Virtuosos

 We drove up to Santa Fe to see an exhibition of the works of Ansel Adams and Paul Caponigro at the Oscura Gallery.  Our map app drove us around in circles for a while to find the place, but it was easily recognized with its small herd of horse sculptures in the yard.

The gallery is a small adobe with two rooms devoted to prints.  There were quite a few by both Adams and Caponigro and some other well known photographers; all were originals produced and signed by the artists.  Print prices ranged from about $3000 and $10,000.  Among the prints in the back room there was a big photogravure I had not seen before by Edward Curtis.  The gallery owner was busy on her computer and her phone during our visit, but she was welcoming and willing to discuss the photographers and their work.

 I had only seen Caponigro's work before in books and online, so I enjoyed seeing some actual prints.  I can't say, though, that the prints produced an impression that seemed greatly superior to what one can find in good reproductions in print.  In fact, Caponigro seems to have produced his pictures with the intention of presenting them primarily in book form.  I only have the small Aperture book of Caponigro's phtographs, so I will look for some of the bigger books such as Master Works from Forty Years or The Wise Silence.

Those eye-watering prices made me conscious of the fact that I really know very little about the economics of galleries.  It seems that nearly every other building in Santa Fe is an art gallery; the competition must be fierce.  I imagine that walk-in sales must represent a tiny portion of the total.

 After visiting the gallery we drove across town to get lunch at a breakfast/lunch place called Cafecito.  We had some good empanadas with a pot of mate and an excellent slice of baclava for desert.  So, a nice day in Santa Fe which I hope to repeat in the near future.

Cellphone Scanning

The real craftsmen among my film shooting friends have been digitizing their images using digital cameras for long time.  I have been using an Epson 2450 flatbed scanner for about twenty years to make images I can share online.  

Having recently acquired a newish iMac computer I was faced with having to upgrade some software to continue using my old flatbed.  It seemed like putting money into keeping my old scanning technology going was not the wisest course.

Spending hundreds on a digital camera was also not very appealing, so I decided to see what I might be able to do with my iPhone 14 as a scanner replacement.  The only additional piece of equipment  I decided to get was a cheap LED light pad. 

To use the setup I put negative strips into the negative carriers I had been using with the old Epson scanner.  I covered the exposed light pad surface to avoid light on the phone camera lens.  In making the exposure I just handheld the phone and zoomed in from about five inches to fill camera screen with the image.  Here for comparison are the images from the Epson  flatbed and the same images from the cellphone:

Yashica-Mat     Flatbed

 

Yashica-Mat     iPhone 14

Leica IIIa     Flatbed 

Leica IIIa     iPhone 14

I'm pleased with the outcome of my little experiment.  It seems to me that the quality of the iPhone scans is equal to what I can get from the old flatbed, and the time required to make the cellphone scans is an order of magnitude better.

Black & White

  I always look forward to visiting the yearly Black & White exhibition at the New Mexico Art League gallery.  As the announcement says, it features black & white drawings and black & white photographs.  About half of the pieces are photographs, and both the digital and analog offerings are generally of very good quality.  All of the art is available to view online.

I am always a little surprised to find new to me analog talent given my years in the city.  In this show it is Kirk Conrad, who has a considerable body of work including two nice film-based pieces in the current exhibit and much more on his website. I was impressed by his style, and his compositional and technical skills.
 

Dan Shaffer is a regular at the B&W shows and he also turns up at most of the other exhibition opportunities in Albuquerque.  I thought his pieces on this occasion featuring some shadow pattern work were particularly nice.

Among the digital photographers I was particularly impressed by the work of Dallas Pottinger, Lisa McBride, Thomas Fore and Virginia Mahan.  I liked Radka Toscova-Tenigan's Dragonfly, but I thought he went a bit too far with digital enhancement in his Five Goats which produced some unpleasant background textures; perhaps over-sharpening?

I'm looking forward to returning to the gallery for the Meet the Artists reception, March 21, 3 PM to 6 PM.  Being able to view the actual prints is a much more satisfying experience than looking at the online reproductions.

 Perhaps I'll try to drag along some of my camera-toting friends.

New Mexico Art League - 3409 Juan Tabo Boulevard NE

A Second Look

About ten years ago I put together a thirty-page book, using Blurb, about pinhole photography.  I ordered a copy for myself to see what the book looked like, and I decided I did not really like the outcome.  So I deleted the project.

Recently, I happened on my copy of the pinhole book in my bookcase.  Looking at it again I decided that  I did like it after all.  However, I felt I had fully satisfied my curiosity about self-publishing with my previous book about box cameras (Out of the Box).  So, rather than producing a hard copy, I decided to see if I could reproduce the pinhole book as a stand-alone page on my blog.

Pinhole Narratives, is now available online.   There is a link to the book in the menu near the top of my Photography & Vintage Film Cameras blog.  Click on that menu item there, or just click the book title in this post.

An advantage of posting the book online is that it can be easily edited and updated.  Some of the text and photos were used over the years in blog posts.  I can see some book sections now which could use a bit of polishing, and I may add some additional illustrations.   I'm sure there are other possible improvements, so comments and suggestions are welcome. 

Fog in the Sandias

Clouds

From The Archive

 I spent the afternoon retrieving scanned files from an old backup hard-drive.   Some of the files go back to 2001.  A quick look tells me my memory is going to be taxed recognizing some of the places and subjects.  

I do recall this cloudy April 6th of 2013 when I found some old cars lined up along the curb in the Old Town Plaza.  Captured with my Argus C3 and the Sandmar 35mm lens.

For this subject, Google Search is a big help in retrieving some details:

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"The car featured prominently in the center of the image is a 1958 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe. 

Key Details of the 1958 Impala
    •    Debut Year: 1958 was the inaugural year for the Impala nameplate, which was originally introduced as the top-of-the-line trim for the Chevrolet Bel Air line.
    •    Design Features: This model is known for its pillarless coupe design, quadruple headlights, and distinctive triple taillights. The specific color of the car in the image appears to be Silver Blue Poly.
    •    Performance: These classic cars were often powered by a 348-cubic-inch "W" engine or a 283ci V8, with some high-end versions featuring "Tri-Power" (three two-barrel carburetors).
    •    Historical Significance: It was a "one-year-only" body style, as the Impala was redesigned for the 1959 model year, making the '58 a highly sought-after collector's item. "  

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  More to follow...