Retro Modern Bozeman, Montana 2012

After posting yesterday’s “senior portrait” photo of this raven, my cousin made a comment regarding the current creativity in senior portraiture vs. the formal poses of the dark ages (i.e., when we were in high school). I thought today’s photo, which I actually had created prior to yesterday’s post, might be an example of something more modern and creative. It might be more creative but it isn’t exactly more modern since I kind of got the idea from something 45 years old:

Marilyn Monroe Andy Warhol 1967

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Senior Year Bozeman, Montana 2012

I was just trying out a few techniques the other day and came up with this treatment for one of my favorite raven photos. I wonder if there is a career to be had in bird senior portraiture. Surely they have graduation ceremonies.]]>

The Elders Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 2009

This is actually a rework of a photograph that is part of my Opus Corvus exhibit collection. In that collection I call the original straight black and white version of this photo Steam Bath because the two ravens are bathed in the steam from a hot pot at Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone. I’m not sure what the green and brown background of this version is supposed to represent, I just liked it. But I didn’t like the connotations of thinking of green and brown steam.

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Pax Noël Bozeman, Montana 2012

I took this photo yesterday, Christmas Eve, while it was snowing, so we’re having a freshly dusted white Christmas in Bozeman this year. Happy holidays from all the staff at POTD. (That would be Zippy and his more than able assistant, the Fashion Queen.)]]>

Magpie Butterfly Bozeman, Montana 2012

Creating a composite image out of repetitions and manipulations of a single photograph is a fun challenge and very time consuming too. Between all the Photoshop intricacies and many iterations trying to figure out what I really wanted to do creatively, I spent 8-10 hours on this one yesterday. Good thing I (sometimes) have nothing better to do. I like this arrangement a lot; perhaps because it has a similar strong black and while graphic look as some of the patterns of ancient Mimbres pottery which I’ve always admired.]]>

The Gleaners Bozeman, Montana 2012

Many of my crow photos come from watching the birds methodically working a parking lot or other area where humans have scattered food or trash, e.g. after football tail-gate parties or lunch time at McDonald’s. It’s one setting where you can count on them not moving far for a while. It’s hard to tell in this composite photo due to it’s reduced size, but some of these crows have bits of food in their mouths. The rest are moving, moving, moving; hoping to find their own morsels.]]>

Night Moves Bozeman, Montana 2012

I’ve been spending some time creating composite images again. (O.k. a lot of time–it’s very tedious work.) Some people may see this particular image as being spooky I suppose. I think of it as more mysterious than spooky. Or perhaps they are just heading out to scout routes for Santa Claus.

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Poppies Bozeman, Montana 2012

Just the poppy seed pods from yesterdays still life.

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Latent Potential Bozeman, Montana 2012

A few years ago I got what was maybe my first gardening urge ever. I’ve always appreciated a good garden or landscaping project but never have had the desire to create one myself. My gardening idea was pretty simple: to plant just two things, California poppies and hollyhocks. Modest as that goal was, all I’ve accomplished so far is to collect some seed pods for both types of flowers. I may have to get some more though as these are a couple of years old and may not be viable anymore. Besides, I love the shapes and they make great still life props. Maybe I’ll change my goal to just collecting and photographing the seed pods.]]>

High Water Mark Washington, DC 2004

I recently remarked that I could remember the location and circumstances of 99 percent of all the photos I’ve ever taken. But, after going through a ton of my old computer files doing some cataloging etc., I may have to take that back; I didn’t count how many images I didn’t remember, but it was likely more than one percent. Anyway, I do remember the trip to DC where this photo was taken, but don’t remember seeing this ice on the rock or taking the photo when I was there. It’s kind of tempting to imagine the ice represents the high water mark of some recent flood event, but I have a feeling a more likely explanation is that someone pulled the disk of ice out of a puddle and balanced it there–in homage to Andrew Goldsworthy perhaps.]]>