Seeing 2009 (#41)

Contrasts between night and day for your consideration: simple studies in composition and lighting, one taken in natural light the other under the harsh glare of sodium. Both are lean images, with precious few objects to demand attention, and yet it is this very spareness of the arrangements which provides surprise and interest.

The eggs were shot in intense overhead sunlight, outdoors; this image is one of many taken as preliminary studies for some ideas I've been quietly nurturing for at least a decade. My eventual goal is to present a series emphasizing subtleties in form and texture by means of offering the viewer the challenge and puzzle of what primary characteristic distinguishes one egg from another (amongst a clutch of only the white variety).

However, in this case Mom made a rare contribution to the creative process by pointing that she had a crate of brown eggs handy . . . this rendered moot my original goal as stated above, yet introduced a more entertaining, even surprising element to the scene. (Consider this an embryonic first public display of my egg series.)

Eggs #3834 (version II)

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: July 4, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/800 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 100; 41mm.

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The image below is an outcome of my continued delight with night photography. Not so very long ago my beautiful wife (see post# 40) and I took in a film at San Jose's Santana Row; afterwards, as we returned to our car, I noticed the striking lighting and dramatic rays formed by the deliberate furrows in the theater's back concrete wall. I returned to the scene late the following night, and was rewarded by noticing the imperative in the asphalt, which here provides a superb reinforcing compositional anchor for this strictly structured, forceful tableau.

Door(s) Stop #3809

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: June 28, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 2.5 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 200; 31mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#40)

My sweet and beautiful wife, the love of my life:

Julianna #3818

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: July 4, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/100 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 50mm.

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It is unfortunately too rare for me to have the pleasure of viewing Julianna through my camera's lens, so when the opportunity presents itself I strive to make the best of it. (On the other hand both my father and step-daughter are willing subjects. Hannah's visage will certainly be featured here in future posts; in fact a hint of it can be found in entry 29.) This particular photograph was taken over the July 4th weekend, at a tiny farmer's market near Lakeport.

Those familiar with my body of work know that the majority of it consists of abstractions usually derived from inanimate objects (e.g., entries 10, 13, 26 and 31); any variations of this approach most often come in the form of nature shots (e.g., entries 27 and 38).

While one reason my oeuvre is so heavily weighted towards static subjects arises from my passion for the intrigues and delightful discoveries to be revealed in abstractions, I must confess to another explanation for my focus on inorganic subjects. Susan Sontag illuminates the matter in her book-length essay, On Photography, from which I offer a few quotes:

"There is an aggression implicit in every use of the camera." (pg. 7)

"As photographs give people an imaginary possession of a past that is real,
they also help people take possession of space and time in which they are
insecure." (pg 9)

"Many people are anxious when they're about to be photographed . . . because
they fear the camera's disapproval." (pg. 85)

For me, at least, it is one thing to take a considerable amount of time becoming intimately close to a pattern of condensation droplets on the surface of a vase, and quite another to risk the MUTUAL discomfort which is the predominant emotional response arising from attempting to photograph a person. Sontag's quote lifted from page 9 of On Photography speaks to the notion of hiding behind the lens - using the camera as a sort of shield (she elaborates on this thesis in the context of tourists in unfamiliar territory). In my case I am rather more often intensely, positively engaged - excited - when framing and "capturing" those found objects I choose to subject to my camera.

In recent months I've had a few chats with a fellow photography enthusiast about our mutual desire to turn our sights more on people (both candid shots and more formally posed situations). As Sontag's other observations suggest, the pursuit of this genre requires a degree of courage as compared to the relative shooting-fish-in-a-barrel emotional ease of photographing fountains and star trails. (Well, notwithstanding my perfectionist's angst and perpetually fervent hope that each and every image I produce will induce awe and reverence in my audience - whoa! Did I just admit that in public or was I just thinking again???)

All of which leads me to this: while my first love (photographically) will likely always be mining abstractions, I'm nonetheless increasingly motivated to get people in front of my Canon. My father has been a recently agreeable subject in this vein; I'm hoping my wonderful Julianna will also gain more ease and willingness to put up with my digital intrusions.

Seeing 2009 (#39)

A bit of a lag between posts; 'tis been an unusually busy week or so.

Spent the Independence Day holiday at my parents' home in Northern California; took a large number of shots of which a small few may prove worthy.

The evening of July 4th we lagged in making a commitment to drive the twenty minutes from my folks' rural home into the nearest village offering pyrotechnics; at the last minute all piled into my dad's truck and off we dashed. Amazingly the small downtown was not overly crushed with the locals' cars and carrying-on, so it was easy for father to drop mom, my wife, daughter and daughter's friend off at the lake front; I then rode with him as he sought parking which we found a mere four blocks away.

Timing was good: just as we locked up the vehicle the first concussions of explosions aloft hit our ear drums, and since the walk to the boat ramp with its relatively unobstructed view was short we missed little. I'd brought my tripod on the trip with this event in mind as a key element of my photographic opportunities, so I was mentally set to quickly set up my gear at the first reasonable vantage point. Thanks to Jerry's dontation of those incredibly handy finger lights I was able to hurriedly get the camera in place, compose, focus, and begin attempting to capture the skyward celebration.

Perhaps due to both being a small town and a depressed economy
the show was surprisingly short: no more than ten minutes, from start to finish, including those bursts missed while briskly walking down to the lake from the truck. Consequently I managed to capture barely five images. Still, it was lot of fun (a blast, even) as I'd never before attempted to photograph fireworks.

In retrospect I ought to have done at least some minimal research ahead of time as to suggested exposure settings. As it was I took some wild, random guesses ranging from 16 to 38 seconds @ f/11 (ISO 200), utilizing my normal lens. Below is the best of the lot; beyond significant cropping few adjustments have been made to the original - a slight tweaking of curves and some minor sharpening. Enjoy!

Lakeport Fireworks #3975

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: July 4, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 38 sec; ISO 200; 38mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#38)

Just on the cusp of July, and the local daytime temperatures are only now (and rather suddenly, at that) rising to something worthy of being characterized as summer readings: 95⁰F Saturday, and 94⁰F today. The locals consider these as sweltering conditions; as an Arizonan I'd find the air a bit warm but nothing too discomforting . . . except I've now had twenty-five years to acclimate, rendering me thermally softer than I'd like to admit.

In homage to cool relief, I submit two versions of aquatic action.

The first utilizes a very fast shutter speed (1/2000 sec) in order to emphasize the form of the water mass (drainage from a percolation pond feed pipe).

The second was shot at a relatively slow 1/30th sec in order to convey a sense of immense energy, movement and volume.

Water Abstract #3767

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: June 21, 2009; Canon 20D; f/7.1 @ 1/2000 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 55mm.

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Water Abstract #3787

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: June 21, 2009; Canon 20D; f/32 @ 1/30 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 200; 38mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#37)

My family and I went to see movie The Hangover tonight, a pretty ridiculous although quite funny farce. Taking place as it did in Las Vegas, I came home compelled to offer an image from Sin City and this one came to mind . . . Like the film it certainly has no aspirations to high art.

I couldn't pass up the chance at irony when I took this photograph, and after tonight's cinema fare I simply had to dish up some humor by sharing these women's dilemma.

Meat Moment #7579

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: November 11, 2006; Canon 20D; f/14 @ 1/400 sec; ISO 800; 25mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#36)

A post of a post-repast image, being a simple study in form, texture and formal composition.

It turned out well for a hand-held 1/4 second exposure.

Cold Fusion #3713

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: June 20, 2009; Canon 20D; f/9 @ 1/4 sec; -2 EV; ISO 800; 56mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#35)

Finally, the coda to the Father's Day (week) theme . . .

Alternative titles were considered for this entry's photograph: Putting His Right Foot Forward, The Stand-In and Without A Leg To Stand On, among others. This offering aspires to a bit of whimsy, amid some subtle symmetries and irony . . .

The chair stand's incompleteness (suggested by the severed leg) is echoed by an proportionally flawed man (leg: check; body . . . like the chair itself, only implied to be above).

Happy Father's Day, dad, and to all the other fathers out there.

As for my Father's Day: my wife lovingly treated me to an outing in San Francisco . . . the two of us drove up to our hotel early Saturday evening, checked in, then took in quite a bit of the streets' sights as we strolled a fair distance (perhaps 1.5 miles) to one our favorite restaurants for dinner, the Stinking Rose. (We ate there on our very first date.) After the equally long walk back (how did that happen?) a lengthy slumber ensued.

A late awakening, followed by a perfect meal of Eggs Benedict at an Irish Pub (!) just a block from the hotel . . . then the crown jewel of the weekend, being several hours absorbing the amazing art of Ansel Adams photographs, Georgia O'Keefe paintings, and (a brilliant surprise) Robert Frank's series The Americans at SF MoMA.

Father Puts His Foot Down

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: May 30, 2009; Canon 20D; f/7.1 @ 1/100 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 800; 66mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#34)

Continuing the run-up to Father's Day, 2009 . . .

My father's birthday is May 29th, thus generally on the Memorial Day weekend. Last year my wife Julianna and I visited my parents' home for the holiday/birthday fête. On such occasions my father engages in one of his favorite activities, cooking meat on a charcoal grill . . .

This image, taken well into the dusk of the day, caught him in the midst of relishing a conversation (another of his favorite pastimes) during a momentary pause from tending the fire. His face is filled with interest and enthusiasm for the topic at hand, and is one of my favorite expressions of him.

Taken from the deck above him, this photograph features an unusual perspective, which I find interesting.

James Houston Murray, May 24, 2008

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: May 24, 2008; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/80 sec; -1 EV; ISO 400; 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#33)

Father is featured again . . . perhaps it's because Father's Day approaches.

This image was taken on the streets of downtown Oakland, California; we were passing a storefront bathed in warm, brilliant late afternoon light. The whitewashed walls of the building were monolithic, a large space broken only by the thin slices of a set of faded white blinds hanging in a window.

The monochromatic possibilities of this scene unfolded before me quite quickly; to get the angle I wanted I had to subtly drop off of our walking pace. This allowed me to juxtapose the thin swirling lines of my father's hair against the high ordered symmetry of the shades. I had to point and focus hurriedly, and hoped for the best . . .

I offer this image as a study in contrast to the prior entry's photograph. That effort features a pose deliberately set up to convey power and confidence set against a (subtly) moody sky. While not youthful, a sense of strength and a clear, limitless vision is present.

A much different scene is offered in the current entry: frailty and age emerges from the chaotic stark white hair and heavily sloping shoulders; the dark monolithic form of the jacket suggests the weight of time's passage. The slats in the background mimic prison bars and create a claustrophobic realm of negative space . . . in stark opposition to Entry #32's optimistically heavenward view, here the way ahead seems blind indeed.

(For the record, I'm pleased to report that my father was in jaunty spirits and no where near death's door; rather we were enjoying a lovely time aimlessly exploring, sharing rare time together in anticipation of my brother Eric's wedding the next day.)

James Houston Murray, May 30, 2009

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: May 30, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/125 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 100; 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#32)

My father has unfailingly and frequently been a gracious and willing subject for my camera. Upon reflection I realize that of all those who've crossed my lens' paths, save for perhaps my sister Ami, he's always been the least self-conscious and good humored about risking the photographic capture of his soul.

This photograph is one of several taken at Highland Springs Park in Lake County on a cool, lightly overcast late afternoon March day, one which was far more wintry in nature than spring-like. The emotional atmosphere between my father and I was similarly slightly unsettled at this time. Even so, we did enjoy the excursion and avoided wading into any well-known emotional minefields. One topic which was discussed, however, was that of Death: I'd asked him if he was afraid of dying, to which my father easily and even light-heartedly replied "no." His faith in a good outcome from mortality is likely much stronger than my own . . .

Some of my favorite portraits (by other photographers) have been taken from slightly below the subject; this tends to yield a sense of power. My attempt to utilize this perspective came off better than I'd hoped, conveying my father's confident gaze towards his heavenly reward on that particular day. He is rarely without the adornoment of his gold necklace, which depicts Christ, with His cross surmounted on a ship's helm, as a "fisher of men"; this piece of jewelry nicely supports my father's point of view.

A relatively straight-forward image, I nonetheless toiled and fretted for several hours over the development of this selection. In the raw image the sky is completely blown-out and featureless, a consequence of combined slight overexposure and a virtually amorphous layer of high, light-grey cloud cover. I spent considerable time attempting to utilize a combination of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop adjustments to produce a fine balance between sky exposure and facial illumination.

James Houston Murray, March 29, 2008

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: March 29, 2008, Canon 20D; f/9 @ 1/250 sec; ISO 200; 76mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#31)

My grandfather was an amateur architect, among other things; perhaps this explains why much of my oeuvre is comprised of images featuring a formality of composition involving angular lines, symmetries, repetitive pattens and the like. (Or, perhaps I was simply born with this particular angle on art.)

Just after Sunday lunch at last weekend's retreat in San Juan Bautista I returned to our room in order to pack up. Somewhat unexpectedly my wife proposed that we take a nap before leaving the grounds and returning to the madness of modern civilization. The siesta was lovely.

Upon awakening I remained on the bed a few moments to take in the peaceful atmosphere of our spare and simple accommodations. While laying there I was struck by the play of muted light on the bathroom door, which was slightly ajar, and the several geometric planes -- ceiling, wall and door juxtaposed among themselves -- which presented a scene both of simplicity and powerful form.

Thus, here is an image which is sustained virtually entirely on the merits of angular arrangements combined with implications of depth derived not from receding perspectives but rather from both seamless and abrupt changes in the play of light on the surfaces. There is an additional aspect of interest from the subtle textures in the ceiling, in contrast to the vast expanses devoid of detail.

I spent several hours playing with several variations of this photograph, including differing orientations, color vs. black & white (there was virtually no color present in the scene), and filter effects. Several of the alternative "realities" had compelling appeal . . . I may post more versions of this image in the coming weeks. This edition actually represents the closest to the original scene in front of me whilst I was emerging from the cobwebs of my nap.

Sunday afternoon in Room 49 #3653

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: June 7, 2009; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/80 sec; -1/3 EV; ISO 400; 44mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#30)

My wife and I had the grace and immense enjoyment of spending last weekend at the St. Francis Retreat Center (see entries 25 & 26) with a number of other couples, several of whom who are beloved friends. The weather was perfect, the talks enlightening and the overall experience was relaxing and renewing. Julianna and I found our bed to be particularly comfortable, and we indulged in a luxurious 2.5 hour nap before departing on Sunday afternoon.

Throughout the retreat, when not participating in the formal gatherings, I was able to divide my time up nicely between the experiences of warm social interaction, mindful meditation, and of course a bit of devotion to my art.

This image was taken from the Fireside Room's porch (the building featured in entry #25), facing north at 1:30 in the morning. The exposure was 695 seconds, and the scene was illuminated by a combination of natural light from the nearly full moon and (to a much lesser degree) from the chandeliers within the Fireside room's interior. Due to the considerable effect of the bright moon's light washing over the celestial vault the star trails are significantly muted, as there were simply fewer stars bright enough to make their presence known in competition with la Luna.

Oak & Stars, 1:34 a.m., #3381

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: June 7, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 11 mins 35 secs; ISO 100; 17mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#29)

Excuse the absences - recent days have been incredibly busy; much of the time was wonderfully occupied by the joyous wedding of my brother, Eric, to his bride Sharon.

Amidst the three day nuptial preparations my step-daughter demonstrated considerable sanity and serenity by means of a tw0-hour nap in our hotel room.

The Nap #3381

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: May 30, 2009; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/125 sec; -2/3 EV, ISO 800; 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#28)

Taken at the Mini Gourmet while dining with Jerry B.; Tom contemplates Jerry's fate . . .

Charbroiled at the Diner #2743

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: April 18, 2009; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/50 sec; -2/3 EV, ISO 400; 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#27)

As native of southern Arizona I have a great appreciation of desert scenery. Visitors to my homeland, especially those from verdant locales, often react to their first Sonoran experience with "where are all the trees?" Such quick judgments miss the finer details.

The environment is undeniably harsh in the summer months; the natural inhabitants tend to be fiercely armored for survival . . .

Untitled #3184

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: May 16, 2009; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 1/50 sec; -2/3 EV, ISO 100; 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#26)

On the grounds of the St. Francis Retreat Center, San Juan Bautista.

I am fascinated with the concept of fluid dynamics; in even the simplest cases the complexity of ebb & flow is profound. Any particular arrangement of peaks and valleys lasts barely an instant, carved and defined by colliding and competing currents; each minute slice of time spawns a new and unique creation, in turn immediately transformed into an entirely different topography.

One can observe the scene for hours, witnessing an endless parade of utterly distinct canvases beyond count, yet leaving neither able to describe nor recall a single one in its elegant detail.

Chaos Theory #3204

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: May 16, 2009; Canon 20D; f/16 @ 1/125 sec; -2/3 EV, ISO 400; 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#25)

Last weekend I attended a men's retreat at the St. Francis Retreat Center, located in the foothills south of San Juan Bautista.

I've been making pilgrimages to this serene locale since 1992, but this is the first time I've had the luxury of a tripod with me. During this visit the temperatures were unusually warm, making for splendid evening chats and star gazing.

This submission is the best of several attempts to capture some star trails. I took this quite late in the wee hours of Sunday morning, about 2.30 a.m., just after the last of my peers turned in, leaving me the grounds to myself.

Before tripping the shutter I turned down the dimmer switches for the interior lights to their lowest possible setting -- they emitted a barely perceptible glow to the naked eye -- my goal was to avoid a completely overwhelmed, over-exposed room due to my planned 10-to-15 minute exposure. The splotchy pattern on the face of the building is due to some recently added exterior accent lights, which were scattered amidst some foliage and trees behind me and cast interesting patterns through branches and leaves.

St. Francis Retreat Center, Fireside Room Porch

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: May 17, 2009; Canon 20D; f/9 @ 799 secs; ISO 400; 17mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#24)

Met my brother Eric in San Francisco for dinner last night (a very rare treat), and to pick up my suit for his wedding (an even rarer event . . . thankfully!). He knows the city well, so afterward he agreed to take me to a view so that I might take a few images of the skyline. Our first destination was a lookout somewhere in the Castro district; before we were halfway up the climb it was clear that it would NOT be clear . . . socked-in is a better way to describe it. It was getting late, so we surrendered easily: no artistic moments this evening.

Ahh, but then we began our crossing of the Bay Bridge en route to his house in Oakland . . . and a truly spectacular scene presented itself. So: a quick exit, onto Treasure Island, and despite extremely gusty, very chilly winds (which presented real challenges with respect to vibrations in the tripod) at least one photograph is presentable. As is always the case, this image is but a hint of how truly amazing it was to stand there taking in the breath-takng tableau.

San Francisco from Treasure Island (#3118)

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: May 14, 2009; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 4 sec; ISO 200; 68mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#23)

Long ago, on a foggy winter afternoon at a rest stop just south of San Francisco, I stopped to stretch my legs and discovered a rather severe (or so it seemed to me) statue of Father Serra. This was long before digital cameras existed; I likely used my Minolta XE-7 to take the b&w 35mm image that day. I lay completely on my back, looking directly up at the priest looming overhead, arm outstretched with that j'accuse finger . . . The sky was dark and roiling with a mix of fog and clouds, and I was quite pleased with the turbulent mood I captured that day.

Fast forward at least 15 or years and we ge to today's submission . . . I finally revisited Father, about two years ago. This time around the weather was perfect by most standards -- yet the lack of fog at least sharply mitigated by desire to replicate the ominous atmospherics of my original 35mm negative. Nor, due to a fence, could I still cozy right up to Father's skirt before taking my photo . . .

Even so, here's my semi-modern update on the scene. (By the way: preliminary attempts to upload this particular image are yielding extremely poor quality pseudo-thumbnail images . . . there are significant and unacceptably pronouced artifacts in in the sky. Perhaps the one you see posted here after I write this will be okay . . . if not expect me to pull this from my blog until I can figure out what is going wrong . . .

My apologies: image pulled until I can determine why this particular upload was of such poor quality.

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: August 25, 2008; Canon 20D; f/10 @ 1/200 sec; ISO 100; 24mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#22)

Sunday, Mother's Day, brought with it an unexpected development: a family friend's daughter went into labor, in advance of giving birth to her first child. Thus my wife and I trekked "over the Hill" to Dominican Hospital, in Soquel, CA, to be on hand for the miracle of another being's entrance onto this mortal coil.

As it happened I had left my primary camera in my office, so I grabbed my original digital camera, a Canon G2 4-megapixel viewfinder model. Despite the primary limitation of producing unacceptably noisy results above an ISO of 50 (!), I've taken some remarkably sharp and fine images with this instrument.

The mommy-to-be did not make much progress during our several hour visit, so I excused myself to the chapel, which I had utterly to myself for the entirety of the sixty minutes or so I spent there. During that time I indulged in a 30-minute silent meditation sitting, in between also taking a number of interior images of the space. Below is one of the better results.

I've long been admired and enjoyed religious art and temples of all kinds, whether Christian, Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist . . . in this perpsective the stark, concrete space seemed to me a perfect symbol of the hell in which we all too often encase ourselves while visiting this planet, with the stark blue holding a promise of freedom by means of transcending self-imposed prisons.

The Here and Hereafter (Chapel #8968)

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: May 10, 2009; Canon G2; f/2.2 @ 1/30 sec; ISO 50; 7mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#21)

Today's submission is another example of what could be regarded as either a case of a "fading star" hanging on well past its prime . . . or perhaps a determined, defiant survivor from seasons past. Either way, I find some whimsical elements here as the leaf seems to be blithely waving at the camera, perhaps even dancing a hula. Fitting, as aloha is used in both greetings and farewells, congruent with the ambiguity here.

Waving Star Leaf #1359

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 31, 2008; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/60 sec; ISO 400; 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#20)

As with the prior submission, taken during the same surprisingly rewarding extemporaneous stroll through the courtyard where I live, on an overcast late fall morning.

I've mulled over this image many times (and another of the same subject, taken from a slightly different perspective), with conflicting feelings . . . Neither of the two shots is truly satisfying in their native as-taken formats -- frustratingly, each has strong elements which if were present in its sibling would yield exactly what I was seeking to create in a single shot.

Here I settled out on the "better" baseline, then decided to experiment with some rather more radical surgery and cosmetic alterations than is my norm: considerable cropping nicely strengthened the composition and energy, and application of some new plug-in filters, adjusting brightness and sharpness, at last yielded an effort worth posting.

This photograph represents an example of what seems to be a newly emerging theme in what catches my attention of late, that being a triad of Survival, Perseverance, and Endurance. The main subject is clear not so much because one's eyes are directed to it by the arc and flow of organic geometry, but stems instead from its stark example of dying - yet still holding out - amidst flourishing life.

The image also illustrates a type of composition which never ceases to surprise and delight me, wherein the main subject is revealed not by spacial dominance but instead by means of irony and contrast focused in a minimal amount of canvas space.

Cascade #1359

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 31, 2008; Canon 20D; f/9 @ 1/60 sec; -1/3 EV; ISO 400; 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#19)

Yes, it is quite late (or, early); got up at 1.00am with excess energy.

For the past two days I've had the urge to grab my camera when leaving for work in the morning. Both times I talked myself out of it, and twice I've regretted these lazy decisions, especially today: some fascinating mists emanated from City Hall's fountains during my lunch time stroll.

This entry is from a spontaneous meandering through my condominium complex on a deeply overcast, wintry day last October. Simple, with deliberately shallow depth of field in order to both minimize background distractions and to accentuate the sense of floating.

A reminder of life's grace and vibrancy even when the atmosphere is stormy and foreboding.

Rose #1341

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 31, 2008; Canon 20D; f/6.3 @ 1/200 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 72mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#18)

C'est tard. Je suis fatiguée. Bonsoir.

Yellow Rose in Black & White (#2892)

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: April 26, 2009; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/50 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#17)

It's just a rose, as a friend pointed out, yet it was one of several which conveyed some much needed gentle and healing beauty during my brief Sunday afternoon search for mindful distractions. Los Gatos, CA.

Untitled (#2895)

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: April 26, 2009; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/20 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 44mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#16)

During a silent, cold walk through a neighborhood bereft of visible warm neighbors.

A lonely scene: lots of room to play, with no signs of interest.

Winter (Isolation), East Henrietta, NY #1893

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: November 29, 2008; Canon 20D, f/9 @ 1/40 sec, +1/3 EV, ISO 400, 47mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#15)

A (thankfully rare) extremely difficult day. The details have no place here. Spent most of it attempting to be sedate in advance of tomorrow's foray back into the World Of Work - conservation of energy was the goal. Even so, copious amounts of emotional capital were consumed.

Among my most powerful of antidotes is being alone outdoors with my camera. So, in advance of my weekly Sunday evening men's gathering, I took thirty minutes to focus on the beauty and peace of roses, again practicing with my tripod as the subjects were in the deep shade of buildings and, at 7.30pm, the light was evaporating.

Ahhhhhh. After some time behind the lens my soul felt a bit refreshed.

A meeting with my fellows, followed by a quick snack (somehow dinner was skipped), and I found myself suddenly knackered. Yet, on my screen when I got home was the raw, untreated version of the image I offer here (not a rose, you'll quickly note). I felt compelled . . . The reward for diverting my mind from tribulation to art was this: I managed to get a handle on one of the niftier tools in Lr, the adjustment brush. It saved the day here: in the original image the sky was completely washed out; fixing this with the brush took seconds, once I figured it out. I effectively decreased the exposure of the sky by 1 f/stop. To provide a correspondingly correct effect -- a better reflection of reality -- a similar fix was required in the glassed space . . . by experimentation I found the a nudge of -0.5 f/stop was better there. Finally, a twist on the same Lr brush allowed me to apply the equivalent of Photoshop CS3's Unsharp Mask to the scene.

Voilà!

Shriner Leanings, NYC, #1799

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: November 24, 2008; Canon 20D, f/9, 1/250 sec, ISO 200, 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#14)

Encumbered by a nasty cold the last few days. Most of this time I've spent sleeping, watching NBA playoffs, and wading my way through Photoshop Lightroom 2 Adventure, by Mikkel Aaland (O'Reilly, 2009). The theory has been to shorten the learning curve (and lessen frustration) by arming myself with as much education as possible, followed with applying what I've learned by actually using the software. The reality has been different: the reading - slow going, with both retention and patience gradually diminishing as the chapters were studied - and so about an hour ago I'd reach the tipping point where I felt I'd learn more by sitting down with an image on screen, book in front of me, and trying out some of what I've struggled to retain in my brain.

Below is the 2nd Lightroom (hereafter, "Lr") offering.

The scene was in St. Patrick's cathedral in New York City, last winter. My wife, stepdaughter and I were visiting Manhattan; we took in this beautiful edifice as a part of our extensive walking tour and arrived at the tail end of a wedding in progress. The lighting was quite dim, and I had no good views of the bride & groom even as they passed near us on their way to exiting the church and eternal marital bliss . . . However, I was inspired by the exquisite beauty of the interior of the doors, accentuated by the cold wintry exterior beyond.

(Update: I wrote the text above [and the summary below] last night, and deferred posting this at that time because there remained some adjustments I wanted to try: I wanted to make warmer the lighting of the lower outside window. Unfortunately, due to the complex tangle of branches I could find no non-trivial method. I attempted some painstaking work with the CS3 selection/deselection wands, and excessive effort arrived at with only a barely acceptable mask . . . then after jiggering with the Curves tool - not a skill of mine, yet - I got a result half-way there . . . so long as one didn't look too very closely at the unmasked inconsistencies. Thus, in the end, I've decided to leave it as it was at the end of my Lr processing last night, which involved only some rather minor tweaking. A lesson in the angst of being a perfectionist was learned yet again.)

There is more than meets the eye to this offering. The scene at hand presents several levels of both conformity and contrast: a high degree of symmetry and repetitious geometry, juxtaposed with a mosaic of humanity; symbols of eternal stability inhabited by a myriad of visitors; a suggested promise of warmth and protection against the inhospitable world beyond.

St. Patrick's Catheral Masses, NYC, #1725

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: November 22, 2008; Canon 20D, f/5.6, 1/13 sec, -1/3 EV, ISO 400, 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#13)

Fascinating day: my employeer not only indulged me, but encouraged me to take a one-day class, on paid work time, in Photoshop CS4 & Lightroom 2. Amazing what can be done . . . and oh, so much learning ahead of me.

I've been toying with it, and - especially since I've been sick the past two days - it is far too late to be getting to bed . . . but here's the first Lightroom-processed attempt for your consideration:

Ceiling (NY Sunrise) #1857

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: November 26, 2008; Canon 20D, f/13, 1/400 sec, -2/3 EV, ISO 400, 59mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#12)

High intensity day at work -- a considerable bit of new technical knowledge needed to be promptly applied to a situation visible (directly) at the rarefied summit of the management chain. From time to time a low-grade sense of chaos crept in; in recent days I've had the grace and luxury to seclude myself in small study rooms in the office's upper floors where I undertake silent meditations of 30 minutes or so . . . no chance of that today.

In fact, I left work in time to make a weekly 6:00pm Thursday commitment, went home for a quiet dinner (and some wrestling with security issues on my home PC -- who do you call when you are IT Guy?), and then returned to work in order to move this project as far along as possible before the doors open Friday morning. I don't mind this so much: I'm naturally nocturnal, and I thoroughly enjoyed the solitude which allowed me to crank up my workstation speakers' performance of some excellent Blues offered on Pandora.com last night and into this morning's wee hours. In fact I was able to pull of attending to both the major work project whilst also monitoring the status of my home machine simultaneously, via the marvels of VPN connections.

Nonetheless I'm exhausted and in some need of simple calmness and quiet time above and beyond that which will doubtless be a feature of the comatose-like sleep which is moments away.

In this spirit today I offer the image below, one of my favorite efforts in the past year; it nicely captures those elements and concepts which increasingly matter to me: grace, simplicity, and especially the tenuous, beautiful and fleeting nature of existence. This photograph demonstrates a paradox: the illusion of solidity existing simultaneously with an evanescent sense of reality, carried away by mere wisps, of a breath just past and its coexistent consequences . . .

Bonsoir, mes amis.

Candle #2151

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 30, 2008; Canon 20D, f/11, 1/320 sec, ISO 400, 85mm.

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Seeing 2009 (#11)

An incredibly busy week has passed, which featured a rare and thus all-the-more discomforting depression midway through. Willingness to persist in trudging the path helped, along with frequent, perfectly timed (of course) nuggets of support from friends and loved ones.

Emerged from the fog in time to thoroughly enjoy a deliriously healing and entertaining evening of celebration, attended by more than eighty members of my family, both consanguineous as well as spiritual brother and sisters. Thus, thanks to the extended and persistent and loving efforts of my beautiful and wonderful wife Saturday afternoon and evening became of the three greatest experiences of my life (along with my wedding day and the installation of my Considered Images exhibit).

* * *

Below is a scene from a rather hot, humid and generally oppressive summer(!) visit to Houston. The sky was at most times a nearly homogeneous cloak of muggy smog. It was challenging both to weather the atmosphere and to mine photographic visions, of which this is one. The only alteration to this image was to brighten the sky, so as to yield a bit more abstractness. This pretty much encapsulates my views and feelings about Texas' largest city.

(Houston) Intruder, #8080

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: July 27, 2007; Canon 20D, f/16, 1/400 sec, ISO 400, 35mm.
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Seeing 2009 (#10)

Having rediscovered the joy and positive energy of late evening loud music delivered by means of headphones, there's considerably more adrenaline than normal in the veins tonight (made possible by my wife and step-daughter's joint beautifully loving gift of an iPod Nano few months back).

Thus a few offerings . . . two images taken under unsettled dark skies separated by virtually exactly three years, another beneath a heavenly bit of widely scattered lightfall.

The first, an extraction from the particularly enjoyable night work I undertook with my buddy Jerry a few weekends ago. (Another effort from this shoot appears in #7 of this Seeing 2009 series). This bit of the universe is an upward-looking view of a significant local landmark, recorded between rain showers just before one o'clock in the morning.

Neon Spectrograph (Jaws' Arch), #2594

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: March 21, 2009; Canon 20D, f/11, 1.3 sec, -2/3 EV, ISO 200, 85mm.
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For your further consideration: a revisitation - another stormy evening, another site. The effort here was premeditated for at least a year, a desire to conquer the disappointment of an earlier nocturnal visit (nearly three years to the night, on 28-Mar-2006) . . . that first evening I lacked a tripod and so captured what became a tentative, blurry sketch of sorts for what you see below.

This version is a rare composite of several exposures blended, done in order to capture an extreme range of contrasts between the comparatively faint, ethereal clouds and the shimmering metal. A considerable amount of time went into developing this particular vision, entailing more than a few discarded prototypes . . .

I am particularly pleased with the outcome, in no small part due to this image's resistance to being rendered in a fashion substantially reflecting the power, the atmosphere and the challenges it presented me in this excursion and extraction. Here my art truly demanded digging deeply to create a canvas worthy of public exposure.

Enmeshment

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: November 8, 200; Canon 20D, f/9, 15 & 30 sec, ISO 400, 41mm.
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Last, but not least: a moment in time at my beloved holy ground, that of the St. Francis Retreat Center in the hills above San Juan Bautista. Presented here in natural lighting, without significant color manipulation save for slight adjustments to overall image brightness and contrast.

The Suspension of Timelessness #8007

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: June 2, 2007; Canon 20D, f/7.1, 1/100 sec, -1/3 EV, ISO 800, 38mm.
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Seeing 2009 (#9)

(Note: the following entry was intended to be posted late in the evening on 1-April-09, but the attempt was thwarted due to an increasingly balky cable modem . . .)

Survived visits to the dentist (9.00am) and the Taxman (7.00pm). In between treated myself to a 30-minute visit to my favorite meditation spot: next to an artificial (but nonetheless soothing) babbling brook in the midst of a quiet, small gem of a public park near my home.

This image, taken in another place and time (last weekend, Spirit Rock Meditation Center), epitomizes my desire for each day.

Contemplation #2685

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: March 29, 2009, Canon 20D, f/11, 1/10 sec, -1/3 EV, ISO 200, 33mm.

Seeing 2009 (#8)

April 1st, 2009, and it's been 20 years today . . . and I know less than ever.

The image below was taken during a weekend sponsor/sponsee getaway two years ago (on my 48th birthday), the purpose of which was to go through some intensive step work. Should do these more often.

Spiritual Toolkit Tableau #7467

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

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 24, 2007; Canon 20D, f/8, 1/125 sec, 0 EV, ISO 400, 24mm.