Rambles

I really do have the best intentions of getting posts up at the rate of about two per week or so, but it doesn’t seem to happen. The funny thing is, once I get started making an entry I really sort of enjoy it. It’s the getting started…

It’s been a pretty good week here in not Lake Woebegone and a good portion of it was spent getting things in the dark/light room shaped up for the third running of the annual Artists’ at Work Studio Tour that happened this weekend. This is the third time I’ve participated in it and, coincidentally I’m sure, the third time I’ve really given my studio space a good clean out. Clearly one of the benefits of being part of the tour.

Spending time in the studio and therefore thinking regularly about pictures and picture taking, also got me out with the camera with some regularity this week. I’ve been doing a lot of shooting close to home but not in what for me is a “normal” way. I’ve been doing more active play with the camera and having a really good time of it, not just with the camera, but on the computer after I get back with the images.

Flow of Ferns

I’ve been following photographer William Neill’s site for sometime now and like some of the stuff I’m seeing him doing (he also has regular columns in a couple of the photo mags I subscribe to). It’s very experimental in nature, incorporates the element of time more directly into the process and is just a lot of fun. I’m thinking of it as a way of “painting” with light and the camera.

Into the Woods

A new art show opened at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts on Friday. Both my wife and I had pieces accepted for the show and for a whole host of other reasons I think this is one of the strongest shows I’ve seen in the LPCA Gallery in a long time. If you’re passing through the areas anytime in the next month or so, do take the time to check it out.

Ghost Road

Another Experiment

I also just found out that a piece I included in an earlier blog post about a garden outing we had won Best Photograph at the Artist in the Garden show at the ForArtSake Gallery in Malone, NY. It’s the one labeled: “Down the Garden Path.” I’d put it up here again, but it’s not far down the column and who knows, the exercise might do your mouse some good.

Burdette

I’m here at Great Camp Sagamore, a historic, rustic, luxury retreat nestled in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. I’m spending the week instructing a Digital Photography course for an Elderhostle group. And what a great week it is for such an activity. The weather is picture perfect with early morning mist hovering over the lake and fall colors setting in on the maples and birches.

This week is usually somewhat predictable, having done it a few times each year for three years now, but today presented something quite different and quite delightful, especially considering the location.

Imagine yourself a wealthy playboy from NYC getting away from it all in the wilds of the northern wilderness circa 1937 or so. All things considered, that could be pretty hard to imagine on several levels. But one of the events of this day made it just a little easier to picture.

Imagine pulling up in this.

This is without question a wonderfully scenic place. And it’s apparent that I am not alone in that opinion. Early this afternoon, a sizable contingent of old car buffs, old Packard buff to be precise, descended on the camp. And they brought with them, of course, their cars. A delightful assortment of vintage Packards that graced the camp every bit as much as the camp suited them.

A classy look

Later but still nice.

A feast for the eyes.

For just a little bit there, it was possible to imagine, maybe even picture oneself, as a carefree, vacationing young man parking his Parkard and getting out to enjoy the lake, the camp and, of course, the young ladies that would be cavorting about in profusion.

Once a classy symbol, now a safety hazard.

Ahh the day.

Fits right in.

Now that's detailing.

I’m sure the rest of the week will be a delight and the weather promises to continue it’s mild march into fall. There will be an abundance of other, probably more conventional, photo opportunities; but the memory of those cars rumbling down the circular drive to the Main Lodge will mark this week as a little special. One thing is certain. There were plenty of cameras around to record the event.

Burdette

That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it, ridiculously assuming that I even need one. I’ve just been having way too much fun to take the time to make another rambling entry. There’s been biking and hiking and paddling and camping and just generally enjoying the sudden burst of summer weather that FINALLY arrived to grace the north country. We are basking in the longest stretch of warm, rain-free, blue-sky weather we have experienced in a couple of years, unfortunate it arrived just AFTER most of the summer folks departed. But this is not weather one wants to be inside hunched over the dismal glow of a computer screen. So I made it a point to avoid that as much as possible and the lovely weather just wouldn’t quit.

I was definitely not beeing one of these.

One of our outings was a lovely bike ride that took us to an area of the county we don’t visit all that often and we ended up visiting the delightful Six Nations Indian Museum in the tiny hamlet of Onchiota. There was a sign on the fence surrounding the enclosure that was a great reminder of our place on this earth and the hubris of our actions. I took a picture of it so I could remember.

A reality to live by

Here are some shots I got while we were out for a day-long paddle on a little lake we hadn’t visited before – it’s always fun to explore new territory, and so informative. Sort of like learning new things by exploring new ideas. Naw. That’s way too radical.

Tree shapes

A blue sky, blue bird day.

The next images were taken at our campsite. The one thing we really did not do on this Labor Day weekend was anything resembling Labor.

Hard at work.

This hard work thing is contagious.

A cool camp morning.

Going to be spending more time on the ol computer during the coming week and dealing with a lot of images. Who knows? It may result in some more frequent postings. But don’t hold your breath. Remember, we’ve resolved not to take this all too seriously.

Burdette