Sentries of Madre Vooh*

This image illustrates the creative possibilities of an image even though it has some severe technical flaws. The original image was washed out due to shooting almost directly at the sun. This resulted in blown out highlights and poor contrast. Yet there was something compelling in a sort of mystical way about the subject and this setting. Using layers in Photoshop CS5 I copied the image on a separate layer, flipped it horizontally, then aligned it using the move tool. The tones were then intentionally adjusted in a manner that maintained the mysterious mood of this image. Normally, I would have tried to reveal much more detail in the shadows and highlight areas, but after much experimentation I decided that this interpretation worked so much better. It creates a sense of wonder in the viewer.

* Read the title backwards to reveal the location of this subject ;-)

Here is another image from The Four Guys Photo Club recent sunrise seacoast excursion. I chose to do this as a faux panorama* rather than a true panorama composed of multiple images stitched together. The lighting conditions at sunrise change so rapidly that it would have been difficult to capture this moment without being set up and ready to go. Someone, who shall remain nameless, overslept by fifteen minutes which created a very rushed situation at our arrival. (Nameless is off the hook because we all still managed to get some great shots and he was actually early for the next excursion.)
The lesson is: allow enough travel time to arrive about 1/2 hour or more before the actual sunrise.
* See my previous post for details of faux panorama.

This image was captured on a recent excursion of The Four Guys Photo Club in Wolfeboro NH. Our excursions are starting earlier and earlier in the morning after having some very successful sunrise sessions. The early bird catches the glorious morning light. If you haven't learned that by now, good! That means less competition for me ;-) Just kidding.
This faux panorama was created using a simple crop in Lightroom 4.  Normally I would have done a full blown panorama if I were going to print this at a much larger size. This will print just fine on a sheet of 13"x19" paper which is a standard size. This will also display just fine on the web. However, for those of you interested in creating a full blown panorama that can be printed to a massive size with incredible detail, stay tuned. I will give a detailed description of my procedure.

Westmoreland Trees-Westmoreland, NH

I recently received some criticism from a highly respected artist and photographer for not correcting the lens distortion in this image. However, I respectfully disagree.  If this were an image of an architectural structure that would have been a very valid criticism. Aside from the fact that much of the image would have been cropped away by that correction, it totally would have ruined the impact of the image. In my humble opinion, this view seen from about 30 feet below the bottom of these trees on a hill seems to exalt them and embrace the viewer.
My point is this: TRUST YOUR OWN INSTINCTS AND ARTISTIC VISION!!!
Be sure to click on the image to get the full impact of the details in this image.

Current events

For those of you that missed the Gafney library exhibit, you can see a few of my images currently on display at the  Tuftonboro Library in Tuftonboro, NH during the month of March.  My first solo exhibit will be in June at the Franklin Gallery in Rochester, NH. I have decided to make this an exhibit entirely composed of monchromatic images.
The next solo exhibit is scheduled for June 2013 at the Wolfeboro Public Library in Wolfeboro, NH. This will be ambitious since I intend to show all new images.
On another note, "thank you" goes out to Tom Rush for our second session with him. Tom is a terrific model. Keep an eye out for his advertisement of MacKenzie & Marr Guitars. Also our images are featured on his "Fish Song" children's album.

Thank you for a successful exhibit!

Thank you to all who helped make our exhibit at The Gafney Library such a successful event.  It was very gratifying to see so many people travel so far to support us. Thank you to Betty and Coty who came all the way from Plattsburgh, my twin sister Judy who traveled from the Northeast Kingdom,  and my photo partner/sister Medora for showing me the ropes. Thanks to Matt for taking time out from his busy teaching schedule at Brown University and for bringing Skye and Ivy along. I would also like to thank Martha for sharing her magnificent rare photography collection after the reception. Special thanks go to Peter, Beryl, and all the staff at The Gafney Library for making it all work so smoothly.

Gafney Library and upcoming events

Please join me for the opening of our photo exhibit at The Gafney Library in Sanbornville, NH on 2/18/12 11:30AM-1:30PM
It will feature over thirty of my works as well as images by my sister/photo partner, Medora Hebert.


Upcoming events include a group exhibit in Wolfeboro, NH (Details TBA) in March, and a black and white exhibit at The Franklin Gallery in Rochester, NH in June. 
I will post details as they become available.