Space available in the Sept 16-17 San Francisco Black & White workshop

Aug

2017

We have space available in our Black & White in San Francisco Weekend workshop coming up next month September 16-17, 2017. San Francisco is a great place for photography, and a great locale to “think” in black and white!

Farther Shore © Harold Davis

Workshop Description: This workshop includes field photography in several Bay area locations, monochromatic shooting techniques in the field, black & white conversion in Photoshop, Nik Silver Efex, and other plug-ins, and monochromatic processing. Emphasis will be on thinking creatively in black and white in the field, and fully understanding the myriad possibilities in post-production.

Sunset on the Bay © Harold Davis

More info and registration: https://www.meetup.com/Harold-Davis/events/237226290/

Pop-Up Workshop: Note that if this workshop stays small (less than eight participants) I will conduct it as a pop-up workshop on-the-fly (rather than classroom based) which will give opportunities for more field locations, and more one-on-one interaction.

Noir City Dreams © Harold Davis

San Francisco Moonrise © Harold Davis

Posted in Monochrome, San Francisco Area, Workshops

Demonstration Flower Projects

Aug

2017

by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

Here are two of the images I used to demonstrate capture and post-production at my recent Photographing Flowers for Transparency course at Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, Maine.

Fan of Irises and Daffodils © Harold Davis

When I give the Photographing Flowers for Transparency workshop, I start by explaining the theory and practice of this kind of light box photography. I usually note that floral arrangement is a key issue. When we get down to the actual work, I ask each participant to pick a flower in turn, which I then arrange in a composition for us all practice photographing and processing—which is the genesis of the composition below!

Class Demo Maine Media © Harold Davis

Posted in Flowers, Photography

Pont Vieux, Albi

Aug

2017

by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

Set on massive brick pylons, the Pont Vieux in Albi, France spans the River Tarn. This bridge has been in continuous use for a millennium. I’ll be taking a select group of photographers to Albi and other destinations in the southwest of France and the Pyrénées-Orientales in May, 2018. Please consider joining us. Click here for more information.

Pont Vieux, Albi © Harold Davis

Posted in France, Workshops

Disturbance in the Force

Aug

2017

by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

Disturbance in the Force © Harold Davis

Click here for more Multiple Exposures!

Posted in Photography

White Rose

Aug

2017

by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

I love to photograph white roses from my garden. This one is a John F. Kennedy Hybrid Tea Rose. For me, the white rose represents peace and simplicity. It’s also worth bearing in mind that the white rose was the emblem of a group that resisted the Nazis. Perhaps it would be a good time to revive this symbolism. Here are some other photos of the white rose on my blog: White Rose Blushing and White Rose.

White Rose © Harold Davis

Posted in Flowers

Exploring Cathar Country and the Pyrenees-Orientales (April 28 – May 7, 2018)

Aug

2017

by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

A Photographic Journey with Harold Davis

What and Where: In the twelfth century in the part of the world that is today southwestern France, a new set of religious beliefs coalesced and came to be known as the Cathar heresy. The Cathars believed in a supreme being and god of light, utterly unconcerned with matters of this world, and in a direct individual interaction with this god with no need for inter-mediation by the hierarchy of an established religion.

Wild, craggy peaks and deep canyon valleys dominate the Pyrénées-Orientales in scenery somewhat reminiscent of parts of the American West. The Pyrénées-Orientales and old Languedoc is a region where the wildness of the landscape and the flavor of Spanish cuisine mingles with traditional French culture to create a unique and very special world apart.

While the primary emphasis of this journey will be photography, we’ll also take the time to learn more about Catharite beliefs, enjoy the unique culture, wild scenery, and cuisine of Cathar Country and the Pyrénées-Orientales.

The dates for this small-group tour are April 28 to May 7, 2018. Click here for more information, and here for the Reservation Form. We’ve heard quite a bit of excitement about exploring Cathar Country and the Pyrénées-Orientales with Harold, so this group will fill quickly. Note that an early-bird discount applies until September 15, 2017.

Please consider joining me for the photographic adventure of a lifetime!

Posted in Workshops

Abstractions

Aug

2017

by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

One of the best purposes of photography is to create order in an inherently disorderly world and universe. This is achieved through a variety of mechanisms. As photographers, we recognize patterns. We know when to step back and capture something from an unforeseen angle (as in the boat hull from a Maine shipyard viewed from underneath in the image immediately below). We see with mild amusement the corporate logos of yesteryear (like the Citroen symbol on an antique permanently parked in my neighborhood, and shown at the bottom). When sufficient time has elapsed so mostly no one remembers the original meaning, then even a corporate logo becomes an abstraction too.

Hull © Harold Davis

Citroen © Harold Davis

Posted in Abstractions, iPhone, Photography

Steven’s First Car

Aug

2017

by Harold Davis | 2 Comments

My workshop ended with a lobster dinner and a grand group show yesterday evening. I met some of my students for breakfast, and then headed off for some solo adventures before heading back to California tomorrow morning.

Steven’s First Car © Harold Davis

In the afternoon I drove south to Port Clyde to meet a friend from college. I haven’t seen him in many years, and we reconnected on Facebook. Steven and I told each other the stories of our lives so far: the good and bad, the beautiful and the ugly.

This is an iPhone shot of Steve’s first car. Steve still has it. It dates from the 1920s, and it starts right up. He told me he bought it from the proceeds of his first summer job, from working all summer, for about $100.

Posted in Photography

I Heart Dahlias

Aug

2017

by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

Today my class went to photograph a Dahlia Farm. I love these flowers because each one is unique, and because they are so colorful (even when I do convert to monochrome, see the image below!).

Pink Dahlia © Harold Davis

Variegated Dahlia © Harold Davis

White Dahlia © Harold Davis

Posted in Flowers, Photography

Private Garden, Camden

Aug

2017

by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

This was a fun day with my class. They are eager to learn my techniques for flower photography on a light box, and also about creative uses of LAB color. Towards the end of the day, we had the privilege of photographing in a wonderful private garden in Camden, what a great field trip! Thanks Maine Media for arranging this, very special.

Private Garden, Camden © Harold Davis

Maple Tree, Private Garden © Harold Davis

Posted in Photography

Mooring Lines, Rockport Harbor

Aug

2017

by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

After a fun day teaching and photographing flowers here in Maine, after dinner I headed down to Rockport harbor in the golden hour. The contrast of the white mooring lines and the dark pier pilings caught my eye, and I settled down to make a number of exposures for blending and conversion to monochrome.

Posted in Monochrome

Flowers from My Garden; Off to Maine

Jul

2017

by Harold Davis | 1 Comment

I’m off to Maine tomorrow morning to teach flower photography in the coming week. With departure looming before me once again, of course I feel the need to take advantage of the glorious California summer, and to photograph some of the flowers from our garden. The two below started as seedlings from Annie’s—you can find some really unusual flowering plants at Annie’s so it is a great local resource for gardeners.

Posted in Flowers, Photography, Workshops

When, Where, and How to Photograph the Eclipse

Jul

2017

by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

The August 21st 2017 total solar eclipse is gonna be a crazy event in the United States. 12 million people live in the path of totality, and many more are planning to journey to find the totality.

The creators of the photo planning app PhotoPills have written a detailed tutorial on both planning and photographing the eclipse. You can check it out here: http://www.photopills.com/articles/solar-eclipse.

Posted in Digital Night, Photography

Nicholas Inside and Out

Jul

2017

by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

Posted in Kids, Monochrome

Beep! Beep!

Jul

2017

by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

Some days it’s fun just to play! In that spirit, this morning I made this motorcycle (or car) from flowers on my light box. It’s complete with headlamps and exhaust. I think the effect, particularly in the “on Black” version, is a little like a whimsical Paul Klee.