MorseBlog

I was reading Lafcadio Hearn and was recollecting back to one late night’s walk this past winter. The air was cold and dry and the sky cloudless and moonless with bright stars piercing the sky like bright shiny nail heads. Above me were the familiar shapes of Orion, The big dipper, Cassiopeia, Taurus, the Pleiades. These constellations sat lower on the horizon as I thought back to my younger days in Flagstaff and remembered looking at them on many a similar night so many years and miles away. In the moment I was struck with a sense of connectedness not just with my old hometown and my youth but with everything. It was as if my mind, for a moment, expanded and took in everything. Rather than being terrifying or overwhelming it was calming and satisfying. Then as quickly as it came in a few minutes the feeling was gone. I have returned to the same place at a similar time of night and gazed at those same heavens and have not felt moved in the same way. Still, I feel reassured that I can l...

I have a long unfinished draft of a post that I called 'Toying with Digital', don't look for it as I never published it. In it I planned to discuss my temptations to get a good digital camera. I certainly can become a tech geek and what is not to admire about all the technology packed into some small box like that. But still I remained reluctant as the years passed since this yearning was first felt. I fell in love with (perhaps just the idea of) a Fujifilm medium format camera. They have continued to be impressive and though expensive they are much cheaper than the equivalent Hasselblad. Still, I was not tempted enough to buy.  Ritual  In contemplating my reluctance, I delved deeper into what I enjoy about photography and settled on, amongst all the other joys, that perhaps ritual is at the core of it. Yes, there is a heritage (with my brother and grandfather who have long ago passed), the quality when you get it right is impressive, the challenge, the craft, the learning....

It is interesting to ponder the cycle of creative drive. In the past these lulls in my photography used to concern me as I would wonder if I had come to the end of the road for this activity. However, over time I find that there is a natural cycle, and these low points are part of it. I suppose some part fatigue which is probably a protective mechanism to not get obsessed with something. I haven’t done much serious picture taking since February but really going back to January if you don’t count ‘finishing off a roll’ as real work. In the meantime, I have been printing some back catalog images using lith printing, so it is not like I have not been engaged, merely differently. I also realize that I have made some great lith images (by my own judgement). This is turn fueled or rekindled some work I did this morning.  My First Rekindling On another front I have the pleasure of taking Mollie out for her early morning walks. She gets me up early between 5:...

There are a couple of different narratives here but let's see how this unfolds... This was also written over a month ago and I have finally gotten around to posting it. Firstly, I returned to Holme Fen this week after a series of big storms passed through the UK. Here in the east of England we did not suffer much damage compared to some areas. Never-the-less I was able to see a number of trees down.  On a related item we had some friends visit and one commented that I must like trees as she was looking at my 'gallery' in our downstairs bathroom (toilet in the UK as there is no bath there). I hadn't really noticed my subject was trees as I was thinking woodlands, but she was not wrong. I reflected later that this was because that was all there is to see in Cambridgeshire landscape-wise. Not entirely true but if you have been here, you will get my point.  Part of the 'Gallery' While Mollie and I were walking it was apparent how much change had been wrought by the ...

I watch a fair few Vlog/YouTube videos of landscape photographers. I mostly stay with the film crowd as this is my interest, but I do watch the likes of Thomas Heaton and a few others who shoot digital. I can't (and probably shouldn't) watch too many of these. They become a bit repetitive, can become a substitute for actual photography, and negatively influence the ability to develop one's own style.  I am also aware how powerful they are as selling tools. You watch a series of videos, maybe comment, and form a kind of relationship with the artist. You then see them taking photos and now have some attachment or back-story (in the antique and art world provenance) for the image which gives the image more personal meaning.  Nothing wrong with all of this, in many ways this is a brilliant model for artists to promote and sell their work. It is not much different from galleries having artists in to talk to prospective clients. I also celebrate the lack of gatekeepers. There is ...

Ian Roberts in his YouTube video  Understanding Your Muse  tells a compelling version of the Greek myths surrounding the Muses. In Greek mythology Mnemosyne is a daughter of Zeus and mother to the muses; all are goddess that preside over the creative arts of mankind. Mnemosyne is also the goddess of memory (where we get the word mnemonic from) and she resides in the underworld near the Pool of Memory.  When one dies, in the ancient Greek understanding, they are taken to the Pool of Memory all bound up with worldly experience, ego, ambition, tragedy and fear. They drink from the pool and remember completely all of their unbound human potential. What a moment that must be! But that we must wait to die to experience it. But there is a related belief that when one is in the creative throes and in touch with one’s muses then there may be a moment where you can drink from the Pool of Memory and experience briefly your full potential. ...

I contribute occasionally on Reddit and offer my opinions and experience. There are occasionally times when someone asks about large format recommendations. (I should probably declare that I can be cheap and shop for value/bang for the buck.) I have my own experience and journey that has not been particularly long but as with any journey insights are gained. Reflecting on this I can now look back at how ones choice in equipment influences subsequent choices.  Now my viewpoint is specifically as a hobbyist photographer who enjoys landscape film photography. With respect to the Intrepid camera it meets certain needs such as cost and low weight that have meaning for me. If you work in a studio weight will have little meaning in your choice.  When Intrepid first launched they got a few YouTube reviews/endorsements from the likes of Ben Horne, Alex Burke, Steve Onion’s, and Justin Lowry. I have noticed a number of them stopped using the Intrepid in their more recent videos. Returni...

I have watched a few YoutTube videos recently from professional landscape photographers. That is to say those that make a living from activities related to landscape photography. These include Ben Horne, Thomas Heaton, and Mark Denney. In each case these guys have pulled back the curtain on how they make their money and in Mark's case how much they make. I have been curious about this for a few reasons, first I entertained the idea of joining the fray in some form, second I had thought perhaps this could allow me to retire early, and finally I was genuinely curious if one could make a living selling ones art.  If I generalize from these three photographers, the thing I learned is nobody makes all their money selling their art. They all rely on ad or user fees. My guess is that Ben may be the only one who makes more than half his income from selling prints and portfolios. The rest are essentially selling ads or subscriptions.  Let me say this right away, these guys and many oth...

I have been frustrated this past month as I gear up for the fall season. The weather has been very warm and windy here in the UK. These conditions mean not a lot of color and bad conditions for photographing foliage. This has lead to spending more time in other activities one of which is contributing to the Reddit analog/film community. I enjoy helping people where I can and learning what others have to share. I recently saw a post asking about platforms for discussions on these topics and asking for recommendations. The complaint about many sites involved the presence of ‘Angry Boomers’. Which I took to mean grumpy baby boomers. Most of them were forums like FADU (Film and Darkroom Users). I have often searched these forums for information as I explored different photographic topics. There is a wealth of old-timer information there. These comments about 'Angry Boomers'  gave me pause to think about this phenomenon.  Generally when I see a conflict I aim to understand first ra...

I have been considering Integrity recently in the artistic sense and my thinking has evolved. And yes my thinking is probably quite slow in this regard.  Definitions When I think about the word integrity comes the simple answer related to honesty or truth. Further thought goes to the root of the word implying integral or integrated. And this brings to mind ideas more like consistency and the parts making a sensible whole. This of course circles back to the idea of honesty and truth when applied personally to oneself. In any case I started out with the simpler early definition. My understanding as it related to my photography evolved towards the later meaning.  I fully expect that readers may think this is obvious but for me it was not.  I do not claim to plow fresh ground, merely to say how I have covered this ground that is no doubt well travelled. Starting Points When I started on a more serious pursuit of photography and before it had crystallized, much of the time I h...