Category Archives: Community

Tour of California Group at Flickr

As I do every year when the race returns to California, I have just created a Flickr group for the 2010 Amgen Tour of California professional bicycle race. The event starts in about a week in Northern California and travels around the state before ending a week later in Southern California. International pro bicycle racing teams compete, and a lot of big names in pro cycling take part including Lance Armstrong.

So, whether you want to see up to the minute photos from the stages of the race or post your own photographs, consider joining the group.

Facebook ‘Fan Page’ Update

Since my facebook fan page reached a modest milestone today with 100 fans, I’m marking the occasion by inviting Facebook users (and who isn’t on FB these days!?) to sign up at the fan page. Thanks!

Michael Frye’s Weekly Photo Critique

Michael Frye has announced at his new blog that he will be doing a weekly online photo critique. As I understand, it works like this: Readers can submit their photographs. Once a week Michael will select one and offer a detailed critique of the image, and discussion and reader participation will follow. You can read more at the link to the critique announcement above.

This sounds like a great opportunity for all, and Michael is to be commended for his generosity. (He is also to be commended for his recent embrace of online media!) Every participant to submits an image will gain from his or her own careful consideration of their own images, the selected photographer will get feedback by a fine and highly regarded photographer, and we’ll all benefit from reading and participating in the critiques. I’m very much looking forward to this!

Ansel’s Moon

Edie Howe has posted a delightful little slide show made at this week’s Yosemite Valley event, sponsored by the Ansel Adams Gallery, that commemorated the making of the famous Ansel Adams photograph of Half Dome and the rising moon. The idea was that position of the moon and timing relative to daylight would duplicate those at the time of Adams’ original exposure. I enjoyed Edie’s sequence (nice final photograph, Edie!) and looking at some of the (pardon the awful pun) luminaries of Yosemite photography as they held forth in Ahwahnee Meadow. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there!

Perhaps ironically, the moon was hidden behind what appears to be a bit of a snow squall above Half Dome, though it appeared to be clear both before and perhaps after the historic moment! In a way I think that this might have been the most appropriate thing that could have happened. While I don’t think that trying to re-make Ansel Adam’s photograph has any more validity than trying to re-write a Mozart symphony, the event seemed like a great opportunity to: gather together on a beautiful evening in this wonderful meadow, contemplate the evening with the additional context of thoughts about Adams and his photography, meet a number of people influenced by Adams’ legacy, and focus on Adams’ photograph rather than trying to create one’s own version – since the imitative exercise turned out to be impossible!

I wish I had been there.