From the Recyle Bin

The recycle bin on my computer is not the same thing as trash. It’s mostly the place where pictures go to await a second chance. I had impulsively deleted an entire roll of film scans taken with my Yashica T4. The exposures seemed off. It looked like they might require “work,” and I am rarely willing to work hard to polish a picture that just isn’t good to begin with. The subjects were things I’ve photographed many, many times. Why not just let them go?

Because there are days when I just want to work because work gives life meaning. Sometimes people ask me what I do with “all those pictures” that I make. This question always throws me for a loop. I don’t make them to do anything with them. I make them for the process, for the layers and colors and shapes and meaning of it all.

Quiet Reflection

I put myself in these places of stillness.
Where I think about my thinking and embrace the present.
Ready to walk a new path,
I hope for renewal and engagement
and pray for resilience.

Hidden Gems

I thought I’d been down most every country road in the small town of Ladysmith. I was wrong. Tucked away along Countyline Church Road there sits a hidden gem. A beautiful garden of bonsai trees, a koi pond, sculptures, fountains, and two artists who cultivate natural beauty with artful hands, knowledge and patience. To be granted permission to take pictures in this sacred space was an honor.

True Colors

Here’s something I love about film . . . green is always green.

That might not seem like a big deal, but WOW, printing photographs, especially to render colors accurately is an art form all its own. To prepare for Slow Exposures, I ordered test prints on seven different papers from MUSEA Lab. And those subtle differences mattered. Then for the portfolio review, I tried archival pigment prints (giclee prints) versus plain old lustre photo paper. I’ve ordered some contact cards and postcards to leave behind with reviewers, and every step of the way has been marked by do-overs and corrections and reconsiderations. It’s a big learning process. I’ve let go of trying to get things just right and decided to enjoy the whole process, even the mistakes.

Oh, and I’m sending out a big thank you to the fine folks at picturehouse + thesmalldarkroom for developing and scanning all of my images with impeccable quality and precision. My work is mostly film these days and they are making me look really good!