Take a seat . . .

Benches and chairs, all photographed in Santa Fe. The top image is weird. Because of the bench's placement, I couldn't photograph the right side of it, so I just shot the left side. In Photoshop I copied and flipped it and added it to the scene. Great shot? Nah. Fun? Yes. ©Carol Leigh

Lake View

There are a lot of photographs contained within this piece, such as galvanized metal, an envelope, a shot of paper that I used to clean a paintbrush, a photo of a paint spill, torn paper, an ink spill on the cover of a book, and part of a previously-made photomontage, among other things, like a bingo card. It's crowded here in my head. ©Carol Leigh

Last call for the Oregon coast No. 5 of 5

What I love about photographing here on the Oregon coast is the variety. The light ranges from heavy overcast (okay, RAIN) to bright sunshine (freaks us all out) and the subject matter ranges from huge overviews from coastal bluffs to intimate little harbor scenes, from bright red buoys to the bright red feet of pigeon guillemots.

Our Oregon Coast Photo Exploration begins September 18th and ends around noon on the 21st. The registration fee is $560 per person; bring a non-photographing partner, spouse, friend, canine companion for free. Registration covers instruction throughout, critiques/feedback on your work, breakfast every morning, a group dinner, and general congeniality and camaraderie.

This workshop is limited to 8 photographers and we've got 6 signed up so far. Janet, Ira, Jim, Patty, Elena, and Russ are all part of the mix -- YOU would be the icing on the cake! To register, please visit my online store here or call me at (541) 563-3834. ©Carol Leigh

Oregon Coast Photo Exploration No. 4 of 5

We have just two spaces left in this workshop that runs September 18-21, 2011. For all the details, check out the past three postings here on the blog. Fishing boats, sea life, miles of empty beaches — you'll love it. ©Carol Leigh

Oregon Coast Photo Exploration No. 3 of 5

Just 2 spaces left . . . Looks like this one is selling out immediately. Here are seven more photos showing you some of the photos I've taken around here, places that we'll be taking YOU to find something just as good or better. Here are the specifics:

DATE: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, half-day Wednesday, September 18-21, 2011

REGISTRATION FEE: $560 per person; you're welcome to bring a non-photographing friend or spouse for free (except for the group dinner and the admission fees). We provide you with instruction throughout, breakfast every morning, a group dinner, and all admission fees. We'll get together one evening here at the house to take a look at your photos and give you some quick feedback. Chris and I usually prepare a lot of hors d'oeuvres that evening, bringing them out, plate after plate, so you won't go back to your room hungry.

This photo workshop is limited to 8 photographers. You can sign up at my online store here. Questions? Give me a call at (541) 563-3834 or e-mail me at carol at carolleigh.net. ©Carol Leigh

Oregon Coast Photo Exploration No. 2 of 5

Seven more photos depicting what we'll be photographing here on the Oregon coast during our Oregon Coast Photo Exploration taking place September 18-21, 2011. Just 4 spaces left ...

Stacks of crab pots, piles of colorful buoys begin showing up in all the usual places as fishermen ready their gear for the upcoming crabbing season. Just down the coast, gulls perch on rocks as waves crash right behind them.

Low light calls for experimenting with longish shutter speeds, turning waves into soft rolling forms of water. We'll also be photographing at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, where you never know what you'll find, but you will see shark silhouettes right above you at Passages of the Deep.

This workshop runs from Sunday morning to Wednesday noon, sunrise through sunset. For more photos and information, please see Monday's blog entry. ©Carol Leigh

Oregon Coast Photo Exploration

Fair warning! Every day this week I'll be posting seven images from where I live here on the central Oregon coast to advertise my upcoming September "Oregon Coast Photo Exploration."

DATE: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, half-day Wednesday, September 18-21, 2011

We've chosen this time in September because we know it's when the weather is most likely to NOT be raining (although a bit of fog and drizzle is always good for photography) and it's not during the height of the tourist season when the coast highway is jammed with motorhomes. Summer has come to an end and the crabbers are getting their gear and their boats ready for crabbing season, which begins in November, with stacks of crab pots and piles of buoys beginning to show up. Superb, colorful photography.

We'll be shooting lighthouses, fishing boats, birds, animals, sea stacks, harbor vistas, and more -- all within an hour's drive of our house.

We shoot at sunrise every morning, each time at a different little close-by location, come by our house for breakfast, and then venture out for the rest of the day.

The closest major airport is Portland International (PDX). We are about 3.5 hours away from there, so please keep that in mind when making your travel plans. There's a small airport in Eugene, which is about 2 hours away. You'll want to rent a car, but we encourage carpooling once you get here. A list of close-by motels will be sent to you upon registration.

REGISTRATION FEE: $560 per person; you're welcome to bring a non-photographing friend or spouse for free (except for the group dinner and the admission fees). We provide you with instruction throughout, breakfast every morning, a group dinner, and all admission fees. We'll get together one evening here at the house to take a look at your photos and give you some quick feedback. Chris and I usually prepare a lot of hors d'oeuvres that evening, bringing them out, plate after plate, so you won't go back to your room hungry.

This photo workshop is limited to 8 photographers. You can sign up at my online store here. Questions? Give me a call at (541) 563-3834 or e-mail me at carol at carolleigh.net. ©Carol Leigh

More difficult than I thought ...

This weekend I attempted to get serious about making physical collages, using papers, gel medium, fusion material, a tacking iron, paints, etc. I now have paint on my clothes, a mess on the craft counter, and I burned my fingers! The result is something that looks quite stilted and contrived. This picture isn't it.

This is a photomontage I made using a photo of a sailboat mast reflected in the water up the coast, part of the cover of a vintage Japanese book I got in San Diego, scrapes and scratches on a fishing boat hull, and a stamp from an old ledger document a friend of mine gave me.

Doing this is (for me) easier than making a physical collage. Much easier. I can see, however, that more and more collages are in my future (and thank you, K.A., for the cool stuff you sent to me and for the push) and that I might even get good at them. What's especially fun is taking photos of the physical bits and pieces as I'm creating the collage and then using those photos in my photomontages. I'm also using bits of my photomontages in my physical collages.

So the creative spiral continues, as one artform leads to another, as old-fashioned "analog" skills merge with ever-changing digital techniques. It's an exciting time to be an artist, is it not? ©Carol Leigh

The more I look at it ...

Although I liked this collage when I created it, more and more it's looking to me like a package of cigarettes ... Made from paint, a postage stamp, torn papers, and a page from a vintage Japanese book. I photographed the whole thing, then tweaked it. Smoke 'em if ya got 'em . . . ©Carol Leigh

Over the years . . .

Back in 2008, Carol D. gave me a heart pin because (a) she's a nice person, (b) she knew I liked hearts, and (c) she probably was just getting rid of things. I photographed it and used it in three different photomontages.

I came across it yesterday and re-photographed it, using different light and probably a different lens. I then made it into a photomontage this morning. The first photo you see is what I did today; the other three were created in July of 2008.

We change over the years -- how we see, how we create, the tools we use. Is my current version "better" than the other three? Nah. Just different. I think my images, overall, are "lighter" today than they were then. But then, so was I! Click to enlarge. ©Carol Leigh

Red, White, and Two

I like the stark simplicity of this shot, photographed in New Mexico during our Bart shakedown "cruise." ©Carol Leigh

Summer Color

The opium poppies come and go so quickly, which makes them even more precious. Click to enlarge. ©Carol Leigh

Twelve

A lot of different elements went into this piece, including scratched metal on a fishing boat, scratched metal on a fishing container, pages from a vintage Japanese book, parts of a sign, my own scribblings, and more. Click to enlarge. ©Carol Leigh

Payment Received

A cancelled check from 1930 forms the basis of this piece. Click to enlarge. ©Carol Leigh