skipping stones . . . . . . . . .

Further down the road

2011-12-02T22:36:00.000-08:00

This portrait was made on a recent cold, overcast morning. Walking a lonely road on the fringes of the Applegate Valley of southern Oregon.

Everyday Landscape #20 - Rogue Valley, Oregon

2010-01-24T22:37:00.000-08:00

Looking more or less toward the California border, maybe 25 miles distant...

Everyday Landscape #19 - Yellow House

2010-01-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

Prunin' time of year for the pear orchards out here in these parts...

Everyday Landscape #18 - Old 4402

2010-01-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

This old narrow gauge workhorse is sitting by the side of the road, long since abandoned by whoever had dreams of restoring her...

Everyday Landscape #17 - New Year, New Focus

2010-01-01T21:22:00.000-08:00

Another year begins. What will this year offer in the way of light and shape and emotion, to be snatched from the fog of existence...

Everyday Landscape #16 - My Town

2009-12-30T13:43:00.000-08:00

Everyday Landscape #15

2009-12-09T18:24:00.000-08:00

Everyday Landscape #14

2009-12-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

Everyday Landscape #13

2009-11-17T21:15:00.000-08:00

Everyday Landscape #12

2009-11-15T10:21:00.000-08:00

Everyday Landscape #11

2009-11-14T16:51:00.000-08:00

Miss You, Buddy...

2009-11-06T21:43:00.000-08:00

Everyday Landscape #10

2009-11-05T22:03:00.000-08:00

Everyday Landscape #9

2009-10-31T23:58:00.000-07:00

Everyday Landscape #8

2009-10-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

Everyday Landscape #7

2009-10-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

Everyday Landscape #6

2009-10-20T22:52:00.000-07:00

Everyday Landscape #5

2009-10-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

Everyday Landscape #4

2009-10-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

Everyday Landscape #2

2009-10-08T22:50:00.000-07:00

Everyday Landscape

2009-10-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

After the Fire

2009-09-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

Ventured into central Oregon this past week on the way up to Portland. Stayed one night in the LaPine State Park campground. A fire had burned through some of the state park lands back in 2003 and it was replanted in 2006, so the effects of the fire appear surprisingly fresh. That's the Deschutes River meandering quietly through this surreal landscape.

The land in this area of central Oregon just east of the Cascades consists of a thick deposit of pumice and volcanic ash laid down when Mt. Mazama erupted then collapsed on itself to create the caldera that is Crater Lake a little over 7000 years ago. Crater Lake lies about 50 or so miles southwest of here.

Dusk

2009-09-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

After sunset. As the light drains out of the sky, colors also fade, edges soften. A great time of day to linger with the tripod, for the slow shutter speeds required in low light turn moving objects into magical, wispy shapes. As I witness this scene in the dim light during the five second exposure, I feel a discernible pause, a momentary stretching of time.

The Peaceful Pacific

2009-09-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

Returned to Bandon on a still evening that featured low tide at sunset. A rare opportunity for the occasional visitor to stand among these quiet giants who welcome the winds and the sea to the western shores of our continent.

What I like about photography is that it encourages me to look deeply at what is in front of me in order to see if I can get my camera to capture the essence of the moment. The medium, of course, is light. The catalyst - emotion.

A Gift of Light

2009-09-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

Day 4 of a 12 day sojourn. After a 2 hour whale watching voyage this morning, I'm sitting on a bluff just south of Depoe Bay, where I had boarded the boat. I had noticed this grassy bluff when the boat was about a mile or so offshore, so checked out this peaceful spot after lunch.

I had been sitting here about an hour when the fog began feeling its way back to shore, and with the sun directly behind me, my patience was rewarded with this gift of light.

Where to Begin?

2009-08-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

Home from two weeks of complete unplugging - photographing up & down the Oregon coast. Each day unique, each day yielding it's own rhythms and discoveries. Hung out much of one day at or near the harbor at Port Orford. Actually there is no harbor, per se. Boats are dropped into the water from the dock by crane each day, then hoisted back onto the dock upon returning.

Where else can you take full portraits of working fishing boats? Will share more photos soon of this most fun day rubbing elbows with sailors and their blue collar vessels.

Retreat to the Coast

2009-08-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

Will be embarking next week on a nearly 2-week retreat - solitary photography along the Oregon coast. Will be yurt camping in state parks from Bandon to Lincoln City. Am planning the trip to maximize photo ops while not even thinking about hurrying myself one little bit. Of course, the Oregon coast does not lack for photo ops - in fact, my problem is choosing among hundreds of possibilities.

This photo is of Eureka Harbor during a northern California coast excursion a couple of years ago.

Wrap Master

2009-08-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

Life sure doesn't shortchange us in the unpredictability department. We can never divine with certainty what kind of surprises await as we begin each day. As a photographer, I have learned to expect the unexpected, to be always ready for a spontaneous shot. This vigilance for things interesting yields a life of hyper-awareness to everything around me. Not a bad way to pass the time...

Shasta Summer

2009-07-31T21:26:00.001-07:00

Somewhere on the west flank of Mt. Shasta. Not much snow left this time of year. 'Cept for thunderstorms, it's a great time to test yourself at higher elevations...

Accelerated Beauty

2009-07-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

When life is zooming by at uncontrollable speed, there is beauty even in the blur. You just gotta pay attention.

Attention. I can do it in bursts. An examining awareness rather than just shallow acknowledgment. So hard to maintain the attention because life just swallows up each hour, each day. To welcome the distractions as gifts is the goal. Pause on each moment as you would pause on a photograph.

On the Nature of Existence

2009-07-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

I encountered this old survivor yesterday. Hot mid-day sun, temperature hovering right at 100 degrees. She's obviously seen better days, but there she is, carrying out her assignment, however mysterious.

The photo got me thinking (again) about the tenuous nature of existence, for all creatures. I realized that all photos, indeed all forms of artistic expression, are but an individual's examination of a tiny slice of the world as it is, or as it could be. That's certainly how it is for me.

Another cool video

2009-06-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

This is from a very interesting blogger, Jin Zhu, a san francisco photographer who shares not only personal work and musings, but the work of many others - photos, writing and videos. As a non-musician who maybe could have been, this effort resonates with me.... You will find this Lasse Gjertsen video buried deep within Jin's most interesting blog site: Shooting Wide Open (see my blog list right).

Hair Clip - 15:18, June 14

2009-06-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

A specific perspective among infinite possible perspectives in an instant in the flow of time. Which is, of course, what all photographs encapsulate.

Seeing/photographing

2009-06-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

Am reading Frederick Franck's little volume of sketches and philosophy: zen seeing, zen drawing. Reading all this photo related blogging lately has got me revisiting my library, and I pulled Franck's book out and am enjoying it immensely. Tho I don't draw, much of what he discusses and ponders relates directly to my current immersion in photography. An artist, whether painter, writer, photographer, has, somewhere along the line, discovered how to see, rather than just look. He emphasises seeing/drawing as a way of life - it certainly was for him. Photography has opened my eyes also to a deeper level of attention to this life which passes before me - even when (now rarely) I'm without my camera.

Flag Day

2009-06-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

A little red, white and blue offering discovered today on the back lot of an auto repair shop.

Lost in a Moment

2009-06-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

This is a sweet little video, first encountered on a blog I follow: cigarettesandpurity. Recommend full screen.

Weeds

2009-06-05T23:10:00.000-07:00

The view from my ankles, on a remote shore of Emigrant Lake, Oregon.

Crossing

2009-06-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

More from the lake today. Far off in the distance a momma mallard and her small brood paddled across the finger of the lake where I was shooting. Way too distant for a normal photo, but what if...

Life on the Edge

2009-06-05T22:56:00.000-07:00

Many possible stories here - the one most likely is the all too common attitude of when it breaks, abandon it.

Life Flashes By...

2009-05-31T22:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I've managed a full month of blogging, or, rather, posting a relatively recent photo with a bare comment in a fairly regular fashion. In public, sort of. Not that anyone is reading this, but someone just might, someday. Could happen.

I have realized a bit of an increase in my motivation to get out & shoot. An when I'm not shooting, I'm thinking about shooting. Thinking about what I've recently photographed, or thinking about potentials. And, of course, staying focused in the present. Watching light. Watching compositions found, watching compositions waiting to be arranged.

Had scattered thundershowers the past two evenings. Got out and tried my luck both evenings. Both kinda fizzled, as they often do, wound up trying to shoot in sprinkles both times. This is one reasonable (hand propped) success from tonight - a little closure to a month which just flashed by....

kz

Chiaroscuro

2009-05-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

Was setting up to photograph roses yestermorning when I noticed this play of light and texture off in the distance. Zoomed to max telephoto, 400mm. The key provided the composition. For me this image conveys the "feel" of early morning - bright, but with softness, both in the air and in the light. Gotta get out in the early morning more often...

Unicorn Bee

2009-05-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

Managed several shots of this fellow, all show just one antenna. The sports shooter in me won't let me work quietly shooting flowers in a garden or mosses in the forest, I find I'm always chasing after the moving objects in nature - flies, bees, hummingbirds. Every once in a while I get lucky and have the right equipment, the right light and right angle when an unexpected visitor appears. I relish the challenge of making it all work.

Dreaming of Life in the Big City

2009-05-27T11:47:00.000-07:00

Reflections often serve as the catalyst for reflection - introspection, or outrospection. As a photographer I dwell comfortably in both dimensions.

Back in the Saddle

2009-05-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

Have been away from home base for a week. Drifted north to Portland and then to Seattle. This shot happened while touristing downtown Seattle - horse and rider approaching, we converged at this spot, I was ready with the preparation part, luck did her part.

The Grateful Tulip Farmer

2009-05-13T09:14:00.000-07:00

This fellow has been watching over the road from a corner of some farmer's pasture for as long as I can remember. Another of those someday-I'm-gonna-stop-and-photograph-him subjects. Finally did yesterday. Quiet late-afternoon light. Cooperative model.

57 T-Bird

2009-05-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

Out in the country today when this beauty wandered by.

Tracks

2009-05-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

This was shot with a 22mm focal length. I choose the wide angle lenses frequently because I like the sense of being present this subjective viewpoint brings to a composition.

These cars are used to haul lumber, I believe - long strings of these have been sitting on sidings in town for months now, their disuse reflecting the general state of the economy of late. Hopefully as the economy strengthens, these rail cars will begin moving again, removing this steel curtain which has been blocking the railroad district's view of the mountains across the valley...

I Love You Here

2009-05-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

Into the rhythms of daily shooting and posting. From today's excursion. Our town is brimming with neighborhood alleys. Alley life is more unkempt out back, less tidy than front yard appearances folks keep up. Much more interesting for a cruising photographer... at least for this photographer.

Safeway at Dusk

2009-05-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

Have often considered making a portrait of our small town Safeway store, so finally did so this evening. We have a mellow, quietly lighted co-op here in town where we do most of our essential grocery shopping. The world of Safeway, in stark contrast, is one of impossibly bright interior lighting, the aisles awash in saturated primary colors. From the street, however, the store radiates an otherworldly, but utterly "Americanic" charm.

Side by Side

2009-05-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

Exploring the old downtown cemetery this morning. Never did walk around front to see who this couple was. Most of these graves date from the 19th century. Many interesting but mostly inferred stories - not unlike twitter today, the medium of marble and stone required distilling the narrative to a few essential words and numbers.

Skylight Moon

2009-05-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

Was turning off the lights headed for bed last night when I was greeted with the waxing moon beaming thru the raindrops on the kitchen skylight. Grabbed the tripod and managed this image.

Even though I have my camera at hand most always, I still wonder why I don't pause more often in my daily rhythms to see what I can make of a particular composition, whether it's an interesting sign along the road, a subtle glint off some pond or puddle, an intriguing arrangement of lines and shadow. So this blog thing, as I'm beginning to so fondly call it, has me walking the talk a little more, even tho I do shoot quite a bit, thanks to my sportshooting background. I'm eager to act on those stray impulses more often, whether or not anything comes of it. I'm sure I'll be continuing this conversation with myself.

Superheros are Everywhere

2009-05-04T15:04:00.001-07:00

You just gotta look.

Out There

2009-05-03T20:52:00.000-07:00

Have renamed this blog today, probably not for the last time, to reflect my current mood regarding photography, art, life, blogging. Like most of us, I would venture, I never saw myself as a blogger. There are certainly more artists out there with much more important things to say, just as there are thousands, probably millions, of photographers out there with more important images to share. So why bother?

This blogging thing has re-introduced me to the community of artists who actually think about what they're doing, and who have the motivation to share with whomever might be interested. Again, I'm feeling pretty insignificant, both as a writer and as a photographer, so by actually starting this here blog thing, I'm giving myself the old kick in the seat of the pants to "get over it". Whether or not someone is interested in anything I might say or in images I might share is irrelevant in the larger scheme of things. So I'll continue this introspective self-assignment for a while, just to see what lies beneath the surface of the mud.

Today's photo is a recent found slice of light and time.

Runners Up

2009-05-02T23:20:00.000-07:00

These personalities were suddenly lined up in front of my camera this past halloween. Needs no explanation. We were all there....

kz

Above the Clouds

2009-05-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

Monday I greeted the dawn on the flanks of Mt. Ashland. The clouds topped out at about 5,000 ft, so while the valley below awoke to fog and overcast, up here on the mountain the day promised Spring sunshine.

Studio Sunflower

2009-05-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

A new photographer friend recently visited, bringing a bouquet of beautiful and unusual flowers. I placed this dried sunflower in the window, using the flagrantly blooming forsythia bush outside as a backdrop. I do enjoy studio work.

Initiation

2009-05-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

Sigh. Have successfully resisted Facebook and its inbred cousins until now. As if I don't have enough to do, now I get to nurture a blog, which, if I don't add to regularly, makes me look like a flake. Why does this remind me of those pet electronic gadgets which were so faddish a few years back?

And right away, I can see this blog thing can be nothing but personal. I did this. I think that. Maybe we'll work in the third person here in this sphere. Whaddya think kenzen? yep, that sounds better. Go for it, man....

ok. Well, today, kenzen created his first blog. His blog mentor tells him it will change his life. Will this be change he can believe in? Spare change? More like his very own Truman Show, he thinks.

Stay tuned....

kz