Quarai in Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument was one of the places my mom and friends Tim and Laurie found ourselves on our birthday celebration photo excursion, subsequently named “The Road Less Traveled.” In the prior post, I showed images from 1991. On this October day in 2014, differences are apparent.
Quarai Mission Ruin, Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
The “landscaping” is more manicured and not as much in the natural state seen in 1991. My personal preference is for the more natural state, although I do understand that greater access for more people may have necessitated some changes. You will also note the walk ways are different.
Inside Quarai Mission ruin, on an intermittently cloudy day
The light, which was beautiful in typical New Mexico fashion on that Autumnal Equinox day in 1991 was a little more dramatic on this October 2014 day. Within the church ruin itself, I could not have hoped for more dramatic lighting. Although it lasted only briefly – as these things do – it was enough for an image I will never forget.
Photography comes literally from the word for “light” and “write.” Photography = “writing with light.” Photographers are aware of this in any image that they create; sometimes it is just more apparent to viewers than at other times. One viewer referred to this particular image as “painting with light.” I am more than happy to take that not only as a compliment but as a statement that the light so briefly available that day spoke for itself.
Quarai in Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in New Mexico – just one more reason to try “The Road Less Traveled.”
The Road Less Traveled – Off the Beaten Path in New Mexico
The Road Less Traveled
“New Mexico, Land of Enchantment.” So true. It is true even if you are in a city such as Albuquerque, or off the beaten path. If you must travel Interstate 40 or Interstate 25, you will see beauty all around: the desert, the mountains, the river valleys, the sky, the clouds… Beauty is everywhere in this state.
But, the road less traveled, whatever that is for any individual, perhaps offers the greatest chance to enjoy the beauty, to be “enchanted.”
Autumn Beauty in New Mexico on the Road Less Traveled
On this particular day in October, my mom, along with our friends Tim and Laurie, were celebrating together Tim’s birthday and my birthday. We do “photographic excursions” periodically, and on this day the only thing we particularly set out to do was see if many sandhill cranes had yet arrived in Rio Grande Valley south of Albuquerque on their annual migration route. We wanted to check at one place in particular, but, other than that, the day was free to go wherever we felt like going. We took Interstate 25 south out of Albuquerque, but soon found ourselves more content on the road less traveled.
I missed a turn right after exiting the interstate, and we found ourselves crossing the Rio Grande and going on a bit. When I turned around to head back to the “other” road less traveled, this was the landscape that greeted us. Tim photographed, Laurie sketched, I photographed, and my mom enjoyed the scenery.
This wonderful landscape with the golden cottonwoods in the Rio Grande Valley, the mountains, the sky, the clouds, and a glimpse of the road less traveled was an auspicious beginning to a day filled with enchantment! Watch for more images from that day on this blog.
Photographs of Roses from the 2014 American Rose Society Fall National Convention and Show
Roses are, of course, the focal point of any rose show, whether at the local, district, or national level. In the beginning, rose shows consisted only of horticultural displays. Later, rose arrangements were added to many shows. In the past several years, rose photography has become an important part of many rose shows. It adds another dimension to the enjoyment of roses.
The American Rose Society has had a long-standing annual photography competition for its magazine, American Rose. In recent years, photography competitions have been held in conjunction with ARS National Conventions and Shows, but not directly tied to ARS. For the 2014 Fall National Convention and Show, ARS Photography Chairman Curtis Aumiller organized a print competition, with submitted entries to be displayed in Klima Hall at ARS Headquarters in Shreveport through the holidays.
In the Spring of 2014, at the ARS Spring National in San Diego, Curtis had suggested that top winners in Photography be given the titles of the top winners in Horticulture. In roses, the top award, the equivalent of “Best in Show,” is Queen. Second place is awarded King, and third place is awarded Princess. These awards are on top of Best in Class awards.
I was very happy to have a photograph of the Climbing Floribunda ‘Dream Weaver’ awarded Queen and another of ‘Gemini’ awarded King at the 2014 ARS Fall National.
Dream Weaver Queen of Show, 2014 ARS Fall National Photographer grown
Gemini Gemini, from The Postcard Series King of Show Best of Rose Art
I donated my matted and mounted entries to the American Rose Society to be sold in the Gift Shop at ARS Headquarters in Shreveport after the show is over.
Rose Photography Winners from the 2014 Albuquerque Rose Show
Rose photography winners from the 2014 Albuquerque Rose Show are available in a calendar for 2015 from the Albuquerque Rose Society. I am pleased to have had five images selected as winners in the 2014 show and included in the 2015 calendar.
Gemini, from The Postcard Series Best of Show, Best of Rose ArtLeonidas Best of Black and White (Challenge Class) Silver Medal Award for Photographer Grown RoseDistant Drums Winner Best of Theme (The Artistic Rose) and Bronze Medal Award for Photographer Grown RoseBest of Class and Best of Section, The Rose Gold Medal Award for Photographer Grown RoseDream Weaver Best of Class, Rose Sprays
Beginning in 2008, I began to work on some standardization for judging of photographs in rose shows in the Pacific Southwest District of the American Rose Society. In 2009, I was appointed the first Chairman for Photography in the PSWD, and held that post for the next three years. As an ARS Accredited Rose Horticulture and Rose Arrangement Judge, I wanted to work to develop guidelines for a third division in our rose shows, Photography. I appointed the working committee, with that goal in mind.
I have been very happy to see Photography added to many rose shows, and also to see many of those use the guidelines and score card developed under my Chairmanship. You may read a history of my work as Chairman of the PSWD Photography Committee at this link.
I did enjoy entering images in the 2014 Albuquerque Rose Show, however. I was happy to donate these images to the Albuquerque Rose Society for their 2015 Calendar, one of their projects for raising money for the Society.
“Back to Blue” refers to a series of floral images I created late last summer and early fall, and called “The Blues.” Done in shades of blue, the reference was as much to emotion and mood as to color.
Two images from that series have recently been recognized.
This image will be exhibited in New York City from May 6 – 17, with the Opening Reception of May 8. I am pleased to have this image shown in this venue! Many thanks to the New York Center for Photographic Art and to Stephen Perloff!
Another image from the series, “The Blues,” Ephemeral, was chosen as a Nominee in the 7th Annual Photography Masters Cup:
Ephemeral – Fully open datura flower
This is a fully open datura flower. These open at sunset, and began to fade at the first light of morning. The plants themselves are quite hardy, but the flowers truly are fleeting – and very beautiful.
These were my two favorite images from the series, and having them recognized in two very different venues brings me a great deal of pleasure. I am happy for the opportunity to share them again, although my current work seems to be dominated by bright colors and bold designs.
Act 3 in Red Windblown and tattered red ranunculus at sunset, April 30, 2014
The blog has been neglected for a bit this spring, while I have worked on other things. Later this month I’ll be giving some presentations on Floral Photography and also Color Management in Photography. Working on presentations for other people always requires thinking and rethinking of one’s own processes of creating, in my case creating photographic images. I come from a family in which some members do their best work in the company of other people, and other members require at least some degree of solitude to do any work at all. I’m glad I see both sides of that coin in my family, but I definitely am one who requires solitude and time to think to do my best work.
This summer holds a couple of significant anniversaries for me, and these have also stimulated my thought processes. I didn’t set out to think about these things in particular, but I have allowed myself the time to do it. I’ve also allowed myself some time to read, just for pleasure and not directly for learning, as I have done so much of my life. Of course, one may learn more from reading for pleasure, if the circumstances are right.
Some quotes come to mind:
Henry David Thoreau:
I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers. ~ Henry David Thoreau, “Solitude,” Walden, 1854
Began having a new vision of things. What was it exactly? Can’t say maybe. Can’t say at all less I think on it. I’ll think: emptiness in-forms perception; the point is not how much you know, what you know, or who you know; the point is emptiness and freedom. The loneliness of freedom… ~ Jim Stallings, Falstaff’s Diaries, 2011
Photography instructor, Barrack Naggan, in class critiques of photographs, 2009:
Would you hang it in your house?
The first two quotes had meaning to me at first reading. The real significance of “would you hang it in your house?” took me a little longer to grasp, as simple as it seems on the surface. A work a visual artist is willing to display in his/her home says “this is me. I’m revealing something about myself that I am willing to be seen within the safety of my home.” The same piece, of course, may be seen in many public places. In that context, the image is as much about the viewer as about the artist. The same piece, hung in the home, reveals much more about the artist.
I love photographing almost anything, but am probably best known for florals and portraits. As I prepare the presentations on floral photography, I have gone through a lot of my prior work. The most recognized pieces have been “Lily,” “Starting Over,” and Ephemeral.” These three are monochromatic to one degree or another. Within the world of roses, I am probably best known for my love of the Hybrid bracteata, ‘Mermaid.’ None of these images are hanging in my house, and in preparing the upcoming presentations, I was not inspired to print one for hanging in my house. I have two of my own images in my house: one of the Great Kiva at Chetro Ketl in Chaco Canyon (from film days!) and a monsoon season sky from 2009, done as an HDR. Those are images that are very personal to me, for a variety of reasons.
On the evening of April 30, 2014, I went to my mom’s house to photograph some of her roses for possible inclusion in the upcoming presentations. She grows beautiful roses, but I was not feeling particularly inspired that evening. Until, that is, I saw some old ranunculus flowers that were falling apart and ragged, having been abused by days on end of high winds and blowing dust. The light at that point was perfect – Golden Hour but diffused by a few clouds and all the dust in the air. I took four photographs of the ranunculus, each from a slightly different angle. When I saw the one in this post on the computer, my first thought was “I have to hang that in the house.” Until I saw it, I had not known what I was looking for, only that there was a void that needed to be filled. I had grown restless with my images, but I wasn’t sure where to go next. I ordered a large print for the house that night.
Is this a one-time-only image, or will there be a series of subsequent images of aging flowers that are nevertheless vibrant in their last moments? Only time will tell on that one. But this image tied together so many things happening in my life that I had been thinking about for the past several months – thinking about in wonderful solitude.
I hope to be a little better about the blogging process this summer. I am updating my portfolio site, and invite you to visit there as well.
These were series of 5 images each. This is representative of the “Flowers of Early Spring” series:
More White Iris,
while this image is representative of the “Jellyfish” series:
Pacific Sea Nettle jellyfish
It is an honor to have these images included in winners of the People’s Choice Awards for the 2013 PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris. Again, thanks to all who voted for these images.
The Corrales Fine Arts Show, held annually during Balloon Fiesta at the historic Old San Ysidro Church in Corrales, New Mexico, is set to kick off the fall fine arts show season in the Albuquerque region. This will be the 25th Annual Fine Arts Show held by the Visual Arts Council to raise money to support the upkeep of this beautiful old adobe church. This is a venue in which I love to show my work. The show has all kinds of work in it, not just photography. While there is photography, there is also painting of all varieties, especially oils and watercolors; textiles; pottery; just a great variety.
I would like to thank this year’s jurors for selecting two of my pieces for inclusion in this show: ‘Floral Fireworks’ and ‘Sacred Datura.’
Floral Fireworks – Gladiolus that always blooms on the Fourth of JulyLife Cycle of Sacred Datura – an iconic plant of the Desert Southwest
The show is open 11:00 am – 5:00 pm daily, October 5-12, 2013, and
11:00 am – 4:00 pm on Sunday, October 13, 2013.
You may find more information on the Old San Ysidro Church and direction to it at this link.
If you live in the area, or if you will be visiting during Balloon Fiesta, make the Old Church and the Fine Arts Show a stop on your visit. There is no charge, and parking is free. The church is a part of old New Mexico, and part of the proceeds for the sale of artwork goes for maintenance of the Old Church.
A big thank you to the jurors of this year’s show.
If you look around at images on the internet, you may be surprised at how few images actually carry a watermark. I’m not surprised when people’s vacation or holiday pictures are posted without a watermark, but I am always more than a little surprised when serious photographers do not watermark their images before posting them on the internet.
As far as I have been able to determine from an unscientific look at other serious photographers I know, there seem to be three major approaches to watermarking images before posting on the internet:
1. those who watermark virtually every image before posting;
2. those who would never watermark an image to be posted on the web because “watermarks spoil the visual effect;”
3. those who would really like to watermark images because they see the advantages in terms of some degree of protection against unauthorized use, but are intimidated by the photographers whose thinking about watermarks has not yet made the mental transition from photographic prints to digital web images. If this third group uses a watermark, they almost apologize for it!
Most photographers I know, when selling a print, either sign the mat (if the print is matted and/or framed) or the back of the print. That is mainly so that the buyer has a record of the image creator, and also partially because reputable labs will not copy a printed image not made by the print owner. In most cases, the signature (or logo, if that is used instead) does not interfere with the visual flow of the image. And, for years, this system worked well for virtually all photographs (as well as other works of the visual arts in a fixed form).
Enter the internet, and protection of one’s images becomes something completely different. I have already discussed the importance of registering one’s copyrights for works created in the United States. But, even works with registered copyrights are likely to be downloaded and used unless people have a way to know that an image is owned by someone who cares about protecting his/her work. Well, it might be downloaded and used even if a watermark has been used, but I’ll talk about what an artist can do about that scenario in a bit.
There are a variety of ways that the creator of an image can be identified. Serious photographs embed their copyright data and contact information in the metadata of each image. Image editing software, such as Adobe’s Lightroom, make this very easy and efficient to do. Once set up, the information can be embedded in every single image exported from the software program. Great, you say. When used diligently by photographers, there should be no such thing as “orphan works,” which are creating a lot of headaches worldwide at present. And, in theory, that is true.
Unfortunately, theory and reality are not always the same thing. Some social network sites, Facebook among them, strip that information from images uploaded there and then downloaded by anyone. And, anyone can download any image on Facebook. Don’t believe it? Upload an image with all your data nicely embedded in the image, and then download it from Facebook. Now, try to find all of your conscientiously embedded data. See what I mean? Once that data has been lost, the image can appear all over the internet and no one will know the creator of the work.
Someone told me not too long ago that it would not matter, because if a photographer uploaded only low resolution files, no one could make a decent print out of it to sell. That is true. But that is only part of the issue. Many photographers make part of their income through licensing their images for use on the internet. That is, selling prints is not the only way photographers earn money in these days of the internet. Many companies find it much less expensive to license images already created than to pay a staff photographer. This is one reason there has been such an explosion in stock photography companies, which license work. If you have an image that someone would like to license, but your connection to the image is not there, there are two possible outcomes: the person seeks another image whose creator can be contacted for licensing, or, your image gets used anyway. In either scenario you, the photographer, lose money. Now, if that image has had the copyright registered, and you discover its use, your attorney can write a nice letter for cease and desist, along with a demand for payment for licensing fees to that point, and a demand for a listing of every place else the image has been used and then licensing payment for that as well. If the copyright has not been registered (assuming the work was created in the US), well, too bad. You can ask for payment, and you may or may not get it.
Back to watermarks. It is possible to remove watermarks from images, but it takes a lot more work than simply stripping embedded metadata. And, there is a huge potential liability for someone who removes watermarks from images and then uses those images. That indicates “willful” infringement. If done on an image whose copyright has been registered, the person is potentially liable for statutory damages, not just actual losses and damages, which can amount to up to $150,000 per infringement. Of course, if the creator claimed a watermark had been removed, he/she would be expected to prove that he/she had used a watermark, and there is no better way to do that than to use a watermark on every single image. It is just good business and good practice to put a watermark on every single image you put on the internet. And, you need not apologize to anyone for doing it! If anyone tries to make you feel guilty, chalk it up to ignorance on their part.
What should a watermark for use on an image to be posted on the internet contain? These are merely my suggestions. I have not yet come across an article with specific recommendations. I think it should contain a name, the same name as used for registering a work. That way, if someone wants to see if the work is registered, or if you, as an artist, register your work, all the person needs to do is search the name in the copyright records. If your name is there, it says that you are serious about protecting your work. It should contain a link to your website, if you have one; otherwise, an alternative way to contact you should someone wish to discuss licensing. It should be visible, and not easy to overlook.
Let me stress that I am talking about watermarks for images posted on the internet. If someone purchases a print, you’ll mark the back or sign the print, or something more traditionally done with photographic prints. If you license the image for internet use, part of the agreement will state whether or not the photographer is credited, but the watermark will be removed when the license is purchased. (As an aside, one of the things I like about Zenfolio as a selling site is that a watermark remains on an image until a client pays. The shopping cart clearly states that the watermark will not appear on the finished product, be that a print or a license for use).
More White Iris
Watermarks – important for the serious photographer who posts his/her images on the internet!
Thanks to Julio Hardy and his staff at the Worldwide Photography Gala Awards for selecting me as one of their Photographers of the Week for last week. Beginning April 10, and running for a year, I will have work in the Gallery of Photographers at that site. This is a wonderful photography award for exposure of my work.
The selection was based on the images in the last two posts here: “Spirits of the Old Adobes” and “Jellyfish Series.” “Spirits of the Old Adobes” is a personal fun project that I did mainly for myself, that combined in a fun way for me work I have done over the last 8 months. It goes beyond that, however. Every time I look at an old adobe, I wonder about the people who built it, the people who lived in it, perhaps for generations, and wonder where their descendants are now. I wonder what they believed, what rituals they observed, what were the important events in their lives, and on and on. Populating the abandoned adobes with Day of the Dead figures somehow made them feel “complete” to me at one level. I am really happy that the “Spirits of the Old Adobes” was selected for inclusion.
Spirits of the Old Adobes
The other series selected is “Jellyfish in the Desert,” the jellyfish I photographed at the Albuquerque Aquarium just a little over a week ago. That also was a personal project I had wanted to do for some time. I finally went out and did it. There is a great deal of personal satisfaction in having those images recognized as well.
Pacific Sea Nettle jellyfish
I’ll post a link to the Photographers Gallery when the gallery goes up on April 10. I am really pleased to have my work selected at this time, and to have it included alongside photographers such as Bobbie Goodrich (also in New Mexico), Dianne Yudelson, and Marguerite Garth, among others.
Once again, my thanks go to Julio Hardy, Alex, and the staff at WPGA for recognizing my work with this photography award. The WPGA has been supportive of my work for the last three years.
