Seeing 2009 (#97)

Tonight's offering reflects the condition of my spirit after returning from a visit to my soul's origin, that being Tucson and its surroundings. The sojourn was a painful one, a call to duty to shepherd my biological mother's ravaged and tortured body to as peaceful of a demise as possible.

A decade had passed since we last saw one another; the exile which ensued was mutually agreed upon. In her final days her condition rapidly deteriorated, to the extent that she could only lie helpless in the sterility and chaos characteristic of ICU units, no longer able to enunciate her desires as to treatment. No written instructions existed; the caring physicians reached the conclusion that she was beyond recovery by the time I was sought out to play the role of final arbitrator.

To see this once powerful, vibrant, intelligent and yes, too often bellicose woman so utterly vulnerable was beyond heartbreaking. As she lay in a hospital bed, head immobile and her life sustained by a respiration tube -- a painfully ironic umbilical cord -- it was impossible to discern any longer just how cognizant she was in those last hours. My reaction to this opaque consciousness was beyond my own capacity to comprehend - my own psyche was a surreal experience, a teraa incognita.

Early in the morning of November 4, 2009, at the wise and perceptive suggestion of my loving and wholly, wonderfully and fiercely supportive wife Julianna, I took a drive out to the peace, beauty and spirituality of Gate's Pass. There I spent 90 minutes or so in mediation, prayer, and a myriad of unrecognizable emotions. I sought direction, insight, wisdom, strength and perhaps even a bit of solace, confronted with what has been by far the hardest decision to make in my life, to instruct the doctors to cease sustaining the effort to keep my mother in a state barely resembling living.

I took this image as I left the desert for my car, about to begin the drive back to the very institution where Johanna Lynn gave me birth, and thus life on this planet, where I would affirm the necessity of letting her depart this mortal coil. I do believe she is finally at peace, perhaps for the first time in her existence. Requiescat in pace, March 8, 1941 - November 5, 2009.

Peace too will eventually come to me; I am truly graced and deeply blessed with tremendous support from a host of close friends and a loving family. For now, this giant green thorny entity aptly depicts my swirling state of mind, complete with heretofore unknown and newly revealed psychic appendages.

Saguaro (A Gates Pass Denizen), #5537

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: November 4, 2009; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 1/400 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 200; 18mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#96)

For your consideration: a study of angularities, and light's transformative and revelatory nature. This submission neatly represents my favorite mode of creative expression, that being the potential of an ordinary, often rarely noticed scene to be viewed as a potent abstract canvas. The setting is one of the many study rooms located in my workplace.

The transitive aspect of sunlight is what gives this composition its primary thrust and potency. Innumerable photons ever so briefly skimmed the plane's surface, yielding a surprising beam resembling interstellar dust, its many constituent particles vanishing in a moment as the sun's attention moved on. This tableau speaks again to Impermanence: the chain's orbs and the particles are illuminated and revealed only temporarily, as is true of all things . . . as George Harrison sang, All Things Must Pass.

Abstract #5500

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 30, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/60 sec; -1/3 EV; ISO 400; 33mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#95)

Just for fun: Halloween offerings for your viewing pleasure. The first submission is that of some apparently Casperesque, friendly ghosts; this "pseudonatural" shot was recorded on a stranger's lawn next door to a friend's house. If all ghouls were as good humored as Mr Red I'd have had far less fear of the closet door in my childhood. This pair seems somewhat more mischievous than malevolent.

The second photograph is that of a Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos) exhibition in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., library. The artistry and attention to detail in the originals are exquisite and breathtakingly beautiful. And, despite their handsomeness, these spirits are not quite so as inviting as the first image's lawn denizens.

Glowing Ghosts #5304

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 23, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 8 secs; -1 EV; ISO 100; 55mm.

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Dead Head #5293

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 23, 2009; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/13 sec; -1 EV; ISO 400; 56mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#94)

Tonight's offering is the first published panorama attempt for me, a composite of 9 images taken between 7:20am and 7:23am. I was forced to crop a considerable amount, especially from the bottom, due to Photoshop's blending/splicing methodology.

Beyond the necessary trimming and resizing (the result of the merging process was a +268MB file size!) I've applied virtually no adjustments to this submission; the coloration is representative of the early lighting appropriately thirty minutes before sunrise. Near the far left edge is Mission Peak; the right edge is nearly due South, with Mt. Umunhum unfortunately just beyond the frame.

I'd never before been in the structure from which this shot was taken. Prior to arriving I'd high hopes of capturing at least the upper floors of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. library against the backdrop of the Diablo Range and impending appearance of ole Sol, but the unexpectedly tall building across the street eliminated that perspective.

This isn't my most artistic effort, but it was quite an enjoyable experience photographing the birth of a new day. Be sure to open the image to its full size for a much better detail, especially the low-laying fog against the foothills.

San Jose Dawn From Axis Building, #5309-5317

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 24, 2009; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 10 secs; ±0 EV; ISO 100; 18mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#93)

For your consideration: after a series of highly charged abstract night scenes, an early morning setting featuring a tightly structured tableau speaking to serenity and silence. Perhaps coffee is brewing, a newspaper being retrieved, and an unknown visitor soon to settle in for a quiet antidote for the adventures of the prior evening . . .

Still, the composition evokes a subtle tension, by means of leaving the primary elements incomplete and thus somewhat abstract despite their familiarity.

Early Morning Geometry Study, #5395

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 24, 2009; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/250 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 200; 61mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#92)

At friend at work sent me an email yesterday afternoon which lead to a wonderful experience today: "Sunrise for Shutterbugs." The setting: a couple of east-facing balconies in an empty 21st-floor condominium, a newly built structure in downtown San Jose. The time: pre-sunrise (ergo the event's title) until 9.00am. The weather: fabulous, if a tad hazy.

This gathering was arranged by another photographer (and her fellow-photographer-husband). Ostensibly the purpose was to garner some measure of publicity for the largely empty glass edifice; those of us who participated (perhaps ten fellow artists overcame bed-gravity) can enter images in an upcoming photography contest associated with the building. On a larger level, however, several of us compared notes and we may form a new Google-based photo group. I am enthusiastic about the prospect: it seems that amongst the potential members exists a broad range of complimentary areas of expertise . . . thus we can all learn a great deal from one another, and I have much to learn!

I shot perhaps 100 images this morning; after a visit to University Art for framing/matting supplies I came home and have spent the majority of the afternoon attempting to craft a few versions of a print for which I have a buyer . . . I've just shipped the results via the web for printing, and after a much needed nap I'm off to see if at least one passes muster. If so I plan to matte and frame the image this evening, for delivery this week.

None of which pertains to this submission, another offering Thursday night's (photographic) drive-by shootings . . .

Abstract (The Speed of Light), #5250

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 22, 2009; Canon 20D; f/5.0 @ 2.5 secs; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 30mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#91)

For your consideration: an extemporaneous study in geometry, motion and electric atmospherics.

Earlier this evening I had the great pleasure of joining friends for a journey north, to San Francisco's SF MoMA, to view the current Richard Avedon installation. We embarked on our jaunt later than planned, thus we had but very limited time to survey this amazing body of work. Even so, it was an extremely impressive, and surprisingly (to me) nuanced exhibit. Fortunately it will be on display through November 29, 2009; I intend to return with Julianna for a more leisurely and considered absorption of Mr Avedon's vision.

Not only was there too little time to give the show its due, but it was also unfortunate that tomorrow is a work day: this evening's weather in San Francisco was absolutely perfect - clear, temperate and without any hint of wind. It would've been wonderful to linger late into the night, simply wandering the streets; as I (alone) had my camera I secretly yearned to seek out promontories from which to photograph various aspects of the city's skyline. Hmm . . . perhaps a solo return visit tomorrow night?

No matter. Being quite pleased with some of the driving rain imagery I took earlier this week -- and having awakened a long suppressed desire to explore the depiction of motion in my work -- I put my camera to good use during the ride home this evening. In contrast to the storm shots, haphazardly taken while driving, tonight I had the luxury of riding in the passenger seat and thus was able to deliberately compose and concentrate strictly on the potential photogenic aspects of the swiftly unfolding scenery streaming past the car windows. I am pleased with several of the results, the first of which I offer here.

Abstract (Triangulation Impact), #5279

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 22, 2009; Canon 20D; f/10 @ 4 secs; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 27mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#90)

This time, a personally unprecedented offering: a composite image constructed from two photographs taken months apart. Forgive the roughness of it -- I'm not yet nearly the master of digital post-processing I strive to become.

Over the course of many years I've often reflected upon the mysteries of courtship, romance, and how frequently it seems risky to reveal our true selves, particularly in those first, tentative encounters. This submission attempts to comment on this struggle.

Blind Date #1

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

(click image for larger version)

Details - Head: April 18, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 5 secs; -2/3 EV; ISO 100; 80mm.

Details - Torso: October 17, 2009; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 8 secs; -1/3 EV; ISO 200; 49mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#89)

Two offerings in this post, reflective of the vast spectrum of possibilities, hopes, optimism and the onslaught of stormy weather and challenging moods and experiences.

Yesterday morning the crisp and first image's marvelously painted sky bespoke of a clear day ahead, and carried a sense of good tidings and positive outcomes, much of which came to pass. However, as the second image illustrates, physical, emotional and perhaps even spiritual atmospheres can be subject to rapid change and sometimes deterioration: the sky was clear outside today but my own interior was hit an unexpected shift to slippery, dreary and turbulent conditions. C'est la vie. This too shall pass.

Morning Clouds, #5176

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 19, 2009; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/80 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 100; 45mm.

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Driving Rain, #5214

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 19, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/4 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 100; 39mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#88)

Tonight's submission: the first subject I countered during last weekend's extemporaneous late evening meanderings around Campbell's downtown district.

I found this storefront window tableau bemusing, thanks to the arrangement of an incongruous bauble laden miniature Eiffel Tower near a suggestively female mannequin's feet. The juxtaposition of diminutive statue and looming curvaceous form reminded me of a long-ago wry lyric from a 1960s female singer, Melanie: "anything is a phallic symbol if it's longer than it's wide."

Glowing Pink Model with Yellow Light, #5101

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 17, 2009; Canon 20D; f/7.1 @ 1/15 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 800; 28mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#87)

Tonight's submission: a scene I couldn't resist . . . a street fair shuttered for the evening, largely unremarkable were it not for a shirt peculiarly modeled in midair.

In obsessive fashion I spent an hour creating twenty-two varied images of the floating chemise and its surroundings. (I might have shot more, but I grew weary of the endless supply of intoxicated pedestrians who in apparent oblivion wandered through the scene; the obnoxious factor predictably rose in proportion with the passage of time.) In the days to come I will post several more from the resulting collection.

Here, perhaps another reflection on impermanence and Dukkah: two torsos, missing their heads. One seems more at peace with the notion than the other.

Nightshirt Self-Portrait (For Lease), #5123

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 17, 2009; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 10 secs; -1 EV; ISO 400; 27mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#86)

For your consideration: a study in contrasts on several levels: confinement verses the freedom to roam; chaos and serenity; acute, formal and imposed structures set against a vista of serendipitous simplicity.

Here also exists subtle and explicit compositional symmetries . . . the tracks echo the wall's planks, the massive rectangle of the door is mimicked by the railroad ties; the sweeping streaks of black graffiti parallel the slope and wave of the horizon as well as the paths of the distant dirt roads; an unruly mound of tangled debris provides an ironic similarity to dark forms of oaks on the hills.

In my high school junior year (Clifton, AZ) I had a fascinating and intensely engaging character as my Chemistry and Biology teacher. Occasionally he proffered his opinion that evolution was a mistaken notion -- to the contrary, his view was that mankind (in particular) began as a much higher life form and has ever since been on a declining trajectory. I don't concur vis-à-vis with his evolutionary theories, yet my species' propensity to inflict wantonly destructive behavior with abandon upon disused buildings does give one reason to pause.

The scene offered here presents a stark duality between the elegance of nature's workings and that of earth's highest life form . . .

Impermanence (Devolution), #5057

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 11, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/160 sec; -1/3 EV; ISO 200; 22mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#85)

A study in the geometry of relationships . . . taking from a rare outing onto the 5th floor balcony roof of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., library.

Two women, connected by line and form, traverse a precisely defined and proximate space within an otherwise empty plane . . . yet rather than sharing a momentary acknowledgment of mutual existence the pair instead demonstrates a deliberate indifference towards one another. The sterility of the scene is echoed and reinforced by the arid interaction.

In an increasingly populated planet Earth this photograph reflects our own too frequent disdain for the chance to experience the wonder and variety of the journeys of our fellow travelers, simply because we often fail to take risk transforming strangers into acquaintances, and perhaps becoming friends and companions. We are each miracles of consciousness, vessels possessed of an utterly unique kaleidoscope of memories, visions and life experiences. Our time together on this mortal coil is but fleeting, and our own terrestrial voyages are immeasurably enriched to the degree that we choose to share our humanity.

Geometry Students, #3055

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: May 14, 2009 ; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 1/250 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#84)

On the way home from last weekend's escape to the foothills I took a short diversion in order to explore a long-abandoned rail station (of sorts). Wandering around the collection of utterly derelict structures, which were severely marred by a mixture of weather and graffiti, yielded a deep nostalgia for when I first began my photographic pursuits in earnest, c. 1975.

In those halcyon days I was in high school in the small, isolated desert town of Clifton Arizona. I spent considerable solitary time investigating shuttered, empty buildings in what passed for downtown, as well as the crumbling remnants of the original copper mine smelter site located on the fringes of town. Those early exposures to the pervasive sense of an oddly lost history latent within the discarded and crumbling detritus set the tone for my lifelong attraction to the photogenic possibilities inherent in items and structures discarded as useless . . . and I derive considerable pleasure transforming them into unexpected objets d'art.

An alternative title I considered for this submission: A Wrinkle In Time.

Abstract in Blue and Yellow, #5037

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 11, 2009 ; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/800 sec; -1/3 EV; ISO 200; 55mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#83)

October has arrived, thus my annual pilgrimage to the foothills above San Juan Bautista, this year my 18th sojourn. As will always be the case, the gathering arrived right on schedule: my soul craved the respite and healing inherent in these holy grounds.

For just the second time over the course of these many visits circumstances prevented me from traveling and rooming with Nino; this year however I was unexpectedly able to have Jerry as my companion. Jerry and I share many common interests, among them being nocturnal photography and the occasional, when-away-from-home cigar indulgence.

Thus this image. Although not apparent, Jerry is sitting in a precariously balanced plastic chair at the very edge of an overlook which falls away to a rural valley. The thirty second exposure time, taken at 11:22 p.m., reveals the glow of Hollister seeping over hills in the distant east.

Jerry Lighting A Cigar At Serenity Point, #4922

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 10, 2009 ; Canon 20D; f/9 @ 30 secs; -1/3 EV; ISO 400; 28mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#82)

It's been a long week.

Going on a retreat this weekend - right on schedule. Looking forward to time for meditation, reflection and renewal.

The lighting in the scene below was oddly flat for a mid-morning, utterly clear day. Still, this serves the mood: a strangely sterile tableau for a setting generally associated with high-energy sport (sans furniture on the courts!) . . . for me this composition suggests a surprising sense of estrangement - of a gathering somehow preempted for unspoken reasons.

Untitled, #4521

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: September 5, 2009 ; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/500 sec; -1 EV; ISO 100; 55mm.

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Seeingn 2009 (#81)

This past weekend my wife Julianna and I trekked up to Lake County and rode our bicycles in the Konacti Challenge.

Julianna's goal was 100 miles; she breezed through 65 before heading off the route for a soft landing at my parents' home. As for me: not being nearly as fit as my bride, combined with having a mountain bike (vs. a touring model), I was convinced that the 30 mile option was in my best interest . . . and that proved to be a challenge indeed, not helped by having taken two wrong turns (adding two massive climbs and about 10 extra miles) and running into 15-20 m.p.h head-winds over the last three . . . agonizing . . . miles . . . Ahh, but we survived with a sense of mutual accomplishment.

This submission provides related but dramatically different images taken at the shore of Clear Lake, just before the peddling, perspiration, persistence and pain began. For those of you who take the time to view these offerings, I'd be interested in your preference, and the reasons for your choice.

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Boat and Dock, Lakeport shore of Clear Lake , #4785

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 3, 2009 ; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/1000 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 25mm.

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Untitled , #4775

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 3, 2009 ; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/1000 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 18mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#80)

Two offerings from an 2005 European bus-tour vacation taken with my then-fiancée Julianna and my parents . . . Spain, the Rivera and Italy. Quite an adventure . . . perhaps more on that in another post.

For quite some time I thought I'd irretrievably lost all of my images from this trip due to an external hard drive crash; nearly three years later I rediscovered the original CF cards and experienced the unspeakable delight to also learn that I'd not erased them, as I had thought.

The first is the side of a house in the lovely, soothing and serene village of Lucca, Italy; the arrangement of the windows immediately invoked some of Picasso's simpler depictions of faces.

The second image is one of a great deal of shots taken in Pompeii on a very hot day just past noon. I rarely take photographs under such generally flat light conditions. Nonetheless, on that particular day several scenes presented themselves as unusually abstract constructions, due to the sun's position nearly directly overhead. It was hot, extremely sunny, and Mt. Vesuvius loomed close by . . .

* * *

Lucca House Façade (Ode to Picasso), #5412

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: July 6, 2005; Canon G2; f/5 @ 1/640 sec; -1/3 EV; ISO 50; 18.8mm.

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Pompeii, #5491

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: July 10, 2005; Canon G2; f/8 @ 1/250 sec; -1/3 EV; ISO 50; 14.6mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#79)

Tonight's offering: a desert landscape of sorts, from a modernist perspective, offering contrasts between the notions of permanence and the ephemeral.

Some reflection reveals a symmetry between the monolithic façade, composed of a rigid, set and impersonal mosaic, echoed by the tiled pattern of ancestral frond stumps which forms the palm's trunk and provides it flexibility.

This image carries an elegant sense of movement: the palm rises skyward, seeming to burst as an organic firework display against a vault of ethereal wisps of clouds, which in turn appear to be rising from the glass and steel horizon, as steam might from a cool surface.

Palm, #7542

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: November 11, 2006; Canon 20D; f/7.1 @ 1/160 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 200; 18mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#78)

After a spending a few days under the weather, a pair of delayed offerings in this post. 

The first, a scene from Chez Murriqeuz, the residence of my brother and his wife.  Heavy on form and perspective, this image carries a significant personal emotional tone for me:  the case has passed down from my father to my brother, and the instrument within sings sweet memories from my childhood of my dad's gentle serenades, and now produces amazing new chords from the wisdom of my beloved brother's artistry.

The second submission is a continuation of my fascination with Platonic form and shadow.  An asymmetric balance is produced from the interplay and apposition of physical objects and their abstracted projections; the otherwise supportive rope ominously hints at a noose, suggesting an inherent duality of potentials.  An alternative title could be A Short Trip, as the wall's proximity will make for an abrupt stop to the swing.

A Case Study in Musical Geometry, #7130

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: April 30, 2006; Canon 20D; f/4.5 @ 1/15 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 800; 34mm.

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Untitled, #4149

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: July 31, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/400 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 200; 40mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#77)

Today's submission, for your consideration: a trio ponders a vast horizon, each perhaps a prisoner of their own gray thoughts. There may be a grim faith that beyond the impenetrable storm shines a bright future.

This composition echoes separations. The fence enforces a barrier between Man and Nature; the geometry of fence combined with the spacing of the observers suggests distances and barriers between ostensibly intimate relatives; the empty bench reinforces this loneliness, and hints at the situation at the end of a plank . . .

Sunset State Beach, #4752

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: September 19, 2009; Canon 20D; f/10 @ 1/500 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 200; 22mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#76)

Yes, it's very late. Artistic license, if you must. I'll certainly be tired today, suffering for my art.

A scene at Sunset State Beach, evoking perhaps a touch of Nevil Shute.

On The Beach, #4708

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: September 19, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/400 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 100; 25mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#75)

Tomorrow: a camping trip on the coast. Will have camera, tripod, and some reading material in tow. No postings likely until Sunday night, at the earliest.

Tonight's submission: one of my favorite subjects. A reviewer of one of the images in posting #74 suggested an alternative title for Hilo 1920 Theatre: "Impermanence." A superb notion, and similarly applicable here of course, as this representative leaf is well into its transition from summer greenery to its ultimate destiny . . . and is pointing the way with an ironic élan.

Leaf, #2234

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 24, 2009; Canon 20D; f/10 @ 1/250 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 200; 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#74)

Two images. Two locales. Two eras. Night and day.

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Untitled, #2581

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: March 21, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 2 secs; -1 EV; ISO 400; 30mm.

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Hilo 1920 Theatre, #8316

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: August 30 , 2007; Canon 20D; f/14 @ 1/320 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 200; 26mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#73)

Two offerings. These demonstrate sharply contrasting uses of extreme lighting conditions, shadows, and simplicity of form as a means of producing abstracts. Ironically the vision in bright, natural light is that of sterility, while the scene of heavy darkness conveys an organic warmth.

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Abstract Shades, #4674

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: September 15, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/400 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 100; 48mm.

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The Incubation of Hope, #4552

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

(click image for larger version)

Detail February 24 , 2009; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 1 sec; -1 1/3 EV; ISO 400; 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#72)

(My apologies: an inadvertent keystroke may have caused subscribers to receive an erroneous post earlier.)

Two offerings, both from the wonderful visit my wife and I made to Cambria, last weekend.

The first was taken whilst I had perhaps a bit too much idle time on my hands - I was waiting outside while my beloved was scouring a store for trinkets and baubles - the texture and color of the side of a building, freshly painted, caught my eye. A key factor was the sharp patterns and shadows created by a brilliant sun hanging nearly directly overhead, contrasted with the splash of white.

The second image was taken in late afternoon at nearby Moonstone Beach. Acutely-angled sunlight is used to reveal complex and subtle contours in the sand, as well as to create nicely pronounced shadows. The scene reminds me of an arriving visitor from an alien world, creating shock waves in the wake of its impending landing.

* * *

Abstract Green and White, #4552

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: September 5, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/400 sec; -1 1/3 EV; ISO 100; 52mm.

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Cambrian Visitor, #4621

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: September 5, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/160 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 200; 55mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#71)

This image was taken near sunset, during a stroll on Cambria's Moonstone Beach.

This composition presents mysteries to me: what is the source of that dramatic groove ripping through the sand? What caused the subtle circles? Even the foot: for some time I mistook it for a canine print . . .

For me the scene evokes a contemplation on our origins: an unusually formed imprint from an ambiguous species; the stone seems to move through its sandy milieu, cutting a wake in its path much as does our tiny rock Earth as it perpetually swims against the solar wind; the vector which bisects the canvass (origin unclear even when I took this photograph) hints at upward trends - progress, perhaps. (We can hold out hope.)

Cambria (Beach Evolution), #4603

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: September 5, 2009; Canon 20D; f/9 @ 1/160 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 100; 49mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#70)

Last weekend I had the immense, joyous pleasure of taking a mini-vacation with my wife. It was a very sweet time which be both enjoyed a great deal.

She suggested we visit Hearst Castle, as she'd never seen it. I, on the other hand, toured it with my parents in 1975; the estate's grandeur and scale left quite an impression on me so Julianna's notion was an easy sell!

Thanks to California's budget crisis I happened to have had a forced day off on Friday, so we set out around noon and began our journey with a leisurely drive south down coastal Highway 1, with simply perfect weather conditions to bless our journey. We enjoyed a fine lunch at a stop in Big Sur, and managed to arrive at our final destination, a B&B in Cambria, a bit after 6pm. After checking in and relaxing a bit we ambled a few blocks down the street for what was a sumptuous dinner (at Linn's . . . excellent!).

We took in Hearst Castle at 11.00 a.m. on Saturday, then spent the afternoon enjoying the shops in Cambria, playing cribbage, taking a nap and visiting a beach before another superb dining experience (this time at Robin's).

Much later in the evening, after my love fell asleep, I set out with camera, tripod and remote-control gear for Moonstone Beach, a drive of about, oh, five minutes or so. The temperature was just cool enough to keep me alert; overhead the full moon shone incredibly bright through the clear night air. My goal was to take some lengthy time exposures of surf crashing against the rocks and bluffs below a vantage point I reconnoitered during our late afternoon beach walk.

As it turned out my equipment proved defiant and difficult: despite considerable, determined and persistent effort I could not solve a problem with my remote control timing device, which ultimately prevented me from producing exposure times of up to 20 minutes, as I'd planned to do. Under spectacular conditions of simply exquisite weather and gorgeous lighting, I struggled with the interplay of technology frustrations and the sheer enjoyment of being utterly alone above a splendid ocean scene. In the end I came away with seven significantly underexposed images (compared to what I'd planned for, at least), and the consolation of knowing that the Pacific Ocean is not likely to evaporate any time soon . . . thus I'll have future opportunities to capture more such images with properly working equipment.

Even so, I've managed to coax a surprisingly acceptable result from one of the last photographs I recorded, a 2 minute, 51 second exposure taken at 1:26 a.m., which I present for your enjoyment and consideration:

Pacific Coast by Full Moon, Cambria, California, #4668

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: September 6, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 171 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 200; 33mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#69)

Julianna and I are escaping the valley (doubtless, along with the rest of the hoards) for the Labor Day weekend, celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary a few weeks in advance.

The plan is to drive down the Pacific coast to Cambria, near San Simeon and Hearst's Castle. She's never been; I once visited long long ago, c. 1975. Very much looking forward to it.

Since it will be a few days before I can post after this, two entries to tide over any visitors. Both were originally color images, converted to BW, however the shield was essentially a monochromatic scene as the surface was gray paint.

The gathering of palms, with their light-hearted visitor, evokes for me an odd sort of convention, entities huddled together to discuss how to contend with gathering clouds. I felt the scene to be at once ominous and strangely humorous ("which one of these things doesn't belong . . ?")

Untitled, #7042

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: March 25, 2006; Canon 20D; f/13 @ 1/400 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 100; 18mm.

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The second offering suggests a number of contradictory statements about privacy, security and safety: what is being protected? Who's the protector? Is the shield simply voyeuristic? Is someone hiding behind the shield?

Peep Hole, #4261

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: August 21, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/320 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 100; 42mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#68)

Jamestown, California. An odd discovery.

The scene was a closed storefront on an overcast summer afternoon. The combination of flat, dull lighting, a large swath of concrete and a building painted a monochromatic, slightly weathered off-white yielded a tableau where only these two objects presented any significant color. Ah, and what a surprising plumage the boot does display!

The pole, in an earlier century, might have served as a horse tie; I was left wondering if the boot had escaped its intended mooring. Certainly dressed up as it was, one could sense that boot was made for walking . . .

The composition is relatively straight forward here. Ironically the pole's nearly uniform color deprives it of a sense of depth and weight; it seems to float in the image whereas the boot, designed to be on the move, seems the more fixed in place, huddling against the bench.

Das Boot, #4344

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: August 22, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/100 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 44mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#67)

This submission consists of several spaces of subtle symmetries and repetitions of form; the seemingly static scene carries considerable motion as well:

The marching "S" within the door leads the eyes upward from left to right, even as the beveled frame plummets downward . . . the twin orbs of light bulb and lantern cast oversize shadows diving towards the ground, paced by the electrical conduit. All the while the cord snakes its way out of the frame.

What lies within? Perhaps a beast is poised to emerge? The subject of a future post . . .

Abstract, #4421

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: August 30, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/500 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 72mm.

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