Seeing 2011 (#14)

For your consideration: a pair of images taken with the new 70-300mm lens, at once similar in genre yet jarringly different in mood.

The first offering is of an odd statue I only recently spotted next to a local gas station beside a freeway on-ramp. Adding to the the quirky, ambiguous nature of the effigy is the fact that it is propped up at a relatively considerable height in the midst of thick hedges, staring blankly into nowhere, from the confines of a private residence.

While this tableau does not depict it, the torso bears a sad set of wings which fails to settle the question of fallen angel, or fairy? (Fear not, this mysterious being will be featured in future posts.)

The second image is from the first outing with the new lens (taken when the evening was still young - see this prior post for the full story). Thanks to the joy of having a remote shutter release (range: 100') I can create such poses without having to dash across terrain, then scamper to adopt an obviously feigned "relaxed" stance before a timed-shutter goes off . . . In this case the main challenge was picking the focus point accurately, as this lens has a rather shallow depth-of-field. Having made my best estimate I was able to casually stroll to the desired spot, settle in comfortably, then trigger shutter from my assigned seat with a small device hidden in my hand.

(In fact I was far enough from the tripod-mounted camera -- perhaps 60' -- that I couldn't hear the release over the din of the freeway underneath; I had to guess when the camera would be ready for subsequent shots at various exposures . . . This submission is a composite of two such images, one exposed at —1/3 EV and the other at +1/3 EV. Blending them allowed me to tone down some hot spots and internal lens flare present in the brighter original.)

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Ennui / Lark Avenue, #3755

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: January 26, 2011; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 1/500 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 200; 300mm.

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Self-Portrait, Mary Avenue Bicycle Footbridge, #3631/3632

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: January 21, 2011; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 400; 78mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#13)

For your consideration: another test run of the new 70-300mm lens, at 100mm.

Taken a bit before the true sunset -- the sun had slipped beneath the "local" horizon only moments before. I used a 3-stop bracketing exposure series in order to capture both the subtleties of the clouds as well as the golden reflections in the building's windows, which were catching light from the structure behind me.

During post-processing (or digital darkroom development, if you prefer) I utilized some layer-masking in order to blend two versions of this tableau . . . one with the sky properly adjusted and the other retaining the building details. Had I not done so I would've been faced with the ugly choices of a grossly-overexposed sky or a totally black silhouette of the building's façade, devoid of those illuminated golden panes.

Indeed, these floating rectangles provide the image's raison d'être.

Sunset, Bank of America Building, San Jose, #3709

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: January 25, 2011; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 1/800 sec; ± 0 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#12)

For your consideration: an image taken from the first night using my newly purchased Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 L IS USM lens. I'm quickly finding out that this device can produce some sweet results, but is also quite demanding - handling long telephotos presents its own challenges.

My friend Vernon and I, despite having mutually sworn (much) earlier this particular night that we would avoid going as far as San Francisco in order to make it a (relatively) early evening . . . after first spending an hour photographing a lighted pedestrian bridge over I-280 in Cupertino we wound our way up the peninsula seeking vista points from which to view city lights as subjects . . . Well, by midnight we were barely fifteen minutes from the spectacular view submitted below, on a (unusually) clear night featuring a just-past-full Moon.

Thus, it was a very late outing . . . but shots like these make the effort and endurance quite worthwhile.

This vantage point of the bridge is just under six miles away, line-of-site; photographed at approximately 2:20 a.m.

San Francisco Bay Bridge from Twin Peaks, #3673

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: January 22, 2011 ; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 2.5 sec; —1 EV; ISO 200; 207mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#11)

For your consideration: a small study in texture, tone, and subtle motion derived from compositional flow.

The subject kindly posed silently for me in early morning direct sunlight, hard against the east face of SJSU's Dwight Bental Hall.

Demure Leaf, #3651

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: January 19, 2011; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/250 sec; — 1/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#10)

For your consideration: an early evening view of what is, in my humble opinion, the Crown Jewel of San Jose State University's campus.

I had the tremendous experience of working in this literary (and digital) edifice for a bit more than a year. The staff, the responsibilities, the opportunities and the environment combined to make each day wonderful "job" which was far more fun than toil.

I continue to attend a meditation group in the building once weekly; daily I walk past it en route from my parking garage to my current building. Each time I take in this structure with affection, and consider it "mine" despite my deportment to another college (budget games).

Naturally, given my fond memories and continued connection, I've photographed the library several times, and have been deeply honored by having some of my imagery used by the university staff for various business needs. Still, it'd been awhile since I turned my camera in this direction so last week with premeditation I decided to record some night exposures.

My original intent was to produce a mildly-alternative interpretation of the scene by means of a digital technique known as HDR, which is frequently employed to surrealist effect. However, once I loaded the raw files onto my computer I realized that with proper tweaking of the HDR output, combined with some judicious layer mask work, I could instead "develop" a photograph closely resembling a realistic canvas of the scene despite the extremely wide range of lighting conditions. (In particular I wanted to capture the fog/mist-shrouded sky, which greatly enhances the sense of depth, while also preserving the details of the very bright interior lighting contrasted with the exterior surroundings.)

By pursuing this effort at "painting with light" in a new vein, combining five of the images taken, I taught myself some fresh techniques. Not only I am quite pleased with the result, but I am also rather excited at having enhanced my technical skills considerably. (I rarely allow myself to experiment!)

Even so, I consider this submission but a preliminary effort: I have some greatly refined strategies for further recording this beautiful model under similar conditions, to ever better presentations for your viewing pleasure.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Library, #s 3243-3436 (composite)

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: Januray 13, 2011; Canon 20D; f/4 @ 2.5 - 4.5 sec; ISO 100; 20mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#9)

For your consideration: portraits of friend and family.

Vernon is a close friend careful and considerate in speech and deliberate in thought.

He is one of those who cheerfully sacrificed personal time playing the role of "practice student", offering me constructive criticism as I rehearsed a class for my work last fall. His feedback was quite helpful; even more so because of his intensely personal connection to the subject matter: creating and formatting documents so as to be as accessible as possible to the visually impaired.

Vernon lives with a condition which is gradually robbing him of the ability to see --- which makes his enthusiastic interest in photography (pursued with zest) all the more remarkable, and inspiring.

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My cherished brother Eric (not normally shy) once sought my counsel on how to let a particular woman know of his romantic inclinations towards her. Indeed it was the only time he ever sought my dubious knowledge on such an intimate subject. I have no idea to what degree he followed any suggestions I offered, but his pursuit turned out well: he ended up marrying the lass, much to the delight of my entire family. Sharon brings a sharp wit, keenly inquisitive mind, and significant artistic talents of her own to our clan.

I was well-pleased and honored when she recently agreed to my request to take a few spontaneous portrait shots, all the more so as she initially demurred due to not feeling quite up to par . . . Couldn't tell, from the piercing and confident result.

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Visionary Vernon, #2925

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: December 11, 2010; Canon 20D; f/5 @ 1/125 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Sharon Murriguez, #3377

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

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Details: January 9, 2011; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/100 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#8)

For your consideration: another wintry scene in the rarefied atmosphere of Cobb Mountain.

For a desert native, the frigid, white, crystalline substance is a bit foreign and quite intriguing.

When I was a child I was fascinated by heights and yearned to grow up to be a mountain climber. Those plans ended when I read a book about the ascent of Everest by Tenzing and Hillary, and learned about the severe inconveniences of altitude sickness, acute frostbite, and being forced to seek shelter in small, snowy tents for long periods at unfathomably cold temperatures -- with unrelenting, screaming wind as accompaniment.

Thus this macro shot is as close to a snow-encased summit as I've ever been.

Faux Summits, #3279

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: January 9, 2011; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/500 sec; +2 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#7)

For your consideration: a found object, discovered whilst traipsing around in search of some cool, fresh air outside of the house where a retirement party for my mom was being held . . .

(Found it, in abundance.)

Converted from color. Very late afternoon lighting, "open shade" conditions. Difficult to bring out adequate detail in the snow, and evoking a reasonable representation of the actual tonal/contrast range present in the original setting was also quite challenging.

The gear is from an old hydroelectric plant of unknown origin, and stands about 3' in diameter.

Cobb Mountain Snow Gear, #3274

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: January 9, 2011; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/320 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#6)

For your consideration: an interior study of textured radiation, linear geometry, and the potency of minute compositional details.

I employed a Whi-Bal card in one of the five or sit photographs I took of this object, but for the purposes of mood I decided to leave alone the orange-biased white balance: the warm tones much better reflect the emotional atmosphere of the setting when I recorded this study.

Wrinkles In Time (Incandescence), #3138

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 25, 2010; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/100 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#5)

For your consideration: a leaf which seems to cradle an optical nerve from which it derives its energy; a surprising knife ray of light hints at sliced structures unseen.

This photograph was captured during the peak of a brilliantly sunny summer afternoon.

Leaf Shaft, #9570

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: July 10, 2010; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/800 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#4)

For you consideration: a macro image of an atmospheric notion.

When my eyes caught the swept-back form against the brilliantly lighted, thrusting lines, my mind conjured up ancient visions of Buck Rodgers-like vessels racing across the vast canvasses of movie theatre screens -- albeit in black and white in those long lost days of yore.

Rocketry Leaf, #9012

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: June 25, 2010; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/50 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#3)

For your consideration: an imprint on metal, wherein an accidental and utterly random erasure of material (a corruption of an otherwise pristine surface) yielded an unexpected creation of potent symbolism.

From destruction, construction and creation; a mystic, energetic scene derived from a banal, anonymous origin.

Into the Void (Leap of Faith), #3165

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 30, 2010; Canon 20D; f/22 @ 1/80 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 200; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#2)

For your consideration: a small scene of contrasting atmospheres, captured during a casual stroll in my sister's new neighborhood. It was a shockingly chilly sunset for LA . . . any warmth implied by the faux glow of these sunlit globes was mocking illusion.

What really struck me here was the stark, wandering contrail: it provides a powerful angular counterpoint to the acutely detailed thrust of the dual lanterns, as well as a sense of motion.

This elementary composition features a considerable parallelism, subtle asymmetries, a vast range of textures and ambiguous suggestions of both illumination and season.

Figueroa Street, #3169

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 30, 2010; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/1000 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 200; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#1)

For your consideration: a still life tableau, one which suggests the possibility of life persisting in, and emerging from, a ragged mysterious terrain of darkness.

The cavernous black space dominating the central portion of the scene, seemingly a cave with jagged, yawing edges, (or, perhaps a hooded wraith) creates an ominous mood . . . still, closer investigation is rewarded with a hint of serenity.

This photograph is a close-up taken with my 100mm Macro, shot indoors under natural, overcast lighting conditions. It is a tiny segment of a nativity scene laid out by my wife for the holidays.

An analogy for the coming three hundred sixty five days: our knowledge of reality beyond the confines and horizons of our immediate moment and surroundings is imperfect and limited -- yet light shines from beyond and the landscape of our experience will undoubtedly prove to be as wondrous, challenging, and enlightening as the vast spectrum of our own personal universes of exploration and discovery.

It's a new year: let the journey begin!

Swaddled, #3204

© 2010 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details January 1 , 2011; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/2 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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