Seeing 2011 (#31)

(Note: this entry re-posted on 3/7/2011 with superior processing to image.)


For your consideration: a wintry day's end as seen from the most cherished and sacred of my purlieus.

For this image I tarried as long as I could, before being driven to my car by a rapidly settling chill.

Note: an attempt to significantly lighten the foreground by means of newly-learned processing techniques did not produce the desired degree of effect; I shall re-post this image within the week after (hopefully) mastering the task.

Sonora Desert Sunset, #9941

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 19, 2011; Canon 20D; f/4 @ 1/500 sec; —1 1/3 EV; ISO 400; 112mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#30)

For your consideration: a reverential scene from last weekend's bit of purgatory (in the form of a five-hour layover) at San Diego's Lindbergh Field.

Taken unnoticed at relatively close-range, this image reveals one woman's journey as being entirely stationary, and intensely focused. The prayerful cradling of her cell phone conveys a sense of acute devotion being made to a now ubiquitous device, an object of such ingratiated necessity that it might as well be an umbilical cord.

This tableau illuminates a harsh, practical, unstated modern reality: far more meditation and contemplation is directed towards transitory PDAs than to the formerly compelling, eternal religious iconography now relegated ever more to the background white-noise of modern life.

Adoration (the Calling), #9732-20D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 18, 2011; Canon 20D; f/2.8 @ 1/50 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 800; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#29)

For your consideration: an interesting, and perhaps ponderous, twist on the theme of Arizona cacti.

This image posed real exposure challenges, due to heavy yet semi-opaque cloud cover and the Sun's location being aligned closer to the line-of-site than was comfortable . . . The issue was balancing the large discrepancies of luminosity between the sky (actually quite bright) and the shadowed side of the main subject.

The approach taken was to created an identical copy of the original photograph, adjust deep shadow and sky highlight details, then stacking the adjusted version on top of the original as a layer mask . . .

This method afforded considerable control over the tonal range by means of simple, selective "painting."

Elephantine Saguaro, Sonora Desert, #9813

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 19, 2011; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/1250 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 320mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#28)

For your consideration: a study of a desert denizen's junction between trunk and limbs.

Deliberately photographed with a moderate degree of magnification by means of the 70-300mm optics, in order to take advantage of the telephoto's inherent compression of perspective. The flattening of cylindrical forms and depth yields a sense of abstraction.

Note too the unexpectedly dispersed pattern of the needle-like spines: virtually absent on the torso,they're abundant on the arms. Undoubtedly a consequence of aging -- it may take up to 75 years for a saguaro to sprout such appendages, thus no surprise that the main body's prickly armor may have been worn down.

Saguaro Detail, Sonora Desert, #9795

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 19, 2011; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/1250 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 280mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#27)

For your consideration: a gift from my loving wife -- a trip to my beloved Arizona Sonora Desert over the Presidents' Day weekend, specifically to allow me time in solitary communion with my soul's natural habitat.

Despite unexpectedly harsh weather (winds up to 50 mph, ever present threat of rain, and a bit on the cold side) I relished the too-brief return to my roots . . . and a much needed spiritual balm.

I took nearly 300 images in the three hours of remaining daylight on the Saturday. As I was giving my newly acquired 70-300mm lens its first serious field test the results are mixed -- too often I found myself making erroneous decisions regarding depth-of-field vs. focal point (frequently choosing sky rather than the silhouetted foreground). Over attention to the lens handling also lead to some mismanagement of my exposure settings: at least 30 shots, meant to be burst/bracketing, did not execute in bracketing mode (thus I have many identically underexposed scenes).

Even so, I can report that on the whole the lens performed beautifully (beyond expectations, really) and I did come back with more than a few photographs worthy of posting, and eventual printing.

Thus, the first offering . . .

Late Afternoon, Sonora Desert, #9825

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 19, 2011; Canon 20D; f/9 @ 1/8000 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 115mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#26)

For your consideration: I've been in a bit of a rare funk today -- a undesired alteration to the landscape of my career responsibilities (for the corporate good).

Presumably consoling words were proffered, yet the denouement was impersonal and sterile.

An added heavy dose of wintry rain brought forth a blue mood.

Untitled (Downcast), #4682

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 12, 2011; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/1000 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 200; 100mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#25)

For your consideration: the end of a particularly impressive display of storm clouds majestically gliding across the city's sky throughout the entire day.

I spied this just as I squeezing myself into my car, whilst parked on the 3rd floor of SJSU's parking garage at 4th Street & San Carlos. Lighting such as this is relatively rare locally, and any photographer knows the glow and quality of such radiant lighting is brief in duration . . . thus I had to position myself quite quickly in order to even have a chance on capturing the drama I saw.

The avian pair was a lovely and fortunate addition, providing a vital compositional anchor point. I especially like the arch of the treetops' symmetry with the crowning edges of the far background clouds. The neatly placed channels of open sky beneath the superior clouds further strengthen the arrangement, enhancing the spindly silhouettes.

Untitled, #4870

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 16, 2011; Canon 20D; f/9 @ 1/800 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 200; 331mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#24)

For your consideration: two, in muted sharing, at the start of a weekend morning.

The window hints at an empty space between these two souls; a subtle diagonal symmetry exists between the gray hoodie and elder's silver hair.

Early morning tête-à-tête, #4072

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 6, 2011; Canon 20D; f/4.5 @ 1/4000 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; 192mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#23)

For your consideration: a metallic march across a barren landscape, towards distant, unknown horizons and precipices; perhaps they are all following pipe dreams.

What attracted me to this odd subject for my lens was the discovery of a several coherent patterns interleaved amidst the apparent chaos of this landscape. As is frequent in human affairs, there can exist a sense of order and purpose to the confusion.

Photographed from atop the 4th Street parking garage at SJSU.

Rooftop Gathering, #3926

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 2, 2011; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 1/640 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 416mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#22)

For your consideration: a observed moment of apparent indecision -- a slice of time where it is unclear whether the technology is the servant or the master.

The body language here is decidedly ambiguous and contradictory: were it not for the mirrored surface we'd presume the right hand is posed for a decisive stroke . . . indeed the torso's slightly forward lean conveys a subtly calm confidence in an action about to be taken.

Yet the screen tells a different story: a hidden hand is unexpectedly -- even jarringly -- poised at the brow, lending a sense of considerations being weighed.

What shall it be then? None but she knows; we can only speculate.

(Taken, perhaps a bit ironically, at a spiritual retreat for men seeking enlightenment, last weekend.)

A Nun Reflects, #3943

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 4, 2011; Canon 20D; f/4.5 @ 1/500 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 240mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#21)

For your consideration: a small section of our local government's headquarters.

The new lens I have been shooting these past two weeks has broadened my vision to two new photographic themes -- candid portraiture at distance, and abstract architectural work.

Here, captured in the compressed perspective characteristic of long telephoto lens imagery, this structure is rendered as a labrynthic byzantine maze of Euclidean constructions.

City Hall, San Jose, CA, #4631

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 11, 2011; Canon 20D; f/22 @ 1/320 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 400; 366mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#20)

For your consideration: a second pair of Alviso images taken in the early morning hours.

The first is simply a tiny segment of one of the innumerable local becalmed salt ponds. The featureless water combined with the natural compression of long telephoto optics yields an unexpectedly flat, nearly monochromatic canvass. This playful mark of frazzled stragglers against the empty expanse calls to mind (and was inspired by) some of the work of Harry Callahan.

The second submission was taken from many tripod-based shots depicting, for the most part, the indifferent, seen-it-before calm of the neighborhood pigeon gang in the face of imminent danger in the form of onrushing trains. Subtle symmetries provide a compositional undercurrent: a trio of defiant birds echo the ostensibly hypnotic triple-eyed monster's rapid approach; the water's edge nicely parallels the track vectors; the rolling hills' curved slopes mimic the train tracks' bed.

* * * *

Untitled (Alviso Abstract), #4297

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 9, 2011; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/1000 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; 390mm.

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Express Flight, #4281

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 9, 2011; Canon 20D; f/25 @ 1/8 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; 300mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#19)

For your consideration: a pair of images featuring solo artists, of sorts.

The first image was taken during an extremely rare solo morning excursion to the quirky, sleepy community of Alviso. The sitting man is gesturing heavenwards for reasons unknown to me; it seems not all is tranquil in paradise . . .

The second offering is a portrait of a dear friend, taken indoors under natural lighting conditions at an annual weekend gathering of a herd of mutual friends in the local mountains.

Alviso, #4591

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 9, 2011; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/8000 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; 403mm.

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Vernon, #4121

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 6, 2011; Canon 20D; f/5 @ 1/100 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 140mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#18)

For your consideration: a structured meditation on the mediation structure in which several of my friends and I started our mornings last weekend . . . in silent meditation.

Chapel, Presentation Center, #3996

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 5, 2011; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/1600 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 70mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#17-repost)

(Re-post of prior entry due to bizarre and unknown issue preventing image enlargement.)

For your consideration: an entry from the Drive-By Shooting series.

The setting: San Fransisco Bay, 11:30pm. The scene: the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, during a nocturnal photographic excursion with Jerry.

Apparitions dance and leap above neon flames, perhaps in the (contradictory) directions indicated -- perhaps not.

Drive-By Shooting (Treasure Hunt), #1944

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 16, 2010; Canon 20D; f/9 @ 1 sec; —1 EV; ISO 400; 85mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#16)

For your consideration: a scene perfectly mirroring where I'd most like to be, and what I'd most like to be doing, in my golden years. (Who am I kidding? Even this year.)

I was able to take this photograph without intruding upon the patron's privacy and serenity due to the luxurious reach of my newly acquired "long" telephoto lens.

I am enthusiastic about the prospect of being able to make many more candid, anonymous observations such as this one due the power of this new tool; it is already significantly altering the scope of my vision for potential subjects.

(Even so, these potentially broader horizons are unlikely to unseat my primary affection for macro abstractions.)

Reader, #3898

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: January 21 , 2011; Canon 20D; f/5 @ 1/400 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; 272 mm.

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Seeing 2011 (#15)

For your consideration: a return to macro work -- a simple tableau of deceptive lighting and implied motion.

Twisting Leaf, #3538

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: January 19, 2011; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/1250 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; 100mm.

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