@ 6777-79 / common places • common things • nature ~ it's back

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YESTERDAY MA NATURE SENT US A 1-inch REMINDER MEMO, re: what’s in our near future. The memo was short and sweet. Over by 1PM, no evidence left by 6PM.

the wife in a grove of birch

IN DECADES PAST WINTER WAS FOR ME A PLAYGROUND… XC skiing, ice skating, luge competition (2 silver medals), and backcountry / wilderness backpacking in the high peaks. However, with more than 3/4 of a century under my belt, not so much anymore.

These days my favorite winter past time is a comfortable chair in front of a warm fire, a good book and an Irish coffee or a mug of warm apple cider with a cinnamon stick. Although, short hikes with a picture making device are still part of the program.

# 6772-76 / landscape • rain ~ reaching way out there

All photos ~ (embiggenable)

WOKE UP TO RAINY OVERCAST DAY. AFTER MY morning wake-up routine, I was overcome by an unusual desire…the need to get out and make photographs with a tele-only zoom lens. An activity which would, gasp!!!, require the use of a “real” camera.

I can write, for a fact, that I have no idea what came over me. Nevertheless, I pulled out one of my Olympus µ4/3 cameras and my Zuiko 50-200mm e100-400) f2.8 lens, donned rainy weather gear, and headed out the door for short, 3-4 mile picture making drive around the “neighborhood”.

I will admit to it feeling kinda weird hauling around what felt like a large brick, looking through a viewfinder, making aperture-mostly wide open cuz I was not looking for maximum DOF-and shutter speed adjustments, and checking for critical focus. FYI, most of the pictures were made with the zoom set to focal lengths somewhere between e300-400mm.

Despite the fact that using a “real” camera felt somewhat old-timely, I can write that I have always enjoyed making pictures with the use of long focal length lenses. That’s cuz the so-called perspective compressing effect captured by-but not created by-long focal length lenses helps emphasize the flat 2D field of a photographic print. To my eye and sensibilities, an emphasis that, with careful framing of selected sections of the real world, reveals the purely visual 2D viability of that 3D world. iMo, an emphasis that elevates a picture into the arena of fine art because it gives the eye and visual senses something to view, consider and appreciate beyond the mere literal depiction of a section of the real world.

# 6749-56 / landscape • rain • kitchen life • sink ~ autumn drive with pie

SATURDAY PAST I TOOK A MEANDERING COUNTRYSIDE DRIVE TO a farm stand to procure some fresh apple cider, concord grapes, and some produce. The weather was absolutely enchanting with rain, mist, and a leaden overcast. The landscape provided a bounty of picture making opportunities.

The fall harvest bounty was put to good use. I made a grape pie with the concord grapes. On Sunday the wife made roasted acorn squash-cut in half to make bowls-filled them with her homemade beet borscht soup with dollop sour cream. Then served them for dinner with a side of pan fried kielbasa. All in all, it made for a great weekend during which we celebrated our 26 wedding anniversary.

#6741-48 / landscape • common things • autumn ~ good things can come in small packages

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As always with the caveat of to-my-eye-and-sensibilities, I can write that I am quite satisfied with my Autumnal picture making. Virtually all of that picture making was accomplished while I was out and about dealing with various errands. Only a very few were made during an expressly for making pictures outing.

All of that picture making activity has resulted in a cohesive 30 (approximately) picture body of work which falls under the heading of Quotidian Autumn Color ~ without the screaming. The work, to my eye and sensibilities, is strong enough to warrant a POD book + limited edition-10 pieces-folio of 20 original INSTAX prints.

Re: INSTAX prints: I have become rather enamored, some might say obessed, with INSTAX prints. It would appear that, from what I have read and what I have experienced, FUJI has quite a hit on its hands with the INSTAX thing - both cameras and printers. Both items yield up prints; directly from an INSTAX camera or from an INSTAX printer. In either case, people-primarily non-”serious” snap shooters-are smitten by, a) instant photography, and, b) holding-and viewing-an actual print in the hand…another indication that photography is not dying.

Given my long standing practice of making instant pictures with various POLAROID cameras and materials-for commercial, editorial, and personal use-it should come as no surprise that I have taken up the making of INSTAX prints. That written, I believe there is a potential for INSTAX prints, as a distinct Fine Art medium, to start appearing on gallery walls - I already have a gallery commitment for an INSTAX print exhibition.

All of that written, in my next entry (or very soon) I will expound upon the idea of why I believe that the INSTAX medium is, or can be, an expressive medium for Fine Art Photography.