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Fist and Whistle

Hanging for a clock and barometer set we have had on the boat since we bought her in 2002, the monkey fist and the bosun’s whistle swing beautifully to the rhythm of the boat as she moves at the dock or underway. A visual reference to the motion we feel every day as life on a boat is seldom ever free of movement.A monkey fist is a knot tied into the end of a long line to create a weighted end…

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#boat #boating #fist #masonimage #nautical #nautical history #photographyperspective #sailboat #travel #whistle

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Covid: Rise in number of patients in intensive care in Wales Image copyrightNick MasonImage caption Aneurin Bevan health board at the latest count had three Covid-19 patients in critical care - at its peak in April it had 46 The number of patients being tre… Read More

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Window Light

An open door to any old building can be an invitation to a photographer and I'm no exception today as I walk by. I have been inside this place before, several times actually, but the open door still calls me for one more visit - my last day here in Saigon. This old Provincial Palace with its 25-foot ceilings and colonial architecture usually brings me here in the middle of the day when the heat makes it impossible to be out in the sun. Today I decided to come early in the morning, the air is cooler and the light is low streaming inside the open shutters of the windows.

The first floor is a museum, but much of the rest of the building is open space, former ballrooms and massive bedrooms mostly empty. A historical treasure that receives surprisingly little foot traffic.

I spend a lot of time walking around. Never in a real hurry to shoot. It’s enjoyable to really feel the grandeur of the rooms. Taking in the size and scale they create. Walking from corner to corner seeing how the light strikes each wall from the different angles. Imagining the people who have been here before and the history contained within. An adjacent hallway I have never shot before has a row of windows that highlight the patterned floor tiles below. The space is pretty much empty of color so it’s not much of stretch to visualize it in black and white.

There is something satisfying about returning to familiar places to shoot. Visiting previous pictures and discovering new ones. The open doorway. A invitation to return again.

#lecia #leciashooter #masonimage #vietnamtravel #vietnam #saigon #saigonlife #hcmc #hoc chi minh #widowlight #photography #photooftheday #photopointofview #photoprespective

[masonimage]

There is a small hispanic specialty market nearby that always offers items not normally found in the typical supermarket. Like spending time in a foreign country, specialty markets hold some of the best options when you want to broaden your culinary palate. Each visit always a journey of discovery.  Fresh salsas of varying degrees of heat. Ceviche from locally caught fish.  The meat counter with several chorizos and marinated beef tips for the BBQ.  Today my interest was the assortment of chilies in the produce aisle. Varying in sizes and colors – the temperature scale of each never a certainty. My goal today: to simply cut each open and discover what single photograph might be hiding inside. I have always been fascinated by what is reviled once you cut into a chili. The source of the chili’s heat is in the seeds of course, but the design and texture of the interior have always caught my eye.  From the delicate and spicy Habanero to the large relatively mild Poblano, each slice down the middle revealing a different story inside. The hardest part was deciding where to focus. As is always the case, deciding what to include  and which to leave behind. In the end, I settled on the simple cluster of seeds in the Jalapeño. A clean cut revealing the intricate pattern of kernels hanging delicately from the central core. Just as I had envisioned when I was standing an hour before surveying the choices- my visual reward now confirmed Time to fire up the grill and eat the fruits of my discovery and see just how much heat I can take.

#masonimage #details green greenChili chili photoprespective

[masonimage]

God Light on Green Lake

There is a reason landscape photography is such a popular genre. It’s because people are so hard to shoot.

Portrait photography is down right challenging. The portrait photographer seldom finds all the components to a good picture laid out before them like a breathtaking landscape at sunrise.

Photographing people is a layered process that by definition starts with two people. The photographer and the subject. Each giving up something of themselves in collaboration to create a picture. A dance of sorts where the end goal is capturing the essence and personality of the subject. Often, that give and take can be all consuming. Never really finding, photographically, who that person is.

As daunting as it all can be, the easiest path often times is the simplest. By placing them in the activity they love the photographer is almost guaranteed an authentic reaction that captures the subject perfectly.

If that happens to be an Olympic class rower on Seattle’s Green Lake. Even better. Engaged in their true passion the subject is consumed. Their attention finally distracted. The photographer is given a beautiful gift. An unobstructed window into the essence of who they are.  

#masonimage #rowing #rower #sculling #boat #sunset #portrait #photography #photooftheday #photoeducation #photoprespective #commercialphotography #seattle #greenlake #beautylight

[masonimage]

Dyed Hands

It was a stones throw from the Chinese boarder. The Northern most outpost in Vietnam before crossing into China. A daily visit to this small mountain village by the local hill people from the Black Hmong, Red Dzao, Tay, and Giáy tribes. All coming to sell what they have. Carvings, produce, game, and woven products in exchange for the necessities needed in their own villages several hours walk from here. Her brightly colored scarves and woven belts first captured my interest as I wondered among the several dozen vendors with blankets throw randomly on the ground creating a patchwork of makeshift retail space. Crouching low to closely examine the craftsmanship as she slowly turned them over showing the detailed work she had created. It was then that I noticed the stained and worn texture of her skilled hands. A lifetime of weaving thread dyed in her village. Countless hours spent pulling and twisting the fabric had created a permanent work of art on her stained and aging palms. Like the hands of any true artisan. Time spent working the medium leaving behind a residue of the creation on the creator. The trade. A woven belt in exchange for her asking price in Vietnamese Dong and a picture of course. The belt long since gone from my possession, but the photograph that day and my memory of that brief encounter still remain.    

#hands #artisthands #vietnam #vietnamese #vietnamtravel #Leica #masonimage #leicashooter #stain #details #adventuretravel #helping hand

[masonimage]

Smoke from forest fires hundreds of miles from here nearly obliterated the sunrise. What little sun you could see took on an apocalyptic color that bathed everything in its path warm muted tones of orange and red. At a Port of Tacoma, Washington railcar refurbishing plant steel wheels from thousands of trains sat stacked outside in the yard waiting their fate. Reflecting the warm sun as it fought the smoke filled skies.

What brought me into that yard this morning was what brings many of us to something visually interesting; repetitive patterns.  In a world where chaos is the norm seeing objects present in order creates something fundamentally pleasing. It can sooth your senses and settle you into a state of relaxation.  From Zen Gardens to the pattern of wind waves on a lake it’s hard to not be mesmerized and fascinated by repeating patterns.

They have such a hold on me sometimes. I turn instinctively to them in nature and seek them out in most every man made object. Such was the case this morning as I wandered the rail yard filled with concentric circles heading to remanufacture.

#trains #train #wheels #lecia #masonimage #abstract #photooftheday #photoprespective #photoeducation #patterns #photoart

[masonimage]

It was supposed to be a sunrise shot. At least that was what I had in my mind as I loaded myself into a taxi at 4:15 AM this morning. I was up early anyway since I’m a world away from my normal sleep/wake cycle.

My destination this morning was the longest and oldest teakwood bridge in the world. The U Bein bridge spans Lake Taungthaman outside Mandalay, Myanmar. With its 1,086 teak pillars the visual potential was appealing since I love repetitive structures and the lines they can create across landscapes. Maybe a little human interest thrown in to create a juxtaposition against that graphic would be fine with me. But it had to be just the right human.

The weather this time of year here in Myanmar is not always the best, but traveling in low season has other advantages. My hope was to go early to avoid any chance for crowds as this place has grown in popularity over the years. What I found, not excluding the clouds, was a pleasant morning breeze and hardly a tourist in sight. Only the locals moving quietly across the span to work.

It is always the dilemma with sunrise photography when you arrive before the sun comes up. Fish or cut bait. Just start shooting or spend time looking for the best place to shoot the sunrise. The cloud bank looming over the horizon provided the answer. Thick black clouds moving my direction.

This gave me time to explore instead of searching for the best place to shoot. I always thought shots off the bridge would be good, but never expected the drama created by this structure. It was truly stunning in its simplicity. And my human elements. They arrived with a little patience.

What I like about this picture is the texture of the teak pillars and how it contrasts against the dark flowing robes of the monks. I know their robes have texture and detail, but like the monks themselves these are unknown elements I can only wonder about.

I left the bridge this morning with plenty of what I thought I might find there. Never thinking that my favorite would be this shot. Closer and more tightly cropped than I envisioned, but full of perspective and drama.

#myanmar #monks #bridge #teakwood #travel #travel photography #adventurephotography #masonimage #lecia #rangefinder #mandalay #blackandwhite

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“New is In. Old is Out”

A week or two of free time in the office and stuff starts flying around. Boxes of stored prints and sheets of 4x5 film from my days at Brooks were the victims yesterday.

It was a fitting day to begin the deep edit of my old prints and celluloid. I had spent the week before pulling digital assets I had created over the last six months while out of the office into my master archive here constantly humming under my office desk.

It is a challenging and ultimately satisfying necessity. The file cabinet or old film box version of how I used to store my assets in days past. The photography world now is a simple series of clicks, created folders, and the whole process is complete. Backed up and archived on three drives stored in three different places.

Not so much years ago. The number of places and times these boxes of my old archive have been moved and stored would put my efforts to reduce my carbon foot print to shame. Seriously, I have hauled these boxes up and down countless flights of stairs and across the country several times over the last 30 years. Sad to think in the end most of it ended up in the round file sitting outside my house.

Am I a tougher editor now or just less tolerant of the clutter? Maybe I’m more ready to let go of the past archive and replace it with newer versions of my history. My taste has changed in photography. Or maybe I should say its matured. Stuff that held value in the beginning seems to feel now like a controlled mistake in many instances. Images that I valued in the past pushed aside by my new current point of view and vision. Sure I kept a nice edit of this old archive. It is my past for sure. I’m not that heartless.

What ever the case it was a striking contrast to how this process plays out in today’s world. My current archive now sitting neatly on the desk near my cup of coffee. Volumes more work contained on a drive the weight and size of a pack of cards. Missing the analog feel of those old prints and negatives, but happy I don’t have to haul them around any more.  

#analog #stillphotography #digital #BrooksInstutute #digitalstorage #archive #digitalarchive #editing #masonimage #storage #4x5photography #printing

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“Descent" The sun had reached an arc in the morning sky that made shooting outside problematic. Inside a cool building the sound of footsteps on stair treads drew me towards a spiral descent.  In Stephen Shores book The Nature of Photographs he talks about the illusion of the image. How the viewer is drawn into a two dimensional photograph only to find a three dimensional world beneath. Here the downward spiral to darkness was captivating at first, but was given context just as the person entered the last archway.

Playing with perspective is one of the joys of photography. Creating depth and illusion in a two dimensional photographic world. 

As the staircase recedes into darkness the subject and the viewer descending with it.

http://dailyphotogame.com/

#DPG #masonimage #Darkness #blackandwhite #stairs #stevemason #spiral #the downward spiral #photography #photographyperspective #photo #photos #phototheday #photoeducation

[masonimage]

Backstage Beauty

Like photography, dance or any preforming art for that matter depends on the artist drawing on both sides of brain. The creative right and the analytical left. The balance between the two challenging the performer to find just the right steps to execute the routine as intended and to artistically express the intent of the choreography.

As preparation and preproduction work assures success in photography some of the magic of dance happens backstage before the performance as well. The finishing touches of makeup and costume. The final rehearsal of critical steps. Nerves calmed as the sound of the theatre patrons gather just on the other side of the curtain. It's here that the chance to capture those moments in photography are the most rewarding. Watching as dancers hustle about and discovering the singular moments across the troupe as they make the final preparation to perform.

Like the day of the big shoot. The photographer draws on many of the same talents as the dancer.  Using the camera as a dance partner. Expressing the intent of your client and infusing you creative point of view all at the same time. Weeks of preparation finally realized.  The curtain goes up. And it’s showtime.  

#backstage #lecia leicashooter masonimage dance dancer mirror reflection photoeducation photoprespective masonimage backstage ball

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Long past when I would normally venture out to shoot.  My wife asked for just one more trip back to our car parked outside Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, Oregon.  We were here celebrating our 38 wedding anniversary where it had all begun for us, so many years before, on this very night at this very location.  As I turned back towards the Lodge from the car, I was greeted by a cold blast of the winter storm that was enveloping the mountain and the warm light of the enclosed entryway of this iconic structure. I quickly took a shot with my phone which I promptly dropped in the tangle of luggage, snow flurries, and the fresh snow underfoot.  This view deserved more than the now cracked screen of my phone could provide. A quick return to the room and a different camera found little had changed. The wind still howling. The lodge floodlights illuminating the airborne snow crystals and the warm interior lights welcoming all those in from the mayhem outside. A refuge from the chaos of the winter environment. A metaphor for life that is embodied in the marriage of two people. Turmoil and challenges abate when you enter into the protection of a supporting and caring partner.  The moment was not lost on me as I stood outside in the raging storm. The cold winter wind biting every exposed surface while my patient partner waited inside.  Happily, I quickly scurried into the entryway where the warmth and comfort of 38-year partnership awaited inside.

#winter #winterstorm #masonimage #timberlinelodge #snowflurry #wedding

[masonimage]

Flight in Crystal Mountain

It feels like flying low in a small plane over a vast uncharted mountain range. The peaks angular shape punching up from the ground -pushing back the distant horizon. I’m in command of my point of view. Venturing deep into the valleys below then sweeping high overhead to see the scope and depth of the rocky terrain below.

For a moment or two, I’m caught up in my own little fantasy world of flight. The valleys below hidden in the shadows of unnamed peaks  Not a worry about time or agenda.  

Sadly, I’m not piloting my own aircraft, but instead, my eye is glued to a camera's viewfinder.  A macro lens attached as I sweep over an amethyst quartz crystal I have just purchased from a store here in San Clemente, CA.  Far from the mountains in my momentary fantasy world.  A stone's throw away from world famous surf breaks.

The Greeks name for crystals is derived from the words ice and rock. And not surprisingly the very elements these beauties resemble - especially when viewed in great detail provide by my lens choice today. I wanted to get close to these translucent polycrystals. See if the perspective of magnification would yield the shape and texture I was looking for.

With my naked eye, I was not sure what adventure I would find. Pulling up the frame of a viewfinder with a close-up lens and the whole world takes on a new point of view.  

In this case, a flight into a distant mountain range, with the sound of the surf breaking outside my van window.

#masonimage #photooftheday #photoeducation #detailphoto

[masonimage]

My last day here in Europe and still more churches to see. With history comes religion and with religion a church. Much has been made the last few years about the declining numbers active in religious life or from another perspective the attack on religious values and practices. Whatever your point of view there is no disputing the role religion has played in human history so evidently displayed here in Europe's churches.   From small simple chapels tucked between two larger buildings to the monster domes and basilicas filling several city blocks – churches here reflect the culture and history of each individual town and village.   Some are active daily centers of worship while others host art exhibitions,  homeless centers or a throng of tourists eagerly viewing the structures.   From my point of view, religion is changing. The frescos depicting biblical events for me are simply that. Depictions. They no longer represent modern day culture or perspectives. Overlaying current day events onto fresco’s hundreds of years old creates a contrast unimaginable for me. The doors here at St. Martin’s Cathedral in Utrecht, Netherlands were built in 1254. Framed by the columns of the hallway they provide a dramatic contrast. A homage to the contrast of the old and the new religious order.

#masonimage #leica #leicacamera #leicacraft #church #reddoor #netherlands #travelphotooftheday #traveljunkie #photography #photooftheday #photoadventure

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aSeasonal Transition

Standing under a large tree waiting for the rain to stop. I’m determined to get a picture today. As the minutes turn nearly into an hour a cold wind that feels more like winter blows.  What’s left of fall is mostly laying around me on the forest floor.

Trees stripped clean except for a random leaf or two. The bare branches silhouetting against the darkened sky. The cold wind pulling at the remaining foliage.  

What brings me out today besides the dog needing a walk? Well, the dog needing a walk sometimes drives the entire day, but bringing a camera along gives me a reason to wait as the storm rolls across the Sound and up the Olympic Peninsula.  Seasonal transition from fall to winter everywhere I look. <br><br> As the rain finally lets up I have a changed point of view.  I’m looking for something different now after standing in silence with only the forest and a wet dog to keep me company. The hopes of a sun break are nil and my attention turns towards the remnants of fall layered on the ground like carpet. The decline of colors from vibrant yellow and red to dusky brown. A palette of fall chronicled in steps one leaf below another stacked up like pages in a book. <br><br> The puddles are full from the last cloudburst and reflections above and below the surface create a new dimension. Bottom layers dark and heavy. The surface reflecting a lighter change in weather.  Was it worth the wait? The dog has no opinion. I’m happy to move on. I got what I came for. A snapshot of seasonal transition on Puget Sound.

#leica fall seasonal pointofview photoeducation #masonimage #weather #leaf

[masonimage]

What is it about creativity? Sometimes it can pour out of you like a firehose and other time it’s like pulling water from a stone.  It’s an unrelenting question confounding anyone who spends time searching for personal expression in photography. It certainly is more than situational.  I have created beautiful pictures in what would normal be considered a bad place to shoot and been to amazingly beautiful places and come back with only average pictures. The potential for creative expression is there despite the options presented to the photographer.  So why one day and not the next?  Why on a Tuesday morning, but not Wednesday? From my experience it does take an open mind and what I call unfocused vision. Similar to setting your eyes out of focus, but setting your mind out of focus as well. Taking what is presented to you and shifting focus to seeing the whole scene.  Not what first captured your attention or seems to be floating around in your mind at that moment.  Layering an unfocused vision over your point of view. Pushing your mind out of the way and letting the reflections of the world around you have a chance to come into view. It’s not the solution to finding creative flow, but it has helped me see the world in different ways.

#surf surfboard #masonimage #lecia #leciashooter #photography #photoprespective #photoeducation