Sean Duggan Blog

Snowy April Dogwoods from 11 Years Ago

Snowy Dogwoods  •  April 8, 2005
(click in the image to se a larger version)

Today is Tuesday and this particular Tuesday marks the return of Time Machine Tuesday. On these occasional forays into the past I try to chose an image from either the same date, or around the same time of year from at last one year in the past (and bonus points for myself if I find one from more than 10 years ago!). For this week I did pretty good on that; today's image is from April 8th, 2005...almost eleven years ago to the day.

Early April this year could not be more different! Today, like eleven years ago, the dogwoods in the yard are blooming, but instead of cold and snow, we have a beautiful Spring day with temperatures well above normal. As I write this late in the afternoon, it is currently 75˚, and tomorrow's high is supposed to hit 84˚. Shirt sleeve and shorts weather here in the Sierra foothills. Really and truly! If my work schedule allowed for it, I could even lie out and probably get a start on my summer tan. Of course, weather in the mountains and foothills in the spring can be fickle, and by Friday, the high temperature is forecast to be 25 degrees cooler than tomorrow's high. 

Another thing that is different now is that this dogwood tree, sadly, no longer exists (apart from a low stump on the lawn). It developed some form of blight or other tree sickness and the arborists we consulted said that little could be done. It was cut down and the wood from it eventually warmed us on subsequent winters when we burned it on our wood-burning stove. We've since planted other dogwoods, but I do miss its cheerful rosy blossoms.

This particular image was eventually licensed as the cover for a textbook on the Principles of Organic Chemistry (somewhere I have a copy, but I cannot find it now to include a photo of it). I'm guessing that the organic chemists out there might understand the visual metaphor for why this particular photo would work as the cover photo for such a textbook. Or maybe the book designers just wanted a pretty picture.

In any case, while searching for other photos for another project I am working on, I came upon this image and since the date was perfect for a Time Machine Tuesday entry, I figured it must be a sign and so I went with it.

I hope that your Tuesday has been a good one!

Eine kleine Nachtmusik

Bicycle and Red Awnings  
Dresden, Germany  |  July 27, 2009
(click in the image to see a larger version)

It's been a while since I made a post for Time Machine Tuesday, the occasional look back at least one year to an image made at the same general time of year. This one is from a July evening six years ago, during a night photography walkabout through the center of Dresden, Germany (3 seconds, f/5.6 at 100 ISO, for the technically curious). All in all I spent two nights in that city taking my camera and tripod for a walk in search of a little photographic night music.

This post, as well as the image, really have nothing at all to do with Eine kleine Nachtmusik, one of Mozart's most famous compositions, which is commonly translated as A Little Night Music. I was just thinking of how the variations of light, tone and color in a photographic composition can sometimes be visually similar to a musical composition, and since this is a night photograph, that title popped into my head and would not be dislodged. Of course, those who actually compose music might take issue with such a comparison, and when talking of a musical composition as intricate and sublime as Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik, I might even agree with them.

It's hard to compare a single press of the shutter with a complex and beautifully nuanced piece of music. But the correlation between music and photography is not a new one. Perhaps the most famous photographer who was one of the first (if not the first) to make the comparison was Ansel Adams, who seriously studied the piano for many years in his youth. His training as a musician had a definite influence on his visual artistry and how he saw the role of light and the tonal scale in photographs. Perhaps his most famous comparison between photography and music was his idea that the photographic negative was like a musical score, and the print was akin to the performance of that score.

He also wrote: "I can look at a fine art photograph and sometimes I can hear music."

If you're in the mood to hear some beautiful music, specifically, Eine kleine Nachtmusik, see the video below...

Big House, Steep Hill, Beautiful Day

Big House, Steep Hill, Beautiful Day
San Francisco  |   June 24, 2015    |  iPhone 6
(Click in the image for a larger version)

The past couple of days have been warm and quite lovely in the San Francisco area. Fortunately, even though the temperatures were pretty hot in the inland coastal areas today, the city stayed very pleasant. The ocean breezes make it quite comfortable.

Finding the Key to Challenging Landscapes

Moss Covered Lava Field, Iceland
July 9, 2012  •  [Canon 5D Mark III]
(click in the image to see a larger version)

Some landscapes are easier than others to photograph. Of course, this is often dependent on what the light is doing, the vantage point you have, and how easy it is to put yourself in a place to create a compelling image. For some locations, however, compositions and ways to work the scene are readily apparent.

Then there are those places that prove to be more visually challenging, and instead of finding your photographs right away, you first have to find the key to unlock the puzzles of those landscapes.

(click in the image to enlarge)

The Icelandic landscape featured in these images was just such a place. Miles and miles of jagged, black lava rocks covered by thick blankets of soft, springy moss. A grayish color when it's dry, the moss is transformed to green when it rains (as was the case on this day).

This was not an easy place to photograph as it was visually both very busy and very uniform at the same time. It was only once I began to look closely for interesting shapes that the moss created atop the rocks (as seen in the first image above), that I found my visual key for unlocking this beautiful puzzle of a landscape.

(click in the image to enlarge)

A central element in this approach was to minimize the amount of sky that was in the shot. When the sky is not interesting, angle your camera downward to include more of the land. Look for interesting elements to place in the foreground of the composition to create more visual depth in the scene. Vary your vantage point to find new angles and perspectives; with the exception of the road image, all of these photos were made with the camera position low to the ground and close to the moss covered rocks.

Finding the key to help you unlock the visual possibilities in a scene may not be readily apparent at first. Once you train your eyes to consider all aspects of the location, however, then it becomes easier to identify different approaches for interpreting a scene and making successful photographs.


A variation on a theme. The top image was mirrored and combined with reflected elements of another photo from the same location to create this surreal, imaginary landscape (click in the image to enlarge it).

Find out more about my Creative Discoveries in Iceland workshop this summer, June 29 to July 6

Dogwood Blossoms and Spring Snow

Dogwood Blossoms and Spring Snow
April, 2005
(click in the image for a larger version)

It's Tuesday and that means it's time once again for another edition of Time Machine Tuesday, where I delve into the archives to re-visit an image from at least one year in the past (and often, taken at the same time of year).

This photo was made in early April eight years ago and shows one of the dogwood trees in my yard frosted white after a spring snowfall. Sadly, this dogwood tree is no longer around, as it began ailing a couple of years after this shot was made and never recovered. We had an arborist come out to examine it and hopefully see if there was anything that could be done, but it continued to decline, and we eventualy cut it down. Fortunately, we have another large dogwood tree in the yard (one with the classic white blossoms), and have planted several more since then.

Somewhere in this image is a metaphor for organic chemistry. At least, that's what an editor or book designer thought, since a few years after I had taken this photo, it was licensed for the cover of a college-level textbook on the principles of organic chemistry.

March Newsletter

The latest issue of my newsetter was sent out yesterday. If you're not already a subscriber, you can sign up using the form in the upper right column. To see what the newsletters are like, you can preview the most recent version here.

If you have any requests for tips or tutorials you'd like to see featured in future issues of the Viewfinder, please drop me a line and let me know!

Join me in Maine for "The Creative Digital Darkroom"

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Dawn  [Canon 5D]
September 14, 2011 • Maine
(click in the image for a larger version)

My early October Maine workshop is a go!

If you're lookng for an inspiring and immersive workshop that combines digital photography in beautiful locations with in-depth explorations of image enhancement using Lightroom and Photoshop, plus small class size and a high level of individual attention, I invite you to join me at the Maine Media Workshops for The Creative Digital Darkroom Sept 30 to Oct 6.

Early October is a beautiful time in Maine and fall color foliage forecasts point to some autumn color making an early appearence this year. Plus, we'll have incredibly scenic New England towns, lighthouses and beautiful coastal locations to explore with our cameras, creating images that we'll explore further in the digital darkroom during the week. If you have any questions about the class, please feel free to contact me.

The image above is a 5-shot HDR created with Photomatix and Photoshop CS6.

Red Foxes

 
Two Foxes in the Woods  [Canon 5D]
March 30, 2011  •  (click in the image for a larger version)

 

Yesterday I photographed the dress rehearsal of a play that my daughter's 4th grade class will be performing on Friday. These two girls play foxes in the story and this photo was taken after the rehearsal as they walked back to the classroom.

The school is an excellent Waldorf charter school and we feel very fortunate to be a part of it. Most of the kids in this class have been together since kindergarten and have had the same teacher since the 1st grade. This consistency and familiarity has created a really great group of kids. Over the years I've become the unofficial class photographer and when my own teaching and travel schedule allows for it I try to make a point of being on hand for class events and field trips, as well as the occasional regular school day, to document the life and times of the class.

The consistency of the same group of kids being together from 1st through 4th grade (they will be together through the 8th grade), has also made me and my photographic activities familiar to them, allowing for a more relaxed atmosphere when I am there with my camera. I use a photo sharing site to give the photos to all of the class parents and families so that everyone can enjoy them and have prints made for their own photo albums. It's a way to give back with my photography to this small, immediate group of people whose children are such a big part of our daughter's school life. It's a very satisfying long-term project that is different from most of the image making that I normally do and I really appreciate the opportunity to make photographs of the children as they grow up.

Finding Images in the Familiar

Blue Fountain Ice  [Canon 10D]
December 28, 2003
(click in the image for a larger version)

For this edition of Time Machine Tuesday, we travel back exactly seven years ago today for a simple close-up shot of the frozen fountain in our garden.

One of the great joys of photography is searching for, and finding, images in the spaces that surround us everday. Because we are so familiar with these locations, it's easy to overlook them as places to turn to for photographic inspiration. But sometimes, all it takes is a new frame of mind (or a change in the weather) to see things that transform the familair into the new, the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Although the big photo project in my life for the past several years has involved conceptualizing, pre-visualizing, detailed planning, gathering props, and travel to specifc landscapes, I still enjoy the surprise of finding the unexpected image and I make a point of engaging in regular photo walkabouts in my backyard, or the area immediatly surrounding where I live. It's good exercise for the eyes and the mind's eye.

FOTOfusion in South Florida

In mid January I'll be teaching some hands-on classes and giving a presentation at FOTOfusion, the photography and imaging festival hosted by the Palm Beach Photographic Center. The dates are Jan 11 — 15. Here's a list of my sessions:

• Crafting the Multiple Image Composite
  (3-hour computer lab)  /  Thursday Jan 13,  8:30 – 11:30am
  
  
• Creative Interpretations with Camera Raw  
  (90-minute computer lab)  / Saturday Jan 15  2:30 – 4:00pm
  
  
• Artifacts of an Uncertain Origin
  Lecture/Presentation
  
  

Artifacts of an Uncertain Origin 2011 Calendar

My 2011 calendar featuring 12 new pinhole photographs from the surreal and enigmatic Artifacts of an Uncertain Origin series is now available. Click here to see a preview of all of the images in the calendar or to place an order.

 

Move your head so I can see Diamond Head

Arm's Length Self Portrait — [Canon 5D w/ Lensbaby Composer]
Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii
April 23, 2010
(click in the image for a larger version)

This was taken during my April trip to Honolulu to teach a few workshops at the University of Hawaii. For the past few years, I have indulged in a now traditional Lensbaby Walkabout along Waikiki Beach. The unique look of the Lensbaby Composer just seems to really fit the visual vibe of that place. It does wonderful things with the bright colors and and lights, whether on the beach itself, or on Kalakaua Avenue, the street that runs adjacent to it.

"Move your head so I can see Diamond Head"

This couple was setting up an arm's length self portrait shot using a method I had not seen before: He held out the camera, pointed in his direction with a view of Waikiki and Diamond Head in the background, while she made adjustments to the position and framing. Then she came around and joined him and he snapped the picture. Making photographs of other people taking pictures, especially in classic touristy locations such as this has been a thread in my photography for a long time. I just find that aspect of the photographic process interesting and the dynamics involved when are people posing their friends or themselves for a picture can often create an intriguing moment. The clever framing method employed by this couple was a new spin on this theme and I felt that the addition of the delicious Lensbaby blur only added to the scene.

What's the Story?

Another thing I like about this image has to do with the story aspect of the scene. I am always looking for story potential in the images I create, either through obvious events in the scene I am photographing, or hinted at through juxtaposition, metaphor or suggestion. Sometimes I am aware of the narrative possibilities as I am making the image, as was the case here, and other times I do not discover the story until after I have taken the photo and am working with it in the digital darkroom. In this photograph I was intrigued by the sense of tension created by the contrast of the idyllic, almost fairytale sky and the relaxed vacation moment with the battered "DANGER" sign next to the couple. They are completely absorbed in making their sunset photographic memory, while the sign juts up ominously, breaking the smooth surface of the sky with its hard, angular warning.

Workshop in Maine Next Week

I'll be heading to Maine at the end of the week to teach my Real World Digital Photography class at the Maine Media Workshops, June 13 — 19. I look forward to going to Maine each year and teaching there. It's a great place for photography and the staff at The Workshops always helps to create a wonderful learning environment. As with all of my workshops, we will search for the extraordinary in the ordinary. There are a still a few spots left so sign up soon if you are interested.

Upcoming Workshops in L.A. & New Mexico

The Creative Digital Darkroom
June 28 — July 1
Marlborough School • Los Angeles, CA
Info & Registration Link

The Creative Eye: Photography & Digital Darkroom Essentials
July 25 — 31
Santa Fe Photographic Workshops • Santa Fe, New Mexico
Info & Registration Link

And coming up September 16 — 19 will be a 4-day version of my popular compositing and collage class, The Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop at the Mesilla Digital Imaging Workshops in southern New Mexico.

Lightroom 3

In case you may have missed it, Adobe officially announced Lightroom 3 today. It's been in public beta for many months but the final version is now available. This is a major upgrade with lots of new features and improvements to old favorites. If you are already a Lightroom user, this is definitely worth the $99 upgrade price. Here's a link to a video with Julieanne Kost explaining all the new features in Lightroom 3.

RGB

RGB  [Canon 5D]
Foster Botanical Gardens, Honolulu, Hawaii
April 13, 2008
(click in the image for a larger version)

In looking for an image to post today, I used the filtering functions in Lightroom and searched through images that had a rating of 3 or more stars. I had not thought of this image for awhile, but I am glad that it crossed my path again because I have always liked the quiet simplicity of this arrangement (which is mostly as I found it; I did pick up the blue berries which were on the ground and added them above the red leaf).

This type of spontaneous photography, where you go into the world with no idea what you may photograph that day, is a refreshing counterpoint to the more conceptualized and planned out scenes that I create with my wooden pinhole camera. I enjoy both types of photography equally; they fulfill different aspects of the creative impulse and each nourishes the other.

There is no One photography. Instead, there are photographies. Embrace the ones that fill your creative soul with light, no matter how different they may be.

The other reason this image caught my eye is because it was taken in Hawaii, and a few days ago I was going over the outlines of the three short workshops that I will be teaching there in a little more than two months. These will be held on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, April 22 – 25. The classes are already filling up, so if you are interested in attending, please follow the link below for more information.

3 Photoshop Workshops in Hawaii
April 22 _ 25, 2010
More Information & Registration Links

A Weekend Workshop in Carmel

Closer to home, and closer on the calendar, is a weekend workshop that I'll be teaching at the Center for Photographic Art, in Carmel, California, on March 20th and 21st. This is a laptop-based class designed for photographers by a photographer that will cover the essentials of working in the digital darkroom:

Lightworks & Shadowplay
Digital Darkroom Essentials
March 20-21, 2010
Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, CA
More Information & Registration Links