The Almond Tree

White Sand Dunes, Plate VII

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:38:39 -0400

First of all, let me apologize for not posting my remaining photographs from White Sands National Monument as regularly as promised, but I’ve been busy with college graduation and finding a place to live in southeast Connecticut and moving back to Texas for a couple weeks. In any case, here ya go.

See the other photographs I made of White Sands National Monument and other destinations on my road trip across the Southwest United States last June here.

Nikon D40
18mm, f/8, 1/60 sec, ISO 200

White Sand Dunes, Plate VI

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:59:57 -0400

See the other photographs I made of White Sands National Monument and other destinations on my road trip across the Southwest United States last June here.

Nikon D40
52mm, f/5.6, 1/200 sec, ISO 200

White Sand Dunes, Plate IX

Sun, 13 May 2012 23:25:00 -0400

See the other photographs I’ve made of White Sands National Monument here.

Nikon D40
32mm, f/8, 1/400 sec, ISO 200

Free at Last, Free at Last

Thu, 10 May 2012 01:54:03 -0400

At approximately 3:22pm on Wednesday, May 9th, 2012, I finished my undergraduate studies. I left my last exam and felt pretty much exactly how the man in the photo did when this photograph was made.

You’ll have to excuse the quality of the image; I’ve recently set up a bellows and rail system to “scan” my film negatives by photographing the negatives using a dSLR and I haven’t quite perfected it just yet.

Zorki-4, 50mm, f/16, 1/125 sec
Ilford FP4+ 125, D-76
“Scanned” with Nikon D5100

White Sand Dunes, Plate V

Sun, 06 May 2012 03:47:22 -0400

As I’ve mentioned before, the true highlight of my road trip through the Southwest United States last June was White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. While I only had the one sunset to photograph the park, I’d like to think I made the most of it and walked away with a good number of strong photographs that I will post over the next couple days. I truly hope I was able to capture the majesty of White Sands National Monument well enough to do it justice.

Nikon D40
52mm, f/8, 1/320 sec, ISO 200

Redemption

Tue, 01 May 2012 15:22:18 -0400

As some of y’all may be aware, my experience with film photography began in April 2010 with a Holga 120N, a simple camera with no “real” controls. Over the past two years, my interest in analog photography has increased dramatically and my collection of film cameras have grown to include a Bronica ETRSi, a Mamiya C220, a Nikon F, and a Zorki-4.

While each of these cameras are different in format or use (645 SLR, 6x6 square waist-level, 35mm SLR, 35mm rangefinder), I found myself missing the sheer simplicity of a Holga, which I had long before dismantled. I found an Ansco Shur Shot camera for five bucks a couple months ago and simply couldn’t resist picking up a 50+ year old camera that still worked flawlessly.

The above photograph is notable in that it was taken in Boston in January of 2012 and instead of the snowfall we would normally expect, we see only recently fallen leaves.

Ansco Shur Shot
Ilford Delta 400 Pro, D-76 (1+1), 5.5min
Epson 4490

Through the Window to Hell

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:00:08 -0400

This photograph was made when I went roadtripping across the Southwestern United States back in the summer of 2011.

This photograph was taken at Big Bend National Park, a “Texas-sized” national park that lies in the Southwest Texas. The park encompasses over 800,000 acres and borders on approximately 244 miles of the 1000-miles of the USA-Mexico made by the Rio Grande. Big Bend National Park is considered to be one of the largest, most remote, and least visited national parks in the lower United States. For what it’s worth, it’s not hard to see why- it was 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 C) when I made this photograph.

Nikon D40
120mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec, ISO 200

Looking to a Yesterday Not Yet Come

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:59:42 -0400

This photograph was made when I went roadtripping across the Southwestern United States back in the summer of 2011.

This photograph was taken at Monument Valley, a Navajo indian reservation just north of the Arizona/Utah border. The drive through the park is surprisingly rough and, personally, I wouldn’t recommend taking a Dodge Grand Caravan through it. It should not, however, be ignored all together as many of the great formations at Monument Valley can’t be seen from any other angle.

Nikon D40
55mm, f/8, 1/320 sec, ISO 200

The Passing of One and A Second Coming

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:08:31 -0400

Taken during a weekend meetup with Thomas Hawk in my hometown of Houston.

As I mentioned in my last post, my D40 will not be coming back to me as the repair facility was not able to replace the rear LCD due to an 18-month-old crack (that I’ve never once cared about). Incidentally, from what I was told, they were able to fix the red channel issue. In any case, because they weren’t able to fully repair the D40, they offered to replace it. So as I alluded to in my last post, there’s always a silver lining. In my case, it’s a brand new Nikon D5100. (As of yet, she’s still unnamed.) I’ll try to get the remainder of the D40 photos in the queue before I start posting the new stuff. I still have a great many photos left to post from my road trip across the Southwest United States last summer.

Nikon D40
85mm, f/4, 1/200 sec, ISO 200

A Final Farewell

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:01:00 -0400

Taken during a weekend meetup with Thomas Hawk in my hometown of Houston.

So as some of you may remember from about a month ago, my D40’s red channel stopped functioning. Luckily, it was still covered, but unfortunately, they were not able to fully repair it. All is not lost, however, as there’s always a silver lining…

Nikon D40
85mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec, ISO 200

Deliverance From Fate

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:05:38 -0400

Bronica ETRSi, 75mm, f/8, 1/125 sec
Ilford HP5+ 400, D-76 (stock), 8min
Epson 4490

The Scarlet Touch

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:19:59 -0400

Bronica ETRSi, 75mm, f/11, 1/60 sec
Ilford FP4+ 125 @ 200, D-76 (1+1), 15min
Epson 4490

This One Dream I Had, Plate IV

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:09:00 -0400

Taken during a weekend meetup with Thomas Hawk in my hometown of Houston.

I’m a huge fan of the impressionism movement in the painting realm of the art world and have been searching for a way to incorporate its particular aesthetic into photography.

About a year ago, I decided to pick up a concept project that I thought about starting years ago. Dreamweaver is a series of photographs that depict characters one may encounter in a dream.

Every story needs a hero.

Nikon D40
35mm, f/2, 1/40 sec, ISO400

Brisket, Cornbread, and Sweet Tater Pie

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:13:00 -0400

Taken during a weekend meetup with Thomas Hawk in my hometown of Houston.

Sometimes all you need to be at home is some brisket and cornbread. TH and I stopped by here for dinner after finding every other BBQ place closed or out of beef.

Nikon D40
85mm, f/3.5, 1/100 sec, ISO 800

To Have You Once More and Never Again

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:41:00 -0400

To Have You Never Again

Nikon D40
85mm, f/11, 1/800 sec, ISO 400

That’s right. Flower macros. Taken during a meetup with Thomas Hawk in Houston last summer.

To Have You Once More

Nikon D40
85mm, f/8, 1/2000 sec, ISO 200

Faeries and Grimoires

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:37:27 -0400

Taken during a weekend meetup with Thomas Hawk in my hometown of Houston.

Thomas Hawk and I stopped by for lunch in Niko Niko’s, a fantastic little Greek restaurant in the Neartown district of Houston. Afterwards, we stopped by The Magick Cauldron, Houston’s self-proclaimed “premier Pagan religious supplier”. We didn’t stay long as “these kind of places creep [TH] out”.

Nikon D40
85mm, f/4, 1/25 sec, ISO 400

Reflections of Joy

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:02:12 -0400

Taken during a weekend meetup with Thomas Hawk in my hometown of Houston.

Thomas Hawk and I found this gentleman waiting for a bus in downtown Houston. (Yes there is some amount of public transportation in Houston.) He took an interest in what we were doing and gladly allowed us to take a couple portraits of him.

Nikon D40
35mm, f/8, 1/60 sec, ISO 400

When the Light Leaves My Eyes

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:04:05 -0400

Taken during a weekend meetup with Thomas Hawk in my hometown of Houston.

Featured in the photograph above is an installation called “Red” that is part of an installation by University of Texas at Austin art professor Margo Sawyer. The four-piece ensemble is called “Synchronicity of Color” and features many boxes of color. The two largest pieces of the ensemble (including “Red”) are found on the Discovery Green in Downtown Houston flanking the two underground parking garage access staircases.

Nikon D40
50mm, f/5.6, 1/160 sec, ISO 200

A Quick Escape

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:45:50 -0400

I’m going to try to churn out the photographs I made during the weekend photowalk around Houston with Thomas Hawk last summer while my D40 is out for repairs.

This particular photograph was made from the roof of a quirky dollar store in the center of downtown Houston.

Nikon D40
32mm, f/5, 1/1250 sec, ISO 200

To Walk Amongst the Living Once More

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:44:00 -0400

Taken during a weekend meetup with Thomas Hawk in my hometown of Houston.

As I mentioned in my last post, the red channel of my beloved Nikon D40 died out. Fortunately, however, my extended warranty covered it and I should have Dominique back in my hands in a couple weeks.

Nikon D40
85mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec, ISO 200