Inspirations #20: Airplanes

My father was in the Air Force for 17 years in the U.S. and Great Britain, where I was born. This is ironic because he was deathly afraid of flying. His last flight was when we returned to the U.S. for good in 1963. As a result of his phobia, I never got on a plane again until 20 years later. He wouldn't even drop-off/pick-up any of us (kids) at the airport. Even so, I have always been fascinated by airplanes.

Boeing, McDonnell-Douglas, Airbus... they all look the same today. But back in the day, aircraft were as distinctive as automobiles. Lines, curves, shiny, oh my!

Tri-Motor, 1935, Brett Weston

Super Constellation, Randy Efros

The images below were taken on the tail end of a Rod Klukas/Randy Efros workshop in Tucson in 2008. After the workshop was over several of us went over to the Pima Air Space Museum. If you are ever in the area, take a day and visit this amazing museum. Make sure you bring lots of sunscreen and water... it can get really hot there.

Air Force One, Tucson, AZ, 2008, Richard M. Coda

Super Constellation, Tucson, AZ, 2008, Richard M. Coda

Inspirations #18: Tree Trunks - Albert Renger-Patzsch & Clinton Smith

Buchenwald, 1936 by Albert Renger Patzsch

I have always been fascinated by tree trunks. For some reason, the entire tree, unless it is the only tree in the photo (as in Ansel Adams' Oak Tree in Snow Storm, Yosemite) just doesn't do it for me. It kind of starts getting too complicated when you introduce the whole tree. I have always loved Albert Renger-Patzsch's Buchenwald, 1936. The first time I saw it was in one of my favorite photo books, Counterparts: Form and Emotion in Photography.

Another tree trunk photo I love is Brett Weston's Beech Forest, Holland, 1971. Although part of the canopy is included, the strength of this photo is the elegant lines of the trunks. They almost remind me of city people scurrying in their hectic lives.

On my first trip to Carmel in 1984 I went to the Weston Gallery. At the time they were exhibitibng Clinton Smith. There was a huge 30x40 color print in the window. It blew me away. The simplicity and the color were just amazing.

Untitled by Clinton Smith

Trees have to be simple and graphic for me. The lines have to be elegant, and more often than not, curved slightly. Maybe that's what attracted me to the Two Trees in Snow, Pompton Lakes, 1984. What happened above the crop just did not interest me. In fact, this is a crop of the full negative.

Two Trees in Snow, Pompton Lakes, NJ 1984 by Richard M. Coda

One of my favorite places to photograph in Scottsdale is the Civic Plaza. The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is located there. The building is very modern... lots of glass and brushed steel and curved surfaces. This tree is behind the art center along the walkway to the parking garage. Initially the sheen of the metal surface caught my eye. But later I thought more about the curve of the tree. I love the way the dark, crusty curve of the tree trunk counters the smooth, luminous surface of the metal wall and the vertical lines of the metal sections.

SMoCA Tree, Scottsdale, AZ, 2009 by Richard M. Coda

Although my images are of single trees, or at least appear to be single trees, I am still in search of a composition of multiple tree trunks. Hopefully one day I will find them.

Inspirations #4

Brett Weston has been a strong influence in my work, especially my early work. His strong graphic compositions are a pleasure to view. His use of high contrast is also apparent throughout his life's work. You haven't seen black in a photograph until you have seen a Brett Weston print.

Mendenhall Glacier, AK, 1973, Brett Weston


Torn Poster, Montreal, Canada, 1985, Richard M. Coda

I was on a weekend trip to Montreal in 1985 and we were walking around sightseeing. I passed this poster that had most likely been through a Montreal winter or two. It was torn up pretty badly. I only had my 35mm with me on this trip so I stopped and took a few frames. In reality, the image should be rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise, but when I originally previsualized this image I rotated it to a horizontal image. I was struck by the contrast and the lines and it did remind me of Brett Weston's Mendenhall Glacier.

If any students are out there reading this series I guess what I am trying to say is that by studying photographic history and seeing as many photographs (or paintings) as you can, be it in books, galleries or museums, is a great way to cultivate your eye and develop a style of your own. While these two images have absolutely nothing in common subject-wise, they do share many traits on several other levels.