Another Rambling Commentary from The Peanut Gallery:

OK, I will admit it, I shoot digital. I shoot lots of it too. I would rather shoot film 100% of the time but come on, lets face it, digital is easier and cheaper. This is where the basis for this diatribe rises from; the word "easier". The aspect I pick on today is what I have heard called by many photogs as “Barbie filters”. You must of seen them advertised in Shutterbug and mostly Rangefinder magazines. Take a shot of an attractive individual and ‘click’…they be all shiny and smooth, like Barbie and Ken. Blech. I know, I know..its what the client wants from those that shoot to get the big bucks and put food on the table. BUT, why not try and show people in their true beauty? I am fortunate, I do not make a living with my photography, (found out the hard way it takes all the fun out of it) so I am not at the mercy of a uber vain society. People are individuals thanks to the powers that be. I love showing people in such a way that little is needed to be asked. Where as when I see a Barbie-shot, I have to ask myself what the hell they really look like! Hope no one took offense...none intended, just my often ignored, over inflated ego type of rambling that most are used to. Peace out

iPod Touch Still Life with Hipstamatic

Late Cosmos

Annie

I recently watched a great show on Ovation TV on Annie Leibovitz , a great documentary photographer that I have admired for years, Starting with Rolling Stone magazine living the rock star life herself to more recent personal work and fashion work for Vanity Fair. Her work stands out and demands attention. So, if you get a chance watch” Life Through a Lense” and enjoy two great hours!

Wet Winter Wonderland

Love Grab Shots

New Beginnings

Time Goes By

I have decided after much thought to remove myself from and position of “power” from the Hancock County Photo Club. This was at first a hard decision because I have been involved in keeping photo clubs afloat for almost 25 years here in Ellsworth. When I first started out with fellow photog Mary Ellen Martell in forming the most recent club, a past member of the Ellsworth Photographic Society which I started back in September of 1987 said to me, “WHY? Heading up a photo club is like herding cats, and you should know that?!” Well, he was right, but don’t get me wrong, they are all well-mannered and likeable cats. You see, keeping any group, especially one involving extremely creative individuals such as photogs are concerned, is a almost full time position.
Being at a stage in my life that is very active in a number of venues, I had to back down and believe that hopefully someone will step up to the plate and take over HCPC. I am looking forward to starting a few personal photography projects that have been put on the back burner for a couple of decades. I look forward to putting my work out in the public view soon with the results of these projects. I just plain look forward to being just a photographer….and meeting with my fellow OFs again on a regular basis!

Stop Taking Pictures and Start Producing Photographs

Interesting meeting last night of the Hancock County Photography Club (HCPC). Small turnout but lots of interesting dialogue on what we wanted to see in the future for topics to be discussed, possible guest speakers and such. Normal club-fare. One area we mentioned was the basics of photography and how they pertain to today’s digital shooters who have little if none background in analog photography. I have stood on many soapboxes here in this blog about my feelings about at least learning what a f-stop is, what a shutter speed is and how they relate to each other in producing a image that is acceptable to you. Remember, first and foremost you are shooting for you…make yourself smile about an image and others will be infected as well. Back to the basics..digital allows someone to start off running the marathon without learning to walk first…great photos..or should I say pictures. There is a difference you know. Get to learn the very basics of this great artform and you will stop taking pictures and then start producing photographs..believe me, it works.

Sculpture and Photography? Just My Opinion.

I attended a meeting of the Hancock County Photo Club last night. It was a unique meeting, a sculptor, John McMurry, spoke to us on the art itself and how to photograph it. Now you might ask, why have a sculptor speak at a photo club meeting? A number of reasons. First, McMurry was not only a ex teacher but a photography teacher who also sculpts from recycled materials. Second, I feel sorry for artists that are so etched in one genre and fail to see the importance of studying art as a whole. This was an great opportunity to evolve as artists. Third, this artist was invited to our club by a young member who has come out of his shell and wanted to share a friend with us whom this fellow member thinks a lot of, and after meeting and speaking with John I know why. I was taken aback by the lack of thought about the feelings of other fellow members especially seeing how this speaker came to be asked to speak. Let’s stay open-minded, we are all artists, whether photographers, painters, sculptors or written word….learn from each other, enjoy the moments that we get to share experiences. Thank you Jared for sharing.

Love This Time Of Year..Good Photography Weather!

Another restart to the Hancock County Photography Club tonight. We will see where this ends up. I love a Photo club such as we have with HCPC…open, friendly learning/sharing experience. This past summer it kinda fell by the wayside. Everyone here in Maine sets their sights on better things to do than sit in a meeting atmosphere on a warm summer night, myself being one of them! But now with Fall quickly approaching and the sun setting waaayy before bedtime, good friends and photography seem not so bad. I have been shooting tons of digital with all good intentions of digging out the TLR and a couple of rolls of Tri-X. Not having a darkroom anymore I have used this as an excuse. But with a little help of the Google-Gods I see that there are alternatives…just got to dig deeper and see what I can do. First of all is tackle that nasty procrastination alligator and put him in a cage for awhile.

Where Does It End?

Max

Union River, Ellsworth, ME

Mall Spirits

He Watches Over Us.

Alternatives

Photography is about the image and what it says, the trip to that final image is the fun stuff. This shot was with an iPod touch with processing done, blog entry done with image uploaded using one item....cool.

Think Film While Shooting Digital

The last time I posted here was in April of this year and made mention that Labor Day was right around the corner. Guess what, today IS Labor day. I have a summers worth of images to process now. I must sit back, take a deep breath and think like I am shooting film and be selective instead of just dumping the whole lot on some site which digital has made it very easy to do. Trust me, it makes you a better photog thinking film while shooting digital!

Blue Hill Fair..Summer Is Over

SHOOT...for God's Sake Shoot..now...!

Life breathes deep energy into a winter worn soul, grass sprouts up against the warm foundation of home, the snow piles die a blessed lingering death, holding on to the last vestiges of it’s miserable exsistance. “Die, you damn white trash” I mumble as I stroll the canine across the reviving lawn to enable him to crop dust the area. What the hell does this have to do with photography…get your ass out there and shoot images..that what it means..we have been hibernating for too long. Look at it this way, Labor Day is just around the corner…he, he..sadistic? I agree but its true!

Dead Economy

Spring Storm

Faux Holga Congo

Cole's "Rule of Thirds"!

COLE THOMPSON:

"A great image is comprised of 1/3 vision, 1/3 the shot and 1/3 processing
A great image begins and ends with your vision. Vision is a tough concept to describe, but I think each of us instinctively know how we want our image to look, and our job as an artist is to bring that image into compliance with our vision.
When we pursue an image with vision, then equipment and process becomes the servant and the creative process the master. It’s only then that great images can occur.
Vision is everything."


When you get a chance, check out Cole's great site!

http://www.colethompsonphotography.com/

Wintertime At The Ellsworth Library

Its cold, windy and white...what better time to take Winter photos!

For Want of a Holga

Having recently gone mostly digital,I have been missing the funkiness of my Holga with all its crappy quirks which I love so much. So with my trusty pont and shoot 10mp Olympus I headed out in the "storm of the week" and then did some post production hocus pocus in Picassa..getting closer, not quite but closer.

Fresh January Snow

 

Snow In Maine..Go Figure

 

Corner of Peter's Block

 

Freshly Painted Plug!

 

Main Street Ellsworth

 

End of the apples 2.

 

End of the apples.

 

It was a dark and dreary night, when....

It rained last night…well early evening. What’s this got to do with photography? Well, when someone becomes complacent and sits back and waits for the weather to become ‘right’, well you will end up S.O.L. a large percentage of the time…especially here in Maine. There’s that cliché saying; “If you don’t like the weather in Maine, just wait a minute”. Its very true and usually it ends up being a lot crappier! In other ramblin words…don’t wait, get out there and shoot. There are pictures to be made in that miserable weather, throw on that raincoat, grab that parker, slather on that sunscreen and bug juice. Get out there and create some kick-ass images! Well, I came back in after shooting during the rain…wet and grousing, wiping the equipment down. I downloaded the pictures…they all sucked big time! Oh well, if hadn’t gotten off my comfy chair encrusted backside I would not of even had anything at all to cull out……and would have been sound asleep in front of the flat panel god. Next time for sure!

Hancock County Photography Club...a start!

Hmmmmm, well, Mary Ellen Martel and myself got yet another edition of a photo club off the ground last night. With all indicators we were estimating 10, possibly 12 attending. Which would be a good start in our book! Come 7 PM, the advertised starting time we had about 10 people there..and then, my cell phone started ringing with people looking for directions. Then there was a steady procession of headlight coming into the parking lot! 25 attendees! Nice, and all were there for the same reason. The love of the art of photography and a common goal of wanting to be a member of a friendly photography community. We had achieved what we set out to do. Everyone was smiling and the social ending of the meeting with photogs sharing their images and everyone getting to know one another was a super thing to witness. The next meeting is at the same location at 7PM on October the 18th (Monday). Hope to see you there. And bring a couple of images, one you are proud of and if you have one that is giving you fits…bring it and hopefully you will come away with an idea or answer!
One word explains last nights meeting.. Touchdown!!!!

Right Upside the Head..POW!

Well it had to happen..I sat facing my two fellow OF’s (Old Farts), Burt and Earnie..no wait, not Earnie..Skip, that’s it…Skip. Skip called me late in the afternoon; he wanted to meet with Burt and I before the first meeting of the new Hancock County Photo Club. Something about hitting me ‘upside’ the head when not witnessed by Club members. Seems just because of my life long pattern of wishy-washy attitudes towards photography and also my equally, some might call unstable, outlook about photography clubs and that recently Skip reminded me that organizing photo clubs is like herding felines (Have I mentioned I like cats!?) that I should probably be instutionalized or at least medicated….heavily. Well, the OFs held a meeting at the local Deny’s and when all were present I leaned over the table and Skip wacked me upside the cranium. Burt, level headed as he is 95% of the time (percentage varies but he is actually quite stable!) kinda just looked at me and then looked at Skip with a large WTF grin. And also kinda shaking his head like “what am I doing sitting here with these two knuckleheads. Well a short explanation by OF Skip and all was well. I then advised that the past 45 years of my life I had focused (pun intended) on B&W analog photography and that by eliminating all the pressure of having two complete darkroom setups sitting there staring at me, I was now on a new adventure in life. I advised them that I was now on a mission to make Pete Turner’s color photos look like dull chalk pastel paintings. Oh the joys of deep saturated color. I am now seeing in color which for the past few decades has been put on the back burner. The only color I have dealt with in B&W photography has been the filters of red and yellow for film shooting and the muted gels of VC printing filters…blah! Anywho, Skip and Burt sat there staring at me like I had been out in Allen’s field foraging for those Psilocybin mushrooms that alter your outlook on life for the rest of whatever you have remaining. Skip turned to Burt and muttered, “He will be looking for darkroom equipment before long, trust me”, Burt nodded in agreement. I am on a mission folks, support my mission, if you have darkroom equipment for sale....DO NOT mention it to me..please. I am having a blast with digital..help me with my cold turkey withdrawal..show me those memory cards!

Hancock County Photography Club

As the look on Max's face denotes; WHAT'S UP!?!?!?

Well, as Doug just said in an email response to me, “Have you always been a glutton for punishment or is this a new thing?”..yup I am and have been for quite some time, anothe fellow photog once told me organizing any club is like trying to herd cats..hey, I like cats so no problem!

What is all this garbage about…..well…..once again there will be a new Photography Club in the area! The “Hancock County Photography Club” will hold its first meeting on Monday October 4th at 7PM in the Dining Room of Meadow View Apartments located at 25 Tweedie Lane here in Ellsworth. With a great deal of help from Mary Ellen Martel we are once again off-n-running! Here is the scoop …..waaay back in September of 1988 I started a club out of lack of communications with like minded souls that love this great art form. It evolved into the Ellsworth Photographic Society and towards the end it became the Ellsworth Photo Club. It lasted almost 20 accumulated years but fell short of the anniversary. We feel now is the time to start fresh and to make sure that one thing is right up front, all individuals, no matter if they shoot film, digital, glass plate, tin types, even Holgas, and also ANY experience levels are more than welcome to attend!!
The common factor we all have is the love of images and what the say to us in their special language!
7PM Monday October 4th, we look forward to meeting up with you. Meadow View Dining Hall is 3/10 mile past the hospital on Union Street on the right, brown sign that says Meadow View in yellow lettering, large yellow building on the left, dining hall front and center! Further info email me at res@gwi.net or call me at 460-0093 brfore 9PM..I need my beauty sleep…….all I can get.

"Nasty Tele"

Deserted

Straight To Heaven

Empty Series 2010

Empty Series 2010