Seeing 2010 (#109)

For your consideration: a simple, perhaps even trivial image . . . yet a photograph which nonetheless hints at the most profound of experiences: for every fresh emergence of life eventually comes the inescapable return to the great mystery of what was Before.

Budding Passages, #0123

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 24, 2010; Canon 20D; f/4 @ 1/80 sec; - 2/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#108)

For your consideration: a black & white entry from nature's tapestry of leaves -- awash with rivulets and conveying a slight illusion of contours by way of symmetric shadowing.

Originally color digital, converted to simulate Ilford Pan F plus 50 . . .

Untitled, #9775

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 13, 2010; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/500 sec; - 2/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#107)

For your consideration: a simple study in form and symmetry.

The second entry of what will become a new Still Life series derived from the Three Tiered Plate Project of last night.

Beware those deceivingly simple home projects: they may excite unexpected synapses.

Orb Slit, #0136

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 25, 2010; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1 sec; - 2/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#106)

For your consideration: an objet d'art, an unexpected subject for what instantly became the focus of an embryonic Still Life series.

It all started innocently enough: my wife asked me to put together something for her -- a bit of a trifle, really -- but upon unpacking the first piece of the assembly I was immediately captivated by the photogenic possibilities inherent in the various pieces. Thus what might have been a five minute job swiftly evolved into a photo shoot consuming the better part of two hours.

(Furthermore, while taking brief breaks from this unexpected project I found myself beginning yet a second, utterly unrelated series, imagery from the television . . . thus I was consciously and deliberately simultaneously immersed in two distinctly different photographic themes. Efforts from this parallel universe will be unveiled soon . . .)

Slit, #0148

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 25, 2010; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/30 sec; -1 1/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#105)

For your consideration: this image takes advantage of the brightness of the early afternoon overhead sun to sharply define the horizontal ridges of the walls' textures, yielding a study of patterns, depth and subtle symmetries.

I took this photograph with a deliberately wide aperture, to transform an otherwise distracting background into a canvas adding unexpected interest to the scene. There is more here than first meets the eye . . .

A hidden eave casts an angular shadow from above, which provides a surprising echo of the main subject's geometry. The blurred lamppost similarly enforces the complexity of the composition with an inverted reflection of the box's odd cup-like crown (note the linear connection by means of the sloping metal edge), as well as by paralleling the box's own support.

Red Box, San Francisco, #0055

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 17, 2010; Canon 20D; f/4.5 @ 1/1252 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 100; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#104)

For your consideration: atmospherics.

The first image is a new addition to my Glass Series which can been viewed here. Looking through a painted window, directly into the Sun from within a coffee house in San Jose, the imperfections in the orb's surface evoke fond childhood memories of scrutinizing sunspot activity projected live onto a viewing surface at the Kitt Peak National Observatory. Here I've taken rare liberties in dramatically changing elements of the original color scheme: the background has been altered from a uniformly extremely pallid tan, to create a sense of astronomical context and depth.

The second offering is an unaltered juxtaposition of spheric elements rendered abstract by a shallow depth-of-field. This was one the last photographs I took during last weekend's getaway with my wife and parents.

A couple of years ago I discovered an amazing book of photographs by Sam Abell, The Life of a Photograph. In it he presents dramatic and often breathtaking pairings of single subjects taken from varying perspectives -- one shot relatively close, and the other from further away. The resulting inclusion/exclusion of visual elements makes for delightful surprises in the perception and interpretation of each photograph.

While not in exactly the same vein, it is Mr Abell's dualities/symmetries which has inspired both this submission and yesterday's.

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Green Sphere, #9478

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 9, 2010; Canon 20D; f/5 @ 1/4016 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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San Francisco Sphere, 2:54pm, #0046

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 17, 2010; Canon 20D; f/4.5 @ 1/4016 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 100; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#103)

For your consideration: two cities in July (albeit separated by three years and a cultural universe).

As a pair these images strongly echo one another's compositions, each resplendent with repeating patterns which, while powerful and essentially dominant, nevertheless serve as background tapestries to the photographs' actual subjects.

The iconic structural contrasts could not be more apropos: one tableau suggests openness, freedom and vision, the other begets a strong sense of confinement and rigidity.

Same planet, different worlds.

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San Francisco, #9862

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 17, 2010; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/1252 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 200; 100mm.

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Houston, #8109

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 28, 2007; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/100 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 800; 85mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#102)

For your consideration: a study of two states of matter - solid vs. liquid.

This tableau features a few contractions and oddities . . . the monolithic mass seems in defiance of gravity as it thrusts up into the frame from below; the water seems to be rushing towards a dive into unknown depths -- except a few tiny currents have found the power to delay the plunge . . . and a drain pipe seems to be an actor oddly out of place, having no material role in this scene.

Under the Edge/Over the Edge, San Francisco, #9941

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 17, 2010; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/1252 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#101)

For your consideration: a sliver of a focused glance from my father . . .

The construction here is abrupt, challenging, evocative of dark and powerful forces in motion. The composition of the slit portal within a partial ovoid -- complete with radiating arcs sweeping downward -- hints at an ironic Burqua-like assemblage.

Yet despite the ominous atmosphere the eyes' gaze is that of curiosity tinged with being in on the visual joke . . . a nice bit of playfulness during a lovely weekend in San Francisco.

Dad's Peerage, San Francisco, #9873

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 17, 2010; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/125 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#100)

For your consideration: a pair of discoveries from walks taken between my office and the parking garage.

The first was taken in the glorious late-afternoon sunlight streaming across the campus as I hunted for back-lit foliage . . . quite unexpected was the elegant conical structure nestled in a gently arching, spacious canopy. My eye was drawn to the lovely symmetries throughout the composition.

The second photograph is a sample from a nascent series I'm likely to entitle Droppings; in this case an organic splash yielded dramatic radiating spikes combined with an unusually well-defined nucleus. This offering is a rare foray into deliberate alteration of an original canvas on a significant scale; I rendered a blandly chromatic sourcel into this high contrast, high-relief interpretation. The resulting abstract evokes fond memories of my high school biology class . . .

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Leaf Cone, #9773

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 13, 2010; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/801 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Dropping as Macrophage, #9601

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 11, 2010; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/320 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 200; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#99)

For your consideration: a study in the often surprisingly sublime geometry of nature, in this case also featuring an unexpected participant.

Taken near the end of what turned into a several-hours-long shoot on the grounds of the Rosicrucian museum during the high heat of mid-afternoon. While scanning the surroundings for more subjects for my Leaves Series, a tiny alien dropped in from the sky and made a timely, somewhat incongruous appearance. Thus I was able to quickly compose a photograph which likely will also contribute to another, currently nascent series featuring macro images of insects.

Green, Hornet, #9601

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 10, 2010; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/500 sec; ± 0 EV; ISO 200; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#98)

For your consideration: not exactly a Lizard Lounge, but rather a small segment of a narrow yet quite long interior at a local Taqueria.

Just three days after my initial hire date at San Jose State University, in December, 2008, my brother Eric and his bandmate Aaron performed live in SJSU's radio studio. (See this prior blog entry.)

After their gig was up we trolled the as-yet-unfamiliar-to-me campus environs and, as the sun was setting, strolled famished into a largely empty eatery. During the ensuing mastication conversation the day's last rays began streaming into the dining space through a large bay window.

The low slanting photons accentuated the wall's texture magnificently and the deep yellows cast a glowing warmth to the ambiance. The oddly abandoned chair -- seemingly exiled to facing the wall as if being punished -- served as the pivotal element required for the tableau presented below.

This image was originally published in a test gallery on my first website; after seeing it Eric wrote an email to me stating that, not for the first time, he found himself quietly puzzled and amused over [my] seemingly unfathomable photographic interest in what seemed an ordinary scene . . . and after seeing the resulting photograph he was impressed yet again by my "vision".

My brother happens to be the most artistically gifted human I know -- musician, writer, programmer, sketch artist and photographer too -- thus his praise was and is deeply meaningful to me. Oh: it just so happens that I consider this to be one of my very best images as well.

Iguana Room, #1971

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: December 6, 2008; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/60 sec; ± 0 EV; ISO 200; 30mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#97)

For your consideration: a gripping moment spotted in the twilight hour during a slow, meandering walk from my office to my car.

The ponderous, weighty spokes are ironically lightened by the gentle downward undulations of the orbiting, battle-worn band; the implied circumference of the arc is oddly difficult to reconcile with the vertical vector in the background. Lacking any clear anchor the metal wheel seems to poised to rotate at any sec, summarizing the subtle surprise in this construction.

Red Handle, #9464

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 7, 2010; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/801 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#96)

For your consideration: a study of angular momentum and implied monolithic motion.

Converted from color, with granularity significantly accentuated. A nod to Bill Brandt, another early influence on my photographic growth.

Untitled, #9349

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 5, 2010; Canon 20D; f/9 @ 1/4000 sec; ± 0 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#95)

For your consideration: a concrete abstract, if you will . . .

Very early in my lifelong love affair with photography I encountered the work of Aaron Siskind.

More than any other photographer, his work opened my eyes to the limitless possibilities of beauty, mystery, humor --- and the sheer joys of curiosity and exploration experienced when we simply pay attention to the plethora of forms, objects and patterns continuously surrounding us, overhead . . . and underfoot.

Abstract (Homage to Siskind), #9203

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: April 14, 2010; Canon 20D; f/4 @ 1/640 sec; -2/3 EV; I SO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#94)

For your consideration: an abstract from the emerging Glass Series, the current content of which can be pondered here.

While I'm fairly widely-read in general, I nonetheless am quite deficient when it comes to what are generally considered The Classics. One of few such tomes I plodded through, while a university student, was Dante's Inferno. I did not read it out of obligation to a class, but rather I was fascinated by the proposed topography of Hell.

Abstract (Homage to Dante), #9203

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: July 3, 2010; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/100 sec; -1 EV; I SO 100; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#93)

For your consideration: a submission from the Drive By Shootings series, in honor of the July 4th weekend.

A momentary pass through a nearby neighborhood towards the end of last year's Christmas season.

Independent Streaks, #5955

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: December 28, 2009; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1.3 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 55mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#92)

For your consideration: a tableau evocative of mystery, serenity, hope and abundance.

I selected this image as a paean to having survived the first day of transition from my cherished library position to my new space in the Center for Faculty Development.

Walking past the glimmering MLK library and entering my new world in the IRC building early this morning was not quite as strange as I anticipated it might be . . .

Upon arriving I immediately sat down for what turned into a ninety-minute meeting with my new manager; it was a easy and wide-ranging conversation and, I'm certain, a mutual initial exploration of one another's chemistry, attitudes and perspectives. In due course I was introduced to most of my fellow department members. Sorting out names and faces will be among my first challenges. I was delighted to learn that my IT support will come from Jason, who graciously worked with me on my last significant technical project (video streaming) prior to my reassignment.

By the end of the day I'd managed to get myself locked out the building -- good: got that experience out of the way quickly -- and of course got little of real substance accomplished beyond installing an application on an iMac (among my first Apple software experiences). As I closed up I left knowing that I've stepped into a vast, new terrain, have a tremendous amount to learn, and am in for quite an adventure.

Thus, this photograph: after many weeks of uncertainty about my fate, I've finally been given some clarity and have taken my first step into the new pool.

Pool, Hearst Castle, #4541

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: September 5, 2009; Canon 20D; f/9 @ 1/125 sec; -1 1/3 EV; ISO 800; 46mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#91)

For your consideration: scenes representing Impermanence, the endless cycle of deterioration and regeneration, of clarity and the unknown.

Today brought the close of my splendid, thoroughly fulfilling and appallingly brief stint at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., library.

I had planned to pack up quickly (I was taught long ago to avoid premature packing -- once that task begins we've already left) so as to have a modest portion of my closing curtain devoted to visiting my friends and colleagues for a bit of closure. 'Twas not to be: far too many interruptions combined by an inordinate amount of office materiel to sort though prevented much in the way of making adieus. In fact, I departed the glass palace in haste, having worked in a just-barely-coherent, frantic fashion to tie off all loose ends, backup and preserve crucial data, and make not-quite-life-and-death decisions about what to keep (just to name a brief few items) vs. what to leave behind for documentation (and posterity).

I had far too little time to adequately offer my continued devotion to the success of those beloved souls I'm being forced to leave behind. An appointment at home compelled a brisk walk to my car at the close of the day -- and it is likely a good deal that I did not have time for nostalgic glances over my shoulder as I hastened away. Even so, I was acutely aware of the unfathomable contrast in the feelings of joy and anxiety-tinged hope I held during my first day's walk into work more than eighteen months ago versus the senseless experiences of sorrow, emptiness and sour finality which have been too frequent .

Yet, of course the new path I'm on the brink of exploring undoubtedly holds treasures and unexpected pleasures to come. Right Thought, Right Action . . .

And so we come to these two submissions: the first echoing my heart's ache, with the beautiful moon near the close of its arc across the sky -- the sunset, then the day's close over this beautiful institution just as I too must adhere the orbit assigned me, a trajectory sweeps me out of a wonderfully nurturing environment.

The second photograph is posted as a reminder that after the dawn a plethora of new wonders are awaiting illumination and discovery. I do believe I'll be blessed with at least of few treasures during the course of this new journey. Just as in the photograph, my mental landscape features a few dark clouds, yet even they possess interesting structures and only just obscure lovely skies beyond . . . and underneath it all the world is still rich and green with fresh living to be done.

The days to come are guaranteed to be interesting . . .

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Moon over the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, #8420

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: June 4, 2010; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/200 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 100; 100mm.

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San Benito County, Early Morning, #6994

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: March 30, 2010; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/125 sec; +1 EV; ISO 400; 28mm.

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