Chris Alvanas led our workshop on High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography on Saturday. Judging from the emails I've received today, it was a success! 9 participants attended at 2701 East Main Artists. These photographers came away with much useful information, as well as inspiration from Chirs' great images. As a bonus Mr Alvanas shared some of his retouching techniques. That alone was worth the cost.
I seem to be shooting more and more HDR images of late. It has put some magic back into my photography. The results are often other worldly, with a depth that is lacking in many "normal" images. Now, with the advent of digital, this profession is rapidly changing, so fast it makes my head spin. It's an exciting time to be involved. And you can expect that six months from now there will be another new new thing.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
The City of Light
Yes, indeed, Paris was lighted up for Christmas. I've posted some images of our cruise from Paris to Rueon in Normandy. See them on my Flickr site as well as my website. I am so turned on by this wonderful city, I find so much to photograph. So much to do, so much to eat... Yes, "I love Paris in the winder, when it's raining, "etc. etc.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Why, Oh Why, Do I Love Paris
Even though it rained day after day, Paris was,is, and always will be our favorite city. Ah, the City of Light. Food, wine, art, and especially the people, they all inspire me. We cruised to Ruoen on the Seine. This is a wonderful city, and it was in full Christmas dress. As I stood in front of the cathedral, I thought of Impressionist Claude Monet, who also stood in this very same spot so many years ago. He painted this famous facade 28 times, in shade and in sun, and with warm colors and cool. Some of his variations have been lost, but the many that survive are now treasured masterpieces, spread far and wide.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Third grade, Namibia
This Ultimate Africa trip is one of the many Overseas Adventure Travel trips my wife and I have taken, and we thought it was the best, a real adventure. The guides were amazing, the tented accommodations perfect, the wildlife profuse, and the people warm and friendly. What more could we ask.
We met the children at two different schools, one in Namibia, and the other in Zimbabwe. Grand Circle Foundation has built and funded many schools through the world, these being two of them. We met the teachers and chatted with the students right at their desks. The kids sang for us, even performed a native dance. it was an unforgettable highlight for Kathy and I.
We met the children at two different schools, one in Namibia, and the other in Zimbabwe. Grand Circle Foundation has built and funded many schools through the world, these being two of them. We met the teachers and chatted with the students right at their desks. The kids sang for us, even performed a native dance. it was an unforgettable highlight for Kathy and I.
Rhino
On our very last day at the Wilderness Tented Camp in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, we came upon a male and a female rhino out on the veld at sunset. These huge beasts have been hunted to near extinction but thanks to the efforts of many interested parties, they are being re-introduced here in the park.
The male, built like a Sherman tank, hovered around his princess protectively, circling her,and posturing for our vehicles, like "Don't mess with my woman..."
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
The Orange Sellers
This was in Zimbabwe, on the road to Victoria Falls, October, 2008. We stopped because our driver needed some produce to take home. Immediately a thong of vendors, mostly kids, approached our bus. They offered up oranges and other fruit, with desperation in their eyes. This country was descending into darkness. Mugabe and his greedy mob had raped the land, had failed their people miserably. We all felt embarrassingly fortunate for our lot, separated from these children by a thin piece of glass, and the good fortune of our birth. We sat silent, shaking our heads "No," helpless to their plight.
November
Every autumn, after the trees are mostly bare, and the leaves lay scattered and brown, I remember my father's passing. To me October is clear and bright, red, yellow, and sunshine. November, on the other hand, is brown and smells of burning leaves. My heart always feels heavier then.
It has been almost thirty years, but it seems like yesterday. The phone call came on the seventeenth of the month from my brother Charlie, who has been dead and gone a good long time himself. I was in a photo session. I could hear the two college girls laughing while I took the call at the reception desk. I hung up the phone slowly, put on a tight smile, and finished making my clients portraits, like nothing happened. This is what I remember about in November.
It has been almost thirty years, but it seems like yesterday. The phone call came on the seventeenth of the month from my brother Charlie, who has been dead and gone a good long time himself. I was in a photo session. I could hear the two college girls laughing while I took the call at the reception desk. I hung up the phone slowly, put on a tight smile, and finished making my clients portraits, like nothing happened. This is what I remember about in November.
New Look for Jan Armor's website
This image is called "Migration," appropriate because it celebrates the migration of my web site to something leaner and meaner.
Kathy and I were shopping in Seekonk when we saw a enormous flock, no, swarm, of little black birds descend on one of the busiest intersection on the East Bay at rush hour, on their way South. They perched on the wires, oblivious to the noise and traffic just below. Occasionally a sharp noise might unsettle them as this picture illustrates, then they would alight once more, resting from their long journey. It was an amazing site, one that is repeated year after year, and this time I had my camera...
Little Zack's feet
Justin and Kristin cal him Zacherie, Grandma Kathy calls him Zack, I call him Zak. He arrived into this crazy world at 7'4" When 7 year old Jack was told he now had his first cousin he said, "Welcome to America." Yes, little Zak, welcome!
Portrait of Sheila #2
This is a reconstituted image from my old film days. Time is short. I must get busy selecting favorite images for posterity and rework them, not that anyone cares...
In this case the original image was a motion blured portrait of Sheila that I further manipulated in the darkroom... way back in 1993???? Fast forward... yesterday I downloaded a computer generated image from a Flickr friend and laid it over the rescanned Sheila image with this result.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Tree line #1, Pardon Gray Preserve
Here is just one of many examples of texture overlays on my stream, most graciously provided by the members of our community. I am always amazed how they can transform an image from ordinary to extraordinary.
This Old House
Just a short walk north on Main Road from Pardon Gray (see below) This image, and the one preceding, began as three well spaced exposures, then converted to HDR, and finally managed in both Lightroom and Photoshop for this effect. Careful, watch your first step out the front door...
Old Oak,Pardon Gray Preserve
I've been taking pictures here for several years. The main feature of the preserve is an ancient cemetery out in the middle of a cultivated. It is an island of trees pushing up the old stones, defined by a beautiful Rhode Island classic stone wall. There are a few other trees that stand guard, this Oak being one. It has a magnificent shape, with beautiful limbs. It is a tree with the character of an old Yankee farmer.
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