MR WHEELER AND DOG ©1977

This is an image that was made back in '77 along a dirt road atop the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Funny how an image like this will suddenly come to mind, but we have had a few discussions in our household lately about aging and how one's life changes to compensate for those things we used to take for granted.

I was sitting here doing some work at the computer yesterday afternoon when my wife Pat walked in and asked me why I was leaning forward in my chair. "Are you having trouble seeing" she said. Damn Right! I thought. Do you see that eight point type down there? Well, I either lean forward and crunch my spine, or I reach over there and grab my trusty magnifying glass. Small type drives me nuts. It has for years. This is why I ask my computer friends to use 14 point type. It reduces the wear and tear on my back. Bottom line, my eyes are not what they used to be, but, by golly, I can still see well enough to do the things I enjoy the most. Like my photography.  It is nice to know that both my Nikon cameras have automatic focusing. And I have actually used this feature. It works great, but it takes some of the fun out of photography. But, when you need it, it is nice to have.

When I made this image, I was using my trusty 2 1/4 camera with square film negatives, and by golly, I could spot the individual hairs on Mr. Wheeler's face. I can still clearly see his face, but I am not sure I could count his whiskers.  I'm certainly not betting my life on it. Then, I would most certainly have to lean way over to the side and grab my trusty magnifying glass. Dad used to use this glass when he was still alive, so it now has a personal attachment to  me.

 I have passed the big 75 mark, and I jokingly refer to myself as an official member of the old fart's club. Besides, a few aches and pains, I am still in pretty good shape.

Mr. Wheeler appears to be about my age, and he wears glasses, so we had a good start in being able to relate to one another. He also has a beautiful old dog that will sit contently beside him, even along a deserted old country road. So, I was immediately drawn to this old fellow from the mountains and his dog. It is one of my most memorable images. 

And while we are on the subject of aging, I will simply say that when I took early retirement from Radford University back in the early nineties, we both became busier than ever, and it has never stopped. And do you know what?  I think that is one of the reasons that my wife and I are still going strong and look forward to many more active years. I may have shifted down a notch from high gear to second, but the old brain is still active, and with my trusty hiking stick in hand, I will head off to the mountains and canyons and return home feeling better than ever; particularly if I captured a few nice photographs along the way. 

How does one feel about life in general at seventy seven?  Well, for me, I simply take it one day at a time and be thankful that I was not hit by a train or a bus. We all know that the ax could fall at any minute; even while crossing the street, and you cannot help but think about it, but there is no point in dwelling on the subject. I see my old friends and acquaintances dropping like flies every year, but in my mind, at least, life goes on, and when  someone asks me which of my images would I pick as my all-time favorite, I would have to say, "The image that I will make tomorrow, or next week." And that is just how matters stand on this Hot day in SW Colorado.  The clock continues to tick.

jj   June 19, 2012

HIGH COUNTRY BYWAY COLORADO

This image was made near Dallas Divide at an altitude of about 9,500 feet. I took off early in the morning because the weather we've been having lately in Colorado is a record setter, with highs of near a hundred degrees every day. By the time I reached this site, it was already too hot to enjoy my photography, but when you run into a landscape such as this, you have to be prepared to deal with the weather.

I was with our two dogs, Danny and Bella on this trip, and they prefered to stay in the truck while I made my exposure. They, at least, had a little shade for several minutes. I will be heading back to this area about the first of October. That is when the aspen trees will be in their golden glory.

Left click on the image for a much larger view.

FARMING IN THE COLORADO DESERT

Yep, the title is correct. I was driving through a spectacular canyon, over near the Utah border about a week ago, and it was a typical dry day (humidity 6%) in the midst of rock walls and lovely old juniper trees. Then, as I rounded a sharp turn in the highway, this scene opened up. A farmer was bailing hay, and right now hay in this part of the country is scarcer than gold nuggets. We are in the midst of a very bad drought. People are selling their cattle because of the weather.

This scene gave me a rare view of what can be done when you are living out in the middle of nowhere. Ah, but there was a small, but nice, river running through this canyon, and the farmer was making the best of a good situation. He was pumping water from the river and field flooding his piece of land. You can left click on this image to enlarge it; then you will see the farmer in the distance. I almost passed this scene by, but it was so unusual and strikingly lovely that I had to add it to my collection of Colorado images.

I always have a stout tripod with me on my outings, and I seldom make an image without it. Keep going, there are a lot of images and short essays posted on this blog, and it will take you a spell to see half of what I have added during the past couple of years.

WYOMING OUTBACK 1998

This image was printed in 1998 and hand colored with transparent oils. It was made from a two and a quarter inch negative and it is archival. The size of the original is about sixteen inches square.

The pinion pine was located in the desert of central Wyoming and there was still a bit of wind-blown snow on the ground.

While most of my Appalachian collection has been donated to museums and universities, I have held on to my western collection. In time, it too will be donated to a preselected museum of my choice.

I have been asked about my prices, and I will simply say that for the originals I still have, the prices would range from twenty-five hundred to eight thousand dollars.

All of my work has been limited to a few images per edition, and each original is signed, dated and numbered by the artist. No two originals are identical, and this is because each work of art involves a fresh start, and the toning would vary depending on how I felt on a given day. This not only adds a personal touch, but the collector is assured of having a work of art that is not identical to other prints in the same edition. I was probably one of the first fine art photographers who started making limited editions back during the late sixties. 

 I can recall that there was a lot of bickering and controversy coming from photographers during the early seventies about limiting their work. I felt that it was customary and proper for print makers to limit and document each completed original, regardless of whether it was a photograph or an etching.  Or, for that matter, any other form of printmaking.

I still hold to the same standards today as I did forty-five years ago. I retired from printmaking in 2005.

Jack Jeffers  

  PS:   NO, I do NOT make prints from digital images. I cannot take digital  quite as seriously as I did black and white silver prints. I prefer to view my digital images on a computer screen. HOWEVER, having said that, I do maintain a goodly number of digital images with a stock agency, and I am always open for magazine or book illustrations.

 Just be reminded that I have already completed two books for CD. The first captures the Appalachians and a disappearing way of life which I was able to capture back in the seventies and eighties, The second CD contains my view of the Wyoming Outback. Both books contain numerous stories about my adventures and how many of the images were made.

Visit my web site at:   www. jeffersfineart.com 

SPRING GREEN IN COLORADO HIGH COUNTRY

I made this image on June 1, 2012 at about the nine thousand foot level in Colorado's Cimarron Range. Young leaves on the aspen trees take on a brilliant green during their early stages of growth, and I have to plan my field trips accordingly or I will miss this high country sight. This year I was most fortunate in timing my trip at precisely the right date. The weather was perfect, and my field trip resulted in quite a number of high country images featuring rugged peaks and lovely aspen groves.

Field Trip to Escalante Canyon Colorado May 2012

      

Left click on image to view larger photograph

SPRING GREEN IN THE SAN JUAN HIGH COUNTRY 2012

 

This aspen grove and view of the San Juan Range is located west of Ridgway, Colorado at an elevation of about 9500 feet. The image ws made on May 2, 2012.

To view a larger image, left click on above.