Man's Race

It is amazing to see how far we have come, especially when it comes to technology, and how we, as humans, are once again trying to contain and rope in mother nature, harnessing her for all she is worth. This time around I can only hope we succeed ...Captured outside of Boulder, Colorado

Technorati Tags: Photography, photo, landscape, nature, outdoors, environment, Boulder

The Colors

The Colors of a Colorado Autumn....
How I wish that everyday could be like this, colorful, vibrant, and even though at times the weather might be cold, the leaves still seem to shimmer with the brilliance and warmth that they do on a sunny day. I don't know why, but maybe that is why I prefer shooting on cloudy days in Autumn, when there is a slight chill in the air, the smell of rain and woodsmoke, and those trees....the Aspen, the Willows....Every year I look forward to Autumn more than any other time of the year for photography, it just has a certain romance about it, something which any other season doesn't have. The sound of the Elk bugling and the golden leaves on the rocks by a waterfall....Autumn...how I wish it only lasted longer.

Shots below captured at The Brainard Lake Recreation Area in the Roosevelt National Forest in rural Boulder County outside the small town of Ward.










Technorati Tags: photography, autumn, fall, colorado, nature, leaves, Aspen, season

Recent Images & The Changing Season

It is Fall in Colorado.
It is hard to describe what this time of the year does to me, but it has a profound effect on my photography and my creative soul. Everything in the Rockies is bathed in the soft glow of Autumn Golds...the Elk stand and bugle along the lake front of Lake Estes as the fog lifts...if nature is soothing to the heart, body, mind, and soul, then this time of the year is it.

It is also my busiest time of the year for photography, the time of the year which I look most forward to. For me as a photographer, this time of the year is very special, it isn't so much about photography but also the ability to just be where I am, witnessing it all, feeling it, breathing it, clicking the shutter to record it. I wonder how many others feel the same way about Autumn as I do?

The last almost 2 weeks have seen me going all over the Northern Rockies of Colorado, up to some God-forsaken Jeep trails, where I bounced around so hard inside, I think I received a concussion, to seeing an entire herd of Moose around Lke Brainard amongst the Autumn foliage while the snow was falling hard, to witnessing Bull Elk bugle and fight in the snow and sleet of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Next weekend it all start to pretty much wind down, and with a little luck, maybe I will still finally get to the San Juans or The Bloods for some color, we'll see. I will say this much, I have never shot as many photos as I have recently, and I have been very lucky to see the things which I have seen. As the saying/song goes "If God doesn't live in Colorado, I bet he spends most of his time there". You know what, I tend to agree!

Below are some of the recent shots which I have taken, hope ya all enjoy them.
---John

Social Media and the circus act that ensues with artist's

I have to admit that I for one am a BIG fan of Social Media and how artists such as myself, can use it to ones full advantage, I actively promote my work on sites like Twitter and Facebook  and have had quite a few nice opportunities come my way because of it. I think Jim Goldstein probably wrote about it best with the article he did over on his blog "Why Social Media Matters to Photographers" 

However there is another side to the coin with this, and one that I am currently fighting pretty hard. Yeah, I know, some of you are getting sick of hearing about all the drama on deviantART with regards to the "Share" feature, who are members of DA, but I really want to pose a few open thoughts about this.

I am quite astounded that many consider posting a hyperlink to a social networking site that links to a persons photograph, to something along the lines of a entry level drug with art theft. "This would help art thieves in stealing my work" is one of the cries often heard. Another is "I want control over my images", and yet another is "I only want people on DA to see my work". It is that last one that gets me. And I mean really gets me. (Conspiracy theories aside how DA is making money somehow with being in business with Twitter and Facebook) I am unable to understand why people would want only DA members to see their own work, it speaks of sheer fear mongering, thinking that the whole world outside of DA is suddenly evil, and bad thinsg can happen, meanwhile DA itself is a community of 12 million plus. Call me confused, but I firmly believe that if you are having regrets over a possible employer seeing your naked nude self portriat of yourself, then you should be using common sense in knowing that your image is already spread all over Google and you shouldn't be posting it anyhow to begin with.

I think what is needed is an education campaign. I don't believe that DA should give in to fear mongering with suddenly making parts of the site what is akin to being behind the Great Wall of China. This honestly bothers me that a blocking feature would be getting thought about, as was evidence over on #HQ Blog with "Update on Share Links from deviantART"

No other art community or art orientated website has had users crying foul with something that is now, these days, basically commonplace. Zenfolio did it, people cheered. Artician did it, people cheered. DA did it and some came absolutely unglued. Some obviously have an axe to grind however.

I balltle this because, well, honestly, I not only believe in the system and how it relates to social media and artists, but because well....I actively promote peoples work whom I admire. Not only on DA but also on sites like FB and twitter. I try to showcase some of the very best images from people on DA whom I "watch", it also not only helps me promote their work but also promote the nature photography community as a whole, and lets me ring the bell proudly about it. I knwo for a fact that some have joined DA just because of the links which I have posted on twitter to deviants galleries. But.....I feel odd.

Yes, I feel odd, very odd, because now, it calls in a whole other issue. Is it fair that I feature peoples work now in my journals who don't want their work shared? Is it fair that I fav and add peoples work to my collections who no longer want thir images seen outside of deviantART? Knowing that I promote these journals, collections, and favorites outside of deviantART on Facebook & Twitter? It leaves me in a quandary about it, honestly, and I call the question of fairness into the equation as it refers to other artists and how they want their work seen. What a strange paradox.

Gee, I wonder if people know that their journals have built in RSS feeds as it is? Chances are most haven't any idea at all. And thereis no chance I am even going to mention that fact, otherwise more will just ensue.

Enjoy some of the recent shots I have taken below. It has been a LONG while since I did any floral work. To long.

Boreas Pass, Guanella Pass, & Como Ghost Town

More of my shots from my recent photo shoot can be seen on my website in the gallery Boreas & Guanella Pass 7-24-2009 if you would like to see more than what I have posted below.

This past Friday evening I had the chance to venture out with my shooting buddy John (his work can be seen at Glitch-Chaos on deviantART ) and headed for some late day and evening shooting up at Guanella & Boreas Pass here in Colorado. I figured seeing as how we would be driving through the Ghost Town of Como to get to Boreas, it would also some great shots as well.

It is wildflower season in the high country right now, and we wouldn't be disappointed! The waterfalls and creeks were flowing heavily and made for some wonderful shots. Around the Guanella area, these are a sort of highlight for me... Guanella Pass sits at almost 12,000 feet high and runs between Georgetown and US285...it is easily passable in any car with parts being paved. At the summit of the pass, trails lead to Mt. Bierstadt (el. 14,060 ft./4285 m.) Shooting here is a really worth your wild experience, and late day light is very dramatic....and lead to some pretty sensational photographs. So without any delay, here are a few shots from Guanella Pass...









The Ghost Town of Como Colorado

While some may not consider it a Ghost Town in the traditional sense, I sure as heck do! There are still a handful of people who live there, but honestly, there are more empty buildings than there are people....and it makes for some GREAT shooting! Even the original outhouses still stand from the 1800s...it is like stepping in to a time warp....where time just simply stands still,.....a glimpse at how life was back in the wild west.

From the Wikipedia article on Como, Colorado:

Como is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office in Park County, Colorado, United States. The Como Post Office has the ZIP Code 80432.^[2]

Located at the northern end of South Park, the town is a historic mining settlement founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in 1859. It sits approximately one-half mile (1 km) north of U.S. Route 285, approximately 9 miles (15 km) northeast of Fairplay. It is accessible by an unpaved county road off Highway 285 leading northwest over Boreas Pass (to Breckenridge) in the Front Range. The mountains northwest of town form a dramatic background to the town site, which sits on the flank of Little Baldy Mountain. The town was named by prospectors and miners from Como, Italy who came to work the gold fields of the area.

In 1879 the town became the location of a roundhouse of the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad, which was extended over Kenosha Pass to reach the silver mining areas during the Colorado Silver Boom. The roundhouse served as a junction for trains going northward over Boreas Pass and southward toward Fairplay and over Trout Creek Pass at the western end of South Park. The town has many historic weathered structures, including the roundhouse, and has the air of a ghost town that is still nevertheless populated, by 500 people. It has a small commercial district just off the main county road consisting of a post office and general store. The roundhouse is currently under renovation with intention of turning it into a principal tourist attraction in the area.

What it doesn't tell you is all the people who died here, there was a mine collapse that claimed more than 25 peoples lives....there was also a massacre of Chinese mine workers in Como, in which it is estimated 100s died...due to the Italians and Irish at the time, disputing how the Chinese were paid lower wages and feared losing their jobs because of it.

But as I said it offered many photo-opps! Here are some below:

Boreas Pass, Colorado

Honestly this is one of my favorite places to shoot at, there is just a real lack of people up here and noise, it is almost eerie, like you are the last human on the face of the Earth. It starts at Como and comes into the backside of Breckenridge, and has some utterly amazing views along the way. It is a great trip to make, and the wildflowers are just amazing.

We arrived here at Golden Hour and went to town, stopping often to catch the dramatic light as it bounced off the rain clouds, with teh sunlight filtering through, it made for unreal conditions to shoot in. It was quite challenging at times actually, with trying to shoot with my tripod with a bum knee, and at times I just hand hold the shots, but I was able to get some pretty amazing shots off thanks to in body anti-shake in my Minolta!

The wildflowers just littered the road up here, they are literally just everywhere, and the scent they produce along with the smell of the rain, is nothing short of absolutely heavenly! It really is something out of a film, or movie, that you experience. So journey with me on this adventure to Boreas Pass!

Technorati Tags: Boreas Pass Guanella Pass Photography Photo Colorado Minolta landscape nature outdoors adventures travel

The Inner Battle Among Photographers

Before I write this, I want you to all know where I am coming from. I am a Gallery Moderator on deviantART for Photography-Animals, Plants, & Nature (think basically, Nature Photography) I interact with literally thousands upon thousands of people, sometimes on a daily basis. And it is with that interaction that I started to notice a few things amongst my fellow photographers.

It almost seems there are 2 camps within nature photography, these who believe in capturing the image exactly as you saw it, and those who get a little creative with their images...maybe doing subtle HDR work, de-saturating images, and so forth. Oddly I have found it is the later, the creative camp, who is more likely to do B&W work, but anyways....

What I have come to notice is a BIG chip on the shoulder coming from the the "The eye crowd" as I call them, towards their creative brethren... and it often gets pretty heated. It kind of leaves me scratching me head honestly, wondering why so many feel this way, feeling the need to outright openly and attack others because they feel an image is wrong....I kind of wonder where the respect has gone.

Is it possible to even have a "right" or a "wrong" within a creative medium? I am not to sure of that. No 2 photographers are going to capture things the exact same way, and who cares if one shot has more post work than the other, in all honesty. I think without question, we all view things the same way when we take the shot, regardless if one photographer decides to go with a B&W and the other one replicating the scene the best as they can to the human eye....we are all photographers....

So what is causing these attacks and general disdain? That is what I would like to know myself. Now I don't mean to be offensive here, but honestly, there are a million and 1 cookie cutter waterscape shots that all look the same, long exposure, at sunrise/sunset, etc. And often, oddly, these folks attacking the more creative ones, their shots all look a lot alike. I honestly to God can not tell who shot what....is that a slam? I don't think so as much as it is an observance of a possible pattern. I honestly like their work, but at times, I can't tell who shot what...

Myself, I think I ride the fence a lot between the two camps, sometimes I take shots with a more creative workflow in mind, other times, I capture it as realistically as I can...needless to say, some of the comments I receive are well...."interesting", I will say that. That being said though, I have worked long and hard at developing my own style, and maybe that is what needs to happen....I remember an old quote that goes something like "People put down what they don't understand"....I guess those words really ring true, especially these days with what I have seen.

Anyways, here are a couple shots from this past Friday evening that I took up on Guanella Pass & Boreas Pass here in Colorado...stay tuned for a formal blog post about that, in the days to come!

--John







Technorati Tags: photography, photo, deviantart, landscape, outdoors, nature, colorado

Christmas In July Print Sale!

Get 'em while they are hot!--- I have decided to go
ahead and try something new, doing a prints sale of my work, on my own!
I am offering 12"x18" prints signed by me (unless of course you would
like it unsigned) for $25 plus FREE shipping in the USA. They are
printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper and done on a Noritsu 3111
printer, in both Lustre and Glossy papers. I can accept payments via
PayPal, so if you are interested, just note me! It is never to early to
shop for the upcoming holidays and they look great hanging on a office
wall! Swing by my website and check out what I all have to offer! jdebordphoto.com and sign the guestbook and say "howdy!"

John