Vince Lupo's Mapping the West

Vince Lupo said:
A brighter/better version of this shot, but I'm sure I'll be doubting myself about it at some point.


Jim and Jose Checking for Bugs by Vince Lupo, on Flickr
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Very nice print.

When I was first learning to print professionally at a local architectural photography firm, I had come from a background of being entirely self taught and I tended to print some subjects a bit dark as so many in the art field do and as so many of the art prints I'd learned from appeared.

On the first day at the new studio the owner and head photographer asked me to print a photo of a white house with an open garage door bathed in full summer sunlight. I happily did and I made sure to have plenty of detail in the white wooden boards on the surface of the building.

He looked briefly at my print and asked if the feeling I got from looking at my image was the same feeling I would have had standing in front of the building viewing it in full sun. He followed up by asking if I've ever stood in a similarly lit place and whether I could recall having an urge to squint from the brightness reflected from such a large, white structure. I immediately recalled that feeling when not wearing sunglasses on bright summer days.

Also, by printing it down in tone I had lost detail in the open garage which was in full shade. He asked about that too, and whether in real life would't I always see detail in those spaces. Yes, of course, he was absolutely right. We almost always see detail in the shadows.

But his main point was that good prints -- at least good commercial, architectural ones -- should replicate the feel of the scene. Sure it's critically important to retain both highlight detail and shadow detail, but equally important was to pay attention to the overall emotional feel of the print and to try to have it convey the feel of the actual scene being photographed.

You did a very nice job of capturing that bright, airy, sunlit feel of this scene without losing important details. Kudos!
 
brusby said:
Very nice print.

When I was first learning to print professionally at a local architectural photography firm, I had come from a background of being entirely self taught and I tended to print some subjects a bit dark as so many in the art field do and as so many of the art prints I'd learned from appeared.

On the first day at the new studio the owner and head photographer asked me to print a photo of a white house with an open garage door bathed in full summer sunlight. I happily did and I made sure to have plenty of detail in the white wooden boards on the surface of the building.

He looked briefly at my print and asked if the feeling I got from looking at my image was the same feeling I would have had standing in front of the building viewing it in full sun. He followed up by asking if I've ever stood in a similarly lit place and whether I could recall having an urge to squint from the brightness reflected from such a large, white structure. I immediately recalled that feeling when not wearing sunglasses on bright summer days.

Also, by printing it down in tone I had lost detail in the open garage which was in full shade. He asked about that too, and whether in real life would't I always see detail in those spaces. Yes, of course, he was absolutely right. We almost always see detail in the shadows.

But his main point was that good prints -- at least good commercial, architectural ones -- should replicate the feel of the scene. Sure it's critically important to retain both highlight detail and shadow detail, but equally important was to pay attention to the overall emotional feel of the print and to try to have it convey the feel of the actual scene being photographed.

You did a very nice job of capturing that bright, airy, sunlit feel of this scene without losing important details. Kudos!
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Many thanks - I do appreciate your thoughts.

I’m always doubting doubting doubting myself every step of the way, so I’m never really sure if I’m heading down the right path, creatively or technically. I still wonder where this project is heading and what I need to do next.
 
Vince Lupo said:
Many thanks - I do appreciate your thoughts.

I’m always doubting doubting doubting myself every step of the way, so I’m never really sure if I’m heading down the right path, creatively or technically. I still wonder where this project is heading and what I need to do next.
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The nice thing about mastering the technical details of good printing is we can kinda forget it all and concentrate on making the print that just feels right and which gives us the most personal satisfaction.
 
rfaspen said:
We'll accept you and your wife with open arms in NM. But please don't encourage anyone else.... please. And no Californians. They can visit, but are required to leave. I believe that's the law.🤔
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Mmm well she came to Maryland via Minnesota, California, Illinois and Germany, so not sure where that puts her. I’m just a lowly Canadian, so hopefully that will pass muster.
 
When I was living in Montana, I noticed an even more suspicious eye toward [southern] Californians. Hmmm.
To be honest, my wife was born in Calif... but she denounced as required.

Regarding photography: I am so impressed at your ability to make the Clayton area so darn photogenic (and elsewhere in the flat east). Truly reflective of your skill. Many people drive through any part of eastern NM and fail to see its beauty properly. I've been between Clovis, Roswell, Artesia, Carlsbad so many times and never managed to capture such compelling imagery. I did get a few nice images while caving in the Sacramentos, but very different setting and situation.
 
rfaspen said:
When I was living in Montana, I noticed an even more suspicious eye toward [southern] Californians. Hmmm.
To be honest, my wife was born in Calif... but she denounced as required.

Regarding photography: I am so impressed at your ability to make the Clayton area so darn photogenic (and elsewhere in the flat east). Truly reflective of your skill. Many people drive through any part of eastern NM and fail to see its beauty properly. I've been between Clovis, Roswell, Artesia, Carlsbad so many times and never managed to capture such compelling imagery. I did get a few nice images while caving in the Sacramentos, but very different setting and situation.
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I love all parts of the state -- actually one of the few places that I'm not crazy about is Santa Fe -- kinda reminds me of Bethesda, Maryland, except the shapes of the buildings are different. But I do like the Clayton area, though I admit I've not done the volcano drive near Raton. Just didn't feel like paying $22 for the privilege. I love the Eklund Hotel and stay there when I'm in Clayton, and overall the area has a nice feel to it. Of course the thing about any of those places you mentioned is the people, and I find it so easy to make friends anywhere in New Mexico.

I've mentioned this video of Jay Maisel a number of times over the years, and I always watch it/listen to it multiple times when I'm out there. Gives me a creative 'kick in the pants' (click on the 'Learn More' and it will take you to the video):



I'm always struck by his advice in the video: "Walk slow. Walk slower than you're walking." I try to remind myself of that, sometimes successfully, sometimes not so successfully.
 
Thanks for this link, Vince. It's good to hear someone tell you what you really already know, but have too often failed to remember.
Regarding the Clayton area, it's one of my favorites. When I hear folks say about it, "But there's nothing there!", my ears perk up. I love the places that are full of "nothing", as you seem to do as well.
The Eklund is a wonderful hotel, but make sure you get a room on the side away from the railroad tracks. Massive freight trains rumbling under your window don't make for the best night's sleep!
 
Retro-Grouch said:
Thanks for this link, Vince. It's good to hear someone tell you what you really already know, but have too often failed to remember.
Regarding the Clayton area, it's one of my favorites. When I hear folks say about it, "But there's nothing there!", my ears perk up. I love the places that are full of "nothing", as you seem to do as well.
The Eklund is a wonderful hotel, but make sure you get a room on the side away from the railroad tracks. Massive freight trains rumbling under your window don't make for the best night's sleep!
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I like the room on the top floor and at the end of the hallway on the left, think it's 312. Jo Beth (in one of my previous posts) is a part-owner of the Eklund.

Updated version of this photo -- brighter!

Untitled 2023-10 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr
 
rfaspen said:
We'll accept you and your wife with open arms in NM. But please don't encourage anyone else.... please. And no Californians. They can visit, but are required to leave. I believe that's the law.🤔
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I think Californians would be met with open arms in Santa Fe and surrounds.
 
About 20 years ago my photo stus and I stopped at the Eklund for lunch.
One asked the waitress "What's the Soup du Jour?"
"I don't know, but I'll check." and off she went.
Two minutes later she returned and informed us "It's the Soup of the Day."
 
Not easy to move a heifer!
I never went inside the Eklund hotel. I guess I should have. I had a friend from grad school who lived "in" Clayton and always offered a place to stay.
I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to visit Clayton again...a little sad to think it might not happen for years, if at all. I do think I'll be in the Cruces area sometime soon...and on up to Cloudcroft and the Sacramentos...caves call to me...it's an illness 😬
 
rfaspen said:
Any images of the Eklund?
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Just that one shot of Jo Beth - she’s sitting in the dining room of the Eklund.

As far as heifer-moving goes, they didn’t seem to have too much of a problem once they got her into the trailer. Tail-twisting seemed to help get her moving along!
 
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