Joe's Pickup Revisited in Black and White

I think I will put this photograph on paper. I think it will look really good on Platine.

Well, I could work it a bit.

If you were to look at the histogram you would cringe. That said, I still was able to tweak it a bit.

Why I Strongly Urge Aspiring Photographers to Shoot Raw

Flat Top Mountain, Wyoming 2002

I came across this image today while I was cleaning out hard drives. I shot this image with my old Sony DSC85. It was a great camera, and could not shoot raw, but could write in the tiff format. I was on the cheap, and did not have enough memory, so I shot in medium resolution jpg. Now I want to work the image, but there is nothing I can do. Oh, I guess I could go back there.

Bikini Goddess Revised

This is the full-frame photograph, but developed as a black and white. I would appreciate feedback on which of the three work best in your opinion.

Bikini Goddess

The Original Interpretation

Bikini Goddess on a Brick Wall

This is an image that I took earlier this year. The color photo is where I left off on my processing at the time. I have since learned more about processing digital black and white. I think my digital darkroom skills have finally caught up with my "wet lab" skills. This image looks even better on paper.

Feedback is always appreciated.

One More From This Morning

Sunrise on the Marsh

Foggy Sunrise at the Arcata Marsh

A Very Simple Composition

I took this photograph this morning. This was taken about ten minutes before sunrise. When I left the house  this morning I was expecting clear skies - duh! The good news is that it only took me about a minute to adjust to the conditions, and soon I embraced the subdued qualities of light. I am trying to decide if I should print this one.

Joe's Ford Pickup

Joe's Ford Pick-Up At The Arcata Marsh This Past January

I keep coming back to this image. I worked on it numerous times, and have never felt that I got the feeling that I was looking for. I think at last that I have what I visualized when I saw this truck. It turns out that the truck's owner was on the other side of the pond watching me with his super telephoto lens as I photograph his truck. So this is for you Joe!

Thanksgiving With the Grandkids

Kevin Bethune

John Bethune

I think these are a couple of pretty good portraits. Of course these guys make it look easy.

The Value of Fine Art in One's Life

A  Study in Black and White, by Daniel Bethune

Yesterday, I took down the little show that Dan and I had at the RAA Gallery. The painting above is now hanging in my living room. This painting shows so much better on our wall than it did in the gallery. I am sure that the lighting I have here helps in the viewing of the work.

When I think of art, I usually think of my own photography. I mostly consider the individual pieces as they relate within a body of work. My vision is often one that incorporates the overall look or the theme of a body of work. What I see now, is that a single work of art - this painting - stands very well on it own. I do not intend to take away from the artistic value of my photography, but there is nothing more visually stunning to me as a nice painting like this one.

Spirit Tree Series Revisited

Spirit Tree Series Number Ten, November 2011

Spirit Tree Series Number Five, 2009.

I recently had an opportunity to revisit this image in Lightroom. I was considering making another print. The problem I faced was that when I first worked and printed this image it was with Photoshop Elements. I have not used that program for almost three years. I imported it into Lightroom, and could not resist working on it further. What I found was that my skills in the digital darkroom had greatly improved. Fortunately, I shot all of this series in raw, and was able to start all over again. I am very pleased in the new interpretation of this image. This tree now reveals the essence and the glow that attracted my eye over the years that I traveled through Prairie Creek State Park.

Older Photos Revisited

Prairie Creek, The Prairie

This one is from 2009. Back then I printed it full-frame. I like this crop, and I think it more closely resembles my original intention.