Painting with Urban Light | Modern in Denver Photo Essay

If you haven't yet seen the Fall Issue of Modern in Denver magazine, I highly recommend you pick it up! (ok yes, if you know me at all you know I always higly recommend this magazine -- it is, in my opinion, the cream of the architectural, editorial AND graphic design crop! Even the ads are beautiful).

I had wonderful time exploring the possibilities of creating surreal images with daytime long exposures for the autumn Photo Essay, and thought I'd share a few of the images here, plus a few "out-takes" from the photographic explorations on which this journey took me. Enjoy!

NOW... if you like this image, I have partnered with Modern in Denver to offer YOU a chance to win a limited edition, signed print!!

Details and all you need to Enter the giveaway are HERE!

Good Luck!!

Shadow Critters | Just for Fun

I photographed this leaf shadow a year or so ago. Reminded me of a Chinese Dragon. Is it just me or can you see it too?

Again this autumn I have gotten lost in the circus of critters that I see in oak leaf shadows early in the morning. They feel like creatures straight out of a dream!

Suddenly, I can't walk under an oak tree and NOT be drawn in by their sinuous, lifelike shapes. I just love them!

Take a moment to look down next time you're wandering beneath an oak tree in autumn -- you might too just get lost in a world of imaginative critter-shadows!

Enjoy!

Rothko | Denver Art Museum

Museums are wonderful indulgences for the soul, right? And I happen to just love photos of people moving through these spaces, soaking in the color, the vibrance, the cultural history and the art.

So you can imagine what an honor it was to be invited with Modern in Denver magazine to photograph the press preview of the new Rothko exhibit at the Denver Art Museum! It is a rare treat to be able to photograph such an exhibition space with such great art -- I'm sharing these here as my way of saying GO check it out!!

As an Art & Art History major in college, it was a thrill to see these incredibly famous, vibrant and abstract paintings in person. Included in the exhibit are also influences of Rothko's -- totally inspiring treasures in their own right.

If you're curious to learn more before checking out the Rothko works for yourself, see the article in the current issue of Modern in Denver, which includes an in depth look at what it takes to put together an exhibit of this magnitude, including a conversation with curator, Gwen Chanzit (being interviewed above for Rocky Mountain PBS). Cheers!

Denver Art Museum Curator for Modern in Denver | Portrait Photography

What an honor to have worked with William Logan, editor of Modern in Denver magazine, to create this portrait of Gwen Chanzit, curator at the Denver Art Museum, for a unique and wonderful feature.

In honor of this summer's Rothko exhibit, Modern in Denver put together a story about what it's like behind the scenes creating an installation of this scale.

The model of the exhibition space complete with scale artwork and exhibit text was a blast for the former architect in me to see!

I can't wait to check out the fruits of everyone's efforts -- both in the summer issue AND the Rothko exhibit!

Experimenting with Optics + Light

When you fire a frame with your camera, you are literally painting that exposure with the light of that scene. This concept  has always fascinated me, and from time to time I like to intentionally play with that concept, pushing that light to create luminous paint strokes, if you will.

For an upcoming photo project I am experimenting with slowing down a fixed exposure in order to capture motion as something moves across an otherwise fixed scene. This can be challenging during bright daylight as the camera will quickly overexpose if the shutter is left open for more than a tiny fraction of a second. In order to compensate for that tendency to overexpose, today I have been playing with different kinds of mesh and filters.

A side effect of the mesh is that it creates lovely, ephemeral and soft bokeh patterns, made more subtle when using a wide aperture. (click on photos to enlarge, and note patterns in the background) 

I kind of love it. 

When you zoom in close on these files they start to look like a painter's brush strokes. 

Optics + light... how fun.

Telluride AIDS Benefit Photo | OSCARS Poster

Hmmm... So this was just brought to my attention.

On the right, my photo, designed and photographed for the Telluride AIDS Benefit Art Auction in 2010. On the left, this year's just released OSCARS poster, designed by Olly Moss.

Copyright law is tricky, but it is sort of uncanny, don't you think? I sure wouldn't mind some tickets to the Oscars...

Restaurant Interior Photography | Ambria, Denver

I was thrilled to be commissioned by Aspen and Denver based architecture firm, Rowland + Broughton Architecture and Urban Design to photograph their recently completed remodel of this beautiful new restaurant, Ambria, on the 16th Street Mall in Denver. Warm, smoke colored Roots Lotus lights and a long community table create a beautiful gathering area central to the space, while flowing fabrics help define more intimate areas within a mostly open floorplan.

And if you were curious, yes - the food is amazing!

 

Painting with Light

Warning: These photographs aren't for everyone.
But if you're among the curious... I'd like to share!  There's something I find enormously compelling and peaceful about leaving the exposure open just long enough to "paint" the sensor with a swath of light dotted foliage.  Resulting streaks of color appear painterly, but are completely the result of photographic processes.  I'm going to include a few sets here from my favorite experiments with this method.  Enjoy!

Green Cube | Denver Architectural Photography

Denver's Highlands neighborhood has a fantastically diverse fabric of architectural styles, including many new, contemporary and sustainably built homes, such as UrbanGreen's latest, the LEED approved Green Cube home.

The home has strong architectural forms, a beautiful glass stair, and a wonderful Living Wall feature which purifies the air quality while simultaneously growing herbs and lettuces right around the corner from the kitchen... what could be better?

I was fortunate enough to photograph the project during its brief time as a model home for one of the talented designers, Heidi Mendoza of Re.Dzine.

See more photos from this shoot on my FB fan page.

Cheers!