Secret Places

funny thing about "art"...if it has any chance at all to be any good, it comes from, and in all reality is about, the secret places in the craftsman's heart and soul...the very private and personal element that is mostly unseen by anyone but the artist....then it is outed for anyone with eyes to see. probably not a good thing for the artist to muse on, but definitely a great thing for the enrichment of souls and hearts...

"casual enticement" and "heart of the secret place"

Jumping Off

well, after considering the virtues of asking the important questions before i take a shot, i have to equally consider the virtues of just jumping in...that doesn't say that the eye behind the lens shouldn't think...maybe it's more that i wonder how often after thinking some fine impulse over and over, to my later regret (or surprise) i realize i missed something special.

the included visuals are older shots revisited...areas cropped for visual and visceral interest and to the dogs with my nagging technical (nice word for it) conscience. i find that very often, the result is more satisfying than i had considered...so here's to "on the higher plane" and to "jumping off"

See Worthy

a couple of new ones...i had taken a batch of photos while wandering among the tide pools and the rock formations and this is my second round at some of them. many looked good to me after the first round, but lacked the bite that i felt i had experienced while taking the shots.

i did some experimenting with light as the focal element and actually am a lot happier with these two than originally...once again, i had to go back and remember what it was that excited me about the subject matter that day...the closer i can recall that and focus on that, the closer the finished pieces satisfy my emotional memory of that day.

"stand offish" and "untitled rocks" (so far).

STARK

"what was it about this scene that compelled me to take the shot?"

years ago, i read some advice from photographer Freeman Patterson about taking photos...the idea was that it is so easy to pick up a camera and point and shoot that we really need to ask ourselves what it is about the scene we are contemplating that is enticing us to make the shot...and then do all we can to capture that element.

i have tried to do that over the years with better success at times than others, but i find myself just as often asking myself the question afterwards...it certainly can be an intriguing exercise and at times illuminating....

"night in day" and "stark"