Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival Award

I was the one of the recipient of this award this past weekend. Their website says it best…

“All our artists have already won simply by jurying in to this prestigious Festival, but each year we go one step farther and award four exhibiting artists a Special Recognition Award. The award comes with a $500 check and automatic entry into next year's Festival.”

The award winners are selected by a panel of three highly qualified judges, each of whom rates each artist independently and then gathers for a spirited discussion. The four awards are presented at a charming artists' reception on the first night of the Festival.”

It was a great festival as always other than the fact it rained the second day and pretty much shut it down on Sunday. Three years of drought and it has to rain that one day!

CPA Volunteer of the Month – January 2021

“Tracing our roots back to the Friends of Photography, founded in 1967, we remain the second oldest members’ photography gallery space in the country. A short walk from Ocean Avenue in Carmel, California brings you to the venerable gallery originally occupied by the Friends of Photography, established in 1967, and launched by iconic artists Ansel Adams, Cole Weston, and Wynn Bullock. Today, CPA continues to serve as a valuable asset to its members, the community, and the greater world of the photographic arts.Volunteering at the Center for Photographic Arts in Carmel has it’s advantages. “ - CPA - Center for the Photographic Arts

There are advantages to being a volunteer in the gallery at CPA. I get to exhibit my artwork for a month at this prestigious organization. My art also receives portfolio reviews by the executive director Ann Jastrab.

Art in the Wit Gallery, Lenox, MA

If you don't vote...

Kind of expresses how I felt before the 2020 election. Feeling better now.

This is a montage of three different images - the sky/ocean, boat, and the flag.

Good News - Gallery Representation

I am pleased to announce that I am now being represented by The Wit Gallery in Lenox, Massachusetts. They have chosen seven images from my Morocco and Spain series to be exhibited in the gallery. My wife and I visited the gallery several times over the past few years before I presented my portfolio to them. We were always impressed with the art and the artists they represent, and I am honored for my work to join their collection. It is always worth a visit to the gallery if you are in the area!

The images were mostly created in camera using multiple exposures with various blending techniques. The artwork is uniquely framed using archival methods. The prints are vanished and then float mounted in a hardwood frame. This method avoids the distraction of glass. The artwork is sold as signed limited editions. 

Lenox is a quintessential New England village in the heart of the Berkshires in western Mass. The Berkshires region is a treasure trove of cultural arts. Lenox is the summer home of the Boston Symphony, the renowned music venue, Tanglewood, and the Norman Rockwell Museum, to name a few. And for me, a long-time quitarist, the fact that James Taylor lives there is a particular highlight!

Artwork to be shown before shipping to the Wit Gallery in Lenox Mass.

Impressions of Seacliff Beach

Impressions of Seacliff Beach, Aptos, California. Not a bad place to shelter in place. May we all stay safe in these troubled times.

Expressionism

"I am more concerned with portraying an interpretation rather than a literal representation of what I see before me." - Valda Bailey

Dreaming in Color

Whisper of Spring

House of Dreams

When the Wind Blows

Michelangelo's Memory

Sonnets of Light

Spirits Live Here

The Light on the Wall

Between Two Worlds

Through the Looking Glass

I recently participated in a BaileyChinnery workshop in Tuscany, Italy. We created unique art using several multiple exposures and blend modes done in camera in real time. It’s complicated. Only a few cameras, specifically some Canon and Nikon, have these features. More importantly, the result can be unique semi-abstract expressionistic art that can be created in camera. I strive to create art that expresses the light, textures, colors and movement in the world around us, rather than simply an often-photographed pretty or iconic scene. More art in this style can be seen at New Work. Enjoy the slide show!

Accommodations were at the Villa Mangiacani (not to make you feel bad).

"The negative is the score, and the print is the performance." - Ansel Adams

My modern paraphrase of Ansel’s quote is “the digital file is the score, and the print is the performance.”

I have been very active on social media the past year, especially on Instagram and on my Facebook business page. My posts have been seen by many viewers and have generated positive responses. However, to truly appreciate artwork one should really view it in person. Electronic media just does not do the art justice.

There are so many unique ways to print and display art these days, in addition to a multitude of photographic papers such as glossy, luster, matte, metallic and more. Artwork can also be printed on canvas, metal, and acrylic with various finishes as in the paper versions. I won’t even get into the zillion ways that artwork can be framed.

Electronic media is so transient. In contrast, artwork displayed on walls in your home or office will continue to enhance your life on a daily basis.

If you have any questions or would like to know more, feel free to contact me. Contact information listed below. Thanks!

“Dreamin’” 24”x36”- available on dye infused aluminum and canvas wrap

April Shower Bring May Flowers

Flowers are probably the most photographed subject. Yet their beauty can be irresistible. I have been creating impressionistic images lately using multiple exposures and blending them together in different ways to create the effect. Flowers are the perfect subject for this technique. Don't tell Claude Monet!

My next art show is Los Altos Art in the Park May 19& 20. It is held in a beautiful grassy park. You can also view my future shows on the home page.

New England Fall Splendor

I recently returned from an October photography trip to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine and wanted to share with you some of my favorite images of the fall colors - aka leaf peeping. A few locals apologized that the colors were not that great this year. Could've fooled me!

The colors are influenced by the amount of moisture earlier in the year and by not having extremes of temperatures heading into the fall. Shorter days are one of the main stimulus for the leaves to start turning. Due to earlier warm weather the colors were delayed this year. It was fortunate for us because we got to New England a bit late.

Enjoy!

Also...

I will be speaking on the subject of Photography as Art, along with 4 other photographers,  at Open Show Nov. 15 

Come join us!

Everywhere I Tern...

Recently there has been a spectacular display of Elegant Terns in the Moss Landing and Elkhorn Slough area. There are several varieties of terns and I was unsure about what types they were. However when I listened to a sample of what they sound like, it was obvious they were Elegant Terns. They migrate from Mexico along the west coast of California. More information can be found about them here. I often find them along Seacliff Beach in Aptos, practically in my backyard, although not in as many numbers as in the Elkhorn Slough area.

2017 Santa Cruz Open Studio Tour

On another note ...  you are invited to my Open Studios on October 14 & 15. More information can be found here.

 

Whales Everywhere!

If you live anywhere near Santa Cruz, and especially the Aptos Beach area, you know that the humpback whales have been stealing the show lately. They have been feeding off anchovies and can grow up to 40-60 feet long and weigh as much as 44 tons. I have seen them as little as 150 feet just offshore outside the shore break. Since I live within a couple of minutes of Aptos Beach I have had many opportunities to observe and photograph them.

One of their feeding behaviors is to come up beneath a school of anchovies, mouth wide open, and lunge to the surface scooping up the prey. You can see in the images the anchovies spilling from the whale's mouth. Another behavior is called "bubblenet" feeding. Several whales circle the anchovies and corral them by blowing bubbles forcing the food into a tighter ball. Then you may see two or more whales lunging through the bait ball. A couple of my images have captured that behavior.

I don't consider myself a wildlife photographer. However as a professional I believe I should be able to handle almost any scene photographically. If I were on a boat I probably could have gotten closer shots. Certainly there are some awesome images made by local photographers. However, viewing them from so close to the shore (practically from my own backyard) was a special experience.

Now for the technical information. A Fuji XT2 camera with a 100-400 zoom lens with image stabilization was used to make these images. Always be looking in the viewfinder anticipating where the next appearance may occur. Follow the birds - especially the ones near the last lunging whale. See if you can get the shutter speed up to 1/1000 sec. or more, adjusting the aperture and iso sensitivity as necessary. Set the motor drive (frames per second) to as fast as it will go. My XT2 can shoot 8 frames per second. And if you are using an iPhone - well,  good luck!

They don't say that to painters...

"Did you manipulate that photo?" I wish I had a nickel every time I have heard that.  Artists who paint are never asked that question. They add and remove  elements, alter colors and change the perspective of a scene to express their artistic vision. Art is in the eye of the beholder.

I am a fine art photographer and consider my camera a tool to create art. Therefore, I allow myself the freedom to create images as a painter would. Check out the amazing artistry of fine art photographer Valda Bailey whose art is mostly created in-camera with multiple exposures and blending modes.

Of course the standards are different for a photojournalist. Their goal is to provide accurate documentation of events. However, even then, where one stands and what lens and settings are used on the camera can greatly influence the interpretation of the images.

You can view more of my painterly art in the impressions gallery.

Any thoughts on the matter?

The Art of the Dance

One of my current projects is photographing professional dancers. Most of the images are made using a slow shutter speed in order to create an impressionistic blurring effect to emphasize motion. My initial inspiration came from photographer Hal Eastman's dance imagery. I also discovered a wonderful book of his dance images on Amazon – for five bucks!

This first image is of Julia Zharova, the founder of the San Francisco Russian Ballet School. I was fortunate to photograph this talented dancer in the performance auditorium in the San Francisco Russian Center. This is my favorite image of her.

More dance images can be seen here.

What Democracy Looks Like

This is what democracy looks like. I will let the images speak for themselves.

Home Sweet Home

If you are lucky enough to live at the beach, your are lucky enough. For more than 25 years, Seacliff Beach has been my backyard. Granted, I just have an "ocean peak" from the upper deck in my home. But it is only a short stroll to the white sand of what is arguably the best beach in Santa Cruz County. My neighbors, vacationers, and day trippers would likely agree. One would think after all those years there would be no more images to capture, yet almost every day I find something interesting to photograph.

Below are a few recent images...

The complete gallery can be seen in the Seacliff Beach Gallery page

Arches National Park

I love the national and state parks of southwest Utah! I have photographed in Arches, Canyonlands, Capital Reefs, Zion, Bryce, Dead Horse Point, Escalantes National Monument, and surrounding areas. However Arches is my favorite park to do landscape photography. It is conveniently located 20 minutes from Moab (translated - I don't have to get up as early as other locations). There are also lots of good restaurants and places to stay in Moab.The downside is that it can get quite crowed, but when I am out shooting at dawn and sunset I escape the crowds.

Please enjoy my top pics from Arches and surrounding areas from last month.

I left My Gear in San Francisco

Now you know the rest of the story...

A couple weeks ago I was in San Francisco and went around the corner to get some coffee. I was gone maybe 15 minutes. It probably took the thief ten seconds to smash and grab two packs full of camera gear - about $6000! It was a nice area, middle of the day in broad daylight, with people on the sidewalks. I had actually put the packs in my truck and sat in it for awhile in case someone was scoping it out. Lessons learned.

The silver lining is that my insurance company has been generous. I can now make the total switch from Canon gear to the Fuji mirrorless system. My Fuji xt1 mirrorless camera easily rivals my professional Canon gear with half the size and weight to carry around!

Fortunately, I had my Fuji with me on the way to coffee. I like this one abstract image of a San Francisco street scene.

Death Valley Wildflower Extravaganza

The Death Valley National Park wildflower bloom is a sight to behold! I was there last week photographing with my friend and photographer Les White for five days. We were shooting before the sun was up and after it went down. There were even times when the light was decent in the middle of the day, thanks to some nice cloud cover to soften the light. Half of the time, we were laying on our side on the rocky valley floor shooting up at the wildflowers – not to mention getting bit by unknown insects. It's a rough life doing what you love!

Desert Gold (a.k.a Geraea canescens) is the dominant flower you see when driving through the valley. However, get in close and you will see spectacular displays of Sand Verbena (Abronia villosa), Golden Evening Primrose (Camissonia brevipes), Purple Mat (Nama demissum) and one of my favorites - the delicate Desert Five-Spot (Eremalche rotundifolia). This pink variety of ground mallow has five beautiful red eyes staring back at you.  Of course there are more flowering varieties than you can count with both hands (and feet). Don't I sound like a smarty pants flower expert - thanks to Google!

On the technical side were, we fortunate to have great light and very little wind. Most of the time it was easy to achieve a fast shutter speed to help freeze any flower movement in order to get sharp images. Often a tripod was not necessary. I also needed to push myself to use a wide angle lens (10-24mm) more often. The key is to get the lens really close, within a couple inches, of the flower. This allows you to fill most of the frame with the flower and also place it in context with the background to tell the story.

I believe there is still time to travel to Death Valley to view the wildflower extravaganza. I noticed that there is a 30% chance of scattered showers today (March 7) and 20% chance tomorrow. Hopefully, that might extend the bloom another 2-3 weeks.

Please enjoy the slideshow of my favorite images. Feel free to comment or ask questions below.

Chinese New Years Flower Festival

The weekend before last was the Chinese New Year Flower Fair in San Francisco's Chinatown. It takes place the weekend before the lunar new year holiday. There are lots of traditional Chinese cultural happenings during the fair. I try to make it there every year to photograph the event. It's all about street photography and events like this one make it easy because you can disappear into the crowd to take pictures and hardly anyone will notice. Not to mention there are plenty of other photographers going unnoticed. I guess I am nobody special!

Enjoy my brief slideshow of a few of my favorite images from the event! Feel free to click on the icons in the upper right corner to post this to your favorite social media sites. You can also comment below.

Waltzing Willets

As often happens, I set out with a photographic goal in mind only to come upon something else more compelling to photograph. Some people might call this serendipity. Webster defines this as “luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for.” Such was the case the other day when I ventured down to Seacliff State Park beach. My purpose was to photograph the huge 17-20 foot storm waves - which I did accomplish (shown in the slide show below). However, a flock of Willets feeding in the evening light diverted my attention from the waves. I have been doing a lot of intentionally blurred images (ICM) lately, but these images were unintentionally blurred. I usually shoot in aperture priority so the camera decided I needed 1/20s for a proper exposure as I tracked their movement (called panning in photographic terms). Lucky for me, it was the right shutter speed to blur the birds to create these artistic images. The first one is my favorite and it's called “Waltzing Willets.”

Feel free to comment below.