ImageGuy

October 27, 2007

Fleeting Fall

The rain pinged off the skylights and plunked in the gutters this morning. The leaves were at first slow to turn in our area, perhaps the result of warm dry conditions through September, but then the colors seemed to come in a flood. The yard is now covered with a blanket of wet leaves and many of the trees are already bare. I haven’t yet cleaned my gutters, I usually leave it until all the leaves are down. Otherwise I’ll just do it twice. I’m a man of logic and economy of effort when it comes to such chores.

yellow tree and blue sky

red maple

The colors have been quite spectacular this year. I know many of the trees by sight, but there are also many varieties that I can’t identify readily. I should study the books more and do a little fieldwork. For I dearly love trees. This area is, of course, known for the brilliant oranges, reds, and golds of the maples. We have a number of them around our house, as well as black walnuts (not my favorite trees because they are so messy this time of year), oaks, hickory, catalpa, aspen, locust, and many others that I don’t know. We have lots of evergreens as well, but they are not the spotlight trees right now.

orange maple

Last Saturday morning I left the house early to catch the early morning light, and drove north and west into the rural back roads between our house and Interlaken just to the north. The fields are mostly harvested with some corn still standing, but others are just stubble. The clouds were dense and scattered and the sun was peeking out from time to time providing the most incredible light. The landscape had a real storybook look about it. Geese flew overhead traveling between the lake below and the fields of corn stubble up in these rural hills.

trees in am light

field and trees

geese flying

During this season, I believe I love the roadsides, ditches, and weeds almost as much as the brilliant trees. Some of the less desirable plants often provide the best color. My true favorite is the sumac.

sumac 1

sumac 2

sumac 3

These plants change with the widest gamut of color combinations, often all within a single stand of plants or within a single plant itself. Reds, yellows, purples, blues, greens, burgundy and magenta, orange and lime. They are remarkable and I could make a study of just their color alone during autumn. Their reds are the most brilliant nature creates. And they are one of the few plants I have seen that can turn a rich deep indigo blue.

sumac 4

sumac 5

sumac 6

The fields are also full of dry weeds that are so beautiful in their own right. Fluffy heads of dried goldenrod, milkweed with open pods spilling out silky floating seeds, teasels and thistles. When back lit, they light up as if beacons in the dried fields.

teasels

teasels 2

The deep woods still appear dark and green in places, yet the trees along the outer borders sit bright and colorful against the deep black backdrops.

purple leaves

Stephen's Woods

It’s an incredible visual time of year here, but like the spring season, much too fleeting, and gone before you know it.

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October 17, 2007

A Sure Sign of Change

In my neighborhood there is a certain and predictable sign of the changing seasons that is not reliant upon migrating birds or temperature fluctuations or even the changing hours of daylight. It is reliant on Mr. Miller, and his flower pot creations.

santa guy

christmas dog

santa woman

Ronald Miller is a man who takes great pride in a beautifully landscaped yard. He lives on the corner at the top of our road and his yard is a showplace of flowers and shrubs and hand built stone walls and gardens. He keeps his grass manicured and his leaves cleared and his driveway spotless unlike mine where the rule of thumb is don’t let things get over knee high and let nature take its course.

easter dog

So I often feel guilty when I drive by the Miller’s for my own neglect, but I am always left with a smile as I pass, for the humor and whimsy that Mr. Miller presents all his neighbors with every day.

easter guy

Easter woman

In my collection of images on Ornamental America, the Miller’s house is a favorite stop. He has constructed a family of flower pot people that he changes with the seasons, dressing them in garb appropriate for whatever holiday or seasonal trend is current. He has a flower pot man that sits in a garden area that’s not visible from the road. But in plain view for all who pass are the flower pot woman, the little flower pot guy, and their flower pot dog.

summer woman

baseball guy

summer dog

I have to be on the lookout so as not to miss a costume change, for if I dawdle and postpone my stop to photograph them, they change before I know it. This summer I missed the little guy’s summer wardrobe with pith helmet and garden tools, so will have to wait until next season to record that one. But I made a point to stop today, however, so as not to miss the Halloween costumes.

halloween woman

halloween dog

My Ornamental America series focuses on things people use to decorate their yards and includes everything from painted rocks to deer made from logs to statues of the Virgin to rock cairns and all kinds of kitsch. But most of these are static objects placed like totems and left to quietly weather. The Miller’s flower pots have life and personality and character. And they give me a smile every time I pass. Thanks, Mr. Miller. It’s a little bit of joy shared, a light hearted free gift. And I appreciate it.

halloween guy

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October 11, 2007

Thoughts about compassion.

Here in Ithaca we have had the great pleasure of hosting His Holiness the Dali Lama of Tibet for two days this week. There is a small but well established community of Tibetans here at the local Monastery and a publishing company, Snowlion Publications, that specializes in books on Tibetan subjects and Buddhism. His Holiness came to Ithaca to bless the site of the new Namgyal Monastery that is being built just outside of town in Danby. Tuesday he came to the museum where I work to bless the beautiful sand mandala constructed by the monks in his honor, and to attend a private luncheon.

Museum

Dali Lama alter

Afterwards he moved on to Barton Hall on the Cornell Campus where he gave a talk on “A Human Approach to World Peace”. Then Wednesday he spoke at the State Theatre at a ceremony of “Prayers for World Peace”, then at Ithaca College where he delivered “Eight Verses on Training the Mind”. I was only privileged to witness his arrival at the museum. Everything else was by invitation or sold out for about the last year. There was an amazing flurry of police and secret service and FBI with his entourage that was like something out of Hollywood and an incredible seriousness among all those planning and setting up for his appearances. I am aware of his stature as a dignitary, yet in the midst of it all, he was humble and human and welcoming to every soul.

sunrise

leaves and rock wall

I had the good fortune to meet him more closely several years ago when he came to Ithaca and gave a private audience to a group of people at Wisdom’s Goldenrod near Watkins Glen, NY. And we are so fortunate that in our isolated upstate fingerlakes area, the monks of Namgyal have chosen this place as a center of study among all the other places in the world where they might settle. I have always felt as though this area is one of those spots where great spiritual energy exists, much like areas of the Southwest, Sante Fe, Sedona, or spiritual sites like Stonehenge or the Andes of Peru. When I sit on the shore down at the bottom of our road where the stream empties into the lake and look back at the level ground of the Camp Barton Boyscout Camp I visualize an encampment of Native Americans and think about the ceremonies that might have taken place in our own back yard looking down at the falls below. There is great energy here. And the spirits of human existence stretching back for centuries.

trees at night

autumn vines

With the Dali Lama’s visit we are all reminded that compassion and caring for others, non-violence, and tolerance should be foremost among our daily endeavors, yet they seem so hard to find amidst a world of war, and fear, and hatred, and intolerance. We are all human beings, seeking to live our lives in happiness and peace. Yet we treat each other with suspicion and disregard and disrespect. We cannot seem to learn that one’s beliefs should not be a barrier to the acceptance that all people are entitled to their own beliefs, that we should not force ours onto someone else, nor persecute or criticize them for their own. We must look to and support those who come at the world with honest and compassionate hearts and live our own lives as examples of what we want from others. Peace seems so far out of reach.

autumn trees
Let us all bring peace to those around us everyday and catch ourselves when we stray from this path, in hopes that we can send a wave of compassion around the world, instead of fear and hate and injustice and war.

sunset

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October 2, 2007

Feeling Grateful On An Autumn Day

I was born in mid-September. I have always loved this time of year. As I get older, I get a little more hesitant about accepting the coming of Winter, but Fall has always been a favorite season. I love the fields in late September and early October, the colors, the texture, the warm afternoon sun, harvest time, the dry corn stalks, the squash and pumpkins, the crisp mornings and the warm days.

Burdett Hilltop

sunflower

I used to spend a week at this time every year in the Adirondack mountains at a lodge on Blue Mountain Lake. The same people came every year and ate large meals morning and evening family style at common tables then spent the days wandering through the woods on well worn trails or canoeing or shopping in the small hamlets of the Adirondack Park.

broom and chair

puff balls

As a child I had to travel a great distance to be in woods like those of the Adirondacks. But these days I need only go just down the hill, less than two miles to Taughannock Falls State Park.

park base

gorge view 1

pine bough

I spent Sunday afternoon feeling very grateful that such a beautiful preserve is so close. I don’t take advantage of this park enough and I guess have always taken it for granted to some degree because it is so close. But on Sunday afternoon when it was warm and breezy and a brilliant blue sky day, I walked the rim trail and reminded myself how wonderful this park is. there are all manner of trees and plants and fungi. Wildlife and flowers. I have a great affection for hemlock trees and the parks of the Fingerlakes are rich with stands of these beautiful evergreens. The groves are dark and the ground below them is soft and quiet built of layers of their tiny needles and decaying stumps, scattered with ferns and low vegetation. The paths of the rim trail wind over well worn roots as it snakes along the edges of the gorge.

path 1

ground vegetation

downed wood

Taughannock Falls is the highest waterfall east of the Mississippi, higher even than Niagara. It can be a tiny trickle or a roaring torrent, depending on the season and the rainfall. The gorge is wide and deep with sheer walls.

Taughannock Falls

red vines on gorge wall

The rim trail rises steeply on the North side up a climb of about 120 stone steps from the base of the park by Cayuga Lake. Up past the campground eventually leading up to the parking area at the overlook where many drive to observe the falls. Then continues past through beautiful woods, occasionally breaking out by the road until it reaches the crossing bridge at the top of the park. Then turns back along the South side to wind back down to the base again. All along the way affording beautiful views of the gorge, the falls, the lake and creek below.

path 2

tree and cornfield

view from trail east

I passed many hikers walking their dogs and their children, but for the most part, walked alone quietly, feeling the breeze and hearing little more than my own footsteps and the cawing of the crows overhead. When I am in a place like this I can’t help but think of how the Native Americans that once lived in these woods must have experienced this place, and even farther back to when the glaciers were carving out these valleys, and the eons of water flow through this gorge that so gradually carved out this incredible landscape.

resting hiker

upper gorge falls

sky and clouds

I am blessed to live here, so close to this beauty, to have it literally in my back yard and free to walk whenever I choose. I am thankful and lucky. It’s a gorgeous spiritual place.

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September 29, 2007

What was I thinking? The new face of photography.

When digital photography first appeared I was determined to remain steadfast and loyal to film. The cameras were either poor quality or incredibly expensive. Today the technology is better and the costs have come down. And I have abandoned film entirely as have many photographers. Some of today’s kids will never even know what film was. I had already given up my darkroom years ago. Kodachrome was my friend. But it was expensive to process and you had to develop everything, sight unseen. You might spend the costs to develop a roll of slides only to end up with just a few you were really happy with. And then there was the cataloging and storage and projectors or light tables to view them. What was I thinking?

Digital has not only freed me to shoot all I want, see what I like as I do it, and make corrections on the spot, so I end up with more images to keep. It has the instant gratification of Polaroid. And the ease of storage and retrieval with today’s software, DVD’s, big hard drives, and metadata make life so much easier. What was I thinking?

color shoes

color shoes art

It has created a world of photographers and image makers from the entire population. With camera phones, 10 megapixel point and shoots, email and photo storage sites on the web, it seems everyone is taking, saving, exchanging, and sharing pictures. And the film industry is fading into obsolescence.

One of the most amazing changes for me is the ability to experiment with my pictures. To make photo art.

toronto orig

toronto art

Thank you Adobe for bringing us Photoshop! Today I can do at my computer in a matter of minutes what would have taken hours, maybe days, in the darkroom, with costly chemistry and paper and a lot of wasted material through trial and error. Not to mention repeatability! There’s conversions from color to black and white, split toning, solarization, posterization, soft focus and color reversal and stitching. There’s sketching and watercolors and blur and stretch and warp and liquefy. There’s filters and actions and plug-ins galore. It’s an amusement park of imagery and design. And I haven’t even scratched the surface.

giraffe orig

giraffe art

These images show a before and after. The original and the new creation. And these are mild compared to the things people are doing with this program. I learn something new every week and it just keeps coming. It’s creative madness and I wish I was retired so I could do this every day.

tulip orig

tulip art
The first image is the original unaltered capture, either raw, tiff, or jpg. I don’t often show these since most images need at least a little adjustment to levels or saturation, something to perk them up. The next image is after working some photoshop magic.

fireworks orig

beach houses

fireworks art

Some images offer options for various treatments. The first alteration here of the bike photo is from an action called Retro. The next is a Sketch action applied to the Retro image.

bike orig

bike retro

bike sketch

Toned black and white conversions in Photoshop are so much easier than what I used to go through in the darkroom. Here, even split toning or a slight hand colored look is easy to achieve. The bridge and spring trees is accomplished by using a single color channel that is turned into a selection and then colorized for tone.

colgate bridge

colgate bridge b&w

pots

pots art

chairs and bench

chairs and bench art

Some images lend themselves well to the feel of painted graphics or the look of print making techniques. This image has been posterized to appear to look like a serigraph.

Copper Beech

copper beech art

This photo took on the effect of watercolor painting very successfully.

seaside tables

seaside chairs art

Here an action that simulates a comic book illustration is applied.

collegtown

collegetown comic

The possibilities are endless and the creative stimulation fueled by new discoveries leads to unexpected art. Every image has some potential. It has changed the way I look at photography forever opening new avenues with each creation session. Photography has a new face. Thank you Adobe.

alys beach

alys beach art

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September 25, 2007

Summer’s End in Ottawa

The last day of Summer was graced with beautiful blue skies and a stiff warm breeze in Ottawa where Jack and Joyce exchanged their vows and joined their lives. My wife has known Jack since college so I’ve known Jack about as long as I’ve known my wife and he is one of our dearest friends. Jack and Joyce are both parents of beautiful young adults from previous marriages and so are experienced people. But their wedding ceremony made it so clear how young at heart, romantic, and in love they are with each other.

Jack
dancing

We had driven up on Friday in order to have dinner with them and our friends, Peggy and Vito, and a few of Jack’s family from out of town. We met at the Green Papaya, a wonderful Thai restaurant on the Quebec side, across from the incredible Museum of Civilization. After dinner we strolled across to take in the view of the city across the river. Ottawa is so beautiful. A gorgeous, fun night.

Jack and Hanna

museum of civilization

The ceremony on Saturday was at Keg Manor and Maplewood Gardens. A beautiful old mansion converted to a restaurant with a sweet walled garden.

bride and groom

Joyce and Hanna

Joyce and sons

young girl

Later, in the patio area, Jack sang to his bride. And Jack’s beautiful daughter, Hanna, performed two lovely songs for the newly-weds. Dinner was splendid with more songs from the groom and beautiful words from Joyce reminding us to live every day to the fullest. The party afterwards moved to their house where we partied and socialized until after midnight.

Jack sings

Joyce

Hanna

Jack and Joyce

Jack and Vito sing

There were more musical performances at the house from Joyce’s son’s band. Not my genre but extremely entertaining.

son playing guitar

In the basement of the house is Jack’s Grotto. The Grotto is famous among those who know Jack and it has existed in several iterations over the years in Jack’s varied residences. He is a collector of the unusual. The Grotto houses Jack’s collections of old postcards of the Flat Iron Building and “Painted Moon” photos, about two hundred corkscrews, and the prize collection of grotesque lamps. The lamps are the real attraction. He’s been collecting them for years and they have to fall into specific criteria. Besides being odd, tacky, and grotesque, they cannot cost more than $10. It’s a cozy, tiny, museum, where friends gather, converse, drink good wine, and experience an incredible, eclectic collection of odd things.

jack in the grotto

lamps in the grotto

We had a marvelous time. And to Jack and Joyce and their wonderful kids, we wish you all the happiness and love, just as you have always shown it to all of us. You are special people and it was a joy to meet your family and share your celebration.

September 18, 2007

Sorry, Post Removed.

For those who are looking for the story on the sand mandala that was recently posted, I apologize. I have had to remove it due to contract and copyright issues between the museum and the monastery that evidently do not allow for the exhibit of these images that I took here. So, again, my apologies.

1 Comment

September 3, 2007

Eli is called to the Torah

On Saturday I attended and photographed the bar mitzvah of Eli, son of my good friends Jonathan and Eve. An incredible passage and celebration for a young person marking their movement into young adulthood within the Jewish community.

Eli

Jonathan

It was a beautiful, moving ceremony filled with joy and friendship and family, and I was delighted to be able to photograph it for them. Jonathan and Eve and their son were our next door neighbors (this was before the addition of their other son, Noah). We live on the edge of a huge gorge with a dramatic drop of about 200 feet at the edge. It’s spectacular to see, but dangerous for small children, so Jonathan and Eve and Eli moved to a new house rather than obstruct the beautiful view with a fence. The house now belongs to Eve’s parents, Joan and Joel, who are now our wonderful neighbors to the south.

Eli and Joel

rabbi

Eli with Torah

The ceremony took place at Tikkun v’Or Synagogue in Lansing under a beautiful blue sky, a day that was Kodak picture perfect. Eli is an impressive and handsome young man with deep thoughts and concerns matched with the spirit and exuberance of a teenage boy. The service was touching and tender filled with the love of family and community and a beautiful example of how a community can come together to support and bless the growth of a young man and celebrate all that he is and represents.

Eli reading

Jonathan and Eli

Martha

Eve and Eli

Rosie

He had obviously made a deep and serious commitment to this process after some personal struggle over it’s meaning and significance. His parents are both loving, generous, spiritual people that have given him the freedom to express and decide for himself the value of such life lessons and commitments. And it was a courageous decision on Eli’s part requiring a great deal of study and hard work. Congratulations to you, young man.

Jonathan's sister

Eli at dinner

Eve and Joan

Aunt Gini and Uncle Irving hosted the Kiddush luncheon afterwards in the tent outside and dinner and a larger party took place later in the evening by Cayuga Lake at Taughannock State Park. The stiff breeze off the water subsided as the evening progressed and fabulous food by Word Of Mouth Catering from Trumansburg was a treat for everyone.

Jonathan and servers

Eve

Jonathan's brother

child playing

Fantastic, lively music from the Cornell Klezmer Ensemble had everyone spinning and dancing while the sun set over Cayuga Lake. As a photographer, these events are such a wonderful opportunity for capturing the whole sense of family and community. The beautiful faces of children, the friends not seen for years, and the love expressed on such an occasion are moments to be recorded and savored. They are our culture, our history, our future, our lives expressed fully in an all too brief moment.

dancing

baby

Ellen

Joel

child on sholder

It’s seldom that we have large gatherings of this type. Weddings, monumental anniversaries, retirement parties, family reunions, and bar and bat mitzvahs. With family spread far and wide, friends that we only see on such occasions, they are moments of great love, friendship, and sharing. The photographer gets to be inspired and witness this expression of love as both guest and participant and hopefully leave the family with cherished evidence to accompany their memories. It’s a good thing.

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September 2, 2007

“Sweet 16”

This past Sunday was my daughter’s sixteenth birthday. This milestone is one that every teenager looks forward to for many reasons, but first and foremost is driving. It scares me to think of her behind the wheel without her Mom or me there, but on the days when we are driving all over creation and waiting on her while she does her teenage thing, I feel like I will relish the time when she can do her own transportation.

tessa in the car

For a sixteen year old, driving means freedom. Not having to depend on asking for a ride, looking to parents to give up whatever they are engaged in to deliver you somewhere and pick you up later. It’s like receiving your wings and being able to finally fly solo. For the parent, you cross your fingers and say a prayer and launch your fledgling trusting that you have taught them well and that they will use good judgment and common sense and that others will not harm them, while knowing full well how dangerous the highways are. It scares me but I know from my own memories of getting my license, that it is an experience that marks a major feeling of coming of age, a trusting, a responsibility, an opening of the cage door and release to the world. Travel with care and awareness my daughter, and come home safely each day.

Tessa in Paris

tessa dance 1

Tessa dance 2

gymnast

My daughter is a smart, responsible, amazing young person. A dancer, a gymnast, a poet, an artist, a lover of all living things, a vegetarian, a musician, an excellent student, and the most loyal of friends. She is also a typical teen with a messy room, a love of cool clothes, and a willingness to show great affection to her friends while being very reserved about showing it to her parents. More often than not we are an annoyance (because we usually come with requests and rules), but occasionally are also a welcome friend and advisor. Those are the rare moments that I live for. I wish daily that she would be more willing to say, “I love you” or “thank you”, but know in my heart that she knows she is a blessed and lucky young woman.

tessa and rea

tess and giraffe

tess and dolphin

She is outwardly happy, sitting at her computer singing to herself, she has a great laugh, though I know from her poetry that she has been hurt, and lonely, and sad, and has felt loss of loved ones and friends. She is sensitive, caring, thoughtful, empathetic, and wise. She is artistic, curious, dedicated, and generous. She is stubborn, and strong, and can persuade me to do most anything. And she is the light of my life.

prom

tess at Busch w/ friends

So happy birthday, my girl. Life holds great promise for you and your future. Whether you pursue a career in dance or become a zookeeper, or find along your path a new desire, you will undoubtedly succeed and shine. Your talent, your dedication, and your love of life will propel you to the achievement of your goals. I could not be more proud of you.

Love, Dad

tess b and w

1 Comment

August 14, 2007

The Art of Parking (Lots)

Life is too hectic. Too much to do. My wife and daughter finally returned from Florida but my daughter left the next day on a boat trip through the New York Canal System. It’s an annual thing. My editing work has been consuming on top of just keeping up with walking the dog and living as a bachelor for the last few weeks. So this is the first chance I’ve had to do a blog post in over two weeks and I feel very guilty about that. I haven’t missed a week since I started until now. I’ve also been struggling with what to focus on and as I was walking the dog a few days ago an image from long ago just kept coming back to mind from a parking garage in Atlanta.

parking ramp

parking lot tree

Parking lots and parking garages are necessary expanses of somewhat wasted but valuable real estate. They don’t often get the attention they deserve in the planning and creation of urban spaces. More often than not, they are simply wide plains of asphalt punctuated by a grid-work of yellow or white lines and the occasional light pole. Occasionally they offer directional guides and the ever popular reserved handicap blue island. But they seem to lay there wishing for more character and purpose.

Arrows

handicap space

gray door

Instead they are abandoned by their patrons as soon as a suitable location has been determined for the placement of the car. It’s a lonely, neglected existence. I would think parking lots would welcome the tail gate party before the game or the tent sale or the flea market. But they often must settle for the discharge of the leaky oil pan and the emptied ash tray and the occasional gathering of resting sea gulls. They enjoy far less drama and personality than the hitching post of by gone times. There is no desire to linger there.

trucks at the dock

Armstrong Lot

Pepsi sign

For some reason, I find parking lots a place of interest and often a good subject for images. Maybe it’s the emptiness, maybe it’s the feeling of anticipation. Maybe it’s the graphic nature and the Virgo in me looking for the sense of order.

Contemporary Trends

Red pipe

Maybe it’s the untold stories, the lives that pass with a variety of needs and goals. The thought of what happens here without anyone realizing. The secret meeting of a couple having an affair. The stalking of the unsuspecting. The unreported scratch left by the uncaring and negligent. The borrowing of a wayward cart by the homeless. The joy of gathering for an event. The parent teaching the first time driver on an empty Sunday morning.

CT cart in lot