Glory Days... a NEW photo from my past

Now I think I'm going down to the well tonight
And I'm going to drink till I get my fill
And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about it
But I probably will
Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture
A little of the glory of, well time slips away
And leaves you with nothing mister but
Boring stories of glory days

Glory Days – Bruce Springsteen

I was developing new film last week and I needed HC-110 rather than my usual T-MaxRS. I only had two sheets of 8x10 so I figured I'd go into the "vault" (actually an old Tri-X box) where I keep old film I never got around to developing. I took the first sheet off the top and decided to throw it in the Jobo drum with the other film. Well, it turned out to be a negative from August 6, 1989. It was an image of the back entrance to the Deli in Pompton Lakes, NJ, where I grew up. This was where we would park our bikes and go in the deli to get all the sustenance a young boy needs... Cracker Jax, Beer, Sandwiches.... it was often the jumping off point for a fun night, usually sitting on the railroad bridge drinking beers. Oh, those glory days!

Oh, back to photography... even though the negative has been sitting in a box for almost 20 years it developed pretty darned good! Can't wait to print it! Or to get to the other hundreds of old negatives sitting in even older boxes!

To explore strange new worlds...

To boldly go where no man has gone before! Well, maybe not NO man.

The second part of my trip back from Los Angeles was the Salton Sea. I had never been there before, but had seen many hauntingly beautiful photographs of the Sea and its surrounds. The history of the Salton Sea is a very interesting read. For those who have not heard of its history, here are a few good places to start. Salton Sea Restoration and Salton Sea Historical Chronology.

Upon starting down the East side of the lake I was greeted by an F-16 (I think) doing some pretty tricky hi-speed, low-altitude maneuvers over some Prime Time Pepper fields. Then you come upon the marina... North Beach Marina to be exact. There's an abandoned club/restaurant that is now a White Pelican refuge. I have never seen so many pelicans before... and have never seen a white pelican either. The air is very pungent with the smell of salt and decay. It was also very humid. The Sea is currently 227 feet below sea level, putting it on par with Death Valley. I also saw the largest flies I have ever seen... easily an inch and a quarter long.


Anyway... I made a few photographs with the 8x10 and 4x5 but didn't focus as precisely as I should have... the excitement of this alien world completely discombobulated me.


Next, I went across the street to the Motel. This reminds me of a cheap sci-fi movie, and who knows... it may have been in one. Made one image with the 8x10 in black & white, and then, as I was taking the 8x10 down and getting ready to leave I noticed this painting on a piece of plywood covering one of the doors or windows. I was drawn to it mysteriously, as if it was telling me to come and photograph it. Kind of reminds me of a Star Trek alien. But this alien is crying and has a broken heart... maybe he was left here by his shipmates and they never came back for him. Maybe his girlfriend dumped him... who knows. The sun was directly hitting the face of the Motel, but the second floor walkways were keeping the top of the first floor in beautiful shade. I ran back to the car and got the 4x5 and color film. Thanks again to Rod Klukas' color zone system, the chrome came out perfect. This image reminds me of my friend Juan Garcia's images of the mining murals found throughout Arizona mining towns.


As I was running out of time – and had no more 8x10 film left – I pointed the GPS home and it took me through Box Canyon. Another place I have to go back to. An hour or so later I was back on Interstate 10 heading East. There is an abandoned gas station in Desert Center, CA on the north side of I-10 along a parallel road that I had seen before and been wanting to photograph. Desert Center is another one of those places that time has forgotten. If you have ever driven west and seen a bunch of chopped off palm trees... that's Desert Center. There's a General George Patton Museum there and not much else. I went on the underpass to the road on the other side of the highway and set up my 4x5. I made the image in black & white and in color. Tough to say which one I prefer yet. I made the black & white image with a yellow filter to darken the sky, lighten the shadows and separate the tones in the background mountains. As I was setting up this car comes speeding down the street and parks right where the gas pumps used to be. I had already taken the color image and was changing up for the black & white. Slowly she pulled forward out of my field of view, thankfully. But, she then got out of her car on the cell phone and was looking at me. Then she pulled this 35mm with a long lens on it and started taking photos of me. I don't know what she was thinking, but all I wanted to do was photograph the building, and I was on the other side of the street, I-10 property. Anyway, I finished up and didn't look back. The only thing I can think of is that the building is now for sale... I'm sure it will be sold VERY QUICKLY out there in the middle of nowhere! Which reminds me... I had wanted to photograph it looking northeast, but the for sale sign was on the left side of the bay so that was out. So I had to photograph it facing northwest. At that time of year and that time of day, a better image anyway.



Back onto I-10 East to Phoenix... 3 or 4 hours more and I was home.

Next post... images from Jerome, AZ and Superior, AZ... both field trips from Rod Klukas' large format class.

The Halls are Alive with the Sound of Music...

Disney Concert Hall, actually.

I know that ALL Frank Gehry buildings look the same and that this building has been photographed by EVERYONE... but I love the curves and the sheen on this building.


I recently went to Los Angeles on business and I decided that on the way back home I would photograph a few places I had been wanting to. One of them is the Disney Concert Hall. We had been there on a family vacation last summer and took the tour. Even got to see the organist practice. But, I only had my DSLR. So, this time I brought the big boys... used the 8x10 on these four shots.



They day started miserably. I set the alarm for 5:30 so I could shower, check out of my hotel and be at the hall by 7:00 AM. Well, the alarm went off, and then a rain storm started at 5:31. I hit the snooze and went back to sleep. 15 minutes later the rain stopped. I jumped in the shower and hitailed it out of there. I arrived and had the camera set up by 7:30 AM. Just as I was about to expose the first sheet, the guard came out and told me that no professional photography was allowed of the building without consent. I told him I was not a professional. Then he said something about Union rules... I told him I was not a member of ANY union. Then he told me I was on private property and I was more than welcome to photograph from the "sidewalk". If you have never been here... the sidewalk is about 50 feet from curb to building. There are NO demarcations as to where the private property meets the public right of way. He basically pointed "somewhere over there" near the curb. I went about 8-10 feet from the curb and asked if here was OK... conveniently there was a seam there. He said fine. So I recomposed my shot and changed from the 300mm to the 450mm lens to make up for the distance. Anyway, took 3 more shots toeing the line and was on my way by 9:00 AM – by now the sun had become a problem anyway.


Now, as I was packing up I noticed a "mob" of "photographers" across the street. They all had point-and-shoots and cell phones. I guess there was a walking tour or something. There was also a "pro" there, but not part of the group. I started chatting with him... nice guy – Bob Jensen. Visit his website at http://www.bobjensenphotography.com As I pulled away another group started assembling. Must be a regular thing out there. Maybe next time I'll see if I can join in with my 8x10!

Bob suggested I give him a call next time I'm in town to photograph and we can go to a few other places, like Union Station. I can't wait to go back and spend more time here.

More to come from the remainder of the trip home... Salton Sea and Desert Center. Stay tuned.

A Superior Field Trip...

Our Large Format class with Rod Klukas had a field trip yesterday to Superior, AZ. We started out with a fine breakfast at the Buckboard Cafe then proceeded to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. It started out as a beautiful day though towards lunchtime the light started varying wildly with fast moving clouds. Makes it kind of hard to accurately meter because it keeps changing. In any event I got some nice images and a few snaps of some classmates.

The famous Larry Golsh trying to figure out who left this camera in front of his truck.

Tiffany Pacileo teaching Eddie Patelson a few things about photography, while the famous Larry Golsh still tries to figure out whose camera is blocking his truck.

After lunch we went into the town of Superior. This place is a goldmine for photography. Many old buildings, murals, and other beautiful detritus. Got a few good images before the weather deteriorated. We went through monsoon-like storms on the way back, including hail and some incredible lightning in the Superstition Mountains.

Juan Garcia with one of his previous subjects... a mining mural painted on the side of a building in Superior, AZ. I am proud to own one of Juan's prints (below) from this series.

As I respect my friend, Juan, I did not photograph the mural... in black and white. But I did make a transparency. Hopefully it will turn out. I will post images in a near future blog entry.

Observations on Observations...

Yesterday was the artist's reception for my show at the Photomark Gallery.

The turnout was fairly good... mostly friends from Rod Klukas' large format class, and a few other folks I had not met before. I had some interesting conversations, including one with Don Bierman, who was a staff photographer with the Chicago Tribune for 40 years. He offered insight into how photography has changed in that time, especially journalistic photography.

In addition, we had a surprise visit by our friend, Kim Weston. He is in town until Sunday and stopped by with Randy Efros, Juan Garcia and Frank Ayala.

Kim Weston and I discuss the "Kelp" image, which was made at one of his workshops.

I had several older (1980s) pieces in the show from the Carmel/Big Sur area and Kim and I reminisced about how some of those locations are dramatically different today. Kim had some kind words for my work, and I thank him for the encouragement.

Based on feedback from visitors, the favorite images seem to be "Kelp", the "Barber Shop" and "Whaler's Cove".

Kim Weston critiques "Foundation, Paterson, NJ, 1983".

I have developed several new images from my recent trip to Los Angeles this week. As soon as I can scan the negatives and chromes I will post them here. Included are the Disney Concert Hall, Salton Sea and an abandoned gas station in Desert Center. I am very excited about these images and can't wait to print them.

Kim Weston at the Phoenix Art Museum

The Phoenix photography community had a special treat on November 4. Kim Weston, son of Cole Weston and the grandson of Edward Weston was in town. He, and Randy Efros, along with Becky Senf, from the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, gave a walking tour and lecture on the "Edward Weston: Mexico" exhibit currently at the Phoenix Art Museum.

From left: Kim Weston, Randy Efros, Beck Senf.

The lecture was very informative and offered unique insights into the lives and photography of Edward, Brett and Cole Weston, as well as Kim and Randy.











In addition, there were many great photographers from the Phoenix area in attendance.

Kim Weston with Rod Klukas.

Kim Weston meets Picasso... oh, that's not Picasso... it's our own Eddie Patelson!

The famous Larry Golsh, John Kitts, and Juan Garcia (l to r).

John Prouty and Juan Garcia look for the men's room!

Yours truly with my friend, Kim Weston.

Blown Away!

The girls and I went to Canyon de Chelly this past weekend. Lindsay had off from school Friday and Monday so we decided to spend Friday and Saturday nights there and head back Sunday.

We arrived and the weather was very nice, although a bit windy. When we started driving to all the vista points the wind really kicked up. I would estimate there were hurricane force gusts. Lindsay was able to have the wind keep her upright.


We went down to one vista point and I had to hold on to Lindsay for fear of falling into the abyss.


It was so windy that I decided not to take the large format cameras out of the car. There was too much wind, and even worse, sand and small pebbles racing through the air. They were flying so fast they actually hurt when they hit your skin. I can only imagine what they would do to my lenses. So Lindsay and I decided to do like the natives had done for hundreds of years and seek shelter in the rocks.


I even found time for a quick nap.


Even though I didn't get to use my big cameras we did have a fun trip and I was able to get off a few digital photographs when we weren't getting pelted.








On Saturday, which was the worst for weather, we decided to go back to the hotel, shake the dirt off and then get some lunch. At the hotel the power went out. As this is a fairly remote area, we thought it might just be the hotel and we'd venture into town (Chinle, AZ) and get some lunch. Well, town seemed to be OK... lights were on in businesses. We went to A&W Root Beer (there's not a big selection in Chinle) and have a quick bite. After we ordered and paid for our food, the power went out in the entire town. Lucky for us (we were the last to get any food) they were able to finish cooking our order even without power using residual heat.

We then went back to the hotel and decided to rest until the power came back on. Well, it didn't. Around 3:00 PM local time we had to make a choice... stay at the hotel with the possibility of no electricity, lights or heat for the night (it gets cold in Chinle at between 5,500 and 7,000 ft elevation) OR start home a day early and hope the quarter tank in the car was enough to find us a gas station with power. The weather was deteriorating quickly. We decided to make our way home. Driving through town was like a scene from the Dust-bowl days of the Depression. It was almost surreal. The wild horses, which roam town freely, were pointing away from the wind to protect their eyes from the stinging sand. Visibility was poor at best.

I "hyper-miled" to get the most out of my quarter tank, never going past 55 mph and coasting on some of the long downhills. We drove and drove and drove, passing gas station after gas station with "Closed due to Outage" signs in the windows. We finally arrived at Interstate 40 seventy miles later... and a gas station with power. I filled up and we were on our way. But it was now approaching dinner time and we were still 4 hours away from home. We decided to see if we could get in (dressed like hikers) at the Turquoise Room at the La Posada Hotel in Winslow, AZ (yes, that Winslow, where you can stand on the corner). They said they could take us at 5:45 and we made it with a minute to spare. After a fine meal, probably the best in this desolate area of Arizona, we started home in the dark and arrived there at 10:00 PM.

What a trip! I can't wait to go back when the weather is nice and bring the big cameras out! Thanks to my wife, Michele for the photos of Lindsay and me!