April 30, 2011

2

f164, journal, Nature, travel

Another Month on the Road. Spring 2011.

We’ve been on the road about two weeks and are about halfway through our Spring trip. Heading to CA first, I taught a few workshops, and now we’re moving out of CA and headed for more landscapes and adventures. We plan to head into AZ now and visit the Grand Canyon. We’re trying to avoid campgrounds and get out in the boondocks as much as possible.

CA has been a tough State. Really beautiful, but sometimes frustrating. The State, County, and National land tends to be outrageously priced (don’t get me going), and it’s sometimes hard to find the free boondocking areas that are prevalent in many other States.

We carry a MiFi with us so we can keep the business running, research and mark locations, find the best gas prices, etc. Apps like All Stays Camp & RV, Gas Book, Right Here, and Geotag Photos Pro are invaluable.

I’ve also started experimenting with a 4×5 view camera for the resolution it can give me in larger prints. Learning what it can do is quite an experience. I’m being very conservative with frames, but in the right situation, I think it will be amazing. It sure feels good to use. As long as you’re not in a hurry.

Of course, I’m still capturing digital images. I think, in the future, both film and digital will have a place in my work at the initial capture . They both have strong advantages in various situations. It’s become a good learning experience as I study 4×5 technique.

Stay tuned for some new pieces as we move along. If you want to see more frequent updates, you can get those on my facebook page…

Gav

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April 2, 2011

0

f164, photo couch, podcast

Photo Couch Podcast #21. Competitions

– PC Podcast #21. Competitions –

I’m talking a bit today about photography competitions. Whether you’re a pro or enthusiast, competition will really challenge you to raise the bar. At some you can win cash and at other you can get merits, trophies and even earn industry recognized photography degrees from PPA.

You can find the forum discussion for this episode on the forum thread. Go share your experiences.. Gav

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Photo Couch is the companion podcast of Gavin’s f164 project. Sort of an audio journal. Nothing fancy here. Just short musings, tips and thoughts on photography. You can listen below, or subscribe for free and get all the latest episodes. If you want more you can also check out Gavin full podcast, Pro Photo Show.

Subscribe in iTunes – Direct Podcast Feed – Facebook Page

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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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February 17, 2011

0

f164, travel, workshop

Headed to California for Spring 2011 Workshops.

I’ve planned another road tip, along with a few Spring workshops I’ll be teaching. We’re hitting the road early April and heading to SF area for two workshops in Oakland. I’m really exited. Loading up the RV and spending about a month on the road. After the workshops I think we may head up towards the Grand Canyon as I hunt for stock and landscape images, then who knows. Here’s the workshop lineup for CA.

On April 16-17 I’ll be teaching my Lights and Shadows workshop. This is a fresh 2 day event that covers HDR and beyond. It’s an intimate workshop limited to about 20 people. We’ll be doing work in the field and editing back at base. More info here. There’s also a Facebook event page here.

Next on April 18th is the Lightroom Power workshop. This has something for everyone. We’ll cover basics, but also get deep into power user stuff. Another fun hands on workshop, so bring your laptops with LR and prepare to think differently about editing. More info here. There also a Facebook event page here.

I’m also working on setting up something in Fresno. Still working on the details of that. but stay tuned to this post or the Seim Effects FB page for details. Hope to see you there… Gav

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