March 5, 2011

2

f164, Fine Art, journal, Nature, signature, silver, technique

God’s Fist – Great Fountain Geyser, Yellowstone.

God’s Fist – Yellowstone NP, Great Fountain Geyser

I was the only one there at sunrise and it was beautiful, but not what I had hoped for. Great Fountain steamed calmly away as the sun rose, but no great fingers of water reached skyward. This was not going to be so easy.

Great Fountain is not on a schedule like Old Faithful. It generally blows about once a day and while it can be roughly predicted, it seems to be no exact science. I took a few images of the pool and then begin to wander nearby areas, hoping to catch it later. Around noon I came back to find crowds gathering and cars lining the sides of the narrow loop road. It seemed everyone was here now. But only I had the satisfaction of having been there with the sunrise.

I grabbed my gear and hustled along the line of cars, to where a surprisingly large gathering was taking place. Fortunately most everyone wanted the high vantage points. I just wanted this lowly spot down in the weeds off the roadside. About ten minutes later, she blew. Slow and spurting at first, but then spectacular.

Bright sun is generally not the most ideal light however and my mind was racing like fanatic and I varied the setups I had been envisioning, working with filters and tweaking settings in an attempt to make something memorable of of this scene. The truth is that the resulting sequence from these moments were on my computer until months after I returned home. They sat patiently on my hard drive, waiting for me to become inspired. I saw them now and then, but secretly I was remembering the peaceful sunrise and wishing it had happened then.

In time I sifted through them more closely, thinking in terms on tone, analyzing details and thinking about the process. The light was actually pretty amazing. And there was one frame that stood out above the rest and it was higher and more spectacular than any others from this majestic water show. Once I started working it, I knew I had only needed one frame and this was it. I hope you enjoy… Gavin

Release details: Prints Available.. Order Open Edition originals above.. Master prints and Signature Limited Editions are listed below and can be ordered by contacting gallery.

Released prints….

For Photographers. How it Was Made…

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March 5, 2011

0

f164, Fine Art, Nature, silver, technique

Entrance to Death Valley.

Entrance to Death Valley. Gavin Seim.

This is one of those photographs that I overlooked for awhile. It’s not earth shattering and it may never be seen as one of my best, but the more I look at it the more it tells a story. The harsh afternoon sun, the heat waves fading into the distance. The approaching car, escaping from the clutches of the tortured hills.

The long line of the road leads my eye in and then it curves away. I know the place beyond is dry and barren. At least I think I know. But at the same time, my sense of adventure wants to go there anyways. It senses there’s beauty (and perhaps water) just over those mountains.

For Photographers. How it was made…

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October 19, 2010

2

color, f164, Fine Art, journal, Nature, signature, technique, travel

Calm at Firehole Spring – Yellowstone

Firehole Spring sparkles like a sky of deep blue turquoise, it’s inviting crystal clear water set flush to the earth like a giant hot tub. But beware, this is no swimming pool. The docile looking waters are nearly boiling, so enjoy it’s unearthly beauty, but let it bathe alone.

Firehole has nearly constant activity roiling under it’s surface, as  thermal bursts appear like small white explosions. Sometimes it’s subtle while at other times water may spit into the air as thermal bubbles reach the surface. On this day in early September it seems unusually calm affording me this unique crystal like view into it’s depths.

Set amid a rather barren patch of land, backed by shrill trees and sparse grasses, The pool sits just off Firehole Lake Drive, nearly unmarked and easily passed by. It seems plain, but when you get out and stand near, it’s impossibly clear water mesmerizes the eyes.

I took this in the early morning as bold clouds drifted overhead and I gave it some time, carefully planning the composition and working to use the land and the light as best I could.

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October 17, 2010

2

color, f164, Fine Art, journal, signature, technique, travel

Forgotten City. Minneapolis MN

Forgotten City, 2010. Downtown Minneapolis, fall 2010. Time exposure.

Print release coming soon.
This image earned a merit at the PPA International Print Competition, 2011.

It was the flour capital of the world around 1880 and beyond. But things change over time and the old flour mill in downtown Minneapolis MN is now a part of the landscape around the Mill City Museum. It’s a pretty neat sight. Remnants of old machinery, underground tunnels and broken structures spark my curiosity and make me marvel at how large the operations here must have been.
It’s a mix of the still standing and the now fallen. Both still appreciated. I made this during my tone workshop in mid Sept as we all walked across the bridge and explored the area around the museum and the Guthrey Theater. It was a fun walk and I took home more than one good image from the area. Here I used a very slow shutter to blur the movement of cars and people, leaving the city as a silent piece of history.

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October 17, 2010

0

color, f164, journal, silver, technique

Night Demon – An Exercise

Welcome to my living room. We’re back home and while I still have more from our trip coming, I decided to take a short sidetrack. This image is quite different from the serene landscapes I generally do. It was really an experiment of light and shadow. It’s late Saturday night. We went to a  local square dance earlier and someone gave Cyrus a couple of those stringy glow sticks. A few hours later, home and family asleep, the sticks are still glowing. I pick them up and start playing, soon considering how I could paint with their light.

The end result after quite a bit of work is this self portrait taken in a darkened room. I’ll confess that I was a tad creeped out as I made this image, childrens toys around the dark room, something happening in the space behind and empty floor occupied by a faceless fire winged man. It may not be creepy in the light of day, but I had fun making it.

For Photographers. How it was made…

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