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Chris Fedderson — MacroFine Musings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” — Friedrich Nietzsche Hello, again, Everyone. Miss me? ;-) I’ve missed you; I’ve missed writing these blog posts. I’ve missed your comments. The short story is that I have had some medical things that have taken all my attention and prevented me from keeping up with MacroFine Musings. We have a diagnosis and a plan of attack now, so things are almost back to normal. A bit of good news associated with this whole shebang is that now that I’ve had every medical test known to modern science, I now know that everything else is running smoothly! Yea!! And some other Good News over the winter… I was honored to have élan magazine ask to interview me about my photographic vision and insights. The article published in the January issue (page 30). I’m very happy with the write-up and they did a super job presenting a few of my images, too.  elan magazine - January 2017 (see pages 30-31) Speaking of photographic vision and insights, What’s yours? I touched on this a bit in my post, “Where Does Your Brain Go?” from August 9, 2016. With painters, we see and recognize a wide range of visions, insights, styles; it’s expected after all. It’s all a made-up, invented representation of reality as translated from the painter’s mind’s eye — and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. But, as contrasted with the process of photography, which when taken in its most over-simplified analysis, is just using a tool to capture a copy of what is standing right there in front of you.
Aaahhhh, but there’s the rub! Even when trying to capture a literal reproduction, the camera will not deliver exactly what you see in your mind’s eye. The camera will not automatically even out the light and shadow. It will not take the initiative to adjust your depth of field. It won’t necessarily stop action or allow something to zoom by. All these details — and a bazillion more — are up to you. This is where you engineer how the camera is going to “paint” what you are seeing in your mind. So, what are you seeing? Do you know already, or are you still searching for your voice? Either way, continue to experiment with all sorts of photographic “feelings”. Try shooting, and capturing, every kind of emotion you can think of; happy, gloomy, somber, festive, remorseful, thankful, pensive… Need a few suggestions? Not into heady, emotional imagery? That’s fine. You can still experiment with all sorts of photographic styles and subject matter. As I wrote in “Best First Camera For My Teen?” (12-8-2015): “Try shooting architecture, portraits, animals, plants, textures, mechanical, food, bugs, stars, fireworks, motion, sports, landscapes, pets, close-up, far-away, cityscapes, countrysides, still lifes, studio set-ups, storms, clouds… and yes, even Selfies; there is something to be learned from every shot taken. Soon you’ll start to discover a photographic preference developing.” Wishing you happy shooting and amazing discoveries! Thank You for visiting, — Chris P.s. Thank you, again, for your patience with me and my absence this winter. I hope now things will return to normal and posts will be more regular. . . . And Happy Valentine's Day to All!
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Chris Fedderson — MacroFine Musings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have recently started experimenting with setting up Contemporary Still Lifes — not bowls of fruit or vases of flowers; my Still Lifes have taken on a New Life. These studio set-ups, or dioramas, combine various elements, not usually associated with each other, into a single story-telling image. And this is not easy! I’m in the habit of letting Nature do my set-ups, then all I need to do is snap a photo! ;-) That was obviously a bit — a lot(!) — of an over-simplification. Just as with my outdoor-based photography, where all the rules of composition, visual flow, coordination of colors and elements, background considerations, scale, story-telling, etc., come into play, all these rules also apply to these studio set-ups and need to be followed … or intentionally broken. And all this just to set up the scene.  Join me for a cool, refreshing glass of Hibiscus Wheat Beer! Next, the usual second set of rules also needs to be attended to and employed. These are all the technical considerations that contribute to photographic quality: lighting, focus, depth of field, exposure, shadows, highlights, point of view, etc. This ain’t your Gramma’s bowl of fruit! This is even better! In working with these studio set-ups, I can engineer whatever story I want, using whatever elements and appliances I want without regard to preconceived associations or meanings. I can combine elements Nature would never see to put together. I can put orchids in a bird’s nest. I can pair up a hibiscus flower with malted barley, hops, and wheat stalks to depict a refreshing summer brew. I can shoot summer flowers through a sheet of ice if I want to!  A Bowl of Salsa? . . . Or Mexican Rice? You decide! You say you’re not up to the challenge of all this imagination, invention, and visualization? Hogwash! You did just this every time you played with your dollhouse or action figures or built a sand castle or snowman. You put together various elements into a single scene to tell the story you were playing in your Mind’s Eye.
So now, channel your inner-adventurer. Let your imagine go free. Get together your “things”, your visual elements, and tell us a story! Thank You for visiting, — Chris P.s. What story do you “see” that you want to tell? I know you can’t attach an image here, but give us a synopsis so we can share in your story. I invite you to come see a few stories I’ll be telling at my upcoming solo exhibit. My work will be on display from November 9th through December 4th at Arches Gallery in building 9 at the Workhouse Art Center in Lorton. Kathy Lawler — Guest Blogger ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Get ready to get Hoppy. The Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton is featuring its first annual BrewFest on August 13, 2016 from 10am-6pm. There will be beers to sample from 30 different breweries and many of these will be local breweries.  View of the Workhouse's First Annual BrewFest! The Workhouse is also bringing in food trucks, a great musical lineup featuring local bands, activities, demonstrations, and more. There is even a Root Beer Garden for the kids!
For a list of participating Breweries, check out the Workhouse site. You can buy your tickets online too. But wait, there’s more . . . Since this is also The Workhouse's Second Saturday, the Artists’ Studios and Galleries will also be open for you to tour and to purchase art as well — all the way to 9pm! If you haven’t been to the Workhouse, now is you chance to combine a great event with lots of great art. The Workhouse has ceramics, painting, photography, glass (blown and fused), stained glass work, jewelry, fiber, and more. The exhibit in the main building during the month of August will be the first Fiber National 2016 and will be on display in Building 16. This is a juried exhibition “showcasing traditional, contemporary, and experimental fiber art” from across the Untied States. While you’re enjoying BrewFest, be sure to check out Chris’ photography in Building 9. This month he features the theme “Dew Kissed” (including the namesake image Dew Kissed). This collection is a delightful group of refreshing images made to help the viewer feel cooler — even in the August heat. There are even dew kissed works in the Small Works section of the gallery. Hoppy August days! Thank You for visiting, — Kathy P.s. Hope to see you there! Chris Fedderson — MacroFine Musings Kathy Lawler — Guest Blogger ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  The "Good Times Day Spa" for birds! We have had so much rain in Virginia this year. Saturday was our first day to get outside and finish the yard projects we had been trying to do this year. This was not only our first chance to enjoy the Spring — due to the crazy number of rainy days — it was also our last chance to enjoy a bit of Spring — before we get into a long hot summer! This year, to add to our Artsy Fartsy plant containers we made last year, we decided to build a birdbath (or bird spa as I like to call it) to add to the fun aesthetics and to enhance our variety and number of visitors! I built this using terra cotta pots that I spray-painted and stacked. The finished birdbath stands about 3 1/2 feet and is made up of 5 different sized pots. Two upside down terra cotta saucers make up the birdbath part of the piece. Birds do like a shallow-water bath so these saucers worked out quite well. If you do an internet search for terra cotta birdbaths you will find a surprising number of great ideas and different looks for your pending creation. Be sure to read about how to finish the terra cotta pots before you begin.  Come On, Birds.This is what you'll be looking for. I also did a bit of reading about what birds like best in a birdbath — unfortunately I read this after I had planned, painted, and constructed my birdbath. So here are the do’s and don’ts for you to consider when you build a birdbath for your yard.
You will need to change the water and clean your birdbath often — apparently birds aren’t opposed to pooping on, or in, art. We are still waiting for our birds to discover their new spa. I’m thinking that they are as tired of all the water falling from the sky as we are. Of course, we’re hoping for some great photo ops coming soon and we will share them with you when they happen! Thank You for visiting,
— Kathy, Guest Blogger P.s. Have you added a birdbath to your yard? How did you get the birds to start using it? Do you have any great suggestions you would like to share? We would love to hear your ideas and compare notes! |
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About Chris
I am a Virginia-based photographer and gather my images while hiking in parks and natural areas here at home and in the locations I travel to. I also love to visit arboretums and botanic gardens to find unusual and exotic subjects. Archives
March 2017
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