TRAIL RIDER 2012

A couple of weeks ago I took the dogs for a walk in the vicinity of where the Black Canyon of the Gunnison passes through Peach Valley. I don't know where the name peach came from because as far as I'm concerned, this area is little more than rugged high country desert. The vegetation is basically juniper, pinion pines and cactus. Plus a lot of rock.

You know what? I almost left my camera at home. As much as I continually stress having the camera along, I almost broke my own standing rule.

A group of trail riders and their three mules were just getting set to take off along the trail to do some seasonal trail maintenance. I had barely parked my truck and told the dogs to stay in the vehicle before the group hit the trail. I was in such a hurry that I just grabbed the camera and quick set it to automatic, and when I raised that camera, the leader of the pack was already in my viewfinder. I made three rapid exposures and this was the best. All of the elements are as near perfect as you can get. In fact, having his hand raised added that little something extra.

I chose to present this image as a sepia black and white. You just cannot beat a nice black and white when working in this country at this time of year.

To view a larger presentation, left click on the image above.

COLORADO COLOR 2012

Often, a nice image appears right in front of you.

Yesterday, I took Danny and Bella out to the Adobe Hills for a walk and some good runs, and they got both. The temperature has been in the low seventies lately, and the sky was a dark western blue. In other words, a lovely day.

On the way out we passed a corn field and a couple of cottonwoods. I missed this opportunity going in because, at the time, I was not thinking about my camera, which I just happened to place on the back seat of the truck before we left home. This is about a five mile ride and it is an area which we often frequent.

I realized after I passed the scene that this combination of old corn stalks and two old cottonwood trees had real potential so I stopped the truck and backed up about twenty paces and took a second hard look.

The lens, which stays on this camera, is an 18 to 105mm and it is my all-time favorite. Today, I made several exposures right at the 105 point. Perfect!  And naturally, I had the polarizer on the lens. It pretty much stays there for all of my work, but every so often I take it off. All I had to do, following the transfer into my computer, was to chop a little off the top and bottom. Presto!  Done.

The moral to this outing is simple. Always keep your camera with you when you go out for a hike or just to sit on a rock and watch the sun set. There are times, like yesterday when it pays off.

To view a larger image, click once on the image with the left button.   

  

PINION PINES NEAR RIDGWAY, CO 2012

A while back, I was sitting in the shade beside our RV when I noticed this lovely forest scene. Fact is, I had viewed it several times before, but today it was becoming something special because of the rapidly changing lighting and shadows caused by the moving clouds. I noticed how nicely balanced the lighting was when the clouds were thin. The end result was what I used to refer to as a 360-degree umbrella. "Soft lighting" in other words.

Needless to say, the tripod and camera came out and this was the final result. In keeping with my silver images from the old days, I converted the color to a nice sepia. Usually, you don"t  have to look very far for nice images. It is often  a simple matter of spotting that elusive image and pulling it out of the total scene. This was such a case where years of practice paid off, and I didn't even have to get off my hind quarters.

Had this image been produced in the lab, it would likely have taken me the better part of several hours to make a finished silver print. Now, with high tech digital technology, the exposed image required but a few moments to produce. Setting up the tripod required more time than the actual making of the image.

Sometimes, I feel more like a computer geek than a photographer, but I still think back to all of those years when I would tote that film camera pack and tripod around for hours at a time and then have to wait for several more hours, or days, before being able to view the finished negative. Personally, I feel that a fine silver print is more in keeping with traditional art than this new technology. But for someone who has a worn out back and has had to deal with three hip replacements, it is a dang sight easier to tote around a digital than a forty pound field pack loaded with film equipment and a heavy tripod.

This way, I can still have fun and preview my finished images immediately after making the exposures. Oh, how times have changed. I do have to question whether this is equal to or better than my collection of silver sulfide exhibition prints. Next image please...

FALL IN SW COLORADO

The nights are cooling down and in a few weeks, the mountains will look like the above. This has, beyond a doubt, been the hottest summer that I can ever remember, and that goes for my years back east as well. Thank goodness for the low humidity here in Colorado.

To view a larger image, left click on the photograph.

OLD TIMER WITH FIDDLE ©1992

Someone recently asked me who was the oldest subject that I have ever photographed. Well, I think it might just be this old fellow with the fiddle, and what makes this image more believable is the fact that he was still playing that instrument in front of thousands of spectators, I ran across him at the Old Time Fiddler's Convention in Galax, VA. That would have been twenty-three years ago.  He was warming up while sitting on the tailgate of an old car.

I had to work fast to get this image because he was about ready to go on stage, so to heck with the background. Everything about him was perfect, and he did not try to put on an appearance for me. He was the genuine article, and the best I could learn was that he was well into his nineties, and wow, could he ever make that fiddle sing. 
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I have one problem with a blog. It is like writing a book backwards, and I am simply not used to that. If you have not viewed this blog in it's entirety, it might be worth your while to go back to the beginning. Some of my best work would be several miles back down the track, but it might well be worth the hike.

To enlarge this image, left click on the photograph.

An Additional Note:  Several times, people have tried to contact me through the blog. Most of the time, my messages have come back with the note:  undeliverable. It would be much simpler for each of us if you would use our web e-mail, which is:

info@jeffersfineart.com 

RU CAMPUS Winter 1992

The weather has been so hot this summer across the country that I decided to post a nice refreshing winter image which I made back in Virginia during the winter of '92. I was working at Radford University at the time, and I was constantly on the outlook for images that would fit nicely into the university magazine or some of their promotional brochures. I think I have already posted several images early on in this blog. Check them out.

I had cased this spot out some time prior to the actual exposure you see here. It was made from atop of the thirteenth story of  Muse Hall. What I needed was a nice snow storm and a body or two on the sidewalk. I had to settle for one person, but it all came together just as I had planned. I waited for the individual to reach the exact spot where you see him, and I made the exposure. I previsualized this image and the exposure was made at the decisive moment.

Left click on image to bring up a larger illustration.

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