Photographic meanderings

As I type this, it is snowing in Yosemite Valley. I hope it clears up tomorrow!

No Trespassing #1, originally uploaded by SVR Photography.

British street artist Banksy has left his thought provoking art in the streets of San Fransisco; He certainly has a talent for taking the mundane into a new direction.

Thanks to SVR for sharing these wonderful photographs with us! Be sure to visit his Flickr stream for more great shots of Banksy’s work, as well as some lovely art nudes. http://www.flickr.com/photos/svrphotography/

Late afternoon rainbow on Sentinel Falls.

Bravo Zulu to the pilot and crew of the CHP helo that plucked an injured climber from Cathedral Rocks this evening, and also to the YOSAR climbers who were the first responders on site. Good work, folks.

Guy Tal recently posted some thoughts on the art of copying on his blog. He begins his article with the following statement, quoted here:

I recently read with great interest a Facebook discussion among landscape photographers. The premise was that if a photograph can be closely duplicated by another photographer, then it is not truly an original nor deserving of being considered art.

Something I’d like to add to this discussion is that “copying” is an established form of training artists. Many of the great masters of art were apprenticed to artists before them, and part of their training was to go to great works of art and copy them, learning by rote how to present a scene by copying them as close as possible. As a result, you can find actual paintings that are copies of great works of art.

In my younger days, I spent some time as a life model at various colleges on the east coast. I learned a great deal about the process of making art. I’d put on my bathrobe and wander among the easels to see sketches in progress–and it was fascinating to see how others perceived my body and shape. It was an education in variety of perception. Some would focus on my legs, others my breasts, some would emphasize my hips or my arms. They were all working from the same model–me–and each drawing was different. It was all me, but I was myriad, and I was all art.

Living here in Yosemite, I have a huge store of locations to draw from. I also have a tough act to follow, namely Ansel Adams. Sure, I can go up to Tunnel View at the magic hour, stand elbow to elbow with the landscape paparazzi, and get that iconic shot of Clearing Winter Storm. And I have. It’s part of my learning process, and not only how and when to shoot that iconic view of Yosemite Valley, but also how to deal with other human beings that are doing the same thing I am. Whether it’s artists with their easels clustered around a model on her platform, or photographers with their tripods lined up along the rock wall, we are all learning our craft. And *that* is art in the making, and artists in the making. It’s all good.

So next time you’re part of that lineup at Tunnel View, think of it as an art class. We’re all learning, adding to our portfolios, and there is a need for learning the particulars of iconic locations as well as developing your own unique vision. Don’t discount the iconic, take what is handed to you with gratitude. It’s not copying, it’s learning the art.

Yes, I’m still working 6 days a week, and so I have not been out ‘graphing in far too long. However, I’ve got two new apps for my iPad that I’d like to talk about.

First is Flashlight; My son recommended this to me. He describes it as a great way to find things in the dark; I think it’s perfect for low-level light painting. It’s a simple concept. It turns your iPad screen bright white–or any number of colors. Think of it as a replacement for gels over your regular light source–and you can dim the brightness of the screen by dragging one finger down the screen, or brighten it by dragging up. Give your night images a color-boost with this app, and you can choose the colors yourself!

The second app is Bigger Words. Again, the concept is simple; Black background, large white font. I suppose you could use it as a way to talk to someone in the next car, but my idea to use it to focus at night. Send someone out with the iPad and the word “focus” lit up on the screen, and then manually focus on it.

Both these apps are free from the iTunes App Store.

Someday I’ll actually get to use these apps for these purposes. I’ll be sure to post the results here. In the mean time, all you other iPad-owners, why not give it a try yourselves and let me know how it works for you.

The dogwood blossoms are beginning to turn white at Curry Village. Be sure to stop by the tree in back of the Registration building for blooms low enough to photograph without a step ladder!

STeve Bumgardner makes a good point: With the recent snow, and a warming trend, Yosemite Falls is going to get really, really, big.