China as it once was – photographs by Thomas Child

November 13, 2015 by Howard Dale Posted in Black & White, Photographers, Photography Leave a comment

This photograph by Thomas Child, titled Mongolian Lama, is one of the earliest photographic portraits of a religious figure in Peking. In the 19th century, the term lama referred to any Tibetan Buddhist monk or teacher. The lama and his pupil both hold prayer beads and bundles of sutras in their laps. Displayed neatly on the table are bronze sculptures and sacred Tibetan ritual objects including a skull cup.

Photographs of Peking, now known as Beijing, made by Thomas Child in the 1870s and 1880s are to go on show in London’s Chinatown as part of Asian Art in London season.More than 30 original photographs from the Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection, the largest holding of historical photographs of China in private hands, are included in the show. During two decades as a resident, Child documented life in the city with his camera.

Source: Rare early photographs of Peking – BBC News

Grafitti

November 11, 2015 by Howard Dale Posted in Buildings/Structures Leave a comment

Although I took this back in 2011 I have a very clear memory of taking it. I was at the old, disused waterworks at Pocantico Lake walking along the side of one of the buildings (actually the one in the first picture in the linked post). The trail was narrow and passed between a wooded hillside and the building so it was hard to get far enough away from the building to take the picture. Luckily the camera (a Panasonic Lumix ZS-7) had a lens that was wide enough to allow me to get the picture.

Although the side of the building was very much in shadow I recall that enough light was getting in to make the grafitti very bright and colorful. Unfortunately, when I got the picture on the computer it didn’t look at all like I had expected: very dull, and with a strong green tint (a problem with this camera). At the time my post-processing skills weren’t advanced enough to be able to fix the problems.

As I often do I was today browsing through old pictures with the view to delete some of them when I came across this one. I thought I’d see what I could do with it now. It seems that my editing skills have improved because with only minimal effort I was able to come up with something that was much much closer to what I remembered having seen.

Chairs and Tables in Bryant Park

November 11, 2015 by Howard Dale Posted in Black & White, Things Leave a comment

Taken in Bryant Park (behind the Public Library on 5th Avenue and 42nd Street, New York City) in May, 2012. I liked the contrasts and the shadows.

Chicago Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP) at 40

November 11, 2015 by Howard Dale Posted in Photographers, Photographs, Photography Leave a comment

Elliott Erwitt, Jackie Kennedy at Funeral, 1963, portfolio 1980

The greatest names in American photography are to be exhibited in one place as the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago turns 40. Over 100 pictures will be on show from its permanent collection including Dorothea Lange, Diane Arbus, Walker Evans and Robert Frank. It opens 28 January 2016 and runs until 10 April

The Guardian piece provides examples of 15 of the works.

Source: The very best of American photography – in pictures | Culture | The Guardian

Rustic Wood Structures at Poets Walk Park

November 11, 2015 by Howard Dale Posted in Landscapes Leave a comment

In addition to it’s stunning vistas and views over the Hudson and the Catskills, Poets Walk Park also has quite a few fascinating, rustic wooden structures – the most impressive of which is The Overlook (picture approaching The Overlook above).

I wasn’t able to find out much about these structures other than that they were designed by Optimus Architecture of Rhinebeck, NY. They probably date to the origin of the park in its present form (I couldn’t find out when that was).