Focal Point

For the past two months, I have been going to Cave Hill Cemetery to witness the fall season. Here is one of a series of many that I have taken of the Ginkgo tree at the center. Because so many people have photographed this tree, it’s hard to find something unique. I think this one fits the bill.

The Last Hurrah

The Falls of Ohio has brought me many images over the years. This tree, with its hollowed out trunk, has been an especially captivating subject. Sadly, the winds storms of the summer took their toll on this river bank. The reflective light from the bleached limestone bed and constant breeze make for the drama that I see in this tiny corner of the world. Although I will miss seeing this familiar friend, I will find other beautiful subjects to take its place. #bnwphotography

Arms outreached

This is another image from our airboat trip on the Choctawhatchee Bay. This time I choose to crop this one. The stump was the most interesting part of the image. Since there weren’t any brakes on a boat, a quick point and shoot sufficed. Every photo has it’s own challenges. That’s truly the magic of photography!

Study in structure

When the water levels drop at the Falls of the Ohio, many stumps and trees become bleached, almost appear petrified. The trees almost meld into the limestone river bottom. It’s like these times that makes me think it’s time to eschew the soft focus of pinhole camera for the sharpness of a view camera. But only a little bit. For now, I choose the portability of 35 mm.

Old soul in decline

.The lighting challenges me in the woods of our park system. The shadows can be dense in sole areas. When it comes to reciprocity failure, Fomapan films have a long delay—around 15 minutes in this case. This always leaves me time to compose my next image.

Snake on a Rock

It goes without saying much, but the shape of the limb and rocky bank blended well. I tried out a yellow filter to reduce the haze and enhance the cloud coverage. I think the results were pretty good for a harsh summer day.

River Bottom Exposed

Leica M6 with Summicron 35mm lens, Kodak Tmax 100 processed with D76 1:1

Falls City Drift Wood

This was taken at the Falls of the Ohio State Park. It’s an ever changing shoreline with quite a story to tell

Lilly pads on the water

There is nothing more intimate than an airlboat ride in the swamps of Florida. Realizing how fragile that ecosystem is now, the veracity of our weather creates a challenge for survival of these lands. I will not get on the proverbial soapbox and preach about the destructive nature of climate change. There are many more adept personalities that can pontificate on those dangers. I would rather to appreciate what is in front of me. I took this opportunity to photograph and compose while the airboat was moving. The constant movement created a challenge for composition. Using a rangefinder made the difficulty easier. Here is one of my better attempts, enjoy!

Forrest light

A photographer friend of mine commented about my photo composition as having a central focus (instead of the rule of threes) due to the wide angle nature of the pinhole camera. I usually allow the scene to dictate the composition. In this situation, I was attracted to the conflict of foreground and background, light and dark. This dramatic contest of vision has always attracted me. I am not sure this is the best example of my thought process but it explains my compositional style. I used Fomapan 200 film for this image. My developer was a bit exhausted, which may explain the underexposure. Still it has a nice feel that I don’t think will apply with enlargement.