Back to the Dark Side.

I did it. I purchased a point and shoot camera. And I think I like it.

My DSLR will still be my camera, but this little thing will be with me always. And it's shockproof, waterproof to 16 feet, and just to reiterate - SHOCKPROOF. And no, I am not the klutziest person in the world, but I do have a four year old (Just turned four today!) and he likes to shoot pictures too. So now, when daddy is shooting pictures and he asks to use my camera, we can shoot pictures together.

What kind of camera is it? How are the images? Here is an image from day 1:

Quinn at Taco Mac

Not so bad for low light and a moving subject. I was actually hoping for some blur (so I killed the flash) and it captures Quinn's Taco Mac craziness. The noise would show up in any low-light situation.

I'm pretty happy with the camera so far. The camera is a 16 megapixel Panasonic Lumix TS20. The lens isn't great, but some sacrifices had to be made to keep the body watertight. In fact, there is a very similar Lumix with a Leica lens that has a much better zoom (and was selling for less - only $140.00) but the real reason I bought the THIS camera was for it's (presumed) durability. But another advantage was the 25mm wide angle lens. Most point and shoots seem to stop at about 28mm if your lucky. This gives the user some great depth and a pretty awesomely wide angle of view.

This camera is definitely coming with us to Europe this summer.

Fire Chief.

Fire Chief, what does it need?

It somehow feels unfinished. Perhaps it needs to be broken down a bit more? Maybe some sort of charcoal overlay? After all, charcoal is just burnt wood, right? Or did I just get to carried away with the ladders. Maybe a stronger foreground  object? Arrgaaahhh.

Barley Pillow

Once again, Barley-Rox serves as the object of Quinn's attention. For most of the dozen or so pictures I snapped, Barley tries, as she often does, to just ignore it all. But, when Quinn decided he wanted to be Thor and pulled out his hammer, someone got worried.

Thor's Hammer © Jeff Murphy, 2012

Quinn enjoyed these photographs so much that he decided to take his own. So, here is Quinn's very first DSLR picture:

Quinn's First DSLR Picture © Quinn Freeman Murphy, 2012

Not so bad for the low tungsten lighting. Just a few months ago the camera was jsut to heavy and awkward for him.

Awkward. That spells funny.

Chorus. Is it done yet?

When I was in Graduate school at the University of Florida, I remember Jerry Uelsmann saying that if he used computers for his work, he would never no when he's done. He preferred the limitations of the darkroom (though limitations is probably the wrong word her - maybe framework?). I've been thinking about that a lot as I've been working on the image Chorus for what seems like forever.

Chorus, © Jeff Murphy 2012

 I was initially drawn to the tree scabs and the way they appeared like open mouths shouting or singing. So they have been a constant. The waves and water were more problematic. Despite the churning water and foam, I seemed to lack the dynamism I thought would be inherent in waves. Also, after the first few versions, where I struggled with placement of the basic elements, I realized I needed a focal point beyond the chorus of tree scabs.

Enter the anatomical structures. These were fabricated from individual diagrams - I couldn't tell you what they are were, but you could probably guess some of the elements. These felt like the remains of on old pier where the deck has long since washed away. I placed these anatomical constructions in a row to mimic this idea (the work is in part about how time buries things).

So I thought it was finished. Then I pulled it out again. Then I put it away. I realized I still didn't have te focal point I was looking for. So I reworked it again. Enter bird skeleton (curiously, as I was taking a break from the computer, my neighbor came by with another bird skeleton he had found at his church). Now it's really done. I think. I'm just going to go ahead and archive the file with my other slides so I won't be tempted.

Left Nut

I think the title of this one is still up in the air. But the work is done. I think I'm happy with the way it came out. It was such a powerful initial photograph that I was not quite sure how to do it justice. And, like all creative works, it's quite possible I didn't. The full 360 degree panorama is on my website.

Any suggestions for a title? I'd give my...

Now I can get to work on my beer labels for Indie's Mutt Brown Ale.

Quinn visits the SPE (Society for Photographic Education) national conference in Atlanta, March 2011.

I gave the rough cut video track to my Digital Media class and each student created an original soundtrack using GarageBand. I thought Christy Megenbir's audio track fit the work best, especially since Quinn's getting a new bike for his upcoming birthday. I have visions of him growing out of the tricycle and I'm feeling nostalgic already.

The Mighty Quinn Oatmeal Stout Redux

The Mighty Quinn Oatmeal Stout (version 2) is bottled and labeled.

The re-shoot with Quinn, the mighty, didn't go quite like I planned. I had the boots, the shirt, the shovel, the helmet - everything I thought I needed. But I also got a big dose of (the) protest.

That's okay. Boy was tired and wanted to watch some Yo Gabba Gabba. I understand. And I can work with this. An Oatmeal Stout seems to be a good solid beer for those exhausted after a long day at work (Fuck yes I love a few after a 13 hour day of teaching). Why not just go with the slightly exasperated, more melancholy than I had hoped for, expression on his face?

I did. And I think I'm happy with the photograph I came up with. Grittier than I'd planned at first, but Stout!

Hopefully, this beer will best version 1 which for some reason, tasted great but poured with a mighty foam. This version scales down the hops a bit and ups the chocolate and crystal malts. Tasted great flat and warm when I bottled it, so I have my fingers crossed.

Daddy put that camera away.

The terrible two's are almost over. And they haven't been terrible at all. Quinn had some epic toddler tantrums when he was about 20 months old. Frigin legendary. He would protest everything. But until recently, he's been happy to oblige daddy for the most part.

Except he appears to be tired of getting his picture taken. And I'm talking stills images here. He still loves watching himself in the video LCD (he insists on watching the footage as it records). But pull out the DSLR and just try to get some cooperation.

Here are a few shots as I tried to get him to show me his Popsicle stains on his chin:


Not very happy with daddy. But still frigin cute.

Squirrel, You Will Find a Home.

Today was a visually productive day. Or at least it will be. I photographed a friends bone collection. Err, well, her collection of dead things. There were a few incredibly fascinating specimens.



Like this squirrel whose arms were spread as if it had been crucified. As soon as I framed it in my viewfinder I knew...I will use this image.

And now I feel as if I have some sort of responsibility for it. Not the dead squirrel, but the image of the dead squirrel. You see, the image, bathed in it's white surround - it's such a beautiful metaphor already. I just want to use it and not fuck it up.

And we digital artists and digital photographers do this some time. We take things top far. We make the real artificial and in doing this it becomes superficial. So squirrel, I promise you this. You will find a home within my imagery (hopefully, within this Dig series I'm currently constructing), where you belong. A visual home that makes you metaphorically stronger. You will be the amazing bionic dead squirrel.

Probably The Best Pantry Photograph Ever

But possibly not. I mean I do really like it. How could I not? It's Beer. Ten gallons of really good (I hope) home-brewed beer with an ABV of about 16% between them. And an added bonus - it's sitting next to 20 lbs. of pasta (Bucatini, another fave).

Wait, where were we...Oh yeah, thinking about photographs.

Photographically, this isn't going to become one of the images I exhibit, though perhaps, in the right context it could impress some meaning on the viewer. I'm thinking that a powerful photograph should transcend it subject, should shed some light on it. It should "set the stage" (as a former professor of mine at Ohio State used to say) for some meaningful dialog with the viewer.

This is not that kind of image.

I find gratification in the image not for it's formal qualities, or because it reflects some profound meaning. Let's face it. An photographic image is subject bound. It can't escape this fact. But I should separate whats great about the image from what's in the picture.

So while my pantry has never looked so beautiful, this is not a product of my photographic skill. Just my love for beer and pasta.