Seeing 2010 (#171)

For your consideration: after a year of continuing the explore the wandering, usually extemporaneous, personally endlessly surprising variety of my photographic attentions and intentions -- two final images -- culled as bookends from January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2010.

During this chapter of my artist's journey roughly 6,860 impressions were recorded by my Canon 20D's shutter. This paired offering can hardly capture the breadth of subjects I deeply enjoyed exploring, in places as diverse as the Sonora Desert of my beloved Arizona to the quirky scenes of Alviso (CA), from the serene and bucolic settings of Spirit Rock to the cosmopolitan cacophony of San Francisco. Sunrises, sunsets, rain, high noon and nocturnal excursions . . . candid shots of friends and family, abstracts organic and not, and a rediscovered love of an immersion in the minutia of macro studies and tableaux . . .

This year of 2010 was easily the most prolific (or better or worse!) of my thirty-six year love affair with the proceses and creations of the photographic millieu. I am deeply, deeply grateful to the many who've made this year's journey expecially enriching, including (but certainly not limted to) my wife Julianna, Jerry Berkstresser, Vernon Brock, Micah Jeffries, my father (who always poses without complaint), my siblings who are gracious enough to accept prints from me as birthday/Christmas gifts and even display them in thier homes and offices; friends at work (who posed, granted me access to facilities, and willingly subjected themselves to many viewings of my blog and smugmug site), my cousin Gene McGill who kindly lent me a vechicle which allowed me a precious early morning visit to my Holy of Holies, the Rock in my desert refuge . . . and all of those who've walked this path with me not only this year but in all those before it.

Whatever accomplishments I've attained here, and whatever pleasures, questions, intrigue, and emotional reactions my imagery has evoked are the result of an untold myriad of suggestions, inspirations and unconscious creation from the entirety of my life's journey's collaborators, both intimately known and forever anonymous. To all of you: peace and thanks.

I can't wait to see what the universe unveils in the 8760 hours of 2011 . . .

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Block Wall & Rock, #5995

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: January 1 , 2010; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 8 secs; —1 EV; ISO 100; 24mm.

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Luna Sleeps Away The Year, #3186

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: December 31, 2010; Canon 20D; f/4.6 @ 3/5 secs; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#170)

For your consideration: another season of madness, chaos, traffic turmoil, premature yule muzak attacks and guilt-driven, affection-seeking desperation shopping is coming to a close . . . as I author this post the clock has struck midnight thus it might be safe to emerge for a look around -- there's zero shopping days left, after all. At last.

This year I again celebrate the survival mode victory of not having come anywhere near the lethal gravitational vortex of the major shopping mauls. With a few exceptions I am giving as gifts some of my photographs which I hand-matted and framed, most in a marathon session last weekend. This kept me indoors and safe from the frenzied retail insanity which long ago sucked out the last of any genuine connection to the original spiritual intent of this holiday. As a result I was blissfully insulated from the national duress of dashing to and fro in search of enough acquired goods to satisfy some ill-defined, personal mental/emotional balance sheet (one must ensure that nobody was "overlooked).

Until today, when, after spending a pleasant time talking with my friend Kevin over coffee in a large bookstore's café, I made the mistake of surveying the shelves just in case I might spot just the right book for so-and-so and/or another family member or two or three . . . Before I realized it I had become agitated, and found myself pacing the store, caught up in the mob mentality swirling all around me. I had to exit, quickly -- but not before buying those last two gifts, unplanned and unnecessary. My serenity had been submerged and blurred by searching for an external substitute for internal blessings.

Where and when did we lose our way? At what point did we drink the groupthink concoction and unconsciously -- or even more disturbing, knowingly -- succumb to a social contract wherein material offerings given once a year displaced the essential, vital and healing charity of offering one's time, affection, and compassion to not only loved ones and friends but also to the poor, the struggling, and especially to those who most challenge and annoy us -- on a daily basis?

For quite some time now we've been hypnotized by the dazzling lights of monetary monotheism.

Merry Christmas.

Now, let's bring on a fresh, new year -- and just perhaps might we do it a bit differently this time?

Shopping Spree, #9088

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: June 26, 2010; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 2.5 secs; —2/3 EV; ISO 100; 55mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#169)

For your consideration: the 300th Posting to this wandering blog . . .

This submission is a macro photograph of a leaf, taken last weekend between matting & framing prints and a brief break in the weather of a what was a largely rain-filled few days.

Leaf with Rain Droplets, #3052

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: December 19, 2010; Canon 20D; f/3.5 @ 1/400 sec; ± 0 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#168)

For your consideration: in honor of this evening's convergence of a total lunar eclipse and the Winter solstice, a pair of aligned circles, one cratered, against a barren landscape.

A moment's examination reveals that there is far more here than meets the eye: the imprinted text dispels any notion of this canvas as being derived from the stellar vault. Deeper consideration evokes an incongruous construction -- the surface suggests aged concrete, contradicting any immediate association with the claim of fluid ounces.

So it is with much of the universe: visual evidence is often the most unreliable source towards understanding the nature of an object under study. The Moon, cast a Martian red during the depths of its brief habitation of Earth's umbra, seems to float weightlessly against an incomprehensibly deep ocean . . . yet its Mass is ~ 8.1 x 10¹⁹ tons.

Similarly, this image is a photograph of the side of a cement mold originating from a one gallon plastic milk (or water) container. To an archeologist far removed by distance and time, this physical specimen would be quite misleading as a fossil representation of its relatively flimsy, lightweight source.

To whatever degree each of us labors in the darkness of ignorance, however, optimism abounds: from this point forward the days are growing longer!

Carton, #2940

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: December 11, 2010; Canon 20D; f/13 @ 1/320 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#167)

For your consideration: perhaps a bit of "gimme shelter" -- a tiny seed huddled within the minute confines of a tree stump's rings.

As it happens, I photographed this minuscule scene while roaming a large, local cemetery. I was intrigued at the confluence of a capsule of future life being snugly nestled amid rigorous, fossil-like remains of a majestic edifice of what this vessel might one day become.

Nature's fortitude and persistence.

Untitled, #2989

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: December 11, 2010; Canon 20D; f/2.8 @ 1/400 sec; — 2/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#166)

For your consideration: a tableau exhibiting the determination of life's yearning to rise beyond the void, and thus creating beauty and delicacy even amidst desolate, fractious landscapes.

From all darkness, hope.

Emergence, #8615

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: December 11 , 2010; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/250 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#165)

For your consideration: an affirmation . . . a still-life study of tenderness in its purest, sublime form -- without preconceived agenda, protected by the wisdom, strength and shelter of Elders.

Life is encouraged and grows especially well when bathed in the sunlight of the spirit and at the same time -- a universal, archetypal manifestation of love, perhaps even for plants, leads to flourishing beauty.

The Nature of Nurture, #8615

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: June 9, 2010; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/60 sec; — 2/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#164)

For your consideration: an abstract expression, layers accentuated by processing with amplified contrast.

Incongruities abound in this tableau: the general thrust of motion seems to be downward, yet the background texture and tone create confusion regarding depth -- combined with the hourglass gap and one finds a sense of rising instead.

Then of course is the main subject and thesis: emptiness and darkness are the substrata informing illumination.

Untitled, #0525

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: August 16, 2010; Canon 20D; f/22 @ 1/250 sec; — 2/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#163)

For your consideration: variations on the majestic notion of striving for inspiring accomplishment.

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Aspiring Leaf, #0465

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: August 16, 2010; Canon 20D; f/10 @ 1/250 sec; — 1/3 EV; ISO 100; 59mm.

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Chrysler Building, #1771

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: November 23, 2008; Canon 20D; f/10 @ 1/200 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 100; 59mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#162)

For your consideration: an organic pillar, tightly wrapped, yet oddly crowned. An unfurling seemed eminent, but it was unclear if pulling the filament would be revealing.

Untitled, #0485

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: August 16, 2010; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 1/320 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 200; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#161) - In Memoriam

To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.
~~ Thomas Campbell

For your consideration, and remembrance: an image from Central Park, taken during a visit with my wife and daughter two years ago.

It is stunning to reflect that fully thirty years have evaporated since the abrupt, shocking, and unfathomably senseless extinction of one of our species brightest artistic, soulful members -- John Winston Lennon. Music has taken on a distinctly paler tone since his death.

Living in Tucson at the time, I left my apartment that evening to run an errand: I was off to purchase something at a (now long defunct) department store, LaBelle's. I remember being well-pleased at the non-stop Beatles tunes which were playing on the radio during my drive; I had no idea what the occasion was -- I figured a famous date in Fab Four history must've been the reason (I'm a huge fan, but not so obsessive to know such arcane details).

It was on the return trip home that I heard the shattering news from the DJ, just after A Day In the Life finished playing.

JFK. Malcom X. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Benigno Aquino. Ghandi. Sadat.

In their own manner, all were political figures who posed challenges to the established social order of their respective societies. Given the unpleasant reality of zealots in our midst the assassination of such titans were at least comprehensible and somewhat predictable tragedies.

Lennon??? A musician???

Give Peace A Chance. All We Need is Love.

When I got back to my apartment all I could do was sit on my couch, mute, with a deep feeling that suddenly a surreal tipping point had been reached and breached -- from then on little would make sense in the realm of human behavior.

(My step-mom Joan, who is Mom to me, called me that night simply to ask, "Are you okay?" That gesture of lovingkindness and tender concern has never left me.)

Perhaps on the World Stage vitriolic suspicion remains the lingua franca. Thankfully, however, among individuals there still exists and is readily shared much in the way of compassion, love, joy and hope, despite the oceans of prejudice, religious and political extremism, and a plethora of other irrational rationalizations promoting division and hatred.

Thus, while my heart still softly aches over the snuffing out of this bright light of a troubadour, his music -- and its message -- continues to flourish in the consciousness of many among us, as we ride this planet across the universe.

While John's body is deceased, we can take comfort from one of the earlier Beatles' gems: he's not really gone . . . as he wrote, I'm Only Sleeping.

Imagine, #1824

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Seeing 2010 (#160)

For your consideration: an elegant, serene portrait of a kind, serene soul who agreed to accommodate my extemporaneous desire to photograph him.

This image was taken with my my 100mm Macro, which here shows off striking sharpness and tremendous utility in its dual role as a short telephoto. (Macro lens' such as this one are primarily designed for extreme close-up photography, especially of small objects; many examples are posted throughout this blog.)

Equally remarkable as the macro's performance was Michael's astounding talent at sitting absolutely still, not only during the relatively long exposures (1/50 sec is long for a telephoto lens, especially at close range) but also betwixt shots -- throughout the six or so photographs taken his pose and gaze remained virtually frozen.

As this "sitting" immediately followed a session of silent group meditation in the same room - and chair - in which he sat, I must attribute his stillness as being of both body and Mind . . .

Michael, #2681

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: November 30, 2010; Canon 20D; f/4.5 @ 1/50 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#159)

For your consideration: a study of both symmetries and contrasts in mood and form.

A favorite pastime of mine is to burn incense; I find it soothes me. Those (few) who follow this blog may recall that the very first image I posted from my then-new (and still beloved) 100mm Macro lens was that of a solitary incense stick — a photograph christening the lens' first light (to borrow, grandiosely, from astronomical terminology).

Consider this an update on the theme: while obviously a pair of like objects share the stage, both their stances and stamina suggest an alienation and isolation from one another.

The taller of the two seems spent, prematurely perhaps, with slumped body language. (Do stick figures have posture?) Its companion, however, glows with life, illustrates the power of persistence, and as a direct consequence also provides the source of elegant, graceful movement to an otherwise utterly static scene. The very presence of the wafting smoke also yields a momentary, tenuous yet compelling echo of the broken shaft's form: note the parallel right-elbow, but with a subtle message — rather than remain downtrodden, it is possible to gently change course again and rise above one's surroundings . . .

Incensed Resignation, #2699

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: December 3, 2010; Canon 20D; f/3.2 @ 1/80 sec; −2/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#158)

For your consideration: a meditation on the interrelationship and entrainment between one's looming dark side and one's illumination.

Evocative of Plato's Cave, this submission depicts the condition that most of the time we are -- usually obliviously -- in the presence of our own mental darkness and ignorance, even as we may strive to emerge into the light of reality. We don't know what we don't know. Attainment of the brightness of Truth -- and release from the opaqueness of our historically acquired (and frequently imposed) perceptions, is not a trivial endeavor.

The journey takes time, discipline, and sustained effort. Along the way, if we are fortunate, we may catch peripheral glimpses of the Forms themselves, rather than their silhouettes. The experience can be exhilarating, jarring, and even frightening. Yet such moments are the calculus of spiritual growth.

This image is a compilation of four photographs, processed using HDR techniques.

Enlightenment's Shadow, #2220 - 2222

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: September 22, 2009; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1, 2 & 4 secs; +1 EV; ISO 800; 50mm.

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Seeing 2010 (#157)

For your consideration: a resurrection from this year's Día de los Muertos gathering at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., library.

Singing with abandon at notes above (or, perhaps more appropriately, below the audible frequency of the living human ear) this hombre and his panoply of similarly emaciated cohorts had a screaming time serenading.

Sombrero Skull, #2479

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: November 4, 2010; Canon 20D; f/3.5 @ 1/40 sec; —1 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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