Yikes...3 months passed

Nope. Didn't forget this blog. Actually it has weighed heavily on my mind. Why? I've got a block just like a "writers block". I am in a quandary as to what I want to explore next and nothing seems to grab my attention. Arghhh....I may just force myself to do an image a day until I break through to the next area of exploration.

Today would have been the start date but I hit a snag. I committed the cardinal sin of digital photography. I didn't install the freshly charged battery in the camera and arrived at the river with no functioning good camera. Just the trusty cell phone camera which I used to grab a couple of quick pics including the one here. More tomorrow providing it isn't raining, or should I venture out in the rain?

In show news I've been invited to be a showing artist at the Sierra Madre Art Festival in May. I think I'll do that.

Fall is coming....and we're getting some color


Before I forget there is another Artist Meet and Greet to go along with the extended run at California Wine and Cheese. What better way to spend a nice end of summer evening than with a nice glass of wine, some cheese, conversation and art?

The details: The details Friday Sept 21, 2007 5:30PM to 8:30PM. California Wine and Cheese, 115 W Foothill Blvd, Monrovia CA 91016. They are located ½ block west of Myrtle Avenue on the north side of the street.

Today I took off late morning for some walking and shooting along the San Gabriel River. (Yes, folks we really do walk in LA). This time of year the color of light starts shifting to the yellow end of the spectrum and the shadows start to lengthen.

I like shooting on the bridge this time of year as the plant material and the bridge make an interesting series of contrasts. First is the man vs nature, precise versus feathery edges, textural differences and the hard cool colors vs the warming fall colors of nature. All good and plenty to keep the eye entertained. The bridge is also a great way to work on composition using large graphic elements to work with the natural elements framing each other while violating each others space. It's all good.

I shot this short series RAW bracketing +/- 2 stops from center average metering knowing I would post process with Photomatix HDR generation and tone mapping. After that process was done they were converted back down to 8 bit jpeg with minimal compression and run through virtual photographer. I like the way these turn out as the process of preserving shadow and highlight detail allows the other elements in contrast to stand out more.

Anyway enjoy the 3 versions of Encanto Park Foot Bridge.