A Plethora of Portraits

I've been on a shooting spree of portraits lately. One large project has been photographing the GC Art Department. We needed some new shots for our website. Some of my other portraits came from a need to just do some shooting. I've been pretty bogged down with classes and schoolwork; I just needed to set things aside for a bit and get back to my camera.

To find out more about how the group shot came together, click HERE. It might not be what you expected at first.

Unforeseen Visions, 2007

This is one of a small collection of photograms with mordancage. I created them along with my Photo class at Georgetown College. It's always a fun, exciting, and mysterious project to do with students; revealing some of the power in traditional wet-darkroom work.

View all six at Flickr HERE.

Pinhole Self-Portrait

This is an image produced as an example in my Photography class. We are building and shooting pinhole cameras, editing the negatives in Photoshop, and printing paper negatives for contact printing on traditional silver gelatin paper.

For a closer look at this photograph and a chance to see other work, click on the image above or HERE to visit my Flickr gallery.

Lock No. 7

Matt and I went for a ride recently to High Bridge and then down to the lock on the Kentucky River. Click HERE or on the image above to see more photographs of this interesting place.

Lake Drive-In Theater, Celina, OH

While in Celina last weekend, I had the opportunity to walk down the road to the drive-in and shoot a little. It was a nice evening; quiet. It's amazing, the place still runs two shows back-to-back every weekend during the summer.

Elkhorn Creek, Below Weisengerger Mill

Another photograph I worked on recently of the Elkhorn Creek, just below Weisengerger Mill. Matt and I were out shooting last summer and this scene caught my eye. It reminds me of a number of summers when friends and I would go fishing in the creek on hot summer afternoons.

Looking Back

I've been working with some older photographs this past week. This image, "Blessed Are Those Who Are Invited...," was taken in 2005. Kristin's grandfather had given me an old medium format, twin-lens. It's a beautiful camera that still shoots wonderfully. It was fun to join it with new technology (a film scanner, Photoshop, inkjet printer) to come full circle.

The idea behind the photo comes from a passage of scripture in Revelations 19:9. It describes a wedding supper for Jesus. Usually this might be thought of as a large feast, bu what strikes me about the image is that it is an intimate and personal setting. It reminds me of Christ's love, a personal love, for even one like me.

NYC

I'm still unpacking images from our trip to NYC. This has to be a common shot, at least that's my assumption after looking at postcards in the gift shop. But it's fun to be able to make the shot yourself, especially as a fan of Wright.

This image as also from the Guggenheim of an installation hanging in the lobby. What looks a bit like scales are numerous lenses, hanging together in a type of glass fabric.

E-type

Kristin and I have been on vacation for the past week. On our trip to NYC, we visited the MOMA with my good friend Ed. On Friday nights between 5-9, the museum is free. As a result, the galleries are packed with people. My favorite floor is the third. It is dedicated to architecture, design, and (of course) photography. We spent most of our time there. That's where you can find this stunning, 1963 Jaguar E-type Roadster.

Warm Roses

Kristin received a number of bouquets at the end of school this year. While we were out of town for a weekend, her roses drank all the water. By the time we got home they had begun to wilt. For some reason they seemed more interesting to me than when they were in full bloom. So I put together a simple still life and made this photograph.

The Distillery, Cooker No. 1

Daniel took me out on another great photo expedition last week to an abandoned distillery. It's an incredible old facility that is in complete disrepair; just the way I like it. We explored and photographed the area for a couple hours. It would be interesting to find out more about the history of this place. Perhaps some of you out there who recognize the location might be able to enlighten me. As for now, in my mind, it lingers as a place of mystery and endless photographic potential.

The Smith Orchid

Jason, Kati, and their daughter Hannah came to visit recently. As a house warming gift they brought me a new orchid. Smith's, this one is for you.

North Mill Street

I've lived in Lexington almost all my life and I'm familiar with most parts of town. But it's interesting that I don't always notice the details, the nuances. I think that is why I enjoy walking downtown and finding streets that I didn't even really know existed. And along these paths I feel like I occasionally find those unique moments that seem to capture a fleeting essence of those places.

Backdoor

Backdoor is another photograph in line with the Ghost Town project. It speaks to a specific aspect of the series by placing the emphasis on an urban setting that is perhaps overlooked in the common day-to-day lives of individuals within the city. This place is conceived out of function, not fashion.

Mordançage at Georgetown College, Student Work

For our final project at Georgetown College this semester we worked with the mordançage technique. My students created a wide variety of gorgeous images. To view some of the prints, please click HERE. Enjoy!

Balloon Glow

Last week the UK Student Activities Board hosted the "Little Kentucky Derby." On Friday night there was a balloon glow with about fifteen hot air balloons sitting on the ground, lighting their canopies in sporadic fashion to the delight of onlookers. It was quite an experience to stroll the grounds as they teetered and swayed in the cool night air.

Reynolds #1, W.C.

Inspired by a student's work and some free time, I took a walk around the Reynolds Building #1 (where I teach) to see what I might find. Reynolds houses UK's art classes and studios. It's an incredible old warehouse with personality and a touch of haunting mystery. The volume of this three-floor warehouse is enormous. Sometimes I feel like Alice in Wonderland, exploring just how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Tub & Radiators

This is a photograph I made this winter at an undisclosed location. A friend took me to a place where we walked into one of the most unique "landscapes" I have ever seen/experienced. In the basement of this building was a collection of all the old radiators from the building and a beautiful claw foot tub. The atmosphere was quiet and still and the lighting just right. I hope to revisit this site again in the future to uncover more hidden treasures.

The Sizzler

This is a diptych that I shot last summer, but I've been working with it some lately doing printing tests on a variety of media. I remember having the idea in mind that I wanted to photograph the carnival down the street from where we live at the moment when the ambient light and lighting from the rides merged for an interesting exposure. The color balance was tricky. I also shot with the intention of connecting multiple frames to create a broader view of the scene, as if one frame wasn't enough to capture the feeling and mood of the place. It happened that these two shots were the last and second to last exposures on my CF card as I ran out of file space. It was one of the lucky moments when everything came together in a way that I don't think I could have ever planned.

Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis is the scientific name for this type of orchid. It was givin to Kristin as a gift from one of her students last year and seemed like an obvious subject to photograph. However, there was an immediacy in doing so. We're not the best at keeping plants alive, so this might be a one-time opportunity. At the time it had six blooms. About a month later, it had zero. Fortunately, the orchid still lives and has survived to produce one new flower and another that’s just about ready to bloom.

The reason I picked this image is that I’ve been working on it lately. I’m donating a print to be auctioned to benefit UK’s art department. The silent auction will be April 6 at the Rasdall Gallery in the Student Center from 5pm – 8pm (coinciding with Lexington’s Gallery Hop). Come by to see my photo and other student work if you get a chance.

Storefront Ballerina

I've been photographing in downtown Lexington off and on for a while now, working on a series of images that fall under the working title of "Ghost Town." For the most part these have been B&W photographs depicting a type of vacant city. However, this image seems to defy my usual treatment. It carries its own sense of weight and emotional heaviness, even with rich colors. The potential vibrance of a young ballerina stands in contradiction to her meager storefront circumstances, separated from her golden crown and staring onto the lives of passersby.

Grand Lake St. Mary's in Celina

I was in Celina last weekend for a wedding and had a chance to make some photographs at Kristin's parents' house. The lake had frozen over very solid this winter and was just beginning to thaw. Also, something new on the post production end, I processed this color image into b&w with Adobe's Lightroom. The more I learn about it the more I really enjoy it.

Flight to NY via Cleveland

I took a trip to New York and was able to make some photos along the way. I've never flown in the winter after a snow so I was able to see a unique landscape from a unique perspective.