"Emmanuel"...

"Emmanuel"

Much like one of the most wonderful pieces of music I've ever heard...for me this image triggers a full range of complex emotions. Hope, anticipation, abandonment, solitude and intimacy.

It is unclear if these chairs are abandoned for the season or if in just a few minutes two people be sitting here sharing a special moment together.

Like much in life each of us will see something different here and interpret this within the context of our own emotions and feelings.

CHRIS BOTTI IN BOSTON | "Emmanuel" w/ Lucia Micarelli | PBS
https://youtu.be/m8NN4fpdm40

"Abandoned Buildings 3" - Autoware, Canaan NH

This is the third in a series of images of various abandoned buildings and structures located in the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire.

Time and the original owners seem to have forgotten most of these places... but I'm sure they all have a story to tell.

In the case of this building I know a little of the history and there is some information online as well.

Unfortunately I believe this building stands as a sad testament to what happens when people take a "too causal" attitude towards the proper handling and disposal of junk and potentially hazardous waste.  At one time this was an automobile repair shop.  And my general understanding is that no one has been willing or able to buy and develop the property since the shop went out of business many years ago due to what it would cost to have all the junk material and potentially hazardous removal done.  It is now listed as "abandoned" on at least one list of such properties online by the New Hampshire State Treasurer.

Some references are here: https://casetext.com/case/state-v-autoware-inc and here: http://new-hampshire-unclaimed.org/data/++CANAAN,+NH/AUTOWARE+INC/66313985.html


If you are a local follower and recognize any of these places please post a comment as to the former use. Eventually I hope to put together an album of these images along with a brief history of the building or location.  Thanks!

Summer Sunset...

"Summer Sunset" - Mascoma River, Enfield NH

For the past few weeks I have been challenging myself to try and "see" in black and white again after many years of shooting almost exclusively in color.

And so far I am pretty happy with the results.

 I know the resulting images have made me think more about what I see and how I view the world around me... and I hope they do the same for those who occasionally view and enjoy my work.

Black and White...

Detail - Rusted Fence Post, Lebanon  NH

"Rusted Fence Post - Lebanon, NH"

Occasionally I try getting back to my roots in photography by setting the shooting menu on my cameras to "monochrome"... otherwise known as "black and white".  I like challenging myself to try and "see" in shades of grey again.  And I have to say that each time I'm not really happy with the results. Not because of a lack of vision on my part... but I think because of the technology.  It just doesn't seem to "be there".  The images - like this one - are always Ok but seem to lack the richness, depth and tonality you get when shooting with silver based film.
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When I first developed an interest in photography many years ago, black and white was the medium of choice for many reasons... but mostly because of the lower cost of film and processing.  And also because of the thrill of what passed for "instant gratification" back then.  By shooting black and white it was possible to see the results of a day spent with the camera relatively quickly.  At that time color film had to be shipped out for processing and it took days if not weeks to get back from the lab. But I could process my 35mm Tri-X film and make a few prints in my parent's basement within a matter of hours... which seemed remarkable at the time.

Needless to say photography has come a long way and I'm sure it will continue to evolve. Even as little as ten years ago many of us were still shooting film. And as someone who grew up in the business splashing around in photographic chemistry, I have to say I don't really miss those hours in the darkroom mixing Dektol and Rapid Fixer while listening to bad pop music on the radio.  But I do miss the sense of craftsmanship that was involved in making prints by my own hand and experiencing the magic of seeing an image spring to life from the surface of a blank piece of paper.

Due to it's very nature digital photography just doesn't allow us to experience the same sense of interaction and involvement in the process of creating a photograph.  It is not as hands-on.  And maybe that is why the finished images don't have the same aesthetic appeal and emotional impact on me when I look at them.  It is because they are not a part of me but rather any assembly of pixels interpreted by a computer instead of being the result of light passing through the shape of my own hand. 

"Floating Leaf" - Centre County, PA

Floating Leaf - Centre County, PA

This is another one of my favorites from my "Black & White Period".  At the time I was heavily involved in trying to teach myself the "Zone System" (a system of determining exposure and film development) practiced and perfected by Ansel Adams. 

On late-fall a walk through the woods looking for subjects that would lend themselves well to experimenting with these techniques... I saw this leaf floating on the surface of a slow moving stream. 

I was attracted to the various textures and the range of tones... from a few near white grains of sand here and there to the deep blacks along the corners... all forming a frame for the remains of this decaying leaf.

Shot with a Nikon F2 with 55/3.5 Micro-Nikkor on Tri-x film.

"Mirror Image in Sand" - Starfish, St. Augustine, FL

Another image from early in my career as a photographer and a perfect example of what I've always said... "Some of your best photos will always be the result of complete accidents, dumb luck... or both".

Mirror Image in Sand - St. Augustine, FL.

This was shot made during a family vacation to St. Augustine, Florida.  I was about 18 at the time and our family had been staying at the Kon Tiki campground outside St. Augustine.

We'd been collecting shells and other treasures from the sea at the beach one day and set them all aside on the picnic table to dry out.

The next morning as we were packing up for the return trip home to Pennsylvania... I picked up this starfish and was delightfully surprised to see this image magically materialize right before my eyes.

I immediately grabbed my camera (which I think was a Yashica TL Electro-X the time) from the car and started shooting away.  It had a relatively decent quality Soligor zoom lens on it with a macro capability that I didn't use much due to the challenge of holding it steady enough to get good results.  But In this case I got lucky and was able to hand hold it well enough to capture this image on Kodak Plus-X film.  

As an aside I think this also might have been the first time I really had to make a photo under the pressure of a "deadline".  As I recall the family car with pop-up camper attached was pulling out of the campsite as I was shooting :-)

"Abandoned Farmhouse" - Pine Grove Mills, PA

Abandoned Farmhouse - Pine Grove Mills, PA 

I've always been really fond of this photograph... shot early on in my career as a photographer.

I used to drive past this abandoned farmhouse quite frequently on my way to work and was always attracted to it because of the (apparently) freshly painted white posts which stood out in stark contrast to the rest of the house.

Since I was "studying" the zone system at the time (a method of determining exposure and processing developed and perfected by Ansel Adams) this scene made for the perfect challenge to my rudimentary skills with camera, film and darkroom technique.  My goal was to capture the "glow" of the posts, the details in the shadows of each window pane and bring to life on paper what I saw in my mind.

Looking at this image 35 years later I feel like I succeeded :-)

Photographed with a Graflex 4x5 camera using Kodak Tri-x film processed in D-76 and printed on Agfa Brovira glossy surface paper.