Going Live, Coming Home

It's not often that I get to see my work in print, to scale, and properly framed all at the same time. 

Sure, there is the occasional book cover, but those are usually a fraction of any given photo's size. And then there are portraits, which most people prefer to keep around 8x10". 

As a result, seeing some of my local nature imagery along with photo art on a truly displayable scale and in a well-chosen frame, to boot, put a real smile on my face.

My Wanderer-esque landscape managed to retain its colors on canvas, to my surprise.

And my artistic triptych, Et in Arcadia Ego, turned out rather nostalgic rather than "morbid." I almost wished that I output it on an even larger scale, which was possible.

Man in late Modernity and especially in Postmodernity has largely been removed from the fruits of his labor. Countless paper pushers do not get the tangible perception of their work that has been the case for thousands of years in traditional fields like agriculture. Even artists and designers often see their work displayed virtually on the web exclusively. Thus, being able to touch and hold one's creative work is kind of like coming home.

Gone Hiking

This is not a particularly great photo of me—the lighting leaves much to be desired—but it is an accurate expression of my mood. I escape into Nature as often as I can! :)

Spring "Selfie"

I almost forgot: I got really tired of staring at my previous profile shots on all my social networks every time I logged it.

So, I had to photograph a new one. Of course, I currently have neither the time, nor the motivation to create something worthwhile, so my poor friends are stuck with yet another "casual" image. :)

Testing out the K3

Few things excite this night owl in the morning.

Cameras are one of those things. I received a wonderful gift last night, a K3, one of Pentax's newer models. Needless to say, I was beyond ready to test it out, even if only on half-dressed mirror "selfies."

I'm still playing around with the features that my K7 lacks. For now, I get to experience the horror of staring at images of myself in an oversized 24 megapixel format. ;)

This is obviously a mirror shot, so I flipped it.

This is obviously a mirror shot, so I flipped it.

Chiaroscuro Self

Recently, I've noticed that certain portrait photographers, who rely on studio lighting, harshly criticize the natural kind. 

Context is everything, of course--there is something to be said about excessive facial shadows. Yet my general aesthetic preference for indoor shooting has always been chiaroscuro since it makes the subjects appear painterly.

So this self-portrait was my small challenge to their assertion.

December Self-Portrait

Photographing myself is always a strange experience even in the age of daily smartphone "selfies" among the female part of the population. There is, of course, that cognitive dissonance between the way you are used to seeing yourself in the mirror and the way you really look to other people. 

At the same time, you are your own best model, because you're always available, and because you know exactly what crazy (or simple) idea you have in your head for photographic execution. Perhaps, that's the problem, then: the fact that when it doesn't turn out exactly as envisioned (and it never does), you have no one to blame but yourself! :)

Of course, there is no profound idea behind this self-portrait either, beyond the fact that I got a haircut (!), and I am still attracted to Baroque-type imagery when it comes to portraiture. 

Another version (and I won't pretend that the slightly messed up focus was deliberate!):

Representing the Self

Lately, I've been getting rather annoyed by the fact that I'm simply too swamped to execute a self-portrait as Baba Yaga that I've been planning for a long time. My idea requires me to create a particular prop, and I'm still playing catchup on a number of book-editing projects.  

No, I'm not constructing a chicken-legged hut.

I wish!

In the meantime, I've done a minimalist and ueber-casual self-portrait. Perhaps, too casual, but here it is: