Click for Larger Image - Lake Superior, Cascade River State Park, MinnesotaA seeming infinity stretches before me as clouds move across the evening sky. Shifting, morphing, changing colors from yellow to red to blue. Tracery. The curtain of night begins to fall. To my left is the largest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Superior, an inland sea. To my right lies the great northwoods, the interior lakes of the Boundary Waters and their intricate maze of waterways, the Quetico, the untouchable north. I am alone and I am small. That one can experience such a place in the interior of a vast continent is surprising and almost inconceivable. This has always been a place of mystery to me, and has become in many senses all the more mysterious as I have grown in knowing it. Yet, as many times as I have experienced this place, touched the sunlit rocks, smelled the fragrant pines and cedars, gazed across the unending horizon, I always have the sense that my experience is mere microcosm in the face of such beyondness. There is so much more to know, see and feel. Perhaps this is why I come here again and again to photograph, to feel small, to be humbled, to be quiet, to be alone, to feel the warmth of sunlit rocks against my hands, to smell the fragrance of pines, to gaze into infinity. The great lake has now transformed into a pool of light. Images and words fall away in the midst of such things.



Click for Larger Image - Spring Fog, Early Morning, Beaver River, MinnesotaI'm pleased to announce that I will be a presenter at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum's upcoming 2010 Photography Symposium. The theme of this year's conference is, "Capturing the Essence of Place" - a topic that is central to my photographic pursuits. If you are near the Twin Cities metro area and have an interest in nature photography, I believe you will find the symposium to be a great kick-off to the summer photography season. I will be joined by Phillip Schwarz.

The date and time of the conference is Saturday, June 12th, 9am-2pm. For more information, please contact the Arboretum.

I hope to see you there!

Click for Larger Image - Dusk, Pebble Creek, Gooseberry Falls State Park, MinnesotaA couple weeks ago, I came as close to instant photographic gratification as I probably ever have. Upon returning home from a short weekend visit to Gooseberry Falls State Park on Minnesota's North Shore, I had negatives from that trip developed the same day. While it's clearly become non remarkable in the digital age to have instant access to ones photographs, the process of working with film is essentially unchanged. That is to say, one must develop film in order to get a workable negative or transparency to print. Last year, when I was photographing with color transparency materials, it was not uncommon to wait 2-3 months from when I would shoot an image to when I would see the resulting film. This was largely because I would stockpile the exposed film until I had enough to warrant the hassle of a trip to the local lab. What then has changed?

After I began shooting black and white film in January, I knew it would be relatively easy to begin developing the film myself. Furthermore, the first batch of film that I had processed by a lab, was partially ruined by uneven development. Not cool. On top of that, most labs are now charging around $3 a sheet for processing of 4x5 film. All of these factors combined made for a compelling case to switch to at-home developing.

To make it happen, I needed to purchase some equipment: graduates, a few trays, thermometers, chemicals, and BTZS tubes for rotary processing. Rotary processing was appealing for a couple of reasons. First, it's efficient and uses a small amount of chemicals (2 oz of developer per 4x5 sheet). Second, it's daylight safe, so I don't need to work in total darkness to process the film – nice when one doesn't have a dedicated darkroom. Third, the development is extremely even. I never want to see a blotchy sky again after getting that previous batch of negatives back from the lab.

So how has it been going? So far so good. I've been using Xtol in 1:1 to develop Tmax 100, and have also purchased some Pyrocat HD to test with Tmax 400 and Delta 100. I have been very happy with the results, development has been even, with excellent detail throughout the tonal range. Acutance seems relatively high with diluted Xtol. Yes, the equipment cost a bit of money up front, but it will easily pay for itself in a few months. That said, while money is one factor in dealing with film, having control over the process is extremely satisfying.

Click for Larger Image - Frozen Branch, Cook County, MinnesotaA short time ago, before the snow had begun to recede from the shoreline of Superior, before the ice would make its last stand in the gorges of the Temperance, Cascade and the Kadunce, I found myself searching for photographs at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. As is typical for me, there was no agenda or preconceived idea of what exactly I should be looking for. I would know when I found it. After a short time of searching, I noticed some bubbles embedded in ice along the Lake Superior shoreline. They immediately struck me as visually interesting, and I proceeded to set up my field camera and photograph them. The resulting image can be viewed in my previous blog posting.

Yet, the most memorable part of the evening proved to have little to do with locating an uncelebrated wonder. After finalizing my composition and fine tuning my camera position, I came out from under the dark cloth and noticed that a handful of photographers were gathered a ways down the shoreline from where I was shooting. They stood right next to one another, their cameras set up on tripods at a standing height, pointing towards the name sake of the park. Thinking little of it, I proceeded to calculate the necessary bellows extension compensation and then make two exposures of my composition. The sun was growing close to the horizon. After finishing the shot, I looked back at the other photographers. To my amazement, the crowd had significantly grown. More clearly were on their way. It was then I realized, much to my own surprise, that sunset would bring with it the rise of a full moon – a full moon at precisely the right location to make the most common version of the Split Rock Lighthouse shot.

At that moment, a wave of conflicting emotion came over me. I was simultaneously amused by the carnival and angry at the blatant lack of creativity. Yet perhaps most notably, I was simply astonished. As a Midwesterner, I have the luxury (and yes, it is indeed a luxury) of not having to typically work in iconic locations. So this was in all honesty, my first “icon experience” if you will. To distracted to continue searching for additional photographs, I sat down on the ice and watched as more and more photographers came, set up their tripod next in line and loaded the same focal length lens as their neighbor. My mind was officially blown.

It took me some time to come to grips with what I had saw that evening. While it was tempting (and ultimately foolish) to pass some sort of judgment against those individuals who had photographed the cliché scene that evening, I realized that my reaction said a great deal more about me and what I value as a photographer than anything else. I'm sure they were good folks, simply getting out with their cameras. There will always be “icons” and there will always be photographers there to establish such a namesake. So be it. As for me, I will continue to value discovery over predictability. Compositional strength over subject. Nuance over drama. Craftsmanship over ease. Creative risk over known response. Personal experience over public success. As for icons, I thankfully don't have to worry about photographing them, because I know that there will always be someone else to do it for me.

Click for Larger Image - Frozen Bubbles, Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, MinnesotaWhile it usually is (and has been for me) an undertaking of great joy, attempting to seriously pursue art-making can also be a rough road at times. There's the constant expenditure of energy, the need to maintain focus and drive while maintaining day to day living, the seemingly constant doubts and misgivings, and the never-ending stream of unanswered questions. 2009 proved to be a year for reflection and self investigation. As the year progressed, I found myself increasingly uncertain of my direction on multiple fronts. Instead of being able to find a job in the field that I've been formally trained for (I only just graduated from college in December 2008), I found myself in a completely different line of work in order to make ends meet. Simultaneously, I have found myself increasingly unhappy with my color photography - right on the heels of finishing my first color photographic project. Ironic.

One thing I have learned, is that my gut instinct is usually right when it comes to my photographic endeavors. I tend to make mistakes when I listen to my head rather than my heart. So, the decision has been made. For the entirety of 2010, I will be photographing exclusively in black and white. No more slide film, no more conversions from color. I'm jumping in with both feet - or perhaps doing a wild belly flop. I don't know where this will lead; if it's a total disaster, I can move back to color in 2011. That said, in my heart of hearts, I don't think it will be. So far, my results have been very promising and I've been really enjoying the greater opportunity for interpretation in the printing process. Here's to the future.

Now just to figure out how to approach at-home film developing...