Saturday, April 30, 2011

I wish I had the time (and the courage) to fully photograph the black dirt region of Orange County, NY.  That would, of course, have to include documenting the migrant workers who harvest the onions and other produce that find the ancient sea bed soil so rich and nourishing.  It would also have to encompass all the seasons, and the full range of weather that blesses and besieges the land.  Still, I have made enough photographs over the years that I will always remember the look and feel of this region.  The two images below were made at the same place on the same day in mid-April.



Thursday, April 28, 2011

After endless bouts with snow, sleet, ice and frigid unpleasantness the return of real-thing-spring is beyond welcome. Behind our house are twenty plus acres of  forested land that have been able to remain undeveloped because they sit atop an aquifer owned by the town.  The consequence is that we get to enjoy trees in their seasonal splendor both leafy and skeletal without another house in view.  Just now, they're leafing out, and a few entertain flowers that precede their greening.  This past Sunday, April 24th, I walked back there with the P67 and made the photograph below.  It's minimal as flowering trees go, but it's actually there, and I didn't have to trespass on anyone's land to make the image.  Eventually, we will move to north Florida, and I will deeply miss this landscape while I learn to love another.  This, and many other of my 'graphs will sustain the memories. 


Monday, April 4, 2011

It's damn difficult to make a waterfall photograph without it being a cliche.  I've been photographing this one in Harriman State Park since I moved to the Hudson Valley in the late '70's, and it's always been a joy to look at and a challenge to photograph.  Of course, just about anything in nature has been photographed countless times so trying to say something unique isn't a worthwhile enterprise.  What matters is that the image is worthwhile to the photographer, and I think these two may be to me.  Of the 20 negatives exposed using three different lenses (55, 105 and 135) and two different shutter speeds (1/15th, and 1/60th), these are the only two I'm willing to share.  I will return to this subject again many times I'm sure before we move south eventually.  It's an old friend I'll always remember it fondly, and as with any old friend, it's nice to have pictures of!