In the Mountains of New York

My indulgent wife and I were returning from Quebec QC, and we decided to take the extra time it would take to drive right on through the middle of the Adirondacks of NY. It was beautiful, there was enough blue in the sky to make it not a total bust. So we did it, and took the extra 2 hours in stride.

This is Whiteface Mt. as seen from its Western side, we are probable about 7-10 miles from it, and maybe about 2 hours from Aplineglow at this point (too bad I missed that,) I could only get the shot from this very busy little clear spot, while dodging cars I shot like a mad man. I got this one and it is so-so, no tripod (the bane of this trip “photographically”,) But I worked on it in Raw, and then played with it in Tonemapping. Till I got this shot.

P.S. Note to self: When going to visit with a good Pro-Photographer don’t forget the “shoe” for your tripod, kinda takes the “Pro” out of Professional Photographer.

James Longster, © 2014

Whiteface Mt. Adirondacks

Door into The Past

Door into the Past is an image I took in 2005 with my Canon 20D. This particular shot was done as part of a video I did, that was part of my ongoing Photo Documentary on the death of the American Family farm.

This was a beautiful home of probably 20 rooms, and two stories. I guess here at the number of rooms, because the building was way too unstable to trust my life, or those of the models I had with me to its condition. We did go into the first floor, through the main entrance (after I had checked the floors and walls for structural integrity,) but we still were In-and-out as fast as possible. I will be revisiting this once beautiful home to see if it too has succumbed to time and the corporate march.

In America, where the dollar is king, the families that once dotted the countryside of rural America with their small beautiful farmhouses with children running about and playing, have all but disappeared. The statistics say that Indiana alone has lost 600,000 family farms since the 1950s, where did they go? They went to the big corporate farms, Prudential is one of the big players in this “rape of American history and life.” After they “buy” your farm they knock down the House, the Barns, The Chicken coups, they cut down the trees, in truth they erase all signs that humans lived here and made a life. The saddest part is the family history that just disappears, it is likely, that until it was purchased by whatever corporation, there may have been 4-5 generations of this family living there. But once again the corporations have won, and “we the People” have lost to the Dollar, again.

This just depresses me, and it always will. Jim

James Longster, © 2014

Door Into The Past

Man of Saguenay

My friend, and Photography partner Roger Gauthier, is from a land that can be at the same time extremely Harsh, and just as extremely Beautiful. He grew up in the Rivière Saguenay region of Quebec. It breeds people of strong will, patriots, and people able to survive. Beautiful in summer, devastatingly dangerous in winter with a different beauty and the need for respect. In short, NOT INDIANA.

Roger and I both talk about the color versus Black and White question. It is only a question/argument (not between us at all) because both have their points. Some color images just HAVE to be color, some color images SHOULD be B&W instead. Why is that, well quite simply: EMOTION. I have never seen a really good B&W that could maybe have been better in color. Black and white conveys emotion more than imagery in my opinion. B&W does it with a strength that color just cannot convey, I don’t know why, maybe it is the distraction of competing colors. I think maybe B&W, is One-Layer-Deeper into the Truth.

That is the case in this image, I will leave it up to you to decide what his eyes are saying, because now he is saying it to YOU. My work on this image was only to bring out, and maybe intensify the emotion in these eyes, and what posture is evident. Is he looking at you, or through you, or into you?

Your Turn. Jim

James Longster, © 2014

Man of Saguenay

Point to make

Photographers have fun. That is what we do, we have fun with you, we have fun with ourselves. We do this because we like the “Image”, I mean we like the formate, the two dimensional capturing of light. Sometimes we are motivated by more than just the love of the “image” sometimes we have fun, in an all-out Warish kinda way. This is a return salvo from Indiana, to Quebec, heavily modified in all manner of ways, done In reply to Roger Gauthier of: http://artphotokebek.blogspot.com I hope my first shot is good, it’s a long way up there, we shall see.

James Longster, © 2014

Man with a Point to make.