| Photographers' Outings
Susan Huber - Toronto and Washington DC
Travels
 Guild member Susan Huber writes about a trip that was prompted by
the selection of her work for a juried show, but which became much more
important in her journey as a photographer.
"This past October, I flew to Toronto to attend the opening
reception for the Abilities Arts Festival at the Joseph D. Carrier Gallery. Two
of my images, 'Sand Dune' (at right) and 'Green Point,' were selected for
this exhibition of works by photographers of varying disabilities from North
America, Europe, and Australia. The reception brought in many gallery owners
and other dignitaries, as well as numerous local photographers I had met over
the Internet. Fellow Guild member Gerald Pisarzowski and his wife, Helen,
welcomed me into their home near the Distillery District, the locale of many
of Toronto's finest photographic galleries. When I continued on to
Washington, D.C. to visit with family, it was difficult to say goodbye to the
vibrant Toronto arts scene and to long discussions with Gerald on his
approach to platinum printing.
"Over the next week I visited many of Washington's galleries,
including Kathleen Ewing's and the Corcoran. I was fortunate to have a nice
chat with Kathleen; she was supportive of my work and gracious with her time.
I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities to see the work of celebrated
photographers like Irving Penn, Ansel Adams, August Sander, and Annie
Leibovitz. I'd forgotten how gorgeous Ansel Adam's prints were! Though of
diverse subjects, including urban and industrial scenes, his five small
prints of surf sequences, taken in 1970 on the California coast, were my
favorites. I also liked Leibovitz 's prints of her family taken while she was
growing up on the Atlantic Coast and found it interesting that she prepared
for the exhibition by pinning the 120 contact prints to a large board to
place them in sequence.
"But I was itching to get away from the cities and get to work.
Finally I was able to photograph the pathways on the Potomac, Alexandria's
cobblestone streets, and heritage homes and doorways adorned with cranberry
wreaths and small pumpkins. I was intrigued by the colonial architecture
there, so very different from the wooden houses in the Pacific Northwest.
"It was a whirlwind of a trip and I valued the many new friends
in the photographic world that I made in the East. The high point was meeting
the Pisarzowskis and gaining an even greater appreciation of how associating
with other Guild members helps increase our ability to explore our artistic
vision."
To see Susan's 8x10 gold-toned print "Sand Dune" and
her other images for sale in our Online Gallery, please click here.
Gerhard Bock - California's Eastern Sierra,
Fall 2007
 Gerhard relates his recent photo expedition into high-desert
reaches of his home state.
"In mid-October I met three fellow-photographer friends for
four days of exploration in California's Eastern Sierra, a vast expanse
stretching from Mono County in the north all the way down to Southern
California. Unlike the lush and forested foothills on the west side of the
Sierra, the land is high desert, arid and exposed to the elements. For scenic
beauty, it ranks among the most spectacular in California. This is where Mono
Lake and the Owens Valley meet the snow-capped mountains of the Sierra range,
home to Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the Lower 48, and more than 120
other peaks over 13,000 feet.
"On this trip, our headquarters was in June Lake, where we
rented a small house. The fall colors were at their peak, with gorgeous
stands of brilliant yellow aspen. I've always been fascinated by the silvery
light that seems to emanate from the trunks of aspen, so I focused on finding
the perfect arrangement of aspen trunks while my color-photographer friends
concentrated on capturing the vibrant color of the leaves. As has been the
case in previous years, we found the best aspen groves at Lundy Canyon, north
of Mono Lake, and at McGee Canyon near Crowley Lake.
"Mono Lake was another focal point of our photographic
endeavors. I've photographed at Mono Lake since the early 90s when the lake's
level was much lower, exposing a fantastical wonderland of tufa towers. Since
the landmark legal victory of the Mono Lake Committee against the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power in 1994, the lake level has risen considerably;
many of the eerie tufa formations are again under water. Still, Mono Lake is
a place unlike any other, simply because it looks so otherworldly.
Photographers have flocked there for a century; and many of the great
landscape photographers of the West, including the likes of Ansel Adams,
Brett Weston, and Robert Dawson, have taken some of their most beautiful
images at Mono Lake.
"Oddly enough, my favorite image of Mono Lake was included
as a postcard packaged with Pink Floyd's seminal 1975 album Wish You Were
Here. I remember being absolutely engrossed by that image as a teenager
in Germany. This, more than any other image, formed the basis for my dream to
live in the U.S. one day—a dream which would come true ten years later. Needless
to say, every time I visit Mono Lake, I hear 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' in
my head.
"My favorite part of this trip was our exploration of the
area east of Mono Lake, along Highway 120 East leading into Nevada. I've
always been fascinated by desert roads that head toward a vast and unknown
horizon. The weather gods really smiled on us that day and gave us gorgeous,
towering clouds to work with. I couldn't believe my luck and took a variety
of images for my 'Road/Sky' portfolio, including several views of the road
running straight toward the Sierra Nevada range.
"I will spend the winter months ahead in the darkroom,
interpreting my negatives from this trip. As always, the final result will be
platinum/palladium prints. Look for updates in upcoming Guild newsletters.
Above you see one of my favorite images from the trip, 'Road/Sky, Study 4'; it will be available soon in our Online Gallery and
Store."
To see Gerhard's work currently available in our Online Gallery,
please click here.
Patrick Kolb - Morning Light
 Patrick writes about a return trip to a familiar and
often-visited locale close to home.
"On a recent morning trip to the banks of the Willamette, I
came across this view of the river just as the overcast was starting to
break. This is one of the few times that I have been able to fully understand
and appreciate that photography truly is about the light and not about the
subject. This image would have been the same anywhere along the trail; the
foreground sand and distant piers merely add a sense of location. But the
final image, and ultimately the final printing, is all about the light that
morning.
"I have been working in platinum/palladium for some time
now, and I knew what I wanted in the tones and the sense of light to be
contained in the print. This is one time that everything seemed to come
together. I am afraid to count the number of times that I return home with
merely 'nice' images, but once in awhile there is one that makes it all worthwhile
for me.
"I was fortunate to be sharing the morning with fellow
Guild member Ray Bidegain and another gifted photographer, Bob Farr. We had
about an hour of this wonderful light, and then it was gone. After a few more
stops for 'nice' photos, we spent another hour talking photography over pie
and coffee. Can it get any better?"
Above is "Morning Light," a 5x7 inch
platinum/palladium print, which Patrick is offering at an introductory price.
To see this and other work he has available in our Online Gallery, please
click here.
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