Seeing 2012 (#7)

For your consideration: as suffix to the prior entry, let us momentarily consider another recent entry in the Lastest Discovery category . . .

The deeply penetrating Keck telescope has recently discovered more evidence that this particular universe of ours is populated with millions, if not billions of other planets beyond our humble solar system. Now the search is on to unearth observations of rocky spheres which revolve around suns at such as distance as to never long be either too cold or too hot — but rather in a narrow orbital circuit (the so-called inhabitable zone) such that surface and atmospheric temperatures are suitable for water to exist. In such cases the presumption is there is H20, life can arise from the ooze and take form.

Thus, a plethora of unknown species and their representatives on such wet planets might well be patiently awaiting to be encountered.

I've long thought it a disturbing case of acutely-human-centered anthropological conjecture that Life Elsewhere would look something akin to life as we currently know it on Earth (from a species point of view). What might a creature evolved from sulfur, say, appear to be to us? A yellow mound of moving powered mustard?

Perhaps instead other carbon-based aliens have evolved, comprised of vast stretches of connected molecules, creating multi-cellular life forms, just as we are. Who knows: our interstellar neighbors might turn out to be water creatures . . . strange things can happen when enough spherical objects closely congregate and congeal.

Water Entity, #9682-20D

© 2012 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: July 11, 2010; Canon 20D; f/4.5 @ 1/6400 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 200;
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2012 (#6)

For your consideration: perspectives on the possibility of realities beyond our ability to truly fathom.

For the past few years I've taken up the practice of meditation. Often, as I begin the process of "sitting", I'll venture down a specfic intellectual journey of reflection to clear my mind (a non-sequitur if there ever was one). I start by contemplating the fact that my body, and indeed all physical objects of which I'm aware, consist purely of atoms hanging out together in particular configurations.

These impossibly small particles are themselves essentially empty space: if an atom's nucleus were enlarged to the size of a golf ball, the closest electron would orbit nearly 3,300 feet distant. (Consider too that the nucleus itself consists of similarly void particles — quarks and their kin.) Consequently it is literally the case that the entirety of the physical universe is virtually without substance.

At times, as I follow this path of awareness (with obviously vaguely-defined visualization) a sublime sense of floating astonishment and awe fills my sense of being: the very notion of existence, let alone consciousness, arising from and manifested from such nonsensical nothingness is an incomprehensible miracle. Shells within shells of sub-microscopic architectures as the substrate of such concepts as Self-awareness and emotions (love, hope, joy, grief - the entire gamut) . . . this well-surpasses the Knowable.

And now this news, on the astronomically macro scale: it is increasingly plausible that our universe is but one of an unthinkable number of other Multiverses — a vast reality as simply one bubble amongst untold myriads of others.

Truth is often far more bizarre than any fiction; perhaps no realms of consideration surpasses the domains of physics and astronomy in the richness of case studies supporting this thesis . . .

Untitled (Multiverse), #5188-7D

© 2012 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: January 17, 2012; Canon 7D; f/4.5 @ 1/1300 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 800;
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2012 (#5)

For your consideration: a guiding light in the dark, a beam suggestive of warmth, optimism and safe harbor.

We call all use a beacon now and then. Sometimes we become the signal for others . . . a humbling calling, that.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse, #4379-7D

© 2012 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 11, 2011; Canon 7D; f/2.8 @ 1 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 1250;
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 11mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2012 (#4)

For your consideration: a study in contour, surface texture — and emotional ambiguity . . .

Is the mood hostile? Or one of confident greeting? Is that a smile, or an anticipatory grab for an imminent mammalian morsel? It's impossible to decipher; perhaps time will tell.

News across the wire today stated that astronomers' instruments have now surveyed enough of the sky to determine that we share a place in the heavenly vault with far more planets than stars. This makes sense: one Sun to nine planets in our Solar System [don't bother correcting me: Pluto gets my vote until my dying day!]. The accumulation of visual evidence now reveals many other systems with similar spherical distribution ratios as found in our interstellar neighborhood.

With so many unknown worlds out there, who could say what form and appearance other entities have taken on? I daresay it won't be any easier to assess their mood and intent than it is regarding the subject of this submission.

Vegas Denizen (Mirage), #5110-7D

© 2012 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 31, 2011; Canon 7D; f/10 @ 1/500 sec; —1 1/3 EV; ISO 500;
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM @ 170mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2012 (#3)

For your consideration: a study in texture, and a knotty mystery of of some substance.

It reminds me of an ancient fossil fish embedded in strata beyond the ages.

Fence, Kingman, Arizona, #4988-7D

© 2012 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 29, 2011; Canon 7D; f/11 @ 1/665 sec; —1 1/3 EV; ISO 500;
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2012 (#2)

For your consideration: justice, back home . . . well, perhaps in the olden days of yore, the Wild West, but by now most of us have found the accuracy of our childhood history books at least as off-kilter as the beams supporting the eaves here.

The dark implications of the coffin notwithstanding (ironically placed in front of the "bank" — although not a trace of Occupy Ghost Town was in sight), this honorable effort of a tourist spot was a quite blissful encounter, being largely deserted during most of the time I spent strolling the sole soul street.

I felt entirely safe, even when peering around dark corners . . . for, after all, I was always armed with my pix shooter in hand . . .

Casket, Chloride, Arizona, #4673-7D

© 2012 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 27, 2011; Canon 7D; f/8 @ 1/1025 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 250;
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 11mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2012 (#1)

For your consideration: a tableau from my most recent desert excursion — a little-known forest a bit north of Chloride, Arizona.

I spent upwards of four hours simply wandering, seeing, photographing and meditating within a space no larger than as many acres.

Well after sundown I departed, ruefully, knowing yet again, as always, that this arid Sonoran atmosphere with its seared peace and prickly beauty is my soul's true home.

I shall always ache for it's inhospitable and indescribable comfort.

Yuccas and Moon, Northwest Arizona, #4913-7D

© 2012 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 28, 2011; Canon 7D; f/8 @ 1/64 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 250;
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS @ 17mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011/2012 (#190)

For your consideration: due to the lengthy 30+ second exposure, an expanse which appears here much brighter than it actually was well before dawn on the Pacific coast.

Even so, the sentiment intended is that of optimism for an enlightened year to come . . .

As 2012 arrives (on schedule, of course), let us take some substantial time to pause and reflect: on our individual successes, failures, trials, tribulations, heartbreaks and blissful moments, such that we may be better able to offer our best sense of loving compassion, equanimity, empathy and patience to ourselves, our kin, our friends and the plethora of strangers with whom we shall share the seasons ahead.

Let us be mindful that life can be difficult for every human being, and with such awareness let us remember to celebrate and encourage the spirits of our fellows and be a little less concerned with our own agendas.

Thus, my all our seas be calm, our horizons limitless, and our souls and hearts filled with fresh air.

Self Portrait, Pigeon Point, 4:27 a.m., December 11, 2011, #4372-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 7, 2011; Canon 7D; f/5.6 @ 1/32 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 1000;
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM @ 252mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#189)

For your consideration: à la Rod Serling, a scene from a play (Dead Man's Cellphone, a wonderful production put on by the theatre students at San Jose State University) . . .

A nod to the primary legacy and expected traditional pursuit in honor of this artificially imposed demarcation of our tiny planet's completion of yet one more circuit around the Sun.

Dead Man's Drink, #2406-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 7, 2011; Canon 7D; f/5.6 @ 1/32 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 1000;
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM @ 252mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#188)

For your consideration: an unintentionally poignant, ironic, and all-too-apropos setting for the symbol to which far more monetarily-driven consciousness is devoted vis-à-vis the profoundly spiritual message meant for our consumption.

Ever earlier the frenzied calls for material worship begins now: sickly sweet and pervasive caroling music assaults the ear beginning ere Halloween in some quarters of our Modern Society. Buy those presents!, on Sale!, be sure its not only the right gift, but better than last year's too! And if a real steal can be had via the early-bird approach, but the strategy threatened by competing shoppers — well, a little pepper spray provides the advantage!

Alas, I admit to being a curmudgeon for about the last quarter of the year: find me a clean, dry, modestly furnished hermit's cave far removed from the Christmas chaos and, in my own fashion, I'll be happy to emerge groundhog-like to see my own shadow sometime removed from New Year's.

It is sad to reflect upon just how walled off our society has become from the deeply reflective original spirit of the season; this is true regardless of one's particular religious tradition.

Pink Floyd was onto something.

Untitled, #1584-20D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: April 30, 2011; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/800 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 400;
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM @ 128mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#187)

For your consideration: hints of a suspension bridge by means of sweeping, archetypal arcs; yet the supported platform here is vertical rather than horizontal.

A tiny segment of a very large installation, this image evokes for me beauty inherent in gracefully sweeping symmetries, marvelous interplay of light and shadow, and allusions to a fascinating experiment related to quantum phenomena. The chains here stand in for photons seeking their way . . .

On a simpler and more practical plane, I submit this as an homage to the winter solstice: I, for one, am quietly exuberant that moving forward for the next six months the daily ratio of lightness to darkness begins marching in favor of sunshine . . .

Blind Chain (Slit Experiment), #2348-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 7, 2011; Canon 7D; f/5 @ 1/1328 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 400;
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM @ 214mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#186)

For your consideration: a native son, leading his tribe in silent procession.

Golden Gate National Cemetery, Great Eagle, #4575-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 17, 2011; Canon 7D; f/11 @ 1/2660 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 500;
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM @ 188mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#185)

For your consideration: a solitary moment of reflection . . . a study in contrasts between shadow and light, gravitas and flights of fancy, and the immeasurable gulf between permanent residency versus ad interim visitations.

Small conveniences of slightly elevated perspectives at best for the avian observer, these holy engraved slabs mutely testify of profound sacrifices to those paying attention . . .

Golden Gate National Cemetery, Crow Wives., #4637-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 17, 2011; Canon 7D; f/16 @ 1/332 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 500;
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM @ 300mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#184)

For your consideration: heaving seas aglow under the diffuse illumination of an obscured full moon. The relatively piercing light escaping the sleeping structure emits a wholly insufficient hint of what is sheltered within: the now removed Fresnel of the unseen, watchful pillar of the nearby lighthouse.

Despite the ominous atmosphere conveyed by this image, being utterly alone with the ocean's undulations, mild breeze and limitless sense of space was at once exhilarating and deeply soothing, an experience to which I ought submit myself much more frequently than I do. It refreshes my soul.

Pigeon Point, Museum Lights, 3:20 a.m., #4353-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 12, 2011; Canon 7D; f/6.3 @ 32 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400;
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 11mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#183)

For your consideration: yesterdayI spent a the afternoon carefully exploring, at long last, the Golden Gate National Cemetery, located in San Bruno just next to I-280. It was virtually abandoned, forgiving of course the permanent residents.

This evening I made a rare foray into the holiday Mall Scene (maul seen), with Julianna, for some brief shopping.

Nobody seemed to have noticed the season's Good News — The War is over.

Golden Gate Cemetery, Late Afternoon, #4522-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 17, 2011; Canon 7D; f/11 @ 1/2000 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 500;
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM @ 79mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#182)

For your consideration . . .

'Tis the Season, eh?

Ah, the sweetness of plastic Santas, elves, reindeer and snowmen aglow in front yards, on roof tops and in mall windows; homes and retail edifices resplendent in multicolored lights; freeways and shopping center car lots similarly infused with (mostly red) , in the form of brake (but few signal) indicators and hot tempers . . . the annual ritualistic quest for parking spaces and harvesting of those requisite perfect gifts (especially on sale!) . . . and let's not forget the ubiquitous caroling, descending from speakers in elevators, display rooms and food courts . . . electronic voices well-honed and practicing since, oh, at least Halloween, no?

Yes, the hastened rush, as another calendar's close swiftly approaches, to check off all the names on the lists and fill the economy's coffers with hard earned coin and associated spreadsheets with positive numbers.

That time of year again.

So here I propose a pause, no matter momentary, to reflect upon the superficiality of so much of the trappings (increasingly elaborate on the whole), and to genuinely consider a matter far more crucial to glad tidings and cheer — the fabric of life, the most precious, sustaining (and often elusive) gift of all . . . the window into the soul's true yearnings.

Heart String, #3817-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: November 18, 2011; Canon 7D; f/4 @ 1/400 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 640;
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#181)

For your consideration: an effervescent sea, seen via a lengthy thirty-two second exposure taken under high clouds which played hide-and-seek (tide-and-seek?) with the full Moon . . . which never quite managed to break through.

Never mind: after two full hours in communion with the oceanic atmosphere (in virtually perfect conditions) my eyes had adjusted to the degree that all seemed awash in the dim glow of an embryonic dawn. Thundering waves, deliciously crisp, sparklingly fresh air and barely a wisp of a breeze wrapped my sorely needed solitary time with my spirit in a profound sense of comfort and deep pleasure.

Truly, it in such moments as these that I feel unfathomably alive, free and at peace.

Pigeon Point Rocks, 3:36 a.m., #4359-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 11, 2011; Canon 7D; f/6.3 @ 32 secs; ±0 EV; ISO 400;
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 11mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#180)

For your consideration: a late afternoon study in portals, rectangles, and rhyming geometry.

Pigeon Point Houses, #4153-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 10, 2011; Canon 7D; f/11 @ 1/200 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 640;
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM @ 70mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#179)

For your consideration: the scene greeting me and some close friends upon arrival yesterday for an overnight gathering at the Lighthouse hostel at Pigeon Point.

A composite of two exposures sandwiched (one using an overlay layer effect at 50%); consider this a first draft . . . the sky is a bit overdone and the foreground could be lightened some.

Pigeon Point Sunset, #4180-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 10, 2011; Canon 7D; f/8 @ 1/1600 sec; —2 EV; ISO 250; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 11mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#178)

For your consideration: another scene from last weekend's nocturnal safari . . . once the pork had been captured (see prior post) we strayed and wandered a bit east, and stumbled onto a free wheeling scene of delight and amusement . . .

Light Rides, #4040-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 2, 2011; Canon 7D; f/8 @ 1/2 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 100; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 12mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#177)

For your consideration: some of the unexpectedly diverse bounty culled from a recent nocturnal neon hunting excursion.

This, on a sketchy, run-down corner on the fringes of downtown, was the first catch of the night. Denoting what must certainly be a local institution of some renown (it was new to me, however), its design and general condition suggested a long period of bringing home the bacon. An Irish bar is nearly directly across the street, on the other side of the tracks (take that as you wish).

Pure Pork Pig, #4014-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 2, 2011; Canon 7D; f/16 @ 1/3 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 200; Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM @ 214mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#176)

For your consideration: a variation on Plato's Cave, wherein the implied information conveyed by the wall's shadows (apparently) are significantly removed from a much simpler reality.

From a simplistic and superficially disingenuous perspective, the "obvious" retort is of the form "naturally — it is obvious the silhouettes are cast not by the foreground tree but by others out of view". Yet this misses a much bigger picture. It is just the exact rush to swift deduction that too often leads us to ironically confirm the Allegory: far more frequently that we'd like to admit, we cling to our perceptions as truths based on quick assessments of what we believe to be the veracity of some set of supporting evidence.

We remain unconscious, oblivious to the possibility that the outlines themselves are illusionary and the genuine nature of the truth remains unseen behind our predisposed, and skewed, mental filters. It just may be that the reality of the tree at hand indeed leads to an enlightened comprehension of silhouettes, otherwise dismissed, as well as the Source.

Untitled (Winter's Sentiment), #2678-20D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: November 18, 2010; Canon 20D; f/8 @ 1/1600 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#175)

For your consideration: after hibernating for nearly exactly a year, a canvas culled, massaged and significantly enhanced from my increasingly large pool of overlooked images.

From a relatively young age I've been drawn to the profound depths and stunning variety found in the night sky; the planets seemed to me to be living entities of their own, resplendent with character lines and personalities to match. Of special, enduring fascination has been Jupiter, in particular its centuries-old storm which by itself is the size of several Earths.

The subject of this submission is considerably more benign and entirely terrestrial in its nature: an otherwise ordinary plank of wood, whose topography has been transformed by the tools available to me in the digital darkroom.

Red Spot, #2828-20D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: December 5, 2010; Canon 20D; f/2.8 @ 1/160 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#174)

For your consideration: cloud vapor streaming high over the halls of local governance power. Were I not more cynical I might confuse origin of the atmospheric mists for simply more hot air escaping the baffled chambers within these elegant and expensive edifices.

Even so, there is a beautiful interplay between the sweeping arcs of these structures, which lends a sense of sweeping funnels channeling the current events.

City Citadels, #2985-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 16, 2011; Canon 7D; f/20 @ 1/500 sec; —1 EV; ISO 500; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 14mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#173)

For your consideration: an alien framing of odd developments suspended, frozen in time and space, of uncertain origin, location and destination.

Even the scale is indeterminate: microscopic, or galactic?

Ovum? Amoeba? Animal, mineral, or immaterial?

Friend or foe?

Alas, to limn the mystery would be a disservice, as the mystery at hand could take you down many intriguing mental corridors . . . let your mind give birth to your own answers through the windows of your own enlightements.

Rising Genesis, #0797-20D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: March 28, 2011; Canon 20D; f/5.6 @ 1/640 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 400; Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#172)

For your consideration: one of the sixteen various "floats" (statues, really) clustered in the proximity of San José's City Hall, depicted here as a thrusting counterpoint to the far more ethereal contrail which rhymes the form from far above. The canvas explores the notions of negative space, the juxtapositions of concreteness against impermanence, solidity, and illusion, and free motion over anchorage.

For the record, this piece has been interpreted as "Innovation", according to information at this site, which took me far longer to find on the web than did my image processing of my own interpretation of the work for this posting.

Untitled, #2982-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 16, 2011; Canon 7D; f/16 @ 1/320 sec; —1 EV; ISO 500; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 16mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#171)

For your consideration: a composition offered as a black-and-white counterpoint to the last post . . . form versus function.

After several years harboring a low-grade obsession (is there such a thing?) I finally returned to the site of what I consider to be one of the oddest ostensibly mainstream religious objects around, a 32-foot tall stainless steel homage to Mother Mary.

Despite the location being local (less than five miles from my home), I'd not approached this memorial since c. 2004. Several things were different then: I was using a Canon G2, my first digital camera (a robust 4Mp); it was daylight; and I'd yet to develop a blog. What has not changed, however, is this: a remarkable edifice, one can evoke a startlingly vast range of mood and messages simply by taking time to consider photographing it from a number of unconventional vantage points.

Indeed, from my virginal visitaion of this subject I came away with several images meant to depict a decidedly un-welcoming sense of scenery; a few examples of this can be found in this archive gallery from my original website (you'll need to scroll through a few sets of images in the scrolling slide strip for the reward, but do take a look).

This most recent canvas seems a bit more ambivalent to me: the harsh lighting washing over her metal attire recalls something of a knight's suit of armor, while the outstretched arms are less of a inviting embrace (as is the original sculpturer's clear intent) than a posture of pleading to an ill-defined orb.

That glowing sphere happens to be the Moon, which, thanks to the astonishingly wide angle of my lens fell into the broad confines of this scene. (I took several more shots attempting to capture a version correctly exposed version for the moon alone, but in the final editing I decided that the relatively dim, quite small mottled-sphere would be more of an ill-defined distraction instead of glowing beacon.)

Mary Beholding Moon, #3701-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: November 13, 2011; Canon 7D; f/11 @ 3 secs; —2 2/3 EV; ISO 250; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 12mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#170)

For your consideration (after a bit of an absence) . . .

A sighting dear to my heart: a simple statue of an elk, considerably gussied-up, with a color scheme that pays more than just lip service to the gaudy and surreal end of the spectrum.

The specimen was spotted from the highway, stiffly standing in a grassy field between a small brick office and the motorway. Late afternoon, and not that you can tell, but also very nippy outside at the time (40's, with wind), in western New York state.

Several more angles will likely be posted on the smugmug site; for now one must be satisfied with gazing upwards at quite a rack.

Meanwhile, I've been at loss for an apropos title . . Dear (Deer) Me? Endearing Gaze? Oh, Dear!? I'm open for suggestions.

Untitled, #3837-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: November 18, 2011; Canon 7D; f/22 @ 1/60 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 400; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 16mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#169)

For your consideration: a somewhat apocalyptic atmosphere which could just as well have been recorded forty years ago as (much) earlier today— given the ambiguous age of the vapor-spewing plant and the vintage of the main subject.

The image here is the latest entry from what have become enjoyable and always unpredictable excursions in what my fellow night crawler Jerry and I term Nocturnal Photography. Our most recent foray, last night, entailed a trio of venues, none of which were destinations set before the moment we started out (at 9:00pm): neon signs on a local downtown street, a prominent religious statue near a major freeway, and (spotted from the latter) a mysterious source of massive plumes rising skyward.

Reaching a spot from which a decent, unobstructed view of the steam-spewing plant was a bit of a treasure hunt; a combination of intuition, deduction and satellite mapping lead us to an obscure route though a largely abandoned business complex parking lot. Just as it was beginning to seem our efforts to discover a good venue for shooting would be thwarted we stumbled into this end-of-times scene.

Sweetening the reward for our persistence: the magnificent prop of this well-preserved vehicle straight from the nostalgia of my very early youth . . . the first new car I can recall my dad buying for our family, when I was perhaps four years old, was a Valiant exactly like the jewel in this canvass. A terrific final subject for a long evening of pixelation.

A final note: this is a HDR composite of three successive images having exposure times of 1/2 sec, 1.5 sec and 4 seconds.

Valiant Steam, #3730/31/32-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: November 13, 2011; Canon 7D; f/8 @ 4 secs; + 1/3 EV; ISO 640; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 14mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#168)

For your consideration: a canvas infused with a dominant tone of melancholy, somber emptiness; the overall sense is that of an expansive void overwhelming any notion of energetic life — the abandoned deck does nothing to suggest any current sentient activity whatsoever.

Yet from the vast, seemingly limitless plane of dreary loneliness arrives a singular, potent reminder of a profound truth: hour by hour, tirelessly, relentlessly and (for all intents and purposes) eternally, a state of perpetual and constant change exists and persists. An unfathomable number of waves will continue their march to shore long after the architectures of Man decay and are swept aside. Observed or not, the ocean remains restless, dynamic, and a source of energy beyond comprehension.

Unceasing impermanence on a grand scale.

Seaside Seas, #1825-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: September 24, 2011; Canon 7D; f/11 @ 1/400 sec; — 2/3 EV; ISO 500; Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS @ 64mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#167)

For your consideration: a trio of spheres, floating in space, forming something akin to a rather permeable Maginot Line — presumably an implied boundary keeping the world at bay. Close inspection reveals a sweeping current arcing through this moist expanse; it would seem to be oblivious to man-made restrictions, as are most facets of nature.

Naturally.

Untitled, #0715-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: July 21, 2011; Canon 7D; f/8 @ 1/2000 sec; — 2/3 EV; ISO 200; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 16mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#166)

For your consideration: a rare session of voluntary and even enjoyed, agreeable posing for the camera on the part of my wife yielded this unusual study in angular composition, lighting, and a deliberate disregard for sacrosanct portraiture rules.

The occasion was our private, affectionate getaway for our sixth anniversary; we stayed at a hotel directly on the beach of Monterey Bay, took in a wonderful exhibit of Edward Weston photography, indulged in good food and naps . . . and had a sweet, tender time together.

I have known and deeply loved this amazing woman for a decade and more, and she continues to demonstrate a wonderful approach to living life which I relish. To think: one night, seemingly forever past, I took her to dinner to seek advice about a disintegrating, hellish relationship I'd been enduring . . . it was during that meal that I found myself wondering, "Why can't I have a woman like her?"

Ah, sometimes dreams come true.

Julianna in Seaside, #1959-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: September 21, 2011; Canon 7D; f/3.2 @ 1/332 sec; — 1/3 EV; ISO 800; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 11mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#165)

For your consideration: a scene of literal motion capture . . .

One of the delightful perks of my venue as a university employee is that I am frequently exposed to varied and usually new experiences related to the Arts; so it was when I was invited to photograph (as well as help set up) a stage for a demonstration of the latest in motion-capture technology.

Thus I was in a unique position to record a moment of suspended animation, as it were, when one of the expert technicians was paused in contemplation of his next step on the path ahead.

This composition features some interesting symmetries: the steps rhyme with the staff's seven lights; the ovoid turban subtly echos the arc of the odd, undulating cord tracing across the mid-background. All in all a complex depiction of serene competence, stasis and implied motion cohabiting interiors physical and mental.

Enlightened Man, #3026-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 21, 2011; Canon 7D; f/5.6 @ 1/20 sec; —1 1/3 EV; ISO 1000; Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS @ 61mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#164)

For your consideration: a snippet of the Point Lobos reserve, on a typically overcast day. The Monterey peninsula hugs the right-side horizon.

Pinnacle Cove, Point Lobos, #2006-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: September 25 , 2011; Canon 7D; f/8 @ 1/2000 sec; —2 EV; ISO 250; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 16mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#163)

For your consideration: a singular burst of color in the midst of an otherwise largely gray day on the Northern California coast.

Taken near the end of a sweet anniversary weekend my wife and I spent in the Monterey area, at my favorite venue on the entire Pacific coast (San Diego to Vancouver).

The real challenge here was capturing this lithe, weightless petaled bowl's pose between unpredictable buffets of soft and sometimes stiff breezes; the slightest movement beneath the macro lens' extreme magnification and the inversely proportional shallow depth of field presented significant challenges to both patience and execution.

Point Lobos Poppy, #2073-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: September 25 , 2011; Canon 7D; f/6 @ 1/500 sec; —2/3 EV; ISO 640; Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#162)

For your consideration: symbols of a bureaucratic alien invasion, perhaps? (UFOs, in triplicate!)

Considered with more gravity, this canvass could also be seen as a multi-exposure, rapid strobe capture of a high-velocity landing. Or, a hat-trick, if you like.

However the eye chooses to interpret this subject, there is a certain music to the forms: razor edges delineating surfaces at once cylindrical, undulating and subtly veined; a sense of openings to be explored, noted, and ultimately found to be of uncertain scale.

Untitled, #1602-20D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: June 23 , 2011; Canon 20D; f/5 @ 1/80 sec; —1 1/3 EV; ISO 400; Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS @ 44mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2011 (#161)

For your consideration: the view from Serenity Point at the St. Francis Retreat Center, near midnight.

Gilroy, Morgan Hill and undoubtedly some ambient presence of San Jose make themselves known on the horizon.

A single exposure of 28 minutes and 7 seconds (I was trying for 30 minutes but was estimating all the way). There is an art to capturing star trails, which I have clearly not yet mastered; far better results are derived from taking a large series of relatively short exposures and blending them together. Ah but that requires much more discipline and precision.

The downside of of employing single, lengthy shots such as this one is the accumulation of significant color noise. Removing it also, unfortunately, eliminates many of the fainter, finer streaks in the darker areas. Thus, this version, while largely devoid of the ugly grain, is also lacking considerable trail paths present in the original raw capture.

Heaven knows: perhaps next time . . .

True North (Polaris over Hwy 156), #2215-7D

© 2011 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: October 1, 2011; Canon 7D; f/11 @ 1687 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 250; Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 11mm

________

Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com