Abstracting the diary...

I came back from a good vacation where shooting has been focused as I was on abstraction and other aesthetics that I will present on a daily basis on Plaisirs Instantanes/Snapshots when archiving and organizing the sequence and series are finalized. Hopefully not a long wait for me as well, as I move slow in post-production work. The silence here was a harbinger of the temporary and the unknown length of absence before my returning to resume this diary.
You are more than welcome to visit me and my photographic steps following the link above for which I am more active in presenting recent photography.
Thank you to all of you who 've been coming and hope to have you on Plaisirs Instantanes...
Au Revoir...et Merci.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

Hugging Tree (here I come!)

Just a few days apart from hugging, with hungry eyes, some countryside fields, bushes and roads to feed me plenty, visually! Ahh! and some ocean view. As for the city, I'll take a good slice of Paris!

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

Hands and Eyes on the job.

We were all using our hands on this job. One pushing the lawnmower carefully taking care of the grass, one holding the paper trying to read between the lines. As for me , holding the camera taking care of the scene. Who knows maybe someone else was watching both hands on the steering wheel.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

Rising Up

The bells toll and I'm flying from far and going anywhere but up. Feathers, concrete and steel is all you need. Oh, and maybe a sword like the one I see sitting on top. Excalibur here I come. Chop chop chop.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

Visual Conversation

As I strive to simply enunciate each of my artist's statement associated with the different works I put together in the last three months to do accompany submissions, I do realize that this conversation and introspection are not easy at all. I have drafted many pages to sort out all the sensations that were met producing the works. Sometimes it was just like mere street photography momentum played out in a natural environment and the joyous discovery turned into some "works"( I have trouble with that particular word). But it was not thought out beforehand. I wish it could be as easy as the drawing on the wall, my photography being just a gentle gesture after all.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

A woman speaks

It's definitely not the same kind of photography as shown above but getting the kind of picture I want of my kids seems to be more difficult than a chosen and composed situation played out on the streets. Rare are the times when I had a camera when they had one of their greatest expressions, in my view( Cute pictures of cute kids don't cut it nicely as good pictures of kids for me). And when I had one, my eye would record it faster and/or the camera could just not do it from the position I was in or I'd be too slow. Realizing that, it is not hard to believe the best camera ever is your eye, too bad memory is not as sensitive and biologically developed to last.
I 'd like a camera that would record like eye/memory can though, even with hands in your pocket since having them on a camera doesn't help every time.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

On the same page

Apart being in a room filled with parents and kids or a playground with the same actors, I rarely am close to the scenes I photographed nowadays. I got used not to intrude anymore being in a car most of the time and I use a telephoto or a tele-zoom more and more.Anyway, I did promise myself to make it a date to boldly get in the face or sneak on whoever suits my mood to photograph to get what I want and then go with the flow every once in a while not to lose that touch.
A little note as a great news for those of you who are following my photography. I have a strictly digital foto blog up and running called Plaisirs Instantanes/Snapshots where I don't use much space with words.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

5 Legs

A look back at some street shots taken on a self-assignment during a rainy day, a really long while back. Anyway, I noticed that people are more focused on themselves when dealing with adverse weather conditions, which makes your presence and intrusion less noticeable. Some are rushing, some enjoy the show. As a street hunter you might be doing both. I miss the city and snapshooting around.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

X-Ray

The water element is still present in a way in this...photo.The post-production got rid of the evidence a bit much but a part of the picture is a reflection. It does look closer to a x-ray than a photo by the look.I see faces or masks of human faces and a body but I could be the only one.Could it be? I have definitely developed another look at Nature.The use I make of It is like trying to get underneath the surface to get a hold of the subtleties of Nature and expose them. It might have come from a certain weariness caused not by Nature itself because it inspires me but the repetitive views offered.It could be something else on top of that.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

Abstract Pond

What I do mostly, lately, revolves a lot around water. A vital element indeed that it also became one of great inspiration for and in my photographic work. I naturally enjoy being near water and inside water.One day I'll take my photography under.Some experience it must be.Anyway, last time I even took snapshots of geese and their ducklings and turtles as well. I really don't know what I'm gonna do with them.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

Traffic Lights

I spent some time on the road and in the Great Falls national parks today where I gathered additional shots to add to a series which first take was not rigorous enough.I was lucky enough to find a spot that gave me the same kind of matter even though the forms were richer the first time I saw the performance of Nature. In the process I even found some more exciting views aided by a high dose of sun.They now need to be processed.
In the meantime I felt like posting that one to remember that commuting doesn't have to be dull every time, that we can always find a plus in the ordinary.That's what photography is about, doesn't it?

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

Circles in Mind

Here it is. I had said in a week or so but a good friend told me that high posting frequency is important when blogging, so...I heard.Better find in a quest.Closer to a final if not to a finer realization of a visual.A construction site nearby. A drive by find explored when weather conditions were riped.A first full out search for visual pertinence to achieve a capture. The neighboring captures are different and give a different perspective.You'll witness it.Pipe shaped blocks of concrete lying on a grass waiting to be hauled and positioned for a, mysterious to me, use but a construction.I set out to have my share of it before you need a pass to access a soon to be vanished material buried in a more fashion way.
Sitting around the area I had in mind Edward Weston and Ansel Adams industrial photographic renditions of factories. I have to be honest about the cold feeling I had photographing the area. I was invested with the know how but acknowledged the dominant lack of humanity in the process.It is from the streets but no playground for kids to be allowed into.Maybe I'll bring one of mine to deepen the discovery, all dressed in white on a sunny day. That's a good thought.I'll check tomorrow.A promise.Another promise I make is the posting of a photograph of my elder in a tube that I do find fantastic, which will be a good continuation to this one. For now I'm about to read a bit of Ansel Adams commentaries about some of his realizations.I'll digress on that too.


AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

Reminiscence & Wandering

This kind of light (or candle of light, or even light candor) I like very much. For a fraction of a second or so it had me look at another tree, another place, another time, and I naturally raised my arms and added another tree from another place and another time. It also felt being in two places at once. It just felt good. It was taken in France last summer, can't you tell?
Right now I work on forms,lines and volumes (light+shadow). It's "cold" photography, boring sometimes but I need the discipline for another project. As for a glimpse of the disciplinary exercise, I'll post one later,in a week or so.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

Major & Minor

I'm struck by the fact that a really good photograph has an essence that will outlive its time of capture and still stir interest even if your photography evolves into something different from the subject recorded at the time.And what's really striking is its apparent simplicity. Some are interesting in that they show a possibility.Sketches.Minors. Pleasure, patience and perseverance and luck put us on a path to major finding.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

Casual & Formal(Washington DC)

Can't really relinquish.Never been the case. The pleasure is too big sometimes and the attraction just as present as gravity itself. Never to be ignored.Being so sensitive even to my thoughts I tend to react and express myself boldly, only to come back and readjust.Can't let go of the pleasure of making this kind of photos, if not any kind.Eyes have too much to offer and photography is one hell of a recorder.One that I know of. Its simplicity is lovable. And more so I am indebted to Her. I O U so I'll stick with U for it is my pleasure to serve U as You serve me. Can't turn my back on U.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

Grass Stems Calligraphy

I am more into finding and arranging inside the frame than into staging when dealing naturally with photography.The element of surprise, the pleasure of finding the unexpected. That approach has a lot to do with being connected to the outside.My daughter is into picking grass and flowers lately(it is Spring after all). She had just laid down those stems before going for some more. It looked good enough for me to visually play with what had already a visual appeal to it.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

4 Women

I'm juggling with thoughts and repeating myself at times just like life repeats itself everyday with a different face. I need to find a consistent approach in general, but especially in doing photos, not to mismanage time and effort. Reason why I was happy about reading about Weston and Leiter's way of sort of "planning their photography" (See post Rush no spirit no rush spirit). I rarely do that, maybe because of the small territory of my photography caused by limited time to go around places, so grabbing anything that comes my way compensates lack of time and feed the urgency of doing photography.Not surprisingly, it has resulted in a lot of waste of film and time as well. Going digital crucial and mandatory is to define one's work, so that every frame gets you closer to your goal. For me a gentle reminder. As for references to photographers, I know "my classics". I now feed more on articles and essays about them than their photos which are results of a philosophy and a way of doing.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

Another Muse (to ride)

I have became too sensitive to light. I mean light seems to be a muse and it touches everything...above dirt, so I photograph widely. A streak and eye click. I'd like to find me a muse other than light. So that light will work with me and not me for her. A muse would be great.I'll use that one light behind my eyes that shines so beautifully and eye and the camera would muse around our muse. Sounds great.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

Natural Jewelry

Fallen Leaves, a photographer's fav. The sight of it was more than that photograph.A souvenir of it,just in case I won't see it happen again.
Funny... death and life entangled together.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer

Twins maybe

I was caught by these two.Then it was only a sight, but reflecting a little on what could be said about it.We look in the same directions.We search for the same thing, aren't we in general? Not the same ways I reckon and not with the same mind frame.But we dress, we eat, we breathe,we work,we dream,we move and are being moved,we think(some with a different part of the brain!?).We got different taste because many flavors to choose from and live by and be satisfied with.But what does it come to and where does it all go during our lifetime? A quest for a good living.Now is it enough to think only for ourselves or elevating and sharing the views and goals with everyone is something worth working towards to?

I reckon it is.

AllRightsReserved Copyright 2005-2009 Stephane Themeze Photographer