Vicki had this idea that I should gather all the photos that have been accepted into the various contests that I’ve entered over the last year or so.  Safe to say that my non-professional status is holding up as I have not sold a single one! ?

I forgot to mention that another one of my photos is hanging at the Northwinds Art Center in Port Townsend, WA.

The web site had two videos and the one I looked at did not have my entry in it and it appeared to be a video of the entire exhibition.  I saw the 2nd video which is of the Juror making comments about how he goes about jurying such an exhibit.  It was there so I was relieved to see that it was actually in the exhibit.  

Vicki took last nite to decorate the house for Xmas.  She pulled out all the stops - The Santas have not been seen on display for at least a decade!  The framed fibre art is really interesting - Vicki’s sister made it when she was a kid and gave it to Vicki.  The framing was expensive but it came out great.  She is NOT planning on giving it back to Julie!  The last picture is sort of what the rest of the house looks like so you shouldn’t get the idea that we live in a pristine palace !!:)

This image was selected to show at the SAGE Gallery in Sheridan Wyoming next month.  I submitted a total of four images - not sure this was my strongest image but it’s the one that they selected so.. time to print and frame it.  I usually get it nicely framed because so far none of my entries have sold so they just come back to me, hence the reason to have a nicely framed photo.

I decided I would do a book about the landmark exhibition New Topographics (NT)  held at the George Eastman House in 1975.  The book is a compilation of my photos that best fit into this genre along with some notes about NT.  Below is a Dutch video showing some of the original photos from that exhibition.

Here’s the photo that Vicki will use for the Holiday Cards.  It’s from our October trip to Wyoming and Montana.  This was taken by our guide during a Grand Teton tour

A few posts back I wondered if this photo was faked:

Well I just recently found this image:

I think having a 2nd photo in the series makes it very unlikely that the first one was faked AND makes it even more of an amazing shot. So here it is on display in our living room

This is part of a series of art projects by M12 Studio.  Here’s what they say about in on their website:

Last Chance Module Array. Last Chance, Colorado. (Modules No. 4, 5). With Onix Architects, Groningen, the Netherlands. 2015-2016.

The Last Chance Module Array is part of M12’s Prairie Module series. The array is made up of two cubes that have been extruded to create a visual field containing a multiplicity of crosshatched forms. Despite its formal simplicity, the Last Chance Module Array contains many points of conceptual entry, from farm and ranch architecture to rural planning grids. The forms are reminiscent of rural timber frame structures and pole barns—their timbers having been finished with a Japanese wood burning technique known as Shou Sugi Ban, wherein cedar is burned to make the material more durable. The overall arrangement resembles a ghost-like structure, akin to what artist Robert Smithson referred to as a “ruin in reverse.” Alone in the landscape, it appears newly built or, just as easily, to have always been there, disintegrating over decades.

It turns out that to get to this art you go by High Plains Raceway on Colorado 36.  This is a destination I go to frequently.  Going out east gives me another chance to photography the prairie.

Highplains Raceway

Bennett, CO

Lou_Ge

Highway 36

I plan on going out here more as there are so many different looks possible - I ended going on a totally cloudless day which is NOT what I would have preferred.  Might also be worth seeing if I can get friends to pose out there.  Below is an example of someone else’s take on LCMA

I’ve created a new medical syndrome called “Once in a Lifetime” syndrome.  I came upon this because a relative called to say that their mate had entered into a confusional state and wanted to know what to do. The description was that the person kept asking the same question over and over again , having forgotten the answer as soon as it was given to them.  This would in all likelihood turn out to be TGA- transient global amnesia which is a real medical diagnosis.  A self limited condition  where all parts of the brain work except for that module that makes new memories.  As my relative was explaining what they were seeing all I could think of was David Byrne’s “Once in a Lifetime” Lyrics.

“Once In A Lifetime”

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack

And you may find yourself in another part of the world

And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile

And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife

And you may ask yourself, “Well… how did I get here?”

Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down

Letting the days go by, water flowing underground

Into the blue again after the money’s gone

Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

And you may ask yourself, “How do I work this?”

And you may ask yourself, “Where is that large automobile?”

And you may tell yourself, “This is not my beautiful house”

And you may tell yourself, “This is not my beautiful wife”

Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down

Letting the days go by, water flowing underground

Into the blue again after the money’s gone

Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

Water dissolving and water removing

There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Under the water, carry the water

Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean

Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down

Letting the days go by, water flowing underground

Into the blue again, into the silent water

Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground

Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down

Letting the days go by, water flowing underground

Into the blue again after the money’s gone

Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

And you may ask yourself, “What is that beautiful house?”

And you may ask yourself, “Where does that highway go to?”

And you may ask yourself, “Am I right? Am I wrong?”

And you may say to yourself, “My God! What have I done?”

Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down

Letting the days go by, water flowing underground

Into the blue again, into the silent water

Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground

Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down

Letting the days go by, water flowing underground

Into the blue again after the money’s gone

Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

Same as it ever was and look where my hand was

Time isn’t holding up, time isn’t after us

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

Letting the days go by, same as it ever was

Here a twister comes, here comes the twister

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

Once in a lifetime, let the water hold me down

Letting the days go by

If you prefer the Donald Trump version here it is:

I have a couple of compact cameras and decided I’d like to sell one or several.  As I was testing the Nikon 35Ti it became clear that the funky analog display was not working as it should - the aperture can be set but not displayed properly.  So I can’t really sell the camera except at a deep discount.  I wanted to verify that everything else worked so I picked out some C41 film that I wouldn’t be unhappy if it got ruined.  Thus the bad camera + bad film Thanksgiving 2020 experiment.

NADS for short

Of course this is no way to run a proper experiment but hey it’s MY experiment.  The film’s name escapes me but basically they take normal C41 film and wind it on the spool backwards so that there is a red tint to all the exposures.  Not really all that pleasing ( not sure why I bought it in the first place).  So I took the film into black and white , tweaked it a bit in Affinity Photo ( Photoshop alternative) and got usable photos.

The last image was shot thru a window and the autofocus focused not he window not the scene.  The out of focus rendering is pleasing to my eye so it stays.

Provoke was a short lived photo magazine printed in Japan in 1968 - there were only three issues but it set off a spark in Japan.  The three volumes have been re-released - I got mine from this photo bookstore in Tokyo.  The predominant style is ‘are, Bure, bokeh’  which is grainy, blurry and out of focus. The masters of optics and camera manufacture in Japan at the time must have wondered why they were killing themselves to make high quality lenses if this was the type of photography that was gonna be displayed.  I don’t know but would wonder if this new style of photography led to the popularization of the cheap point and shoot cameras?

I forgot where but someone recommended this film to try.  I’m always up for new film.  One of these days I will embrace the idea of keeping it simple and using the same film, developer combination.  But until then……

Lakeside Amusement Park

Squirrel in the yard

Riverside Cemetery

Several years ago I ran across this photo of a tornado touching down near Simla, Colorado.  I really was motivated to get a copy as I was born in Simla and love storm/weather photography.  Turns out this was shot by James Smart, an Australian who came to the Western US to try his hand at storm photography.  I purchased a print and it hangs very prominently in our living room.  Over the years I’ve had this nagging thought that it might be fake.   I didn’t realize that it was one of the National Geographic’s Photo of the year for 2015.  This suggests that it probably not fake as these days entries and winners especially come in for extra scrutiny looking for fakes, stolen images, etc.  So now I’m back to thinking it’s the genuine article !

Every morning, now that I’m retired, I am up by 6:30 am thanks to my dog Arbus.  Let the hounds out, take my pills and start the coffee. Then with coffee in hand I start the computer.  The photo websites that I check in with include:

The Online Photographer. Contemplative photo blog with more text than photos.

PetaPixel  Your generic photo blog - sometimes the entries are trash but others are quite good

DPreview Great source for digital camera reviews.  They added about a year ago a film photography forum which is where I go mostly

Instagram My instagram account.  I use IG to motivate me to do more photography.  Besides friends and family I connect with other photographers.

Frames Magazine on Facebook. This is a link to the Frames web page.  But you can visit them on Facebook.  It is here that you can put up you photos for comment.

Here are some entries I’ve put up

In constant sorrow all through my days!

I am a man of constant sorrow,

I’ve seen trouble all my days.

I bid farewell to old Kentucky,

The place where I was born and raised

The place where he was born and raised!

For six long years,

I’ve been in trouble

No pleasure here,

On earth I’ve found

For in this world

I’m bound to ramble

I have no friends to help me now

You can bury me in some deep Valley,

For many years, there I may lay.

Then you may learn to love another

While I am sleeping in my grave

While he is sleeping in my grave!

Maybe your friends think

I’m just a stranger

My face you’ll never see no more

But, there is one promise that is given,

I’ll meet you on God’s golden shore.

He’ll meet you on God’s golden shore!

I just acquired this little gem of a camera from Japan. Comes from Japan Camera Hunter which is run by Bellamy Hunt who has absolutely glorious things to buy most of which are outside of my budget. This little camera was within the budget so it was purchased. It has a zoom going from 24 to 50 mm which is a wonderful range if you do street photography. It has flash. Something I’ve never seen before is a left and right shutter button. You can use both or activate one of the other. It has a feature allowing you to take selfies and film wind out which means the film in the canister is wound out at the beginning and as you shoot the film it is wound back into the canister.  This feature means that if for some reason the back of the camera opens up you only expose film that hasn’t been shot.  

These pictures were shot on Ilford XP2  which is a chromogenic black-and-white film that is a C 41 process. I’ve just started to process my own C 41. So this particular outing I did something which I generally don’t recommend to beginners which is to try out a new camera, new film, new film processing. In the end everything worked out just great.

Tower of Memories

NOT my Porsche

Byers, Colorado

Waiting for Track Day

When I was a young adult we faced folks who said about this country “Love it of Leave It”. Stupid sentiment.  Boys and Girls it’s still around only with a new generation of twits.

I shot two rolls of Ektachrome 100 on my trip thru Wyoming and Montana.  I opted for the Cinestill three bath kit.  Now that I’m on this kick to develop my. own color this was the logical progression.  It is more complicated than C41 but not significantly different.  Imagine my horror when I looked at the film after development and found everything so dark.  I have some ideas of what I may have done wrong.  I tried scanning on my most sophisticated scanner and it was a total disaster.  I switched to my Nikon LS4000 - been with me for at least 17 years.  This scanner saved the day!!  I’m back to thinking of shooting more chromes - the only negative is the high cost of slide film today. Whether it’s Kodak or Fuji it’s around $17 per roll !! ce la vie

These guys are the real deal - saw them live as the warm up band to Ry Cooder.  This is how you sing gospel music

It’s been about three weeks since our return from our mega trip to Wyoming and Montana. It started off as a typical weekend airstream rally down in Ridgeway, Colorado. From there we left and slowly made our  way to Wyoming, then to Montana, and then back through Wyoming. On this trip I shot mostly film totaling 22 rolls mostly 35 mm and 120 format. That’s the good news - the bad news is that I had 22 role to process when I got home!  I also had my trusty pixel three for Digital photographs which are helpful when you want to do quick panoramas, take movies and also to document your location using the GPS function of the digital phone.

Highlights include going to 

- Dinosaur National Park: the indoor exhibits were closed because of COVID so we didn’t actually see any dinosaurs but saw a lot of very interesting landscape.

-Ten Sleep, Wyoming - a former Indian gathering place - was  named by the Indians as how long it takes to get to Fort Laramie-10 days and nights of Horse travel. They have an excellent Micro brewery there.

-Billings Montana with several days spent at the Little big Horn Battlefield. This is a very complicated battle and to fully understand it requires some research. I highly recommend “Last Stand” by Philbrick as a reasonably authoritative book about what actually happened.

-Fort Peck dam in the north east corner of Montana. We headed up staying at the marina with people that were there mostly to fish and use their boats. It was very convenient however. We ended up making a side trip to Saint Marie which is about 60 miles south of the Canada border. The interesting part about Saint Marie is that it is a mostly abandoned town were they never tore down the houses and so they stand in a severely dilapidated state. It used to be an Air Force Base but then the Air Force Base was decommissioned. 

Residents were allowed to buy their property but many had no jobs at that point so there was no reason to stay. At some point a group of right-wing radicals decided to buy up all the unpaid taxes in hopes of owning the town.  Because they didn’t understand the law they really couldn’t take over the town.  Eventually they gave up.  Yet the town still stands.

Our next destination was Jackson Wyoming. It has the distinction of having greatest concentration of wealth in a single County anywhere in the United States. It also has the greatest wealth disparity between the rich and the poor; there’s very little in the way of middle class in this community. It was recently the subject of a book called Billionaire Wilderness. We found it fairly claustrophobic because of all the traffic. We did however take a four hour Wild Life tour and got to see lots of wildlife to say the least; this included two gray wolf spottings which the tour guide said she hadn’t seen one in three years.

Our next destination was Manila, Utah which leads us into the Flaming Gorge National Park. The landscape and the geological formations are amazing. From there it was home.

I’ve been shooting Adox Scala for a few months now - it is essentially Agfa Scala - a BW slide film.  It suffers from high contrast which it shares with all other slide films.  It also needs spot on exposure to get the most out of it.  This sort of explains why I don’t shoot a lot of E6 film.  Also there is only one lab in the US that processes this film and it usually takes about 6 weeks to get it back. You apparently can process it yourself but the process is in my opinion very complicated.  Here is what I got back from a trip two months ago to Salida, Colorado