landscapes « Photographs by Frank

9 October 2021

River of No Return/Frank Church Wilderness Raft Trip

Filed under: Autumn,Landscapes,Road Trips — Tags: landscapes — Frank @ 10:34 PM

Joan and I returned from a month long road trip yesterday (Friday) afternoon. We left two days after Labor Day and made more-or-less a beeline for Salmon, Idaho.

We made overnight stops in western New York, Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota, Wyoming and central Montana. The last day of the outbound leg, we made a brief stop at Joan’s brothers house in western Montana to drop off our camper before proceeding to meet the folks we would be rafting with in Salmon.

The river we ran is the main stem of the Salmon River. This stretch of the river is also sometimes called the River of No Return* and runs through the Frank Church Wilderness which is the largest wilderness area in the lower forty eight states. We were on the river for six days/five nights. The boats were oared rubber rafts and inflatable kayaks.

Our truck was shuttled to the takeout and after we got off the river, we headed back to Hamilton, MT where we had left the camper. We spent a few days visiting Joan’s brother and sister-in-law before beginning our meander back east. (More on rest of of the trip in subsequent posts.)

Of course, I made a few photographs along the way!

The first batch shown below are photos I made while we were in camp… usually before breakfast or in the late afternoon/early evening before dinner. They were made with my main (dSLR) camera.

The second batch of photos are those made during the day (either at lunch stops or while on the river) using a small fixed (wide angle) lens camera.

As the regulars know, my landscape work in mostly black and white and thus the large majority of these photos are of that ilk.

However, I have snuck a few (three, to be exact) color photos in at the end of the first batch. Not even I would try to photograph a rainbow in black and white!!! As for the last photo (made early on our last morning on the river), the sky was just to luscious in color to convert.

So without further ado…

Batch 1 —

Salmon River Trip #1

Salmon River Trip #2

Salmon River Trip #3

Salmon River Trip #4

Salmon River Trip #5

Salmon River Trip #6

Salmon River Trip #7

Salmon River Trip #8

Salmon River Trip #9

Salmon River Trip #10

Salmon River Trip #11

Salmon River Trip #12

Salmon River Trip #13

Salmon River Trip #14

Salmon River Trip #15

Batch 2 —

Salmon River Trip #16

Salmon River Trip #17

Salmon River Trip #18

Salmon River Trip #19

Salmon River Trip #20

Salmon River Trip #21

Salmon River Trip #22

Salmon River Trip #23

Salmon River Trip #24

Salmon River Trip #25

Salmon River Trip #26

Salmon River Trip #27

Salmon River Trip #28

Salmon River Trip #29

* This name is not as bad as it sounds. Early settlers (ranchers and miners, in the main) would build boats in Salmon (and up river) and then float the river to their camps. Upon arrival the boats would be dismantled and the (valuable) lumber used for other projects. Thus, is was boats that did not return not people.

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13 June 2021

On the Trip Home

Filed under: Landscapes,Monadnock Region,Summer — Tags: Architecture, Infrared (IR), landscapes — Frank @ 10:34 PM

This morning, I headed to Brattleboro to see what was up at the Vermont Center for Photography’s “tag sale’. Not that I need much in the way of ‘photo junk’, but I like to support the VCP and can always find something that will be useful. I came away with a few books, some mats and developing trays.

On the way home, I meandered and made some photographs. I made a few with the camera obscura but mostly, I made infrared (IR) photographs. It was a bright sunny middle of the day… good for IR landscapes and not much else.

Town Hall, Chesterfield, NH (camera obscura)

Mount Monadnock (Camera Obscura)

Mount Monadnock (IR)

Mount Monadnock & Pasture (IR)

Mount Monadnock & Newly Mowed Hayfield (IR)

Harrisville Mill Building #1 (IR)

Harrisville Mill Building #2 (IR)

Lake Skatutakee (IR)

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18 May 2021

More IR Landscapes

Filed under: Landscapes,Monadnock Region,Spring — Tags: Infrared (IR), landscapes — Frank @ 9:30 PM

This morning, while running errands, I stopped at a few of my favorite ‘photo spots’ and made some infrared (IR) photos.

IR is a good way to keep photographers entertained. One can make interesting IR landscapes at mid-day on bright sunny days. That is, at times and under conditions where ‘normal’ photos are generally uninteresting.

These photographs were made in the hour surrounding noon under partly sunny skies. I was thoroughly entertained. I hope you are too!

Hedgehog Mountain (IR)

Contoocook River from the 2nd NH Turnpike Bridge

Contoocook River Near the Papermill

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1 April 2021

Reflections on the End of Winter

Filed under: Landscapes,March,Monadnock Region — Tags: landscapes — Frank @ 5:00 PM

Made on my wanderings over the past ten days.

End of Winter Reflection #1

End of Winter Reflection #2

End of Winter Reflection #3

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25 November 2020

Our Magnificent Planet

Filed under: Landscapes — Tags: landscapes — Frank @ 9:30 PM

Back in February I submitted five photographs to be considered for inclusion in a book titled “Our Magnificent Planet 2020” to be published by the folks at LensWork. The deadline for submission was the end of May.

In early July I was notified that one of my photos had been selected for inclusion in this book. About 3,700 photos were submitted and 300 were printed in the book.

This morning the book arrived on my doorstep and I finally found out which of my five submissions had been selected!

Of course, I could have asked which photo had been selected earlier in the process, as did my friend Joe Sack who also had a photo included in the book. However, I like surprises so I simply waited!

The five photos I submitted are shown below; “Ashuelot River in Autumn” was selected for publication.

Beard Brook in Autumn

Ashuelot River in Autumn

View From the River - Grand Canyon

North Atlantic Sunset #2

Cape d'Or Lighthouse, NS

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22 November 2020

Hand-Colored Prints

Filed under: Alternative Processes,Hand-Coloring — Tags: landscapes — Frank @ 9:45 PM

I have been experimenting! Is that a big surprise!?

Specifically, I have been hand coloring black and white inkjet prints.

After making a regular black and white inkjet print, I use Prismacolor Premier colored pencils to add color to the paper. The wax-based pigment is then smoothed out and blended using cotton swabs dipped in a 1:1 mixture of turpentine and vegetable oil.

I learned about this method from a book titled “Hand Coloring Black & White Photography: An Introduction and Step-By-Step Guide” by Laurie Klein (see: https://www.amazon.com/Coloring-Black-White-Photography-Step/dp/1564965864)

These are small prints; 4.5 inches square or 4×5 inches on 5×7 inch paper.

The first six prints are printed on hot press (i.e. smooth) watercolor paper. The last print (made today) is on Hahnemuhle Biblio, a relatively light paper with a bit of texture.

Each print is unique. Even if I try to make a duplicate it never comes out exactly the same as the first copy.

My next goal is to try larger prints… say 8 inches square or 8×10 inches.

Barn (Chichester, NH)

Barns (Hillsborough, NH)

Luggage

Cape Breton Island Coast

East Quoddy Light

Schoodic Peninsula Wetland

Hillsborough Center (NH)

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27 October 2020

Mother Nature’s New Carpet

Filed under: Autumn,Landscapes,Monadnock Region — Tags: landscapes — Frank @ 6:00 PM

Every autumn Mother Nature provides the woods with a new carpet. It is always the same composition but never the same pattern.

On my walk a few days ago, I was attracted to patches of dappled sunlight on the roadside.

Mother Nature's New Carpet #1

Mother Nature's New Carpet #2

Mother Nature's New Carpet #3

Mother Nature's New Carpet #4

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8 October 2020

Thursday Foliage

Filed under: Autumn,Landscapes,Monadnock Region — Tags: fall foliage, landscapes — Frank @ 11:32 PM

This afternoon I had to run an errand in Keene. The light and skies were perfect as I got to Hancock (around 5 PM) on the way home.

I had my camera with me and made a few photographs.

Jacquith Brook Wetland

Field's Edge #1

Field's Edge #2

Barn & Foliage

Field's Edge #3

Pond's Edge Foliage

Wetland Margin Foliage

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4 October 2020

First Saturday Jaunt

Filed under: Autumn,Landscapes,Monadnock Region — Tags: autumn leaves, foliage, landscapes — Frank @ 10:05 PM

On the first Saturday of each month (COVID not withstanding*) I get together with a group of friends and fellow photographers in Brattleboro to share work.

Yesterday morning, I headed out for our meeting early hoping to find some foliage to photograph in the early light. I was not disappointed. In addition to nice light, many of the local ponds and lakes were shrouded in morning mist as sometimes happens this time of year.

Gregg Lake: Early Morning, Early October #1

Gregg Lake: Early Morning, Early October #2

Gregg Lake: Early Morning, Early October #3

Birch Pond

Eva's Marsh

After our get together, I meandered home from Brattleboro stopping to make photographs in Fitzwilliam, Troy, Jaffrey Center and Hancock.

Bowker Pond

Window: Troy Blanket Mills #1

Jacquith Brook Wetland

Autumn Foliage: Fields Edge

Autumn Barn

Although most of the photograph were made using my ‘regular’ camera. I did breakout the camera obscura on a few occasions.

Mt Monadnock from the Meetinghouse in Jaffrey Center

Meetinghouse, Jaffrey Center

Bran and Autumn Foliage

Untitled

Field's Edge In Autumn

*After a several months of meeting via Zoom we have been getting together outside on the Common in Brattleboro. Now that the weather is becoming less conducive to outdoor meetings, we have to figure out what is next.

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24 August 2020

Forgotten Exposures

Filed under: Landscapes,Monadnock Region — Tags: landscapes — Frank @ 11:00 AM

On Saturday, I took my camera obscura out for a “spin”. I had not used it in a while. I have had a photo in my head for some months now and Saturday afternoon I thought that the conditions (skies, light, etc.) might be good, so I headed out.

The photo I had in mind is the last one in this set. It is the old railroad trestle across the Contoocook River by the paper mill in Bennington (NH). In addition to the light being right and having a good sky, this photo required that the river level be fairly low as I needed to “rock hop” out into the middle of the river in order to get the angle of view I wanted. It all worked out pretty well, except that I strained a muscle in my left thigh “hopping” the rocks. I put “hopping” in quotes because in reality there was no hopping done; only a slow cautious crawl out and back! In the end I made the photo I had in mind and as the saying goes one has to suffer for one’s art!

When I got back to the computer, I discovered that there were some exposures on the memory card that I made back at the end of April (the 28th to be exact). I had never downloaded these files and, in fact, had completely forgotten about them… sort of like what happened back in the day of ~~yore~~ film when you developed a roll of film and found exposures at the beginning that you made some months prior. This doesn’t happen often in the digital age, but it is fun when it does!

The first four photos below were made back in April. The last three were from Saturday.