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Kenneth Pringle

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I decided to travel to the redwoods near Santa Cruz on Tuesday. But arriving I switched to the beach. And after choosing 4 mile beach, I ended up at Laguna Creek. So basically, no plan, no destination and no idea where I would end up and what I would take images of. When I was in Oregon I could focused on the sea stacks; wonderful subjects for ocean landscapes. But once at the beach I just couldn't figure out what to do with the camera. Parts of the cliffs jutted out from the coast were obvious subjects. Somewhat obscured by a light fog and a bright day, there was not much punch to the north or south. There was just no obvious pictures; resulting in over 1000 digital pictures of me searching for a picture. I tried a picture of the waves, the surf, some surfers, an occasional bird, some rocks, and more pictures of the distant rocks. I learned that new places are going to require a preliminary view and a wide variety of images to find what works for you and your type of photography. Next time, Perhaps show up at sunrise, try more ICM, more beach images, gosh I really don't know.

An August picture and a September Texture :)

This month (September) is a "dry" month. The pictures are taken in a small area (most at the Roscrucian Museum Gardens) and the inspiration is sparse. I walk the same route most days and most pictures are taken with the mental camera. I'm working in BW mostly since the work is mostly about texture, line, and shape. Working in some textures gives... well honestly, that is what I'm trying to discover, see, explore. What is the purpose of adding a texture to a photo. The BW can be expressive with its stress on tone (or lack thereof) and with slight toning, but the textures .... Adding a second layer of complexity is not necessarily a good thing, as it removes some of the focus on the context and form of the main image. Does the texture then dilute or is it transformative.
If we compare it to art, there is much to be admired about the paintwork that adds to the image, but is it necessary to admire a painting in terms of its content, form, line, and color without attention to the strokes and layers of paint, or do these latter add to the complexity and artistry of the work.
So does texture... I think you get the point. And that is why I still explore adding texture and try to discover when texture enhances or distracts.