Postcards from the Creative Journey

965 Behind the Scenes Effort First Published 2/21/2016

Are you interested in the subject of the photograph or does the making of the photograph excite you? Does it make a difference to you how much work went on behind the scenes of the photograph when it was made? The photograph you see is the result of the photographer’s efforts. It’s quite obvious what went on in front of the camera, but what about what went on behind the camera? Does the work the photographer put into making the physical artifact important to you? Would you go to an exhibition of photographs based on the choice of media or size of the image? Is the artifact the thing you go to see or is the artifact the beginning of a conversation?

If you are there just for the artifact, the discussion seems to be fairly short. Did the artist do a good job? If you are there for the ideas behind the artifact, then the discussion can be never ending. The discussion can branch out to many more.

Only photographers are interested in the journey. Everyone else sees the destination.

964 On That Day I Felt Old

One of the things about attaining a certain age (as we say in the American South) is you are sometimes reminded just how much of the world you have experienced. In short, it’s one of those experiences that remind you of your age. To wit, I received an email from my local photography group. They were excited about,” A presentation on the revival of film with several working examples of iconic 35 mm medium and large format cameras.” Photographers are getting excited about using film cameras – again? I did film for about thirty-five years (because there was no alternative) and I was quite happy to give it all up for the digital realm.

Truth be told, I do have two film cameras. One is an Argus C-44 that was my father’s camera. I also have a Kodak Motormatic 35 mm camera my sister acquired at a yard sale for five dollars. She gave it to me as a prank. At least I’ll be ready when digital cameras go out of style and we go back to film.

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The above image of Minerva's Pool at Yellowstone National Park was created in the late 1970's using a Wista 4x5 field camera. I digitized the negative and with a little bit of Lightroom and Photoshop it looks pretty good. 

963 Too Much To Do First Published on 5/15/2016

Sometimes I will flounder around for a while and not do too much photographically, usually the result of having way too many ideas, dreams and random thoughts. It’s like the old saying, “I have so much to do I can’t get started.” Once I prioritize three or four of these photographic dreams, then I will start to focus on what it takes to get it done. Having a manageable list of things to do is my way of getting motivated to produce some photographs. A catalytic event is usually something concrete with a deadline, like submitting images in response to a call for work. Nothing motivates like a deadline.

962 Last Day and a Wake Up

All good things come to an end and Safari XXXVIII is no exception. We finished this Safari by photographing all day at the Presby Museum in Goldendale. 

We spent a bit of time looking at the details of the museum and had quite a time isolating the most interesting items in the museum. 

I want to thank all my fellow backroomigans for checking out my blog posts during this year’s safari. I do appreciate your interest in my photographic safaris and I will continue to let you know about them as they happen. In the meantime, feel free to continue visiting my blog and website because creativity is a constant process.

961 Falling into Some Luck

We’re on the second to last day of Safari and it’s gone swimmingly well. We were looking for something to fill out the rest of the trip. On almost a lark, we headed for the Presby Museum in downtown Goldendale. When we got into the museum we were impressed with the quality of the contents and how well the contents were displayed. 

We asked for permission to photograph the interior and it was enthusiastically granted. The quid pro quo for permission to photograph freely is to provide images for the museum’s use. They are especially interested in having images of the second and third floor. These images would be used for a computer presentation for people that cannot get to the upper floors.

We spent the rest of the day photographing the first floor of the museum. There are three floors and two annex buildings. 

I have a long record of being able to photograph historical buildings and their content. This is something I can do well and enjoy doing. Having the museum appreciate what we’re doing makes it even more special. Preparation met opportunity and we have a great project.

We’ll be there as soon as the museum opens on Wednesday.

960 And Now for Something Completely Different

We left the isolated, rural high plains of Eastern Washington and headed back to Portland, Oregon’s Japanese Garden. We’ve photographed the Japanese Gardens in Portland and Seattle but we decided to revisit the Portland Garden. 

I have been invited to exhibit my photos from a previous visit to the Garden and I thought that I might be able to fill the inside straight with some additional images. It was a lovely day to visit the garden and I made some images. I don’t know if any of these images will fill my inside straight, but one can never have too many images when planning an exhibition. 

I visited the waterfall late in the day and managed to get enough room beside all the selfie stick wielding tourists to take the traditional tourist photo.

The pure luck event of the afternoon was to be over by the koi pond at feeding time. Colorful chaos reigned as the koi scarfed up the fish food cast upon the waters by the Garden Staff. 

959 A Day of Input and Output

Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning were fun non-photographic times. Brooks’ employee and her family came by Saturday night for a picnic. Sunday morning we accompanied them to Maryhill Stonehenge because it was on their way home. We stopped and had a fun time while their children (filled up with hot chocolate with whipped cream, and pancakes) ran off a major sugar rush at the monument. Of course, there is always time for a few more photographs.

While there, I had the opportunity to look back and see the breadth of a brush fire I photographed earlier in this Safari. While we initially photographed details and shorter views of the fire, getting far enough away from the location I understood the breadth of the area burned.

After returning to base camp we decided to spend the afternoon publishing an eight page artist book using my photographs of wind turbines. Because so much of my work is displayed virtually (as in this blog or on my website) it was interesting to have an artifact as a final art product. Learning this skill may have implications for photographic exhibits next year.

This is the last week on safari (have to be back home for a football game). Our plan is to head for Portland’s Japanese Garden on Monday so I can add some more images to an exhibit I have scheduled for next summer. 

958 Photographing the Inside Straight

Drawing to the inside straight is a tough play in poker. I had the same experience on Saturday as we headed back to the Klickitat River Valley. We’ve photographed along Trout Creek Road a couple times this Safari and we went back again Saturday morning to see what was different. 

I pretty much had all I needed from earlier trips, but you have to go back one more time just to make sure you have all the images you need for a project. Thus, the title of today’s post, and my lack of confidence that I would break any new ground.

Unlike a hand of poker, I won’t know if I won until I get back home and start to look at all the images I made from this trip. The good news is that I know I have a lot of good images from the lower Klickitat River from a few years ago. If I combine the images from both trips it might pay off with a jackpot.

957 When the Art Fights Back – Part II

Thanks for coming back for the exciting Part II of this blog post. If you haven't read Part I yet, here's the link to that blog post. I'll be right here waiting for you to get back.

When I find myself fighting with my Art projects  the most logical explanation for the fight is not with the Art, it is with me. If I read the words from the preceding post carefully, I find the source of the fight is none other than myself. I am the one that is fighting. I am the one trying to force fit the Art into what I want to do.

The resolution to the fight is simple; let the Art win. My Art is headed in a direction and wants to head there. Let it go, let it be what it wants to be. I need to change my view of what the Art should be. That doesn’t mean the solution is quick and easy. Sometimes the Art is postponed from the current Journal until I am smart enough to figure out what it wants to be. Sometimes I need to wait it out a day or two until I see what I should have seen all along.

I spend quite a bit of time on the golf course. The most common error I commit is to try to manage my swing. When I try to make my golf swing do what I want it to do, the results are less than stellar. When I get out of my own way and let my swing happen good things happen. It is the same with Art. You have to get out of your own way and let the Art lead you where it wants to go.

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This image is from the July Lipka Journal. Please click on the link above to go to my web site and see the battleground for this epic struggle between Art and myself. 

956 Undecided About the Results

A fellow photographer made a series of photographs at the local animal shelter. Her goal was to help publicize what happens to animals that are not adopted. Her intent was to help animals be adopted. When she published this work, she received extreme criticism of her images as being in favor of the euthanization of animals. The viewers misinterpreted her intentions from her images. I had that same thought as I went out late in the afternoon and photographed wind turbines.

I am torn between how I feel about these images. As an engineer, I love these big machines. They are sleek, majestic, powerful, produce electricity and employ a lot of people to build and maintain them. They are a very good thing for our economy.

As a photographer I see these big machines as a blight on the landscape. They ruin the landscape by not fitting in with what is already there. These machines intrude upon the pristine landscape and challenge our view of nature. I have been influenced by the landscape photographs of Ansel Adams to the point where anything other than the natural landscape is not considered beautiful.

I have yet to make up my mind about this project.

Mount Hood, turbines and structures

955 Going Back for Some More Images

This day was out of the ordinary for us, but a good time. In search of something to photograph today we decided to photograph the Maryhill Stonehenge in the afternoon instead of the late morning. We photographers prize the early morning hours, (the blue hour) and the late afternoon (the golden hour) because of the dramatic, directional light and the intense and long shadows. We hung around the camp for most of the day waiting for the afternoon light.

The place is different in the afternoon light and we had a good time photographing in the changing light. The images I made in this location are going to turn into a major project for me. There is no great emotional or psychological meaning to these photographs, they are just examples of composition, texture, light, shadow and form. The working title for these images is “Shadow Games.” Once I get these images back home on my monitor, we’ll see how they really turned out. 

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The Maryhill Stonehenge is a monument to the young men of Klickitat County who perished in the First World War. One of the plaques dedicated to Edward Lindblad showed the date of his death as September 15, 1918. One hundred and four years ago to the day, Edward Lindblad left this vale of tears. We just know his vital dates. We do not know if he met his demise on the battlefield immediately, or succumbed to wounds or died of disease. I wonder if his family’s descendants remember his sacrifice for our country.

954 What to do After a Great Performance?

One of my golfing buddies took a week off after shooting a five under par 67. I asked him why he wasn’t back out on the course immediately. He responded that he knew the next round wasn’t going to be as good as the last one and he wanted to enjoy remembering how great his last round was. After yesterday, we have the same issue. Our response is a little bit different. We headed out to make more photographs.

Brooks wanted to go back to Stonehenge because he thought he had some better ideas about how to improve what he did yesterday. When photographing, the better you know the area the better your photographs will be.

After a stop at Stonehenge, we headed east up the Columbia River and turned north after a bit. We wound up in the little town of Bickelton for lunch at the town's combination grocery store, restaurant, and community center. 

Leaving Bickelton I realized the two characteristics of this area; wind and wheat. There are dryland wheat farms and wind farms with lots of wind turbines generating electricity. 

This is a combination of five images. If I printed it at my normal size, it would be five feet long and a foot and a half tall. That’s a lot of windmills and a lot of wheat fields. I decided that this combination of elements, wind and wheat would be a good topic for one of my projects. It will be something I will be looking for during the rest of safari.

I think the project will have to include some videos just to capture the silence of the wheat fields and the whooshing of the turbines.

Today is the half way point of this year's safari.

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A late add. In the tradition of "the making of..." Here's a picture of what the panoramic photographic of the wind and wheat photograph looked like.