Traveling the back roads

This image was made with my 4x5 view camera a few years ago in the rural country side of upstate N.Y.  I always enjoyed riding out with my camera gear and see what I would come upon in my travels. This old farmer's name was Ray, and he was more than happy to let me take his portrait. He lived alone with his old dog "Millie" on his farm that he no longer worked. He was a quiet man and my time spent with him was enjoyable and memorable. I scanned the 11x14 print to get a digital image.  Some tonality and detail is lost in the process when compared to the original silver gelatin print.

Who remembers the dead?

Our walk on this earth is short. We occupy our thoughts with dreams of the future and make our plans, but in reality we leave without any of it. Most of us will never be remembered beyond our grand children. It is a sad thought but when viewing old cemeteries you can see this is true. In N.Y. State there are numerous old cemeteries in rural settings. Some are well cared for while other are abandon for some reason. This one was located above Watkins Glen on a hill overlooking Seneca Lake.  Most of the stones are dated in the mid eighteen hundreds. The cemetery has been abandon and little care has been given to the individual grave sites. When walking through such a place you get an eerie feeling and contemplate life and wonder why no one here remembers the dead.

Farm Life

Farm life in upstate N.Y. is  hard but rewarding for those that love it. We were out riding around photographing when we came upon this old farm and barns with white tin roofs. We saw the old farmer and stopped by to chat. His name was Dick, and his family has been farming this land for several generations. He was full of wit and humor as most old farmers are.  He invited us to drive onto his farm and showed us how to latch the gate when we left. He took off in his old pickup truck, gave us a wave, and left us to roam around his farm to photograph. It is a hard and simple life but one that builds a lot of character in a person.

Eagle Cliff Falls

One of the special things about the Finger Lakes region of upstate N.Y. is the number of waterfalls in the area. There are hundreds of mapped waterfalls with hiking trails as well as many that can be found just by exploring the streams that flows out of the hills surrounding the lakes. Havana Glen, in Montour Falls, has always been one of my favorites to visit. It is a short and easy hike up the glen to the falls. It is a place where I love to sit and feel the cool mist from the falling water. The link below will give you locations to many of the waterfalls in N.Y. State

http://nyfalls.com/waterfalls/havana-glen/

Little Joe Tower

In the city of Corning, N.Y stands 196' tower that was used by Corning Glass Works as a facility to fabricate thermometer tubing. It was constructed in 1912 and used a technique called "vertical draw" where hot glass was pulled up to the top of the tower creating a continuous glass tube and after it cooled was cut into lengths for thermometers. Today the process is done horizontally and the tower is no longer in use. Little Joe Tower has become a historic figure on the skyline of the city of Corning. The image of the glass blower (gaffer) on the top represents the long history of the glass industry in Corning.

http://www.corningfingerlakes.com/attractions/museums/corning-museum-glass

Abstract Images

I enjoy creating abstract images. Just the simple process of converting a color image to a Black & White makes the image abstract. I like to record movement in some of my images to extend the abstract quality of the scene a little further. This picture is of an old vineyard barn located on one of the hills surrounding Canandaigua Lake in central N.Y.  I stood and watched the directions of the clouds for a few moments and could see they were moving away form me. I made a three minute exposure and as I had hoped, the clouds fanned out over the barn roof giving a surreal look to the overall image.

http://www.canandaiguawinetrail.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canandaigua_Lake

Thunderhead Cloud

I was out photographing a few days ago on Bully Hill overlooking Keuka Lake. I could see storms were in the area and decided to choose a location for a big sky view of the landscape. I find that the best time for dramatic landscape photographs is when there is a weather event going on such as a thunder storm. It is important not to become too involved with your photography to disregard your personal safety. The storm in the picture was brief and passed quickly, but it did produce some hail and a few lightning bolts. I packed up my gear and waited in my car for the storm to clear.  A few minutes later I was able to make this image of the thunderhead cloud after the storm passed by my location.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bully_Hill_Vineyards

A Broken Bridge

We live in a world of constant motion and noise. We are surrounded by movement and photography is a medium that can capture it. This image was taken on Big Pine Key Florida in Bahai Honda State Park. The bridge is part of the old Flagler railroad that has been closed for a number of years. In making this image I decided to make a long exposure of several minutes to show the motion of the clouds over top of the R.R. bridge.  In determining my composition I considered the direction of the cloud movement to best enhance my picture.  I could see the clouds were moving fast in the path of the bridge and knew this was the location I wanted to setup my equipment. The movement of the streaking clouds gives the image a sense of mystery as if a ghost train was traveling over the bridge.  The broken bridge can have a disturbing element to it. A bridge is suppose carry us safely over a divide. The missing span could invoke a feeling that we are either blocked from reconnecting to our past or the bridge to our future is broken.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/bahiahonda/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Railroad