Back to the Darkroom

Long time no see!  Well, this is the part where life just gets in the way.  You have to be really good to have a post on your blog EVERY, SINGLE DAY!!  I think we're done with the yard chores and work and all the other stuff that isn't photography.

Art-wise I did go to a mask making class using a product called Paverpol last week.  I had no idea what to expect, but I took some images of Japanese geisha women and one of a samurai.  I can't really think of things on my own in that respect!  I ended up doing the samurai.  He's not quite done, but he is pretty much put together.  His face even got painted with the first layer of acrylic and I need to get him finished off.  I won't bore you with that process - just another one of my 'side trips'.  I am going to another mask making class, but this time it's with paper, and in my case, I'm going to use photographic images.  But not what you may think.  I'm going to cut up some of my older images and categorize the pieces by shades of black, grey, and white.  That's my thought on it for now - at least I'll get rid of those extra photos that are old that I'm tired of.

I'm going into the dark room for sure now.  I will most likely need to mix more fresh chemicals. I'll be finishing off Bodie, and then I plan on moving on to my European cruise photos.  When I get to Croatia, I'm still thinking of toning them in copper.

Hope you're having a great Memorial Day Weekend!  Here's an image of my step-Dad who served in Korea.

Fine Art Competition

Well I received the email I was waiting for -- just not the results I was hoping for!  I did not get accepted into the California State Fair Fine Art Competition.  However, two other photographers I know did:  Jim Klein and Cedric Sims.  They were both accepted in the Color Category.  Apparently there were over 1300 entries, and only 17 made it into the B&W category, and 23 into the Color category.  Well, I guess there's always next year and other photography competitions.  Right now, what I'm feeling is to mix up some chemicals and get lost in the darkroom!

I have completely finished up my duties with the High Hand Gallery's Artful Bra IV Show!  Thank goodness!  If you would like to see the entries - all 56 of them - go to Facebook and look under High Hand Gallery Artful Bra Show.  After I completed all my tasks for that show, I cleaned up my studio to get ready for my next project - which is probably my quest to perfect my darkroom technique, or my quest to 'see' all that I have captured on film which is always exciting for me.  I know I'm not Adams or Steichen or Weston, I'm just a novice with a passion for the darkroom and all it entails.

One of my other pursuits is to print images of mine that were previously printed by labs (in my earlier years of photography).  There are several that have been popular that I would like to do on my own.  I have developed the Empire Mine image on my own, but there are still many more that I want to experiment with.  Time is of the essence as they say.

"Most famous photographers work their entire life and produce tens of thousands of negatives and hundreds or perhaps thousands of prints, but are remembered for less than ten and famous for just one."  Cherie Hiser

IV Annual Artful Bra Show

What a weekend and week - and it's only Tuesday night.  I finished uploading all the photos from last Thursday and Friday's photo sessions:  the submission of the artful bra entries - a total of 55.  Then I made bid sheets for each entry with a photo on each one; printed them out and mounted them on foam core.  Took them down to the High Hand Gallery today and the other participating artists from the gallery put them up with the artwork.  Came home and finalized the program for next Saturday night's event.  Tomorrow we'll print them out, and once that is done I think I am pretty much done on that project.  My work is done here!

I really would like to get back into the darkroom and plan to do just that very soon.  On my way home today I picked up two of my acrylic paintings from Auburn and brought them home so I could try them out in the new bamboo frames I purchased from Dick Blick.  I have to say they look so much better than being a stand alone canvas.  They were only 1" stretched canvases, so now they look more substantial and fitting!  I have also received a lot of positive comments on my latest mixed media painting (water color/acrylic), that I want to do more of that particular Southwest style.  One of these days I'll post that painting.

I would like to invite everyone to this Saturday's IV Annual Artful Bra Show.  Come out to High Hand Gallery, 3750 Taylor Road, Loomis, CA 95650, 916-259-4298.  If Saturday doesn't work for you the Artful Bras are up and hanging for your viewing if you'd like to check them prior to Saturday!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Wishing all of you readers who are mothers, a Happy Mother's Day!  I'm enjoying mine, and I'm also thinking of my Mother who is no longer with us, as well as my husband's Mother, but they are with us in our every day lives and spirit and in everything we do that reminds us of them!

Photographing Artful Bras at High Hand Gallery

Yesterday I headed off for High Hand Gallery and set up my lighting equipment, camera, and backdrop to photograph artwork.  It turned into a full day of photographing artful bras for High Hand Gallery's Artful Bra IV show on May 19th.  I was expecting only about 10 entries and I was worried about that.  However, we had 38 entries yesterday!  Great first day.  I go back today for another round - hope the entries keep coming in, so we can have even more entries than we did last year, which was over 60!  When I got home I uploaded all the photos, didn't work on them, but wanted to get them off my camera for today's shoot.  Then I entered all the information off the entry forms onto a spread sheet.  That was all I could handle last night.

My next mission, if I choose to accept it!, is to find another French restaurant for my France images.  They come down the end of this month from Latitude's restaurant.  I'm hoping they get some good exposure on Mother's Day this Sunday.  I'm thinking that I take the metal framed, matted images apart and put them in clear sleeves and just have them on display for sale which would give me more storage room.  The ones that are in wood frames, with protective backing I really don't want to dismantle those as they are in a more permanent state.

Saturday is the day of the State Fair Fine Art Competition judging!!  So entries accepted should be notified next week.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Yesterday I got side-tracked (which is pretty easy for me, in case you haven't noticed), and I was playing with some of the images I took of roses in our garden.  I put a layer on one of them and I liked it so well, I might have to try painting it that way!

Kodak Gallery

I've been a little slow lately, but mainly doing paperwork.  I made more cards of my current works at the High Hand Gallery and will be taking them over at some point later this week.  I will be over there on Thursday and Friday, set up my camera/tripod/lights/backdrop to start taking photos of all the incoming bras for the Artful Bra Event on Saturday, May 19th.  If you are participating and created an 'artful bra' for the event benefiting The American Cancer Society, they need to be delivered then.  I'm sure we will accept them up to the date, but they might not get photographed in time!  So get 'er done and bring it in.

Once I take the photos of all the bras, then I put them on the Facebook page, but also on the bid sheets for the Silent Auction.  Ten of the bras will be selected for the Live Auction.  And then one last item for me will be to finish the Artful Bra Program.  That's what's on my plate for the next two weeks.

This is the last month that my France images will be at the Latitudes Restaurant in Auburn.  This Sunday is Mother's Day and it will be a good time to go see them!  The images include:  gelatin silver prints, digital giclees, and digital prints.  All the original images were taken with film.

FYI:  I wanted to share with you that I heard from Kodak Gallery.  Kodak is opting out of providing this service any longer:  hosting their website to display your photos for free to share with family and friends.  They have contracted with Shutterfly.  If you have an account with Kodak Gallery, you have until May 28th to opt out of having your photos transferred over to Shutterfly.

Here's another hummingbird image (I think it's a little better than the previous one) as well as one from my garden of my Mom's memorial rose.  It is the most fragrant and beautiful rose I've ever had!

Action Photography

Lately in the early evenings, we go out and sit on the back porch.  We hung up some hummingbird feeders in the Japanese maples:  one outside my studio window, and one right in front of the porch so we can watch the birds feed.  Now mind you, this image isn't that great, but:  #1, I'm over 50, #2, it's taken with me hand holding my digital camera with a zoom lens, and #3, I have a drink in my other hand!  ; )  Hummingbirds are so much fun to watch.  Some of them are fighters (for the nectar), others are sneaky and have their covert moves, it's just too much fun.  They are among some of the smallest birds and can flap their wings 12-80 times per second.  They can fly backwards, and their heart rate can get up to 1,260 beats per minute!  They are constantly moving, so it's going to take, moi, quite a few shots to get a great one.  I'm posting a couple that I took the other night.  It was a lot of fun and we got some good laughs too!

Sometimes I wonder if I could do without the galleries and all the time one has to spend devoting to all they entail, and maybe just spend my time in the darkroom.  What would happen if I went that route?  There would be less pressure, a lot less politics.  But then there wouldn't be that constant camaraderie one has with being with other artists; I like that part.  Maybe just enter fine art competitions and see where that goes.  Something to think about.

Quote from LensWork:  "If a photographer really expects to produce great work, they must, just like musicians, be prepared to practice their craft every day.  Everyday.  This does not mean one has to take pictures every day, but one must at least practice seeing every day.  David Bayles