March 14, 2018 - 5:34:43 pm - Guanajuato, Mexico
Guanajuato is a beautiful, colorful, historical Mexican town with Spanish architecture, cobblestone streets, murals, and a labyrinth of underground tunnels. This mural is most likely of the Virgin Mary painted on a door as if welcoming the faithful or guarding something within. Not sure if the tagging is out of respect or disrespect. However, it's still an act of vandalism of a sacred symbol.
December 12, 2016, 4:50:50 pm - Las Vegas, Nevada
This image was influenced by Robert Kato's April 25, 2019 post.
April 27, 2007, 7:22:16 am - American Flats, Nevada
An unusual array of graffiti. It is doubtful the creators were working in collaboration to create this composition - more like a free-for-all. I believe this image is part of a larger unscripted display. It seems the large splash of dripping paint is attacking or maybe protecting the words below.
March 25, 2009, 6:17:53 pm - Niland, California
Niland is located near the Salton Sea and sits on the doorstep to Salvation Mountain and Slab City, three extraordinary places to explore and photograph. Doors have always intrigued me, serving as strong metaphors for whatever you what to imagine.
December 9, 2017, 1:50:52 pm - Hanoi, Vietnam
Hanoi's Old Quarters is filled with scenes like this but is usually void of people. I was moved by the solitude, loneliness, and incongruities. Looking like the image was taken in the evening, it was early afternoon. Hanoi is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, but there are no people. And, the place looks decades old but the resin chairs tell us otherwise.
December 10, 2017, 4:18:24 pm - Sapa, Vietnam
I could write several paragraphs about the ethics of this picture and ones like it. The young Hmong girl works for her family selling souvenirs in the tourist town of Sapa. The baby she's carrying, a sibling I assume, is for affects. I bought a trinket for the purpose of capturing her portrait, essentially buying the photo, a practice I rarely do out of principle. I stop short of simply giving money, especially when asked. I believe this is a powerful image when accompanied by the story. Too often, photographers take advantage of ethnic cultures by capturing photos at any cost. Also, there are those who manipulate scenes for affects without telling the viewers and making it look like a spontaneous candid.
November 25, 2017, 2:47:46 pm - Hanoi, Vietnam
Back streets and allies are my favorite places to explore in Hanoi. Often times I found myself pleasantly lost in a labyrinth of narrow roads lined with multi-story homes and businesses - never knowing what lied ahead and finding scenes like this. I like how the subject forms a triangle and balanced with the three wheels and carts. The chain offers an additional point of interest.
February 16, 2007 - Backyard
I believe there are many things to photograph in and around our homes. Countless times I have spent sitting on my deck and studying light and how it creates shapes and forms. Occasionally, I capture what I see with my camera. This triptych suggests choices we have in our lives - a direction to follow.
September 28, 2015, 12:19:50 pm - Northern California
While paying respect to my parents at the cemetery, I was fascinated by the various ways people honored their loved ones, especially the niches. Each one displays a personal story. After a while, the place seemed more alive as you become familiar with the people interred there. Most stories are only known by family and friends, like this one. Others are clearer to everyone. Either way, they are interesting stories, told in a place that sees few visitors, making the experience personal and intimate.
April 8, 2019, 12:11:32 pm - Northern California
Another image from my garden. Too often, we restrict ourselves to a set of someone else's rules. An example would be, "everything needs to be sharp in a landscape photo." There are judges, writers, and instructors who usurp their values onto others. Art should be about exploration, experimentation, and finding your own voice that comes from within you.
April 8, 2019, 9:21:52 am - Northern California
This is another photo from my front yard. I see two people who are emotionally attached and an observer looking on. There are others in the frame going about their routines. Some time ago, I did a series of cactus photos using the same coloration. My post on February 5, 2019, is another example of this technique.
April 8, 2019, 3:34:18 pm, Northern California
This image was taken yesterday in my front yard. I have always believed there are things literally in front of us worthy of capture. It's spring, new lens, and a challenge to find something to photograph just outside my door. I like the repeating forms as they disappear into the background. There are many things in life that this image reminds me of.
April 11, 2008, 5:47:28 am - California
Not sure where this was taken. It's part of several images from a trip to Death Valley. In some way, it reminds me of a cathedral. The lighting feels like it's coming through a window, high and to the right. The scale is hard to know, but the cliffs are very big. Most of my work stays within the confines of the 35mm frame. All of my images are tightly cropped at time of capture and I hate to give away real estate during post-processing. I need to let go and break away from those artificial boundaries.
January 23, 2008, 4:29:37 pm - Marin Headlands, California
I am not sure what this image is of. It has a faint Escherist look to it, maybe more so if converted to black and white. I see waning strength and power and also ambiguity. Abstracts are very subjective with each viewer having their own interpretation based on their life's experiences.
November 2, 2018, 8:10:47 pm - Mission District, San Francisco
Gates and stairways always resonate with me. I wonder where they lead to, what they are locking in and who they are keeping out. The lighting seems strange, illuminating the stairs but not the door. The sunrays pattern on the door contradicts the subdued nature of the overall scene.
December 19, 2017, 2:54:07 pm - Hanoi, Vietnam
In keeping with recent posts, this image borders on abstract. The brick on the lower right provides familiarity and scale. However, the rest is a mystery where the viewer can decide what the image means to them. I see order, balance, and exclamation as if a point-of-rule is being made.
Created on April 2, 2019 - Near Ibex Dunes, California
There is a minor thread between the last post and this post. Both images are right at the edge of an abstract. I have spent countless hours scouring the globe for aerial subjects using Google Earth. Our planet is filled with an endless bounty of images both made by nature and by man. I like the flow of this scene where our eye moves from right to left, first upward and then downward. Within the image are many other compositions. There is a complexity to the photo, but viewed in its entirety can also seem simple.
November 30, 2018, 12:56:38 pm - Monument Valley, Utah
Stu, a member of a photo group I belong to, recently showed abstracts including a landscape. This image reminded me of one of his, although Stu's was more abstract. As noted in other posts, I lean toward the busy. I want to give the eye time to explore even at the risk of getting lost. This photo is about various textures, shapes, and forms and I hope a sense of fantasy. Monument Valley is truly an amazing place.
