photography Archives - Page 4 of 15 - Scooter in the Sticks

Photography Lessons

September 6, 2015 by Scooter in the Sticks 12 Comments

Kim is the creative fire in our home, the one who operates on a different perceptual plane. When it comes to photography she is way out ahead while I just keep doing the same things over and over. Last night she taught me another lesson.

Her pedigree is different than mine. She’s been a professional science writer, published fiction writer and relentless photographer. I remember a phone message on her answering machine from an editor informing her that a short story had been selected for their magazine award (cash) along with “I had to smoke a cigarette after I read your story.”

I don’t get that kind of reaction to anything I write.

After earning a living with a camera since the 1970s you would think I have things covered in that area but I’m still receiving photography lessons from Kim. I should add she’s also responsible for dreaming up the title of this blog — Scooter in the Sticks — and just recently devised the road icon in my logo.

Last night I was looking at a series of images she made using an effects feature on her Canon G16 camera. Being a creature of habit and perhaps a photographic snob I only use manual settings on my own camera — in this case a Canon G15. Real photographers don’t rely on tricks just like real motorcycle and scooter riders never trailer their machines to destinations. It’s that sort of thinking that keeps me trapped rather than free.

Kim set me free (again) last night.

I never knew my camera had effect settings, and if I did I probably wouldn’t have looked at them. But looking at her series of images set fire to my limited photographic imagination. Sitting in the chair I tinkered with the Toy Camera setting to make this self portrait.

It was murky outside this morning as I departed to run a few errands. Experimenting further with the Toy Camera setting I realized it works to deepen the emotional feel of an already emotionally charged weather event. To this point, the only time I saw something like this was with images made using Instagram on my iPhone.

Autumn is not far off now and I can’t recall what happened to summer. Leaves are already changing colors and falling at my feet. The days are moving swiftly and if I blink I fear snow will be falling.

Throughout the morning I continued to play with the Toy Camera setting. It won’t work for every situation but for certain subjects and intentions it is the right tool for the job. That’s a big revelation for someone like me who tends to use the same tool for everything.

A gift from a loving wife for which I’ve not devised the proper thank you.

There are days when the desire to ride far and fast is strong. Especially when the sun is not beating on my back and the world looks strange. Imagination percolates and I wonder about elves and zombies. With either, a Vespa is what you want to be riding.

The view from breakfast on the porch of Cafe Lemont in Lemont, Pennsylvania. Chili and sourdough bread while watching the world go by and a few minutes to do nothing at all. I’m still learning how to let go of everything without feeling guilty or keep busy. Hard to slow down with those thoughts in your head.

When you’re in a hurry you miss the details — of the road and your life. Slowing down seems at odds with everything our culture tells us. More, more, more…

I’ve been reading “The Effortless Life” by Leo Babauta, author of the blog Zen Habits. He suggests it’s helpful if you’ve ever wrestled with:

frustration
struggle
distraction
anger
impatience
unhappiness
relationships
goals
work
being present

This book seems to have been written for me…

Each time I stop to make a picture it’s can seem like a lesson in living. Or changing. If only to practice focusing and being less distracted. Or just being present for a few moments.

I’ve been smitten by the Toy Camera setting for the moment as life takes on a cinematic quality. Not sure where it will go but I know it doesn’t matter. One of the photography lessons I’ve learned from Kim is that there are no rules, no expectations, and I can do whatever I want.

That’s a good place to be when visually things look as if you’re riding toward an apocalypse…

One last stop to pick up a loaf of rustica italian bread at gemelli bakery in State College, Pennsylvania.

I’ve not plumbed the depth of the Toy Camera feature or looked at all the other choices. Who knows where these photography lessons will go next.

Photographing the Amish

July 14, 2015 by Scooter in the Sticks 24 Comments

Riding through the agricultural valleys east of State College, Pennsylvania, Penns Valley and Sugar Valley to be precise, places you squarely amidst thriving Amish communities. On Sunday mornings evidence of their horse drawn buggies are everywhere.

As I rode along some quiet roads I thought about the times people having asked me why I’m not photographing the Amish.

There’s certainly an abundance of landscapes to help paint a romanticized portrait of the Amish. There are a handful of local photographers who have built careers out of such work. A few have befriended a number of Amish families to gain unfettered access to homes and people to produce some magical images of an idealized rural life. Bill Coleman is a notable example of a photographer who spent his life with the Amish.

Others are like predators, skulking along roads awaiting their prey with telephoto lenses, stealing pictures and souls from people who likely just want to be left alone. I’ve often wondered how we English would feel if we were being photographed in the same way as we picnic at a park or our kids play along a creek.

I don’t photograph the Amish — much.

On Sunday morning I was stopped along a road near Smulton, Pennsylvania to make a portrait of a lovely Verbascum plant. As I finished and turned to walk back to the Vespa I saw two Amish couples and their children, all dressed in their Sunday clothes, walking on the road toward me as they heading for meeting. All eyes were on me as I walked toward them with my camera in hand. I’m sure I was not the first Englishman they’ve encountered with a camera.

I raised the seat on the scooter, placed the camera away, and started the scooter. As I rode past they all smiled and waved as I said, “Beautiful day.”

While I know I have the right to photograph these strangers on a public road, I’ve never felt comfortable photographing the Amish, or anyone for that matter that doesn’t give their permission. At least not in a setting like this. I have photographed the Amish — for assignments at work where they were a part of a story and agreed to be photographed, or the occasional buggy passing by my Vespa.

Some miles down the road I could tell from the number of buggies and people walking along the road that a meeting place was near. A small group of children walked along, barefoot, on the edge of the road and I couldn’t help but think how simple yet difficult their lives must be. Having to deal with me and a camera just doesn’t seem fair somehow.

For me, the Amish are best left as images in my mind. So you’ll probably not see many pictures of them unless someone takes the Vespa for a spin.

Large Format Photography

February 22, 2015 by Scooter in the Sticks 14 Comments

Poor planning had me testing my new (to me) 8×10 Calumet C-1 view camera as a cold front moved into Happy Valley bringing with it a drop in temperature (12F), wind, and snow. But only needing one exposure I figured it wouldn’t be so bad even though the view out the front of the van suggested otherwise. Working in large format photography requires practice and method and while I once possessed both ten years ago it’s not like riding a bicycle. The new camera immediately felt like a foreign object.

You might wonder what any of this has to do with riding the Vespa? I’ll get to that.

My Belgian Sheepdog Junior loves the cold weather and was content periodically chasing the tennis ball down the hill as I wrestled with the camera. Setting it up in a warm home is nothing like trying to do it when a biting wind is at you. I could do most of the setup with gloves save for mounting the camera to the tripod. By the time I turned the mounting screw into the base of the camera both hands were numb — not a good start to a test. I was reminded of how I had to develop a process for riding the Vespa scooter in the winter and how the same would be necessary for the big camera. I made a mistake just venturing out like I did.

The test destination was about 100 yards away — the tree in the distance on the far right of the photo. Lugging the camera, lens and tripod (35 pounds total) is a chore in itself that requires some practice. At least I could wear mittens.

Not sure how old the camera or lens is or even if the shutter is functioning properly. That’s one of the reasons I was doing a test though about at this point in time I was wondering why I wasn’t conducting it in my livingroom. At least the snow slowed a bit so I could spend some time composing a picture.

Junior is relentless and I try to imagine myself as such though my cold tolerance just can’t match his. Each time he lunged into the snow to retrieve the ball he turned just a little whiter.

Finally I had everything ready and made the exposure — 1/1o of a second at f32 on Ilford HP5 8×10 film. Later in the day I processed it in Kodak D76 developer at a 1:1 dilution with water in a new BTZS (Beyond the Zone System) processing tube.

I was able to get everything back into the van without becoming frostbitten but was aware some practice was in order in handling the camera from setup to tear down. Practice will make this much easier over time. It’s like learning to ride.

The darkroom was pretty much the same thing — some practice is in order to streamline the process. And the final result indicated the need for an adjustment in exposures and/or processing time — the negative was dense. But it was a good first step and here is the result:

The black and white contact print “feels” like what I saw — white and cold as snow blew through the air. Because the negative was so dense the image has lost detail in the highlights but I suspect I can retrieve them in the darkroom. This quick print was really to evaluate the sharpness of the lens and see if I could detect any processing inconsistencies. So far, so good.

So, what does this have to do with the Vespa? Well, my plan is to haul the camera on the scooter to work on a two-fold project. One part focuses on landscape — man-made, social, environmental, natural, whatever I see while riding. The other is a series of portraits of the Vespa in the riding landscape. I’ve worked out in my head how I’ll haul everything. The camera will be packed and hauled on the front rack. The film holders and light meter will ride in the topcase while the lens and dark cloth will call the under-seat space home.

One step at a time I’ll keep plodding along…

Photographic Reboot

February 17, 2015 by Scooter in the Sticks 18 Comments

With so much snow and cold weather lately I’ve just not been interested in riding lately. I’ve traversed this sort of surface but I no longer am interested in testing my endurance or skill on the ice. Instead, I’ve been exploring my photographic roots and am spending more time making photographs on film and working in the darkroom. A post on a forum this evening spoke of a “reboot” in life. That may be what I’m doing.

Sunday morning at Saint’s Cafe has been the place to validate my non-professional photographic life with the help and participation of friends on similar quests. Everyone should have a time and place to confirm some things in life. The hot chocolate and bagel is just icing on the experience.

Paul Ruby has been consistently working and producing gallery quality digital prints from scenes from his life. Seeing someone consistently show up with new work, regardless of quality or subject, is inspiring. Everyone is busy with myriad responsibilities and seems to live in chaos so when a person manages to inject some personal creative expression and output into their days is kind of amazing to me.

Gordon Harkins has been showing up for years now and most times with new work. In his frustration that he’s not doing more I recognize my own awful critic that can’t see how much I’m actually doing myself. I remind him of the output he’s accomplished but I don’t think he believes it. I’m familiar with the trait.

Photography is important to Ruby and his thoughts, words and gestures support that observation. I often sit back just to watch and listen to the show.

Each week I continue to try and expose two rolls of film and make three prints. It feels random and unfocused but I trust that it will lead somewhere if I do the work. So here’s the latest from the photographic reboot:

Leica M6 portrait of Gordon Harkins made the previous Sunday as snow began to fall.

View of Kim making photos of her snow-covered garden.

Portrait of my Belgian Sheepdog Junior in the snow.

So that’s it. Three prints. This week I have the 8×10 Calumet C1 view camera out and have been considering a switch for a bit. The camera is heavy — almost 18 pounds — and the film is expensive — almost $2.50 a shot — so I’m still pondering. Whatever happens, I trust the process to yield something good if I show up to do the work.

Just like riding the Vespa scooter.

3 Prints Project Resurrected

February 1, 2015 by Scooter in the Sticks 15 Comments

I have a small gray notebook to keep track of the black and white film I process. Entries include date, number of rolls, developer, temperature, developing time and notes on how the negatives look. Sometimes there may be a notation on the subject. Until now the last roll of film developed was in October 2011. That’s when the sink sprung a leak and how long it has taken me to make repairs. Obviously it doesn’t take that long to fix a sink. Life just got in the way.

Slowly working through the backlog of exposed film and getting into the flow of processing — I had forgotten how satisfying the ritual dance in the darkroom can me, the low amber glow, the soft sound of water trickling through trays, the quiet disconnection from technology and distraction.

Such is the attraction of black and white film photography.

Using a film camera is a different experience than using a digital camera. I like to believe the image is all that matters but I know that’s not true. A body of work doesn’t spring into existence without a lot of work and sweat. The tools and processes involved not only affect the final product, but also the worker. For me, film has always resonated in my personal work. For the past couple years I’ve wandered away from it.

The Leica M6 has been a faithful companion for over a decade. It’s simple and reliable, much like the Vespa scooter I ride.

At Saint’s Cafe this morning Gordon looked over prints and contact sheets, a part of the long sharing we’ve engaged in to help motivate continued personal work. It’s easy to stop in favor of so many other things but I’m grateful that I’ve continued making photographs for myself for over 50 years. It just works.

Below are the images I brought to the cafe.

Carl is a Saint’s Cafe regular. I showed him the print and he did not recall me making the photo. I remember it well; standing outside the window waving to get his attention but he was lost in thought. Carl told me he must have been working on his Huuduu composition, a jazz-funk piece. He’s a musician and concert violinist.

My friend and love, wife and confidant Kim in her garden. She sees everything.

Aleta, the youngest child. She went with me to Baltimore at my last appointment at Johns Hopkins. I think she was smiling because afterwards we would pay a visit to IKEA where she would acquire some furniture.

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