Firstly, let me start out by apologizing for the lateness of the newsletter. It should have been prepared in October but here we are in December and I am only just getting round to it! Also if you would like to receive these newsletters on a more regular basis please send me an e-mail asking to be added to my mailing list and I will make sure you receive one.
My book “Pathways of Childhood – The White Peak” seems to have been well received by the people with access to it. It is available at blurb.com at a price of $89.95. The book presents a photographic odyssey to Derbyshire in England. I grew up in nearby Manchester and The White Peak is a place I visited often as a child. The book is full of poetry by myself and also by Emmryss Wren. Since I have firmly contracted the self-publishing ‘bug’ I should tell you that I have two other books now available at blurb.com. The first is titled “Guanella Pass” and contains photographs from my visits to this beautiful mountain pass in Colorado as well as my series of color hybrid images of Geneva Creek. The book is a 13x11 inch hardback and sells for $87.95. My third book is “Crown Lake” and it is a 7x7 inch soft cover that sells for $21.95. The book contains a portfolio of images of the Crown Lake open space in Lakewood, Colorado.
I find that the concept of self-publishing is a significant new outlet for creative artists of all types. It is a superb way of organizing those portfolios that have never been shown and the books are a wonderful way to showcase ones work. They can be carried to galleries, meetings or to friends and they act as excellent conversation pieces. Of course, they also help to organize ones thoughts and present good starting points for the development of meaningful photographic projects. With the advent of better papers for printing, these self-published books are not too far behind the real thing in terms of quality and a number of well known photographers now have self-published books of their own.
In June I visited Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks but I took just one camera (a 6x7) and a pack of black and white film. I will post a few of the images in the “New Work section of my website in the near future. I also attended a Dan Burkholder workshop from the 4th through 8th August. The course was titled “Platinum/Palladium Printing from Digital Negatives. Dan is not only the accepted guru for the use of HDR digital technology and the production of digital negatives but he is a great teacher and all around funny guy to boot! I can strongly recommend any of his courses especially for the more advanced digital photographer who is interested in using some special techniques.
As time goes on I seem to be working more and more with a mixed media approach to photography. My use of poetry with pictures is not new for me but of late I have immersed myself in the work of local poets and have been thrilled by the words and the emotions portrayed. While my own efforts pale in comparison it is a work in progress and I expect to improve as time goes by. What a wonderful world it is when there is no perceived end to the learning curve and there are more doors out there than we can ever hope to walk through. As you read this I will also be experimenting with the use of archival protective coatings for images and the use of colored washes over photographic prints. Who knows what may come of it?
Thanks for reading this. Have fun with your photography!
