I am happy to say that my image “On the Hunt” has been accepted for inclusion to a group exhibition at the A Smith Gallery in Johnson City, TX. I consider this to be a great privilege to be included with some really great photographers. A big thanks to the juror Ann Jastrab for her time and work in choosing the final images. There will be a catalog, YouTube opening and a book of 27 images selected from the 55 images in the exhibition.
This black and white photograph has been one of my favorites that I have made lately. The gallery will be offering a print for sale through them if you like to inquire about a print. I create the fine art black and white print, sign it and provide a certificate of authenticity to anyone who purchases. I am printing this image in an open edition. It is not a limited edition, but I do document what number the print is on the certificate.
Last summer my wife and I made it back to Montana to visit some friends and hang out in the area we used to live in. There were a lot of things to do, people to see and general catching up. I didn’t really make big photo plans for this trip so, photographically speaking, I packed pretty light. Limiting myself to my 35mm camera, a couple lenses and a few rolls of black and white Tri-x we hit the road for Montana.
We were able to spend a week with some close friends on the Gallatin river just outside Bozeman and hit all of our favorite restaurants. Our dog was in heaven again. Being able to roam freely along the river and hang out in the sun whenever and where ever she wanted. It was a very relaxing time.
Photographically, it was a place I had been many times before, for some reason I wasn’t really inspired to make photographs. Maybe because it felt so familiar. Not really sure, because it is a beautiful place to photograph.
Simple black and white composition of bridge at Sacagawea Park. 35mm, Tri-X, xtol 1;1
With a few days left in our trip we moved to different accommodations. We booked an Air BNB “down the hill” in Livingston, MT. I had been there many times but I hadn’t spent more than a couple of hours there at a time. Mostly to go get some lunch or dinner at one of the great places in town. My wife had plans that took her away from town for those few days leaving me without transportation, so I was relegated to hoofing it around town on my own.
At the edge of town, along the banks of the Yellowstone River, is Sacagawea Park. I had not spent much time there before, but it was pretty close to where we were staying so I decided to explore it a little. While shooting black and white photographs I look for simple compositions, I wasn’t really looking for an epic view of the mountains. (The forest fires were raging then and the sky was filled with smoke anyway.) I was able to isolate a few of the charming features of the park while I explored. One of them being the bridge that accesses the park.
The final photo turned out pretty much like I wanted. It has the calm feeling I wanted to portray with the still water reflecting the arches of the bridge and the discovery of peaking through the woodland to find the old bridge just beyond the water. Keeping the composition and gear simple when I made the photograph, it helps me remember the sounds and smells of that day when I made it. A very good memory.
Many times I get a comment from someone who sees my photographs like, “Wow, that’s a beautiful picture. You must have a really good camera”. It is common for people, who don’t understand what goes into creating a photograph, to think all a photographer does is frame, focus and push a button.
Also, I get many friends asking me what is the best camera they should buy. This is what leads me to the topic of this post. The camera doesn’t make the photograph. The photographer makes the photograph and the tool is a camera.
It is interesting to me when people think the camera made the photograph. No one asks the chef at a restaurant what type of oven they use, or tell a textile artist they must have an amazing loom.
Rainy day on the streets of downtown Denver. Canon sure shot point and shoot with Kodak black and white film.
Here’s the thing… it doesn’t matter what type of camera is used to make a great photograph. What DOES matter is knowing what kind of photograph I want to make. What is the creative vision? That’s where a photographer starts. I ask myself these questions before I make some photographs.
What is my end goal for distributing the images?
Big prints
Family scrap book
Social media
Magazine
What am I trying to say with my photographs?
Tell a visual story
Create emotion with the photographs
Capture memories
What am I photographing?
Landscapes
Sports
Travel
Portraits
Street
Thinking through some of these questions helps me figure out what the best tool (camera) is to achieve my creative vision for the photograph. For example, if I plan on shooting grand landscapes my needs are very different than when I am shooting candid street photographs. For the landscapes a high quality lens, large sensor/film system could be important. (Unless the goal is to shoot soft ethereal, interpretative landscape photographs. Then a Holga camera may be perfect.) In the case of a street photograph a simple fully automatic point and shoot camera may be perfect for the quick indiscrete capture.
Long exposure of Boulder falls taken with an antique Kodak folding 620 camera
Today’s cameras are awesome feats of technology. So many features that can meet almost any need. Almost. The only things a photographer needs in a camera is the ability to control ISO, shutter speed, aperture and focus. That’s really it. But all cameras have their strengths and weaknesses and knowing what those help me know what camera to use to make a photograph that I am after.
Don’t forget to sign up for my monthly email below. I will have exclusive content and offers for email subscribers not available anywhere else. Thanks for your support.
