26-JUN-2004
Fabric, Jokhang Bazaar, Lhasa, Tibet, 2004
The streets surrounding Lhasa's Jokhang Temple are lined with stalls selling everything from prayer scarves to monk's robes. Prices are low and bargaining fierce. The colors of these scarf fringes were shockingly vivid, particularly when seen in combination. I also liked the way the sun underlines them by grazing the edges of the fabric stacked below. These colors are man-made, creative accomplishments by those who labor for little in this remote corner of the world. I made this photo as a salute to such creativity – these colors will bring warmth and vitality to whoever chooses to wear them.
17-APR-2004
Colors and Textures of the Palm, Villa Montezuma, San Diego, California, 2004
Texture can bring color to life as much as light. In this image, made in full in shade, the colors intensified not by light but by the play of texture upon them.
The contrasting green and tan coloring of these interwoven live and dead palm fronds are made more vital by the flow of rhythmic texture within them, as are the muted orange shingles on the exterior wall of the Villa Montezuma itself. The palm fronds reflected in the three windows have no color in them all, helping the lace curtains and the stained glass add context for meaning. Images such as this show us that color can work just as well under overcast skies or in the shade as it can in full sunlight.
16-APR-2004
Chaos, Belmont Amusement Park, San Diego, California, 2004
An amusement park is a bizarre place. It is designed to jar both the body and the senses. The colors of an amusement park compliment the experience. They are invariably gaudy, bright, and often clash violently. In this image of a violent ride called “Chaos” I express that point by emphasizing the ride’s primary colors of red and yellow, against a deep blue sky. The purple accents are a bonus! I threw all of this chaos against the amusement park’s famous roller coaster for context, increased the saturation a bit, and we have a picture that lives up to its name!
18-APR-2004
Monument at the Plaza Hidalgo, Tecate, Mexico
Photographs of shaded colors can often work as well or better than richly illuminated colors. They are subtler, and won’t compete with the subject of the picture. In this image of a floral tribute to an important figure in Mexico’s history, the colors of the wreaths are muted in comparison to the sun-splashed leaves on the overhead trees. The red base of the statue, which stretches across the entire picture, is also toned down by the shade, as are those gilded letters on the pedestal. Perhaps the most obscure part of the image is the figure of the man himself, who almost disappears into the trees above him. And that is exactly what I wanted this image to speak of – tributes always mean more to the living than the dead.
13-JAN-2004
Tango Wall, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2004
One of the most interesting neighborhoods of Argentina’s great metropolis is San Telmo – it is very old, quite cosmopolitan, and offers free reign to the imagination. While walking around San Telmo, I noticed a brick wall featuring large-scale abstractions of tango dancers painted upon it in vivid primary colors. Buenos Aires is immersed in the Tango, and this artwork offered a powerful symbol of that attachment. But I did not want only the artwork itself. I wanted to bring the wall to life, so I stood across the street from it for about 15 minutes and photographed various people walking past it. I was hoping that someone with strong leg movement might echo the thrust of the dancing legs. But I did not want a person to wear colorful clothes – I needed a monochromatic subject to bring out the rich colors of the painting without distraction. My wishes were granted. A fellow in a white shirt, black pants, and very long legs entered my frame, and I captured him just as his trailing knee bent forward to echo the thrust of the dancers leg behind him. He merges into the dance, heel to toe – a stroke of good fortune and even better timing. The image comes to life, and the vivid colors on the wall enhance the point, stressing the dance that gives Buenos Aires its identity around the world.
30-DEC-2003
Rusty Facade, Valparaiso, Chile, 2003
Metal siding is common in Valparaiso, Chile's primary port city. A rusty building, at first blush, may not seem to be a vividly colored subject, but it is incongruous, and it does seem to offer a neutral field for color contrast. And that is why the colors works so well together in this image. The more you look at the rust, the more the variation of color within the rust becomes evident. The rust itself ranges from brown to red, with even some yellow thrown in. Then superimpose an array of casually arranged laundry upon this rusty facade -- red, yellow, blue, purple, and white -- plus a variety of window shades, a few plants and other window decorations, and pretty soon the picture is a vividly swirling mass of colors competing for attention. I noticed relatively few of these colorful details as I made this picture out of the window of a restaurant on top of one of Valparaiso's famous hills. It was a very cloudy morning, the light was flat, and I was just hoping I would somehow find some colors that worked together on this rusting building just across the way. When I reviewed this picture on my liquid crystal display panel, I knew I what I had for the first time.
25-DEC-2003
Harbor at Dawn, Arica, Chile, 2003
It is no accident that the hours just after sunrise and just before sunset are called the “golden hours.” Photographers try to plan their shooting schedule around these hours. As our cruise boat entered the harbor at Arica, Chile, the sun was just rising, washing the scene in golden hues. Gold is a warm color, and Arica is a warm place – in fact, it is the gateway to Chile’s Atacama Desert – the driest desert on earth. The entire region depends on this small industrial port for its existence, and on its fisherman, who scratch out an existence from the sea. That’s why feature the small fishing boat as a symbolic focal point for this picture, yet without these golden hues, it would be just another routine harbor shot. Because of the warm light of the rising sun, I was able to give these fishing boats and blocks of commercial buildings an infusion of beauty and warmth – my tribute to a struggling city that somehow manages to survive in spite of a harsh climate and a difficult economy.
14-DEC-2003
Gate, Willemstad, Curacao, 2003
All of the primary colors – red, yellow, and blue – are present on this boldly painted gate before a beautifully restored house on one of the Caribbean’s most prosperous islands. The light is as bold as the color – the interplay of light and shadow enriches the color with a three dimensional effect. Just as the peeling primary colors in the previous image symbolized the fury of nature, the perfect condition of these sleek colors tell us that whoever lives here appreciates beauty and has the means to maintain it. All of which provides a good metaphor for Willemstad itself.
25-DEC-2003
Church Ruins, Poconchile, Chile, 2003
A small stream runs through part of Chile’s vast Atacama Desert, allowing such villages as tiny Poconchile to survive. Its old church however, survives only in memory. I photographed part of its remaining ruins – a small window and an urn – against a desert hillside as a backdrop. This picture needs its color to function. The brownish sand gives identity to the desert. And the light green and yellow paint on the ruins tell us that they are more than just ruins – they are revered as part of the collective memory of the village. It is the contrast between these incongruously painted ruins and vast flow of sand on the huge hill behind them that conveys the meaning of the picture – an image about faith, survival, and the forces of nature. And color is the key to it all.
12-JAN-2004
Sculpture, La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2004
Color is the most important element in this photograph as well. There are only two colors here – the brownish statue and the softly shadowed blue wall behind it. The sculpture portrays a reflective mother carrying a child and the blue wall gives such reflection a cool context. La Boca is a popular neighborhood in Buenos Aires, largely because of the primary colors used to paint its buildings. I made this image because of the color contrast and the flow of light and shadow on that color. Together, they give both art and setting a sense of place and purpose.
11-JAN-2004
Shipwreck at the End of the World, Ushuaia, Argentina, 2004
Ushuaia at the southernmost tip of Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, is often described as at “Fin del Mundo” – the End of the World. The gateway to Antarctica, Ushuaia’s beaches on the Beagle Channel are littered with wrecked ships, which, for one reason or another, have never been removed. I moved very close to one of them to stress the peeling paint, and the incongruity of its optimistic once-bold primary colors. The fading, peeling colors are the most important parts of this picture, an abstract symbol of nature’s wrath which so heavily affects Ushuaia, one of the most remote places on earth.
18-DEC-2003
Kayaks, near Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, 2003
The kayak season must be over (or temporarily on hold) at this Costa Rican beach resort. These stacked plastic kayaks had a melancholy look to them, making me wonder when were they last used? I moved in on one end of the stack, and underexposed the image to make the shadows surrounding the kayaks even darker than they were. This underexposure enriched the primary colors of the kayaks, and also emphasized the dirt on them, along with a scattering of dead leaves. Despite the gaiety of their colors, the kayaks seem to be at least temporarily forlorn and forgotten. It is the incongruity between the promise of the rich primary coloration and the obvious symbols of disuse that express my feelings about this scene.