"San Francisco II"

I captured this image of the San Francisco skyline late in the afternoon from the popular tourist lookout Twin Peaks. It includes the famous Castro Theatre in the foreground, and Market Street threads its way down to the waterfront through the tall buildings.

In preparing this for printing, I lightened the shadows and increased the vibrancy to emphasize the rich colors of the scene. In "San Francisco I," which is on display at Imageville, the colors are so vivid that viewers often think it's a photo of a city in some other country.

"Slot Canyon VI"

The slot canyons of northern Arizona are a favorite subject for photographers of all levels of experience. Eroded by flash floods over time, these fantastic underground walls are only part of what makes these canyons so irresistible. The light, penetrating through small openings above and then reflecting off the canyon walls, provides the rest of the drama.

In making this image I chose not to include the earthen floor or any of the shafts of sunlight that you often see in photographs of these wondrous canyons. I hoped to create a sculptural fantasy that might interest or thrill or challenge the viewer. My own interpretation of this photo includes layers of soft-serve ice cream and swirls of cake frosting.

"Bougainvillea Shadows"

Deciding what to include within the confines of the walls of a photograph is the work of even the most casual of photographers. Oftentimes the wealth of beauty and subject matter is overwhelming as it was here in this Palm Springs, CA scene.

Exquisite light and colorful flowers and handsome artifacts surrounding this old door all called out to be included. Even the blossoms that had fallen to the ground were compelling to me. I finally decided to let the shadows be the story of this image and directed my composition to that end.

"The Lady in Red"

On a typically stunning Palm Springs day in October 2009, the"Casual Concourse" Classic Car Show was hosted by the local chapter of the Great Autos of Yesteryear. I accepted an invitation to photograph the cars as they were arriving and before the crowds gathered.

The Lady here is perfectly coiffed for her long day in the sun. In this photo I wanted to tease with her image while also showing the beauty of this classic Continental convertible.

I used a tripod to make this image so that I could carefully place all the elements. I sought to extend the image beyond that of a 'snapshot' of a car by deliberately creating some dynamic tension through such choices as the angle of the car, the inclusion of only one complete (and amazingly shaped) headlamp, the gleaming sunspots on the metal (which you can't see in this tiny screenshot), the reflection of the dried golf course grass in the smooth, shiny bumper, the palm tree 'driver,' and even the light wispy clouds in the upper left corner of the image, breaking up the otherwise perfect sky.

I love the small spot of red (from her hat) peeking out over the windshield. For me it adds a finishing touch to the image (like a cherry on top of a sundae).

I tried to create a pleasing, yet almost surreal image, one that might even enable the viewer to feel the crispness of the air on this lovely day even as it was wasted on this particular passenger.

How does this image resonate with you?

"Windmills at Sunset II"

The wind turbines in this image are positioned in the pass north of Palm Springs, California. (I-10 runs parallel to them.) As the sun sets, the north-facing San Jacinto mountains are shrouded in darkness, leaving the exposed windmills to absorb the last rays of the sun. This image is cropped from a large panorama that I made to emphasize the exquisite lighting and the sculptural qualities of the blades turning in a sort of orderly chaos.

"Palm Springs, View from the Mountain I"

I captured this image from the Albert Frey House, the Palm Springs Modern icon, up on the mountain above Palm Springs. I'd been shooting the famous Burgess House just below there on special assignment, and I was struck by the late afternoon sky, which was filled with layers of beautiful clouds. The sun was still shining brightly but just ready to pop down behind the mountains darkening our town prematurely (because sunset was really still hours away).

I had to work quickly because the foreground was already dark in places so I set up my tripod, and used several lenses to shoot panoramic scenes like this one, planning some day to stitch several together to create a long narrow panorama of the entire view. This one overlooks the southern portion of Palm Springs and beyond to the other desert cities.

Starting This Blog in the Middle of the Night

A new decade has just begun, and it's the middle of the night. It seems like a good time, kind of an intimate time really, to begin my blog, as I know this time well.

Many people tend to work, relax, go to bed and sleep, and get up and start that process over. Being an entreprenuer and a creator of things most of my adult life has led me to develop a somewhat different pattern. My sleep gets interrupted by creative impulses.

I tend to use my middle-of-the-nights to read and write and make lists and even get ready to go out and be ready to photograph when the light comes up.

As for this blog, I'm really not quite sure what I'm going to do with it. It's a new experience for me. It does seem like a natural activity for me since I'm a fairly verbal person as well as visual.

It occurs to me that while a photograph is commonly said to be worth a thousand words, there is still a place for words, even in conjunction with a photograph.

That's why so often at Imageville (my Palm Springs gallery) I find that people looking at my work want to know more.

Over time this blog will give me a forum for telling more about my images. For those who want to know.

As I begin, I'm aware that there's an artistic side of me that wants to write rather crudely. With less than perfect grammar and with a stream-of-consciousness format. And there's a businessman part that wants to be more professional and proper, more politically and grammatically correct.

In a way I face this same dichotomy as I select which photographs to show at Imageville and on my Facebook Fan Page and on my website. I do need to sell my work so I try to show pieces that might have broad appeal, and I also like to show work that may never sell even though I feel compelled to have it be seen. So I do both.

And so I'll do both here, I guess. I'll straddle the artistic/commercial divide. I'll write intimately and without much attention to perfection, but I'll try to provide some thoughts about my work that some friends, customers, fans may find interesting.

Thanks for reading this first ramble. I look forward to hearing from you too. In the middle of your nights, over your early morning coffee, or whenever your writing moments come.

Warm regards,
Gary
http://imageville.us/