MorseBlog

Introduction Last summer I spent a wonderful evening photographing on Lake Pend Oreille looking back at Sandpoint during a thunderstorm that was blowing over the town. I wrote about framing another print from that evening here ... As I was using my Fuji GFX digital camera then I had a large number of images to choose from. Another image I liked was taken with an Olympus 135mm f2.8 prime lens on an adapter for my GFX. This is cropped to a 35mm frame resulting in a 30 Mpixel image. Its funny but this image did not appear on my first choices for images from that evening but a subsequent look helped me understand the understated drama of this image. Blog Cover Image As I look at it now and analyze what I like about it I find the following comments. In terms of composition the light in the upper left of the sun glowing behind the clouds is balanced with some tension by the dark mass of Sunnyside peninsula in the lower right. The hint of the mountain outlines is enough to get the whole story...

Introduction One image I took this last summer that I really like I ended up calling ' Together '. It was taken on a calm misty morning after a night of heavy rain. I was up at dawn and had the lake more or less to myself with the exception of one fisherman. The day was still and gray with a soft fog in the distance. I found these two Western Grebes swimming in the lightly rippled calm. I was out with my Fuji GFX 50s ii with a 55-110mm f4 zoom lens. A nice portrait composition came to mind with the grebes in the lower right corner and distant island in the upper left corner. This gave a nice tension as the island helps anchor the scene to give a reference to the incoherent surface of the water. There is faint hint of the water's edge at the horizon and a show of the mountains at the edge of vision. The ripples and subtle shades of blue give lots for the eye to contemplate.  I was walking the road that hugs the shore which places the perspective quite low on the water. I wan...

I took this photo one evening while watching a thunderstorm glide over Sandpoint. It was a lovely evening with some amazing light. At one point I was aware of some doves that were flushed from the bushes near me and just fired the shutter without any adjustments. I knew they were too fast and ephemeral to try and compose or focus. Sometimes not over-thinking helps. I want to frame and hang this print.  Bird Light I set out to print this and a few other images. I discovered that Peak Imaging has closed business and seems to be in receivership. This was a major blow for me as they do all my color film and print work. They were fantastic to work with very high quality and reliability while maintaining very reasonable prices. I opted for some test prints from Snapfish and Ag Photographic. (I have subsequently tried Mixam my favorite photobook publisher though they only have up to A3 size prints/posters.) I plan a blog post to discuss the differences between the different vendors. ...

I am catching up on some work these past couple of days now that my initial digital intensity has subsided. A result of my earlier project around Houghton meadows was that there were some printable images that I wanted to lith print. One did not turn out well, but a couple of others did.  One obvious candidate was the Heron viewed through the reeds in the water. I printed this conventionally to include in my photo books. The negative does not have much contrast despite being pushed because of the mist and early morning light. The conventional print was done entirely on the #5 filter, and I was not able to get completely black shadows without losing the highlights in the water. I compromised somewhere in the middle. It makes for a good print despite this as the print reflects the conditions on a foggy morning. I made some lith prints on Oriental Seagull paper as well as Fohar Raster which I have to think of as having more soul especially when toned. Since the Rater paper is 5x7" (...

Now that I have completed a session of printing comes the time to select images and decide on framing. I have what I guess one would call a trademark format for framing and as a result I found myself out in the garage making some frames. I have a simpler stripped back framing system I use for many prints. No glazing, wooden frames that are blackened with the Japanese technique of yakisugi .  This time I am enjoying smaller prints made on 5x7" (13x18cm) Fohar Bulgarian paper. This leaves a question about framing and proportions. I started out with a simple 5x7 frame but found it was difficult with the narrow 1/4" borders, the deep brown of the print blending too much with the frame.  Mock-up of 5x7 Frame So, I made a new frame that allowed for a wide mount (matte) frame. I have mocked this up below with a paper version of the mount to see if I liked it. I have an order of properly cut mount board to fit in the frames. The beauty of these frames is the rebate for fitting the ...

I have fallen into favor of the small print of late. I had been in the thrall of larger prints for a long time, usually preferring 16x20 prints. However smaller prints in addition to being more pragmatic have their own distinct charm. They invite you to get closer and to appreciate the details and textures more.  Back in 2020 I started refining my own style of framing  of small prints. I eschewed many of the traditional techniques and worked towards some more stripped back. The impetus in part was due to my use of Ilford Art 300 paper which is a cotton rag paper with a rich texture. Rather than hide this behind glass I opted not to glaze the framed prints. I also opted to not use mounts and depended instead on generous borders. Some examples on display here...  The frames I made by hand were simple and fabricated in pine. Later I went from painting the frames to using the Japanese technique of Yakisugi which is a wood treatment made by partially charring the wood with a f...

If you have been paying attention to woodworking and building topics recently you will know that a Japanese wood preservation technique called Yakisugi  (sometimes misnamed Shou Sugi Ban based on a mispronunciation apparently) has become popular. The technique involves burning the surface of the wood which leaves it charred. Technically it is applied to Japanese cedar but can be applied to other woods. The burning has a couple key benefits in terms of  wood preservation. Burning removes nutrients like sugars and cellulose from the wood surface. The charred wood is also water water resistant. If you have hiked in an area where a forest fire had burned you may have noted how the charred wood surfaces retain their integrity. The technique is all over YouTube on woodworking channels as everyone is always scrambling for new content topics so a quick search will find innumerable sources of ideas.   I came upon this in a upcycling TV show where an oak desk had the tech...

I think that there are many important parts of Photography that have been lost in the digital age. One of the more notable is that most work is displayed and seen on a screen. While this has had the obvious benefits of allowing more people to see more artist’s work it feels to me too impersonal and lacking in reality. I have spent my career in technology and spent most of that time understanding semiconductor chip development, software, and markets. In fact my most recent work focused on display technology so I am comfortable and well versed in image digitization and pixels and RGB and bits per pixel and resolution and compression. So this comes not from some fear or misunderstanding of the technology but more from my heart.  My need to involve more of my senses in photography has extended to other hobbies such as woodworking. There is something immensely satisfying in an activity that involves the brain and the hands. There is such a satisfying and intimate connection between the ...