B/W Infrared On The Highline

One of my favorite road trips was in Montana on Route 2-  the Highline - that runs along the top of the state.  I find the landscape in the great plains to be exhilarating -- something about the minimal land and the huge skies makes me happy.  These photos were taken more than 10 years ago, while I was at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography in Missoula, Montana.  I shot them with black and white infrared film, one of my favorite films, which is no longer made, alas.

Can't really see it here, but there is a long freight train stopped at the silos.  Route 2 parallels train tracks for many hundred miles, and each town was founded by the railroad and named after European cities.  The largest town in this area is called Havre, and it is a cowboy town with lots of casinos and really bad food.

This is one of my favorite photos of all time.  Love the train line and the UFO cloud above.  This is a busy train track - I counted 11 freight trains going through in one hour, and each one had 50-70 cars.

I also took my medium format camera with me on this trip.  I was photographing the mountain, the sign, the sky, when a freight train zoomed into the photo, leaving behind the colorful striations on the left side of the photo.

All three of these photos are part of a RiverWinds Gallery show in Rhinebeck at the Wells Fargo Advisors office on the 2nd floor of Montgomery Row, right on route 9 in the middle of town.  The show, called The Skies Above, features painting and photographs, and can be viewed during business hours, M-F, at their offices.  For more information and to see more images from the show, check out www.riverwindsgallery.com.  The artists' reception will be held September 17, from 5-7.

Road Trip: A Russian Ballerina's Grave in New York State

Olga Alexandrovna Spessivtseva (18 July 1895 – 16 September 1991) was a Russian ballerina whose brilliant stage career spanned from 1913 to 1939. She danced with the Maryinska company (aka the Kirov), the Ballet Russe, and the Paris Opera Ballet, among others.  There are a couple of s short youtube videos of her dancing Giselle.  Her interpretation of the mad scene is, sadly enough,  particularly fine.

Her life was difficult.  She spent almost 20 years in a mental health institution after WWII before being rescued by friends and colleagues. She spent the rest of her days at Tolstoy Village, a refuge for Russian and Soviet expatriates, in Rockland County. She is buried at a large Russian Orthodox cemetery in Nanuet, New York. A friend of mine, who was a ballerina in her youth, wanted to visit the grave and pay her respects, so off we went. It was not the easiest place to find, to say the least, but find it we did (it's on Smith Road in Nanuet, behind a Russian Orthodox church).

The cemetery is populated by these distinctive Russian Orthodox crosses, and each grave has a lantern. Many also have photos of the deceased, which I always find fascinating.

We knew Olga was buried by a willow tree so eventually that's where we headed. All the grave markers are in Cyrillic, which I can't read, but my friend reminded me that Olga's grave was marked by a photo of her in her most famous role, Giselle.

The gravestone was lovely.  The stone resting on the ground features a ghostly engraving of her Giselle pose.

My friend paid homage with a bouquet worthy of a prima ballerina, a piece of chocolate, and a pair of ballet shoes.

Olga had traveled a long way, from pre-revolutionary Russia to a shady spot in Rockland County, New York.  May she rest in peace.

Wedding at Round Hill

Amy and Mark got married this spring!  And Christine and I - we are fete accompli photography -- were more than happy to record it for them.

A tender moment during the katubah ceremony.

Closing the doors for a private session with the rabbi.

Dr. Mark and Dr. Amy - the best of luck!

To see more wedding photos, at Round Hill and other venues, check out www.feteaccompli-photo.com.

Summer Corn, Summer Sky

Fresh corn has arrived at the farmers markets.  Hallelujah!

This was taken while getting gas, near Lancaster, PA. Simple summer pleasures.

Lotus & Water Lilies at Innisfree Garden

Near Millbrook, NY is a landscaped garden, Innisfree.  Surrounding a lake, the landscape is designed in a series of  "cup gardens," using the natural stone and water features as a base to make picturesque scenes. A particularly notable feature of the garden is the lotus plants.

Not only is the flower lovely but the locust pods are very photogenic as well.  This kind of image works best with a shallow depth of field (i.e., the background out of focus), etching the foreground image and directing your eye to where you want it to go.

The water lilies cover the surface of the lake.  Every photographer has water lily photos -- they just photograph so well and they are easy to get to. Hence, I am not including my water lily shot, which is pretty standard. This, of course, is just a water lily leaf, but I liked its graceful shape. But I particularly love the variations on the water color, caused by light and shadow.

There may be a stray water lily in this shot, but what it is really about is texture, repetition and color.  For this type of shot, it's best to stay in the shade - the sun burns out the highlights, leaving you with less color in the image.

Finally, an example of a vista arranged for visitors by the landscape designer.

Join us: San Sebastian Spain Next April

The New York Times just posted a wonderful article about San Sebastian, Spain -- where our photo tour is headed next April.

36 Hours:  36 Hours in San Sebasti'an, Spain 

To quote the Times:
"TO visit San Sebastián, on Spain’s northern coast, is to fall in love. The first sight of the shimmering scallop-shaped bay, replete with crescents of golden sand and turquoise waves, will sweep you off your feet. Pairing this natural beauty with the unrivaled local cuisine — from decadent Michelin-starred feasts to delectable bite-sized pintxos (Basque-style tapas) — may leave your head spinning. A spruced-up seaside promenade, a renovated museum and a forthcoming culinary school all add to the city’s allure. But this love affair doesn’t have to be a fling. In June, the city secured a coveted designation as a 2016 European Capital of Culture, ensuring that it will put its best foot forward for years to come."

Christine Irvin and I have partnered with Fresco Tours to offer a photo tour of the Basque country, in the northeast corner of Spain.  This is not the hot plains of Spain:  the Basque country is green and cool, with great food and wine.

The tour begins at San Sebastian, and then will lead us through a wonderful variety of landscapes.

We will be able to photograph ocean vistas, small fishing villages, a portion of the Camino de Santiago...

And, of course, beautiful Bilboa, with a tour of the amazing Guggenheim Museum.

Fresco Tours is run by an experienced, enthusiastic, knowledgable, fun crew. The cost includes lodging, all meals, transportation in a minivan during the tour, daily photo critiques, and, when we get home, a gallery show at RiverWinds Gallery in Beacon, NY and a published book encompassing the best photos taken be each person on the tour.

For a detailed itinerary, pricing, and, of course, to sign up before the tour sells out, go to
www.frescotours.com/tours_basque_light.asp

Or feel free to contact me directly at shotglassphoto@aol.com.

Next year: Spain!!!!  We deserve some fun...

The Other Gettysburg

Gettysburg is not only a Civil War battlefield, it's a major tourist trap.  It's a small town, easy to navigate and has lots of interesting cheesy stuff to do at night.

For a quarter, get your fortune told by the Great Zorah, a handsome old-fashioned slightly animated mannequin.

Or check out the Gettysburg ghosts (there must have been at least 8 ghost tours offered in a 3 block area).

And, of course, there's always ice cream.