Encased in Ice

We are inside an ice cube here in Rhode Island,USA. (But then we could be in Chicago.) Temp here is 33 degrees, and every branch is coated in ice. The cars, the street, the bird feeders, and our driveway... all encased. But when I look closely, damn, I can see buds on those branches, little tiny promises that Spring is just around the corner. The groundhog might just be right!
So since I'm pretty much trapped here on Indian Lake, I've decided to switch seasons, virtually that is, and explore those Vermont pictures that I never got around to, summer of 2007. The hasty cutout of "Young Lady of the Corn" comes from a series I shot of the kids jumping into Dorset Quarry. Took hundreds, had the boys doing flips for me, and think these could make a fun video. Maybe for tomorrow. Anyway, I'm thinking summer...

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Stay Warm,

Jan Armor

Posted via email from Jan Armor's Fine Art Photographs

Natalie deserves an Oscar

We saw Black Swan last night, and it is a superb psychological thriller. Natalie Portman is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette - but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile the Black Swan. Directed by Aaron Aronofsky, this electrifying, erotic film will take your breath away, leaving you wondering what was real and what wasn't. A must see, with a great soundtrack to boot. Below, out from the Armor Archives, one of my swans, a tribute to Black Swan!

Jan Armor
A Picture (almost) every day on my blog: http://janthephotoman.posterous.com/

NEW WORK:

"The Perfect Storm"
http://jandarmor.zenfolio.com/p177862995/slideshow

"Portrait of Rhode Island Nurseries"
http://janarmor.photoshelter.com/gallery/Portrait-of-Rhode-Island-Nurseries/G...

Classes and workshops 
http://www.armorphoto.com/classes/classes.html

8 Indian Trail N., Wakefield, RI 02879
H 401.249-0650 M 401.441.5517
About me: http://about.me/janarmor

Posted via email from Jan Armor's Fine Art Photographs

Winter Kill

The American Tree Sparrow is a common winter visitor in our backyard, and in backyards all across southern Canada and the northern United States. We enjoy watching them wait their turn at our feeder, usually second in the pecking order just behind the woodpeckers.Unfortunately I found this little guy frozen in the snow on our roof, frozen stiff as a board, one of many birds who succumb to our hard New England winter.

Jan Armor
A Picture (almost) every day on my blog: http://janthephotoman.posterous.com/

NEW WORK:

 
"The Perfect Storm"
http://jandarmor.zenfolio.com/p177862995/slideshow

"Portrait of Rhode Island Nurseries"
http://janarmor.photoshelter.com/gallery/Portrait-of-Rhode-Island-Nurseries/G...

Classes and workshops 
http://www.armorphoto.com/classes/classes.html

8 Indian Trail N., Wakefield, RI 02879
H 401.249-0650 M 401.441.5517
About me: http://about.me/janarmor

Posted via email from Jan Armor's Fine Art Photographs

You just never know...

One of the things that I love about street shooting is, "you just never know" what you will see, what little performance will happen, and then, in an instant, disappear. Have your camera ready! While walking down a non-descript side street in Rome, I happened to gaze into the window of a shop that specialized in garden sculpture. As I took in the space, an elderly gent appeared out from behind the life size sculpture of some Greek god. As this little drama unfolded, I sensed there was something strange about this scene, not exactly sure what. I raised the camera and shot. Later, I realized there was an amazing resemblance between the elderly worker and that stone god. I'm left wondering, was he the model for this sculpture???? Maybe...

Original

the model

Travel virtually with Jan to Rome and Sicily:
http://janarmor.photoshelter.com/gallery/Glimpses-of-Italy/G0000lVp6swfFNss

Jan

Posted via email from Jan Armor's Fine Art Photographs

The perfect storm

The perfect storm for photography on Indian Lake yesterday. A few inches of sticky snow, large gentle flakes that floated down in the still air and hung on the trees. We drove around the lake, looking for new views. It turned out that the best shots were out on the ice. The gulls and ducks were hunkered down out there in the middle, waiting it out, probably thinking, "He he comes again." Although I walked across the lake with fingers crossed, I knew there really was no need to worry, with temps in the single digitals for several days before the storm. Perfectly quiet, magical moments on in the soft light. Difficult to capture the feeling, but I'm always trying...

More photos: http://jandarmor.zenfolio.com/p177862995/slideshow

Stay warm,

Jan Armor

Posted via email from Jan Armor's Fine Art Photographs

The Antiquated Walls of Tarromina

Sicily is an ancient island, and so are the walls of many old buildings, exposed to both the elements, and generations of redecoration. I found these in Taromina, in a place where thousands of tourists pass each season. I've used them here with two images from the Paolo Orsi Regional Archaeological Museum in Siricua, which, by the way, has an amazing collection of art and sculpture from the region.

I've posted these inspirational walls on my Flickr site for anyone to use. Here's the link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/janthephotoman/

See and download the full gallery on posterous

The museum: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/siracusa.htm

Jan Armor

Posted via email from Jan Armor's Fine Art Photographs

The mosaics of Villa de Casale

It's cold on Indian Lake today, 1 degree this early AM, but I'm still in virtual Sicily. Check out the amazing "Villa del Casale," a Roman villa, built between 330 and 360 AD. The attraction for tourists is its magnificent mosaics. The mosaics have miraculously survived, and probably belonged to a wealthy patrician. Depicting scenes from daily life, such as hunting, athletic events, travel, feasts, animals, and birds are as remarkable for their sociological value as for their artistry. Although not apparent here, these mosaics are quite large, some encompassing large floors through the villa. One of these, showing women clad in two-piece swimsuits exercising with barbells, could well describe a scene typical of the twentieth century. Others are probably portraits of the owners family and other VIPs. Below some examples.

Jan Armor

New work 

"Portrait of RI Nurseries"
http://janarmor.photoshelter.com/gallery/Portrait-of-Rhode-Island-Nurseries/G0000xPyZVK.1EAQ/

"Seen in Japan"

http://janarmor.photoshelter.com/gallery/Seen-in-Japan/G00000kykMJ__or8

8 Indian Trail N., Wakefield, RI 02879
Google Voice: 401.249-0650 Cell: 401.441.5517
About me: http://about.me/janarmor

A Picture (almost) every day on my blog: http://janthephotoman.posterous.com/

NEW... Classes and workshop with Jan
http://www.armorphoto.com/classes/classes.html

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Jan Armor's Fine Art Photographs

Fire and Ice, and things not so nice..

A bloody sunset hung over our lake last night, bringing with it "Siberian" temperatures. 5 degrees this AM on our thermometer, lake frozen solid. I'm staying inside for a while, working on Sicily, 2006, wishing I was there, where the temp there is probably in 70s. I'll ventrue out around 11 to do some pictures of the ice fishermen. 

Blood Red Sunset, Indian Lake, 1/23/2011

Kathy made some outstanding portraits in Sicily, one of which is below. She can charm the pants off those elderly gentlemen, whereas I'd probably be shot if I took pictures of them. 

How timely this image. Although taken in Palermo, Sicily, it could just as well have been on Federal hill, in Providence, RI. 

(

Last week the headline in Projo read, "127 charged in Mafia crackdown in Northeast, es-mob boss of RI charged in the big sweep."

I've post a few of these Sicilian B&W street portraits, both her's and mine  at the link below:

http://jandarmor.zenfolio.com/p521099289/slideshow

"Palermo Street Portrait," by Kathy 

Stay warm, go Steelers!

Jan

Posted via email from Jan Armor's Fine Art Photographs

Revisiting The Past

Portuguese Festival, New Bedford, 2004

I've been in the past, running archived images through Lightroom. Amazing the improvements using this powerful program! 

In the process of editing 2004, I'm hoping to find some diamonds in the rough. These festival shots never saw the light of day... till now.

http://jandarmor.zenfolio.com/p45207944/slideshow

Looked at Death Valley, 2004, while I was at it, and ended up using one of the dunes for my new website:

http://www.armorphoto.com/

So I've finished with '04. Now another look at the Italy Trip. Rome and Sicily, '06. Lot's of subject matter there, and I admit, I'm feeling the itch to both return (we always want to go back), and also to pick up the 7D and do some "street" on Federal Hill. Here's one from Rome '06.

Girl On Scooter, Rome, 2006

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about street photography:

Street photography uses the techniques of straight photography in that it shows a pure vision of something, like holding up a mirror to society. Street photography often tends to be ironic and can be distanced from its subject matter, and often concentrates on a single human moment, caught at a decisive or poignant moment. On the other hand, much street photography takes the opposite approach and provides a very literal and extremely personal rendering of the subject matter, giving the audience a more visceral experience of walks of life they might only be passingly familiar with. In the 20th century, street photographers have provided an exemplary and detailed record of street culture in Europe and North America, and elsewhere.

Best to you all on this cold January morn,

Jan Armor

Posted via email from Jan Armor's Fine Art Photographs

Sycamores

The Sycamores at URI

I was out early in a light snow fall, hoping to find something new to photograph. The light was flatter than a pancake, and the snow would come and go. We rode over to the golf course on Rt 138, a place where I've wanted to shoot, but I wasn't inspired for some reason. So we turned around and ended up at that sycamore tree line I've had my eye on, along the back road at URI. When the snow blew hard it obscured the background some, and I liked how the tree branches separated and the curves were accentuated by the light snow on them. Not a bad shoot. I'll be showing selected images at the OLLI Tree Walk on March 28th. I have others around the quad from The Blizzard of January, 2011, that should make the cut.

More>> http://jandarmor.zenfolio.com/sycamore/slideshow

Posted via email from Jan Armor's Fine Art Photographs

Japan, The Old And The New

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Jan Armor
New work - Portrait of RI Nurseries
http://janarmor.photoshelter.com/

8 Indian Trail N., Wakefield, RI 02879
Google Voice: 401.249-0650 Cell: 401.441.5517
About me: http://about.me/janarmor

A Picture (almost) every day on my blog: http://janthephotoman.posterous.com/

NEW... Classes and workshop with Jan
http://www.armorphoto.com/classes/classes.html

Posted via email from Jan Armor's Fine Art Photographs

Eloquent light at Mt Hope Farm

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Jan Armor
New work - Portrait of RI Nurseries
http://janarmor.photoshelter.com/

8 Indian Trail N., Wakefield, RI 02879
Google Voice: 401.249-0650 Cell: 401.441.5517
About me: http://about.me/janarmor

A Picture (almost) every day on my blog: http://janthephotoman.posterous.com/

NEW... Classes and workshop with Jan
http://www.armorphoto.com/classes/classes.html

Posted via email from Jan Armor's Fine Art Photographs

Armor Postcards from Tokyo, Japan

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Jan Armor's Fine Art Photographs

another dramatic sunsets over Indian Lake

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Jan Armor
New work - Portrait of RI Nurseries
http://janarmor.photoshelter.com/

8 Indian Trail N., Wakefield, RI 02879
Google Voice: 401.249-0650 Cell: 401.441.5517
About me: http://about.me/janarmor

A Picture (almost) every day on my blog: http://janthephotoman.posterous.com/

NEW... Classes and workshop with Jan
http://www.armorphoto.com/classes/classes.html

Posted via email from Jan Armor's Fine Art Photographs