Monday, May 22, 2006









Variations on a Road

- (click image for a larger view)

Coming soon to Art166.com.

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The backstory -

While on my knees in the middle of this beautifully paved (and traffic-free!) road, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the manip.

Well, the best laid plans . . .

As I sat at the computer, working on this, I was bombarded with all these different visions of what I'd photographed, and what I wished I'd photographed.

Never let it be said that I bowed to time and nature.

20 hours and about a dozen manipulations later, I chose these four as Monday's Bllog Show and Tell.

Oh, and I really need ink for my printer. If anyone has a good, discount source for authentic Canon ink, feel free to chime in!

25 comments:

  1. Horray!! WJ is in the road again!! (Not that I wish you dead or anything! Er).

    These are FANTASTIC. I love they way they make me feel. The last two scare me, the first two, I want to walk into, and keep on walking! Possibly in bare feet. Yup.

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  2. Snoo!!

    Good to hear you don't wish me, er, dead . . . or anything!

    I'm so glad you like these! At the risk of sounding less-than-modest, I LOVE them! I'd like to go back and shoot some more, if I had any idea where we were (we were just driving the back roads -- this was the same day I shot the scary cows).

    The road was perfect: wide and clean like-new pavement, no oil spots, with not even a dropped leaf to mar the surface. Barefoot would definitely be okay, here.

    While I was kneeling there, lining up my shot (Kneeling in the highway! Insanity! It's okay, though, Joe was watching for traffic -- really watching, this time!) I wondered how the scene would look in the very dark of rural night. That's where the "scary" images came from.

    Crap, why didn't I just put all this in the blog post??? wj hitting big, empty head on the desk. thunk, thunk, thunk . . .

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  3. Anonymous6:09 PM

    W.J.
    Way too brave, but well worth it. (Of course it's not my a** out in the street.

    These are beautiful. The first almost looks like a painting.

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  4. Tammi, you're right, it was definitely worth it.

    At the risk of sounding like an adrenaline junkie, landing the "road" shots is a kick, in more ways than one! Everything we've all been taught about roads, traffic, and caution, goes right out the window! This girl's idea of a good time!

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  5. OK there's something very spooky and surreal about these roads. They remind me of a road I would see in my dreams. Yep too perfect and no traffic, I'm hearing the "Twilight Zone" music here, these are very awesome W.J.!! and well worth the risk of taking 'em!

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  6. Anonymous7:39 AM

    I love the conversion you used for the middle one. after graduation is over this week, I hope to get back to my photoshop, etc, and play with some pictures. Heck, I'd like to TAKE some pictures...

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  7. The third one looks like something out of a Steven King movie. It's erie. I am always amazwed what you can do on the computer.

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  8. I have to get a camera and start taking photos. Nice site!

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  9. Glad you like 'em, Lynette!

    "Surreal" is my middle name, and that "Twilight Zone" theme is the soundtrack of my bizarro existence!

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  10. Uh, Karen? There are four pics. There is no middle. Unless you mean the middle two.

    Is your cryptic comment part of the webwide plot to "gaslight" me into (more!) insanity???

    Well, it won't work! I'm fine!

    Perfectly sane!

    Really!

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  11. Hi, Dr. John! Glad to have you along on this "road" trip. Speaking of Stephen King, I'm really looking forward to "Desperado" tonight on ABC. Who know how I'll be inspired!

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  12. Hi, Maritza! You certainly do have to get camera! Careful, though, it's addicting!

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  13. Maybe I'm whacked, but I really love #3 and #4. I'm not scared at all by these! Lonely rural road that could be anywhere.

    Thanks for visiting my blog...I am a novice photographer so what would a back light do?

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  14. Hi, Cynthia, thanks for stopping by!

    I'm with you; #4 is actually my favorite. They weren't meant to be scary, only dreamy and mysterious. That's the fun of any kind of art, though. Perception is reality, and perception's ALL about the viewer!

    Backlighting is when your light source is behind the subject and facing your lens, instead of in front of it or above it. You can supplement the shot with other light source(s), but the point is to light your subject mainly from behind, which puts a nice glow around it, as a sort of silhouette, or in the case of your delicate porcelain, a soft glow through it.

    The exposure can be tricky, but if you're shooting digital, it doesn't cost anything to try different settings. It would be a fun exercise for you, and you might capture something amazing!

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  15. The composition alone is fabulous. I think I like the first and last one best.
    The first is just pure beauty to me and the last very mysterious in a stuck in the middle of the moors brooding kind of a way (thats a good thing).

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  16. Thanks, Jafa!

    It's not often I have a "fabulous" thrown my way! I could get used to it, though!

    It really was a perfect spot, thanks equally to Mother Nature and The Texas Highway Planning Commission (or whatever they call themselves). Once I was there, it was an easy thing to walk out to the center line, and decide to kneel/sit instead of shooting from a standing position.

    Serendipity, all around!

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  17. Anonymous1:26 PM

    Hey, Doc, I was about to say...isn't that last one where Stephen King got run down by that nutter in a car?

    Anyway, looking good, W.J.!

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  18. Of course I came and checked back for your answer, thanks for taking the time to explain back-lighting to a novice.

    I was actually shooting outside...I don't have the right lighting to shoot inside. I'll have try messing around with lighting...on my to do list.

    Plus I took another look at your 4 variations of the road. #3 is my fav.

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  19. Hey, TC! Between Stephen King and anyone else, you've always gotta wonder who the real nutter is!

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  20. No prob, Cynthia. Glad to help!

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  21. Anonymous5:29 PM

    Which Canon printer do u use?
    I've been using a S9000 for 3 years with Media St ink and refillable carts from Moab Paper Co.
    1 set of 6 Canon carts costs $85 = -. 6 4oz bottles of ink and carts costs about the same and you get 10 refills. smiles

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  22. Anonymous5:42 PM

    here is the basic ink page. Moab Paper now just sells paper. Red Rock or Ink Jet Goodies sell ink and other stuff.

    http://redrockinnovations.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=IJG&Category_Code=R01

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  23. Anonymous5:44 PM

    paul w sent the link and correction

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  24. I like these images immensely!

    :-)

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  25. Thanks, Nina! I have a fantasy where I spend six months driving around the U.S. taking 'Road' pictures like these. There are some gorgeous backroads out there!

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