Seeing 2011 (#84)

For your consideration: vertical perspectives . . .

Contemplations on self-imposed limitations, unbridled freedoms and fundamental substances of the inward versus external "realities" we create for ourselves while traversing the unfathomably microscopic allocation of territory granted us on our human journeys.

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Untitled (Four Squared), #2791

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: May 26, 2011; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/100 sec; — 1/3 EV; ISO 100; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 11mm.

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Tesseract (Astral Slice), #2494

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: November 5, 2010; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/1001 sec; — 1/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#83)

For you consideration: a turbulent, invigorating, swiftly changing scene in the foothills approaching Fremont Peak.

The view is looking NE to SE, with the Pinnacles obscured (perhaps inundated) in the far left far distance. I was captivated by the dramatic contradiction of atmospherics, with the bright blue skies' participation in a supporting role.

I actually took a series of this scene, hand-held, for possible stitching into an extremely wide panorama; if I maintained the horizon line adequately — no mean feat given the inclination of the wide angle lens to induce edge distortion — I may post the results soon. Stay tuned . . .

San Benito County Storm, #2619

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: May 15, 2011; Canon 20D; f/22 @ 1/125 sec; — 2/3 EV; ISO100; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 13mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#82)

For your consideration: a study of a translucent fluid dynamics.

Liquid gold? Slag pouring at the tail end of ore refinement? Both are unlikely for various reasons: access to such substances is problematic, and a close study of the streams suggests a rather thinner pour.

Having a Whi-Bal card allows the photographer to "correct" the scene's original white-balance during the equivalent of digital developing; doing so yields an image whose colors quite closely reflect the true lighting conditions present at the time of exposure. In this particular case the scene was bathed in the ubiquitous amber glow of sodium-vapor city street lighting. Even had I remembered to use my Whi-Bal card when recording this subject I almost certainly would not have applied the "proper" hue adjustments which would have been available to me: I much prefer the warmth and consequent mood arising from this biased lighting . . . Correcting would have shifted the entire tableau largely towards the blues, an emotional tone I did not wish to introduce here.

For a taste of juxtaposition, compare this submission to that of this blog's prior entry: both photographs are of the exact same locale, albeit from different perspectives in both observation point and time of day. We see again that the familiar may not be so much so under even the simplest non-invasive alterations of context. There is much much more to our everyday surroundings than we generally bother to notice — to our collective detriment.

Light Falls, #0632

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: March 22, 2011; Canon 20D; f/5 @ 1/5 sec; — 2 EV; ISO 400; 320mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#81)

For your consideration: an instant capturing the ballet and disarray of an abrupt trajectory interruption — wherein a relative compact and pseudo-organized flow of individual events is suddenly rendered into chaotic shards.

Life can be as such from time to time. Yet as is also implied here, the final, intended destination is eventually reached, and there a sense of unity may be realized.

Fluid Disintegration, #0584

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: August 20, 2010; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 1/320 sec; — 2/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#80)

For your consideration: an encounter with an abstraction in its own right.

As I reflected upon the composition the notion arose that two beings (yearnings? both?) are huddling together, about to create a larger whole: an expansion of consciousness where each might fill in some of the others' mental blank spots, emerging from darkness into light.

Here is a pair, each concrete and well-defined yet also devoid of much in the way of variety: considerable weightiness speaks for itself, but so too does the simplicity and relative lack of nuance. Such is the unconscious existence of many of us, until we find ourselves exposed to the proximity of outside concepts, wisdom and leanings of our fellow inhabitants of this moral coil.

I relish such communions.

Emerging Capaciousness, #2685

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: May 19, 2011; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/400 sec; — 1/3 EV; ISO 400; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 16mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#79)

For your consideration: a silent Sonoran symphony, frozen in an exalted pose, poised to raise its performance unto the limitless reaches of its desert auditorium.

Photographed in the serenity of a late autumn day in my sacred sanctuary just west of Gates Pass.

Saguaro Conducting, #2547

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: November 13, 2010; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/800 sec; — 1/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#78)

For your consideration: a glimpse into a parallel (or at least triangular) space, paradoxically more terrestrial than celestial — pondering the cautionary bromide against throwing stones may illuminate the true nature of the subject at hand.

The latest offering from the Glass Series.

Glass Atmospheres, #2165

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: May 10, 2011; Canon 20D; f/5 @ 1/320 sec; — 1/3 EV; ISO 200; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#77)

For your consideration: the embryonic emergence of a another day of communion with fellow travelers: spiritual beings embracing human experiences.

Point of view is from the grounds of the St. Francis Retreat Center, in the hills above San Juan Bautista. Holy ground, and one of my soul's two oases (the other being here).

Morning (Ascending), Serenity Point, #2293

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: May 14, 2011;
Canon 20D w/ Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8;
f/5 @ 1/25 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 100; 11mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#76)

For your consideration: rising from an opaque atmosphere, a pointedly fetal organism thrusts into the frame.

The scale is uncertain, though one might well hope that it is small; there is something disquieting about the prospect of a multitude of sharp objects — none too handsome at that — making a sudden appearance.

This canvas is safe, however: macro imagery of an aloe falcata plant's apparently amputated limb.

Crescent (Ascending), #2374

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: May 14, 2011; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/400 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 200; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#75)

For your consideration: a study of subtle motion, with a point.

The original scene is dominated by soft tones of brown; my original intent upon exploring this image with a macro lens was the sense of flow across the frame — movement at once serene yet fractured, echoing perhaps Duchamps' staircase . . .

Thus, after some trial and error I decided to render the photograph in Black and White with a deep sepia tint, which resulted in a much stronger emphasis on form, pattern and texture than what was present in the original canvas.

This was an extremely challenging scene to capture: low overcast lighting mandating a slow shutter speed, subtle swaying of the branches in a mild breeze, and the incredibly shallow depth-of-field inherent in the macro lens. Hand-held with an assist from my mono-pod; this was one of several takes.

Hanging Beans (Ascending), #2806

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: December 5, 2010; Canon 20D; f/3.5 @ 1/50 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#74)

For your consideration (after a long absence imposed by Google Blogger problems) . . .

A duet of portraits: my sister and her beau.

Ben is as contemplative and possessed of a wit as dry and deadpan as my sister is extemporaneously playful and free flowing with snappy bons mots. He is a pleasure to sit with while good-naturedly plumbing intellectual topics; Ami infuses infectious sly humor and sharp insights to those around her.

It might also be noted that my sister is considerably more playful in front of the lens than most, as befits her free flowing stage-ready charisma.

Taken individually these two are easy and sweet persons with whom I enjoy — albeit all too rarely — spending time; as a couple they are simply delightful and demonstrate much of what a happy, sweet and loving relationship looks like.

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Ami in Alameda with Yellow, #2123

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: May 8, 2011; Canon 20D; f/3.2 @ 1/100 sec; —1 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Ben, Mother's Day, Alameda, #2101

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: May 8, 2011; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/25 sec; —1 EV; ISO 400; 153mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#73)

For your consideration: a nocturnal illumination from last weekend's visit to a small club in San Francisco, where the gathered family and intoxicated strangers took in my brother Eric's performance as a new member of a rock band, Repeat After Me. A contemplated subtitle to this piece is Hangovers, as both philosophical and literal allusions.

I am extremely pleasantly surprised at the overall sharpness and clarity of this long-tele image shot at 1/3 of a second — even despite utilizing a monopod, such a lengthy exposure at so great a magnification would be expected to yield a movement-induced blurry result. The crispness here speaks to the amazing sophistication of my lens' image stabilization.

This offering was subjected to minimal post-processing beyond small tweaks to contrast and the elimination of a few distracting elements; it is another example of my fascination with the interplay of light and glass, and will likely be included in my Glass Series in upcoming exhibits.

Unfulfilled Promises, #1977

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: May 7, 2011; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/3 sec; —1 EV; ISO 400; 439mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#72)

For your consideration, a simple, candid and anonymously taken portrait of a woman donning headgear as light. The length of the telephoto here again compresses the depth and consequent perspective between foreground and background; the result is a subtly abstract image.

Pagan Plumage, #1937

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: May 7, 2011; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/6410 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; 480mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#71)

For your consideration: water species submissions.

The first is an admittedly acute pandering to the sacred holiday nearly upon us — Mother's Day. Ah, but with a lens of adequate length, a dash of slow, semi-stealthy reconnaissance and a golden surplus of late afternoon lighting . . . well, it was all too easy to at least visualize the potential of those precious, fuzzy little tribbles of down. Get a reasonable exposure, be certain of the focus, and voilà a photograph done innumerable times before yet sure to please.

Of course, but even this aspirant to High Art experienced the healing, heart warming glow of deep pleasure when observing — and vicariously sharing in — the unmistakable grace of a mother's love and protection of her offspring, an aura of safety clearly felt by, enveloping and drawing in her young.

Upon reflection, while processing this scene earlier today, I recalled what was a profound moment when I attended a talk last year by the Dali Llama: he stated, unequivocally, that the single most important determinate in a human's development and life is the quality and nature of the mother's love received. Therein lies the key to world peace. A cynic would surely retort "naive and simplistic." When taking in this beauty and demonstration through my camera's viewfinder, my soul knew otherwise: Tenzin Gyatso spoke the Truth.

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The second image offered is a return to a the milieu I relish, that being abstractions discovered in the otherwise ordinary scenery surrounding us. The deeper implication is, of course, related to both the nature of impermanence as well the subtle beauty and often deeper complexities discernible in the Present, nuances and delightful surprises so fleeting they usually escape notice.

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Mother Goose, #1602

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: April 30, 2011; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/640 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; 480mm.

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Eruption (Water Walker), #1817

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: May 1, 2011; Canon 20D; f/9 @ 1/1001 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; 169mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#70)

For your consideration: a vignette of constructive behavior in the midst of a local municipality.

This composition, discovered during a short stroll I took while retrieving a (different) print I'd entered into an art exhibit last month, caught my eye both due to the unusual placement of a large bit of piping as well as its playful movement . . . The rock seemingly balancing on the fence edge provides a solid echo to the otherwise dominating geometric loop below.

There's another, subtler interpretation at hand: the spiral form arcing across the plate evokes the notion of a subatomic particle trace; this theory is bolstered by the textual imprint (alto voltaje — high voltage — is a prerequisite for such etchings) as well as by the surprising presence of a spherical form symbolizing the swift conjecture.

(Palo) Alto Voltaje, #1537

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: April 30, 2011; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/320 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 100; 412mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#69)

For your consideration: a rare foray (personally) into post-processing abstraction beyond that presented prima facie by the scene at hand.

Taken from within the window immediately outside my office door, this tableau suggests a surreal, Orwellian melancholy . . . The lengthy telephoto lens employed greatly exaggerates the compression of this perspective, an effect which raises ill-defined and conflicting emotions of both yearning and resistance when I take it in.

The hint of a lush shade tree rests close beyond a sharply sloping wall, a barrier which recedes at an angle so sharp as to offer hope of being scalable to an escape just out of sight — a tease rendered acute and taunting by the claustrophobia inducing bars through which the view is espied.

More to the point: are we imprisoned gazing achingly outward, or is this the delusion? Perhaps our vantage point is that of a warden, albeit oblivious to the reality of own freedom.

Within You Without You, #1537

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: April 28, 2011; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/5000 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; 454mm.

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