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My title on this post may not make sense initially, but bear with me. It does mean something to me, I promise. This week, and last week, I have been working on course materials for my Landscape and Nature discussions for my face-to-face History of Photography, and online History of Photography classes. One photographer in particular has always stood out to me, and his work and his message will be the topic of my online class discussion this week. His name is Robert Adams (no relation to the famous landscape photographer, Ansel Adams), and he photographs the landscape in black and white.

His message and his vision are inspired by his “joy in nature’s inherent beauty, yet tempered by his dismay at its exploitation and degradation.” He photographed subjects like clear-cut forests in Oregon, and the sprawl and suburbanization of Denver. He wants to show the destruction, by man, on the environment. I believe he is successful. I recently re-watched an interview he did, and he mentioned another photographer whose concerns were similar, however, in a much different time and place. The photographs of George Barnard show Sherman’s March to the Sea, and the destruction on Southern cities and towns by the Union Army during the Civil War. I took some time to look at his work again, and I was fascinated with some of his shots of destroyed trees, as I’ve taken a similar approach for a project I call Second Amendment. George Bernard photographed the shattered trees to “symbolize the ferocity of the fighting…” during the Civil War.

I photographed the trees you see in my images to question the freedoms our Second Amendment affords us. Are we free to shoot up our national forests, BLM land, and take target practice at an aspen tree? And, by target practice, I also want to emphasize shoot at it until it falls over. Are we free to leave great quantities of bullet-riddled trash in our wild spaces? How about any trash for that matter? Robert Adams, and George Bernard inspired me, to finally put these images out in the open, here on my blog. This project is far from finished; I’m only getting started.

 

 

Several ideas have been bouncing around in my head for my blog post this week…artist statements, photo challenges at the dog park, some things that seem immediate in my life right now, but they’ll have to wait for another week or two, or three. This week, I got some inspiration from another place just last night, Saturday night, at the play.

Randy and I have been subscribers to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center’s theater performances for several years now and thoroughly enjoy it. The FAC does a magnificent job – the actors, direction, set design, costumes, and music – all amazing and world class! And, last night was no exception, except that it also brought back a lot of wonderful memories because the story took place in our old hometown of Atlanta.

Driving Miss Daisy is a sweet story of friendship during turbulent times in the South. You’ve probably seen the movie, but this was a really fun adaptation – only three actors on stage, Daisy Werthan, Hoke Colburn, and Boolie Werthan. What I really wondered was how the southern accents would sound, but they nailed it. As the story progressed, I had forgotten about all the wonderful references to places I know so well. Street names like Euclid Avenue, Forsyth Street, Highlands Avenue, and places like Piggly Wiggly, Little Five Points, Savannah and Macon, all mentioned through the course of the play.

The one thing that stuck with me was a comment Hoke made to Boolie during his interview for the job as Daisy’s driver. He referred to a group of folks down in the Lowcountry of Savannah as “Geechee trash.” Well, few audience members got the reference and chuckled or acknowledged it in the theater. Randy said to me later; I think just you and a few others understood that comment. Well, I know what Geechee refers to. And, mind you, I don’t think these people are trash, but in the context of Hoke’s dialog, and who his character was, those that know the area might chuckle, or at least shake their head a bit.

That got me to thinking about the Lowcountry and the Gullah/Geechee people that inhabit those low marshlands, and rivers along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina. They have a very distinct dialect, and really, an interesting language all their own. I decided to dig through some of my images and share my own photos of the Lowcountry, the places Geechee people call home. Beautiful warm marshes, and trees so dense and thick, you get lost two feet in!

I’ve talked about my digital sketchpad on this blog before. My digital sketchpad is my DSLR and I enjoy using that wonderful tool to shoot ideas I have that will ultimately end up on film, my analog art form. I’m at it and still working on this skull project that I’ve continued to expand over the past couple months. With the generosity and thoughtfulness of a dear friend, I acquired a new skull for Christmas. Now, talk about a cool Christmas gift and, this is the most unusual one I’ve ever received. To be honest, she said it’s the most unusual one she’s ever given as well…an ermine skull! It’s tiny, elegant, delicate and beautiful in every little facet! And, even more so because she and I share the ermine connection – that’s our animal.

Our animal you might ask? How? Well, you know animals make appearances in our lives for different reasons, and they mean different things. I’ll try to explain. It’s called a totem animal, and when we pay attention, animals that appear in our lives can assist us in understanding our pasts, and give us a glimpse into our future. Really, these animals can help reveal who we are.

The ermine is an interesting little creature, which shares her totem family with weasels, minks and ferrets. Oh, did I mention I’ve owned two ferrets as pets, via my husband. I married Randy and his ferret, Squirrel. (Don’t ask…) And, we eventually adopted a second ferret rescue early in our marriage and he was called Chester, again, don’t ask…

Back to the ermine…so, the weasel totem family as described by Animal Totems online:

This totem is a difficult power totem to have.
It is a rare gift and great ability.
Weasel medicine can teach you to find out secrets through the power of silent observation.

Most Weasel people are loners, graceful, solitary and silent. They are very intelligent.
People do not see their power immediately and often underestimate them.

Weasel totem will awaken your innate ability for observation.
Trust your own instincts and you will avoid trouble and pursue your goals to greatest success.
Use your Weasel medicine to observe what or who needs attention
and offer assistance in your quiet or discreet way.

I did digress a bit in my efforts to explain. How does this make the ermine “our” animal? Well, we were out shooting together, early one morning at the Interpretive Paint Mines near Calhan, and we were the only people in the park with the exception of one nice man who was also taking the beautiful, quiet morning to photograph. Then, as we were walking along, stopping to look, chatting and enjoying the quiet, we had an observer, a graceful, solitary and silent, observer! This little ermine spent quite a few minutes with us, trying to figure us out, and seemed to enjoy our presence. We both managed to get a few shots off, too.

She hung out for a while, watching us, observing and we became as fascinated with her as she was with us. Then, just like that, she was gone! From then on, that ermine, her story, and her totem power became our animal, and ultimately, a part of my skulls project. When I learned more about what her totem power was, it fit and it fit the both of us.

I’ve shot some film and digital images since making the image I’ve shared here, but I wanted to post an early look at what I’m doing, just for fun. And, what do you notice first about her? I notice those wide eyes and large brain cavity! Observant and smart! Yes, observant and smart! Perceptive, intelligent and mindful.

One of my favorite photographic subjects is decay, whether rural or urban, to include architectural, manufacturing, industrial, or unusually destroyed and abandoned things like trains or cars. I enjoy shooting it myself, and thoroughly enjoy viewing the work of other photographers who explore this vast subject matter.

My love of rural decay started back in college, in the early 1990s. For my senior project topic, I decided to explore a stretch of Highway 17 in Georgia from Savannah to the St. Mary’s River (the Georgia/Florida state line) in search of decay, the surrounding southern landscape and the coastal way of life. This stretch of highway was once a busy thoroughfare – travelers and businesses, small southern towns, a lifeline for all of the people who lived in proximity to this rural highway. Today, I-95 buzzes through, over, or bypasses much of this area. And, today, many parts of this area are abandoned – populations moved and nature is taking back her rightful place, obscuring what were once homes and businesses. I found the whole scene quite beautiful and fascinating, so for several quarters during my senior year in college, I would drive this stretch of highway from my home in Savannah, all the way to the Florida state line, photographing all the wonders along the way.

I traveled through small towns with wonderfully southern names…Eulonia, White Oak, Woodbine, made several crossings over the Satilla River, and found magical images around every turn. Some of my favorites are still in my portfolio – The South – on this website. There are a lot more favorites in that body of work. Someday, I’ll scan those negatives and share them here, but in the meantime…I’ve included another favorite.

My curiosity for this subject has not waivered and I continue to shoot these enchanting abandoned places here in the west. The image I’ve attached is an old abandoned train car located near Victor, Colorado. I firmly believe this is a fascinating subject for photographers, and because I enjoy this so much, I have shared this passion with my students. I teach an architectural photography class at Pikes Peak Community College. This course is very commercial oriented so that students learn how to photograph architecture for the purposes of real estate and ultimately, to make a living in the commercial photography world. However, I’ve added an extra credit assignment called Urban/Rural Decay that allows students to express their creativity and fine art passions through the search of this subject matter. I show them wonderfully inspiring examples of this type of imagery, and discuss the how to’s. After five years of teaching this course, I have to admit…these are not only my favorite images that come from my students, but so many of my students fall in love with the subject matter and continue to pursue it! How wonderful is that?

I promise to revisit this subject matter time and time again on this blog, so stay tuned.

This week’s post, and image, is inspired by my History of Photography online course. As a group this past week, we discussed art forms, techniques and devices that were all used pre-1800, however, eventually made their way into photography and even into today’s trends and techniques. My students were required to find one of these examples and post samples, and discuss the evolution of said art form, technique or device from yesterdays use in art to todays applications in photography.

The use of the silhouette was brought up in our discussion, and the early use of the paper cutout portrait, an inexpensive miniature portrait alternative in the mid-18^th century, was identified. We then discussed how the silhouette is used in today’s photography. Often when we want to create a silhouette, we look for something that has a beautiful form and shape, as that really speaks to illustrate the subject as a whole versus all the fine details we might see in a regularly lit subject. And, that subject generally has strong back lighting, to create this dark on light effect.

 

Portraits were discussed, as this is a popular technique to use to illustrate the love of a couple, for example, kissing on a beach in front of a magnificent sunset. In an image like this, you only see the darkened outline of the couple, but the message is clear. I asked my students for additional input and more examples where a silhouette might be used successfully and we eventually posted landscape and architectural photography to our discussion as well.

Thinking about this technique reminded me of an image I shot about a year and half ago in San Francisco. This was made with a vintage Nikon S2 rangefinder camera, with a lens that often gives me questionable sharpness…but that’s part of the fun of it! And, as I started looking at this image for all its silhouette qualities, I also noticed another topic discussed this week, aerial perspective.

Aerial perspective (noun):

            A technique of rendering depth or distance in painting by modifying the tone or hue and distinctness of objects perceived as receding from the picture plane, especially by reducing distinctive local colors and contrasts of light and dark to a uniform light bluish-gray color.

While, my shot is a B&W image, so the “bluish-gray” doesn’t exactly apply, the faint stand of trees in the background serves the same purpose, to provide a rendering of depth and distance. Pretty cool! It really is fun to dissect an image based on inspiring conversations with my students!

 

I recently read about an interesting and creative idea, one that has been around quite a long time, and is gaining traction again on social media sites like Reddit and Tumblr. Can you tell a story in six words? Supposedly, legend has is, that Ernest Hemingway wagered that he could do just that, while with friends over lunch. Here’s what he came up with to collect on the bet,

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” – Ernest Hemingway (maybe?)

I find this whole thing fascinating really, as it is a lot like photography, telling a whole story in a very succinct tidbit. It is kind of like a single photograph, telling a story through one visual instance in time, a 1/125 of a second, or six words. So, over a birthday dinner the other night – Happy Birthday, Mom! – I told my mom and husband about this idea and we starting telling six-word stories. How might you describe your story (you know, the story of you), right now, in six words?

“Creative life, blows my hair back.” – AVC
“Contented, needs a swift ass kick.” – AVC

You get the picture, and they both apply! So, Mom said, why not try to tell a six-word story about some of your photographs. Okay, challenge accepted. If you’ve read my earlier blog posts, you might recognize one image posted here, and if you’ve perused my husband’s excavating site (shameless plug…Spotted Dog Excavating), you’ve seen another. And, finally, the third one is a new photo!

“Rough paws, sickly skin, soft heart.” – AVC

“Growls. Rescued. Loves pats. Groans contently.” AVC

“Once timid, shy. Today bold, brave.” – AVC

I’ve now read so many of these wonderful six-word stories. Some are very witty, and funny as hell, others very sad and heartbreaking. But, that’s true for photographs, too. Oftentimes a single photo will stop you in your tracks, make you smile and belt out a laugh, or bring you to tears. That’s the magic of photography, but I have to say these six-word stories really get me fired up and using my imagination to fill in the blanks, or even tell the story of my life. So, think about it, your life…in six words!