Seeing 2013 (#16)

For your consideration:  of those who've recently agreed to sit for portraiture in front of my lens, this particular subject proved to be both the most severe and the easiest to capture . . .

Although getting this sitter to remain still was a non-issue, the penetrating and unwavering stare did resurrect disturbing memories  from my very early youth, tremors which had long been slumbering (out to pasture, so to speak).

I grew up in Tucson, which in the early Sixties still featured large tracts of undeveloped desert and tumbleweeds within its city limits, as well as still living vestiges of its pseudo-wild west culture.  Being a kid I mostly relished such clichéd accoutrements such as cap guns, lassos, sombreros and spurs.  (Guilty confession:  stick horses, too.)

In retrospect, the weekly testing of the forest of air raid sirens across the valley lent a surreal flavoring to the dusty ambiance — every Saturday promptly at 1:00 p.m. came the eerie howls. While I did indeed comprehend the import of those warnings, their threat paled in comparison to The Sign.  As the link reveals, this neon ghost still resides perched above Miracle Mile, undoubtedly maintaining its unwavering and glowering stare over all passersby day and night.  Trust me:  on those (blessedly) rare occasions when the family car passed by this landmark (or so I beheld it) I kept my own beady eyes locked on it;  even now I remember the mixture of fear and fascination which lingered long after the stare-downs.

Not coincidentally the specimen (a cousin perhaps?) now in my possession also hails from Tucson.  I've been wanting to explore its photographic potential for quite some time.  Using my recently acquired studio lights, I have carefully explored and exploited the abundant nuances of texture, shadowing, and surprisingly rich  geometry and character of this headstrong subject.

I am extremely pleased with the result. (Really, be sure to view it full-sized.)

Steer Skull, #1996-7D; 

© 2013 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details:  February 8, 2013, Canon 7D; f/11 @ 1/80 sec; ±0 EV; ISO 100;
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

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Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com

Seeing 2013 (#15)

For your consideration:  an incongruous apparition, one which appeared (came to my attention) late in the afternoon in an industrial section of town.

When I first encountered this surreal encasement I was quickly distressed:  not for the Buddha's well-being (he seemed peaceful enough despite enduring a suffocating attachment) but rather because my camera was at home.  This posed an acute dilemma: continue on my chosen path (i.e., return to my office from an errand I'd just finished) or pursue the manifestation of acquiring my photo equipment with great haste,  hoping to be able to return to and capture the scene before it vanished . . .

(A warehouse, not coincidentally, was mere yards away).

This post reveals my choice, and my reward.  I knew if I passed on the chance to photograph this, the unrealized opportunity would permanently join a small collection of other missed shots, mental images which huddle with mild regrets in some minute, securely encased store room of my brain.

Thus it appears that enlightenment, or some semblance of it at least, can be discerned if one risks seeking, even when the source remains obscured.  Furthermore, serenity can be experienced even in claustrophobic circumstances.

Tightly Wrapped Buddha, #2307-7D; 

© 2013 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.

(click image for larger version)

Details: February 28, 2013, Canon 7D; f/8 @ 1/3200 sec; —1/3 EV; ISO 250;
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS @ 24mm

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Visit my full photographic repository at jwmurray.smugmug.com