Happy Halloween

I very rarely post about anything not photography related, but today I make an exception. This is just too much fun to pass up.....

Slow Down and Look Around

I know you're busy. I'm busy too. Everybody is busy. We are all busy. But for cryin' out loud, take a look around. Open your eyes and focus. See all that is around you.

I look back at my body of work, and with the exception of my Mexico images, everything else is something that you walk by every day without looking at. Well, you may look at it, but do you really SEE it? If you are willing to SEE, there is really so much around us to be seen.

Many times at my exhibits, people will stare at images and talk to their friends "Where is this, it looks so familiar?". Unable to come up with the answer, they come to me and ask the question. Usually, when I tell them the location that a certain photograph was taken, their reaction ranges from astonishment to bewilderment.

"I walk right by that spot every day and never really noticed that." People are so "connected" now, that they hardly notice anything. Turn off the iPod, put your cell phone in your pocket, and just walk. Listen to the sounds around you, and see what there is to see. Spend a few minutes with yourself. You might be surprised what is out there.



"Cigar Store Indian"
Limited Edition Fine Art Photograph
by Scott Bulger

"Everything has its beauty but not everyone really sees it." - Confucius 551 BC - 479 BC

Sanctuary

Hiking through the woods at this time of year is a unique experience. While in the summer, it is typically several degrees cooler when you come upon a stream, once it starts to cool off in October and November, it often feels a few degrees warmer once you reach the banks of the flume.

The streams are swollen with turbid water as the lakes are being drawn down for the winter. The banks are saturated, and strewn with colorful leaves that float to the ground when the breeze kicks in, creating an audible rustle.

The extra water holds the frost at bay, and nourishes the moss, keeping the streams banks green while the woods turn brown and yellow. The water swirls and splashes, buffeting the rocks and downed trees, yet amongst the violence, sanctuary has been found.

In the hollow of an old branch on a felled tree, a family of five has set up house. The curious youngster peeking over the wall to see what is happening, while the cautious father hovers over the others to protect them from whatever may come their way. Their footing is precarious. A rise in the water level would wash them out of the sheltering depression they have rooted in. Unable to flee, they wait.

"Family of Five"

"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep."

Robert Frost

Where Did the Last 30 Days Go?

Thirty days since my last blog post and I sit here wondering what happened to the last month. Time seems to go by faster and faster and you have to wonder what you must be missing each time you blink. The last lunar cycle has been packed full of activity, and if I had thirty six hours to each day instead of the alloted twenty four, it still wouldn't have been enough time to get everything done.

Most recently, my oldest son, a 20 year old junior in college came home for the first time in about eight months. His two little brothers (4 and 9) were very excited to see him, and they spent a lot of his four days home hanging out together. It was great to see them all playing together, laughing out loud at every goofball joke that the four year old perpetrated.

I didn't get any real quiet time with him until driving him back to the airport early Sunday morning. His plane was leaving at 9:00, so we figured that he should be there at 8:00, which meant we would have to leave the house at 7:00, so my alarm went off at 6:00. It was a chilly morning, with the temperature hovering around freezing. We talked a lot on the trip to the airport, him excitedly telling me about his future plans, and me offering my sage advice that I'm sure went in one of his ears and right out the other. That's ok, it's a fathers job to talk whether or not the kids actually listen. He usually humors me by at least acting like he is listening, his eyes focused just to the side of my head, one eyebrow furtively raised with deep concentration. Of course, he's probably thinking about what he can make himself for dinner once he gets back to his apartment, and whether he left any milk in his refrigerator.


Once at the airport, he assured me that he would be able to manage his own way inside, practically throwing a verbal arm bar across the door so that I couldn't get out, "You don't have to park Dad, I can manage my own way through an airport." And that quickly, he was out the door.

So I found myself out and about at 7:45 on a Sunday morning without a designated time to be somewhere else. How was this possible? I cast a quick glance into the back seat to make sure my camera was there and off I drove. To quote Ferris Bueller, "Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

I really enjoy just driving around with no particular destination, just seeing what there is to see, and attempting to record these little rectangles of the world with my camera. A camera gives you liberty. It creates a shield between you and the world. When looking through the viewfinder, you are watching the world unfold in slow motion, scenes transpiring at your own pace, with the use of your own personal hand held time machine.

Driving through the woods, a clearing appears on both sides of the road, early morning light filtering through the trees, glistening off of the heavy frost that has settled on the grass. Pulling my truck over into a clearing, a large flock of turkeys makes it's way across the road in front of me. I grab my camera and open the door. The cold morning air fills my lungs like a "Slushie" fills a big plastic cup. I'm not a big fan of the cold, but there is something invigorating about these autumn mornings.

I walked through the fields, small patches of icy marsh crunching under my feet as the thigh high grass drops its frost on my jeans. I pick a few scenes and fill my frame. A heavy wind kicks up and a large flock of birds take off, cackling and squawking as they circle the field, momentarily lighting in a snag, and then circling again before flying out of sight.


I'm very proud of my all of my boys, but I'm very proud of the man that my oldest is becoming. I think he can find his own way through the airport.

Invitation to Exhibit and Reception

Hello and welcome. I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to view an exhibit of my photography at the New Hampshire Technical Institute Library. I have 17 pieces hanging in a one person show that runs the entire month of September. Library hours are HERE.

On Wednesday, September 24th, from 3:00 - 6:00, NHTI will be hosting a "Meet the Artist" reception in the library. If you are in the area, please come by and say "Hello". I'll be answering questions, talking about photography, and signing copies of my book, "A Portrait of the Yucatan".

Also, just a quick reminder that there is very limited space left for my fall semester classes at Kimball-Jenkins School of Art.

"Introduction to Black and White Photography, The Darkroom Experience" begins of September 25th and runs through November 13th, meeting every Thursday night from 6:30 - 8:30.

"Introduction to Digital Photography" is a one day seminar that is being held on Saturday, October 11th, from 9:00 - 3:00.

Space is very limited, so don't wait.

Also, On October 2nd between 5:30pm and 7:30pm the Kimball Jenkins School of Art will be holding its second annual “Art of Beer and Wine Tasting” fundraiser to support the School of Art.
Sample Wine and Beer (seven beer vendors and five wine vendors) from around the world and enjoy tasty hors d' oeuvres from one of Concord's finest restaurants as you tour our school's studios and galleries, meet the faculty and explore the historic Kimball Jenkins Estate.

Tickets are $35 each and are available by calling (603) 225-3932 ext. 221

Forgotten

The Kimball-Jenkins School of Art, where I teach photography courses, is a beautiful old Victorian Mansion that was finished being constructed in 1883. With a brick, granite, and slate exterior, it was built to last. The interior is just as beautiful, with marble fireplaces, ornate oak carvings, and intricately painted 12' ceilings. The entire building is truly a work of art. But other than the darkroom and photography classrooms in the basement, and the beautiful art galleries on the first floor and in the carriage house, my favorite place to poke around is in the attic.

It's not easy to get to the attic. The steps are narrow, steep, and winding, and as you ascend these stairs in the summer, the heat hits you in the face like Muhammad Ali hit Chuck Wepner. Reaching the top of the stairs puts you right in the middle of this huge attic. The rough sawn timbers that make up the rafters tilt at incredibly steep angles, soaring to joints that are perfectly matched. The floor is all rough wide pine boards, made charcoal gray with age and dust. In random locations around the attic, there are large solid wood bookcases, most made of mahogany, and all loaded with various memories from years long gone by.

The suns rays slant through the large and strategically placed windows to illuminate the room with a soft, dust filled light, that falls off rapidly as you get towards the center of the room. The combination of the light and the relics on the shelves create some fabulous opportunities for expression with a camera.



"Forgotten"

Three Days in Acadia

It's not the biggest national park in the country, but it is quite unique. Acadia National Park was the first national park east of the Mississippi River and is made up completely of donated lands. Sitting midway up the Maine coastline, the park rests entirely on Mt. Desert Island, in a patchwork of land surrounding Bar Harbor.

The bright, clear skies really weren't conducive to a lot of daytime shooting, so I was really restricted to The Golden Hour at the beginning and end of each day. It would have been great to spend a month exploring and shooting, and getting a variety of more favorable lighting conditions, but three days was my limit this trip, so my photo opportunities were limited to the places I could get to at these times.

Before I go any further, let me say that I have never encountered a more bloodthirsty and aggressive bunch of mosquitoes than I did on this trip. I've never been to Alaska, but these bugs were vicious, even landing on my camera and attempting to pierce it with the needle that slides out of their proboscis. I can only surmise that the cameras proximity to my face, left it covered with the scent of carbon dioxide, that the mosquitoes key in on when searching for a victim. On more than one occasion, I was required to spit out a mosquito that had been inadvertently sucked into my mouth while hiking up a mountain, across some cliffs, or down a boulder strewn beach to a tidal pool.

Arriving at the cottage just after noon time, we got settled in and just went and explored a little bit. We drove by Otter Cliffs and Thunder Hole and headed for the Bass Harbor at the south end of the island. Finding places for good food is easy on the Maine coast (as long as you like seafood) and the first of several lobsters would fall victim to my dinner plate that evening. After dinner, as the sun was getting ready to set from its day long perch, we drove over to Bass Harbor Lighthouse to break out the tripod and get something onto my memory card.

After the sun went down, we drove the 20 miles back to our cottage and just relaxed. It was early to bed for me since I had a 4:30 AM alarm to beat the sun up to Otter Cliffs. It was incredibly peaceful and still as I arrived just after 5:00 AM. The faintest hint of light was just showing over the horizon. I climbed along the cliffs, looking for a vantage point that would give me the best vistas, as this was going to be my only morning here. Once the sun breached the horizon, time was very limited before is was simply too strong and harsh here at the coast. The closer to sunrise it got, the more beautiful the scene became.


Once the scenic vista was obliterated by the blinding rays of the sun, I turned my attention to the cliffs and the surrounding landscape that was being illuminated with the golden-red rays of the early morning light. It's still only 6:00 AM.


Not soon after I shot this snag, I wrapped it up and drove back to the cottage to enjoy the day with my family. More family fun and good food, and we headed for Seal Harbor for sunset. There was a couple sitting in the twilight, fishing from one of the docks, but it was an otherwise quiet evening. A few clouds had started to roll in, specifically for my benefit I believe, adding some much needed character to the blank slate of the sky.


I woke up to the 4:30 alarm on the final morning of our stay and once on the road realized that there would be no sunrise this morning due to the this blanket of clouds that had settled in overnight. A quick change of plans and I drove to Seawall Beach to hopefully salvage a little shooting and with the tide on it's way in, I didn't have much time if I wanted to check out the boulders, rocks, and tidal pools. It wasn't 5:30 yet, but I knew I wasn't the first one at the beach when I found a half dozen of these stone pyres around the beach. I knew they hadn't been there long, because they could not have withstood the waves and surge of the high tide.


The only rush to get out of town was to avoid the swarms of tourists that would shortly be showing up to spend the Labor Day weekend in town, but that still left us plenty time for some hiking and exploring before hitting the road for the trip home. I'm hoping to make another trip prior to the winter settling in to do some more shooting in the interior of the park when the sun is lower in the sky and I can shoot for longer stretches of time.