Art Show Mode

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I am still in Art Show mode and, because of the images I am working on, I can only see horses, as you can tell by the picture above. Because the equine part of the show in May got the most attention, I have added only new work that capitalizes on that interest. The new work for the June 5th show consists mostly of stylized pieces such as the one here, and most of them involved considerable Photoshop work. Once again, I enjoy that part of the job, so it hasn’t been drudgery. Still, I have my days when I think that I am tired of the monitor screen, don’t want to touch the mouse, and just want to take new photographs. As you might guess, the start of my SoFoBoMo project is still at least a week away and I am getting a little antsy about that. Finally, I am in the midst of framing for the show with ninety percent of the printing done, but I won’t wrap this up for a few more days.

When I am doing this much processing, it seems I slip almost completely into a non-verbal mode. Anyone who visits this blog frequently knows that most of the time I can happily chatter on almost endlessly about almost nothing. But, when I am working on certain types of pictures, I tend to sink down into another kind of being and there aren’t many words there. That’s where I have spent most of the last week.

Not surprisingly, preparation for this show has been a learning experience. The learning is in the form of a reminder. Some of the new pieces were worked on months ago (years in some cases), but were never printed; and, while the files looked fine to me on the screen, test prints proved that they were not quite ready for prime time, after all. It is amazing, isn’t it, how great the distance between “almost good enough” to “yes, that’s what I was looking for”? Those last few tweaks go slowly for me, partly because I often need to walk away from an image for a while and come back to it with fresh eyes.

And that’s not the half of it. When I am working on a new piece, I usually have no clue where I am headed. I just know that there is the shadow of something in the photograph and I won’t be content until I have coaxed that out. And, wouldn’t it be fun if it were as simple as sprinkling some Photoshop fairy dust on the image and waiting for the new image to magically emerge? Still, the ability to transform a photograph so profoundly (even with hours of patient starting, backing up, and starting again) to ultimately produce something that touches people is almost magical to me.

I am quite aware that this talk about so much work in the digital darkroom brings up a sensitive topic for many photographers. If you are purist and don’t think photographs should be tampered with, you would run—not walk away from much of what I produce. I happen to swing back and forth between the two schools of thought. I have periods where I am only interested in photographs that required minimum processing. On the other hand, I go through phases of taking photographs to the point that many viewers aren’t certain what the origins of the image might be. Never having functioned as a photographer prior to digital, I have no allegiance to the purist school. I live there when it pleases me; when I get hungry for something else, I switch back to the fairy dust.

Lost Weekend

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Saturday morning, The Husband and I headed out to the Equine Affaire at Golden Hills Equestrian Center ready for fun and edification galore. Having heard the forecast, I dressed for warm weather and armed myself with plenty of water. Still, I think I had been lulled for so many months by cool (too often for my wimpy taste) cold weather. I wasn’t mentally prepared for the morning in Tehachapi. By the time we headed home a little after noon, the temperature had hit 93 degrees.

Not bad, you say, and I couldn’t agree more. But that’s not the way my wacky body saw it at all. In less than an hour—probably closer to half an hour, I had some type of sunstroke and was almost flattened. This problem has grown worse over the years and it has officially become a serious limitation that sometimes bugs the heck out of me. At the time, I didn’t feel overly hot (but then, I almost never do). Something just goes wacky in my system and everything pretty much shuts down. Thanks to a good Samaritan who put an ice pack on the back of my neck, I never passed out and this time my stomach didn’t try to turn inside out. But, the little episode wiped out two days, and I am still not quite certain whose body I am using. I do know this much: this loaner is no bargain.

I never fancied myself as the pale little lady, covered with the wide-brimmed hat, sitting far back, deep in the shade, cooling herself with one of those folding fans, and sipping a cool drink while others frolic in the glorious rays of the summer sun. Egads! That’s a picture that I’d rather not see.

Oh, well. Life is good. Even if I—a long time sun-lover—may end up unable to enjoy the entire middle of the day any time the temperature is going to rise above 85 degrees. I enjoy photo-processing (I did get some important-to-me work done on a few pieces during my recovery period). There are far worse things that could happen. Besides, limitations fuel creativity.

By yesterday evening, I was feeling somewhat human and The Husband and I went for a leisurely walk down at Cub Lake. After a while we sat on the side of the lake and played. I began tossing pebbles in the water to see what would happen if I took pictures of the resulting ripples. One thing led to another until we began experimenting with mini-geysers. Before we exhausted all the possibilities of our exploration, a new acquaintance walked by and we had a nice chat with her. I am already looking forward to more experiments and more easy walks at Cub Lake. What a wonderful refuge it is—and practically in my backyard.

Life is a series of adjustments, isn’t it?

Shooting With Handicaps

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I have been doing my best to squeeze in some shooting sessions along with the prep work for the next show. Some of my sessions are spent out in the pasture with one or both of the horses. Since Fadwah’s Lancer recently turned 17, I thought it was appropriate to post this shot of him taken a few days ago.

On these occasions, I am often shooting in undesirable conditions—and that’s by design. To begin with, I often shoot at odd times of day rather than choosing optimum light. I also work without a wrangler, and that means I have to go out there resolved to be patient and make the best of whatever I see. A wrangler would be able to move the horse or horses to the end of the pasture where I have the best possible background. Moreover, the wrangler would be equipped with a some type of prop used to get the animals’ attention, or get their “ears up”. Furthermore, if I am out there with both horses (and without a wrangler), I have to pay close attention that I don’t get underfoot. You really don’t want one of these beasts stepping on your toes, believe me. Horses are amazingly sure-footed. Ask any competitive rider, and that goes for any of the equine sports. But, and it’s a big but, horses don’t count stepping on a human foot as hazardous, so sometimes a foot is stepped on. It smarts. Particularly when they are “horsing around”, I have to fend for myself with no one to stand between me and them to wave arms and send them safely by me. I work with extra caution.

None of this is meant to imply that either of the horses would purposely harm me. Most horses won’t hurt a human on purpose, unless it’s in self-defense. (Of course, in the case of an abused horse, the horse may always be in defensive mode.) The potential for harm with horses such as ours is all about nasty accidents that can happen. These guys are big, strong, and sometimes play rough. I keep my distance when they are excited. People who are strong and agile can take a great deal more chances than I. I have to work within my limitations.

Besides these conditions, I am still lugging the 70-200mm f/2.8 around.
Still, all in all, this setup works wonderfully for me. If I can get a shot or two that I like when working under these less than desirable conditions it only prepares me to deliver better photos when conditions are ideal.

Of course, all this raises the question, Why go to all this fuss? I suppose it’s like any other creative endeavor. You do what you have to do. Over and over we hear the advice to “shoot what you love”. So, there you go. For me, making pictures of horses that please me, and move others besides, is a major reason for owning a camera.

Experimenting with Portraits

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Note: This started out being a post about shooting portraits, but I have to take time to vent over the frustration of translating skin tones to a jpeg for the web. (The sound you hear is made by the steam coming out of my ears.) I have printed this picture and it looks terrific. In the web version, however, the skin tones are something far less than wonderful. Every color correction method I have tried fails to solve the problem. (At least, the one at the main gallery is somewhat better.) Ultimately, I gave up hope and decided to just put up the post and complain. Now, on to the original reason for this post.

For some time, I have been flirting with the notion of taking portraits, but I never seem to follow through. I have had plenty of urging from fellow-bloggers to give it a try and I know that I will have to take a run at it—if only to get it out of my system. There are a number of reasons for my resistance, some of which I have talked about in earlier entries here; but some of the resistance comes from a source that I have never mentioned. I spent over thirty years of my life in Los Angeles living and breathing that particular air of Tinsel Town where “headshots” are central part of the actor’s life. Having experienced both personally and vicariously all the angst surrounding the selection of photographers, the disappointments, and frustrations from those photo shoots, I have some residual feelings about portraits that I have yet to fully resolve. As I’ve said before, I prefer subjects that won’t complain endlessly about “the way my eyes look” or “I don’t think I really have that many wrinkles”; “my nose looks funny”, or “my hair looks fuller than that, don’t you think?”

As I said a few posts ago, I am not anxious when shooting people with their horses. In those cases, the person knows that she (more often than not it is a female horse-owner) is not the star of the shot, and I can help her to focus all her attention on her horse. Of course, there is the need to have two subjects focused when the owner is in the shot, but the horse is the leading character. Even when viewing the pictures, the horse-owner is more apt to be concerned with how the horse looks, than her own hair or nose.

All my angst aside, I recently got an idea to take some shots of that handsome devil, The Husband. By the time the urge struck, it was late evening and we were “losing the light” (that old saw from the location shoot). In a rush, I grabbed the closest camera and realized that I wouldn’t have time to change lenses. It was the 100mm macro or nothing. Both The Husband and I decided “what the heck” and found a spot in the backyard to shoot a few frames. The one above is my favorite and, by the way, The Husband likes it as well. I ended up thinking the macro lens is not a bad choice. Normally, I would have chosen the 70-200mm. Both lenses are f2.8 (a lovely advantage); but I am just not accustomed to the need to zoom with my feet.

Of course, this outing was easy. Because it’s difficult to get a really bad picture of The Husband, I avoided many of the typical problems of portrait shooting. Moreover, I was totally relaxed when shooting since the entire thing was a last-minute whim and there was nothing on it. Still, I may yet do more experimenting with putting people (who don’t have their horses with them) in my photos.

Challenges and Rewards

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Each time I complete one self-assignment, I come up with another one for myself. Not surprisingly, a number of these assignments are connected to the next show coming up June 5. It fascinates me that as soon as I wrap up one job, the act of completion seems to create a space that is then filled by two or three new projects. It’s as if the projects bear fruit, or a little like those wire coat hangers that would multiply in the closet. (By the way, have you noticed that the plastic ones are sterile? They break. Sometimes, they disappear to who-knows-where. But, they don’t multiply. Hmm. Another of those scientific mysteries.)

At any rate, I decided to reflect on tests and ventures that I can wrap my head around and leave coat hanger mysteries to someone with more expertise in the area of closet life. What I know is that every challenge taxes my physical strength and my capacity for facing the unknown. Inevitably, challenges present me with moments when I wonder if it is worth continuing through the stress. Quitting, or not even accepting the challenge in the first place, can be such a tempting alternative. Still, if I see it through to the end—whatever it is, there are always rewards. Even if no one else recognizes the benefits of my having completed the course, the satisfaction of following through is a reward in itself and there is no way to know where that experience will take me.

SoFoBoMo 2008 was such a test for me. The fact that I actually completed a project, then had the courage to post it online (rather than hiding it away and believing that I couldn’t find a way to get it online), was a triumph over doubts. And, that victory over myself has, in turn, led to more risk-taking with my photography.

Over and over in life, the lesson is there to be learned. One step (no matter how small) leads to the next, and that one to the next, and so on until, before long, we look back and see that we have traveled some distance, and that the journey has been filled with discoveries.

Having confronted my doubts in tackling SoFoBoMo last year opened up all sorts of doors for me. Since completing that project, I find that I listen to even more impulses to try new things. The doubts still nag, but their voices have been muted by the little successes along the way—and even by the failures. After all, once you fail, get up brush yourself off and discover that there are no permanent bruises, the next risk isn’t so daunting.

There is no doubt that I will complete my SoFoBoMo 2009 project—somehow, some way. No matter how woefully behind I am this year, I will get it done. After all, I wouldn’t want to miss any steps in my journey.

P.S. That mountain just peeking above the clouds is our Bear Mountain and on the other side of the mountain is home. A trip to Bakersfield last Tuesday gave us an opportunity to enjoy this view.

Some SoFoBoMo Thoughts

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My recent projects have taken on a life of their own. News of another show coming up June 5th meant a new postcard for publicity. In the next couple of days, I have to have copies of a flyer for a first-time equine event in Tehachapi. The Husband and I want to attend the event and offer support to a young woman who has taken over an equestrian center and stable and has great ambitions. The Husband is particularly interested in the event, since there will be exhibits and clinics. We hope to learn some things and mostly get to know more horse people in “The Greater Tehachapi Area”. That sounds like a rather large area and lots of people, right? Well, it is a large in terms of square miles, but the population is spread blessedly thin. However, there are a fair number of horse owners in all these small communities, and we are both interested in meeting more of those folks.

Between preparing for events such as the equine affair and working on new prints along with some framing chores, I haven’t been able to concentrate on SoFoBoMo. Last year, I was tempted to drop out after I signed up, because I was so intimidated by the people participating and I was nervous about completing my book. It turned out to be an invaluable experience, and I will be eternally grateful that I persisted despite the anxieties. (If you are worried about committing, or you have signed up and you are getting nervous about the venture, take a breath and plunge in. I promise you, you won’t regret it.) In contrast, I wouldn’t miss the fun this year for anything. Indeed, I had looked forward to it for months. Ironically, I now find myself so swamped that I can’t think straight and couldn’t begin on May 1, after all.

I have done only the most minimal kind of planning for my thirty-five photographs in e-book form. But, I have made a few tentative decidions. For example, I have, at least, given some thought to location. A couple of weeks ago, I investigated a horse trail near us that winds through a canyon and is rich with trees, rocks, plant life, and a tiny rivulet of water that may last through June (so I have heard). So far, when it comes to where to shoot, Oak Canyon is ahead in the running. The sign pictured above, however, means that I will be looking for a companion when I go down there to shoot.

Unlike several SoFoBoMo participants, I am not planning to limit myself in terms of lenses. I will likely be shooting with my favorite walkaround lens, the 24-105mm, plus the 100mm macro, and maybe even "Big Bertha", the 70-100mm f2.8.

Especially with all the unexpected projects that have exploded, I will keep my layout and text sparse and ultra-simple. I know a number of people are looking to stretch by pushing the limits of the e-book format. I will have to settle for enjoying the results of their creative ambitions.

I know that my project will most certainly be influenced by the two shows that I have done so far, as well as the one that I am preparing for; but, currently, I couldn’t begin to articulate what that influence will be. I do know that the shows have ended up with the focus clearly on equine images, while the SoFoBoMo project will feature landscapes.

Rain on My Parade

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It may have rained on my parade, but it was a heck of a parade anyway. For the first time in weeks, the “possible” rain made it here and, for an hour or two before the show, I was concerned that the weather would result in a small turnout. On the contrary, a surprising number of folks weren’t afraid of melting, and a grand time was had by all. Lori and her fiancé, Robert, were excited about the numbers who joined us—especially since they are the newest venue and meant that folks needed to add a brand new stop to their First Friday tour.

I met lots of people and visited with some new friends. I learned a great deal about local publications, organizations, upcoming events, and resources. As if that weren’t enough, sales were extremely encouraging. (Lori feels certain that the interest in the work was strong enough that some people just need time to finalize that decision to purchase and will return next week to buy their favorite print. I seem to have found the price range for this market. I definitely wasn’t willing to sell at a price that would make the whole venture exclusively an ego boost. (They like me. They really, really like me. With apologies to Sally Field.) But, I faced reality.

At the end of the evening, I inquired as to who would be the next featured artist and was surprised to learn that Lori and Robert want to feature my prints again for first Friday in June. The good news is that ,with sales and another show in a month, I have work and deadlines coming out my ears—prints to replace; new work to add for the June show. The bad news is that I will have to postpone my SoFoBoMo project a little longer. I am still eager to begin my book, and wish I could just split up into two people for the next four or five weeks. I think I have gotten a glimmer of where I want to shoot, but need one more scouting trip to confirm the decisions. Now, it's about those extra hours in the day that I have been requesting for years.

The Frosting is Sweet

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In my last post, I said that the show this weekend had already qualified as a success and any other positive developments would be bonuses. You know, the frosting on the cake. Well, lo and behold, when I went in yesterday to deliver the two final prints that had been waiting for their spot to be cleared, I got a taste of the frosting. One of my prints has pre-sold. Gee whiz. I even got to collect an early bonus. April 2009 has been filled with blessings.

I have been scurrying about working on some last minute materials for Lori and, in the meantime, stumbling into a couple more projects. Whew. If I weren’t already a wee bit of a dizzy dame, I would be by now.

Mulling Things Over

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I took things easy this afternoon. This morning I buzzed about finishing a printing job for my project and helping The Husband get ready to go to LA. He had to go down there for an audition and afterwards he had an appointment to shoe a horse in our old neighborhood. By the time I finished the printing for me, the stapling and general assistant for him, got him off, then drove into town to deliver some biographical material for Friday night’s promotion, I was feeling a little worn. Besides, I discovered that we are smack back into late winter again. Well, my idea of winter, anyway. I got out of the car and was hit by how cold and blustery it was. I had no will to make any other stops and came straight home after completing my delivery.

With the house quiet and feeling tired besides, I gave myself permission to ignore the to-do list and spend time instead relaxing and reflecting a bit on my experiences the last couple of weeks. I’ve been thinking mostly about this First Friday event and all my preparation for it. I have reached the conclusion that my participation in First Friday is already an unqualified success. I see those furrowed brows. How can I declare this a success when the event hasn’t yet taken place? Easy. This is clearly one of those cases where the journey was the destination.

First, by saying yes to this invitation, I said yes to a lot of work that I normally postpone indefinitely. When asked to bring in additional pieces, I said yes and embraced the challenge of more framing. Without external structure, I will shoot much faster than I can process—much less print, and forget about matting and framing. I frequently have pieces that I want to take all the way to that conclusion of the framed print, but I love shooting so much that I am constantly ahead of myself. Yes, my preparation for First Friday meant that I didn’t have as much time for shooting, but it prohibited my normal procrastination on printing and framing.

Another bonus was the motivation to get out and talk to more people. I am quite impressed by Lori (the shop owner) and want so much for this event to be a success for her. Her store is new; she has put a great deal of energy into her new business and has accomplished amazing things in a remarkably short time. I want to support her and thank her for choosing my work and for inviting me to be her first “featured artist”. It’s been easy to talk up the evening, because of my enthusiasm for her and her entrepreneurial spirit. So far, quite a nice number of people have said yes to my invitation to attend on Friday evening and I look forward to meeting still more people in my new neighborhood.

Just by committing to the event and preparing for it, I have already accomplished a number of things. Now, I can settle down and look forward to the pleasure of watching the evening unfold knowing that the experience has already been a success. Everything else will be a bonus.

Hanging Out With the Guys

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For a couple of evenings this past week, I spent some time out in the pasture hanging out with Lancer and Night. Friday, I darned near got frost bite it was so cold, but I have a several motivations.

Not only do I just enjoy watching the horses from a closer point, I certainly hope to get some shots that I like. My major motivation is getting back to a point where I am more comfortable shooting action. For many months now, I have been shooting landscapes and a little macro with very little action. I had gotten to the point of feeling totally out of shape for the demands of fast action shooting. The shots of the horses that I have posted recently were shot from safely outside the pasture, because I was still hobbling about on my abused ankle. I have finally reached the point where I feel relatively comfortable wandering about in the field—ground squirrel holes and all. The footing isn’t the very best, but, so far, so good.

One of the reasons that I need practice is that my best lens for shooting horses is far and away the 70-200 f2.8L, but the lens has two major drawbacks. 1. I foolishly saved money (this was done a couple of years ago) and didn’t get the IS version. 2. The weight. I call this lens Big Bertha. In the past, I used this lens only with a monopod. While I was never satisfied with that arrangement, I didn't feel confident without the security of the monopod. I put up with it, even though it is a definite hindrance. Most equine photographers handle that lens handheld for action, and I am slowly working my way up to some consistency with it. Of course shooting handheld will mean accepting some major disappointments with shots that would have been terrific, if only they were sharp. On the other hand, it means getting some shots that definitely would never be possible while lugging around a tripod and would most likely be missed with a monopod. I am going to go for the spontaneity and flexibility. I will have to live with the near misses.

My time with Lancer and Night is relaxing. Mostly they just eat their way along—not wildly entertaining; but I enjoy watching them do almost anything. Both of these evenings, however, the guys have put on a little show for me, and I thought I would share a couple of my practice shots. These are the antithesis of the glamour pictures that I will do more of as the weather warms—shots showing the horses “stood up” nicely with coats clean and shiny, eyes wiped clean, chin-hair trimmed sleek, hooves polished. Here, they are just being horses—and happy horses with room to play.

By the way, it may look as if Lancer (the chestnut) is standing still in the second shot, but he had just been crammed into the fence by Night, while they charged around the pasture. Night was playing the aggressor the second evening and was crowding Lancer, just for fun. They had a good romp, and I was treated to grand entertainment along with plenty of practice shooting fast action.