Adolfo Isassi Notes On Photography

Digging depper...

2011-05-07T11:14:00.016-05:00

Last year, for the first time in a long time, I found myself hindered by my gear. Not my photographic gear, but the peripherals around it, like tripods and backpacks.

I am someone that test and plans around equipment before hitting the trail. So, I had 4 tripods at my disposal and 5 different bags. Yet....no matter how I combined them with the camera gear that I needed for certain outings, the results were less than satisfactory.

When I sat to reassess why the setups that have worked for years, now were holding me back, it was clear that my approach to landscape photography had...changed. Since some time ago, I have been digging deeper and deeper into chosen locations.

What does that mean? "Digging deeper". Well, for me has meant to seek farther and more difficult to access locations. And once reached, staying longer. This may sound like I was going for a multiday camping trip. But not quite...I already have a set up for that:

An Ospray 70 bag with a Tamrac Velocity 5x packed in the bottom compartment.

This is OK, but I have found that when I do this...so much of the logistics of setting up camp, take away form the actual purpose of reaching certain location: Photographing.
With this setup, it very easy to end up just documenting the camping trip. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but not what I am after.

What I started to do some time ago, was to stay longer at locations and coming back in the dark. Sometimes, I found myself wanting to spent and impromptu overnight and not having the resources to do it safely.

My regular no-overnight setup, is a Lowe Pro bag rigged and modified to carry a water bladder, food and tripod and does not have any room for such impromptu plans. As it is it can barely hold more food, ropes, or any climbing gear or wet wadding equipment. It is amazing that most photo bags do not have room for a decent water hydration system, some food and an extra layer of clothing.

Bigger bags, such as the Tamrac Expedition 7 which I actually have, does not seem to help any. Such bags assume that you just want to carry more photo gear, not carry things that will help you go farther and further with your photography.

So this year finally I got a bag (F-Stop) that can pack my typical landscape setup, and enough gear to tackle most obstacles, Along with a navigation kit with gps, maps, compass and a solar recharger. An emergency kit, overnight kit, etc.

The next item on the list was to pair this new bag with a light versatile tripod.
Depending on the location, time of the day and length of the hike, I have been carrying a Gitzo Explorer, a Giottos MT-9160, or a Gitzo Traveler. The Explorer is just too heavy, and the Traveler is fine, as long as no long time exposures are needed. The 9160 has the ideal size and spiked feet but is is on the heavy side, and the legs locks have worn out. So I set out to find this size and features in a carbon fiber version.

The old setup, Lowe Pro bag, Gitzo Explorer tripod.

The new setup

New F-Stop bag, with some mods, and a bagged carbon fiber tripod strapped to the back.
This pack not only carries all the gear that I need, but carries like a nice high end backpack with a nice suspension system. So far, my back is happier and I already spend an impromptu overnight in the California desert.

Davis Mountains No 63

2011-04-02T22:52:00.002-05:00

Davis Mountains No 63, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

This was about a year ago...I feels like yesterday. The journey has truly elevated my awareness of landscape as a subject matter, and photography as an art medium.

Landscape as a subject matter...
Is hard to be immune to its beauty. Develop your sensibility for aesthetics, and then put some emotional distance to analyze it before you select your shot.

On photography as an art medium...
The camera is a machine, there is no way around that. There are three key creative decisions that you will have to make.

- Framing
- Exposure
- Developing

Whether you make these decisions fully aware, or leave it to luck, automatic settings, software plug-ins, fads and trends, is up to you. The more you execute these three key steps fully engaged and with a clear intention, the more the result will reflect your persona l style and vision.

Grand Tetons No 29

2011-04-02T10:46:00.002-05:00

Grand Tetons No 29, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

A re-edit form Grand Tetons. I really love some of the B&Ws that I got from the Tetons sessions. Majestic, dramatic jagged peaks, paired with glassy water makes for nice reflections.

Reflections are more than a visual gimmick. Used properly, they provide emphasis on shapes, lines and textures. Paired with purposeful framing, reflections can drift towards abstraction, like in this case.

The more I look at this shot, the more I realize that this is something I should strive more to achieve: A balance between a contextual shot of a beautiful subject, and a dosage of abstraction that reveals the underlying visual structure.

California No 31

2011-03-30T00:08:00.003-05:00

S
California No 31, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Another B&W showing the virtues of not confusing contrast with tonal range. In this case, tonal range drifting towards high-key. Third visit to this location to get the light glowing just right.

There is something so visually appealing about continuous gradient tones. And when paired with a jump of +/- 2EV the tonality really jumps and gets that "silvery" effect.

It was a real pleasure to hang in the depths of this canyon. After my sessions in southern Utah and northern Arizona, I really have found thematic interest in the aesthetics of these geological formations.

California No

2011-03-26T20:59:00.003-05:00

California No, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

"Going To California with an aching in my heart....Standing on a hill in my mountain of dreams,
Telling myself it's not as hard, hard, hard as it seems..." -- LZ

Right when I was processing this photograph, Led Zeppeling's "Going to California" started playing.
It is no wonder why this state is so overpopulated. Within relatively short distances, you can find a vast array of landscape diversity and beauty.....but not much wilderness.

In the Alabama Hills, and some spots in Joshua Tree....I felt that I could just crawl under a beautiful rock or arch, and be. Be at home, and content. A strange energy and convergence, along with that realization of truth about some places in this earth: You can be somewhere in the middle of nowhere. And most of your life, you are nowhere, even though you live somewhere.

Anza No 86

2011-03-24T00:27:00.003-05:00

Anza No 86, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

There is something beautiful about b&w images. I think of them as x-rays of the color pictures.

Escalante No 89

2011-03-20T20:39:00.003-05:00

Escalante No 89, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Here is one from the Utah backlog.
Last night, I was shooting at Anza Borrego, Fonts Point. The place was abuzz with photographers bidding their chances at a amazingly huge full moon.

Some time ago, I have decided to relegate B&W and fully devote myself to the refinement and achievement of luminous color.

But last night, while waiting for the full moon, I listened to several inspiring one-liners that advocate and celebrate B&W. My favorite of the night:

"When you shoot in B&W, you are looking at the subject. When you shoot in color, the subject is looking at you."

Clever and cute.
The retort, seems to hint at the perennial mortification that has plagued photographers and photography for ages: Intentionality

Intentionality on the part of the photographer to demonstrate some evidence of process, creativity or any other concept that can be attributed as artistic.

So...here I am looking at the inspiring shapes of entrada formations in the Escalante area.

Bull Creek No 64

2011-03-11T00:50:00.002-06:00

Bull Creek No 64, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Nostalgia....
I friend of mine, send me a shot of a place back in Austin Texas. The shot, made me remember my efforts to capture the beauty of the area when a lived there. This shot, Bull Creek No 64, is one of my most successful shots of the pockets of the banishing beauty around Austin.

In that area...I felt stifled, the natural beauty was scarce, and constantly diminishing due to urban sprawl. Here is a series that I put together for posterity.

Recently, while wintering in San Diego, I shot an image that remained me of Bull Creek back in Texas. A photograph from a nice spot in La Jolla CA.

The aspect that made me link these shots in my mind, was how hard I worked at framing them to leave out the creeping visual signs of urbanization.

The Wave No 31

2011-03-05T17:59:00.002-06:00

The Wave No 31, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Here is another pick from the day at The Wave. I got there early enough to get the light still low and horizontal. Oddly enough, the typical shot of The Wave (not this POV) is taken almost at mid-day. This ensures that both sides of The Wave are free of shadows, but also makes for washed out colors and...the color temperature at that time makes for yellowish tones instead of deep oranges and reds.

Once I was done shooting for the morning, I mingled with the other parties that made the lottery that day. I think that only 3 or 4 people were not photographers, the rest of us were loaded with gear. One fella from Wisconsin was making the switch from analog to digital and was fiddling with his new Canon body. I offered some assistance.

A couple of dudes came all the way from Norway to photograph this icon. One of the Norwegians mentioned that he visited this place 15 years ago, and stated that he could see how the place was "wearing down". It seems that decades ago, the white ridges running along the walls and floors of The Wave were sticking off the surface 1,2,3 inches.

I planned to wait for the end of the day for a second session, but about 3pm a storm started to move into the area. We knew that if we got rained in, we will spend the night, if not more on wrong side of Buckskin Gulch, as with enough rain, the road becomes impassible.

One of the things that I have modified for subsequent excursions to these areas, is bigger packs and ready gear for impromptu overnights other contingencies like the storm that afternoon.

Grand Tetons No 88

2011-03-02T21:57:00.003-06:00

Grand Tetons No 88, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

When a fellow photographer saw this photograph, he asked (rhetorically) that if I was "going for the wow" aspect, and if so....I achieved the objective.

This so ever important question, "what are you trying to achieve?" is a grounding point and worth remembering every time I press the shutter release.

So, what was the objective of this shot?
This shot is part of a series that I compiled through the Rockies, capturing the relationship between two elements ever present along mountain formations: Peaks and lakes.

But...

It seems that when it comes to landscape photography, there is the expectation of that "wow" factor. I think that as a photographer is really hard to get past this expectation, and get stuck in a root where the objective is to produce "stunning" images.

As hard as it is to get a stunning image, after you get enough of these, I have realized that it is harder to produce interesting images.

Bryce No 56

2011-02-26T00:08:00.002-06:00

Bryce No 56, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Here is one of the shots at Bryce that I liked the most this time around. It fits into the style and vision that I have been working on where I try to achieve a unique point of view that attempts to convey that sense of fascination that brought me to the location in the first place.

After collecting shots through the years with this approach, it seems that the result is images that feel more personal, more intimate. Most of them are shot in this close range.

I think this was he last time I will visit Bryce, at least for a while, I think is one location that I have covered and reached....satisfaction.

California No 23

2011-02-24T21:42:00.002-06:00

California No 23, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Yet another arch in this year long tour. As the title suggests, in California.
Arches, natural bridges and similar rock formations, make compelling photographic subject matter.

As subjects, they offer lines volumes, textures and shapes waiting to be aesthetically revealed and celebrated. As elements of a bigger, contextual environment, they serve as a visual anchor or frame.

But I believe that just like other prominent landscape features, arches and bridges make a powerful connection with the human mind and imagination. Somehow, we are fascinated at the fact that nature sculpts shapes similar to humankind inventions.

Another aspect that make these formations sough after, is the fact that they are....well, scarce, rare and as time has demonstrated in later years, temporary (Landscape arch RIP 2008).

They fit that curios phrase, "natural wonder", as if by all accounts, there are things in nature that are not wonders?

This particular one, remind me a little bit of Mobius Arch, similar sexy curves and same texture and colors.

The series that I got out of this location is one of the finest from the whole tour.

Southwest No 12

2011-02-23T21:49:00.006-06:00

Southwest No 12, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

So here is a kind of shoot that I really love to do. Expansive, grand views stretching as far as the eye can see.

This kind of shot is the the "Anti-Feature" shot. The "No-Clear-Subject-Placed-In-The-Thirds" type of shot.

I think that to be truly appreciated, it needs to be printed big, but if....at this size, pulls some appeal...then I know that is a successful shot.

In this particular instance, contrast is the key.
The contrast of the colors - Blue vs. Yellow.
The contrast of the textures and patterns. - Soft and linear vs. hard and curvy.

Here are some more....

Delicate No 61

2011-02-22T22:14:00.002-06:00

Delicate No 61, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Delicate Arch under post sunset conditions. Just about 15 minutes before the light turns really blue.

I think that this time around, I spent more time exploring the surrounding areas of the arch, looking for different points of view at different times of the day.

Just like many, many of the exhaustively photographed features of the American landscape that I have covered during this year's tour, I questioned the need and purpose to make yet another journey to photograph it.

But when I considered it to take a pass on it....I just could not do it, and I am glad I did not. It was such a pleasure to wander around it, admire it, and hope for magic to happen, for a great image to manifest, for a unique point of view to reveal itself.

I can now see the day when I will drive along 191 passing Arches and think about the past, my efforts to become a better photographer, and thank Delicate Arch for its help.

Stools No 39

2011-02-21T23:45:00.002-06:00

Stools No 39, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

I took this shot while exploring the area around the Coyote Buttes land management station. We were there for 3 days in a row entering the lottery to access The Wave.

The third time was a charm, we got in.
But in the meantime, we explored the area and it was worthwhile. These are the famous "Toad Stools". This image was taken just a bit past sunset, and I worked just a bit of fill flash using a couple of Pocket Wizards to get the direction just right.

Paria No 15

2011-01-23T18:26:00.002-06:00

Paria No 15, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

The Paria wilderness area in very beautiful. It hosts the famous Wave, but there is plenty of subject material to shoot for a long time.

Here and there....you can find Wave-Like formations.
If you are there for the first time, and only for the day, you are in a handicapped position, especially if you want to capture the Wave, and something new on top of if.

Next time I am in the area, I will know where to go and what to do with less distractions.

Chelly No 18

2011-01-21T00:14:00.004-06:00

Chelly No 18, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

How can you know if you got a shot that is as good as it gets?

This was my second time around in Canyon the Chelly. The first time was back in 2006. I took some of my best landscape photographs back in those 2006 sessions in this location. Those images are still staking high, even though I am a better photographer now.

Here is a the same take back in 2006.

Four years later...and I gravitated to the same exact spot almost by inches. It is, I think....the optimal composition for this subject. Now, I know that back in 2006, I got it as good as it gets.

Subway No 85

2011-01-20T01:05:00.002-06:00

Subway No 85, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

The Subway, along the Left Fork river in Zion National Park, Utah.
After studying this location in two separate occasions, I envisioned two approaches that I wanted to fulfill:

- a Honor the Place take, open and full of context.
- a more constrained composition that exalts the details of the place.

This is a beautiful place that easily overloads the senses. Add to that the constant traffic of photographers and hikers....and you end up with a very tough time focusing on the task at hand.

Yet once you identify these challenges, they can bring extra motivation to identify and fulfill your vision.

Escalante No 93

2011-01-19T11:04:00.002-06:00

Escalante No 93, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

This is one of the many hidden slot canyons in this area. The area is vast and beautiful, but most of all, inviting to explore and wander.

The sculpted sandstone offers all king of possibilities and approaches for photography. Contextual, abstract, documentary.

In this round of explorations, I could not shake off the fascination that prevents a more detached and objective approach to landscape photography. So, knowing this, I embraced the fascination and let that motif take over my framing and composition.

No doubt that I will be back for more and see if the fascination has worn off.

Sometimes, you just have to wonder...

2011-01-09T12:21:00.005-06:00

email announcement: Congratulations!

Wonder what is going on behind the scenes of photography contests that is.

Submitting work to photography contests, is part of the list of venues to make your work known, get exposure, get feedback, and get some recognition from a sector of the art world that can lead to further your photography career.

By routinely entering contests, you will quickly learn that, for the most part, is a roll of the dice. You submit your best and most appropriate work, for the themed contest or category and then, hope for the best, forget about it, and move on to the next contest opportunity and keep shooting.

But recently, after getting the results for a contest, I was baffled by the results, and when I was about to get over them, I got hit with another baffling result from the same organizer of these contests.

The fist contest was titled "Nature's Colors".
It was baffling to realize that B&W photos were picked as finalists for the contest(?). Not to mention the realization that someone out there, actually submitted B&W photos to a contest titled "Nature's Colors". Kudos for thinking out of the box I guess?
After this realization, although I registered for a second contest organized by this outfit, I decided not to submit anything and move on to found another venue.

To my surprise, a few days ago, I received an email announcing that I have been selected as a finalist for the second contest...the one I submitted zero images.

This just solidified my perceived notion that this particular outfit is not serious, not well organized and apparently, a waste of time.
The only silver lining in all this fiasco, is that, to the outfit's credit, they do not charge anything to enter these contests.

Other organizations routinely charge $20 to $30 US Dlls to enter 2, 3 images for their contests. Which makes you wonder further on the underlying motivation of these contests.

I have modified a bit the name of the contests and avoided mentioning the name of the organizer of these contests because I do not want this to be a complaint on this particular outfit. Yet I found compelling mentioning B&W images winning a contest titled "Nature's Colors" and being a finalist in a contest by submitting no images.

Now, how is that for Avant-Grade art. Wining by not submitting anything! Conceptual purity.
Is the prize a golden urinal?

Mesa Arch No 92

2011-01-01T11:38:00.002-06:00

Mesa Arch No 92, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Mesa Arch is one of those locations that gets pretty crazy in terms of number of photographers showing up early morning to catch the orange glow in the belly of the arch.

This frigid morning was an exception, only two other photographers showed up. I was the second to arrive, and the first photographer was stationed in a spot even closer and tighter than this shot. So that limited the POVs for the first 30 min of pre-dawn light, since he stayed put shooting that same spot.

Shooting in pre-dawn light was a good reminder of yet another example of the weakness of the claim that, in landscape photography, you are striving to capture what your eyes are seeing.

The shoots that the first photographer was taking, as well as mine under pre-dawn light, were about 15/s @ f/8. Pretty long exposures in fairly low light.

To the naked eye, the arch had no glow, maybe just a hint of it if you squinted your eyes, and overall...no color to speak of. Yet, after the 15, 20 second exposure, a stunning glowing and colorful pre-view will pop in the camera LCD screen.

A non-photographer tagging along with the fist photographer exclaimed in surprise when taking a peak at the pre-view LCD screen:

"That is incredible....the camera sees better in the dark than my own eyes!!"

Indeed.

Delicate No 38

2010-12-13T23:29:00.003-06:00

Delicate No 38, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

The sessions in Arches National Park involved several hikes to Delicate Arch. Hikes to visit the location under different light conditions, and with no people around.

I got really lucky in this last regard. In two occasions I found myself completely alone with the arch. Usually when you get close to it, or just leave the edge of the rim at the end of the access trail, you get into the shot of 30, 50 or more people.

It is significant how not being distracted by the presence of others, allows you to better understand and perceive the subject at hand and its context.

This time around, I truly enjoyed the Delicate Arch sessions.

Antelope No 74

2010-12-12T15:50:00.002-06:00

Antelope No 74, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

This image belongs to the series where I focused on landscape orientation based compositions. Or more accurately...focused on staying away from vertical based compositions. After studying for a while the voluminous amount of shots that have stand out from this location, from the Fatali shots to the endless stream of dslr armed tourists, it seemed that any vertical oriented shot will dilute itself in the current sea of shots. Never the less, I shot vertical shots. Vertical shots better capture the sense of height, but they seem to lose the sense of intimacy and womb like feeling that you experience in these slot canyons. They also introduce the challenge of very high disparate EV values present in the areas closer to the top of the opening of the canyon.

The realization of the advantages of landscape based compositions in slot canyons started to come to mind in the sessions around Nevada. In this image, the usual horizontal lines on the walls of these canyons are emphasized by the horizontal composition. A strong sense of leading lines and dramatic perspective is created.

Malpais No 60

2010-12-12T09:56:00.007-06:00

Malpais No 60, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Here is one of the images taken in El Malpais National Monument in New Mexico. This place was not initially on my radar, but I am so glad I took the time to explore it. The configuration of its landscape in diverse. Bare sandstone bluffs (mostly yellow and white), small mountains with pine trees, lava fields and lava tubes.

There is a natural bridge in this area, but the access to advantage POVs is blocked. The name of the bridge is "La Ventana" (the window) and you can find some nice shots from it by Laurence Parent.

This particular image, is the type that is emerging more and more in my evolution as a photographer. This particular balance of subject, context and light conditions has been heavily influenced by visiting fine art galleries that are open to exhibit nature photography.

These visits have helped me visualize what balance "feels" more like a piece of art, as opposed to a "nice" stock shot, something that may belong more in a magazine than in a gallery wall.

I think that in the past, every time that I have search for this balance, I have ended up eliminating to much context and ending in abstract territory. Although this is fine...it seems too easy, obvious and...not honoring the place.

Here is a similar shot from 2007 in Yellowstone. Here I can see that my search was taking place even then. But I think that at that time, I was still concerned with "documenting" the place, maybe with not so much regard for the final destination for the image.

I think that at the time, I suspected that maybe images will sort themselves into the marketplace. But it seems that is not the case. It seems that the consumers of images, want, or need to be told what the intention of the image is...and then, and only then, agree of disagree with the intention and image.

Acoma No 35

2010-12-09T20:33:00.003-06:00

Acoma No 35, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

New Mexico is a place that is truly wonderful and with lots of potential for landscape photography. Especially if looking for new icon-free expansive views. Quite a bit of the ever present available ground, is carpeted with yellow tall grasses, which make for a wonderful complement for the turquoise sky.

I encounter two factors interfering with landscape photography in these latitudes:

- Lots of the land belongs to First Nation Americans (this is the name used in Canada to refer to what the USA calls Native Americans...the Canadian name is more appropriate). This land is usually off-limits for photography, or you need a permit to photograph in it. I got one to shoot in this area belonging to the Acoma Pueblo.

- In this area, as well in AZ, there are lots of Jet trails in the sky. I mean...a lot. If you are not careful, chances are your photos will be full of these white streaks in the sky. They truly detract from the mythical notion of a wild unspoiled American Southwest, but they are a stark remainder of just how wildness...is a vanishing notion.

The Wave No 06

2010-11-28T11:46:00.003-06:00

The Wave No 06, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Here is a preview of the series done at The Wave. I was lucky to strike a win at the walk-in lottery and visit this location while shooting the area between Page AZ and Zion UT. I was pleasantly surprised to find water providing the opportunity to incorporate reflections and blues into low point of view compositions.

I was stunned to realize that there is life thriving in these ephemeral desert ponds. These water creatures look like small trilobites, and I think that David Pettit (famous Zion area photographer) referred to them as "sand shrimp". When the water evaporates, they dive into the sand and go dormant until the next rain.

As we other subjects in the Southwest, such as Slot Canyons, Canyons, Arches, etc. light play and bounced light is crucial to capture the surreal colors that appear when the light bounces on the multicolored surfaces and gets charged with color.

More shots of the wave later!

Red Rock No 35

2010-11-28T10:56:00.002-06:00

Red Rock No 35, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

The warm desert hues and rich textures accentuated by low warm perpendicular light.

This is an example of an emerging series of views free of "icons".

Page No 22

2010-11-25T22:29:00.002-06:00

Page No 22, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

A shot that exemplifies the type of image that I aspire to capture in the expansive views of the American Southwest.

Mobius Arch No 10

2010-11-18T19:21:00.002-06:00

Mobius Arch No 10, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

A fresh new view and take for Mobius Arch. As I tour the American Southwest, one persisting question keeps coming: Why take yet another photo of this well known, over-photographed, do-da geological formation?

So far, the only answers I have been able to come up with, is the hope of come up with something like this photo. Something, that I have not seen before, a contribution to the catalog of depictions of a particular location.

Yet....Lately, I have starting to see with more interest new frontiers, farther and more remote locations, out of reach for the casual and less committed.

Still, images like this will fuel my desire to keep exploring new ways to render the mystic American Landscape.

Antelope No 64

2010-11-16T23:19:00.003-06:00

Antelope No 64, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

You squeeze down the narrow opening in the ground, you look around and...your head explodes with the beauty and endless possibilities of the sculpted sandstone deep down in the surreal world of the Antelope Slot Canyons.

Although I took a good amount of vertically oriented (portrait) shots, I worked hard at finding compositions in landscape format. This was part of my effort to break a bit the rules, particularly for subjects with obvious proportions, and widely covered with those proportions.

Zion No 20

2010-11-13T08:40:00.004-06:00

Zion No 20, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

This is one of the shoots from the last week of October 2010 in Zion. This time frame seems to be too early to get colors down the canyon. The same was true on my visit in 2006. So, like in 2006, I headed for higher altitudes to find the autumn colors. One advantage of doing this, is that at higher altitudes you will find Aspens with are nicer (I think) than the Cottonwoods found along the Virgin river down the canyon.

Higher than the canyon, but not quite at the highest elevations, Aspens glowing in yellows.

You can see here the transition from yellows to ochers, as I gained altitude.

A rare treat. Aspens exploding in reds and oranges at the higher altitudes in Zion. These colors are ephemeral...a strong wind or rain, blow these leaves away leaving Aspens naked.

Zion No 41

2010-11-11T22:19:00.003-06:00

Zion No 41, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Away from The Bridge, The Watchman and the Temple of the Virgin...looking for a fresh perspective.

Shooting in Zion the first week of November, is like walking into a photographers convention. The place was choke full of them...and plenty of al fresco painters on the side of the road, once the road to the lodge was open to traffic. Zion is a magnet for visual artists.

I came across the term: "Cattle Drive Photography"....The Bridge, The Temple, The Watchman. Well known POVs lined up with shoulder to shoulder photographers all taking the same shot. I have been pondering on the point of such endeavor...

I meet some very nice and interesting photographers this week.

Check Ben Horne large format photography. I meet Ben on my first trip to The Subway.He was there with his beautiful large format camera: A brass and mahogany rig on a massive Gitzo carbon fiber tripod.

Another super nice photographer that I meet was Tony Keller.

The image on this post, is part of a series where I worked on the first attempt on October and second attempt on November to come with a fresh perspectives form the main area of the park. The first attempt on the last week of October was not very successful. The weather was bad, and the colors were still not turning. Some images from that week later in the next post.

The Sentinel...

2010-11-10T20:55:00.002-06:00

The remains of the tree made famous by Ansel Adams.

Here you can find some photos of how the tree looked years ago.
Also, the article that comes along with the photos is a very interesting one. It mentions the idea and notion of Slowing Down...

I have been meditating and experiencing the benefits of slowing down while doing everything related to photography. Photographing, developing, editing selections...
More on slowing down in a future post.

Subway No 02

2010-11-06T12:30:00.006-05:00

Subway No 02, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Famous location in Zion National Park. Did two sessions at this location. The typical shots of this location frame/crop out the top portion, making it look like a tunnel. That sort of framing, although makes for a prettier composition, makes somewhat of a disservice to the location. That sort of framing is another, of what call Landscape Photography Fetishes (a future blog entry). Before diving into the more mannerist compositions, I labored on a contextual shot that actually honors the location. I was extremely lucky to find abut 20 minutes of people free to take these contextual shots. The fall colors on the top ledge compliment nicely the colors on the lower left corner. More Subway shots coming later....

Mobius Arch No 13

2010-11-03T21:23:00.003-05:00

Mobius Arch No 13, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Another recent example of lighting and exposure kung-fu. This time in the Alabama Hills with no other than Mobius Arch.

This arch is usually used as a visual frame for the looming Sierra Nevada in the background, and during sunrise.

Looking to do something different, involved being there at the total opposite time, sunset...and apply some studio techniques to portrait the subject at hand.

Elephant Rock No 43

2010-11-03T11:34:00.003-05:00

Elephant Rock No 43, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

During the Valley of Fire sessions, I decided to start applying some of the studio knowledge that I have acquired in the last years to overcome adverse lighting conditions, and archive natural results. Here is Elephant Rock, a unique an beautiful rock in this area.

El Capitan No 06

2010-11-02T09:18:00.004-05:00

El Capitan No 06, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Famous El Capitan under the stars and under the light of a full moon. When I realized that we were going to be at Yosemite during a full moon with clear skies, I knew that It was a good opportunity to shoot during the night. The lights in the face of the rock are actual climbers! spending the night hanging from ropes anchored in the rock. It is hard to get a decent POV of El Capitan during the day, let alone during the night. I had to scout the area in advance, mark the spot with my GPS, and come back at night and set up for shooting in the dark. The area in front of El Capitan is a huge grassy field bisected by the Merced River. I extended the exposure to get the star trails circling around El Capitan.

Vernal Falls No 59

2010-10-31T20:50:00.005-05:00

Vernal Falls No 59, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Exhausted, after a 12 hour hike to the top of Half Dome, I came across the perfect setting for Vernal Falls. Just past sunset, a bit of bounced evening light with enough warmth to lit the red hues. It was one of those light conditions where Aperture priority and Matrix metering comes just right due to the even EV values across the scene. Even the thin streak of water was not overexposed.

It took just a glance to know that I will have to unpack the camera and tripod and set up for 15 to 20 minutes of POV hunting and shooting.

Due to this last treat, I had to walk the last hour of the hike in the dark. Luckily, as always, I was prepared with my trusty Petzl head lamp.

Mono No 66

2010-10-26T15:06:00.003-05:00

Mono No 66, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Mono Lake California. I scouted this location and researched the available pool of shoots out there for this location. The dominant theme was sunrise with dramatic skies. Actually, the seemingly mandatory recipe for any landscape shot...no matter what the subject is.
I decided to keep exploring my 'silver light'. Instead of an emphasis on dramatic skies, I turned my attention to the lake itself.

Florence No 53

2010-10-18T21:20:00.004-05:00

I arrived to this area with the preconceived idea of what I was looking for: Sand Dunes, smooth undulating lines, textures ready for abstract compositions. Instead, I was captivated by the tall waving grasses growing on top of the dunes, dancing against the blue Oregonian late summer sky.

Cannon Beach Oregon...

2010-10-11T15:18:00.004-05:00

Canon Beach Oregon, one of the most sough after locations for landscape photography along the Oregon coastline. As you may expect, it is a nightmare to shot here. Lots of people and other photographers getting in each other's way.

There was this woman running around with no tripod and two bodies hanging from her neck...she was spraying the area with shots and getting in front of everybody and their tripod....lots of photographers are busy Photoshop'ing her out of every shot.

Shooting sunsets at this location, becomes an exercise in flare control. One nice trick is to use the haystack rocks themselves as direct light blockers.

Finally some peace and quiet at Cannon Beach. I had to come back at 5am in the morning to find the full moon playing in the water. Plus...no hordes of tourists running around the beach.

Haystack rocks at Canon Beach Oregon at dawn...what a ephemeral and fleeting time to photograph. It is nerve wracking, as you race from POV to POV trying to make the most of the precious minutes before open sunlight.

Creative interpretations in photogtaphy...

2010-10-08T12:19:00.003-05:00

Perhaps one of the most acrimoniously debated topics in photography, is the one revolving around the notion that, to what extent, photography, as a medium, depicts reality. And conversely, to what extent, a photographer should take artistic license to interpret reality by manipulating or distorting what originally was in front of the lens.

My stance in this matter, has been largely influenced by the fact that I learned painting (watercolors, acrylics, oils) before I learned photography. More on this here...

Recently, I had the privilege to act as judge in a photo contest. While judging this contest, I was compelled to reconsider this divide on the approach to photography.
The pool of entries was a mixture of:

"Subject Honored" photography
and
"Creative Interpretation" photography.

I had came up with these names, because I think they more clearly depict the photographer's intention, than other names that are floating out there, like: "Straight Photography", "Artistic Photography", "Classic Photography", etc...all utterly vague.

Subject Honored photography is the type of execution and subsequent post-process that has a goal, to honor the chosen subject, or highlight some aspect about it.

Creative interpretation photography is the type of photography that has as a goal to transform the original subject into...something else. Something that the photographer deems more in tune with her/his artistic vision, mood, style, intention, etc.

Then came another opportunity to ponder on this matter while photographing trees at Half Moon Bay in California.

When we got to the area to photograph these beautiful wind swept trees. These trees are hanging at the edge of cliffs overlooking the beautiful northern California coast.

But as I was setting up tripod and lenses, fog rolled in so fast that it was amazing. I had in mind the tree with a sea and sky background. Now that background was gone.

Then...I saw the opportunity. The white fog was offering a clean background to have the tree as the only subject in the frame. I used the fog as a white background and over-exposed it to isolate the tree in all its windswept splendor.

Was this a Subject Honored set of photographs? Or a Creative Interpretation one?

About the Golden Hour....

2010-09-16T11:33:00.004-05:00

In Landscape Photography, arguably, everything is about the light, more specifically the light at so called Golden Hour. This is the light that you get early morning, and late afternoon. And yes, its characteristics – soft, horizontal and warm – make for a very flattering light for almost any landscape configuration. It also helps a great deal that, at these times of the day, the sky is at it most dramatic stages, if the right atmospheric conditions are present.

Thus, the practice of landscape photography typically, and without much questioning, revolves around these times of the day, turning this activity largely into a process (post-modern art lingo alert) of – being at the right place at the right time –

For a long time, I have been following this practice with good, sometimes stunning results. Indeed, being at the right place under beautiful light makes for pure visual bliss, but...hold this thought.

Let me make a pause and jump to a side track here.
During the last five years, I have been traveling to the most celebrated landscapes in North America, and while there, I make the point of visiting local galleries and studios to see the work of the local artists –living the place –

A common line of presenting spectacular landscape work seems to revolve around the assurance that what is being presented (a photograph) has not been altered or enhanced (by filters or photoshop), that it really is the real deal...Nature at its most idealized state.

Now lets go back to that visual bliss...

Let me ask you. How many times have you decided to travel to a particular place because you saw a beautiful photograph of it? Almost in every landscape photography, there is an implicit invitation to visit the depicted scene. How many people are going to be able to visit Denali on a September morning with high atmospheric pressure and a clear sky with high cumulus clouds standing in the middle of a tundra field in front of a pond with still water showing a perfect reflection?

Isn't this line of thought on landscape photography: Idealized nature, nature at its rarest seems to be a bit...Victorian, dated, out of sync with the rest of the arts?

I also noticed that, particularly in photo magazines and amongst landscape photographers, the emphasis on Golden Light shots is so strong, that it almost does not matter where the shot was taken, they all almost look the same: A nondescript landscape bathed in dense saturated warm light.

With all this in mind, I have started to experiment and try to find a different light other than the one at the golden hour, and I think that I may have found it in shots like these:

I officially baptize these times of the day: The Silver Hour

The aesthetics of the democratization of photography...

2010-09-03T22:30:00.008-05:00

In the last five years, the line "the democratization of photography" appeared in the landscape of art criticism and as time passed by, it slowly made it from blogs to New York Times articles to contemporary art lingo and finally to art curricula at learning institutions. Not bad for a fairly literal catch phrase.

I do not think that this phenomena is even something novel. Looking through the history of photography, it seems that its evolution has been a series of cycles where new photosensitive reproduction technologies become widely available with the specific purpose of beings sold to the masses (not MFAs) and the masses naively produce new marriages of Form and Content.

But in this installment, I am not concerned with the how, when or why of this phenomena, but with the aesthetics that seem to be tied with it.

I believe that in each of the before mentioned historic cycles of the technological evolution of photography, when the masses engage in the task of taking photographs, for the most part, they strive to imitate a visual style that they deem aesthetically pleasant. A style that already has carved its place in the popular culture.

This is probably why initially, and for a long time, photographs looked like victorian paintings.

Later, styles unique to photography appeared. How did this happen? What stopped imitation?

One answer is that it was by sheer experimentation with new technology:

like Henry Lartigue with new and faster shutter speeds
or the contemporary enthusiasm with HDR technology

Another answer has been sheer intellectual engagement with the photographic medium:

like the F/64 group manifesto

New blends of Form an Content have emerged, just to become part of the accepted aesthetics of the catalog of styles or things to imitate.

So, what about the aesthetics of the democratization of photography?
Is this a new marriage of Form and Content? Or just the imitation of something already available?

I believe that the aesthetics of the democratization of photography have been influenced by the prevalent aesthetics of contemporary graphic design and advertisement. After all, these are the sources that dictate what a given society deems beautiful and desirable. But they are also influenced by the raw principles of gestalt -- basically images that appeal to the hypothalamus and do not require the assistance of the frontal lobes to be processed.

This explains the contemporary popular habits of over processing digital photographs, mainly with saturation, contrast and sharpness -- increased clarity.

This is also why a photograph of a colorful sunset will get more attention in an online photo gallery like flickr, than a photo of Henry Cartier Bresson.

All this may sound a little negative, but it is really not. Actually having large demographics obsessed with the production of imagery and unconscious imitation is rather innocuous, not very productive, but harmless nevertheless.

But it seems that as time has passed by, and with the presence of the Internet, this time around, the democratization of photography has given rise to something new, and maybe unhealthy.

I am referring to the rise of an incestuous self-celebration of the democratization of photography.
The convergence of mass produced photography in the Internet has created a phenomena where from the same pool of novice photographers, critics, curators, jurors, and even impromptu teachers or instructors emerge -- a haphazard process mostly fueled by the sheer enthusiasm for a new found way of self expression and by a strange compulsion to imitate the inner workings of the art establishment.

Some time ago, I deemed that the aesthetics of the democratization of photography had resulted in something akin to the look of Velvet Painting, especially for the case of HDR tone mapped photography.

But all these things are moving targets, constantly evolving. Nowadays I am not so sure where all these things are going, even more so with the addition of the phenomena of Social Media which seems to have a "Velvet Painting" touch...everything touched by Social Media, turns into a Velvet painting.

Beautiful photos about nothing...

2010-08-23T13:41:00.005-05:00

Recently, while waiting for a car repair, I ended up browsing through one of those shops that are a mix between antiques, bargains, and second hand stuff – a thrift store.

I was killing time looking at vintage cameras when I stumbled across several bins of photos. I started to browse and take a closer look at them. They were mostly black & white prints, but I could tell that they were not automated lab work. They were hand made, individually processed prints. They were all from the same photographer.

Beautiful, exquisite work.
How did they end up in a thrift shop, and not in a gallery?

Out of respect for the photographer and his work at the thrift store, I am not showing those photos. Instead, I went through my own work to find similar examples. Here is one, a B&W print with great tonal range and composition.
A photo about...leaves?
Or about how photography elevates even the most banal subject to captivating beauty?
See, now the "about" explanation is starting to sound like an artist statement.
This issue, Subject vs. Interpretation is one of the tenants on one of my favorites Susan Sontag essays:
Against Interpretation

Later that same day, while walking through the touristy district of that same city, I spotted a gallery exhibiting photographs. I entered to take a closer look. For the most part, they were huge color prints of famous, renown, recognizable locations around the area. The photos were nicely executed, but for the most part, lacked that...exquisiteness of the photos at the thrift store.

This got me thinking, what ultimately defines the fate of a photograph?
Its subject or its execution?

(Lets leave out for now, the mundane subject of marketing and self-promotion that, obviously, play roles in the fate of one's photography).

Mentally recalling the photographs at the thrift store, under the light of this question, I could say that all those beautiful exquisite photographs, were photos about nothing.

All those ample silvery tonal ranges depicting those fine art photography darlings: Abstracts, nondescript scenes, light hitting this or that...all in all, beautiful exercises in composition and technique, but...nothing more?

These beautiful photos about “nothing” are what I call Self Reference Photography. Only within the confines of rarefied air and concepts of art can these photos become from about “nothing,” to about “something.” And that something is themselves: They are photos about photography.

Here are the 3 axis of visual arts. The photos about nothing are at the top of the triangle. They are about visual vocabulary -- a self reference.

They are photographs about tonal range, selective focusing, B&W processing, composition, use of lines, textures, framing, etc. The actual subjects in these photographs are just excuses to portray any or all of these aspects of photography.

Here is another example. An abstract showing the texture of the bark of a birch tree.
A photo about texture, lines, balance and framing?
Or about the fascinating underlying structure in nature?

This could be a plausible explanation on why, so many photographs, like the photographs in the thrift store, end up nowhere. At large, they are not quite understood and appreciated to have any commercial appeal. Another way to look at it, is that they are photographs for photographers. But the underlying problem with this, is that photographers rarely buy photographs.

I think that at this point in this installment, I can hear myself, and imagine other photographers expounding on the virtues of fine art photography and the merits of experimental, abstract, conceptual, or as colloquially known, artsy photography – or as I will start now to refer affectionately as Thrift Store Photography.

But the problem with any of the arguments that I have read, heard, and can possibly extrapolate and imagine is that as of today, the sheer, obscene, mind boggling volume of Thrift Store Photography is such that the question that begs to be asked is:

Does the world needs another Thrift Store Photograph?
Is it that hard to find a subject that has a meaning and appeal on itself to apply all that photography dexterity devoted to Thrift Store Photography?

Here is an example of a worthy subject intersected with all that photographic dexterity.
It is hard to do this? Yes...very hard.
It takes the all the Thrift Store Photo skills that you could muster, plus a ton of hard work, planning and luck.

If you are a photographer, think about this.
Where are your photographs going to end up?
How many of your photos are not even going to make it into a thrift store?

Hatcher Pass No 76

2010-08-22T19:07:00.002-05:00

This lovely waterfall is the drain for Summit Lake, just below the actual pass. Some of the most rewarding images from Alaska were of this type: An intimate landscape, vibrant and alive in the summer, and buried under snow and memories in the winter.

Photo Here...

Kenai No 69

2010-08-09T21:21:00.002-05:00

Kenai Peninsula Alaska. The gelid and calm waters leading to the Northwestern Glacier. Notice the pieces of ice floating and drifting in the distance.

Photo here...

Denali No 32

2010-07-25T18:10:00.002-05:00

Denali No 32, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Polychrome hills deep down in the Denali Preserve. Geology in Alaska seems to be a perplexing mystery. The rock variety and origins contribute to this array of colors in the slopes of Denali.

Perfection...a tell-tale of cheating?

2010-07-18T15:27:00.004-05:00

Although when I started my journey across the landscapes of the USA, I had a number of projects and ideas planed, a number of series and bodies of work have emerged on their own, just by virtue of covering certain areas that have characteristics in common.

I think that on this trip, I extended my coverage of the Rockies considerably from my initial foray in 2007. From Colorado to Alaska, one theme started to emerge: Mountains & Their Lakes.

Throughout the Rockies, one can see and marvel at how the cycle of water in all its states shapes and dresses this marvelous landscape.

Invariably, at the foot of these mountainous formations, one can find lakes collecting the ice and snow melt form the heights of the peaks around.

I have found that these bodies of water usually provide a visual synthesis of the surrounding landscape.

Perfect reflection at Mucho Lake

Bow Lake.
Revealing the rocky bottom of the lake tells a story of glacial melt and forming moraines.

While shooting one of these many lakes, a fellow photographer was standing near by. I mentioned that the water was calm, thus offering nice reflections. He mentioned that he had started to shun water "perfect reflections" because now days, too many photographers were using Photoshop to create perfect reflections, i.e cheating.

I pondered for a moment on the matter, and offered what I do in some shots when I want to partially reveal the bottom of the water, like in the shot above of Bow Lake.

"How about using a polarizer partially rotated to reveal just a bit of the bottom of the water? That would be a bear to Photoshop."

Cameron Lake
Rocky bottom and concave surrounding slopes tell a tale of glacial origins.

We both pondered in silence, about how on top of dealing with the endless list of possible things that can ruin a landscape photo, now Photoshop cheating was the newest consideration.

Black & White...still relevant?

2010-07-16T11:38:00.011-05:00

Phelps Lake B&W study.

Before converting to digital, I never questioned B&W photography as a choice. It was the choice if I wanted to handle my own development and printing. And the whole process had so much latitude, that the end result always felt very personal.

On the opposite end was slide film where I only had the choice of the parameters to expose it. All the development was hands-off with virtually zero latitude for manipulation or correction. This always felt very true to the scene (I almost never used Velvia slide film).

I guess because of this difference, once digital photography took a strong hold in the mainstream, B&W photography started to be refereed as more "artsy." With digital photography the matter of latitude and personal processing became almost zero and was reduced to a "click" to convert from color to "grayscale." Later, as digital post-processing evolved, channel-mixing appeared as a B&W workflow step, but that is another post.

Fast forward to today--the era of automated-one-click processing, blogging, and photography-by-the-masses. In this environment, I have come across statements along the lines of:

"The light was bad...so I decided to take some B&W photography"

or

"The photos didn't come out good...so I converted them to B&W, and now they look like keepers."

So, is this the new status of B&W photography? An alternative one step removed from the digital trash bin?

In stark contrast, and ironically overlapped is the apparent notions held by collectors, curators and equipment vendors (particularly printer and paper vendors) that B&W photography is regarded as a step closer to Fine Art photography.

All this has made me wonder if black and white photography is still relevant as a medium, if it has not turned into an anachronistic cliche, the new Sepia so to speak.

Some years ago, I bought a book that contained 400 Ansel Adams photographs, and traced over them bright orange lines revealing the underlying structure of each photograph--The main lines leading the eye around the image, how these lines intersect in strategic visual points, like the rule of thirds or other compositional structures, and how these arrangements sectioned the frame of the image in rhythms of even lengths.

This study reminded me of Ansel Adams' Snake River Overlook.

I believe that B&W photography reveals these hidden structures that make for the beauty of a given subject.

Study on tonal range at Schawbacher Landing

During my last visit to Grant Teton National Park, I scouted and studied several locations before shooting. While scouting locations, I took B&W shots that helped me reveal the potential of a particular location or conditions. The B&W shots revealed the tonality range of a scene, and more clearly revealed the compositional structure of the selected framing.

Compositional study at Jackson Lake

When I see these images, I cannot help to realize the influence that Ansel Adams had early on me when I got not only inspired to take on photography, but to personally visit the places that he captured so beautifully. Thanks Mr. Adams.

Over darkened skies ala Ansel

Grand Teton: a place to become a better photographer

2010-06-10T15:21:00.007-05:00

Grand Teton is a special place for photography.

No matter if you are a photographer or not, the place and its vistas commands you to take photographs. The designated vista points along highway 191 and Teton Park Road are constantly populated by photographers that range form the casual tourist to professionals.

Probably the most recognizable and iconic images from the Grand Tetons are the ones taken from the designated vista points. Some are pretty famous, like Snake River Overview and Oxbow Bend. A steady stream of photographers visits these vista points on a daily basis.

Is there a point to continuing to stop in these designated places and taking the same photograph that has been taken thousands of times? I think so. One thing that I cannot state strong enough is that weather and light conditions can radically transform a scene. I have seen seasoned resident Teton photographers rush to a designated spot because they noticed a particular weather and light combination that will render that typical view into a unique moment...a "decisive moment."

But even at this designated and popular vista points, you can always refine and come up with a new point of view.

Beyond the designated vista points, there are a number of trails that expand on the stunning views while adding a sense of closeness and intimacy with the commanding peaks.
And beyond the tree line, through back country hiking, there is a universe of images waiting to be captured.

I first shot Grand Tetons in 2007. And I knew then that I would come back. I think that certain places help you to grow as a photographer, not because they are beautiful, but because they are difficult to capture, to visually decipher and render successfully in a photograph. Grand Tetons is such a place.

The views offered by this National Park hone your composition skills and demand technical proficiency to honor the beauty of the scene.

Although Tetons is best suited for morning sessions, I think that with the right weather conditions, you can shot all day long. Late day and sunsets present particular challenges due to heavy backlight, but...hey, Ansel Adams' famous Snake River Overlook was such a shot.

Next post, will be dedicated to work inspired by Mr. Adams' work in this park.

Yellowstone late winter...

2010-05-23T15:59:00.007-05:00

View along the Madison River

I visited Yellowstone for the first time in September 2007. In that occasion, I encountered very nice temperatures during the day, and mildly cold nights and mornings. The park, although not terribly crowded with visitors, still had its moments where the sizes of the crowds made me forget that I was trying to capture and enjoy the landscape.

Early late summer morning light on geysers

Yellowstone lower falls in late summer light

Still, I was able to capture some memorable images, that to this day, I consider in the pool of my best, yet, considering the sheer size of the park and the abundance of features, I knew that some day, I would come back for more.

Fast forward to 2010. This time, I decided to come on what I thought was “early spring”. Yellowstone is a National Park that shuts down during winter. The park has four entrances, one per cardinal point, and the only one that is open year around is the North Entrance at Mammoth Springs. So this was the first location I targeted.

Mammoth Springs in winter

There I encountered the opportunity to capture the stark contrast between the two states of that landscape at this time of the year: Hot and Cold

The heat of Mammoth Springs against the snow capped background

We moved on to the upper valleys past Mammoth Springs, and there, I encountered views that still evoked a sense of deep winter. This was a wonderful opportunity to see this wonderful national park dressed in its winter regalia.

View along Yellowstone Valley

View of the upper valley after Mammoth Springs

Winter scene in Yellowstone

With the park, most of the time, all for myself, I was able to concentrate on getting more unique points of view from some of the areas of the park.

Sunset near Black Sand Basin

View along the Madison River

View of the Yellowstone Canyon

Probably, the only feature of this park that I liked better during late summer, was Old Faithful. Judging by the performance that I witnesses this time, it looks like winter might not be the best time to capture this geyser. This time, the vertical sprout seemed to be more stream than hot water, resulting in a very gaseous cloud that easily losses shape with the wind. Compare the two shots.

Old Faithful in late summer

Old Faithful in late winter

The lucky strike at Old Faithful this time, was the presence of a auspicious water pond provided by a passing rain storm that allowed me to compose an unusual view of Old Faithful with a reflection.

Old Faithful reflected

Although, wildlife is not my cup of tea, this time around I encountered some wildlife photo ops that I just could not pass by.

Slide show here

The Aesthetics of Erosion

2010-05-04T18:00:00.003-05:00

Badlands under open light.

Photographing the Theodore Roosevelt National Park was both an exercise in patience and an epiphany. Patience because I had to wait for good weather and bid my timing for the desired light.

An Epiphany, because after shooting places like Canyon de Chelly, Grand Canyon, Badlands, Huasteca, and now the South and Northern Units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, it became clear that the visual appeal of these locations is the fact that they represent Erosion. They are living testament on the interaction of wind, water, and ice on the landscape.

Badlands under lateral light...much better.

From the grand scale of the Grand Canyon, to the modest walls of the Badlands formations, the aesthetic considerations that bring the erosion to life are the same: Depth and Scale.
This means wait for lateral light to cast deep long shadows. Not too hard of a light that it will hide shadow details but not too soft of a light, either. That blurs the shadow lines that are necessary for depth.

The ideal light for this type of landscape comes from fast rolling clouds. The kind of clouds present before or after a storm.

After two days of overcast skies and a wait for sunshine, while shooting on the Little Mississippi river overlook, I spotted the opportunity in the distance--a fast moving storm moving Eastward towards us.

Storm approaching on the distance

We started to move east and shoot until raindrops would reach us, then move farther east. We were able to stay ahead of the storm for about 40 minutes.

Not my kind of preferred subject, but who can resits a rainbow?

Then....we finally ran out of road on the east-most side of the South Unit scenic drive loop. It was a thrilling experience and worth the couple of days that we spent sitting out the weather.

Storm finally catches up with us.

The next day we got the tail of that weather system in the form of high rolling clouds. This created nice molted light on the park's high plateaus.

The magic of molted light

As an aside, this national park is a nice location to shoot all day long. Since the most scenic features are aligned to the North, you have 90 degree light all day long. Nice!

The sun setting behind fast rolling clouds.

Arkansas: The New England of the south?

2010-04-05T19:19:00.008-05:00

Falls at Catherine Lake shot on a damp rainy day.

You do not see Arkansas listed as a major destination for nature and travel photography, yet from time to time, I have heard compliments on the beauty of the northern west region of this state. The Ozarks and the Ouachita National Forests. After touring these areas for about three weeks, I can say that they are surprisingly beautiful. Although the temperatures was cool and spring like, the vegetation in the these areas was still in winter mode, which means a mixture of evergreens, naked trees, and lush carpets of dry leaves.

Leaves getting swept away by spring water at Cedar Creek

A little bit of research showed that these areas are just spectacular during the fall. After two photo trips to New England to capture the fall colors, I would bet that you could call NW Arkansas, the New England of the south.

Traveling thought the backroads of these areas, you will find an abundance of State Parks which do not have Day Usage Fees, you only pay if you camp overnight. Each park that we explored was not only very well kept, but also had some major landscape feature to capture, mostly lakes, rivers, and waterfalls.

Degray Lake

Lake Ouachita State Park Arkansas at sunset.

Cedar Creek Trail, Petit Jean State Park

Petit Jean State Park

If I have the opportunity come back to just one park in Arkansas, it probably will be Petiti Jane State Park. Forests, rock formations, rivers, and waterfalls all nicely located along the sides of a beautiful deep canyon.

Cedar Falls

Not all the places that we traveled through and visited were designated parks, yet they were still beautiful. Farming land, domesticated beauty.

View from atop Mount Pinnacle

Agriculture along the Arkansas River

Shooting these areas gave the opportunity to refine considerations and techniques to capture waterfalls, particularly waterfalls that run through canyons and offer a "looking up" point of view.
These conditions, result in the perennial limitation of photography: Not enough dynamic range.

Shooting deep canyons, and subjects in them, usually results in one side of the canyon getting generously bathed in light, while the opposite site presents deep shadows, resulting in exposures that cannot reasonably cover the wide difference in EV (exposure values). Current digital cameras, usually can safely cover a difference of 5EV, or 5 stops. A scene that goes beyond 5 stops will require some consideration or post-processing techniques to be adequately rendered.

In these cases, my first choice has been to re-visit the location when the lighting in both sides is more even. This usually means early morning, late afternoon, or better yet, under a heavy overcast day, which also means warmer White Balance and softer light. Although this strategy helped me to deal with waterfalls running at the bottom of canyons, the low point of view at the bottom of a given fall would result in the presence of sky sneaking into the frame of the shot. This means that even early or late in the day, the sky maintains a way higher EV than the lighted or shaded walls of the canyon, so it gets overexposed, and both color and details get washed out.

When revisiting under different conditions is not possible, or the framing calls for sky into the shot, post-processing techniques such as Exposure Fusion, or HDR can help to save the day. Skillful usage of Natural Graduated filters can also help. I have been using HDR techniques for about 5 year now, and although they can render satisfactory realistic results, the tools and the way they work, do not lend themselves to consistent, predictable results. For this round of shots, I used sometimes NG filters, and other times Photomatix in Exposure Fusion mode

Exposure Fusion

as HDR/Tone-mapping mode constantly produced halos and the dreaded "acid trip" look.

Tone Mapped Exposure

And yet, sometimes, the smartest choice as a photographer, is to stop wrestling the scene into submission and just work with the limitations of the medium and light conditions. This meant to simply visit the place at the right time, and let the sky out of the composition. This means that the main subject, the waterfall, would lose some context and reference. Well, re-introduce a reference point, something that brings back the sense of scale.

Monahans Sandhills...

2010-03-15T21:14:00.004-05:00

Dune under the blue hour.

In West Texas, between Pecos and Odesa, you can find this unusual Texas state park. It is small, but really worth the visit to explore photographically and have some fun.

Wind sculpted patterns

Basically, the park is an area of huge sand dunes. Not quite sure if the intense winds that we experienced during our visit are a regular feature of the area, but they provided great opportunities for "nature in motion" photography...

400mm close up of the wind blowing off the sand of the top of the dune.

and sculpted dunes and sand patterns.

Patterns and dunes

The not so welcomed features were sand everywhere. Ears, nose, eyes, socks, underpants and....camera equipment!
Not a safe environment to swap lenses. Most of the photos were taken with a single lens mounted on my heavies tripod, a Manfroto Neotec with spiked legs.

Wind sculpted sands

The dunes acquire different color and character at different times of the day under different light, so once you identify a good area, make sure to visit it at different times of the day.
Another good thing to remember, is to avoid ruining sand patterns with your own foot steps, so walk around the chosen area, not across.

Sand detail under the golden light

The dunes were practically empty at this time of the year, this added an eerie felling to the scene.
Once you are done with your photos, make sure to go by the Visitor center and rent a sled or a sand-board and go to the dunes for some sliding fun.

Dune under he golden rays of the sun setting.

Happy Sliding!

Sandhills at sunset

Davis Mountains

2010-03-12T18:29:00.003-06:00

I pondered for a while the next stop after Big Bend National Park. My first off hand candidate was the "Little Devil's River" natural area near Del Rio TX.
But the convoluted process to get permits to access the area, and the fact that the area resembles to a degree the water ways around Texas Hill Country, swayed me away to the arms of my proclivity, the high desert and mountains.
So I headed for the Davis Mountains, north west of Big Bend via Alpine TX.

What a stunningly beautiful area. The high valleys covered in tall yellow grass extend breathlessly and they are delimited by majestic rocky mountains.
The photos on this set explored the Davis Mountains State Park, Wild Rose Pass, Balmorhea TX and the area around the McDonald Observatory.

West Texas us truly a compelling area, photographically speaking, I am now considering more and more revisiting the area for long term projects.

Big Bend National Park

2010-03-09T17:22:00.004-06:00

View of the Chisos Mountains

Big Bend National Park was our first stop in our 2010 tour of the USA.
This was my second time photographing this national park, this first time in the 90's I did it with an analog 35mm camera.

Sunrise at old Maverick Road

This is an extensive park. In order to be at the right place at right time, it requires camping near the specific location, otherwise, you will end up driving for a couple of hours at 4am or 8pm traveling to a base camp.
You probably want to split your stay in 3 camps, Terlingua, Rio Grande Village and Cottonwood Camp.

Inside the Santa Elena Canyon

The park has plenty to offer, and one or two weeks is not enough to drive it and hike it with your photo equipment at hand. I think that Driving the Old Maverick Road, and Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive provides you with the best visa shots and panoramas. Once you cover these routes, you probably want to stop at the 3 main attractions of the park at its 3 further points: Terlingua Town (outside the boundaries of the park), Boquillas Canyon, and Santa Elena Canyon.

Santa Elena Canyon at sunrise

Boquillas Canyon is better shot in the afternoon, while Santa Elena Canyon is an early morning session.
The best sunset point is Sotol Vista. A vista point in Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.

Sunset at Sotol vista point

Once you cover these locations, there is plenty of hikes that provide endless subject opportunities. The park is so vast and diverse that it certainly merits a Resident Photographer approach to cover it and become intimate with it.

Burro Mesa Pouroff

The Advantages of living the place...

2010-03-01T21:26:00.005-06:00

Mckinney Falls Texas State Park. Lower falls under the moonlight

Recently I had the opportunity to camp for a couple of days in a Texas state park that I have visited many, many times since it is located very near my former home. I photographed this place at almost every time of the day during my many visits, mostly late afternoon, close to sunset time.

But since the park is closed at 10pm and opened at 6am, I never has the opportunity to shot this location under moonlight, nor at sunrise. These are advantages of "living" the place, instead of just visiting it for some hours at a time. You get to experience the place under all phases of the day under different lights.

Mckinney Falls Texas State Park. Sunset at the upper falls.

So, just when I thought I could not get any better shots from this location, new situations brought new light and fresh shots form an old location.

Lower falls at sunrise

Laptop Monitor Calibration...

2010-02-02T21:56:00.006-06:00

A calibrated big desktop monitor is ideal for photo editing and printing. But while on the road on long extended trips, a laptop is very handy to have a leg up on your work flow. Some laptops, like the MacBook Pro, can be properly calibrated and adjusted to match your main monitor. Here are the steps that I followed:

Make sure your are in a dim-light setting
Check the calibration of your main monitor
Make a print to make sure you get what you see
Calibrate your laptop monitor
Place the laptop next to your main monitor
Adjust laptop monitor back light and contrast to match the desktop

In the MacBook Pro, you can not lock the back light nor the contrast, so take note of these settings. The most unwieldy aspect about laptop monitors, is the angle of view, which can distort the real contrast of the photograph. For this, the best you can do, is to try to set it at a perpendicular angle to your line of sight.

Differences between painting and photography...

2010-01-27T12:04:00.006-06:00

To much has been said and written about the historically symbiotic relationship between painting and photography. Perhaps not enough? Or perhaps the subject matter is so unwieldy that revisiting it form time to time is not only needed, but wise as a reality check for fine art photographers.

In a future post I will comment on a series of books that have shed ample light on these matters. Most notably authors, Susan Sontag and Robert Adams.

This week I have been revisiting my archives dating back to the late 1980's. Back then I was doing more painting than fine art photography. Most of my photography then, had more pragmatic motivations: Architectural studies, documentary, reference tool for painting, art reproduction for archiving and submissions to biennials.

As years pass by, my criteria for what merits archiving has changed, and I can see how this criteria has evolved in parallel with my technical skills, my taste for subject matter, but most of all, with the growing quantity of body of work.

I have started to do a major cleaning and reorganizing of the archive, and consequently, some work is getting sold, donated or simply discarded. This personal selective process has forced me to revisit the title of this post: Differences between painting and photography.

The first thing that struck me is that paintings are irreplaceable. Photographs are, assuming the existence of negatives or access to originals. So, lots of paintings made the cut, while photographs (prints) were easier to part with.

The second thing that was evident, was that certain photographs held an pretty high sentimental value, not because of their aesthetics, but for the memory or time they portrayed. Even if I have the negative to print a fresh copy, the original print itself has aged in its own unique way. It has become unique. This is why some people like the fake-aged photo shop treatments.

These remainders, got me thinking on a subject that has been recently discussed in Utata (a flickr group): As a fine art photographer, one needs to establish a strategy to control supply of prints and increase the value of prints via limited editions, signed series, etc.

All in all, the concept is to make prints more "unique", just like a paintings.
Although I understand the financial motivation behind these strategies, I have a conceptual hang-up on them. It seems that these artifices amount to pervert the nature of the medium: Reproducibility.

Also, these strategies seem to go align themselves with the photographic styles that attempt to mimic painting.

I can not help to wonder that if a photographer wants her/his photographs to look like paintings, and to be as unique as paintings, why not put the camera away and reach for canvas and brushes?

Color calibration devices...

2010-01-23T21:08:00.004-06:00

For years I have been using a Datacolor Spider 3 Elite to calibrate my displays while developing and editing photographs. While preparing for a long road trip, I thought about taking the Spider with me to edit photos on the road in a MacBook Pro.

While trying to calibrate the MacBook, I got reminded that the Spider 3 device does not work with certain USB self powered ports. On my desktop, the darn thing does not even work on a Belkin powered USB hub. It works on the USB port behind the Apple Cinema display. It seems that not all USB ports are created equal when it comes to power delivery.

Well, the Spider 3 did not work on any of the MacBook Pro UBS ports (2). Already annoyed with the bulkiness of the Spider 3, this was the last straw. So I decided to shop around once more for a Color Calibration solution, this time with an emphasis on portability.

This time my research lead me to a Pantone Huey Pro. When I got it, I could not believe how small it is. When I installed the software, I could not believe how easy it is to calibrate the monitor, easier than the Spyder software. And, not to mention that it worked right away in any of the MacBook Pro USB ports.

Another surprise was the Huey ambient light compensation feature. The Spyder has an "ambient light measurement" feature. It measures the ambient light and "warns" you if is too bright for photo editing. Huey measures the light and adjusts the brightness of the screen to compensate. You can turn this feature on and off. I have been testing this feature, and I like it quite a bit, no more need to work in near darkness while editing.

Now I am wondering if should put the Spyder to sleep or give it a spin on Craigslist.

The perils of post-processing (Part 2): Now and Then...

2009-12-22T13:26:00.010-06:00

A few weeks ago, I posted an entry commenting on the all too important step in the life cycle of a photograph: Post processing.

Since then, and while curating the images for my latest book "2006 Southwest Circle", I came across another aspect of image post processing that, in my mind, highlighted the intrinsic nature of today's digital photography: Once the shutter closes, the photograph is far, far from finished.

I converted from analog to digital back in 2005. At the time, photographic digital work-flow was in its infancy. Software vendors were playing the market based on a niche strategy: Achieve dominance in specific steps of the digital work-flow. These were the years where as a photographer, you had to buy into separate pieces of software to:

Develop RAW files
Manipulate developed images
Catalog, organize and archive originals and final images
Print photographs
Distribute digital copies

In these areas, at the time, in my opinion, the Best Of Breed on each area were:

Capture One
Windows Picture Pro or Adobe Photoshop
ACDSee Pro
Blue Cube
(Manual Uploads)

A few years later, Adobe radically changed this software landscape with the introduction of Lightroom, a product that understood the necessity of controlling photographic work-flow from a single interface.

At the time Lightroom came out in Beta, I started testing it. The convenience of a single interface to control all aspects of my digital work-flow was extremely compelling. Yet, I recognized that in some areas, the niche software was superior to Lightroom, specifically Capture One for RAW conversion and Picture Pro for image manipulation.

When Lightroom finally started supporting specific camera "picture styles" I felt that some of the RAW rendering options, such as "Faithful", "Neutral" and "Landscape" put me closer to the rendering that Capture One was giving me at that time. The final straw that pushed me to the Lightroom camp, was when a major release of Capture One, the one that started sporting Canon 5D, rendered all blown highlights with a magenta color cast. I spent some time with Phase One support dealing with this issue, until they stated that they will not fix this issue. Their explanation, although infuriating, was interesting:
This was the time frame when RAW processing software started offering a "Highlight Recovery" feature. In order to recover the blown pixels (255 value), neighboring pixels were taken to "guess" the missing information. Capture One explained that they decided to optimize the guessing algorithm for portraiture, hence the pinkish tint to better aid blown skin tones. Whatever...for me this was unacceptable. So it was bye Capture One, hello Lightroom.

But...

This change gave me the unexpected opportunity to realize and evaluate to what extent, the final "look and feel" of my photographs was determined by my own eye fine tuning the development, or the pre-packed algorithms from the software vendor?

During the selection of images for the book "2006 Southwest Circle"

2006 Southwest...

By Adolfo Isassi

Book Preview

I had the opportunity of re-develop a RAW file taken in 2005 in Lightroom, and compare the results with the image originally developed in Capture One.

Image developed in Phase One Capture One software.

Image developed in Adobe Lightroom

Same RAW file, two different renditions. I really tried very hard to get them to render the same, but it seems to be nearly impossible. The two different software programs, process the colors and details differently. Which brings me to this realization: The selected software leaves a definitive "fingerprint" in the rendering process, to the extent that can not be duplicated. This is very relevant. I can see here that limited editions of a photograph may be no longer a matter of choice, but of software availability. Will the RAW software in the future, say 20 years form now, render this image the same?

Going back to these two specific images. I liked better the light rendition from Capture One. The yellowish sunset light is better depicted in the first photograph. Also, the internal walls of the canyon have a more neutral rendering in the first one. In the second one, you can see a bit of a blueish haze in the same area. But, these subtle differences get off-set by one major advantage of the second image rendered by Lightroom. Look at the area of the images on the right side just above the horizon. The image rendered by Capture One is missing a big chunk of sky detail on that area. This is a huge deal. Even if I like the color rendering better in the Capture One version, if I need or want a B&W version of this image, the detail is there in the Lightroom version.

So, what are you using to develop your RAW files? And, are you prepared to switch in the future if necessary?

New Book: "2006 Southwest Circle"

2009-12-21T12:56:00.007-06:00

Long overdue selection of photographs from the Southwest along the famed route known as the "Southwest Circle" or "Southwest Grand Circle"

Monument Valley No 03

This selection of photographs comes from a collection of approximately 3,000 images taken during an excursion in the fall of 2006. One objective was to get photographically acquainted with the landscape characteristics of the North American Southwest and to lay the foundation for a personal body of work that portrays this remarkable area of the world.

Bright Angel Trail No 05

I engaged in this project fully aware of the abundance of photographic coverage that this area has had through the years. Still, I was convinced that it is necessary to study the existing available work and to physically experience the area in order to develop a critical point of view and aspire to offer yet more compelling material of subject matter that begs to be visually celebrated over and over.

Canyon De Chelly No 52

Along the journey, I compiled notes on each location. These were later shared via a newsletter (photography-all) that I distributed via e-mail for a number of years. I have included these notes in the book at each major stop along the Southwest Circle route. Although the notes initially were intended to be purely technical in nature, they evolved into observations and sometimes, humor due to the frequent masochistic demands of landscape photography.

HWY 67 No 45

I hope that this limited selection of images compels the reader to take an interest in my work, to explore the North American Southwest, and to fall in love with this treasured landscape.

You can preview and order the book here:

2006 Southwest...

By Adolfo Isassi

Book Preview

Longview, long project...

2009-12-16T17:30:00.006-06:00

Last week, after a along hiatus, the Longview Sculptor dropped me a couple of lines letting me know that he was creating a new sculpture in the place where he has hosted 99% of his work, The Stephenson Natural Preserve.

Stephenson Natural Preserve

Some of you may already be familiar with the story of how this artist and I met, and how we started a creative relationship that resulted in the "Longview Sculptor Project" that documented these time sensitive sculptures. For those who do not, here is a preview of the book based on this project.

Book cover

You can preview the book here

This latest sculpture made me ponder on just how long I have been documenting this work. In this latest sculpture, I could recognize parts of sculptures form the past, long gone at the hands of time, but mostly at the hands of unappreciative park visitors.

Some of the sorest casualties:

Longview Sculptor No 61

Longview Sculptor No 85

Emu No 20

Eventually, keeping the sculptures up long enough to get recorded and, justify the personal investment in this, purely creative endeavor, became hard to justify against repeated waves of destruction form other park visitors. For a while the artist tried a different location, outside the park. The quality of work was still there, but somehow, it was not quite the same. Here is some of the work erected outside the park:

Longview Sculptor No 68

Longview Sculptor No 23

This last sculpture, I classified it in the category of "engineering feat". There is a whole series of his work with the impetus of a structure that defies gravity.

Incidentally, I have been involved in an online discussion titled: "What makes an artist".
As you can imagine, this subject can easily stray into a nonsensical rhetorical path, but somehow it touched the conclusion that I have reached through the obsevation of my work and other artists, like this sculptor: To create is not a choice - It is a need.

Why so few portraits...

2009-12-11T20:41:00.014-06:00

While compiling the portraits of Roy, I got reminded on the fact that portraiture does not figure in the same numbers as my landscape, nature and travel photography. I went back through my archives and searched for portraits, and realized that I have quite a bit of them, but more over, the memories of the joy it was to take them came rushing back. While reviewing each portrait I also got reminded on just how much work, concentration and intensity is involved in a good portrait.

Vicky High Key

Also, realized that there are quite a bit of portraits from Vicky and self-portraits, and this is due to the fact that most of the time, we are the only people around the camera, and I do not actively seek portraiture sessions.

Self portrait for "Analiza Mi Foto" a critique group from Spain.

When I have needed to experiment with new techiques...they only warm body around has been me..

Self Portrait

Yet, through the Texas Documentary Photographers group, I have been fortunate to be involved in documentary projects like the Pow-Wow that takes place in South Austin every year.

Pow Wow Dancer

Concentrating in documentary photography has been a breath of fresh air, especially seeking that journalistic style, less manneristic.

Ken Aeschbacher.
A quiet, generous, wise, hard working man.
The embodiment of the "Good Samaritan".
After retirement, he has been volunteering full time for the past two years erecting the sustainable straw bale Friends Center in San Diego, California.
The amount of work he and his pal Alvin have put into this project is just unbelievable.

Carolyn Uittenbogaard.
A survivor. Her life story dwarfs any burgoise contemporary mortifications, and her will to take on life is an inspiration.

Veda Aeschbacher.
The quintessential church lady. With the word lady underlined and in bold.
A great conversationalist with quite a way with words.
She amassed an impressive collection of scarp books that chronicle the times and tribulations of her lifetime in this great country.

There is also plenty of causal photos from family, but some of these stand out on their own as memorable portraits.

Zabel plays piano

At the end of the archive search results, were the last portraiture forays, that were actually assignments from the New York Institute of Photography.

Kurt, with a piece of the past, a Crown Graphic 4x5. When I looked behind through the ground glass, and watched the world inverted and shimmering I almost shed a tear.

Local master runner Carmen Ayala-Troncoso

But most of all, through these portraits, I got reminded of my roots as a visual artist: Painting, watercolors, acrylics, oils.

Death of Visualization Project

Commitment for 2010...more portraits.

Roy...(revisited)

2009-12-07T19:23:00.023-06:00

A couple of years ago, I took a series of portraits of Roy, a man that at the time was part of the Cathedral Of Junk experience. He sort of lived there at the time.

photo caption by photopatois: Well, I don't know Roy, but insofar as any person may be expressed through an image, you have done so here, Character and substance, suffering and beauty, all etched in the flesh, and above a seeming black monk's cowl. The cathedral of junk is truly cathedral-like, thrown out of focus, and spotted points of light and mute color.

(Text by Adolfo Isassi March 2008)

I met Roy the fist time I visited the Cathedral Of Junk.
I probably should not write "met" but "came across" because we were not properly introduced.

Roy came right behind me through the gate in his electric wheel chair, his dog in tow.
He was whispering, mumbling....then breaking into a louder chant that I just could not decipher.
Weeks later I would come to understand that he was late for his daily recitation of "The Thousand Names of Vishnu" in front of the sunset:

"He is ever self-fulfilled
He is the cause of the whole cosmic process
He is naturally without a beginning
He is absorbed in immortal Bliss"

photo caption by photopatois : The expression is redolent of many of our thoughts of God and His World - a little human impatience for a clearer understanding of Providence, a little irked at the mystery, a little peeved at the Bergmanian Silence-of-God, a lot of acceptance and faith and hope.
Must be a great photograph - look what it spurs folks to think...

With the last gasps of the blue hour, I finished my first session shooting the cathedral. Then Roy engaged me and asked me something about my camera.

Let me pause here to lay down something about the meeting of mainstream and the fringe, the obedient and the astray, the slumber and the dream, regular people and people like Roy.
When these two meet, one side becomes more aware of all that is assumed but not known.

Honestly, I do not recall the first bit of the conversation after Roy asked about my camera, I actually started to listen when he started to talk about Alfred Stieglitz and then Rufino Tamayo. It was a very interesting, intriguing, and enjoyable conversation.

I visited the Cathedral a couple more times. Roy was always there. Conversing with people. Chanting alone.
I started to know more things about Roy. He is fascinated with rocks. He collects them; he finds all sorts of imagery, shapes, and practical uses for them. He piles them and balances them in ways that achieve sort-of perpetual motion. He is interested in archeology, art, history...

Last time I stopped by, Roy was still chanting into the sunset.

About a year later...

At some point, probably about a year after these photos were taken, Roy disappeared from the Cathedral Of Junk. In the interest of follow up on him, help on what I could and document his saga, I found him at his actual home, which had been partially destroyed by a fire. This was the reason he was getting shelter in the Cathedral Of Junk...not in any of the many nearby "Churches"...ironic. He was doing...OK, given the circumstances. I kept checking on him in the following months, and eventually, his home was rebuilt. I was glad.

This year, I revisited the Cathedral, and I was surprised and happy to find some of the photos that I took of Roy embedded in the experience of the Cathedral. Two photos, one close to the entrance,

and one deep in the guts of the cathedral itself,

From all the projects that I did around Austin, I will remember especially the Cathedral Of Junk, and my encounters with Roy.

Cathedral Of Junk

By Adolfo Isassi

Book Preview

Austin Texas Creeks...

2009-12-07T11:11:00.011-06:00

The creeks around Austin are probably one of the best and unique features of the city. Some of them are very well known and frequented by the locals, Barton Creek and Bull Creek come to mind. Others are less visited, hence they still look pristine. Lost Creek and Slaughter Creek come to mind here. There are others like Shoal Creek, Bouldin Creek, and many more that have been encroached by development and, for the most part, have turned into dry beds and gray water drainage. I believe that eventually, all the creeks in the city will follow this fate. Even the ones within park designated areas, will be changed by over use, droughts and developers building damns in the upstream areas. This collection of photographs has been taken in the last five years, and attempt to capture idyllic scenes on the most beautiful corners of these creeks. This is way I want to remember them before they vanish by planned progress.

Complete collection of Austin Creeks here >

iPhone as a field tool: Depth of field and exposure

2009-12-06T10:10:00.007-06:00

So far in these series of field photography tools, I have talked about getting there, documenting your shots, and planning for the best time and light, and planning for weather.
Once there, in the desired spot to start your location photo session, there is a couple of iPhone applications that can aid you in the technical aspects of your shots:

Determine depth of field
Determine exposure

Remember those tables and sliding DOF calculators? There are a handful of DOF calculators for the iPhone, but so far, the best is from the makers of the ExpoDisc DOF calculators. They offer the DOF Master.

This is the main screen for Expositor. An exposure reference tool based on EV values. It can quickly help you ballpark your manual exposures and once determined, see possible options for apperture, shutter speed and ISO permutations.

iPhone as a field tool: Planning for the right weather...

2009-11-29T07:53:00.009-06:00

So far in these series of field photography tools, I have talked about getting there, documenting your shots, and planning for the best time and light. The next important aspect of planning a location session is to try to foresee weather patterns. I usually check the weather one day before, and, once in location, two to four hours ahead, to catch the edge of weather systems.
Two examples of knowing the weather ahead come to mind in my past location sessions. Arcadia National Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park.

On my recent trip to Arcadia National Park, I got my share of mixed weather. Rain, overcast and sunshine. And as you know, weather in coastal and mountain areas, tends to change quickly, within hours, so even if you check 24 hrs beforehand, it may mean very little one or two hours before arriving to the location. I planned to catch the sunrise at the edge of the coast every day. This meant getting up about 5:am and drive about 20 miles to specific spots. Sometimes you get up early, look through the window or tent and see clouds or rain. Does that mean that you should call the session off? In the past I have rammed ahead anyway, just to find out that 10 miles ahead the weather was different. Sometimes better, some times worse. Big gamble.

This last time, with the iPhone fitted with a couple of weather applications, I was able to wake up at 5am, check the doppler radar maps and see clearly the cloud and precipitation patters at the desired spot and determine if I needed to go ahead, or call off the session due to bad weather.

Here you can see a screen shot of the application showing doppler radar rain precipitation.
Another screen shows cloud coverage, also handy in overcast days, and yet another important screen is air pressure, this last one helps you see if you will enjoy high crisp long range visibility in clear days.

The seconds example of location shooting and weather, is Rocky Mountain National Park. I did not have the benefit of a hand held weather application at the time. All I knew is that the forecast called for sunny weather. The promise of sunny weather held trough the morning, but my noon, wind and low hanging dark clouds started rolling. I was unprepared and I had to stop shooting for about two hours, until I figured out that this was a fast moving storm system that was coming in waves. Once I figure this, I was able to drive in the right direction and stay ahead of the edge of the system, allowing me to get some nice shots.

After researching what weather applications are available for the iPhone, I settled for two applications: Weather Bug, and The Weather Channel.
Why two? They both have features that the other lacks, like wind direction and speed (Weather Bug) or Visibility (Weather Channel). But the most important feature, is accurate and useful doppler radar maps with the ability to configure the map to show:

- Precipitation
- Humidity
- Cloud coverage
- Temperature
- Pressure

And the ability to animate these maps, showing the weather systems in motion, both in the past hours and predicting future movement.

However, if all you want is radar info, and none of the forecast features, you can use iWeather, a free web based application that shows doppler radar maps.

iPhone as a field tool: Plannig for the best light...

2009-11-24T20:30:00.008-06:00

So, you used your iPhone + GPS software, or a GPS unit to plot your waypoints and routes.
For landscape photography, this probably means that you want to be at certain waypoint at the so called "golden hour", or the less known "blue hour". These hours take place at the end of the day, but also, similar dramatic light can be seen at sunrise. If you have spent time outdoors, you know that sunrise and sunset times vary depending on the time of the year, but also on the particular latitude of the particular waypoint. So, for example... how are you going to determine at what time to catch the sunset at the Grand Tetons famous Snake River Overlook in the middle of September?

Further, the terms "golden hour" and "blue hour" are really misnomers. The reality is more like twenty minutes of truly spectacular light (weather having mercy on your lens). So you start to get the picture...you travel hundreds of miles to a remote location to catch about 20 minutes of the "right light".
You can get sunset and sunrise times along with weather forecasts for a particular location from websites like the Weather Underground. But since these postings are about building our iPhones as field tools, lets add some nifty software to determine these times.

"Sol" is probably my favorite of these type of applications. The screen is simple and abundantly clear. You can see the two slivers of time at the beginning and end of the day. The needle actually moves as a clock would and gives you a very good sense pn how much time you have left on your session. This tools can be configured for Civil Twilight, Nautical Twilight or Astronomical Twilight which is pretty useful and cool. No other tool has these options.

The next one that I use is Focalware. The extra functionality that Sol lacks, is the compass that, once in location, will help you pinpoint the exact place where the sun will be raising or setting. This is helpful to establish the best point of view possible.

Helios is another one with lots of functionality, and the most expensive, for Apple App Store standards. I think the most useful extra functionality that Helios gets you is the "Sky View" screen. For a given location, this application can show you the path that the sun will travel during the day relative to cardinal points. This is relevant to envision the location of the sun relative to your lens: Front, side, or behind. Also to determine if large landscape features, like mountains, will be in shade or light. The application also provides sun azimuth angle and elevation angle that helps you predict shadow patterns.

Helios screen view that helps you determine the shadow length and angle given a particular location.

So there you have it. Three great iPhone applications that will help you plan for the best light.

iPhone as a field tool: Documenting your shots...

2009-11-20T20:06:00.012-06:00

In the previous post, I talked about using GPS technology to plan your photo field trips. Another important usage for GPS technology comes after the trip. GPS Technology gives you a way to mark the spot where every photography was taken. This is important for documentary purposes. One of the big Ws of documentary:

Where
When
Who
What
Why

For a while, I used the Garmin GPS unit to mark waypoints for locations that I wanted to document. But the process to sync these waypoints with every photograph proved to be a daunting, time consuming and error prone. There are a number of GPS + DSRL solutions out there trying to solve this very problem, called Geo-Tagging. Sony, Nikon, and others offer an array of solutions to Geo Tag your photos. But most of them still require some sort of synchronization, or if the GPS coordinates get embedded in the EXIF data , some context gets lost. Well...iPhone apps to the rescue. There are a number of iPhone apps that combine the iPhone camera and the GPS capabilities to give you image Geo-Tagging functionality. I tested several, and found GPS MapCard to be the most simple and effective solution for me.
Basically, while in the field, I take photos with my DSLR, then I take one with the iPhone and MapCard. After the session, back at my base, I import both the DSLR photos and iPhone photos into Adobe Lightroom. When my photo library is sorted by Date/Time the iPhone Geo-Tagged photos are in sync and next to the DSLR photos. In addition to the GPS coordinates, you get a Map with a pin-drop, date/time of the shot, and the ability to add some notes to the record. This surpasses any of the functionality that the other dslr+gps gizmos offer...no to mention that for far less money: $0.99

For more serious documentary work, this other iPhone application offers the ability to add GPS coordinates, manually add exposure notes, link photos to these notes, and a unique feature: Add voice notes by using the iPhone voice recording feature. Very nice for to avoid typing notes or short interviews.

Hope this info helps in your field work.

iPhone as a field tool: Getting there...

2009-11-19T07:03:00.025-06:00

Probably you have read or heard the phrase, "f/8 and be there".
In certain types of photography, like landscape, travel, documentary, photo-journalism, a big part of the endeavor is to actually be in the right place at the right time. If you have tried to catch a dramatic sunrise or sunset at a particular scenic location, away from your home base, you know that this simple task requires some planning ahead.

For the last four or so years, I have been relying on a Garmin CS GPS unit to "get there".
This unit has proven to be reliable and a good tool. But when I started to use the iPhone, I realized that the Garmin unit could be replaced with Google Maps, or any other GPS iPhone software offered in the Apple App Store. The prospect was both shocking and...too good to be true? I mean, replacing a $400 unit + $150 worth of maps = $550 with a phone and a $2.99 software!

First I tried to replace the Garmin unit with Google Maps. I could go into mind numbing, picking detail, on how this did not work quite to my liking. I really missed sound queue guided navigation, track back route, off-road topographic maps.
After some research in the Apple App Store, I settled for MotionX GPS app(s) for the iPhone. MotionX Drive gave me the missing sound queue navigation, and many features that matched the Garmin unit, like "Search Nearby for...food/gas/attraction". The trip to Arcadia National Park, was planned with both Google Maps and MotionX GPS. This trail, revealed some of the finer details of using these software as a replacement for the Garmin unit.

The major difference turned out to be in the planning stage of the trip. You plan a photographic trip by establishing way-points and a route to connect them. This is usually involves intense research at home in the computer, or maps and books. It is best to gather all this information, and then transfer it to the GPS unit. Doing all this input directly in the Garmin GPS or iPhone, is just plain nuts. Here is where Garmin starts to make a comeback. The Garmin GPS unit comes with mapping software (MapSource) that you can install in your desktop or laptop. You can establish all your way-points there, along with notes and URLs, establish routes, figure out times and mileage, and then transfer all this info to the GPS unit. You can even add more way-points while using the GPS unit and update your desktop/laptop with this information after the trip. At the end of the trip, you have a log with all the navigation and visited points. You can even plug the Garmin GPS unit to your laptop (USB cable) and use MapSource live navigtion. Very cool feature.

Google Maps and MotionX do not have big screen software to do all this planning. They rely in the iPhone Contacts to have a list of "way-points". This is just not a long term practical solution.
Yet, the iPhone is loaded with tons of extra functionality, and the GPS software is only $2.99, so it is very compelling budget solution or backup for the Garmin unit. Another aspect worth mentioning is the reliability of both solutions. The iPhone + Software solution relies on a good cell phone signal to download maps. If you do not have a signal, you will not see where you are in a map. The iPhone has its own GPS chip and relies on cell tower locations for initial positioning, so it can work without the cell signal, but needs a signal to download maps.
Garmin GPS, needs at least 3 satellite signals to triangulate initial position, and sometimes this can take long (5 minutes) or loose the signal altogether in tunnels, forests and cloudy days, but the maps are there in the unit itself.

So lets see...

Garmin unit is better than iPhone because:

You can plan your trip in MapSource
Does not rely on cell phone signal
Has topographic maps
Does not require service fee for voice/sound navigation (MotionX does)
Has a Track Back feature for off road and hiking unmapped areas.

iPhone + GPS software is better than Garmin because:

It is way cheaper, and packs lots of additional functionality in a single unit.
You do not have to buy, update and manage extra maps for the solution to work.
Has Google Voice + Map that helps you find stuff very easily in the city.
Can pair location(s) with a phone number. Handy for meetings and business hunting.

Conclusion:
For extended detailed trip planning, the iPhone + GPS software solution is not a practical option. A dedicated GPS unit with desktop/laptop software is the way to go. For daily life or casual navigation, the iPhone is definitely a better, more practical solution.

iPhone as a field tool: Taking your iPhone outdoors...

2009-11-16T13:49:00.013-06:00

iPhone Field Tools No 87, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

In the next series I will share information and detail on how I have been using an iPhone as a photography field tool. In order to turn your iPhone into an aid for your photography, you need to install some applications first. I have separated these applications in three categoies:

- Planning and documenting
- Photo reference tools
- iPhone camera enhancements

But before you take your Apple iPhone outdoors, I highly recommend that you add some protection to it. The unit is rather slippery, dainty, and not weather proof. There are lots and lots of aftermarket sleeves, pouches, skins to protect and rugger-ize your iPhone, but I did not find anything tougher and effective as the Otter iPhone case.

Otter Case makes this double layer case that is pretty amazing. The first layer is a hard plastic case with sealed clear covers. The second layer is a rubber boot that adds shock absorption and a good gripping surface. It can take rain, water splashes, and dusty environments, but not a dunk. The case has openings for the microphone and speakers, these openings are protected with a close knitted mesh, that will let water in if submerged. If you need water proof protection, you can move to the Otter 2600 Case, which is bulkier but water proof.

Here is the iPhone inside its cozy Otter Defender Case.

After about seven months of use, this is what I have found so far about this case:
Pros:

Really rugged. I will protect from water, dust and impacts that surely will damage a naked iPhone, yet still remains practical for everyday use.
Integrated screen protector works great and it is tougher than the normal screen skins.
Rubber boot adds a nice grip surface
Whole unit feels very good in hands, especially in the field.
While the case is in the belt clip screen facing in, the phone is very protected.
Belt clip doubles as a stand, and can be adapted to fit a tripod (future post)

Cons:

Integrated screen protector tends to create "stick spots" with the iPhone screen. No big deal, but they are annoying. You can get rid of them by applying a little of oil from your clean finger.
Belt clip will not hold the iPhone securely during rough outdoors activities like riding a mountain bike or trail running. I found this the scary way. While riding and running the phone jumped out of the belt clip. The first time I thought that I just set it wrong, but the second time I realize that the belt clip does not apply enough pressure to keep the unit secure during jolts. I had to add a rubber band to secure the phone during rides and runs.
After lots of use and sweat, the rubber boot developed light stain marks that reassemble maps. You can see them a little bit in the photo.

Photography and technology...

2009-11-11T21:39:00.003-06:00

Camera Relationship (Utata Project), originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

From all the arts, photography may be the one that has the most symbiotic relationship with technology, music comes to mind also.
Through the history of the evolution of photography, the available technology has strongly dictated the boundaries of the possibilities of this medium, and the final "look" of the finished photograph.
A big part of learning photography is the task to become acquainted with the available technologies and how to operate all the equipment involved in the process of photography. Especially now, during the digital age, sometimes it feels that all aspiring photographers spend too much time obsessing over cameras specs, lenses, tripods, flashes, software, and the ever growing number of available gadgets.
Even practitioners that have already reacted against this dizzying trend by going back to analog photography and the simplicity of toy cameras, find themselves dedicating time to hunt, collect, and stash equipment that is becoming extinct. I personally seem to go into periods where I go deep into certain technologies and techniques, then, once assimilated, I go back to deep concentration towards projects or subject mater. Currently I am concertinaing on illumination techniques, accurate color temperature metering, and some obscure use of tilt-shift techniques.

This blog entry is a preamble of a couple of upcoming entries related to gadgets, techniques involved in the creation of..."better" photography. Meaning, things that help you concentrate more in capturing images, and less time slaving over your equipment and technology. I believe that good technology frees you up, not the other way around.

The perils of post-processing...

2009-11-04T09:25:00.008-06:00

Maine No 88, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Ansel Adams is quoted as saying:

"The negative is comparable to the composer's score and the print to its performance. Each performance differs in subtle ways."

In today's digital age, the RAW file is the score, and how it is post-proceeded (developed) is the performance. And although, each performance differs in subtle ways, sometimes the results are not so subtle.

I was going to nuke this particular photo, but I decided to keep it as an example of the perils of post-processing. Every post-processing process starts and ends with the same question: What is "wrong" with this picture? After all, if nothing is "wrong" with a particular take, why post-process it at all? (Other than the proper preparation for print or digital display). The question itself, "What is wrong with this picture" is all too important, and the starting point of long deep discussions on the subjectivity of art appreciation, artistic intentionality, and the place of photography as a medium in these matters.
Probably, within the rarefied realm of art criticism, this question is more appropriately posed as "what is peculiar about this picture?"
I want my landscape photography to be interpretive and personal via visual discrimination: Point of view, framing and composition. Not by altering the scene into "peculiarity". In this particular scene near the top of Cadillac Mountain in Maine, I think that peculiarity shows in the light hitting the top of the bushes and a bit of banding in the sky. All these visual queues are tale tales of a blotched execution, or unrestrained desire to alter the scene. So what is the case here? A not well planed execution. During this very cold morning, I forgot to unscrew the UV filter on the front of my wide angle lens, while still inside a warm setting. Consequently, when the time came to unscrew it to place the graduated filter system (Lee) in place, the UV filter had contracted and was bound frozen to the lens. This is the second time that I incur in this mistake, the first time happened to me in lake Titicaca in Peru. Lesson: set up the filters the night before or before leaving the tent or car. Resourcefulness is a requirement in photography, so I started to try a couple of things. The first one was to hand hold the graduated filter in front of the lens. If the filter is big enough, this -might- work, but I do not recommend it. You can not place the filter transition precisely in the frame, you are "playing" with it.
The second technique is to take bracketed exposures of the scene and blend them later in post-process. This what I settled for that cold morning. Once you take this route, you will have 3 options to blend your exposures: 1) Manually blend them in Photoshop with graduated masks that mimic the graduated filter in your bag. 2) Use HDR software to automate the blending for you. Photomatix calls this option "Fuse Exposures". 3) Use HDR software to automate the blending for you using Tone Mapping. Photomatix calls this option "HDR". In my experience, you can not settle for one of these options and discard the rest. Every image is different and behaves differently when put through these processes. I have had good results with every option, although the one with the most satisfactory rate is Manual Blending, and the one with least success is Tone Mapping, like the one presented here. Which brings me to one last point in the perils of post-processing: Laziness. Knowing what I know, I should have gone straight for the Manual Blending. But laziness threw me into the arms of a few clicks and sliders to try get the results of a missing graduated filter.

Maine No 80

2009-10-23T09:54:00.002-05:00

Maine No 80, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

This image was captured in the Arcadia National Park, Maine in the Shoodic Peninsula. I selected this image because it represents the type of "quite landscape" that I have been pursuing lately. An image that incorporates enough elements to faithfully document the character and composition of the place, yet presented in a strong interpretative manner that, hopefully characterizes my impression of the scene, in this particular case: Elegance.

Summer Ends No 30

2009-10-21T12:26:00.002-05:00

Summer Ends No 30, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Second selection for the Summer Ends series. Two tools definitely helped me achieve the look and feel that I was looking for in these series. A hand held meter for incident light. And a white balance ExpoDisk. I compared shots performed with aperture mode and auto white balance. The takes with these last settings "look" more evenly exposed, due to a +1 or +2 EV in the exposure and a less "spiky" histogram. And the white balance was definitely warmer.

Maine 2009 Fall

2009-10-18T18:35:00.002-05:00

Maine No 57, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

This was supposed to be a non-photography trip. The kind of trip that is not ruled by sun position and azimuth angles and a mythical magic light. The kind of trip that is carefree, relaxing and easy going, and for the most part, it truly was, thanks to our cousins, Bettina and Anne.
When I started packing for the trip, I first thought "no camera, lets go cold turkey". After two minutes I said to myself, "Well, maybe just the Olympus C5050, that is not really a camera". And after a couple of hours, "Who am I kidding? Lets take the 20D, and while at it, the tripod, only the small one...and some filters, just in case, but that's it!

I really enjoyed having photography off my mind most of the trip and enjoying the place and company. Yet, I could not resist the temptation of getting up at 5:30am and go to places that I have "sniffed" during the previous day for a dawn/sunrise session. We got several days of wet weather, which provides in my opinion the best conditions for fall colors. Damp landscape means richer deeper saturated warm colors.
Arcadia National Park has an ideal size and scale to cover in one day trips, either hiking, biking or driving, depending on how intimate you want to get with the park.

During the trip our cousin Anne was reading this book: "Time and Tide in Acadia: Seasons on Mount Desert Island" by Christopher Camuto
A good read to get intimate with the park and area.
http://tinyurl.com/yzdcuex

You can find the whole set here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adolfo_isassi/sets/72157622488469955/

Summer Ends No 12

2009-10-17T21:30:00.002-05:00

Summer Ends No 12, originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Worked on this series after a long summer of not shooting anything in Texas. After the first rains in September I started these natures studies that end up having a Georgia O'keefe feel to them. The more I study photography, the more I realize not only the importance of a good tonal range, but how the tones are distributed in relationship to each other. For these series, manual incident light metering (Sekonic) was used.

Flickr

2009-10-17T21:23:00.001-05:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

The Zen Of Riffraff

2006-05-22T12:16:00.001-05:00

Bull Creek a la Holga originally uploaded by adolfo_isassi.

Last week, while driving home form work, I made a stop at Bull Creek to "decompress" and "recharge" after one of those kind of days.
The scene was just beautiful and soothing, so I decided to take a picture.
This last weekend, we had beautiful weather. So I decided to hit the same spot to enjoy nature and swim a little bit.
To my dismay, the very same spot was swarming with riffraff splashing, eating, smoking and trashing the place.
I went from relaxed to full-tilt in a few seconds.
My lovely better half, suggested that instead of start dripping venom, calm down and start picking up trash. So I did. It was like therapy, Ooooommmm, Ooooooommm.
I could help to notice that some of the individuals in the crowd got miffed by me picking up the trash....well, the cherry on the *#@! cake.

I realized that the bliss that I experienced the first time I stopped here was due in grand part to the solitude and absence of human pollution.

Pick One Of Three

2006-03-21T11:04:00.000-06:00

I truly believe that nowadays, if a person lives the average life (9 to 5 desk job, in debt, suburban dweller, and no prospects of getting out of any of these traps)
That person is in any of these emotional states: Angry, depressed, or in denial.
From these three, I think anger is the healthiest one. The key is to know and acknowledge that the anger is there and to know why, to know the source of the anger.
Depressed? What can I say...Google "antidepressant consumption" and "sleep drugs" to get a notion of the statistics of people taking drugs to deal with "life".
Denial is kind of nice. Probably a better choice to anger, as long as the person can keep it up. Long term successful denial has funny quirky side effects.
Nervous ticks, zombie like emotional state, obsessive-compulsive behavior, etc….all nice character treats.

Taxes For War, Poverty For Peace

2006-03-16T13:12:00.000-06:00

The other day someone took me to an gathering of “hardcore” peace activist.
The “hardcore” adjective is mine, they were describing themselves as just “Peace Activists”.
So, why “hardcore”? Well, these folks are so committed to peace and they know that our tax dollars are mostly devoted to -war- and the -military-, that they do not pay taxes.
So how come the IRS is not after them?
In order to not pay taxes legally, they maintain their annual income below the poverty line. They barely work or work for free to maintain their -non filing- status. These are educated folks that could have good paying jobs.

Makes me think…if we all stop paying taxes….how will the government pay for war? Will China pay for it? I mean, China is already paying for most of out of control spending deficit.

That would be the ultimate irony….
China, a non-democratic country financing USA's fake “Spread Of Democracy”.
No doubt….we are living is ass-backwards times.

Spreading Democracy

2006-03-09T08:23:00.000-06:00

I wonder what politicians and bureaucrats and military personal really think of "civilians", you know, the "American People".

I think that when the Bush Administration says that they want to "Spread Democracy" in the middle east, what they really mean is that they want the middle east to become an extension of America's middle class, i.e. to have a life sustained by consumerism and entertainment with no time, or desire to engage in any political, religious, or otherwise social shaping process.

Big Trash Day

2006-03-08T17:43:00.000-06:00

This last Monday was "big items trash collection day".
This is the designated date when the trash collection service pick up stuff that does not fit in the standard issued "Trash Bin". Regularly, whatever does not fit int his Bin, does not get picked up.

You would not believe the amount of crap that showed up on curbside of every household in the block. The amount of stuff that we buy and dispose of is mind boggling. It is a statement not only of consumerism, but one of the quality of the stuff we buy: Crap

Basically, Target, Walmart, and all the big name retailers are trash generators. We are the step between them and the land field.

Can you imagine, once China and India get enough buying power to consume at the same rate we do....and dispose at the same rate we do...what a grim outlook.

Nobody can stop anything

2006-01-24T22:23:00.000-06:00

The Republicans can not stop The Terrorists, and the Democrats can not stop The Republicans.
The future looks bleak.
A life under the constant treat of a terrorist attack, along with the constant treat and erosion of loss of Civil Liberties.
Is there anything possitive, any silverlining in the outcome of the policies enacted by the GW Bush White House?