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Dear Cole,
All month long I've worried that it would come time
to publish this newsletter and I wouldn't have any new
images! You see, I've been so busy with the "business"
of art, that I've had little time for the art itself.
Finding the balance between creating and
promoting is very difficult for most of us. For me, the
solution is so simple and yet so difficult. I need to
get out every day and photograph, even if it's only for
15 minutes! I've done this before and it's amazing how
much this can attune the senses and hone one's vision.
Just a few minutes each day can make a huge difference
in your art!
This month, instead of spending 15
minutes a day I, spent five days in America's oldest
city, can you guess where I was at? I'll give you a
hint; after arriving here, I felt much younger!
And was my trip successful? Did I create images
that are worth sharing? Oh you probably know me by now,
I have to live with the images for a few months before I
can decide how I feel about them. But what's your first
impression?
Life is good here in Colorado and I
hope it's good for you too!
Cole
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New Images From America's Oldest
City |
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(Doorway)
Okay, did the hint about me "feeling
younger" help you guess what city I visited this
month? No! Well then here's another hint: Ponce de
Leon was searching for the Fountain of Youth and
landed here.
St Augustine, Florida is the
oldest city in the United States. The area was
"discovered" by Ponce de Leon in 1513, but it was
Juan Menendez de Aviles who established the first
settlement, almost half a century before the first
English settlers landed at Jamestown! St.
Augustine is a quaint city, full of history and a
great place to walk around.
And what did I
learn as I walked around? That the area has some
of the largest blood-sucking mosquitoes that I've
ever seen and I lived in Alaska for two years!
I was out in the country shooting and they
were so large that I had silver-dollar sized welts
all over my arms and torso. I could only work at
the camera for a few seconds, then I would have to
run away to lose them and then run back to the
camera to take the shot. Finally, when I couldn't
take it any longer, I escaped to the car. To my
horror, the mosquitoes not only followed me but
they were ramming the windows trying to get in!
It was like a miniature vampire
movie.
Despite this challenge, I
did come home with a few new images. If you have
any thoughts on them, please write and let me
know!
Click
Here to view the six new images from St Augustine,
FL.
P.S. I certainly hope this
mental picture of me running back and forth in the
woods does not sully my reputation as a "serious"
artist!
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Only 13 Remain... |
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(Egg
in Glass, 1968)
In 1968 I was 14 years
old and photography was my life. Every waking
moment was spent either studying photography,
taking pictures or working in the darkroom.
Between 1968 and 1972 I took thousands of images
but only 13 remain today. I threw away the rest as
I "made room" for new things over the years, a
mistake that I severely regret!
Several of
my favorite images no longer exist and for some,
only a single print survived which had to be
scanned and repaired.
"Egg and Glass"
above is the earliest image that remains, taken at
age 14 while I was living in Rochester, NY. I used
an old Kodak Pony 828 camera that I would
hand-load with 35mm film.
The other
remaining images were taken in 1970 & 1971
while I was living in Anaheim, California. This
was a period of tremendous growth for me, largely
because of my mentor and friend John Holland. He
took a personal interest in me, taught me to view
photography as an art and pushed me to be my best.
It was a simple and wonderful time in my
life.
Click
Here to see the 13 remaining images.
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The Story Behind the Image
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(Windsurfing)
I am often asked if I "staged" this shot.
I didn't, but it was perhaps the luckiest shot
that I've ever taken!
I was driving on a
hot July day when I saw my daughter Mason in the
back seat, eyes shut and face to the wind. It
brought back childhood memories of the days before
air conditioning, when the car window was both a
source of refreshment and entertainment (remember
"flying" your hand in the wind?).
I knew
that I had to capture this image fast before she
opened her eyes and started hamming it up for the
camera! In just seconds I had to get out my
camera, set the exposure, move up the front seat
and successfully take the picture...all while
continuing to drive!
I fired off a number
of shots and with the noise of the wind, she never
noticed a thing. The lighting was subtle and the
blur from the moving car added to the mood of the
image.
It was a lucky shot!
I
wonder what memories today's kids will have of
driving in the car or of road trips? Will it be
watching movies and playing video games? A shame,
I think.
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Now Appearing... |
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(Lamp
Post)
Here's where my work and I have
been recently:
My portfolio "Light
Emanating from Darkness" is exhibiting at the
University of Northern Colorado from October 10th
through November 2nd.
"Swimming
Towards the Light" has been selected as a
finalist in American Photo's Images of the Year
competition with some 10,000 entries submitted.
Colorado Public Television (KBDI) has selected
a number of my images to be used for on-air spots
in between their programming as well as background
to KBDI branded spots.
"The Angel Gabriel" story was told on the Singh-Ray
blog, a site dedicated to great images made
possible by the Singh-Ray Variable Neutral Density
Filter, which I rely on extensively.
"Clouds"
was given an honorable mention in the
International Panoramic Association of America's
annual panoramic competition.
Art Pic in Hollywood rented my images for use
in CSI NY, Bush's Baked Beans, 20th Century Fox's
"Back to You", Celebrity Rehab and a Swiffer
commercial (did you know that Swiffer "gives
cleaning a whole new meaning!")
View
My Resume
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Five Great Art Quotes
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(Three
Trees)
"I put my heart and my soul
into my work, and have lost my mind in the
process."
Vincent van Gogh
"The
world today doesn't make sense, so why should I
paint pictures that do?"
Pablo Picasso
"If people knew how hard I worked to
get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at
all."
Michelangelo
A recent
government report on education has advocated the
teaching of "creativity." And went on to suggest
that it will be up to the educational authorities
to "standardize" it.
From Bill Jay's Notes in
LensWork, Oct 2007
"As great a picture
can be made as one's mental capacity--no greater.
Art cannot be taught; it must be self-inspiration,
though the imagination may be fired and the
ambition and work directed by the advice and
example of others."
Edward Weston
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