prolixpics blog

Kitty

2011-02-27T13:58:00.001-08:00

Reduction

2010-12-11T07:19:00.000-08:00

Me On a Good Day

2010-12-10T23:33:00.000-08:00

Afternoon

2010-12-10T23:32:00.000-08:00

Violin

2010-12-10T23:31:00.002-08:00

Dixie Hands

2010-12-10T23:31:00.000-08:00

Vaquero

2010-11-28T14:43:00.001-08:00

Aspen

2010-09-25T23:33:00.001-07:00

Homeland Security

2010-09-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

Possum Kingdom Lake

2010-09-19T07:28:00.001-07:00

Longhorn

2010-09-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

The Jockey

2010-08-08T16:16:00.001-07:00

Stick Figure

2010-08-08T16:15:00.003-07:00

Smitty's

2010-08-08T16:15:00.001-07:00

On Break

2010-08-08T16:14:00.003-07:00

Fence

2010-08-08T16:14:00.001-07:00

Don't Drink the Water

2010-08-08T16:13:00.002-07:00

Commune with Nature

2010-08-08T16:13:00.000-07:00

Play Like a Girl!

2010-06-13T19:58:00.001-07:00

Slide Trombone

2010-06-04T19:20:00.000-07:00

Jo

2010-05-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

2010-05-21T15:29:00.000-07:00

2010-05-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

2010-03-23T06:48:00.001-07:00

2010-03-03T15:55:00.001-08:00

Wired

2010-03-03T06:29:00.001-08:00

2010-03-01T11:39:00.003-08:00

2010-03-01T11:39:00.001-08:00

There's a Light

2010-02-25T06:56:00.000-08:00

2010-02-22T17:59:00.001-08:00

2010-02-22T17:57:00.001-08:00

2010-02-22T17:54:00.000-08:00

2010-02-14T09:08:00.001-08:00

2010-02-12T09:24:00.001-08:00

Olympic Dreams

2010-02-12T07:33:00.000-08:00

End of a Perfect Day

2010-02-11T11:40:00.000-08:00

624 Bourbon Street

2010-02-10T07:53:00.001-08:00

8 x 10

2010-02-09T07:08:00.001-08:00

Morning Run

2010-02-06T08:31:00.001-08:00

Helena

2010-02-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

There Are Signs...

2010-02-03T13:14:00.000-08:00

Hair on the G String

2010-02-02T14:28:00.001-08:00

Celebration

2010-02-01T07:37:00.000-08:00

Dance Like Nobody's Watching

2010-01-31T09:14:00.001-08:00

An Old Hand

2010-01-29T05:29:00.000-08:00

Surfer #9

2010-01-27T06:29:00.000-08:00

Saints Pride

2010-01-26T07:50:00.001-08:00

Who Dat?

2010-01-26T07:47:00.001-08:00

NOLA

2010-01-26T07:44:00.001-08:00

Virtuoso and Dog

2010-01-26T07:36:00.000-08:00

The Surfer

2010-01-24T15:24:00.001-08:00

Emily

2009-12-27T13:34:00.001-08:00

Sophie

2009-12-27T13:21:00.001-08:00

Bourbon and St. Ann

2009-11-29T08:55:00.000-08:00

triplets

2009-11-29T08:54:00.001-08:00

Sniff Sniff

2009-11-28T16:32:00.001-08:00

Harbor View

2009-11-28T12:34:00.000-08:00

"Would you rather be in New York, looking at New Jersey, or in New Jersey, looking at New York?"

(From a sign advertising condos for sale in Hoboken.)

Maggie and Dudley

2009-11-27T14:31:00.001-08:00

Maggie

2009-11-27T13:55:00.001-08:00

Dudley

2009-11-27T13:37:00.001-08:00

Living on Hope

2009-11-24T21:57:00.001-08:00

Sunset

2009-11-23T06:02:00.001-08:00

Watching the Kids

2009-11-23T05:01:00.000-08:00

The Meeting

2009-11-23T05:00:00.001-08:00

The Tuba: Secret Hero of Rock and Roll

2009-11-21T17:42:00.001-08:00

Living Blueprint

2009-11-21T17:36:00.000-08:00

Morning Walk

2009-11-21T17:34:00.001-08:00

I'm Waiting

2009-11-21T17:31:00.001-08:00

The World is in Shakey Hands

2009-11-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

Genius

2009-11-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

I was in Las Vegas recently.
There's a remarkable building under construction,
the Ruvo Brain Institute, designed by Frank Gehry.

On this latest trip, I was invited to enter the work site
to see how the building was constructed.
It's amazing to witness: thousands of metal panels, cut by hand,
each carefully placed into the structure.

The construction workers, were just a great bunch of guys.
Serious about their work, lighthearted about life.

Gehry's genius humbled me, the vision, the complexity of the design, the engineering . . .

Then it struck me. How Gehry's genius was so dependant upon
the genius of a bunch of regular guys.

It's a Brand New Me!

2009-10-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

A Wall Divides Me

2009-08-16T07:48:00.001-07:00

America

2009-08-15T01:17:00.001-07:00

Emily Morgan

2009-08-09T06:12:00.000-07:00

The viewer who posts the best "Emily Morgan" story wins a free print of this photograph.
(I figure I don't have much to lose because nobody reads this blog anyway.)

And No Dogs

2009-08-09T06:10:00.001-07:00

What's wrong with dogs?

Larger than Light

2009-08-07T09:51:00.001-07:00

A Quiet Night at the Marina

2009-08-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

It was a quiet night at the marina.

The fishing boats were docked.

Their masters were home asleep.

Resting after a hard day's work.

A few hands remained to prepare the boats for their next day's voyage.

But a storm was brewing.

Tragedy: Life to Void

2009-07-26T08:28:00.001-07:00

Tragedy: A story describing the downfall of something wonderful; a drama describing a conflict between a hero and a superior force (as destiny) and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion, a disastrous event, calamity.

Contradictions

2009-07-10T07:20:00.001-07:00

Natural Consequences

2009-07-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

separate

segregate

sever

vfxy W

Zen and the Art of Bowling

2009-06-26T08:56:00.000-07:00

quieting the mind

distance reflects warm color

releasing outcomes

vfxy W

Travel by Train

2009-06-21T10:33:00.001-07:00

When it's done right.

It's a fine thing to do.

It's futuristic

and nostalgic.

vfxy W

Summer

2009-06-07T19:05:00.001-07:00

Summer of Discovery

vfxy W

Futuristic Fun

2009-05-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

I asked the kids' opinion on what would what make a
good photograph of something that looked into the future.
We decided that a crystal ball / fortune teller theme might work.

We played with some dry ice.

But the crystal ball seemed to work the best.

And then I wondered, when did my "little girl" stop being so little?

vfxy W

2009-05-09T00:47:00.000-07:00

Food

vfxy W

Huge is an Odd Word

2009-05-04T17:12:00.001-07:00

It's a matter of perspective.

What is huge to an ant,

or a child,

or an adult.

And then some things are huge beyond mere size.

vfxy W

Discovery

2009-01-05T22:42:00.001-08:00

To see the world again through a child's eyes.

And take delight in simple discoveries.

vfxy W

A New Beginning

2008-12-28T10:56:00.003-08:00

vfxy W

Larakeet

2008-12-20T18:31:00.000-08:00

The Larakeet is a colorful bird.

They drink pollen.

And make children smile.

They can be found in Australia.
But I found these at the Wild Animal Park in San Diego.

vfxy W

It's Right Behind You

2008-12-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

One of my prized possessions is a Clinton Smith photograph
of some trees on a misty morning.
I purchased that photograph at the
Weston Gallery back in 1984-85.
That shot has always made me feel like
taking pictures through a morning fog.
I just have trouble getting out of bed.

One morning, seeing a low fog in the valley,
I grabbed a couple of cameras and
headed over to Lake Hodges.

There are these trees that grow out of the water.

There was an idea of taking pictures of these trees in the mist.
But I didn't really know what I was after.

It just wasn't working for me.

I kept taking pictures with the futile hope that my
camera would see something that I missed.

Frustrated by a seemingly useless exercise, I turned to leave.
And then something caught my eye.

There's a life lesson in this.

If you're not sure of what you're looking for,
discard preconceived notions, open your eyes and look around.
Whatever you're missing is probably right behind you.

vfxy W

"Landscape" or "Scene"?

2008-12-13T16:27:00.001-08:00

A good friend,
a photographer whom I greatly admire,
once told me that I didn't know the difference
between a "landscape" and a "scene."

"Ha!" I said.
(Yes, I literally said, "Ha!").
The difference is obvious.

Isn't it?

Who cares anyway.

No sense in getting hypertechnical.

Does it really matter if call something a seascape or landfallscene?

A newyorkcitylowermanhattanacutally
-withabitoftheharbor-
pre-nineelevenscape?

A pre-exxonvaldezprincewilliamsoundscene?

It's only important that
when these images are seen,
they provide a little bit of an escape.

A Pair

2008-12-07T18:53:00.001-08:00

A pear.

A pair of pears.

Formerly a pair.

A pair of pairs, a foursome.

Chinese Gooseberry

2008-12-04T05:26:00.000-08:00

The kiwi is a flightless bird, the size of a chicken,
it is also an endangered species.
It's a weird-looking bird.

The kiwifruit is a fuzzy treat, commonly called a kiwi,
it is also called a chinese gooseberry.
It' a weird-looking fruit.

Did you ever wonder whether you're supposed to eat the seeds?
The seeds are edible.
I looked it up.

Let There Be Neon

2008-11-25T20:45:00.000-08:00

"Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment."

Those words have been credited to Claude Monet.

Of course Monet never said those words. He spoke French.

Color has always confused me.

Instead of approaching color with a plan,

I stumble around until I find peace.

Sometimes Water Flows Like Mist

2008-11-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

There is a beautiful image posted at Cascade Exposures
under the title
"Sometimes Water Flows Like Mist."

That turn of a phrase seemed to say it all.

I only wish that I had thought of it.

That phrase sent me back to the images that
I captured with that unexpressed thought in my mind.

And I smiled.

Sometimes Things Aren't So Black And White

2008-11-11T08:11:00.001-08:00

My first ventures out into the world of color involved taking slides. Many color slide films produced a vibrant color that I didn't know how to control. It was too much for me. I wanted to shoot color images that were more "black and white."

A dear friend had a portrait of her daughters that I've always admired. It wasn't quite black and white. After printing the image, the photographer used watercolors to add just a "little something." I wanted to make this technique my own.

While learning, I experimented with combining black and white with color in other ways.
Some black and white images seemed perfect for
using a touch of color to add emphasis or call attention.

Getting comfortable, it seemed obvious to try "graying out" a photo's background
and then highlight the subject with bright color accents.

That little bit of color seemed to create something new in what was formerly black and white.

This technique took on its greatest meaning for me when I was working with images
that I took at Dachau, the site of the Nazi concentration camp near Munich, Germany.
I vividly remember visiting the camp.
It was a beautiful Spring day, the weather was mild, and everything was in bloom.
The colors were magnificent.
Walking through the camp's front gates,
I suddenly felt the weight of the ground upon which I was standing.
The world changed. I could no longer see the Spring colors, the world became black and white. Walking towards a building, I was moved by a sculpture
that screamed the agony of the camp's prisoners. I took a photograph.
When I first printed this image, the harsh contrast physically upset me.
I was compelled to rework the image by adding color.

I felt a need to place flowers on a wreath to bless the memory of those who perished.

Sometimes Things Are Black And White

2008-11-09T01:21:00.001-08:00

When I was in high school, over 30 years ago,
it was considered highly artistic to refuse to shoot in color.
I feigned artistry and followed suit.

At the peak of my self indulgence, I even took self portraits in b&w.

But the truth was that color confused me (it still does) and
I was terrible at seeing color and printing in color.
I sought refuge in b&w because it covered my weaknesses and helped me feel artistic.

I'd like to think that today, working with black and white has
nothing to do with how I view myself and
all about expressing something in the image.
There's a story in black and white that I cannot tell in color.
Some things are just better said in b&w.

Digital photography is wonderful but it has its traps.
I love the conveniences of digital.
I need to learn not to be handicapped by the simplicity of
clicking on a button and crossing over into grayscale.

Perhaps the term "b&w" is an overstatement.
It's not just "black and white."
Do you think of gray as a color,
or is it only a mixture of back and white?

And then there's the extreme
Taking an image and removing any shade of grey.

Not too proud to steal a good idea,
I tried this with the Brooklyn Bridge.

It's easy to get caught up in the attraction of color.

Thinking back on my life, there have been too many occasions when
something flashy caught my eye and prevented me from
seeing a greater, but more subtle, beauty.

Deconstructing Ms. Liberty

2008-11-09T00:22:00.000-08:00

Having been raised by immigrant parents in lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty holds special significance for me. My parents told stories of the excitement that they felt when they arrived in New York harbor and saw Ms. Liberty for the first time.
Her message called out to them.

In addition to the impressions made upon my by my parents, Ms. Liberty was a fixture in my life. On special family weekends, we took the ferry to Liberty Island, visited the Statue of Liberty and climbed to the top. In addition to these visits, Ms. Liberty was always there in the harbor. It just felt good to ride my bike through the Battery, look out and see her. She was my friend. I took different opportunities to photograph her and see her in new ways.
And one day she gave me the following image.

This shot awakened the deconstructionist inside of me. How far could I push this image and still have it be the Statue of Liberty?

Moving in another direction produced the following:

What does this all mean?
It's just fun to look at old friends in new ways.

I Met Andy Warhol

2008-11-08T22:14:00.001-08:00

Ok, I didn't really meet Andy Warhol.
I just saw him hanging around NYC a couple of times.

Warhol's recognition guaranteed an iconic place in the context of popular culture. His ability to deconstruct familiar images using commercial graphics just hit me.

Perhaps it was because for as long as I could remember, I worked in our family's small print shop doing graphics, operating different printing presses, making rubber stamps, and setting type. Having Warhol in my life helped me feel that the work that

I did in our family business was somehow artful.

The first time I saw him was at "Max's Kansas City. Max's was a club off of Union Square in lower Manhattan, one of the few reasons to go north of 14th Street (but not very far north). It was a very hip hang out. Lou Reed used to play upstairs at Max's. Matter of fact, the first time that I saw Warhol, Lou Reed was playing. I was in high school then, technically underage, but in those days anyone to walk into almost any hip club in the City.

In those days, nobody cared.

Warhol would hang out at a table somewhere in the corner. There were always people hanging around with him. I could swear that Keith Richards was with him once. I'm really not sure. When you saw a so-called "celebrity" at Max's, you weren't supposed to notice. That why the celebrities went there. And even today I feel odd about referring to them as celebrities.
Sounds like people who would appear on the "Lawrence Welk Show."

No, they weren't celebrities, they were "artists."

I once saw Warhol walking down Madison Avenue.
It was near Bloomingdales.
He was walking with a couple of beautiful model-like women.
He wore a wool sports jacket and a long scarf.
He looked at me and smiled.
I don't think he recognized me from Max's.