Photo of the Week 2016-08-15

I tried something different for presentation of some images recently, gallery wrap canvas. Gallery wraps simulate the look of painting canvas wrapped over stretcher bars and can provide an interesting presentation for images, but I've found that it quickly became overused. Until now, I've avoided even trying it, holding it in reserve for an image that would benefit from the format.

Since it requires not only printing, but stretching and wrapping then fastening the canvas around wooden bars, I decided to let a printing service do the work for me. I sent ta set of four images to Posterjack because they're Canadian, they get good reviews and they had some great pricing.

All four images came our nice, but one in particular stood out and thankfully it was the one that I had chosen to to print the largest at 24" x 36" . It now hangs on the wall in our guest room.
 

SanGim Flower Shelf - on canvas

The trial confirmed what I had expected, certain images benefit from the format more than others. To my surprise, an abstract image did not benefit as I thought it might. That I will ponder as I sit and enjoy SanGim Flower Shelf.



DJE

Photo of the Week 2015-03-30

I've been working on processing a number of images for a Fine Art series for well over a year. Yes, well over a year. Made on a trip to Italy in 2013, I have been using a different processing approach to transform the original captures into something unusual, at least for me.

The idea for the series came to me while reviewing images from the trip and reliving what I experienced while making them. Not just the memory of being back there but the sense I had while working to capture what I saw and felt at the time. Struck by the knowledge that these scenes and locations were far older than anywhere I had been before, if I closed my eyes I could almost feel the past. It was as if there were echoes of previous times merging with the present. For this series I attempted to create the visual equivalent..

"ECHOES" (a work in process)
  Echoes are reflections, arriving some time after the direct sound
  Echoes are reflections of prior events
  Echoes grow fainter with time, some blur, others twist, turn and move
  Echoes can be indistinguishable from the original

These are a few of the images that I'm happy enough with to share. The series still remains very much a work in process. My approach to processing may continue to be refined over time as I select more images to transform.

Ultimately, I'd love to see these up in an Italian restaurant or banquet hall. I'll have to work on that.

I'm always interested in feedback from those who follow my blog or those who just stumble on this post. Feel free to use the comment section or send me a personal message.

"I am not interested in shooting new things - I am interested to see things new." - Ernst Haas

DJE

Photo of the Week 2014-01-27

A "good old fashion Canadian winter storm" resulted in the closure of many highways and county roads in Southwestern Ontario this weekend. Included among them, Hwy 6. The section of 6 from Wiarton to Tobermory was closed by 11:00 am on Friday and my plans to leave for the the cottage after work were reluctantly scrapped in exchange for an uneventful weekend at home. Two amigos that would normally accompany me on a photo outing were down, each with their own afflictions, so I decided to stay very close to home. Actually I barely went out, except for clearing the accumulating snow, occasional walking of the dog and dinner at a new restaurant with Lynn Saturday night. I spent most of my time reading or working on photo projects in process.

One such photo project was experimenting in Photoshop with watercolour effects on some of my images from Italy. Recent discussions with the aforementioned amigos about sketching, pen and ink and watercolours had stirred my interest in creating both conventional and digital versions of select images. This weekend was the time to work digitally.

There is a seemingly unlimited amount if material online for just about anything and watercolour effects in Photoshop are no different. The challenge like everything else on the interwebs is sorting through the crap to get to the useful stuff. I selected a few links and investigated, eventually ending up using one from a UK photographer. His approach was not complicated and after some trial and error, I was able to produce something decent. I'm not sure that I'm completely done with the work on this image yet. It still needs a few tweaks and perhaps a complete re-do from scratch to see if how much I can refine the end result.

morning canal

All in all, it was a great learning exercise and it distracted me from the frustration of not being able to get up north.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2013-12-09

This week, simply an image of a tree that caught my eye while walking through a courtyard in San Gimignano, Italy.

I like the texture in the stone wall, the dappled light, the "Y" created by the angles of the trunk and branch of the olive tree.

Olive Tree at San Gimignano

I enjoy working out what it is that I'm drawn to with certain images. This is one of those images. I would have liked more time to work photographing the scene, but this is what I caught as we rushed back to meet up with the tour group.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2013-12-02

Well, I finally made it through the basic selection and initial processing of the images I made while in Italy. Selecting candidates for a book to be published with Blurb as a single copy, a keepsake from the trip, was an enjoyable, if not so easy task. So many of the images cannot be separated from the emotions of being there sharing the moments with Lynn.

I have posted almost 200 images to a flickr set titled Italy 2013. Most of these will make it into the book, some, upon further scrutiny, will be replaced by alternates and still others will wriggle their way into the final selections.

It has been fun recalling the experiences from the trip through review of the images. Now to the work of laying out a book worthy of being printed ...

canal chase

 DJE

Photo of the Week 2013-11-25

Another "tych" created from images of the replica David in Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy, this time with two images.

I am intrigued by how these two different perspectives of the same statue, from images taken within minutes of each other, seem to convey completely different emotion. The image on the left defiant and confident vs the image on the right concerned and perhaps unsure.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2013-11-18

Perhaps the highlight of highlights for me on our Italy trip was getting to see Michelangelo's David, The Original. I had not expected to ever be so moved, so stirred, so captivated by any single work of art.

Our trip to the Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze began with an introduction to our local Guide, Rosa. Her enthusiasm for Micelangelo, his art and of course Firenze's beloved David were simply contagious. She got our group organized and set up in the queue for entry to the museum while she answered questions and provided some of the history of Florentine art, Renaissance art, Michelangelo and David. Entry to the museum required us to pass through security and metal detectors before Rosa could lead us through the preliminary exhibits. I expected it would take some time before we would see David, but very quickly Rosa announced in her charming Italian accent; "and now we go see David".

Passing through a large door way, we entered at the end of what can be described as a grand hall. The unfinished works of Michelangelo including those known as the "prisoners" glowed in warm light as they line the hall leading to David standing under a single high dome in stark cool light emphasizing the white of the larger than life Carrara marble figure.

As we approached and circled the statue, I lost myself, studying the work, the scale, the details, amazed that a figure carved from solid stone could be so life-like that it might move at any moment. As with many of the museums and churches we visited on our trip, photography was not allowed inside, so I point you to online resources for a sense of the  experience. David (Michelangelo), the Wiki article is a good starting point. The scrolling banner of the UFIZZI.org site has images of the original David that help me relive the experience. I ended up purchasing a few postcard size images of David from the museum gift shop so I would at least have some photographs from the visit. 

My own photography was limited to replicas of David. Notably the replica that replaced the original in Piazza della Signoria and the bronze replica in Piazzale Michelangleo. I found it difficult to capture an image that I was satisfied with. Lighting, backgrounds, lack of accessibility all added to the challenge. Going through my images, I've selected and processed a series images made of details from the replica in Piazza della Signoria one evening.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2013-10-28

I'm working through my Italy image library and have actually made it to day 3 ... LOL

On our third day, we travelled from Rome to Pompeii for a tour of the archaeological site. I had preconceived expectations of plaster cast figures, placed precisely where the victims were discovered, as I had seen in so many photos. Once we arrived I quickly became caught up making images of what we were being shown, neglecting to ask where or if the plaster casts could be seen ... until near the end of our tour and we were at the point of exit. As it was, I got a number of interesting shots and surprisingly found the coloured frescoes preserved in some of the buildings to be captivating subject matter.

The Colours of Pompeii

The images can be seen individually in a set here, on my flickr site. I have already printed this collage which will be framed and displayed in the house. Perhaps some of the individual images will be as well.

Saluté
DJE 

Italy 2013 Gallery - a work in progress

A few people have asked where all my images from Italy are. As I work through the library of images from our anniversary trip, I'm adding some to my flickr set. You can view that growing set here.

flickr set

observing

Ciao !
DJE

Photo of the Week 2013-10-21

I've been busy over the past week, preparing images for two shows. The first, my photo group's annual Show 'n Sale, took place this weekend along with the Guelph Studio Tour. I've been fortunate enough to sell a large framed image each of the past two years but not so fortunate this year. I did sell a print of a recent image from Italy and a couple of greeting cards but that was it.

So .... since I haven't had much time for shooting or processing anything ... here's more from Italy. I've chosen two candid street shots that I've processed in B&W.

lady in white

and ...

back alley romance

Ciao,
DJE

Photo of the Week 2013-10-14

OK, on to day two of our Italian vacation ... not that we're doing this as a day be day account of the trip, I'm just getting around to seriously looking at images from day two of the trip. I know, I know, this may take a while ;-)

out before breakfast to capture sunrise ...

Sunrise at Temple of Saturn

Capitoline Fountain

the patina of age was everywhere ... 

statues and marble adorn everything ...

Capitoline Statue

Capitoline Marble

... and scenes like this.

Morning Road to Tarpeian Rock

All before breakfast !

DJE

Photo of the Week 2013-10-07

One of the things that struck me most in Rome, particularly while in the historical district, was the rich patina the time has painted over the city. Buildings, roads, sculptures, monuments and of course the iconic ruins have all had their appearance enriched by the mask of time. Everywhere I looked, my inner voice would shout, "... wow", "look at that", "oh my" or some other phrase in wonderment and awe of the rich details in the scene before me.

The time worn look of cobble stone streets ...

cobbled up

Windows and doors down a gritty side street ...

A Side Street in Rome

Ancient ruins with years of exposure to the elements ...

Forum III

They were in abundance, everywhere I looked.

I continue to work through the catalogue of images from our trip. Stopping to consider some in more detail, working on some intermittently, trying to get past the first day or two. I'm enjoying them so much, this may take a while ...

DJE

Photo of the Week 2013-09-30

On a recent trip to Italy in celebration of our 30th Anniversary, I made many, many images as we toured the sights of Rome, Florence, Venice and places between. Some have already been posted to my flickr photostream and there will be more to come over the next days and weeks as I work through cataloguing and processing the hundreds of files.

For this week's photo I've picked one from the actual day of our anniversary, when due to a fortuitous change in schedule, we were treated to dinner with our travel group at a Tuscan villa and working olive farm, Fattoria di Daimano. I had previously planned to find a nice quiet restaurant for an intimate dinner with Lynn but this just worked out so well after a full day of sightseeing that we are both referring to it as the best day from the trip.

Following a coach ride from our hotel we were drooped off and greeted at the entrance to the Fattoria, then led through a wonderful old building so full of history (do click on the link above and read about it's fascinating background). We passed through a wonderful courtyard, of which I took note, and into a dining room with widows opening out to views of the surrounding Tuscan countryside that were simply breathtaking. See for yourself.

A Tuscan View

It was truly a million dollar view and in order to capture the true feeling, I needed to resort to HDR digital processing techniques that combine images to show the full dynamic range of the scene. Other photographers that read this blog will likely know the technique and the non-photographers likely won't care. Either way, everyone should trust that the view from the dining room was even more stunning than represented in this image.

Our hosts introduced us to the olive oil making process and how to prepare Bruschetta, Tuscan Style. Our meal of "simple Tuscan food" was absolutely delicious and enjoyed with wine made by the proprietors. Following the dinner, with filled wine glasses, we left the group behind and retired to a bench in the courtyard for some time to reflect on the past 30 years. 

It was certainly an anniversary to remember.

DJE