Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel, Genesis

Peter Gabriel from the concept tour 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. The original image was an Ektachrome transparency moved into the digital world using an Imacon/Hasselbald scanner.

Of late I have been using NIK software and Photoshop quite a bit and this image was re-processed with a new workflow - those who follow my blog know I am huge fan of re-working images in this manner - always something new to learn.

'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway' was a concept album (yes album - round disk with grooves) circa 1976 followed by a tour of the same name...

Modern Technology

Reworked Image

It is great to be making and processing images with the technology that we have at our disposal today. There are so many choices at our fingertips to make our images conform to what we see in our head - and I am not talking manipulation per se - just having the ability to make changes in a short period of time that would have taken hours in the darkroom - and PS, it is done with the lights on. And there are always those who complain vehemently against new technology but it is here to stay......Hey, it happened when Dylan went electric and music is still around...it is happening now with the iPhone right down to those who believe images should only be processed on the iPhone or iPad...I get it but why stifle your art with limitations - the very meaning of being creative is to use whatever it takes to get to the final image in your head....OK, I am done now....this is not the theme for today...

The image today is circa 1972. It sat in a shoebox grave for many years - I simply was unable to make the print I saw in my head....and then several years ago I got into Photoshop.....still took awhile to figure it out but I finally got this image to a place that resonated for me...Ha to move bit and pieces around inside the image but in the end was able to make the save....

Original Tri-X Image

The original was made using a Nikon F Series Camera and tri-x film moved into the digital world using an Imacon/Hasselblad scanner..

When Jesus Left Birmingham

Found this one this morning - circa 1993 - a video still from John Mellencamp's When Jesus Left Birmingham video. The video was made in 1993 in and around Bloomington, Indiana.....If memory serves me well this video was quite controversial - check it out on YouTube.....

Orignal image was made using a Pentax 6x7 and Tri-x FIlm...converted to the digital world with an Imacon/Hasselblad scanner.....

Black Oak Arkansas

Black Oak Arkansas

 Black Oak Arkansas full band image from the mid 70's....this photograph made somewhere in the hills of Arkansas......

Poco

Poco, Academy of Music, New York City

I am not quite sure which version of Poco this image is from but my best guess is the 1973-1976 line-up which included:

Timothy B Schmit - Bass
Rusty Young - Pedal Steel, Dobro, Banjo
George Grantham - Drums, vocals
Paul Cotton - guitars, vocals

This photograph was taken at the Academy of Music in New York City.

Image made with a Nikon F Series Camera, Ektachrome Slide Film


I was lucky enough to be included in an article about Tour Managers in this months issue of Elmore Magazine. The link is below - note that the article starts on Page 12..It was written by a up and coming young music writer, Melissa Caruso...keep your eye out for her byline.....


http://www.onlinedigitalpubs.com/publication/?i=79123&page=1

Video Still

Video Still, 1994

This image is from a John Mellencamp video shoot in Belmont, Indiana (near Bloomington, Indiana). The song was 'Baby Please Don't Go' which was used in the 1994 movie 'Blue Chips' with Nick Nolte and Shaquille O'Neal.

Image made using a Pentax 67
Tri-x 400 speed film
Scanned into the digital world using an Imacon Scanner
Image management in Lightroom3 and Photoshop CS5

Fire Island July 4th

Fire Island, July 4th Parade, 1994

Fire Island is is a barrier island just off the south shore of Long Island. They say it is approx. 30 miles long and between 520 and 1300 feet wide...and has maybe 500 permanent residents...

The island is reachable in the summer by ferry which means no cars allowed....perfect place for kids....

On July 4th every year there is a parade. Kids dress in costumes, make elaborate floats using wagons and bike.....and march through Ocean Beach, one of the hamlets that dot this island...

Today's image is my look at the judging/viewing stand for the parade....

Coney Island Cyclone

Cyclone, Coney Island

This is from the 'Point and Shoot' series.

Back in the day I always carried a Canon Anniversary film camera as I walked around New York City. MY film of choice was Tri-x at ISO 400. Never really looked through the viewfinder - just shot from the hip....call me old fashioned but I do miss the film days...I pulled out that old Canon the other day and just might put this into the travel gear bag....scanned film just has that look about it....you get all the benefits of shooting film without getting your hands wet....

A couple of subscribers have asked my what travel bags I use. There are several depending on whther I am traveling by ground or in the air...

1. Kiboko Bag - lightweight, great zipper pulls, major storage, good handle placement, fits the body well. The only thing I would change is to have a computer compartment for air travel....

2. Think Tank International Rolling Bag: Perfect carry on size for air travel. Plenty of space inside and with the low dividers you can place a laptop on top of the gear. They also make several cable management see through bags. Pack all cables in these see-through bags and it becomes much easier to get through airport security. Also, with this bag, you can set a backpack on top and wheel through the airport. The only drawback it that the pull handle is a bit flimsy - one has to be careful...not sure why an expensive piece of gear like this has a cheap handle but it does...

These two bags are my air travel set-up....when traveling by car I find the Kiboko and a computer bag are all I need.....There are times, when traveling by car, I bring a small camera bag when I need to move a few pieces of gear to a specific location -

New York Street Festival

New York Street Festival Photographer

Today's image from a New York Street Fair, circa 1975. When I first walked in to this slice of New York life the photographer was facing the two women seemingly ready to expose a Polaroid...Just as I was ready to click the shutter he turned and gave me the look......happy he did - makes the Minor White quote below all the more relevant...

'No Matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer It has chosen'.......Minor White

Transferred to the digital world using an Imacon Scanner.... and thanks to my friend Jolene for some photoshop image management tips....these old negatives can be a bear....