North Dakota Images: Special Print Offer

•August 12, 2010 • Comments Off on North Dakota Images: Special Print Offer

First, I want to express my sincere thanks to those who made pledges to my fundraising effort on Kickstarter.com. It was gratifying that there were people with enough regard for my photography and who had enough confidence in my ability to complete the project that they were willing to back the project with a pledge of financial support in exchange for a promise of delivering future work product.

Even though the Kickstarter project fell short of the goal by the expiration date and all pledges have been cancelled, I want my friends and supporters to know that I have not given up on this project and I have a special offer to those who still wish to support it.

I am making plans to return to North Dakota for up to ten days next month. I will revisit some of the locations from the previous trip and seek out new locations to photograph. If you are reading about this for the first time, you can learn more here.

I am offering a limited opportunity for my friends and supporters to purchase numbered artist proofs for immediate delivery from a selected portfolio of images from my first trip to North Dakota. This is a very limited offer to help with expenses for my next trip to North Dakota starting on or about September 16, 2010.

Each print is approximately 8×12 inches printed on 11×14 inch paper. To make the deal a little sweeter, I will print these images on a very special Hahnemuhle Bamboo fibre fine art paper. This paper provides a wonderful tonal range with deep, rich blacks. It has a subtle texture that is luxurious to view in the hand and looks great matted and framed.

And finally, to ensure long term value, these prints will be numbered artist proofs and hand signed. The number of proofs will be limited to only the number of prints that are ordered by September, 15, 2010.

The cost of each print is $35 including shipping by USPS Mail. A special portfolio of all eight images, housed in a special collector’s folio is $210.

You can select one or more prints.

For the full details or and to order, please go to:

http://www.sterlingimages.com/nd_proofs.php

Thanks for your support.

Posted in North Dakota Workshop and Project, Photography

21st Century Hieroglyphics Monograph

•July 19, 2010 • Comments Off on 21st Century Hieroglyphics Monograph

I just completed self publishing a small monograph of my images of the graffiti at the Quincy Quarry in Quincy, Massachusetts. The book contains all of the images from my September, 2009 ’21st Century Hieroglyphics’ exhibit at the Contemporary School for the Arts and Gallery in Hagerstown plus more images that have never been exhibited or published.

The images were captured in an old quarry in Quincy, Massachusetts. An area that at one time was filled with water has been filled in with earth, probably to prevent people from being injured or killed diving into the quarry water. The result is a grassy space surrounded by rock cliffs that have been liberally decorated with a wide variety of graffitti.

I have made two trips to this place and it continues to be fascinating. Looking at these rough granite walls, you are assaulted by a visual cacophony of abstract designs, haunting beings, social commentary that ranges from poignant to sinister to celebratory to simply chaotic.

As I walked around the area, I tried to imagine what an archeologist a thousand years from now would think upon the discovery of these strange messages painted on rock walls. Would they know about it that far in the future or would they look at this as evidence of some religious cult or political uprising.

This is a small booklet, just 36 pages and 31 images. It was fun to put together and I think it makes a nice presentation of my work from the quarry.

The book was published through Lulu.com and is available on their web site at:
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/21st-century-hieroglyphics/11727304

Posted in Photography

Kickstarting My North Dakota Project

•June 24, 2010 • Comments Off on Kickstarting My North Dakota Project

I am excited to announce that my “Forgotten Places: North Dakota” project has been accepted by Kickstarter.com to be listed on their web site for funding.

For those of you who haven’t heard of Kickstarter, here is how they describe themselves in their Frequently Asked Questions on their website:

Kickstarter is a new way to fund creative ideas and ambitious endeavors.We believe that…

• A good idea, communicated well, can spread fast and wide.
• A large group of people can be a tremendous source of money and encouragement.

Kickstarter is powered by a unique all-or-nothing funding method where projects must be fully-funded or no money changes hands

If you’ve read anything that I have written (See blog entries below) about my photography experience in North Dakota, you know that I was truly inspired by the place and that I am anxious to return. My intention is to return at least twice in the next year. The first trip is being planned for this September, and then a follow-up trip next spring. I will then work with the accumulated images from the three trips and pick the best for a book and an exhibit. I doubt I need to tell you that traveling from West Virginia to North Dakota, spending 1-3 weeks, and returning is an expensive proposition.

Just to be clear, this is not a matter that I am just asking for money. For levels of support as little as $10 I intend to deliver value in return for the support in the form of fine exhibit-quality prints, limited edition books, and limited edition portfolios. In addition, the $3,500 that I hope to raise through Kickstarter will ultimately be matched by at least an equivalent amount of my own funds. Also, all supporters you will receive updates on the progress of the project, including updates from the field as I am traveling.

In nearly 50 years of doing photography off and on, I have never been inspired to do a project on this level. Please follow this link and read about "Forgotten Places: North Dakota" project at kickstarter.com and see if you are inspired to support this project.

Thanks for your consideration.
Rip Smith

Posted in North Dakota Workshop and Project, Photography

Washington Street Gallery Reception Saturday

•June 23, 2010 • Comments Off on Washington Street Gallery Reception Saturday

This coming Saturday, June 26, I will be at the new Washington Street Gallery to help celebrate the gallery’s grand opening. I will be there for a reception from 5-8pm. The gallery, which opened its doors at the beginning of May is located at 235 West Washington Street in Charles Town, WV. Come to say hello and check out a great range of quality work by about 40 fine artists and artisans. My work in this gallery includes some of my favorite images from 2009 and I Just for the reception, will have a selection of prints from the North Dakota “Abandoned Farms” project.

Hope to see some of my friends at the reception.

Posted in Photography

North Dakota First Cut

•June 21, 2010 • 1 Comment

I’ve been working on my images from North Dakota and I’ve posted my “first cut” selection in my SmugMug gallery.

I don’t know where this project is headed, but I am seriously considering a return trip – maybe more than one. This is because I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of the visual potential of that area. The abandoned places provide an incredible contrast with the natural environment and I find texture of the landscape to be a whole project in itself.

So what I posted now is the “first cut” of the first phase of what could be a multi-phase project. Stay tuned …



Posted in North Dakota Workshop and Project, Photography

Infrared Photography Treat in Cumberland, MD

•June 14, 2010 • Comments Off on Infrared Photography Treat in Cumberland, MD

For a real visual treat, check out the “Infrared – Four Visions“ exhibit at the C. William Gilchrist Museum Of The Arts in Cumberland Maryland.

For one who has had an interest in digital infrared photography, this was a real eye-opener. One of the first things I think you need to learn about any technique is to understand what is possible. Although I have dabbled in infrared for several years, this exhibit showed me how far I have to go to really master the techniques.

The digital images had astonishing detail and tonal qualities, while the film work took maximum advantage of the ethereal feel that IR film images exhibit. The exhibit also included some stunning hand-colored digital images as well as more traditional silver prints made from infrared film negatives.

About six months ago I had my Nikon D200 converted for infrared (I’ve been using a converted D100 for a couple of years.) I haven’t been out much with the D200 yet, but seeing this exhibit has provided a wealth of inspiration to get me out there.

Posted in Photography

North Mountain Arts Festival

•May 30, 2010 • Comments Off on North Mountain Arts Festival

I wanted to let everyone know that I will be at the North Mountain Arts Festival on Saturday, June 5, 9:30am – 4pm, with some of the first prints from my trip to North Dakota and Washington State. In its fourth year, this festival has become one of the premiere arts events in the Panhandle Region, featuring juried artists and artisans, live music, food, and fun. The Festival is located in Hedgesville, WV at 201 North Mary Street (just north of Route 9 on Route 901)

I’ve returned from my travels and what a trip it was, “riding the rails” from Martinsburg to Chicago, and then on to Rugby, North Dakota for six days of photographing forgotten places. Then another 30 hours on the train to Seattle for a wonderful visit with family and some touring on the Olympic Peninsula.

Abandoned Truck and House, Pierce County, North Dakota

In North Dakota I was with a group of photographers participating in a shooting workshop with Tillman Crane. We had digital shooters like myself and Tillman and a couple of the others were working with large format view cameras up to 8×10. We had a lot of fun and the locations were fascinating. We explored old abandoned houses and wondered what happened to cause these places to be abandoned. Falling down barns, old rusting vehicles and farm machinery provided a wealth of weathered textures. The weather for the week was mostly overcast and on several days we were photographing in light rain and sometimes not so light winds. The last day we were treated to some snow and sleet!

The overcast skys provided a soft light, which was great for the interiors that were lit only from the daylight filtering through the windows (or sometimes through the roof!) Much of the time there was enough texture in the clouds so that even the exterior shots had interesting sky detail.

Aside from the abandoned places, I fell in love with the landscape. North Dakota is flat, but it is in no way featureless. The land has a slight roll to it that gives the landscape a wonderful texture. Most of the trees were planted by early settlers as a way to control snow drifts around their houses and barns. Trees were planted in straight lines to block the snow and wind and it was said that for a farmer to be successful he had to plant 200 trees. The landscape in this area would be a large project in itself. Maybe next time.

Drift Log, Rialto Beach, Washington

The visit to Seattle was divided between visting family and touring some places I had never been before. The Olympic Peninsula, which includes Olympic National Park, provided everything from snow-capped mountains and Pacific Beaches to one of the few temperate rain forests in the world.

The most fascinating thing we found was at Rialto Beach where the sea shore was littered with hundreds of large “drift logs”, which had washed down from the rivers to the sea and then deposited up on the beach. These weathered logs and tree stumps provided some wonderful abstract patterns and textures.

If you are in the area, please drop by my booth at the North Mountain Arts Festival this Saturday and say ‘hello’ and check out my first prints from the trip.

Posted in Photography, Upcoming Events

Tamarack Best of West Virginia Exhibit

•May 29, 2010 • Comments Off on Tamarack Best of West Virginia Exhibit

"View From the Court"

It’s been very busy since I returned from my travels. And a few days ago I made the trek to Tamarack to deliver a print of my image, View from the Court, which was selected for the Tamarack Best of West Virginia juried exhibit that opens June 13 and runs through August 14. I also delivered some new work for their permanent display racks.

Since Tamarack is five hours away from home, I am not currently planning to attend the reception on June 13, but a large print of the image will be on display at the North Mountain Arts Festival on Saturday, June 5. I’ll have more on that soon.

Posted in Photography, Upcoming Events

Jefferson County Photography Project

•May 25, 2010 • Comments Off on Jefferson County Photography Project

"Concentration"

There’s still a few days to check out the final exhibit for Jefferson County Photography Project at the Bridge Gallery in Shepherdstown. I have four silver prints in this group effort, which has been close to a year in the making. The exhibit also features some fine work by six other photographers. Here’s an earlier post about the project.

Posted in Photography

Now For Something Completely Different

•May 14, 2010 • Comments Off on Now For Something Completely Different

We were told that Rialto Beach on the Pacific Ocean coast of the Olympic Peninsula was an interesting place, but nobody really told us why. What we found was an amazing scene of huge logs and other remnants of trees scattered all over the beach, apparently washed ashore.

It was mystifying as to how this large lumber would get here. The explanation was offered by a couple of locals who showed up and were collecting some small pieces for firewood. The source was the rivers that flow into the Pacific. When there are heavy rains and storms, trees fall into the rivers and are carried downstream and into the ocean. Then, when there are storms on coast, they are washed ashore.

Photographed close up, these things take show some fascinating patterns, making for interesting abstracts that could be geologic formations or even the head of a sea creature. Here is a simple slide show of some of the images:

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Posted in Photography

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