John McLaine: Black and White

John McLaine's Black and White portfolio.

Groupings

"It is curious that I always want to group things, a series of sonnets, a series of photographs; whatever rationalizations appear, they orginate in urges that are rarely satisfied with single images."

--Minor White

Death Valley...By Kayak???

[ photograph above: Badwater, Death Valley National Park, 2005 ]

During the Ice Age, Lake Manly stretched more than 120 miles long and 20 miles wide across what we now call Death Valley. Today, this former lake is mostly a dry salt pan, known as the home of Badwater (at 282 feet below sea level, the lowest point in the western hemisphere). But thanks to El Nino and the record rainfall we've been experiencing lately, Lake Manly is back! After recently seeing a photo of two people kayaking Lake Manly, I tried for several weeks to get someone interested in making the trip. My old grade school friend Mike finally agreed, and we left house at 4 a.m. yesterday.



[ photograph above: Matt Artz Kayaking on Lake Manly, Death Valley National Park, 2005; photo by Mike Boschma ]

By 8 a.m., we were scoping out the shoreline, trying to locate the best place to unload the kayaks. We settled on a spot about a quarter mile south of the Badwater parking area, and only had to carry the kayaks less than 100 yards to the water. We had heard that the lake was very shallow, and that we may have to walk the kayaks out quite a way until it was deep enough to float. But after walking less than 10 feet through the water we realized it was already deep enough! It was a totally surreal experience, seeing this 4 by 5 mile lake where there wasn't supposed to be more than a few shallow pools of water, framed by typical Death Valley geologic features tot he east and the snow-covered Panamint Mountains to the west.



[ photograph above: Lake Manly, Death Valley National Park, 2005 ]

The first thing we did was paddle straight for the weather station, which was now partially under water of course. Next we paddled out to where we thought the lowest point in the western hemisphere was. We got very close, but without a GPS, we'll never know exactly. It was very strange, being a mile or two from shore, and dipping your paddle in and realizing the water was only about 2 feet deep. Mike thought since it was so shallow, maybe we could actually follow the trail out to the lowest point--but the water was pretty murky, with a greenish-brown tinge to it (but probably the thing that made it most murky was the very high salt content). It seemed at least as salty as the ocean, but not nearly as salty as Mono Lake. The experience left a nice salt crust on everything--the kayaks, our legs, our clothes, even my camera.



[ photograph above: Kayakers on Lake Manly, Death Valley National Park, 2005 ]

When the wind turned the water from glass to ripples, and two more kayakers showed up and we no longer had the entire lake all to ourselves (yes, we're spoiled), we decided to move on. Our original plan was to check out the Amargosa River--a usually dry river that people have lately been kayaking down for 10 to 15 miles. But there just wasn't quite enough water in the river to do it easily. So on a whim, we headed over the Panamint Mountains and the White Mountains, over to Owens Valley to see if there was enough water in Owens Lake to kayak.



[ photograph above: Lake Manly, Death Valley National Park, 2005 ]

100 years ago, Owens Lake was large enough that paddlewheel boats regularly crossed its surface carrying mining supplies and silver, but that was before the City of Los Angeles bought up most of the land in Owens Valley and diverted the water for urban use. After lunch in Lone Pine (where unfortnately clouds were obscuring the view of Mt. Whitney), we drove down to the lake. Sure enough, there was more water in Owens Lake than either of us had ever seen. But not wanting to carry the kayaks a mile or two from the car to the edge of the water, we spent more than an hour driving dirt roads trying to find an easy access point before calling it a day.



[ photograph above: Charcoal Kilns, Owens Lake, 2005 ]

After 650 miles and a little less than 14 hours, we were back at my house. Was it worth all that just for two hours of kayaking on a large puddle in the middle of the desert? HELL YEAH!

Tempus Fugit

"There is nothing like a Bach fugue to remove me from a discordant moment...only Bach holds up fresh and strong after repeated playing. I can always return to Bach when the other records weary me."

--Edward Weston

Randy Efros' Black and White Gallery

Randy Efros' black and white gallery.

Soul

"If the artist sees nothing within him, then he should also refrain from painting what he sees before him."

--Caspar David Friedrich

Airshow Photography

I ran across Ryan Zoghlin's portfolio of airshow photography, and it reminded me of two good images I made at an airshow back in 1992 (before George Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert was closed down). Zoghlin's airshow images are very bold, featuring nice use of contrast to isolate form. My two images (the one above, and the other one here) have a very different look because of the richness of the clouds.

[ photograph above: George Air Force Base, 1992 ]

Seeing

"The camera sees more than the eye, so why not make use of it?"

--Edward Weston

Rainer Kuczinski: Black & White-Box

Rainer Kuczinski's Black & White-Box portfolio.

Strange Coincidence

So I'm watching this new show on The Learning Channel the other day, and it's a pretty cool concept: they follow the entire process of designing and building a "skyscraper" in downtown Los Angeles. Sort of a reality show for geeks, I guess. Fascinating to see everything that's involved in the process. Not too far into the show, I realize, hey! I know that building they are putting up!

A few days earlier I was downtown, in the Little Tokyo area, and walked past a building I had never seen before that was obviously brand new. The side of the building had some dark panels that made for an interesting--and unique--design, and the shadows playing across the facade created an awkward balance. So I made a few photographs, then moved on.

Of all the buildings in all the cities...what a strange coincidence.

[ photograph above: Los Angeles, 2005 ]

New Images: Pomona

Twenty new images have been posted in the New Work section of my web site (the top four rows of images on the page). These were all taken inside of the Progress Space gallery in Pomona in December 2004, in the slow times during the Visions and Perspectives photography show. As with a lot of my more recent work, it's more abstract and ethereal. I have a feeling people are not going to like my departure from more natural images, but it's a direction I feel I need to go in at this time. Plus, this is not an abandonment of more traditional natural subjects. In fact, I am planning on going out to Death Valley this weekend...

[ photograph above: Pomona, 2004 ]

Events, Not Objects

"As I became aware that all things have unique spatial and temporal qualities which visually define and relate them, I began to perceive the things I was photographing not as objects but as events. Working to develop my skills of perceiving and symbolizing these event qualities, I discovered the principle of opposites. When, for example, I photographed the smooth, luminous body of a woman behind a dirty cobwebbed window, I found that the qualities of each event were enhanced and the universal forces which they manifested were more powerfully evoked."

--Wynn Bullock

[ photograph above: Mens Room @ Starbucks, Los Angeles, 2005 ]

Brett Weston: Natural Details

From the Brett Weston archive, his Natural Details portfolio.

New Images: East Highlands Ranch

I just posted 10 new images in the East Highlands Ranch section. Most of them (the top two rows of images on the page) follow a theme I was exploring almost a year ago, and I have a feeling the majority of people won't like them. But I like them.

[ photograph above: East Highlands Ranch, 2004 ]

Disturbing

"Art is made to disturb. Science reassures. There is only one valuable thing in art: the thing you cannot explain."

--Georges Braque

Miguel Mealha: The Wreck

Miguel Mealha's portfolio The Wreck.

Ideas

"I am interested in ideas, not merely in visual products."

--Marcel Duchamp

Vision + Action

"Vision without action is a daydream.
Action without vision is a nightmare."

-- Japanese proverb

Ryuijie Web Site

Finally, Ryuijie has his own Web site!

[ photograph above: Kelso Dunes, 2002 ]

Miguel Mealha: Sand

Miguel Mealha's Sand: portfolio.

Focus

"When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence."

--Ansel Adams

Marc Doyon: Vegetal

Marc Doyon's Vegetal portfolio.

Dynamic Events II

"I feel all things as dynamic events, being, changing, and interacting with each other in space and time even as I photograph them."

--Wynn Bullock

Eleven New Photographs

I made it over to the Claremont Packing House again on Saturday afternoon, and spent about 20 minutes photographing the demolition of the west addition. Check out the eleven new photographs posted here.

[ photograph above: Claremont Packing House, 2005 ]

Brett Weston: New York

From the Brett Weston archive, his New York portfolio.

Dynamic Events I

"A person is quite different from a tree or rock or stream. By introducing the nude into my pictures, I started perceiving all the things I was photographing in new ways. In contrast or opposition to each other, things became much more significant and interesting, revealing many more qualities than I had ever dreamed of knowing and expressing. By using the nude, I stopped thinking in terms of objects. I was seeing things, instead, as dynamic events, unique in their own beings yet also related and existing together within a universal context of energy and change."

--Wynn Bullock

Jean-Philippe Poli: B&W Seascapes

Jean-Philippe Poli's portfolio of B&W Seascapes.

Space Imaging's Top 10 IKONOS Satellite Images for 2004

Check out Space Imaging's Top 10 IKONOS Satellite Images for 2004 .

Let it Happen

"Very often I try to find something that matches a feeling I have. On the other hand, a lot of times I photograph with nothing specific in mind. I just play it as it comes. If it's good, fine. I find 'letting it happen' relaxing, a playful vacation. Stimulating pictures almost always result."

--Minor White

Néstor Botta: W & B

Néstor Botta's W & B portfolio.

The Mind's Eye

"The medium of photography can record not only what the eyes see, but that which the mind's eye sees as well. The camera is not only an extension of the eye, but of the brain. It can see sharper, farther, nearer, slower, faster than the eye. It can see by invisible light. It can see in the past, present, and future. Instead of using the camera only to reproduce objects, I wanted to use it to make what is invisible to the eye, visible."

--Wynn Bullock

[ photograph above: Arcosanti, 2004 ]

Siegfried Burgstaller: Black and White

Siegfried Burgstaller's Black and White portfolio.

A Fleeting Moment

"Nothing is ever the same twice because everything is always gone forever, and yet each moment has infinite photographic possibilities."

--Michael Kenna

Titling Photographs

Recently, someone looked at one of my photographs and said "What *is* it?" Which is fine, because I've been doing more and more abstract work lately. But the follow-up was a little disturbing. "Why don't you title your photographs so we can tell what they are?"

I used to title my work, but it got to be too laborious given the quantity of new work I was churning out. Did I already use that title? Should this bew "Tree and Rock #3" or "Tree and Rock #4"? That one was "Surf and Sand", can I call this variation "Sand and Surf"?

What I settled on was the location and the date, except in the case of still life images where I usually just put the date. But the question "Why don't you title your photographs so we can tell what they are?" from a random gallery visitor made me re-think these practices.

The bottom line is, if someone is looking at one of my photographs and cannot tell what it is without being told or reading a description, then as a photographer I am either a total failure or a total success. Which one? Depends on what I'm trying to accomplish with the photograph. Given the direction I've been going, if you find one of my photographs to be pleasing but you have no idea what the hell you are looking at, then I consider it to be a complete success. If you're curious, go ahead and ask; I won't hesistate to try to explain what you are looking at. But don't expect me to spell it out for you in tiny letters in the lower left.

[ photograph above: Claremont Packing House, 2005 ]

What is Reality?

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."

--Albert Einstein

John Scheiber: Black and White

John Scheiber's Black and White portfolio.

Spirit

"No matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer It has chosen."

--Minor White

Ilona Wellmann: Droplet Study

Ilona Wellmann's Droplet Study portfolio.

Miguel Mealha: Fences/Cercas

Miguel Mealha's Fences/Cercas portfolio.

Print Sales

Yes, I sell prints. Up until now, most people have bought my prints directly from me or through a gallery, although I sold a few from my Web site. But buying a print from my Web site used to be difficult, and most prints on the web site didn't have a "buy" button or price displayed. That is all about to change.

I'm in the process of enabling purchase of any print from the web site. All available sizes will be listed for each print. It's a lot of work, but it's what people have been asking for.

As an example, here's what it looks like on the Web site.

The shopping cart is managed by PayPal, so it's secure. As an added bonus, all prices include postage and handling within the U.S.!

[ photograph above: Claremont Packing House, 2005 ]

Michael Reichmann: Ship-Breaking Yards

Michael Reichmann' fascinating photographic portrayal of the Ship-Breaking Yards at Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Web Site Updates

I've been making a lot of edits to my Web site. For some people, the most significant change will be that the light gray text is now solid black!

All my prints are mounted on white mount board and titled/dated/signed lightly in pencil. The original concept of this web site was to replicate that as much as possible--ample use of white space to mimic the mount board, and light gray text to mimic the penciled title/date/signature.

Over the years I've fielded many complaints about the gray text being unreadable. Most of the compaints have come from laptop users, but some people with regular monitors also had trouble with it. But I could read it just fine ;-). Well I finally caved in and converted all the text to black. It *is* much easier to read, and it looks good, but I'm worried that in some cases the text might overpower the images (it is, after all, ALL about the IMAGES!). But now that it's done, there's no turning back. I hope everyone now enjoys being able to read my Web site!

You can check out the changes at www.mattartz.com.

Many more Web site changes have been done recently or are being done now...

[ photograph above: La Jola, 2004 ]

Agua Para Los Ninos Portfolio: Six New Images

I've just posted six new images to my Agua Para Los Ninos portfolio, bringing the total number of images to twelve.

Agua Para Los Ninos

The new images are the ones at the bottom.

This set of images has proven to be fairly popular, and I probably sold five or six of them last year. This year I will be further expanding the portfolio.

[ photograph above: Lugonia Elementary, 2004 ]

Rocket Cam: First Flight

The Rocket Cam tested fine on the workbench. I hooked the camera up to my laptop with a USB cable and in "web cam" mode adjusted the mirror over the lens so I got two fins and a bit of the rocket body in the frame. It looked so cool, moving the rocket around in the garage.

The first launch took place at a construction site by my house. We had just launched six other rockets (five very successfully!) at a local Middle School, but I didn't want to launch the Rocket Cam there because of the size of the field.

The first flight of the Rocket Cam was with a D-12 5 engine. I readied the camera, started counting down, and just before launch heard a "beep"--the camera went into power save mode and shut itself off. So I re-set the camera, counted down REALLY FAST, and launched it.

It tore off the pad, kind of surprised me; I took a step back and fell into a small ditch at the construction site! But was able to quickly get up and see the flight. It fishtailed ever so slightly at the beginning, then straightened. A very good first flight. That thing went HIGH!!! I'm really bad at estimating these things, but at least 600 to 700 feet, maybe more, The ejection charge popped out the chutes, and you could just barely make out the two pieces coming down.

My son and his friend were standing about 150 feet away at the base of a steep hill. There was absolutely no wind, and the two pieces came down about a second apart, about 15 feet from each other, and would have been caught by the two boys except they were having trouble scrambling up the side of the steep hill. The addition of the larger parachute for the payload section was a good idea, and the fact the two pieces landed so close together tells me the sizing is perfect.

I immediately checked the camera, and it didn't look good. It was set for low resolution, high compression, continuous, which means as soon as the switch was tripped at launch it should have taken 150+ tiny photos in rapid succession until running out of memory. But the display showed no pictures in the camera, and set to single shot, high resolution, low compression...only a few hours later when I was thinking clearly did I realize what had happened; the camera had re-set to default settings, which only happens when the batteries die or are disconnected, so my theory is that the g-force of the launch caused a power interruption.

Anyway, the flight itself was AWESOME, for such a big (almost three feet long), heavy (TOP HEAVY) rocket with some funk (mirror and switch) sticking out its sides, it went HIGH!

Not a scratch on the thing, and it will fly again! And I've been told that the reset problem was most likely caused by the batteries shifting during launch and losing contact for a brief moment. That's something I can try to fix. So back to the garage...

Coming soon (hopefully): a report on the second flight of the Rocket Cam.

[ photograph above: Little Lakes, 2004 ]

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If you don't know what this means...nevermind. ;-)

[ photograph above: Lugonia Elementary, 2004 ]