"While there is perhaps a province in which the photograph can tell us nothing more than what we see with our own eyes, there is another in which it proves to us how little our eyes permit us to see." - Dorothea Lange
There are some things that become part of the fabric of life once you have grasped them. I remember, vaguely, learning to ride a bike as a child. Wobbly beginnings, in which balance required intense concentration, eventually gave way to a more fluid motion, at least in a straight line. Repetition, and learning to stay upright as I took a corner, eventually gave me a skill that has remained for life. Admittedly it’s not a skill I’ve put to great use until now, but at least I didn’t have to start from scratch when I got to Missoula and bought a second hand bike.
Seeing is even more fundamental as a life skill; you can see from the moment you are born. As you go trough life you learn to recognise shapes and colours and textures and tones, you learn to give them names, you learn which things you like to look at and which things you don’t. At school you learn to translate what you see to pictures on paper. Your trees may look like green lollipops and your people may look like they belong on a Lowry painting, but they are recognisable. Vision becomes part of the fabric of life.
Two life skills; riding a bike and seeing. Over the past week I’ve started to perfect the one and, in some ways, relearn the other. Fortunately for me Missoula is a very bike friendly town. Wide, flat roads with plentiful bike lanes, and a so far very considerate motoring public have meant I can get to school and back quickly, in one piece, and enjoy the experience. The skills I learned as a child are still there, the skills I’m learning as a cyclist of busy streets build on them. Learning to see again is quite another adventure.
I see in colour. Red is red, blue is blue. Perhaps my interest in art over the years has helped me appreciate some of the subtleties of colour, but it’s still colour. This week I’ve begun to learn to see again - in monochrome. I won’t go into the details but cameras also see the world in monochrome even though the pictures you get from them are typically in colour. Learning to see as a camera sees is an interesting experience, not to mention a very useful one if you are a photographer. That yellow flower isn’t just a yellow flower, it’s a particular shade of grey according to my camera. I’m getting to understand my camera. I’m also learning which of the bells and whistles on it are really needed and which ones are not, and there are surprisingly few that will be in regular use, though some of them are buried deep in the manual until you discover them.
I’m also learning to see in another way. A background in what have been largely left brain activities has given me over the years a particular way of seeing things. In recent months I’ve discovered the joys of sketching using the simplest of equipment - pen and brush - and I generally carry these and a small sketchbook with me. It’s a freeing style, unlike my attempts at drawing many years ago which were very laboured. I’ve just started to learn the same kind of freedom with the camera. It’s early days yet but it promises to be just as freeing and just as much fun.
I’ll end with another quote from the photographer Dorothea Lange.
"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera."
— Dorothea Lange
Friday, 24 June 2011
Monday, 20 June 2011
Week 2
It's been a mixed Sunday here - the forecast was for rain but the sun seemed to find its way out at times. It was like that yesterday too... sunny in the morning, windy late afternoon, and raining in the evening. I feel quite at home though folks from the southern states (where current temps are around 90 to 100F) are finding it a bit parky.
It's been a busy week and an even busier one is about to start, with 51 hours scheduled for classes, talks from manufacturers, and practical classes between now and Saturday, though I expect some of the evening classes will not go on as long as scheduled. Things ease off after that though the gaps in the schedule will be filled with lots of photography for our projects and to practice all that we are learning.
With this coming week in mind my day has been filled with doing laundry, buying food, and catching up on the photographs I've taken (I'm almost caught up). This evening, as every Sunday evening, there was an optional review lecture. Today's was particularly well attended as many of us plan to go to the Augusta Rodeo very soon and part of the lecture covered how to take advantage of the opportunity; how to get there, where to sit, advice on the scenic route if we want to go that way, and general stuff like not stepping on rattlesnakes if you leave the road to take photos... everyday sort of stuff!
Travel to and from class got a lot easier this week now I've worked out how best to carry the heavy bag with my camera and laptop while riding my bike. An amusing touch is the garage door opener my host has given me... so as I cycle the last few yards I press a button and the door opens up for me to ride straight into the garage. Magic.
So what have I been doing this week? Well, I made two trips to Philipsburg, which is around 78 miles away. This is a small town (population around 930 and at an elevation of 5,280 feet) that grew up in the mining days and retains many of its old buildings.
On the first trip we spent a lot of time inside the candy store where they make many of their own sweets, some of it using old machinery. To give you an idea of the scale of the place I counted 60 different varieties in the liquorice section and bought a sample of a few of them.
From being kids in a literal candy store we then went to a figurative candy store - if you happen to be a photographer. Neal's Photo is unlike any photo shop you are ever likely to find. It's a cross between Aladdin's cave and a jumble sale, and the owner knows what stock he has and offers it at a very competitive price. It just looks, well, different inside - outside too, come to think of it.
It's been a busy week and an even busier one is about to start, with 51 hours scheduled for classes, talks from manufacturers, and practical classes between now and Saturday, though I expect some of the evening classes will not go on as long as scheduled. Things ease off after that though the gaps in the schedule will be filled with lots of photography for our projects and to practice all that we are learning.
With this coming week in mind my day has been filled with doing laundry, buying food, and catching up on the photographs I've taken (I'm almost caught up). This evening, as every Sunday evening, there was an optional review lecture. Today's was particularly well attended as many of us plan to go to the Augusta Rodeo very soon and part of the lecture covered how to take advantage of the opportunity; how to get there, where to sit, advice on the scenic route if we want to go that way, and general stuff like not stepping on rattlesnakes if you leave the road to take photos... everyday sort of stuff!
Travel to and from class got a lot easier this week now I've worked out how best to carry the heavy bag with my camera and laptop while riding my bike. An amusing touch is the garage door opener my host has given me... so as I cycle the last few yards I press a button and the door opens up for me to ride straight into the garage. Magic.
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| Philipsburgh main street |
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| Taffy machine |
On the first trip we spent a lot of time inside the candy store where they make many of their own sweets, some of it using old machinery. To give you an idea of the scale of the place I counted 60 different varieties in the liquorice section and bought a sample of a few of them.
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| Inside the candy store |
From being kids in a literal candy store we then went to a figurative candy store - if you happen to be a photographer. Neal's Photo is unlike any photo shop you are ever likely to find. It's a cross between Aladdin's cave and a jumble sale, and the owner knows what stock he has and offers it at a very competitive price. It just looks, well, different inside - outside too, come to think of it.
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| Buying camera bags at Neal's Photo |
After two of our group had purchased a couple of camera bags and a tripod we headed off to visit Garnet ghost town. This is one of several towns that grew up quickly in the gold rush of the late 1800's and faded almost as quickly. The state preserves what's left so it is safe for visitors to go and see.
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| Garnet Ghost town |
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| Inside on of the old buildings |
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| View on the road to Garnet |
My second visit to Philipsburgh was to take photos of the town itself and as we walked around town we saw posters for a barbecue cook off... a BBQ competition. If barbecuing meat ever becomes an Olympic sport then these are the folk to look out for. Happily the judges only needed small samples of each entry to decide which was best and the rest was available for the hungry crowd at $10 for all you could eat. We ate well :-)
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| BBQ Philipsburg style More photos from this week will be available in the gallery (and the rest from last weekend as soon as I get chance). Links: (Sign in with mt59802 and zootown) Philipsburg: http://philipsburgmt.com/ Garnet: http://www.garnetghosttown.net/ |
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Jet Lag?
Perhaps the term photo lag would be more appropriate, but it sort of feels like jet lag. I got over the real jet lag of flying here within a day or so and have now discovered you get a pretty good simulation of a long haul flight by getting up before dawn after a very busy week.
Sunday morning a group of us from the photo school got up while it was still dark and headed south to the Lee Metcalf wildlife reserve to take pictures in the morning light. The technical name for it is civil twilight though you need to wake at a very uncivilised hour to catch it. You could barely see a thing when we arrive but as the morning wore on the sky lightened and the wildlife started to make its various sounds.
When we'd taken the pictures we wanted it was time to head for breakfast somewhere and the party navigator led us to a very small town diner where we ate and laughed and teased and took photos. Later that day I was fortunate enough to get a ride to the National Bison Range to shoot pictures in the late evening. A long day for sure but well worth it. Here are a few pictures of the Bison Range... more to follow once I've sifted through them.
Photography seems to be a regular feature of the meals we share in the local eateries. It's a safe bet that at some point we'll take pictures, or talk about some aspect of photography or the classes or the assignments. We had a very creative evening last week which included, amongst other things, photographing beer being poured out of a pitcher into a glass... with several volunteers to empty the glass ready for the next shot.
Each week has a schedule, with classes and practical work which can extend into the weekend or evenings. Free time consists of more photography, optional extra classes, meals together, and planning when those little essentials like doing some laundry are going to happen. In short life in this first week of photo school has been good and challenging and very intensive. I have some very talented instructors and some wonderful class mates.
Perhaps the hardest part is keeping up with the photographs I take. I've taken lots, though many will not make the cut let alone this blog, but I need to keep up with them and so that takes up a chunk of time. Not that I mind one bit and as the instructors have said, it is all about practice. I'm finding two apparently opposing trends. On the one hand I'm becoming much more critical in selecting the photos I want to keep and on the other hand I'm becoming much more playful, freer if you like, in the type of photos I attempt. We'll see where it leads. Obviously I can't put all the photos I take on this blog so I've set up a separate gallery where I'll post small versions of many of the keepers.
If you'd like to see the complete collection then follow this link: Five Months-complete collection It will ask you to sign in: use the name mt59802 and password zootown. Photos from this weekend are coming soon.
Sunday morning a group of us from the photo school got up while it was still dark and headed south to the Lee Metcalf wildlife reserve to take pictures in the morning light. The technical name for it is civil twilight though you need to wake at a very uncivilised hour to catch it. You could barely see a thing when we arrive but as the morning wore on the sky lightened and the wildlife started to make its various sounds.
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| Early morning at Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge |
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| Yes it really was as bright as this. |
Photography seems to be a regular feature of the meals we share in the local eateries. It's a safe bet that at some point we'll take pictures, or talk about some aspect of photography or the classes or the assignments. We had a very creative evening last week which included, amongst other things, photographing beer being poured out of a pitcher into a glass... with several volunteers to empty the glass ready for the next shot.
Each week has a schedule, with classes and practical work which can extend into the weekend or evenings. Free time consists of more photography, optional extra classes, meals together, and planning when those little essentials like doing some laundry are going to happen. In short life in this first week of photo school has been good and challenging and very intensive. I have some very talented instructors and some wonderful class mates.
Perhaps the hardest part is keeping up with the photographs I take. I've taken lots, though many will not make the cut let alone this blog, but I need to keep up with them and so that takes up a chunk of time. Not that I mind one bit and as the instructors have said, it is all about practice. I'm finding two apparently opposing trends. On the one hand I'm becoming much more critical in selecting the photos I want to keep and on the other hand I'm becoming much more playful, freer if you like, in the type of photos I attempt. We'll see where it leads. Obviously I can't put all the photos I take on this blog so I've set up a separate gallery where I'll post small versions of many of the keepers.
If you'd like to see the complete collection then follow this link: Five Months-complete collection It will ask you to sign in: use the name mt59802 and password zootown. Photos from this weekend are coming soon.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
The discovery continues
If any of you have looked up Missoula in Wikipedia you'll have seen the town mottos listed as "The Discovery Continues" and "A place, sort of". The first motto was the inspiration for the sub-title of this blog: Words and pictures as the discovery continues. I'm not sure what to make of the second one as Missoula is definitely a place on the map, and a very likeable and fun place it is too.
I'm getting to know my way around and finding the essentials - Liquid Planet does a great Earl Grey tea. I even find myself using those peculiarly American units of distance: the block and the hour. So, there's an art and crafts shop I want to visit again about a block and a half away from the RMSP office and the place I'm staying is a half hour walk after classes end. On a sunny evening like today that half hour walk is a wonderful way to unwind.
The Rocky Mountain School has not been far from my thoughts for about a year now and during that time I've not really worried or wondered about what the course would be like. I'd heard enough good reports to be confident that the staff there know how to teach a thing or two, so most of my earlier thoughts were on applying for a place and getting a visa. Once they were out of the way I turned my attention to plans for starting out as a photographer when I return home. I was confident that while in Missoula I'd learn a lot about photography I guess I also had the idea that I'd grow as a person during that time as so many folk had said it would be a life changing experience. I felt that though my expectations for the course were high they were probably going to be exceeded.
Today, only three days into the course, I made a couple of discoveries. Firstly I started to get an idea of by just how much my expectations would be exceeded, and secondly I also caught a glimpse of how life changing these five months will be. These insights took me by surprise. This really is a remarkable place (sort of).
On a different note, Missoula has a really good skate park and a few of us went there yesterday evening to see what sort of photographs we could take. Missoula has some really good skate boarders so it was great to watch them as well as to try to capture what they were up to. I think the skate part will be visited several more times before I'm done.
I'm getting to know my way around and finding the essentials - Liquid Planet does a great Earl Grey tea. I even find myself using those peculiarly American units of distance: the block and the hour. So, there's an art and crafts shop I want to visit again about a block and a half away from the RMSP office and the place I'm staying is a half hour walk after classes end. On a sunny evening like today that half hour walk is a wonderful way to unwind.
The Rocky Mountain School has not been far from my thoughts for about a year now and during that time I've not really worried or wondered about what the course would be like. I'd heard enough good reports to be confident that the staff there know how to teach a thing or two, so most of my earlier thoughts were on applying for a place and getting a visa. Once they were out of the way I turned my attention to plans for starting out as a photographer when I return home. I was confident that while in Missoula I'd learn a lot about photography I guess I also had the idea that I'd grow as a person during that time as so many folk had said it would be a life changing experience. I felt that though my expectations for the course were high they were probably going to be exceeded.
Today, only three days into the course, I made a couple of discoveries. Firstly I started to get an idea of by just how much my expectations would be exceeded, and secondly I also caught a glimpse of how life changing these five months will be. These insights took me by surprise. This really is a remarkable place (sort of).
On a different note, Missoula has a really good skate park and a few of us went there yesterday evening to see what sort of photographs we could take. Missoula has some really good skate boarders so it was great to watch them as well as to try to capture what they were up to. I think the skate part will be visited several more times before I'm done.
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| This trick is easy... all you have to do is hurtle along up a slight ramp, leap over a pile of rocks, land on your skate board, and glide to an elegant stop. |
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| For this one you first skate up a steep slope, then you turn and skate down the slope. |
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| There are two ways of dealing with this structure and this photo shows both of them. One involves a lot of speed and a skateboard, the other only requires a steady upright walk. |
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| Back to the pile of rocks again, this shot also shows Moira patiently trying to freeze the action. |
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| This trick requires a head for heights and ideally a safe landing... something which wasn't always possible. |
Monday, 6 June 2011
Getting about in Missoula
As I looked through today's pictures I noticed a theme... transport. Missoula is a very bike friendly place to be, for one thing it's flat, and for another it has the typical wide roads of US towns, many with designated cycle paths. It also has a wide variety of bikes. Today was a special event when some streets in the centre of town are closed off to cars to allow all sorts of activities to take place.
This picture has one, two, three, and four-wheeled cycles all together.
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| Fellow student Karen taking to the road for the first time in a 4-wheeled bike and trying to decide whether to aim for the man on the unicycle or another fellow student, Cindy, who is trying to record the event (and hoping not to be part of it). |
Three wheeled cycles can have the single wheel at the front or the back...
This may even count as a six-wheeler...
The four-wheeled bike... suspension, disc brakes, electric motor...
... and a very friendly owner who is happy to let complete strangers loose on his machine. He builds the bikes himself apart from the final powder coating finish.
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| Me on the bike in my new hat... not very good protection against a crash but it works wonders in keeping the sun off! Temps today were in the low 80's so a good bit warmer than previous days. |
Other modes of transport seen today were...
skateboards...
canoes...
surfboards...
And in case you were wondering where they get to use a surfboard in Montana, the answer is right here in town. This surfer is riding Brennan's Wave, a man made wave that is right next to a viewing platform. The wave is popular with kayak riders too.
The past few days have been a great introduction to Missoula and to some of a great bunch of students. Tomorrow the real work starts at 8.30 a.m!
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| Photographer's convention? ... reports are coming in of a very high number of heavy duty cameras on the streets of Missoula today. This situation is expected to last for several months! |
Sunday, 5 June 2011
First impressions
First impressions of Missoula... very friendly, very environmentally aware, beautiful scenery, clean, fun, and a great place for pedal cyclists (I got a second hand one the other day). I think I'm going to like it here!
Some more pics from yesterday... there were a few open air markets on the go. Ground rules are you have to sell things that were grown or made in the area which emphasises community life I guess.
Some more pics from yesterday... there were a few open air markets on the go. Ground rules are you have to sell things that were grown or made in the area which emphasises community life I guess.
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Sunshine
It's been raining a lot, and overcast much of the time but today is bright and sunny and there's a farmer's market on in town. It could turn out to be a well photographed market as several of us students are heading there this morning as we continue to explore Missoula.
Yesterday was the second gathering of students this week and gave us another chance to introduce ourselves. Yesterday was also the first Friday in the month when many art galleries open in the evening. The rain had stopped by that time and the sunshine had started, so there were lots of folk on the streets. The presence of several groups of musicians gave an atmosphere not unlike the Edinburgh Fringe.
First Friday happens each month during the summer and one of the venues was the gallery at RMSP which is located in the centre of the town so we meandered across there to see the exhibition and look at other galleries. Eventually the craving for food took over the craving for art and a bunch of us headed for meal and more conversation.
Despite yesterday's dull start and some light rain I headed out with another student to explore the town and take pictures in various places. I'll upload a few more once I've decided on the best way to do that, here's a sample for now.
Yesterday was the second gathering of students this week and gave us another chance to introduce ourselves. Yesterday was also the first Friday in the month when many art galleries open in the evening. The rain had stopped by that time and the sunshine had started, so there were lots of folk on the streets. The presence of several groups of musicians gave an atmosphere not unlike the Edinburgh Fringe.
First Friday happens each month during the summer and one of the venues was the gallery at RMSP which is located in the centre of the town so we meandered across there to see the exhibition and look at other galleries. Eventually the craving for food took over the craving for art and a bunch of us headed for meal and more conversation.
Despite yesterday's dull start and some light rain I headed out with another student to explore the town and take pictures in various places. I'll upload a few more once I've decided on the best way to do that, here's a sample for now.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Lime Green Flying Machines
At 34,000 feet the glare of fluffy white clouds hid the view of Baffin Island and whatever else we flew over. It was about 5pm back home and I'd been on the move since my brother took me to the airport at a very early hour that morning - thanks, Alan. I still had a few hours of flying before I got to Seattle and could relax properly. Fortunately several naps on the way over meant that when I finally arrived in Missoula it felt like early evening local time, not 2 in the morning UK time.
The wonders of air travel are not without their trials. At my first attempt at check in back in Birmingham I discovered that while Air France uses Servisair to represent it at airports, the code share flight with Flybe employs a different company. So while I explained that the Servisair man I spoke to yesterday said I could take a laptop bag as an accessory in addition to my carry on bag the lady at the check in wanted one of them in the hold and at extra cost.
I opted to redistribute my things and ditch the laptop bag as it was old and not worth much - safely, of course as you don't leave anonymous bags lying around at an airport. After going to town on the excess weight in my suitcase and cramming yet more items in my already heavy hand luggage I went back for take 2 of the check in.
This time a different lady was happy with the arrangement and sent me over to pay for the extra weight in the suitcase. The lady who took the money said I could indeed take the laptop bag with me so I paid up for the excess in the hold, redistributed my things once again, and took the bag with me. Admittedly the total weight of hand luggage was still kind of over the limit... OK a lot over the limit... but nobody asked to weigh it.
Airports have a thing about cameras. At Birmingham the staff at the x-ray machines carefully took out my cameras and wafted a swab on a plastic stick over them and inside the bag while I put my shoes back on and fastened my trouser belt. Two check ins, two repacks, and the good fairy with her wand had eaten into the time I had to get to the plane - which I soon discovered was parked miles away. A long, fast walk with seriously heavy equipment gets the pulse racing but I made it with a few minutes to spare.
I'd cooled down by the time we landed in Paris but was surprised how spread out Charles de Gaulle airport is. We seemed to taxi for an age and still end up needing a shuttle bus to reach the terminal. I went to get screened again.
At Paris, when they ask you to take electronic items out of your bags and pop them onto plastic trays for the x-ray machines they mean more or less everything, and I was carrying loads of them. After the scan I had to repack again. I'm going to find myself a plastic belt for air travel - all this juggling of bags while keeping your trousers in place is not dignified.
Eventually I arrived in Seattle and did the immigration thing - the official was a pleasant lady and there was no hassle or awkward questions. After one last x-ray scan, which only required the laptop to be taken out of the bag and allowed me to keep my belt on, I had time to relax, eat, and admire the colourful range of planes that were landing and taking off. Most noticeable was a lime green plane - think Kermit the Frog with wings. There was even free wifi so I could check up on emails and see what the world was up to as I waited.
I'd gotten through the hard parts and there was only one small flight to go. I started to relax. That final flight was the most enjoyable - watching the mountains from one of the lime green flying machines I'd seen earlier was fun and I even took a few pics to prove it. Best of all was knowing the plans of the past year had become a reality.
The wonders of air travel are not without their trials. At my first attempt at check in back in Birmingham I discovered that while Air France uses Servisair to represent it at airports, the code share flight with Flybe employs a different company. So while I explained that the Servisair man I spoke to yesterday said I could take a laptop bag as an accessory in addition to my carry on bag the lady at the check in wanted one of them in the hold and at extra cost.
I opted to redistribute my things and ditch the laptop bag as it was old and not worth much - safely, of course as you don't leave anonymous bags lying around at an airport. After going to town on the excess weight in my suitcase and cramming yet more items in my already heavy hand luggage I went back for take 2 of the check in.
This time a different lady was happy with the arrangement and sent me over to pay for the extra weight in the suitcase. The lady who took the money said I could indeed take the laptop bag with me so I paid up for the excess in the hold, redistributed my things once again, and took the bag with me. Admittedly the total weight of hand luggage was still kind of over the limit... OK a lot over the limit... but nobody asked to weigh it.
Airports have a thing about cameras. At Birmingham the staff at the x-ray machines carefully took out my cameras and wafted a swab on a plastic stick over them and inside the bag while I put my shoes back on and fastened my trouser belt. Two check ins, two repacks, and the good fairy with her wand had eaten into the time I had to get to the plane - which I soon discovered was parked miles away. A long, fast walk with seriously heavy equipment gets the pulse racing but I made it with a few minutes to spare.
I'd cooled down by the time we landed in Paris but was surprised how spread out Charles de Gaulle airport is. We seemed to taxi for an age and still end up needing a shuttle bus to reach the terminal. I went to get screened again.
At Paris, when they ask you to take electronic items out of your bags and pop them onto plastic trays for the x-ray machines they mean more or less everything, and I was carrying loads of them. After the scan I had to repack again. I'm going to find myself a plastic belt for air travel - all this juggling of bags while keeping your trousers in place is not dignified.
Eventually I arrived in Seattle and did the immigration thing - the official was a pleasant lady and there was no hassle or awkward questions. After one last x-ray scan, which only required the laptop to be taken out of the bag and allowed me to keep my belt on, I had time to relax, eat, and admire the colourful range of planes that were landing and taking off. Most noticeable was a lime green plane - think Kermit the Frog with wings. There was even free wifi so I could check up on emails and see what the world was up to as I waited.
I'd gotten through the hard parts and there was only one small flight to go. I started to relax. That final flight was the most enjoyable - watching the mountains from one of the lime green flying machines I'd seen earlier was fun and I even took a few pics to prove it. Best of all was knowing the plans of the past year had become a reality.
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