Peter J. Crowley

Fine Art Photographer

March, April and May Quarantine Walks in Carlyon North

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Spent seventy three days in the neighborhood could not even ride with my caregiver to the market and wait in the car.

Here is a sample of what I saw.

March

March 23rd Safeway in the rain. Last trip to the market.

There is this tree on Carlyon on the right in this image on March 25th. That tree that I see an image there but I have yet to bring it out. My friend Arnold Prince a Sculptor used to say the figure is there in the stone you just have to bring it out. 

April

April Third my basil was a subject to study and eat. 

April 10th another tree this one more operative. This from the first time I saw this tree. I had not been here at this early hour as the sun crept around my image.  The image jumped out no pondering.

Tulips April’s delight this from the 13th in Tumwater. 

Shadows dance in the breeze. April 15th as I learn my new camera. I have been a B+W artist for most of my creative life. In 2017 my eyes started to not work as well manual focus didn’t work. Since then I have been trying to get the emotional feel in a digital image there is an edge to film. I’ll get it soon enough.

The beginning of new growth spring new life. April 25th 

May

Shot as an image to convert to B+W why? The green background has plenty of tonal range getting these subtle variations to hold in B+W. May first that was what I endeavored to learn. Every day the strolls are a self taught class.

May 8th I walked over to do the dishes, plan canceled. The twins next door were playing in great light! A half dozen images  download to computer post process. Smiling I start something else but three hours later I get up to make dinner and oh those lunch dishes.

Poppies back light May eighth. These also a neighbors her flowers are often my first stop out the door. 

The Fence is another subject with maybe 200 images made. Stretching around the corner always with a tale to tell. Will the restored or replaced fence speak to me time will tell. There are many unspoken  stories to hear. May 17th 

My Columbine May 16th on a dark misty morning. A great time to try my 70-300 very heavy slow lens. So it’s just a test I will learn a bit more about this tool. A shutter speed that by rule of thumb says will show my shake. Okay rule broken, a younger self I broke this rule often but at 70 bending down I was thinking the rule will win. It did six times but I made seven exposures. For this 1 out of 7 works for me.

White flowers hover over a Blue Plane saturation contrast creating the flight. May 22nd  an alternate reality.

So I have been released so June for now will have to wait. It is almost seven and there are lunch dishes to to before dinner peace 

 

 

 

 

A Recent Vision Quest, The Shire with Ents leading to Boston Harbor

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Thurston County now in Phase Two. Not running out to a restaurant anytime soon but I can get in a car to see more then the neighborhood.

New visual stimuli freedom. 

The Shire perhaps there is an Elf dancing in the soft dappled light? Magic is here for sure. Burfoot State Park appearing in the role of The Shire. Seventy two days with the same 3-5 block walk. My eyes awoke to see many highlights to create magic.

A smiling Ent greets us as we enter the Shire on my Vision Quest. A child walks past her little excited voice ” hello we are going through the forest to the beach.” 

The forest lush, silence broken by a breeze rustling the spring leafs. Birds punctuate the stillness with songs of delight. One one hundredth of a second at F-7.1. I linger just watching studying my composition. Keeping the highlighted maple sapling at the bottom with space between the frame holding my eye within the frame. Finding the angle to best carry a shallow DOF across the photograph.  A sense of peace rolls through me with each breath that comes easier with the clean air and new inhaler. 

I moved a few paces the forest had so much to offer. Detail seeing what is there focus, refocus the breeze is robust a challenge to sharpness and creating a defused puddle of light in the background. Placing the highlighted repeating shapes around the subject. The negative space should caress my subject keeping your eyes in the frame. I made two exposures and still haven’t decided which will be in this spot when I click publish. 

Outside the Boston Harbor Marina a little more dappled light a thin overcast ideal light still directional but the contrast curve isn’t as steep. We used to call this Kodachrome Light. 

The Marina was everything I hoped for memory flashes of Rhode Island, and Maine. A funky little store a small dinning room with a wood stove and comply chairs. I think during non pandemic times there is live music. 

Ilesboro Maine  to visit friends from high school back in Coventry. The docks in Little Compton R.I. rusty freezers working to keep the catch cool. My vision beyond what is there to what emotion is created. I want my work to seem like a story not finished you complete the image with your vision quest. 

The cook, I caught her outside asked could I shoot her?  An image that isn’t a flower but just as bright. A beautiful spring day with a lovely cook in the spring time of life. So long without a human subject two shot’s thirty seconds I’m pleased. She makes a mean batch of shoestring fries as well.

My learning curve is not so level digital B+W. Here when I made this shot I was thinking B+W but lots to be done after conversion. Too much, here the soft light was a problem the shore line gray’s and greens were tonally the same. I worked to get more drama in the clouds. I spent more time in PS on this then all the other images combined. A bit of contrast and brightness in the Shire almost right out of the camera for the rest. Maybe shoot RAW when I want Black and White. I will learn to simulate TriX.

Triangles a way to see and use negative space. Wood paddles to go with a kayak. Shot in open shade with total shade underneath that is how even the light was this day.  A very low tide a good time to make this photograph. It is always a good day to photograph sometimes a great day for a vision quest. 

peace

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