November 30, 2018, 12:43:00 pm - Monument Valley, Arizona

This blog is very eclectic. As I mentioned in an earlier post I choose a photo at random, giving no thought for sequencing posts. It's in keeping with the nature of the blog - Click. This was my first time to Monument Valley which is truly a spiritual place. Pictures do no justice for this mystical place. On occasion, I enjoy returning to my roots of landscape, black and white photography. There is little one can say about this type of image other than you like it or not. 

October 25, 2003, 7:10:27 am - Mexico

The stained wall frames the subject, the door, which serves as a metaphor - a passageway, the unknown, curiosity, what once was, purpose, etc. Hopefully, the viewer has their own interpretation which brings me to this point; I do not title my work so as to avoid coercing the audience into my way of thinking. I believe it's far better to allow one to make up their own minds than to be directed. When I critique one's work, I do not want them to preface the piece nor do I want to know the title. I want to discover for myself.

April 11, 2015, 8:30:23 pm - Los Angeles, California

In 2015 and 2016 I made three trips, spanning 20 days, photographing L.A. Most that time was spent documenting a homeless encampment. The remainder of the time was spent photographing in and around old downtown. The work became a book with this image on the cover. It was taken in L.A.'s Art District where there are many walls filled with graffiti and murals. When I approached the scene the car lights were off. As I was about to take the shot the lights came on which, initially, I felt ruin the picture until I reviewed it in the viewfinder. Illuminating the mural made the image. Sometimes things just happen.

When I choose an image for the blog it's totally random. It could come from what I'm currently working on or somewhere in my archives like this one. It's one of my earlier composites - a fairly extensive manipulation. It's graphic and surreal and I'm hard press to explain it beyond that. I don't think there is much middle ground on this image. Either you like it or you don't.

March 29, 2009, 8:12:01 pm - Salton Sea, California

If you're not familiar with the Salton Sea, grab a cup of coffee and look it up. It may be the strangest place in California. The billboard is about the only thing that seems alive in this surrealistic place. It's also about the last spot you would find a jackpot. The billboard also represents the last chance of hope in a place where hope ran out over a half-century ago.

October 24, 2003, 9:02:58 am - Puente de Calmotlan, Mexico

I've always enjoyed this photo. It was morning, driving through a small Mexican town located in the heart of the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains when I stopped and took her picture. She started to giggle, most likely because this was a first for her given there are no tourists. It wasn't until I processed the image I notice her bicycle seat was missing. Children are so innocent. Their world is new and everything is a unique experience including this crazy gringo, from who knows where wanting to take her photo. 

October 24, 2003, 7:05:30 am - Puente de Calmotlan, Mexico

One of my greatest adventures was a jeep trip from Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara via dirt roads over the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range - a story for another time. Puente de Calmotlan is about 85 miles northwest of Guadalajara and 100 miles northeast of Puerto Vallarta as the crow flys. By car, it's an eight-hour drive from PV - very much off the tourist routes. I doubt this small mountain town has changed in the past 17 years. I'm drawn to doors and walls and this one has a lot of history and character.

October 22, 2003, 10:31:59 am - Tepic, Mexico

This image also shares the same wall, in my home, with the photo in the previous post. Mexico is so colorful. Its architecture reflects that color along with stone, wrought iron railings, and old doors and windows. This image contains and typifies those elements. I love Mexico and everything about it. That's why this picture is displayed in my home to remind me of this wonderful country.

October 20, 2013, 4:31:25 pm - Tepic, Mexico

This photo still hangs in my home. It reminds me of my time in Mexico. I like the simplicity, lighting, colors, and the low angle of view. It's a place I ate at and would love to be there again.

January 13, 2017, 10:39:56 am - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The image is strange but more so when you know it was taken in a Buddhist Temple. I'm not one to "steal" a picture from a stranger. I always ask for permission. In this case, the man looked up at the moment of the click. He didn't seem to care and I politely whispered "Cam on," or thank you. I like images where there is more than one thing going on. Here you have the man on the lounge, the woman in the chair, and the woman walking into the frame on the left - all independent from one another. I wonder what the man is thinking. Was he upset with me for taking his picture or pleased that I did?

May 15, 2006, 9:04:42 am - Bodie, California

Access to buildings in Bodie State Park is very limited. To photograph interiors, shooting through windows is required. I spend more time peering into the old dirty windows of this wonderful ghost town than admiring the exteriors of the weathered buildings. The chair amplified the loneliness of the place - a town long-abandoned but certainly not forgotten.

Here is another initial attempt at photo compositing. I'm not sure how successful the image is - it appears more whimsical than anything else. However, it was fun creating it. But to do unique and unusual work requires a greater effort in the imagination department and a large amount of patience.

This is a crude attempt at photo compositing. For years, I've admired photographers creating surrealistic images. My favorite photo surrealists are Maggie Taylor, Dominic Rouse, and Jerry Uelsmann. It's very difficult to perform. One is faced with a black page and the limitations of their imagination. There is also the difficulty of digital extractions - cutting out portions of a photo. I like images that play with our minds by breaking physical rules. Here the elephant creates a ripple in the sky. Of course, it doesn't make sense but that's the purpose - it's simply a dream.