by Dave | 24 Sep 2013 | Blog
It is a fairly common statement that when taking photos, one should look behind them. The best photos are not always in the direction that first caught a person’s interest. Photographers, like other artists, Plein Air artists, are compelled to record on canvas, on paper, or in print, something in a scene that caught their attention. Looking at a scene, one is struck by something, perhaps on a sub-conscious level, in which something of interest is present. Looking behind to that which is not so obvious is good advice. How about looking up, looking to the sides, and looking down. Spending time on elevated platforms allows a different perspective of surroundings. People, particularly as they go about routine activities, rarely look up. I guess the same could be said for looking down. Being provided a small balcony pushes one to look down I suppose, especially when the surroundings are other building – over time, even those buildings take on characteristics of not before seen interest . Viewing umbrellas from above gives the impression of multi-colored dots moving about…some with more purpose than others. Some colorful, some black, some domed, some transparent, some broken…all employed for one purpose: trying to stay dry – does little for the feet though. So, what does the color or style of umbrella say about the personality of an individual? Maybe nothing. The intrigue of watching people from above is made a little more interesting by circumstance and the deployment of an umbrella.
by Dave | 20 Sep 2013 | Blog
Arichat, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
About a week ago we returned from a wonderful trip to Nova Scotia, the area from which my family emanated in North America. I have heard about Nova Scotia my entire life, and always had a desire to travel there. A few years ago, Pam, my wife, had indicated her interest in going to Nova Scotia to see the Bay of Fundy. Not altogether on a whim, but pretty close, we decided to head off to Canada. Aside from a broken airplane in Minneapolis and fears of not making connections, which would have probably meant staying in the airport or other accommodations at La Guardia, and keeping our fingers crossed that the remnants of Tropical Storm Gabrielle would not delay our return, we had a grand time. I managed to take about 3,000 photographs while in Nova Scotia and the process of going through them all will be a little daunting. Here is a sample of what we experienced…taken from the lower road in Arichat along the old and no longer functioning harbour.
by Dave | 19 Sep 2013 | Blog
During a raging storm a couple of nights ago, I became intrigued with the various umbrellas people were employing in an attempt to shield themselves from the rain. Stepping out on the balcony, I had a wonderful vantage from which to take photos of people on the street below during the height of the storm. Some were more successful than others in the rain, all needing to negotiate growing puddles, cars, and the spray kicked up by the tires. From the balcony, I had a new perspective of the diversity of umbrellas – dots moving in what seemed aimless patterns below. Individual umbrellas ambulating without identify other than their unique color characteristics – a multi-colored or black shrouding canopy; faceless, with only legs, arms, and personality.
by Dave | 26 Aug 2013 | Blog
“I believe the human face can tell a thousand stories, all of them together giving glimpses into who we are, who we’ve been, and who we can be, as individuals and as a race.” – David duChemin
What story does her face tell? What thoughts are behind those eyes? What have those eyes seen? This is a composite photograph; each photo taken a few years apart. The woman, who quietly sat in front of a church and never uttered a word, was captivating, but the background in which she was photographed did not tell her story.
by Dave | 24 Aug 2013 | Blog
Duluth Harbor North Breakwater Light
“Everybody loves lighthouses. They’re like apple pie, motherhood, and the American Flag. Lighthouses offer a wonderful charisma because each one has its own character.” Wayne Wheeler, president of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Lighthouses are the eyes of the sea: stately sentinels…serene, silent and statuesque. People seem to be drawn to lighthouses; there is a certain mystique and each filled with folklore, history, legend of shipwrecks, drownings, heroic rescues, romance, and ghosts. Lighthouses are metaphoric. Built on a rock; lighthouses become a metaphor of guidance and stability, often for a person who has provided a beacon through life, guiding one through ever present storms, the fog of decisions, and providing an ever-present stable beam.
First illuminated on 07 Apr 1910, it’s light has guided many on Lake Superior into “one of the worst and most dangerous” harbors on the Great Lakes. Originally built at a cost of $4,000, its continual light and stable presence have become priceless. This from the local newspaper on the day the light first shone:
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