X-processed fuji film, shot at an abandoned Sanatarium/converted nursing home/police training building.  You can see in the first hallway shot, I “color corrected”.  X-processing gives a definite different feel to things, the contrast gets wicked out of control though, I’m not really sure it’s worth “wasting” the film to experiment, but one never knows what they’ll like if they never try, right? 

click images to enlarge

Along the same vein of ramblings, I’d like to add I watched the movie Infamous a couple weeks ago and was really taken by the cinematography.  The movie itself is about Truman Capote’s writing of In Cold Blood, shot partly on the Kansas plains, the compostitions and visual elements are simple clean and elegant.  Some of the other movies I’ve seen that appeal to me visually, Road to Perdition, Shawshank Redemption, and Platoon.  If anyone would like to suggest visually appealing or photography related programming, I’d love to hear them.

It’s funny, when you get back to the basics of photography and apply some discipline, how things seem to work better.  First of all, I looked at my viewfinder, rather than merely through it.  This kept distractions like odd street lamps and other bright objects from making it to the final negative.  Though there is always room for improvement, I have to say at this point, I’m pleased with the results.  I liked the shot of raindrops on the lens, how they took on the shape of my aperture blades, but not sure how long I’ll like it, or if I’ll think it’s too cheesy later on. 

Upon examing my negatives on the light table, I see how much “bounce” I had in my camera from the bad foam where the mirror flips up.  It’s most noticable in the close-up shots, here, the 24hr drive-thru sign, and the coffee cup in the other set of images.  I did use the MLU function of the camera in a couple of shots, but the freezing temps rushed me into not fiddling with it much.  I have since scavenged some foam here at work, and replaced the foam myself.  I haven’t shot with it yet, but just tripping the shutter, it’s much quieter now, so some of the vibration should be reduced.

I intended to shoot my interiors and portraits of the Missionary, but he is ill, and seriously so from what info I gathered.  He was a kind and patient man, who indulged me all my questions, both informative and on a personal, spiritual basis.  My thoughts are with him and his family as he recovers.                                               Mudflaps

Rear of the chapel on a rainy night.

                                                Drive thru McDonald’s or church?; what a choice.

                                             Chapel rig

                                                  John 3:16 and God orbs

I’m excited to share my first bit of “street photography”, as in I was brave enough to point my Nikon at another living being.  I shot the images after my walk around town in the rain after a gallery opening.  I was frozen and hungry, and since I’ve always wanted to take pictures in a Waffle House at 3am, that is where I headed.  Granted, it wasn’t 3am, but it was still night and the mood could be the same regardless what the clock read.   

I’m disappointed my images around the capital building didn’t turn out, but that was completely my fault for not exposing the film right.  I was happy a shot of a cello in a music store window turned out ok (save the damn headlight streams from passing cars!).  However, I think it was worth the sore throat I got from standing in the rain.  I shot with my Nikon and 50mm lens, which I love because it’s such a fast lens and the camera fits my hand like a glove and we have such history.  Ok, enough rambling I suppose. 

Here’s one I shot a few weeks ago with the Great Wall, a cheap Chinese medium format SLR.  I haven’t got anything to show off its gorgeous bokeh, but if you google some images for it, you’ll see what I mean.  Or better yet, check out Tammy’s blog, she has some amazing shots with it.

I attended the gallery reception for Kathleen Robbins’ The Art of Arranging Things last night at City Art Gallery.  More than an opening reception, it was a revealing of the artist’s soul, a poignant portrait of family, space, and time.  I’ve come to know her work because she’s my youngest daughter Tricia’s photography professor at the University of South Carolina.  I’ve been fascinated by the images on her website and blog for some time now, but there is so much lost to us, staring blankly back from a computer screen.  The images in the gallery are big, bright, and brimming with detail, which is not translated with the same bravado in the compressed digital images.

I have a penchant for the dramatic, the more the better.  If you look through the links I have posted in my Inspiration heading, you’ll see the type of work I’m drawn and aspire to.  Kathleen’s work is in stark contrast to the over-the-top, heavily manipulated type imaging, it’s more realistic, down to Earth.   There is a warm intimacy in her images; her style is elegantly simple and uncomplicated.  So much art is lost to the common person (of which I consider myself), it’s superfluous, egotistical, narcissist by its very nature; that was the real beauty of the work presented last night, it was relatable to anyone.  Her life could be any one of ours, her love for her family and home are tangible, and it’s quietly whispered to the viewer standing in front of the 30×30 photographs. 

And the sky is gray

I’ve been for a walk

On a winter’s day  

Last night I attended a gallery exhibition opening (more on that later) downtown.  It was raining, a steady cold rain, the kind that settles into your bones and makes one long for warmth and sunshine.  I fought my way through traffic and the smudgy distortion of the windshield wipers on the glass to find a parking spot, only to be told I couldn’t park in the spot I found unless I forked over $5.  Like Hell!  I fought the traffic a bit more and finally found a spot that didn’t look like I’d be towed or ticketed for using and made my way into the gallery. 

I had a nice time mingling amongst the people and the show was great.  I had packed my camera bag in the car, as I felt the itch to take some pictures that night.  I’ve always wanted to take some images around the capitol building at night, and the rain soaked world was strangely inspirational to me.  So after I soaked in the atmosphere and images in the gallery, I took my leave.

It was strange walking around the city, everyone scurried to take shelter from the rain.  I walked head on into the night, gripping my tripod; it becoming so cold my hand went numb and was stinging from the bitter wetness of the cold rain.  I was undeterred.   I felt strangely adventurous and confident; I walked with purpose and conviction, hell-bent to capture the streets before its slumber, glistening like a dark jewel in the rain.  It’s strange, the effect rain has on things, and how it translates on film.  In the day, it saturates colors rendering them so vibrant it looks like an acrylic painting; at night it washes away the grit of everything leaving it looking shiny and new. 

Perhaps that is the seduction it held over me last night, leaving me searching for more places and subjects to photograph despite the deplorable conditions.  I visited new places, and revisited some old ones.  I ended the evening at the Waffle House, and took pictures surreptitiously from my corner booth.  I awoke this morning with a severe headache and sore throat, but my expedition was certainly worth my discomfort; I just hope the resulting images will make me as happy.

One of the most exciting gifts I received for Christmas this year was a camera included with a rather large and hideous Bratz doll.  It’s an actual working 35mm point and shoot camera, and was even packaged with a 12 exp roll of film.  It comes complete with a genuine, removable, faux flash.  I don’t want to sound too silly describing how badly I wanted this thing when I saw it in the store.  You probably don’t want to know how many quarters I loaded into a bubble gum machine, trying to win a miniature camera when I was young either. 

One of the first orders of business on Christmas morning was to alter the lens.  I wanted it to be really funky!  So I headed to the garage, and while I was frying the turkey, I heated the plastic lens with a propane torch to melt and distort the plastic.  I loaded up the film and could hardly wait to see what kind of results I’d get.  Well, I finally finished the roll this past weekend and got it developed.  I like some of the images; others are just too blurred to be remotely interesting.  I do like the cool retro colors plastic lenses give film, so I’m chuffed about that part of the images.