Seeing 2009 (#38)

Just on the cusp of July, and the local daytime temperatures are only now (and rather suddenly, at that) rising to something worthy of being characterized as summer readings: 95⁰F Saturday, and 94⁰F today. The locals consider these as sweltering conditions; as an Arizonan I'd find the air a bit warm but nothing too discomforting . . . except I've now had twenty-five years to acclimate, rendering me thermally softer than I'd like to admit.

In homage to cool relief, I submit two versions of aquatic action.

The first utilizes a very fast shutter speed (1/2000 sec) in order to emphasize the form of the water mass (drainage from a percolation pond feed pipe).

The second was shot at a relatively slow 1/30th sec in order to convey a sense of immense energy, movement and volume.

Water Abstract #3767

(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: June 21, 2009; Canon 20D; f/7.1 @ 1/2000 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 55mm.

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Water Abstract #3787

(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: June 21, 2009; Canon 20D; f/32 @ 1/30 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 200; 38mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#37)

My family and I went to see movie The Hangover tonight, a pretty ridiculous although quite funny farce. Taking place as it did in Las Vegas, I came home compelled to offer an image from Sin City and this one came to mind . . . Like the film it certainly has no aspirations to high art.

I couldn't pass up the chance at irony when I took this photograph, and after tonight's cinema fare I simply had to dish up some humor by sharing these women's dilemma.

Meat Moment #7579

(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: November 11, 2006; Canon 20D; f/14 @ 1/400 sec; ISO 800; 25mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#36)

A post of a post-repast image, being a simple study in form, texture and formal composition.

It turned out well for a hand-held 1/4 second exposure.

Cold Fusion #3713

(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: June 20, 2009; Canon 20D; f/9 @ 1/4 sec; -2 EV; ISO 800; 56mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#35)

Finally, the coda to the Father's Day (week) theme . . .

Alternative titles were considered for this entry's photograph: Putting His Right Foot Forward, The Stand-In and Without A Leg To Stand On, among others. This offering aspires to a bit of whimsy, amid some subtle symmetries and irony . . .

The chair stand's incompleteness (suggested by the severed leg) is echoed by an proportionally flawed man (leg: check; body . . . like the chair itself, only implied to be above).

Happy Father's Day, dad, and to all the other fathers out there.

As for my Father's Day: my wife lovingly treated me to an outing in San Francisco . . . the two of us drove up to our hotel early Saturday evening, checked in, then took in quite a bit of the streets' sights as we strolled a fair distance (perhaps 1.5 miles) to one our favorite restaurants for dinner, the Stinking Rose. (We ate there on our very first date.) After the equally long walk back (how did that happen?) a lengthy slumber ensued.

A late awakening, followed by a perfect meal of Eggs Benedict at an Irish Pub (!) just a block from the hotel . . . then the crown jewel of the weekend, being several hours absorbing the amazing art of Ansel Adams photographs, Georgia O'Keefe paintings, and (a brilliant surprise) Robert Frank's series The Americans at SF MoMA.

Father Puts His Foot Down

(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: May 30, 2009; Canon 20D; f/7.1 @ 1/100 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 800; 66mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#34)

Continuing the run-up to Father's Day, 2009 . . .

My father's birthday is May 29th, thus generally on the Memorial Day weekend. Last year my wife Julianna and I visited my parents' home for the holiday/birthday fête. On such occasions my father engages in one of his favorite activities, cooking meat on a charcoal grill . . .

This image, taken well into the dusk of the day, caught him in the midst of relishing a conversation (another of his favorite pastimes) during a momentary pause from tending the fire. His face is filled with interest and enthusiasm for the topic at hand, and is one of my favorite expressions of him.

Taken from the deck above him, this photograph features an unusual perspective, which I find interesting.

James Houston Murray, May 24, 2008

(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: May 24, 2008; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/80 sec; -1 EV; ISO 400; 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#33)

Father is featured again . . . perhaps it's because Father's Day approaches.

This image was taken on the streets of downtown Oakland, California; we were passing a storefront bathed in warm, brilliant late afternoon light. The whitewashed walls of the building were monolithic, a large space broken only by the thin slices of a set of faded white blinds hanging in a window.

The monochromatic possibilities of this scene unfolded before me quite quickly; to get the angle I wanted I had to subtly drop off of our walking pace. This allowed me to juxtapose the thin swirling lines of my father's hair against the high ordered symmetry of the shades. I had to point and focus hurriedly, and hoped for the best . . .

I offer this image as a study in contrast to the prior entry's photograph. That effort features a pose deliberately set up to convey power and confidence set against a (subtly) moody sky. While not youthful, a sense of strength and a clear, limitless vision is present.

A much different scene is offered in the current entry: frailty and age emerges from the chaotic stark white hair and heavily sloping shoulders; the dark monolithic form of the jacket suggests the weight of time's passage. The slats in the background mimic prison bars and create a claustrophobic realm of negative space . . . in stark opposition to Entry #32's optimistically heavenward view, here the way ahead seems blind indeed.

(For the record, I'm pleased to report that my father was in jaunty spirits and no where near death's door; rather we were enjoying a lovely time aimlessly exploring, sharing rare time together in anticipation of my brother Eric's wedding the next day.)

James Houston Murray, May 30, 2009

(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: May 30, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/125 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 100; 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#32)

My father has unfailingly and frequently been a gracious and willing subject for my camera. Upon reflection I realize that of all those who've crossed my lens' paths, save for perhaps my sister Ami, he's always been the least self-conscious and good humored about risking the photographic capture of his soul.

This photograph is one of several taken at Highland Springs Park in Lake County on a cool, lightly overcast late afternoon March day, one which was far more wintry in nature than spring-like. The emotional atmosphere between my father and I was similarly slightly unsettled at this time. Even so, we did enjoy the excursion and avoided wading into any well-known emotional minefields. One topic which was discussed, however, was that of Death: I'd asked him if he was afraid of dying, to which my father easily and even light-heartedly replied "no." His faith in a good outcome from mortality is likely much stronger than my own . . .

Some of my favorite portraits (by other photographers) have been taken from slightly below the subject; this tends to yield a sense of power. My attempt to utilize this perspective came off better than I'd hoped, conveying my father's confident gaze towards his heavenly reward on that particular day. He is rarely without the adornoment of his gold necklace, which depicts Christ, with His cross surmounted on a ship's helm, as a "fisher of men"; this piece of jewelry nicely supports my father's point of view.

A relatively straight-forward image, I nonetheless toiled and fretted for several hours over the development of this selection. In the raw image the sky is completely blown-out and featureless, a consequence of combined slight overexposure and a virtually amorphous layer of high, light-grey cloud cover. I spent considerable time attempting to utilize a combination of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop adjustments to produce a fine balance between sky exposure and facial illumination.

James Houston Murray, March 29, 2008

(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: March 29, 2008, Canon 20D; f/9 @ 1/250 sec; ISO 200; 76mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#31)

My grandfather was an amateur architect, among other things; perhaps this explains why much of my oeuvre is comprised of images featuring a formality of composition involving angular lines, symmetries, repetitive pattens and the like. (Or, perhaps I was simply born with this particular angle on art.)

Just after Sunday lunch at last weekend's retreat in San Juan Bautista I returned to our room in order to pack up. Somewhat unexpectedly my wife proposed that we take a nap before leaving the grounds and returning to the madness of modern civilization. The siesta was lovely.

Upon awakening I remained on the bed a few moments to take in the peaceful atmosphere of our spare and simple accommodations. While laying there I was struck by the play of muted light on the bathroom door, which was slightly ajar, and the several geometric planes -- ceiling, wall and door juxtaposed among themselves -- which presented a scene both of simplicity and powerful form.

Thus, here is an image which is sustained virtually entirely on the merits of angular arrangements combined with implications of depth derived not from receding perspectives but rather from both seamless and abrupt changes in the play of light on the surfaces. There is an additional aspect of interest from the subtle textures in the ceiling, in contrast to the vast expanses devoid of detail.

I spent several hours playing with several variations of this photograph, including differing orientations, color vs. black & white (there was virtually no color present in the scene), and filter effects. Several of the alternative "realities" had compelling appeal . . . I may post more versions of this image in the coming weeks. This edition actually represents the closest to the original scene in front of me whilst I was emerging from the cobwebs of my nap.

Sunday afternoon in Room 49 #3653

(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: June 7, 2009; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/80 sec; -1/3 EV; ISO 400; 44mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#30)

My wife and I had the grace and immense enjoyment of spending last weekend at the St. Francis Retreat Center (see entries 25 & 26) with a number of other couples, several of whom who are beloved friends. The weather was perfect, the talks enlightening and the overall experience was relaxing and renewing. Julianna and I found our bed to be particularly comfortable, and we indulged in a luxurious 2.5 hour nap before departing on Sunday afternoon.

Throughout the retreat, when not participating in the formal gatherings, I was able to divide my time up nicely between the experiences of warm social interaction, mindful meditation, and of course a bit of devotion to my art.

This image was taken from the Fireside Room's porch (the building featured in entry #25), facing north at 1:30 in the morning. The exposure was 695 seconds, and the scene was illuminated by a combination of natural light from the nearly full moon and (to a much lesser degree) from the chandeliers within the Fireside room's interior. Due to the considerable effect of the bright moon's light washing over the celestial vault the star trails are significantly muted, as there were simply fewer stars bright enough to make their presence known in competition with la Luna.

Oak & Stars, 1:34 a.m., #3381

(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: June 7, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 11 mins 35 secs; ISO 100; 17mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#29)

Excuse the absences - recent days have been incredibly busy; much of the time was wonderfully occupied by the joyous wedding of my brother, Eric, to his bride Sharon.

Amidst the three day nuptial preparations my step-daughter demonstrated considerable sanity and serenity by means of a tw0-hour nap in our hotel room.

The Nap #3381

(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: May 30, 2009; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/125 sec; -2/3 EV, ISO 800; 85mm.

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