Charbroiled at the Diner #2743
(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.
(click image for larger version)
Details: April 18, 2009; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/50 sec; -2/3 EV, ISO 400; 85mm.
__________
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Seeing 2009 (#28)
Taken at the Mini Gourmet while dining with Jerry B.; Tom contemplates Jerry's fate . . .
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Seeing 2009 (#27)
As native of southern Arizona I have a great appreciation of desert scenery. Visitors to my homeland, especially those from verdant locales, often react to their first Sonoran experience with "where are all the trees?" Such quick judgments miss the finer details.
The environment is undeniably harsh in the summer months; the natural inhabitants tend to be fiercely armored for survival . . .
The environment is undeniably harsh in the summer months; the natural inhabitants tend to be fiercely armored for survival . . .
Untitled #3184
(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.
(click image for larger version)
Details: May 16, 2009; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 1/50 sec; -2/3 EV, ISO 100; 85mm.
__________
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Seeing 2009 (#26)
On the grounds of the St. Francis Retreat Center, San Juan Bautista.
I am fascinated with the concept of fluid dynamics; in even the simplest cases the complexity of ebb & flow is profound. Any particular arrangement of peaks and valleys lasts barely an instant, carved and defined by colliding and competing currents; each minute slice of time spawns a new and unique creation, in turn immediately transformed into an entirely different topography.
One can observe the scene for hours, witnessing an endless parade of utterly distinct canvases beyond count, yet leaving neither able to describe nor recall a single one in its elegant detail.
I am fascinated with the concept of fluid dynamics; in even the simplest cases the complexity of ebb & flow is profound. Any particular arrangement of peaks and valleys lasts barely an instant, carved and defined by colliding and competing currents; each minute slice of time spawns a new and unique creation, in turn immediately transformed into an entirely different topography.
One can observe the scene for hours, witnessing an endless parade of utterly distinct canvases beyond count, yet leaving neither able to describe nor recall a single one in its elegant detail.
Chaos Theory #3204
(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.
(click image for larger version)
Details: May 16, 2009; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 1/125 sec; -2/3 EV, ISO 400; 85mm.
__________
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Seeing 2009 (#25)
Last weekend I attended a men's retreat at the St. Francis Retreat Center, located in the foothills south of San Juan Bautista.
I've been making pilgrimages to this serene locale since 1992, but this is the first time I've had the luxury of a tripod with me. During this visit the temperatures were unusually warm, making for splendid evening chats and star gazing.
This submission is the best of several attempts to capture some star trails. I took this quite late in the wee hours of Sunday morning, about 2.30 a.m., just after the last of my peers turned in, leaving me the grounds to myself.
Before tripping the shutter I turned down the dimmer switches for the interior lights to their lowest possible setting -- they emitted a barely perceptible glow to the naked eye -- my goal was to avoid a completely overwhelmed, over-exposed room due to my planned 10-to-15 minute exposure. The splotchy pattern on the face of the building is due to some recently added exterior accent lights, which were scattered amidst some foliage and trees behind me and cast interesting patterns through branches and leaves.
I've been making pilgrimages to this serene locale since 1992, but this is the first time I've had the luxury of a tripod with me. During this visit the temperatures were unusually warm, making for splendid evening chats and star gazing.
This submission is the best of several attempts to capture some star trails. I took this quite late in the wee hours of Sunday morning, about 2.30 a.m., just after the last of my peers turned in, leaving me the grounds to myself.
Before tripping the shutter I turned down the dimmer switches for the interior lights to their lowest possible setting -- they emitted a barely perceptible glow to the naked eye -- my goal was to avoid a completely overwhelmed, over-exposed room due to my planned 10-to-15 minute exposure. The splotchy pattern on the face of the building is due to some recently added exterior accent lights, which were scattered amidst some foliage and trees behind me and cast interesting patterns through branches and leaves.
St. Francis Retreat Center, Fireside Room Porch
(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.
(click image for larger version)
Details: May 17, 2009; Canon 20D; f/9 @ 799 secs; ISO 400; 17mm.
__________
Friday, May 15, 2009
Seeing 2009 (#24)
Met my brother Eric in San Francisco for dinner last night (a very rare treat), and to pick up my suit for his wedding (an even rarer event . . . thankfully!). He knows the city well, so afterward he agreed to take me to a view so that I might take a few images of the skyline. Our first destination was a lookout somewhere in the Castro district; before we were halfway up the climb it was clear that it would NOT be clear . . . socked-in is a better way to describe it. It was getting late, so we surrendered easily: no artistic moments this evening.
Ahh, but then we began our crossing of the Bay Bridge en route to his house in Oakland . . . and a truly spectacular scene presented itself. So: a quick exit, onto Treasure Island, and despite extremely gusty, very chilly winds (which presented real challenges with respect to vibrations in the tripod) at least one photograph is presentable. As is always the case, this image is but a hint of how truly amazing it was to stand there taking in the breath-takng tableau.
San Francisco from Treasure Island (#3118)
(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.
(click image for larger version)
Details: May 14, 2009; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 4 sec; ISO 200; 68mm.
__________
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Seeing 2009 (#23)
Long ago, on a foggy winter afternoon at a rest stop just south of San Francisco, I stopped to stretch my legs and discovered a rather severe (or so it seemed to me) statue of Father Serra. This was long before digital cameras existed; I likely used my Minolta XE-7 to take the b&w 35mm image that day. I lay completely on my back, looking directly up at the priest looming overhead, arm outstretched with that j'accuse finger . . . The sky was dark and roiling with a mix of fog and clouds, and I was quite pleased with the turbulent mood I captured that day.
Fast forward at least 15 or years and we ge to today's submission . . . I finally revisited Father, about two years ago. This time around the weather was perfect by most standards -- yet the lack of fog at least sharply mitigated by desire to replicate the ominous atmospherics of my original 35mm negative. Nor, due to a fence, could I still cozy right up to Father's skirt before taking my photo . . .
Even so, here's my semi-modern update on the scene. (By the way: preliminary attempts to upload this particular image are yielding extremely poor quality pseudo-thumbnail images . . . there are significant and unacceptably pronouced artifacts in in the sky. Perhaps the one you see posted here after I write this will be okay . . . if not expect me to pull this from my blog until I can figure out what is going wrong . . .
Fast forward at least 15 or years and we ge to today's submission . . . I finally revisited Father, about two years ago. This time around the weather was perfect by most standards -- yet the lack of fog at least sharply mitigated by desire to replicate the ominous atmospherics of my original 35mm negative. Nor, due to a fence, could I still cozy right up to Father's skirt before taking my photo . . .
Even so, here's my semi-modern update on the scene. (By the way: preliminary attempts to upload this particular image are yielding extremely poor quality pseudo-thumbnail images . . . there are significant and unacceptably pronouced artifacts in in the sky. Perhaps the one you see posted here after I write this will be okay . . . if not expect me to pull this from my blog until I can figure out what is going wrong . . .
My apologies: image pulled until I can determine why this particular upload was of such poor quality.
(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.
(click image for larger version)
Details: August 25, 2008; Canon 20D; f/10 @ 1/200 sec; ISO 100; 24mm.
__________
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Seeing 2009 (#22)
Sunday, Mother's Day, brought with it an unexpected development: a family friend's daughter went into labor, in advance of giving birth to her first child. Thus my wife and I trekked "over the Hill" to Dominican Hospital, in Soquel, CA, to be on hand for the miracle of another being's entrance onto this mortal coil.
As it happened I had left my primary camera in my office, so I grabbed my original digital camera, a Canon G2 4-megapixel viewfinder model. Despite the primary limitation of producing unacceptably noisy results above an ISO of 50 (!), I've taken some remarkably sharp and fine images with this instrument.
The mommy-to-be did not make much progress during our several hour visit, so I excused myself to the chapel, which I had utterly to myself for the entirety of the sixty minutes or so I spent there. During that time I indulged in a 30-minute silent meditation sitting, in between also taking a number of interior images of the space. Below is one of the better results.
I've long been admired and enjoyed religious art and temples of all kinds, whether Christian, Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist . . . in this perpsective the stark, concrete space seemed to me a perfect symbol of the hell in which we all too often encase ourselves while visiting this planet, with the stark blue holding a promise of freedom by means of transcending self-imposed prisons.
As it happened I had left my primary camera in my office, so I grabbed my original digital camera, a Canon G2 4-megapixel viewfinder model. Despite the primary limitation of producing unacceptably noisy results above an ISO of 50 (!), I've taken some remarkably sharp and fine images with this instrument.
The mommy-to-be did not make much progress during our several hour visit, so I excused myself to the chapel, which I had utterly to myself for the entirety of the sixty minutes or so I spent there. During that time I indulged in a 30-minute silent meditation sitting, in between also taking a number of interior images of the space. Below is one of the better results.
I've long been admired and enjoyed religious art and temples of all kinds, whether Christian, Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist . . . in this perpsective the stark, concrete space seemed to me a perfect symbol of the hell in which we all too often encase ourselves while visiting this planet, with the stark blue holding a promise of freedom by means of transcending self-imposed prisons.
The Here and Hereafter (Chapel #8968)
(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.
(click image for larger version)
Details: May 10, 2009; Canon G2; f/2.2 @ 1/30 sec; ISO 50; 7mm.
__________
Monday, May 11, 2009
Seeing 2009 (#21)
Today's submission is another example of what could be regarded as either a case of a "fading star" hanging on well past its prime . . . or perhaps a determined, defiant survivor from seasons past. Either way, I find some whimsical elements here as the leaf seems to be blithely waving at the camera, perhaps even dancing a hula. Fitting, as aloha is used in both greetings and farewells, congruent with the ambiguity here.
Waving Star Leaf #1359
(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.
(click image for larger version)
Details: October 31, 2008; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/60 sec; ISO 400; 85mm.
__________
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Seeing 2009 (#20)
As with the prior submission, taken during the same surprisingly rewarding extemporaneous stroll through the courtyard where I live, on an overcast late fall morning.
I've mulled over this image many times (and another of the same subject, taken from a slightly different perspective), with conflicting feelings . . . Neither of the two shots is truly satisfying in their native as-taken formats -- frustratingly, each has strong elements which if were present in its sibling would yield exactly what I was seeking to create in a single shot.
Here I settled out on the "better" baseline, then decided to experiment with some rather more radical surgery and cosmetic alterations than is my norm: considerable cropping nicely strengthened the composition and energy, and application of some new plug-in filters, adjusting brightness and sharpness, at last yielded an effort worth posting.
This photograph represents an example of what seems to be a newly emerging theme in what catches my attention of late, that being a triad of Survival, Perseverance, and Endurance. The main subject is clear not so much because one's eyes are directed to it by the arc and flow of organic geometry, but stems instead from its stark example of dying - yet still holding out - amidst flourishing life.
The image also illustrates a type of composition which never ceases to surprise and delight me, wherein the main subject is revealed not by spacial dominance but instead by means of irony and contrast focused in a minimal amount of canvas space.
I've mulled over this image many times (and another of the same subject, taken from a slightly different perspective), with conflicting feelings . . . Neither of the two shots is truly satisfying in their native as-taken formats -- frustratingly, each has strong elements which if were present in its sibling would yield exactly what I was seeking to create in a single shot.
Here I settled out on the "better" baseline, then decided to experiment with some rather more radical surgery and cosmetic alterations than is my norm: considerable cropping nicely strengthened the composition and energy, and application of some new plug-in filters, adjusting brightness and sharpness, at last yielded an effort worth posting.
This photograph represents an example of what seems to be a newly emerging theme in what catches my attention of late, that being a triad of Survival, Perseverance, and Endurance. The main subject is clear not so much because one's eyes are directed to it by the arc and flow of organic geometry, but stems instead from its stark example of dying - yet still holding out - amidst flourishing life.
The image also illustrates a type of composition which never ceases to surprise and delight me, wherein the main subject is revealed not by spacial dominance but instead by means of irony and contrast focused in a minimal amount of canvas space.
Cascade #1359
(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.
(click image for larger version)
Details: October 31, 2008; Canon 20D; f/9 @ 1/60 sec; -1/3 EV; ISO 400; 85mm.
__________
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Seeing 2009 (#19)
Yes, it is quite late (or, early); got up at 1.00am with excess energy.
For the past two days I've had the urge to grab my camera when leaving for work in the morning. Both times I talked myself out of it, and twice I've regretted these lazy decisions, especially today: some fascinating mists emanated from City Hall's fountains during my lunch time stroll.
This entry is from a spontaneous meandering through my condominium complex on a deeply overcast, wintry day last October. Simple, with deliberately shallow depth of field in order to both minimize background distractions and to accentuate the sense of floating.
A reminder of life's grace and vibrancy even when the atmosphere is stormy and foreboding.
For the past two days I've had the urge to grab my camera when leaving for work in the morning. Both times I talked myself out of it, and twice I've regretted these lazy decisions, especially today: some fascinating mists emanated from City Hall's fountains during my lunch time stroll.
This entry is from a spontaneous meandering through my condominium complex on a deeply overcast, wintry day last October. Simple, with deliberately shallow depth of field in order to both minimize background distractions and to accentuate the sense of floating.
A reminder of life's grace and vibrancy even when the atmosphere is stormy and foreboding.
Rose #1341
(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.
(click image for larger version)
Details: October 31, 2008; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/200 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 72mm.
__________
Friday, May 1, 2009
Seeing 2009 (#18)
C'est tard. Je suis fatiguée. Bonsoir.
Yellow Rose in Black & White (#2892)
(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.
(click image for larger version)
Details: April 26, 2009; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/50 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 85mm.
__________
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)