Personal Fine Art Projects
Silhouette Spirits
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Image Tall Tales
Racing The Sun
I was running late as I raced down the beach to snag the sunset before it vanished. Which was gonna be real soon. I was hoping to create an image for my Silhouette Spirits series and was thusly searching all around for silhouettes.
Now one of the rules I set for this series is that I can’t use models or stage anything, so I have to just capture real people doing whatever they happen to be doing at the moment. No manipulating.
Down the beach to my left was a child fishing and that looked like it had interesting possibilities and I headed in that direction. But then my dog, Nunzi, gave a bark and I turned around in the other direction to my right. He was cocking his head in that odd fashion a pooch does when they’re trying to figure out something they see of interest. Which for Nunzi could just be an interesting seabird swooping around since he’s a bird dog.
But nope, no bird of note. Nunzi turned back to look at me again and barked more emphatically. Then in the distance I was able to see a group of people doing something but couldn’t make out what exactly. I looked back at the fishing kid which was looking like there were some good visual possibilities going on.
Tick-tock, tick-tock went the sunset clock. Less than five minutes remaining. I’m pondering if a fishing kid in the hand is worth a group in the beach bush? Arf! My fine canine was voting for the bush. I went with the arf!
We raced down along the surf as the sun raced down to the horizon. Who would win? As I finally reached the group, it seemed I won big-time–the visual possibilities were wonderful. There were a couple dozen people, all wearing headphones, dancing and gyrating to some silent song and basically acting as perfect silhouette models for me. Such luck! It was perfect.
Breathing hard, I collapsed on the sand and crawled around, composing some shots while my shadow models did wonderful posing–unbeknownst to them. I was able to shoot for only a couple of minutes before the sun said bye-bye.
But I thought I very likely got a mighty fine image. I made sure to give my fine canine all the treats I had in my pocket. He made a great call. Arf!
Back home I checked out the bounty of good captures and this image here is one of my all time favorites. I even gave Nunzi half of my steak that night. I wouldn’t have won that sunny race without him. Arf!
Magic Moonlight Night
It’s rare that I shoot at the beach at night. But we happened to have one of those super moons going on. And I happened to have a beautiful woman with me. And she was open to doing some posing.
We had a gentle very low tide so there were numerous puddles for reflection possibilities this night. My friend was also nice enough to be patient while I tried and tried to find the perfect puddle. And then the perfect angle of moonlight sculpting her figure just so. Creating that cool double silhouette of three dimensional human and flat ocean reflection.
This one’s probably in the top-ten of my favorite photos ever in my over 30 year career. A magic night indeed.
Sky’s The Limit
Oooo’s & aaaah’s were showering over the rolling acrobats as they flew across the golden sunset sky. This large SRO crowd, last Sunday at the Venice Skatepark, very much appreciated all the derring-do being done before their wide eyes. Sometimes breaking out with spontaneous applause as the effortless grace of this adrenaline-fueled and bodacious ballet played out as if it was all choreographed ahead of time.
I was enthralled with the constant action I witnessed this day, and found it quite challenging as I attempted to capture the high-speed action with my camera. I took over 200 shots and maybe got 5 good photos. This image is my favorite, made special by the guy in the middle, who seemingly appears to be crashing his head on the sky’s ceiling. He actually soared even higher than pictured—going up up up, and totally out of my frame in the next fraction of a second.
I have a confession to make—I ain’t got no knowledge about anything regarding skateboards or skateparks or what skaters are doing and what the heck the various tricks are called. But do I despair when I’m dumb about stuff? Nope, not anymore. Fore in these extreme modern times, I can always turn to my new ChatGPT pal. And fool people that I’m really smarter than I look.
So I clicked the button on my phone app and asked my dear friend said, “Hey Chatty, please give me 100 words about the origins of skateparks.” And this what she said:
“Skateparks originated in the 1960s with the rise of skateboarding in Southern California. Surfers sought an alternative activity during flat waves, leading to skateboarding. Riders used empty swimming pools and urban landscapes to mimic surfing maneuvers. The first purpose-built skatepark, Surf City, opened in Tucson, Arizona, in 1965. Carlsbad Skatepark in California, opened in 1976, marked a significant milestone with its concrete bowls and snake runs. Skateparks proliferated in the 1970s and 1980s, evolving to include half-pipes, rails, and ledges. The late 1990s resurgence in skateboarding led to a new wave of modern, community-funded skateparks, now integral to urban landscapes.”
A Miracle At Sea
So I’m gazing out at the unusually tranquil sea and I’ll be damned if I’m not witnessing a miracle–someone walking upon the water. Well it sure looked like that.
But I did really know better. But this cute little kid near me didn’t. The child excitedly points towards the man and exclaims to his father… “Look, look. That man’s walking around on the oceans.” Dad squints and looks off in that direction and admits it sure does look like that!
Because viewing this guy from shore, looking into the shimmering sun and reflections and all, you can’t really see his partially obscured paddleboard. I’m looking through a long telephoto lens, so I can spy that the man is indeed just stepping back and forth on the paddleboard.
But the apparition the surfer is creating very much conjures up miracle time! And with the unusually colorful, vibrant and beautiful sunset colors dancing upon the clouds and the sea–it does look like a natural nature miracle to me.
The little kid was right!
Where Heaven Is?
When a little kid looked at this photo she said… “Wow that looks like where heaven is! In those clouds there. Is it?” I wasn’t sure what to say. I told her I didn’t really know but maybe heaven’s close by to there.
I told her it sure looks like a beautiful place where God would like to hang out. She nods and said.. “Yep, it sure looks like a beautiful heaven place.”
Then a slice of heaven it officially is. No argument from me!
Amazing Animal Abstract Artiste
Well, I have to give my dear dog, Nutty Nunzi, a big animal artiste credit for this intriguing fine art image you see before you. I discussed with my fine canine what I wished to achieve in an image I had conjured in my mind. He listened intently.
I told him I specifically needed him to create a wonderful abstract art composition to be splashed across the colorful sunset sky. He was intrigued and agreed.
Oh, and I also told Nunzi he had to time his creation at the perfect fraction of a second that someone comes running by. You know, to add an element of depth and scale to our image. He nodded. Oh, and also make sure you get that person on the left side of the frame. He nodded again.
Oh, and do it all within the next 90 seconds before the sun sinks into the sea. That got Nunz a bit exasperated with me. He shook his head. I was asking too much.
But he soon relented, gave a grin and said—”sure no problem”. He then looked all around this way and that, evaluating the scenario, checking out the sun, and then gazing down the shore.
He spied someone running down the beach. He waited, but not too long. Yet not too soon. Then he set his mighty paws to churning up his medium of choice–the sand.
And, oh, I’ll be damned if the beast didn’t set about timing it all, creating it all, melding all the complex elements with ideal technique, perfection and overall aplomb! And wha-lah! And even voila! An astonishing creation was thusly achieved!
As you can see in the image, Nunzi indeed produced an impeccably complex and intriguing composition that is alive with ebullient vitality and energy. Simply amazing. The canine is indeed an animal artiste extraordinaire! The Guggenheim will be hearing from us.