Postcards from the Creative Journey

Looking at the Corner

 

I walked around Vancouver BC’s Chinatown and did not see much to photograph until I turned around and saw the corner of this shop. This wall was very attractive because of the absolutely great directional light emphasizing textures, values (my world is black and white - I have values not colors), kanji and international traffic symbol. I moved across the street a bit to include a little bit of the front of the shop. While photography is two dimensional, I always try to add the illusion of depth to my images.

When the First Plan Doesn't Work

 

I really like this photograph and this is the first time anyone will get a chance to see it. I like the juxtaposition of the door texture and geometry with the free form paint strokes on a smooth wall. The overhead monorail tracks provide some unity to both elements. And it is here on this section of my web site because this photograph is a genuine square peg. Literally, I could not make this photograph fit into the Labyrinth Project. Try as I might, I could not find other images from Fort Worden that would make a nice blend with either side of this image. So, here it is, not a Labyrinth photograph, but a Square Peg photograph.

Consistent to the Smallest Detail

 

It’s our job as photographers to see and record things “civilians” don’t normally see. In the Hastings building I was impressed with the totality of the design. Door knobs and hinges and window pulls had consistent design elements throughout the building. These are not details that one would normally see, but the excellence of design was maintained down to the smallest of details. There was no room in the “Edge of Forgotten” folio to show my observation of these details, so they were not included. Editing images is difficult for photographers. Even here, I show three images at one time. Editing, it's always the editing.

Seen and Heard Can Be Very Different

 

This calm, quiet and peaceful photograph was made in the “quiet light” (thank you John Sexton) of a late afternoon when the sun had just passed over nearby mountain tops. The air is clear and cool at 5,400 feet elevation. The grasses are stock still. The water is flat as glass and captures the reflection of the background of the photograph. There is not a breath of wind in this scene. Tranquility reigns on this tiny tarn. Fifty feet behind me, the diesel motors of tractor trailers roar as they crest Washington Pass on Route 20. The mood and feeling of a photograph and the mood and feeling of a photograph when it is made may not often be the same.