Showing posts with label Zone VI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zone VI. Show all posts

Monday, January 23, 2023

Mursi Woman + Paint, Mago National Park, Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia, 2010


After a year in the darkroom it’s time to get the prints out. We’ll see how the #etsy crowd takes this work in, and sees the royalty that she truly is.

This young Mursi woman lives in a most difficult environment, and holds true to her traditional culture. Even though you'll see very few other Ethiopians in her area, vans of tourists stop now and then. Each time a group of tourists step out and walk into the village. Once they do the community walks over to them in order to try and earn a living with their goods, mainly the lip and ear plates as well as woven baskets. They also earn a living by being photographed, as each tourist pays a certain amount for a photograph.

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Moab, Utah, 2016



The miracle of Delicate Arch has remained with me to this day, as well as the hike to it. Never thought that hiking with my camera equipment was a big deal, until I was resting now and then on my way up. In the end this print makes it all worth it.

PS This negative was exposed in 2016 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14. 

Monday, January 16, 2023

Young Student + Staircase, Shamli District, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2020



We visited her school for the first time in 2020, a month before the pandemic swept the world into a sphere of chaos. Innocent times they were, as we walked around the headmaster's house which also doubled as her school. These girls were receiving religious training and the headmaster wanted to do much more than that. We have included his school in our drive to do just that, and support this good man in his endeavor to improve the level of education for her and her friends. 

Monday, January 9, 2023

Mursi Girl + Ear Plates, Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia, 2010



After a year in the darkroom it’s time to get the prints out. We’ll see how the #etsy crowd takes this work in, and sees the royalty that she truly is.

This young girl lives is a most difficult environment, and holds true to her traditional culture. Even though you'll see very few other Ethiopians in her area, vans of tourists stop now and then. Each time a group of tourists step out and walk into the village. Once they do the community walks over to them in order to try and earn a living with their goods, mainly the lip and ear plates as well as woven baskets. They also earn a living by being photographed, as each tourist pays a certain amount for a photograph. 

Sunday, January 8, 2023

Memories of Utah, Monument Valley, 2016

The grandeur of Monument Valley sticks with me to this day. In 2016 I was blessed to have visited this space thanks to a work assignment in Salt Lake City. On the weekends it was time to visit the national parks, with Monument Valley being high on my list. I just couldn't believe that I was that close to a most iconic space. Having this image on film and printing it in the darkroom was a treat.

PS This negative was exposed in 2016 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14.

Moon + 2 Birds, Virat Nagar, Rajasthan, 2020

During my quarantine in Rajasthan for the early part of 2020, the birds were my companions while walking in the fields. My host family welcomed me without question and gave me a room in which to stay for six weeks until my return home. So I would set up the camera on the tripod in the middle of the field and walk around and around. Once the moon was just right and birds started to fly, I would cross over to the center of the field to release the shutter. So this image has immense meaning for me, and I am thankful to have had such friends both on the ground and in the sky.

Monday, December 26, 2022

Patricia + Railroad Tracks, Guanabacoa, Cuba, 2016



What would photography on the island be without Profe Gysleda and her students?

Let's just say that my interactions with her students are nothing short of miraculous. Here we are, welcomed into the most prestigious school for models in Havana, and allowed to interact equally with her students. These relationships over the years have turned into true friendships, and the collaborations are like times with friends. 

Patricia is all the above and more, as this session in the countryside exemplifies. She brings a great attitude with her, as well as a great selection of clothing. Some say that this is anything but real photography, that photography in Cuba should be about photographing life as it presents itself in the streets. I say why not photograph the people as they would like to present themselves, as models and dancers and actors?

Well here is Patricia as a model, something that she has aspired to be in her young life. A incredible one truly in my humble opinion.

Sunday, December 25, 2022

Ballerina + Freeway Exit, Bauta, Cuba, 2015


I sincerely miss the days when we'd get in Alejandro's car and pick up the family well before sunrise, arriving at this spot a bit before sunrise. The dedication of the families impresses me to this day. Their admiration for the work and their affection for their children are something to behold truly. This young girl lives in a small town near the capital but is now attending the national school of ballet in the city. Even back then her talent was clearly visible.


Thursday, December 22, 2022

Trabajdores, Campo, Cuba, 2017


¡hermosos recuerdos del año 2017!

¡gracias a los trabajadores fuertes en el campo!

PS Negative exposed with a Hasselblad 503CW/100mm combination, the print toned in Selenium for permanence.


Zion National Park, Utah, 2016


It’s time to get back to the portraits, just had a lot of fun with the landscapes. While working my first corporate gig a few years ago, I had the opportunity to travel the States and bring my camera along. This landscape is from Zion National Park in magnificent Utah.

PS This negative was exposed in 2016 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14. 

Lily + Countryside, Guanabacoa, Cuba, 2018


Thanks to Profe Gysleda and her school ModaEgos, images of aspiring models in the countryside were made possible. This neighborhood is one in which my friend Alejandro has both family and friends. As a result we were able to walk around and find spaces for our sessions. This one spot is one of my favorites and has the most beautiful blue chair, as seen in the background. This young woman, Lily, did exceptionally well in light of her very sensitive eyes. All are appreciated and my hope is that these prints are a testament to their collective vision.

Monday, December 5, 2022

Silver Gelatin Print in the Darkroom, Imperial Sand Dunes, California, 2019



Yet another print from my time at Imperial Sand Dunes a few years ago. Walking around these dunes is like finding a visual treat over every sand dune, and it's hard to keep from putting the tripod down for another image. The contrast between light and shadow is breathtaking.

Note: this frame was made with a Hasselblad V System and a 100mm C lens.

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Sand Dunes + Clouds, Imperial Sand Dunes, California, 2019


Another print from the Imperial Sand Dunes, this time at the end of the day as I was walking back to the main road. The landscape is such a marvelous place, with scenes around each corner. Just when you think you're done, you end up putting the tripod down and getting ready for another exposure.

PS This negative was exposed in 2019 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14, tones in selenium for permanence. 


 

Dunes and Brush, Imperial Sand Dunes, California, 2019


Although I love the portraits, it's time to take a short break and print the landscape images from California and Utah. While working my first corporate gig a few years ago, I had the opportunity to travel the States and bring my camera along. This landscape is from Imperial Sand Dunes in Southern California.

PS This negative was exposed in 2019 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14, toned in selenium for permanence. 

Monday, November 28, 2022

Field of Trees, Joshua Tree National Park, California, 2019


In the darkroom again with the negatives from California, in a field of Joshua Trees. Walking around these icons is a sublime experience, with each having its own character. 

PS This negative was exposed in 2019 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination onto Ilford Delta 100 film. It was printed in the darkroom onto Ilford's MGIVWTFB 11x14, toned in selenium for permanence.

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Landscape with Cattle, Utah, 2016


In the darkroom again with the negatives from Utah, with the print sitting in the fixer. A herd of cows were grazing in the field just below this glorious mountain. I just had to stop… Utah is remarkable!

PS This negative was exposed in 2016 with a Hasselblad 501CM/180mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14. 

Sunday, July 17, 2022

Sand Dunes + Silver Gelatin Print, Imperial Sand Dunes, California, 2019


Although I love the portraits, it's time to take a short break and print the landscape images from California and Utah. While working my first corporate gig a few years ago, I had the opportunity to travel the States and bring my camera along. This landscape is from Imperial Sand Dunes in Southern California. A dream landscape over every dune!

PS This negative was exposed in 2019 with a Hasselblad 501CM/60mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14 just yesterday.


Sunday, June 26, 2022

Young Girl + Flower, India, 2020, Limited Edition (50), 11x14 Handmade Silver Gelatin Print



This is a silver gelatin print of a young student made by me, the photographer, in my darkroom. It is printed on Ilford MGIVWT glossy fiber 11x14 paper, and toned in selenium for permanence. It is processed in a Zone VI washer to archival standards, and allowed to dry overnight on a screen. The camera/lens combination was a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm, and the frame was exposed onto Kodak's fabulous Tri-X film. This portrait is from a library of well over 300,000 negatives exposed over the last 24 years, from four continents and a dozen countries. Every person is spoken with prior to the portrait, and the process is explained fully. Most of my work is on film, and the countries are revisited year after year in order to continue the documentation of the same families, of the same communities. 


This young girl attends a religious school six days a week, and endures a most conservative society day to day. We have worked with her school for the past eight years and hope to support her headmaster with his vision to bring a more rounded curriculum to his school. Their headmaster is a wonderful man and hopes to expand the curriculum past the existing one based on religion only. Her village is quite a ways from the main road, tiny and incredibly serene. This is the only world she knows.

The purpose of selling these portraits on Etsy is to support the social work being accomplished through my photography. Presently we have six sewing centers in two states of India, serving both the Hindu and the Muslim communities. In these sewing centers, young women learn a trade while also making clothing for their families. The centers are located in the rural areas, where young women have only one option normally, marriage and a family. At this moment, due to COVID-19, the work is on hold. However, we plan to restart the centers in 2022 and the funds from the sale of these portraits will be applied to the work in India.

As a side note, my belief is that you will be very pleased with the print in person, as the tones of a silver gelatin print are difficult to represent through the screen. One may sense the surface of the print by looking at the gloss in certain areas of the print's surface. In the end, the print you will receive will be slightly different than the one represented on the screen, both in tone and in emotional impact... different in the best sense of the word. Every print is an original, and my hope is that it finds a good space in your home.


Each print will be signed and dated by me, the photographer, and numbered to a maximum of 50 prints (11x14) per negative. 





Sunday, June 5, 2022

Patricia + Campo, Guanabacoa, Cuba, 2016


Beautiful memory of a great morning in the countryside with Patricia, missing yet another summer in Cuba due to the pandemic. Hope all are healthy and safe on the island!


Thank you @modaegos and team!


Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Melissa + Racquetball Court, Santa Maria del Mar, Cuba, 2018

Another day in the darkroom reliving my mornings at the racquetball courts of Cuba. This is one of my favorite places in the world for photography, the light is just perfect. Those sunglasses were just right, served her eyes so well under the glaring sun!

Thank you Melissa and ModaEgos for everything!

PS Negative exposed with a Hasselblad 503CW/180mm combination, the print toned in Selenium.