Yosemite, Digital Thoughts

Greetings!

Wow! October certainly flew by in the blink of a shutter! I was off to California again, this time to Yosemite for my Crafting the Fine Black-and-White Photograph workshop for the Ansel Adams Gallery. It was a small group this year, but we had an amazing time. Once again it was clear that no matter how well one knows typical weather patterns and seasonal changes for any particular area, landscape photography is always full of surprises.

When I arrived in Yosemite Valley two days before the workshop, Yosemite Falls, as usual for October, was dry as a bone. I awoke the next morning to the sound of raindrops on my camper roof - a steady rain which did not let up for a minute in the next 25 hours.

Our first morning session was blessed with magnificent hanging clouds and the falls had all exploded into mid-June roaring! Yahoo!

The Fall color began to explode as well - I never knew Yosemite had so many maples.

yos falls

Yosemite Falls, October 2009 4x5 Arca, 90mm lens, TMax 100

Cheers,

alan@rossimages.net
www.alanrossphotography.com

Some thoughts on the Digital Darkroom

No, I haven't "gone to the Dark Side"! It's certain, however, that the digital technology - both for "capture" and prints - is improving at an amazing rate - and I believe that we have a whole wonderful bag of new tools to use in our professional and creative efforts.

For a number of reasons, a production of fine-art digital prints from film negatives was the most suitable approach for my recent work with a noted California winery (more on this as the project progresses...).

But nothing comes easy. And the only thing about digital imaging that costs less than Analog is that there is no film or developer! And the paper! A sheet of Hahnemuhle Ultra Smooth can run to four times the cost of Ilford Multigrade Fiber in a similar size - and the Hahnemuhle doesn't have any silver in it!

I'm going to go into this in greater length in the Blog section of my new site - but here's a hint on my reaction - the Digital Darkroom is more temperamental and subject to technical glitches than the wet darkroom. I can produce more work in less time under a safelight than I can waiting for a printer to crank a piece of paper through it's guts.

Some Thoughts on my Blog...

You'll all have to bear with me on this one! Over the years I've become pretty computer savvy - but I've never done chat groups, forums or Twitted. Not that any of these are anything to shun. I've just never thought that way. (I have found that the quickest way to contact our daughter is to text her...) That said, I do want to have a venue for sharing some ongoing technical and creative insights and I think my Blog page is the place for that. Give me a week or so to post the blog on Digital and hopefully that will be the start to some fun.

Coming Up:

� The Ansel Adams Gallery has revived the Lone Pine - Death Valley Workshop for 2010 - April 26-30. This is a field/traveling workshop open to all formats, experience, digital and analog. It's always been lots of fun.

� A reinstatement of the Workshop Alumni Gallery on my site. It's always been a pleasure to showcase the wonderful work so many of you have done over the years.

� A site page with links to previous and current Newsletters.

� Would you like to see something other? Let me know!

Always remember, the Oh! Zone must be preserved!

Alan

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