The Open Curtain

A parting shot of the Lockheed C-40 Electra Jr. presents a wonderfully abstract blend of reflections and shadows. The passenger window with the barely discernible curtains brings a touch of realism to the image. Again, not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it. The dash of color in the mirrored surface of the engine nacelle and cowl adds a nice element, too.

Sometimes I can see myself in the pictures I take as a distorted self-portrait on the polished metal, but I must have angled myself in such a way that I seemingly have disapparated away from the scene in this shot. Perhaps a trace of me remains; perhaps not. Either way, I am gone like a fleeting memory.

Something like life itself.

Electra Reflections

I was asked if I was in my Darth Vader period, much like Picasso had his "Blue Period." I suppose that is one way of looking at it. I find the dark shadows and rich reflections compelling. Understandably others may find them too murky and moody for their taste.

For those who feel that way, I did shoot a variety of exposures. Here is a lighter one. It's still a nice image, but I prefer the first one. But that's the beauty of art and photography: it speaks to each of us differently; and it speaks to the artist differently at different times in their life.

One of the most interesting exhibits we attended was the Ansel Adams' 100th anniversary show at the L.A. County Museum of Art. They had several examples of his work developed at different times of his life. The older he got, the more dramatic his prints became. The art was truly in the dark room as he managed to turn some of the earlier great photos into incredible iconic images. Moon Over Hernandez is one example; New Mexico Aspens is another.

Unfortunately photography as an art doesn't get much respect. Hopefully that is changing, but the proliferation of digital and cell phone cameras is flooding the world with a sea of images that range from the awful to the inspired. It's just a lot more work to wade through the mass of material.

But there are some really great images out there and a lot of very talented people doing fantastic work. I hope to be one of them someday.


Here is a more full-bodied shot of the C-40 (military version of the Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior) in case anyone was interested in seeing it. Unfortunately the space was cramped and I couldn't get the whole tail in the picture. Another reason to do tightly cropped artsy shots.