Eyeball portrait of my dear, taken on a Hasselblad with B&W film. I scanned the neg and made a palladium print with a digital negative. The print is much better in person, my scanner was intent on enhancement of paper grain and adding blotches!
Travels in Washington & Oregon…
A while back, when it still meant certain death to be in the Texas sun for more than a few seconds, I visited the Pacific Northwest. It was lovely. The weather, the trees, the food, the people. I’m hoping for a winter visit to get my chilly beach walks and tea drinking on, but would gladly settle for eating at one of the thousand or so Asian vegetarian restaurants in Seattle. I took a bunch of cameras and amid the camera juggling (film vs. digital, B&W vs. color, portrait vs. wide, etc…), the iPhone still got plenty of action. Also, after a visit to the Portland Art Museum for a Japanese print exhibit, I was inspired to go vertical with composition and cropping – it seemed fitting. I’ve also done some vertical palladium prints since then, but that will be for another post.
Green, lovely green…
Back from Appalachia, it was green, it was mistly and I got rained on a bit. Tried to bring back some desperately needed rain for Texas. That did not work, sadly.
All shots were taken on a Hasselblad 201f with slide film.
Sleeping, dreaming…
It’s been a hot and dry summer. My skin and temperament were not designed for all sun, all the time and so much of it has been spent indoors. Reading and watching movies, but some playing with tiny blue LEDs and plastic wrap. What, plastic wrap is a time-honored photography tradition. Good news for Fall though! I will have a studio, a perfect studio actually. With water and concrete floors, garden and trees, bird song, art neighbors and plenty of room. I look forward to shooting and print making in the new space. Macro shots below on an Oly e-500.
Comfort, Texas
I escaped the city for a few days along Cypress Creek in Comfort, Texas. It was only a tiny bit cooler there, but a world away in all other ways. Mornings were picture taking, days were junking and reading. Nights were sleeping under pecan branches with moony face and two different types of fireflies. One of which had a blue flash that stayed with us into the night long after the others were spent. The first two were taken on a Hasselblad with b & w film, the last two are scans.
Palladiotype mothly
First palladium print. Used a digital negative and a very weak afternoon sun for exposure.
Beautyberry
Every walk, summer or winter, I find little bits to bring home. Seeds, nuts, poddy things, dried things, mostly dead things. Some recognizable, some not so much. The first one is American beautyberry, the second might be Chinese tallow? Definitely not as well named as beautyberry and very invasive, but apparently good for soap makings. Taken with an Oly e-500.
Back to Shanghai…
More shots from Shanghai during Spring Festival. These are around Shanghai town, with a few of Jing’an Temple. The temple was very close to the apartment, so much chill time was spent there. There are many nooks to escape the crowded street and refresh.
Shot on a Holga with slide film.
November Austin
Yes, we do get some Fall color here in Texas. One of my favorite walks has a variety of trees and bushes changing right now, but mostly elms, pecans and Virginia creeper. Taken with an Olympus E-500 along Bull Creek on a dreary lovely November day.
Shanghai street snapshots
Taken 2009 during Spring Festival, shot on a Holga with slide film. I’ve been calling these Ghosts of Shanghai because it’s likely skyscrapers have replaced buildings in these photographs since that time. Some of these were taken in old town Shanghai. Not the partially fake old town shopping complex with the mysterious (non-existent?) garden. Other shots were in the Jing’an District and the former French Concession.
