Wow! A chance to finally work on a photograph!

Amongst the madness of getting ready The Wild Flower Hearts Photography show (please see an earlier post), filling out applications for juried shows, starting to plan for classes, and all the other stuff you have to do to keep on truckin’ in this crazy world, I finally had a chance to work on a photo.

This photo is almost done. It was taken at the Mission San Diego last June. I am primarily working in black-and-white these days, and the final print is toned while printed with the quadtone rip (quadtonerip.com). I need to figure out how to reproduce the beautiful tones the rip produces for viewing on the screen.

How Photography and the Internet can Help Tell a Story

Our big media outlets these days are constantly full of stories and pictures from the mess in Iraq. I still can’t get out of my mind the photos of the people of New Orleans after Katrina, wondering when and where “their” government was. These were big stories, but there are plenty of smaller stories as well, many deserving to be brought forth before the general public’s eyes.

One big story, much closer to my home is the struggle of members of the Navajo Nation in North East Arizona and North West New Mexico against their tribal government and the big coal companies. With the blessings of the tribal government, “big coal” wants to strip mine a seam of coal from Ship Rock to Gallup. Yes, the big companies say the new coal plant will be the cleanest ever. But does that statement cover not only CO2 pollution and heavy metal pollution which comes from burning coal as well? And, what right do we, as electricity consumers, to demand this large segment of the Navajo reservation be dug up, sacred sites be sacrificed, the Dine continuing their traditional lifestyles loose their homes, just so we can burn electricity?

I urge you to visit the website http://www.questionofpower.org to meet the people who have been devastated by the existing power plants, and learn what may happen if a third is built. My friend Carlan Tapp is using his photographic artistry to bring the lives and voices of the affected people to you. The photographs are beautiful, but the story is not. I hope we can turn this story around!

There is more information at the Living on Earth website, at: http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=07-P13-00002&segmentID=6

Wildflower Hearts Photography Show in February.

Back in late September, Tom Frederick (www.thomasrobertfrederick.com) and I had the idea of doing a show together. February sounded good, a long way off. I thought it wouldn’t be that much work for me, as most of what I’d put in the show I’d already printed and framed. But there is always work to do, plans to make. Do the invitations. Reprint the one I sold. And decided if I want to get one of those hip new stretched canvas glitches—I mean zheee---clays that might be a hot seller. And, we’ll have to hand the show to, do our demos, and sit the gallery for a month. Guess I better get to work, as I need to get files ready for the canvas thingies. Hope they’re not just a gimmick!

New Digital Photo Classes coming February!

I’ve started a new web site called fortcollinsphotoclasses.org where I have listed my class offering this winter and spring. More classes may be offered if requested, so please check the web site periodically. Your comments on what classes you would like to see are always welcome.

Well, it’s been snowy around Fort Collins. We’re having a winter like the ones we used to have when I first came here back in the 1970s. Nice to see snow (I used my snow shovel once last year) again, but the upcoming below zero weather is, well, something I no long look forward to. The price of getting old, I guess.

I got to get the promotion done for the classes, and my upcoming joint show, Wild Flower Hearts done, so I can get back to doing some art!