Breaking the rules

Sometimes we need to break the rules to think differently.  We all become creatures of habit and develop routines.  These routines are important to develop consistency and to reach our objective goals.
Without a pattern of routine we would wander aimlessly without a defined purpose.  But we must not let these established routines prevent us from exploring and learning a new approach to the way we do things.  I am primarily a black and white photographer and will always pursue that style of photography, because I personally believe that an image revels much more when viewed in black and white.  But sometimes I need to break from the routine and explore something entirely different.  For me a color image is more about color and shapes than the subject matter.  This image is in opposition to everything I do with a black and white image.  The central theme of this image is color and space, the subject matter is secondary.  Where as with my black and white images I work for a strong but simple composition with a focus on the subject matter.  I like to think of this as sideways thinking to our normal thought process.  It may not always yield results but the exercise is worth it the effort

Early Spring

I made this image back in 2007 in the first part of March.  I had just purchased my first digital DSLR camera and went out at sunrise in my neighborhood to try out the new camera.  I knew from the start that I wanted to continue photographing in my black and white style of photography, and was up for the challenge of attempting to make the switch from film.  While I continued to use film up until 2011, I forced myself to use the digital camera as a black and white camera much like my primary film camera I was accustom with.  The above image was skipped over and it was recently that I took a look at it and decided to work on it.  I find that with some images that they actually look more appealing years after the initial exposure was made, in this case nine years afterwards.
My analysis of film vs. digital is probably typical of anyone that has a long history with using film.  Certainly there are many things about film photography that I miss, but I also enjoy the simplified process of the digital medium.  The most important thing for me to remember, is to think and work as I did with film.  It certainly is an advantage for me with my style of photography to have most of my years working with film and the darkroom process.

http://www.johndoddato.net/

Allegheny National Forrest

One of my favorite places for camping and hiking is in the Allegheny National Forrest of Northwestern Pennsylvania.  It is truly a wilderness area of old growth forrest and fresh water streams full of boulders.  Touring the area you will find old mountain towns from the logging and railroad days.  On scenic Route 6 you can travel 400 miles winding your way pass mountains and through valleys of farm land.  Western Pennsylvania has so much to offer the person that enjoy outdoors recreation.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/allegheny

Photography Tip for installing a lens filter

Old Boat

Driving around the panhandle of Florida I often find old fishing boats abandoned along the shore.  Many of these boats were used for oyster fishing and have either become too old for use or were washed up from a tropical storm that hit the area.  I have aways been drawn to things that are abandoned and left to decay.  I am sure there is a story behind this old boat and these subject matters always intrigues my imagination.  That is part of the mystique of finding these old abandoned objects from the past. 

Scanning negative film

I have many black and white negatives that I had made during my darkroom days.  Most of my work back then was done with a Linhof 4x5 view camera using Kodak films.  Tri-x was one film I enjoyed because of it's exposure latitude and the way I could easily manipulate it.  When Tmax films came along it was a challenge at first to know how to use and process the film.  Tmax was revolutionary because of the grain structure and the very fine detail it could record.  It was a film that needed a strict processing procedure, and I used a calibrated Jobo processor to do all of my development.  The time and temperature was extremely critical to getting satisfactory and repeatable results with Tmax.  Recently I have   been scanning a few of my old negatives to use on my web site.  I have an Epson V750 flatbed scanner and use a fluid mount scanning procedure. The results are alright for web images but when compared to my finished fine gelatin silver prints they can not compare.  Certainly there are better quality scanning devices such as a drum scanner.  Someday I may use a custom lab to make a high end scan of some of my favorite negatives to see if I could print them to my satisfaction.  The above image, called Roger, is one I made with Tmax-100 film and scanned with my flatbed scanner.  

Buckskin Gulch

In Northern Arizona near the Utah border is a wilderness area that I love to hike called Paria Canyon.   There are wonderful canyons and river beds to explore and one of my favorites is Buckskin Gulch.  It is a long canyon that extends nearly 28 miles from one end to the other.  I have never hiked the entire canyon but hope to someday.  This canyon has narrow slots with high walls towering a hundred feet or more overhead.   It is always advisable to check the  weather forecast before going into these remote locations.  A sudden storm can drop a lot of rain in the mountains and all of that water will be draining down and out of these isolated canyons.  You can see in this image the log that is wedged between the canyon walls and can imagine the force of water that flowed down through this canyon at one time.  My rule for hiking into these locations is to keep track of time to know when to turn around and head back.  It is important to keep in mind that a four hour hike in equals a four hour hike back out.  It is easy to get infatuated with the magnificent surroundings and lose track of time and your energy.  The Southwest offers some great opportunities to explore some remote and rugged landscapes, and with a little research and planning you can enjoy some scenic wilderness. 

Technical notes:  I made this image with a 4x5 view camera using Kodak TMax 100 film. I scanned the negative using a fluid mount process on a