I was taking this photograph in a somewhat out-of-the-way spot in Central Park yesterday when a tourist with a point-and-shoot digicam walked by. He saw me setting up my shot, stood right next to me, pointed his camera right where mine was pointed, snapped a pic, checked his LCD, and walked away without ever saying a word. While it’s entirely possible that he might have spotted this exact scene had I not been there, I suspect that he saw me with my fancy pants camera and assumed that I knew what I was doing. I would love to see how that shot came out for him.
Prospect Park Zoo
April 21st, 2008 | by Dalton | published in personal work
I don’t know if it’s the promise I made to myself to take more pictures or just the weather, but I made it to Prospect Park to take pictures twice last week, and even went to Central Park on Saturday. In general I think Central Park is too crowded and the landscape views are a bit claustrophobic. Of the three rolls of 120 I shot last week, the photos from Prospect Park are looking much better.
While on one of my walks through through the park, I decided to take a path I’d never seen before and discovered the secluded Vale of Cashmere. It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve been going to the park for seven years now and never discovered this beautiful area (see the photograph from the post below). It’s nestled high up on a hill above Grand Army Plaza, full of birds and squirrels and rabbits, and men hiding in the bushes (oh hey there!). I later learned of the Vale’s somewhat checkered past, known as a cruising and drug spot as well as the site of some anti-gay attacks and at least one murder.
Taking a picture, part five: processing in Photoshop
April 20th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in personal work
Thanks for your interest in my “Taking a Picture” series. Just as a note, I have continued improving my digital workflow and some of these notes are now out-of-date. Feel free to drop a line in the comments or contact me directly if you would like more information on my photographic workflow.
Read more on Taking a picture, part five: processing in Photoshop…
Taking a picture, part four: analog to digital
April 16th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in process
Thanks for your interest in my “Taking a Picture” series. Just as a note, I have continued improving my digital workflow and some of these notes are now out-of-date. Feel free to drop a line in the comments or contact me directly if you would like more information on my photographic workflow.
I think my situation is a pretty common one: I love film, especially black and white, but I don’t have the space or the time and energy to devote to a complete darkroom. Developing film is relatively easy and requires very little space, but printing means setting up an enlarger and trays of chemicals. And so, I use a hybrid process: I shoot and develop my own black and white film, but scan and print in digital.
It’s a pretty great situation, as far as I’m concerned. With my mid-range flatbed scanner (an Epson 4990) and my mid-range printer (Epson R2400), I can print excellent quality 12×12 black and white prints with no trouble at all. Larger sizes are beyond my capacity at the moment, but I’m thinking that a better scanner and printer are looming somewhere in the not-too-distant future.
I had been planning a long, drawn out technical discussion about scanning, but I got about half-way through writing it and gave up. For the few people who are using similar equipment and materials, a lot of the research has already been done. I think it’s probably wasteful for me to scan a negative ten different ways just to show that my approach is valid. I have done a lot of research, spent a significant amount of time experimenting, and I have come to the point where I feel like I am getting the most out of my somewhat limited equipment. I am happy to share my approach step-by-step; anyone who is curious can do their own experiments or further research to see if my methods prove out.
Read more on Taking a picture, part four: analog to digital…
Gerritsen Inlet Bridge
April 14th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in personal work
I have no idea if that is the correct name for this particular structure, but I’m going with it for now. Here’s a Google Map link, in case anyone has any better ideas about the name of the bridge. It’s a deserted and interesting little stretch of beach; I parked my bike at the rest area and walked around Plumb Island, crossing under the Shore Parkway. To be honest I was a little bit worried about who I might meet while crossing under the bridge, but I made it there and back in one piece.
Still Life
April 9th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in personal work
I almost never shoot prepared subjects like this, but I wanted to make sure that everything is in good working order before taking the 4×5 field camera out into the world again. I was looking around the house for something to shoot, and realized that I’ve never done a bowl of fruit before. I make no claims as the the artfulness of this image, but at least everything is in focus and it’s exposed properly. That’s got to count for something, doesn’t it?
Philosophical re-adjustment
April 8th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in personal work, process
I have to admit, I’ve been a little down on photography lately. Between technical issues and a downturn in mood, I think my work has been suffering. Not to mention that I’ve been feeling harried, and haven’t had nearly as much time as I would like to devote to photographic projects.
Central Park
April 6th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in personal work, process
I had what I thought was a great plan yesterday: go to see the Lee Friedlander exhibition at the Met, followed by some photos in Central Park. The museum was crowded, but the show was excellent and worth the effort.
Waverly Street, Philadelphia (ii)
April 1st, 2008 | by Dalton | published in personal work
Another from Philadelphia. More on the way as soon as I can develop it.
PS: Sorry if the site looks a little screwy right now, I just updated the stylesheet. Try refreshing and see what happens. If you still see weirdness, please let me know.