hand as they host their open studios. The show includes photographs of Ladakh, some landscapes, and images of Eureka and Arcata. There is also an exhibit of my brother Daniel Bethune's paintings of trees and landscapes in one section of the hall.

I also will be at the RAA Gallery at 603 F Street, from five until six tomorrow evening for an opening reception for the New Year's Exhibit. I have a couple of photographs in the exhibit.

IT IS ALL ABOUT CREATING AN INTERPRETATION

This is a photograph that I have been working on for a couple of weeks. See how it has changed over the past couple of days by looking at my earlier posting of this one.

I think that I am about ready to call this photograph finished. It is an interpretation of the original image, and is the result of lots of work. I recall when I took it that the mood of the scene was one of a misty and mysterious morning. It had a feeling that a writer could describe in several paragraphs, but one that I felt needed few if any words. That is why I worked on it so much - I had to convey what I felt. This image on paper does so. On the computer monitor it only gives an abridged sampling of the mood.

GANESHA

Ganesha, or The Elephant Tree, 2011

I am finding that the essence of my work incorporates the notion that I must work, work, and work some more on almost all of my images. I think that my workflow is similar to that of painters. When I photograph I have a general idea of the  type of image that I am seeking to capture with my camera. Sometimes I have a very clear notion of what I am seeking, and other times I have more of a general idea. Either way, I still must incorporate my technical knowledge and skills so that I may capture an image that is close to what I see or visualize.

In post production work on the computer, I do my initial work and screening. Usually I need to sit with an image for awhile. I often work some more on the image, and leave and return to it several times before I feel that I actually have what I am seeking. This is where the aspects of interpretation continue the strongest. It is here that I decide how I feel the mood of the piece needs to reveal itself. It is in post production that I can decide to create a black and white or monochromatic interpretation, and it is here where I feel that art meets craft.

I think that many of my images emit their own sense of presence. I think that they become an interpretation that is not so easily defined, and that they convey a sense of mystery. I will say that not every one of my images do that, but more and more I am finding that if I step aside, and allow the image to reveal itself that something else does indeed happen.

Jubilación

Misty Morning Magic, Arcata 2011

Today marks the fourth anniversary of my retirement (jubilación). For the past several days I pondered the ramifications of my retirement. I am sharing some of my thoughts and insights on the subject here. 

It is almost impossible to anticipate what retirement will feel like until one lives in that state for awhile. I started my first year out by taking a trip to South Korea and to Ladakh. I wanted to visit both places for different reasons, and my experiences confirmed that reasoning. I followed that trip up with a visit to the east coast and to a family reunion. Since then my travels have been more localized. 


The reason I bring this up at all is that I discovered that it took me awhile to actually "find my groove" in establishing my lifestyle. It took me a couple of years, and several "dry holes" before my exploration into a life style fully manifested itself to me. I now know that my lifestyle is that of the Fine Art Photographer. What is significant is that I now have a definition of myself that I never was able to acquire prior to retirement. 

I wanted for years to become what I now am. I did not have the resolve nor the means to accomplish that until recently. I had other obligations that I rightly felt compelled to fulfill. I knew for years that I likely would need to wait until these "senior" years to make my run at fulfilling my calling.


So now I find that I am the most content that I have ever been. I am content with my lifestyle, but mostly I am content with the fact that I am actualizing my talents. I spent most of my life practicing the various aspects of living. I practiced being a husband, father, employee, friend, and etc. I practiced being a photographer, videographer, brewer, model railroader, gardener and may other avocations. I tried enough of those things to realize that I had one primary talent, and that I could only focus on the one if I were to have a chance of becoming the very best at something. I chose photography.


I sometimes rue the fact that I could have stayed on my job, and that I would be much more fiscally secure than I am now. I took a calculated risk that I would find a lifestyle that offered up the maximum fulfillment possible. I realize that living a "typical" retiree's lifestyle was not something that I would miss. I do not need to go on cruises, nor do I need to take expensive trips. I just need to avail myself the freedom to practice my art. I all ready live in an area that is overflowing with artistic possibilities, and all I have to do is step out the door to be engulfed with opportunity.

WORK, AND WORK

DANCING TREES OF THE NIGHT, STONE LAGOON, 2010

I think it is one thing to have some talent, and it is another thing when it comes to using that talent. I think of the Olympic athletes, and how they almost always express that their success comes from hard work. Their coaches play a vital role along with their talents, but it seems to me that without hard work, their success would be lessened.

I showed an earlier version of this image at the Redwood Camera Club's regular meeting last week. That image had some issues in that it was blurry in the trees branches. I think the blurriness came about due to the fact that this image was shot in nearly dark conditions at ISO 12,800 and was hand-held.

Hal Work, a club member and Photoshop expert, offered to show me how the blurriness could be corrected in Photoshop. We worked together on the digital negative yesterday, and Hal was able to make some changes that I think really helped the image.

I think what I am attempting to share here is that for one to succeed in photography today that the photographer needs to constantly work on understanding more and more about all the aspects of photography. I feel too, that the photographer needs to work at it constantly.

That is how I am treating my photography. I attend meetings, I share knowledge with others, I watch how-to videos, and I spend lots of time applying what I see and hear.

My thanks goes out to Hal Work, and to me for all the fine work.

DANCING TREES OF THE NIGHT BEFORE MASKING AND SELECTIVE NOISE REDUCTIONS

ALL THINGS ARE TRANSITORY. PERMENANCE IS AN ILLUSION

2008 - THUPTEN AND LHAMO'S HOME IN LADAKH PRIOR TO THE FLOOD

THE VIEW FROM THE ROOFTOP

LHAMO'S KITCHEN

Once upon a recent time (2008) I was gifted with the experience of a lifetime. I spent three weeks with these folks. I was an honored guest in their home. I was treated as family, and I came to love them dearly. I posted before about how they lost everything but their lives to a flood in 2010.

I am again offering some prints of Ladakh for sale as a fund raiser for their new home. I will give Thupten the proceeds from the sales of my Ladakh Meditation series of prints. I am including a link click here to a post I made in 2010 about their tragic loss. 

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.