Lectio #66
Bozeman, Montana
2016

I’m in the middle of doing art shows this summer so don’t have as much free time as I’d like. As this shot suggests though, I still find time to relax, even if it’s a working relaxation. In this case I was sitting on the balcony catching up on LensWork’s latest issue while waiting for the neighborhood magpies to do something photo-worthy.

Ball of Fun
Bozeman, Montana
2016

I was photographing several ravens circling around in a fairly small volume of sky and decided to create a collage of multiple shots of the group to roughly illustrate the space they were occupying. I believe there were only three or four in the actual group of birds, so each appears several times.

Bear Gulch #5
Forest Grove, Montana
2016

Some of the homes of the many current residents of Bear Gulch.

Bear Gulch #4
Forest Grove, Montana
2016

The Vanishing Race (Bear Gulch #3)
Forest Grove, Montana
2016

Bear Gulch #2
Forest Grove, Montana
2016

One of the common motifs for pictographs at Bear Gulch is a warrior standing behind a shield with just their head visible and holding a weapon out to the side. This one was my favorite because, even though it was not intended to, it looks like a raven sitting on a branch or something similar. It’s also the one image I like in color (albeit a somewhat modified color). I kept the photo posted above in black and white to be consistent with the rest of the series, but here’s the color version:

Bear Gulch #2 (color version)
Forest Grove, Montana
2016

Bear Gulch #1
Forest Grove, Montana
2016

Recently I spent two days at a lesser known pictograph site in central Montana known as Bear Gulch. It is on private land but the owners do give tours, and for some, unstructured access to study and/or photograph the many pictographs there. Not only did they let me wander there at will, they were uncommonly welcoming and friendly. My thanks to Macie Ahlgren and family!

Storm Coming
Lewistown, Montana
2016

Push It a Stop
Rapid City, South Dakota
2016

If you’re wondering what the heck “push it a stop” means, ask an old photographer, or at least a photographer who has worked in a wet darkroom with film. Why that phrase appears on a sticker in an alley full of graffiti is another question.

Artillery Magazine published a rather harsh critique of the life and work of famous photographer Diane Arbus, and of what it means or takes to be a famous artist. It took some time over the years, but I have come to appreciate her contribution to photography–which makes me wonder if I might someday appreciate what is coming out of New York City these days. (See this post from yesterday.) Nah, not going to happen.