Inspirations #26: The Hubble Space Telescope

Primordial 2827, 2006 by Richard M. Coda

Maybe I should credit the Cosmos, the Universe, or God for this one, but the Hubble Space Telescope is the vehicle to the stars.

I have always been fascinated by clouds, as I'm sure most people have been at one point in their life. As children we see bunny rabbits in them, maybe Abraham Lincoln's profile or an alligator. As I got older, though, I started to think more metaphysically about what I was looking at. Was I witnessing Creation itself? Or possibly the Apocalypse? Whatever it was that I was witnessing was drop-dead beautiful.

The Pillars of Creation, Hubble Space Telescope


Primordial 4245, 2010 by Richard M. Coda


M17 - Omega Nebula, Hubble Space Telescope


Primordial 2878, 2006 by Richard M. Coda


PS16 Orion Nebula, Hubble Space Telescope


Primordial 4148, 2010 by Richard M. Coda

In the past 5 years I have taken few cloud images because I was too busy. When I lived in New Jersey these types of skies were rare, but again, I was too busy. This year I am still too busy, but something clicked in me to take 15 minutes at the end of my day and hunt for clouds. Almost all of these were taken from either my back yard or my front yard, occasionally a hundred feet or so down the road… but never far. That is one of the things I love about this series. And the Arizona skies are a far cry from those in New Jersey. They are dramatic and sometimes you can see for 50 or more miles (try that in Jersey).

Anyway, every day now I am on the prowl. I am in the process of editing these down to a portfolio of 10-15 prints and am working on a book/print package. I may do one every year because the subject matter is endless and never the same.

Special Primordial Clouds Print Offer - $25 11x14"

I have always been fascinated by clouds. Originally in black & white, and recently in color. The annual monsoon season here in Arizona can provide some spectacular skies in both the mornings and the evenings.

I started a series this year and hope to add to it every year and whenever else the heavens oblige. In honor of this new series I am offering 11x14" Special Edition Prints (8x12" image size) for a special price of $25 plus $5 S/H through midnight, Saturday, August 28, 2010. This is a great deal and you know you've always wanted one... so visit http://www.rcodaphotography.com/primordial/ and pick out your favorites today.

Remember, the sale ends at midnight, Saturday, August 28, 2010.

Inspirations #5: Clouds

In college we learned about Alfred Stieglitz, and his importance to the history of photography. I was never impressed with his photographs, overall, back then. But I have come to understand why he photographed many of his images. I think that Stieglitz is more revered for the photographers he influenced and promoted than for his own photography. Anyway, here is an image that I was inspired to make based on my understanding of equivalence.

Equivalent, 1930, Alfred Stieglitz


Clouds #28, Pompton Lakes, NJ, 1984, Richard M. Coda

My dad was fishing on the bridge at the end of our street one Fall day in 1984. I went down to see if he had caught anything. It was a beautiful day. I looked up and saw this cloud formation. I ran home, got my 4x5" camera, and set it up quickly. Clouds are easy to focus because they are almost always at infinity. I threw a red filter on and made the exposure. Again, I was drawn to the lines in this cloud more than anything. Oh, and my dad didn't catch anything that day ;^)