17-APR-2015
Webster's Dictionary, 1934 edition, Phoenix, Arizona, 2015
This 81 year-old, 3,000 page dictionary is so heavy that it requires its own stand. It originally belonged to my wife's family, and was an essential reference resource until the computer rendered it archaic more than twenty five years ago. It still graces our living room, a fascinating, if bulky, nostalgic relic of another time. It even offers alphabetical tabs, cut into the side of its pages, allowing us to physically navigate its labyrinth of detail. I made this image to celebrate such detail by focusing my lens as close as I could on the edge of a single page. I tilted the frame, creating an energetic diagonal running from corner to corner. In doing so, I create a composition of opposing triangles. The lower triangle is filled with a chunk of the dictionary's gilded page edges. Five alphabetical tabs appear at the bottom of five semi-circular channels carved into those page edges, The upper triangle embraces the wide white margin of but one page, as well a fragmented portion of ten or so of its dictionary entries. In making this image, I abstract this massive volume down to an essence -- revealing details that merely hint at its vast scale. In the process of abstraction, I show less, and end up by saying more.
08-FEB-2013
Reptile at rest, Everglades National Park, Florida, 2013
This large alligator had come to rest upon the grass at the edge of an Everglades swamp. I moved in on it (very quietly and carefully) until I was only a few feet way. I zoomed in on one leg, keeping only a bit of the armored belly and back for context. The resulting image stresses the detail that takes this creature back into prehistoric times. Through such detail, I am able to emphasize the subtle changes of skin pattern, the terrifying length of the toes and claws, and the tension building within the bent leg, We don’t really need to see the “rest of the alligator.” Our imaginations will do the rest.
14-FEB-2013
Theatrical Mural, Little Five Points, Atlanta, Georgia, 2013
Just as this wall has been built brick by brick, so too has this colorful wall mural been created, detail-by-detail. Built adjacent to a small restaurant parking area in this crowded Atlanta neighborhood, the wall contains a multiplicity of performing figures, varying in costume, color, and scale. The mural most likely pays tribute to the performers of a local theatrical organization. For me, however, the most important detail here can be found adjacent to the mural, rather than within it. It is the little kitchen chair, probably intended for a parking lot attendant. The hand of the mime at the bottom of the mural is pushing it away. The mime seems to tell us that he and his theatrical colleagues will have nothing at all to do with the public parking situation here.
15-AUG-2012
Marquee detail, El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood, California, 2012
My close-up view of the marquee detail hanging just over the box office of Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre features an ornate theatrical mask, surrounded by the extravagant layers of colorful decorative ornamentation common to the period. These colors seem to be somewhat faded, and look as if they may be original to the period when the El Capitan opened as a legitimate theatre in 1926. This detail echoes the very beginnings of Hollywood’s theatrical mystique. For decades, the El Capitan, presented live plays but fell on hard times in 1941. It was remodeled and renamed the Hollywood Paramount Theatre, becoming the west coast flagship for Paramount Pictures. Fifty years later, it was purchased by Disney and restored to its former grandeur. Important details such as these were reclaimed, bringing a piece of Hollywood's history back to life.
20-APR-2011
Saloon sculpture, Tortilla Flat, Arizona, 2011
This life sized wooden sculpture of a Native American chieftain stands outside the one saloon in this mountain crossroads hamlet. I was struck by the power of the detail brought out by the sculptor's chisel. I moved in very close to define the craftsmanship that went into this effort by emphasizing those key details that bring out the character of the piece. This image reveals traces of the paint that perhaps originally covered it. As the paint vanished, the craft emerges.
23-DEC-2010
Carnival conversation, Olinda, Brazil, 2010
Two carnival figures seem to be conversing in this Olinda gallery. What struck me was the detail here – the wealth of decoration in the mask and head-pieces, and most strikingly, the incongruous damage to the face of the male figure. In spite of the damage, he still maintains his toothy smile.
21-DEC-2010
Church of St. Francis, Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, 2010
The detail here is overwhelming. The dominant details are the statues of St. Francis and a native figure. This 18th century façade was designed to draw the eye and tell a story, and it is the massive wealth of detail that provides the decorative embellishment designed to impress and inspire.
18-DEC-2010
Electrical issues, Rio de Janeiro, 2010
These meters record the electricity used by a group of homes in one of Rio’s crowded favelas. My wideangle image stresses the nightmarish complexity of connections in detail here. The imagination can only guess at what those who maintain and use such wiring must risk.
20-NOV-2009
Silver Service, USS Arizona, Arizona State Capitol Museum, Phoenix, Arizona, 2009
The US battleship “Arizona,” was sent to the bottom of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 by Japanese torpedoes, igniting the Second World War. The ship, along with the remains of over a thousand sailors, is still entombed in the mud at the bottom Pearl Harbor. Fortunately for history, its lavish silver service, used for state dinners when the ship was touring the world in the 1930s, was not aboard the Arizona when it was destroyed. The sterling silver plates, pitchers, bowls, and servers were away for refinishing. Today, the silver service is displayed under Plexiglas in the Arizona State Capitol Museum. I brought my lens very close to the case displaying an ornate serving bowl to avoid distracting reflections. My goal was to feature detail on the two incongruously fanciful sculptures of trident wielding figures. This detail reveals lower bodies made of fish tails, sitting upon the heads of sea serpents. An anchor symbolically adorns the center of the image. The base of the bowl is made up of two ship hulls crossed at right angles. Amazingly, even with my lens wide open at f/1.7 to shoot in very low light, I was able to get most of that base in focus to show off the detail.
30-SEP-2009
Pilings, False Creek, Vancouver, Canada, 2009
Hidden under the bustle of Vancouver’s popular Granville Island is a warren of old pilings used to support the piers serving the island. False Creek shows us a lower water level here, leaving these pilings high and dry. The darker portion is filled with crusty detail showing us the area that was once under water. The focal point of the image is in the detail as well – a “caution” ribbon, a relic of some long ago emergency, hangs on the middle piling. It marks the entrance of green plantings into the image as well.
14-APR-2009
Refreshments, Seligman, Arizona, 2009
Seligman stands along historic Route 66 in Northern Arizona, bypassed by Interstate traffic and left to earn a place in the hearts of tourists in search of nostalgia. The most notable institution in Selgiman is Delgadillo’s Sno Cap Drive-in – which has been serving Route 66 travelers since 1953. Founder Juan Delgadillo delighted in incongruity, and filled his tiny shop with a blizzard of humorous signs and props. Although he died in 2004, his children continue the tradition. Anyone who visits the Sno Cap must enjoy the sea of odd details that greet them, and a joke or two comes along with every serving. This close-up wideangle image puts the viewer into the shoes of a Sno Cap customer, at least for the moment.
14-APR-2009
Hackberry General Store, Hackberry, Arizona, 2009
The silver mining town of Hackberry, dating back to 1874, is the oldest town along historic Route 66 in Northern Arizona. Its mine closed in 1919, and today its most notable structure is the Hackberry General Store, which is virtual museum both inside and out. In this wideangle image, I pull together some of the quirky details that give this place its character. The gas pumps are antiques, and the vending machines look almost as old. I balance the red Mobil horse on the roof with the prow of a red Corvette outside of its front door.
13-NOV-2008
Conversation, Sahara Desert, Tunisia, 2009
A picture of a camel is a picture of camel, unless we can make more of it. In this case, I noticed a camel showing its teeth, and so were the fellows standing just behind it. I zoomed in on the beast to stress the detail of the grin (or is it a grimace?) as well as the detail in the expressions of the drivers in the background.
20-MAR-2008
Elephant pores, Agra Fort, Agra, India, 2008
Painted elephants carry tourists through the ancient compounds of Agra Fort and Palace. This one has a dot on its forehead – very Indian. I moved in close to stress the detail of its pores. When seen as a group, these pores create a texture that defines the elephant.
28-MAR-2008
Temple façade, Khajuraho, India, 2008
The glory of Khajuraho’s temples, built 1,000 years ago by the Chandela dynasty that controlled central India at that time, can be seen their details. There are nearly 1,000 sculptures on the façade of this temple alone, and this image defines their beauty and intricacies.
29-DEC-2006
Closeup, Bab Agnaou, Marrakesh, 2006
Bab Agnaou, a 900 year old archway in the walls of Marrakesh, is caved of sandstone. We can still see the rich red oxidation in it, melding with the graying blue stone. When we look at such detail as this, we take the subject out of its context. We see the intricate work of craftsmen long dead, still surviving after nearly a thousand years of enduring the Moroccan climate extremes. We see not the arch itself here. (You can see that by clicking on the thumbnail below.) Instead, this detail defines the nature of its builders.
16-DEC-2006
Medina, Fez, Morocco, 2006
Fez, which is also known by some as Fes, has a vast medina, one of the largest and most chaotic old cities in Morocco. The third of the country's imperial cities, Fez is also Morocco's third largest metropolis. Much of its population lives in these medina houses, some of them dating back to the 13th century, as seen here from the heights outside the city. Look closely -- many of these ancient houses incongruously display contemporary satellite dishes. Once we notice the abundance of satellite dishes the entire image changes. It is the incongruity of such detail that makes this image so expressive. Otherwise, it would be a post card view.
25-SEP-2006
Utah/Idaho border marker, 2006
This stone marker, which probably has marked the Idaho/Utah border since they became states in the 1890s, is very small – so small that it is easy to miss, particular when it appears within the shadows of the surrounding foliage. I thought it worth exploring in detail, so I took a much closer look with my camera, shooting it from a corner to show both states equally. The marker shows the wear of more than a century of seasons in its detail. The cracks, chips, and discoloration are equally shared by both states – their names boldly chiseled on calcified marble, as if on an old tomb. Since the marker apparently belongs to neither Utah nor Idaho, nobody takes responsibility to keep it looking like new. That’s why I found it so fascinating. It seems to lead a life of its own, one of the Old West’s hidden treasures.
12-JUN-2006
Back of the bus, Bandon, Oregon, 2006
This gutted, rusting bus sits just outside of the abandoned meat packing plant we photographed in Bandon. The decay may be an ugly fact, but there is a haunting beauty in this image none the less. That beauty is largely due to the ravaged details. The patterns in the rusted metal and plastic signal covers; the delicate spider web next to the yellow arrow, the fragmented words on the peeling bumper sticker, all testify to the vulnerability of man at the hands of nature. Add the lush primary colors, and the result is an expressive image that triggers emotion and the imagination.
11-JUN-2006
Rhododendron, Florence, Oregon, 2006
A wooded garden in the heart of Florence overflows with these evergreen plants, ablaze in pink or white bell shaped blossoms. I moved in on a single pink blossom from directly overhead. Using my lense’s macro setting, I could get close enough to its petals to pick up detail not generally seen with the casual eye. I made this photograph at what must be the peak of the flower’s reproductive process – the blossom is laden with stamens – tiny filaments with pollen sacs on the ends of them. This detail helps us to see the flower as a mass of living detail – a work of both beauty and function.
31-MAR-2006
Encouragement, Shuhe, China, 2006
Many Naxi women living in the Lijiang area wear decorative costumes unique to their culture. I was walking behind two of them and observed this gentle touch of encouragement. By focusing on the intricate design of the four huge buttons that attach the blouse of the costume to the skirt, I reveal detail that speaks of the nature of that culture, right down to the smallest threads and stitching on the face of the buttons and on the towel that hangs below the belt.
01-APR-2006
Cigarette shop, Old Town, Lijiang, China, 2006
The sign is new; the building is old – very old. The cigarette business is lucrative here. I noticed that smoking is still very common in China. There is a wealth of expressive detail in this image, but none more important than the English translation of the name of the store. The English words are not only whimsical, but also quite incongruous. Given the nature of everything else on this building, it was surprising to discover it.
06-APR-2006
Grave offering, Royal Mausoleum, Guilin, China, 2006
A snack fit for a king was left to honor the memory of one of Guilin's royals. This was the only royal tomb I was allowed to visit. It was a large mound, overgrown with plants and grass. The food, on the other hand, looked good enough to eat. It offers a wealth of colors, textures and details that tell us more about the tastes of contemporary Chinese than the diet of kings. The tiny golden teapot and chopsticks and the packet of special tea tell us that this offering was sincerely meant to honor the memory of the long dead Ming princes who once ruled this area of China. Even the small flowers are elegant, particularly the one at left that looks as if it is full of hatpins.
12-FEB-2006
To the Last Mile, Junkyard, Barstow, California, 2006
Roads die. Route 66, once “America’s Main Street,” was bypassed and perished. And so do the cars that once drove upon them. This early morning sunlight may ease the winter chill in this Barstow junkyard, but it won't bring either the road or this rusty truck back to life. Both have been long since been replaced. I’ve tried to make that point in this image by stressing the detail on this vintage dashboard. The glass is nearly opaque and covered in dust. Rust is everywhere. The markings on the odometer have faded into obscurity. A wire cuts its face in two. We peer through a window frame and steering wheel to find no signs of life.
29-OCT-2005
Weeping door-knocker, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, 2005
This doorknocker is a symbolic rendering of the sun. Someone has added an incongruous touch, painting out the eyes of the sun with white paint and adding six tears in the bargain. The old wooden door, with its weeping and blind sun, may tell us something about the souls of those who may dwell within. The whimsical yet profound alternations to the doorknocker may be very small in size, but they are large in meaning. I had to move in very close to the knocker to make those details large enough to see, and then size the picture large enough on this web page to allow them to stress their meaning.
17-SEP-2005
Golden Headdress, Ancient Delphi, Greece, 2005
French archaeologists discovered this sculpture, made of ivory, gold and wood, in 1939. It was hidden below the paving stones of Delphi's Sacred Way. A votive to Apollo, perhaps it is a figure of Apollo himself. I moved in as close as I could and shot this image through the glass case that protected it. The power of detail energizes the photograph. The 2,500 year- old face comes to life because of the eye staring intently at us. The swirls in the hammered gold headdress speak of the hours spent in crafting it. And the ravages of time are evident in the detail as well – we can see where the layer of ivory is breaking away from its wooden base.
06-SEP-2005
Mercedes, Karlovac, Croatia, 2005
Someone had been working on this car, which I photographed in a back yard near Karlovac. The glove, sponge and tray left on the hood are details that tell us so. I only suggest the scale of the work still to be done on this car – the peeling paint and lack of a headlight speak volumes. I use my frame and exposure to abstract, suggest, and imply, rather than describe its condition – letting these few details tell the story.
15-JUN-2005
Mime, Antwerp, Belgium, 2005
Just outside the Antwerp Cathedral, I found a mime posing as a "Madonna with Child" painting. This street performer has covered herself and her doll with splattered paint, and never moves either a muscle or an eyelid, even though I photographed her again and again. When I finished, I dropped a Euro into a basket at her side. Without moving her head even a fraction of an inch, she slowly extended a note of thanks, wishing me good luck. This image expresses itself through the incongruously abundant detail she has meticulously applied to her face, clothing, and doll. The only unpainted detail on her face is her lower lip, another incongruity. Meanwhile, the glittering detail on the doll’s crown brings a shocking gold, green and red counterpoint to the monochromatic balance of the image.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Three years after posting this image, I learned, via an email from Jonathan, a street performer in Antwerp, that the mime in this image vanished in late 2007 and was found buried outside Antwerp in May, 2008. Her name was Renata. I dedicate this image to her memory.
I quote part of Jonathan's email message below. It brings a new context to this image, which tragically changes its meaning for us forever:
"I am a street performer in Antwerp and love the picture on Pbase you made of the Madonna With Child. She was always sitting near the cathedral -- that was her regular place. Yes, I am saying she 'was'...The police found her body 2 weeks ago after she was reported missing since December 2007. Murdered and buried in a garden in a small village 30 miles out of Antwerp. The suspect is her boyfriend, but the investigation is still running. He was running some kind of cult and newspapers say that she might have been a victim of a ritual. Sounds like a screenplay of a b-movie, but sadly it's real life and not a movie. I never knew Renata (that was her name) very well, but I remember her, since I am also one of the living statues. She might not be with us anymore, but thanks to your picture she will continue living on the internet." )
12-JUN-2005
Walking to the windmill, Bruges, Belgium, 2005
This is not really an image about a windmill. Instead, the windmill provides the context for the most expressive aspect of this image – the two people walking up the hill in matching stride. The meaning of a picture often rests in the detail. This is an image about an evening walk in a beautiful and historical place. These walkers may only be a tiny part of the image, but a critically important one. The more we look at this detail, the more we see. We discover that there are two people incongruously walking in tandem here – their steps in perfect alignment. The scale incongruity of the large windmill towering over the small walkers is intensified by the placement of detail as well. The angle of the rear legs precisely repeat the angle of the lower left windmill sail, linking context and detail in terms of both scale and form. The walkers stride up a hill that is free from clutter and distraction. The slope is defined by deep shadow on all four sides, which is picked up again by the abstraction through backlighting of the windmill itself. It makes it easy for us to pick up the detail instantly, in spite of its extremely small size.
21-JAN-2005
Temple Door, Luang Prabang, Laos, 2005
This gilded temple door guards the sanctuary where the cremation chariots of the Laotian Kings are kept. At first glance, it looks like just another beautiful example of oriental art. And it is just that. But the detail is compelling, and if you study it closely, it tells a story and does so in a very surprising way. This door carving, made of gilded teak, speaks to us quite sensually, not only because of the carving, but also because of the lush golden coloration and my angle of view, which gently sculpts the figures with the interplay of light and shadow. These figures represent scenes from Lao mythology and religion. They are symbolic – the male is touching the woman on her shoulder and on the abdomen. She also seems to be holding both of his hands in hers. With that, everything changes. A closer study of detail reveals six hands in the image. The man has two extra hands, and must represent a deity. Then I looked once again at the details and they changed still again. She is not really holding his hands in hers after all. She is just holding her fingers in such strange positions, so that it looks as if she is doing so. This is a wonderfully ambiguous work of art, but it only becomes so after the details are studied closely. I am glad I made this image from this particular vantage point – close enough to make detail large enough to easily see and appreciate, yet from an angle that intensifies the ambiguity of that detail and brings light and shadow into play as well.
29-JAN-2005
Water Buffalo, Khong Island, Laos, 2005
The water buffalo is an essential farming tool along the Mekong. Here we meet one face-to-face and nose-to-nose. Thankfully, it was grazing on the other side of a fence. It is domesticated – the rope through the nose tells us this. My long lens brings us very close, close enough to see intimate detail we may have not been familiar with before. This is one of the greatest assets of photographic detail. It can take us places we may have never visited, such as the snout of water buffalo! I made sure to photograph it with only one horn and one ear showing. The rest remains hidden behind that gnarled old tree trunk. It’s almost as if this buffalo is trying to hide. It takes a confrontational position, yet won’t quite come all the way out to truly face us down.
23-JAN-2005
Offering, Vientiane, Laos, 2005
Buddhists make offerings of plants and foods as part of their devotions. This is one of simplest and most moving offerings I saw -- a single blossom resting in the hand of a sculpted image of Buddha. The blossom is a very small detail within this frame, but comes up with great impact because of its scale incongruity and color contrast. The yellow interior of the blossom contrasts to the white petals, and the white petals, in turn contrast to the brownish black metal hand of the Buddha. I underexposed this image significantly to reveal such detail and make such a contrast. The force of the detail is intensified not only because of the size contrast but also because the detail was recently living material, and the great hand in which it rests is made of metal. This makes the hand seem to incongruously come to life by giving it a function it did not have before. The artist has also exaggerated the length of the fingers, which add a surreal quality to the contrasts I’ve created here. I compose the image so that the wrist of the statue begins in the upper right hand corner, and sweeps diagonally through the frame to the lower left hand corner, where I bring the fingers to a halt just as they are about to touch the edge. But they don’t touch that edge, and never will. The dark negative space in the detail between the end of the fingertips and the edge of the picture becomes laden with tension. A perfect counterpoint to the graceful way the curved hand itself so carefully cradles and nurtures the blossom.
A Golden Surprise, Vientiane, Laos, 2005
There are many sculpted images of Buddha at Vientiane's great Thatluang Stupa, among the most spectacular sights in Laos. This particular Buddha may, in the first instant you look at it, seem somewhat obscured by the soft background glittering with gilded flower petals. That is what I intended – to at first obscure detail by creating this brilliant distraction, which ultimately helps reveal detail with greater force than usual. Amazingly, the sharply focused face of Buddha snaps into into play and you may see, perhaps for the first time, new details that carry great meaning. Devoted Buddhists adorn the faces of these Buddha sculpted images with very thin strips of foil pounded from solid gold. And this face has patches of solid gold foil all over it, particularly on the nose, lips, and eyes. It is the Buddhist way of expressing devotion. This detail certainly makes the point of such devotion. The gilding is costly, the sight incongruous, the meaning glorious. It’s all in the surprising detail.
An Essence in Teak, Palace of Burma’s King Mindon, Mandalay, Myanmar, 2005
There are few woodcarvings as ornate as this one to be seen anywhere. It is at least 127 years old and probably a lot older, part of Mandalay's Shwe Nandaw Monastery, which used to be the Royal Palace of Mindon, the King of Burma from 1853-1878. This carving, as well as the entire building, was once covered in pure gold. (You can see another example of carving from this palace in my Abstraction gallery by clicking on the thumbnail below. ) I photographed this one segment to represent the entire façade because of the complexity and beauty of its detail, its rhythmic repetition, and its elegant coloration. Even though the gold is gone and the teak has weathered over the years in Burma’s rains, the fine details remain as brilliantly defined as ever. I brought three layers of detail into play here. I frame my scene left and right with strongly vertical posts, to add a sense of depth perception and also to allow the main, middle level of detail to flow between them. The image is anchored by the lithe and supple figure on the right, and then explodes into a curling, diagonal boat-like prow carrying six tiny, exquisitely detailed figures upon it. The final level of detail is emblazoned on the reddish brown façade of the palace wall itself, which provides a softly focused background for this image. I am sure that King Mindon and his 19th Century artisans wanted to evoke both a sense of craftsmanship and history with such renderings in teak, and I tried to bring a sense of it back to life in this image by expressing its essence in the finest details of the workmanship.
16-OCT-2004
Fallen Sequoia, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California, 2004
Generations of visitors have left their marks on the carcass of this ancient Sequoia. I move in to isolate detail suggesting an island of man, adrift in a black crevice of time. This crevice begins in the lower right hand corner of the frame and sweeps up beyond the center, turning back again to exit in the upper right hand corner. The tiny island, and the surrounding hills and valleys of aged redwood, are engraved with names and initials of those who want to somehow be remembered for as long as this log survives. These inscriptions have been left here in recent times. The wood, however, has been in this forest for centuries.
15-OCT-2004
Still Life, Foresta Barn Detail, Yosemite National Park, California, 2004
This still life is a study of both nature and authority. The United States National Park Service has locked a barn door, a product of both man and nature. I move in with my camera in macro mode to stress the USNPS on the lock, its long broken chain, the rusted door latch, and two wooden planks, one painted, the other naturally weathered. The most striking element in this image, however, is the large oval knot in the weathered plank. It has the same coloration as the rusted latch, and becomes a diagonal arrow pointing directly at the latch. What makes it all work is the wealth of detail that becomes visible at this very close range. Not only the initials on the lock, but the rings in the knot, the grain in the doors, the links in the chain, and the scratches on the latch, all become part of the story because of my close-up vantage point.
18-OCT-2004
Doorknob, Victorian Hotel, Bridgeport, California, 2004
The swirls on the ancient brass doorknob at the entrance to Bridgeport’s haunted Victorian Hotel echo the swirl on the ornamental door trim behind it. Many hands have grasped this shiny knob over the years – perhaps even a few ghostly ones. I moved in very close to focus on the knob, placing both the doorplate and trim out of focus. My off center placement and side angle makes the knob protrude into space, inviting us to grab and twist.
04-SEP-2004
Baroque detail, National Coach Museum, Belem, Portugal, 2004
Belem stands at the mouth of the Tagus River, about four miles outside of Lisbon itself. One of its most popular attractions is the National Coach Museum, containing perhaps the finest collection of royal coaches in Europe. Among the most lavish are the huge coaches, including this one, made in Rome for the Portuguese ambassador to the Vatican. I did not want to photograph the entire coach, between then I would minimize the fantastic details that decorate it. Those details are what make this coach worth visiting, studying, and thinking about. It was very dark inside the museum, and neither flash nor tripods are allowed. (I never use either in my travel photography.) I was able to make this remarkable study of the incredible Baroque detail by handholding my camera set at ISO 200, using a very slow shutter speed of 1/6th of a second. Using my camera’s continuous shooting mode, I only had to press the shutter button once, and just held it down. The first shot was blurred, but the following shots were amazingly sharp, because there was no “shutter squeeze” needed to make them. When looking at this image on my LCD screen, I could see details that I simply could not see with my own eyes in that dark museum. Such is the power of digital imaging.
24-AUG-2004
St. George’s Arcade, Falmouth, England, 2004
St. George slays the dragon over the entrance to a colorful shopping mall bearing his name in downtown Falmouth. The detail in this picture tells a number of stories. St. George is the Patron Saint of England, and he is embraced with lavish live floral displays both fore and aft. The details speak of the history of this building as well. In the pediment at top, we can learn that this building was built in 1912. Wording on the pediment indicates that the building was originally known as St. George’s Hall – so we learn that that place has not always been a shopping mall. A fascinating embellishment is just over the arch – featuring the head of a cupid and the initials, no doubt, of the individual who built the place. Details are the building blocks of meaning, and I have included here just enough to tell the story, but not enough to confuse the eye.
31-AUG-2004
La Vieille Auberge, Mont St. Michel, France, 2004
The tiny village at the base of Mont St. Michel, an ancient abbey built into the top of a rock in the English Channel, has fed and housed thousands of pilgrims beginning in the middle ages. Today it hosts thousands of tourists who eat, sleep and shop in its ancient buildings. Mont St. Michel is the second biggest tourist attraction in France, trailing only Paris itself. This old Inn’s café is a popular luncheon spot. I was able to integrate six outdoor tables of diners into the weathered façade of the three story Inn. I made this shot to contrast the details of yesterday to today. The old stone façade, its ancient grillwork and windows, lanterns and dormers, are juxtaposed with a contemporary sign promoting the Inn’s services, the umbrella-shaded tables, and numerous dinners in various stages of lunch, drink, and conversation. They seem oblivious to the history around them. One gets the feeling that they are only temporary, but the building isn’t.
21-JUN-2004
Underground army of terracotta warriors, Xian, China, 2004
The vast terracotta armies guarding the underground tomb of China’s first emperor occupy several "pits." Pit number one is the largest excavation so far, and sprawls across 16,000 square meters. The soldiers in the front have been restored and placed in their original positions. If you look carefully at the detail within this photograph, you can see that there are piles of broken figures behind them, awaiting eventual reconstruction. And you’ll find much more, as well. And that’s why I find this image so fascinating. The closer you study this detail, the more you will discover. There is always great pleasure and satisfaction in studying images depending largely upon detail to work, and this is one of those photographs. I used a wideangle lens to grasp the entire scene, and let my viewers explore it for meaning.
27-JUN-2004
Private shrine, Lhasa, Tibet, 2004
This Buddhist shrine is filled with not only ceremonial objects, but also monetary offerings and a photograph of the late Panchen Lama and his family. I photographed this shrine in the bedroom of a family we visited in Lhasa because of its wealth of detail, which contains incongruous juxtapositions both ironic and tragic. To see this former Panchen Lama – the second most important figure in Tibetan culture after the Dalai Lama -- and Mao appear within the same image in the context of private worship, is astounding. Mao was responsible for triggering mass persecution of the Tibetan Buddhists during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, and this Panchen Lama spent ten years in solitary confinement. He died in 1989. Yet here they both are, appearing together as small details within a shrine offering devotion to the very religion that Mao’s government so ruthlessly persecuted.
20-JUN-2004
Jade Deity, Beijing, China, 2004
A lavish and no doubt very expensive jade sculpture stands in the doorway of Beijing restaurant. it represents, appropriately, an ancient god of wealth and good fortune. It is also a treasure of detail. Particularly note the strings of coins in the upper left hand corner, and the variety of foods, flowers, and dragons that make up the sculpture. This photograph, which represents wealth, acquires its own value through the sum total of its detail.
15-APR-2004
Detail, Balboa Park Botanical Garden, San Diego, California, 2004
I tried to make a photograph that captured the era in which the graceful building housing Balboa Park’s amazing botanical specimens was built. To do this, I picked out a distinctive section of wall near the building’s entrance, lined with rectangles and spheres. Using the bold, deep shadows cast by the mid-day sun, I photographed them from an angle that brought them together as a series of rhythmic patterns embodying the design of the 1930s. These details are only a tiny part of the vast structure, but to me, they best represented the building’s design origins.
15-APR-2004
Detail, Yucca, Cabrillo National Park, San Diego, California, 2004
A close vantage point reveals the teeth on the edges of these Yucca leaves that give this exotic desert plant a weapon of self-defense. The morning light gives a three-dimensional look to these leaves, as well as underscoring a smooth surface that contrasts strongly to the spiked edges. From a distance, these plants might appear to be just another plant species. But when such details as these are stressed, they become tenacious defenders.
26-DEC-2003
El Morro, Arica, Chile, 2003
Soaring 328 feet higher over the Northern Chilean city of Arica is a rocky hill known as El Morro. At its summit a Chilean flag flies in commemoration of its capture by Chilean troops in a war against Peru and Bolivia in 1880. Most visitors to Arica are taken to the top of this rock to gaze out over the city. I stood at the bottom and used a wideangle converter lens to photograph the top portion of the rock outlined against the cotton-like clouds fanning out overhead. The key to this shot rests on one small detail – the flag. Half of it is red, the most vibrant color of them all. While small in size, this detail becomes the focal point of this picture.
23-DEC-2003
Street Market, Lima, Peru, 2003
As our tour bus rolled through the colorful streets of the Peruvian capital, I saw the colors in this scene, pressed the lens to the window, and took this picture. As I reviewed it, I was struck by the wealth of story telling details. The table is full of food for sale – we are looking at all or part of a local street market. The walls and old door are covered with the remains of posters. One of them carries the name of the city, and gives this picture an instant sense of place. But these details merely confirm the setting. The real meaning is in other details. A woman holds a child on her lap as he drinks from a bottle. Another woman sits behind the market table, holding her head in her hand. Are they related? The woman with the child wears bright red. Is she a customer? Or does she help run the enterprise? I would like to be able to say that I was conscious of all of these details before I took the picture. But I wasn’t. I sensed that the situation was worth shooting, and made the picture before I had time to think about why I was doing it. It was purely a matter of intuition. The details came later.
25-DEC-2003
Abandoned Car, Atacama Desert, Chile, 2003
The National Geographic Magazine has called the Atacama “the driest place on earth…where the dead live forever and where hope never dies.” I spent a number of memorable days visiting this desert – a place where it never rains and nothing rots. Artifacts such as this old car are everywhere. I did not choose to shoot the whole car. Instead, I got down on my knees in the dust to make this picture because of its detail – a wheel, coated in dusty brown rust, a tire embraced by the sand, and a twig without a hint of life. But the details that struck me most were the thorns on that twig. They are as nasty and unforgiving as the Atacama. If we came back in 100 years, it will all still be here.
21-DEC-2003
A Tuna’s Eye, Manta, Ecuador, 2003
Just as this net full of dead Tuna was about to be transferred from a fishing boat to a truck in Manta’s harbor, I gestured to a fisherman to stop the transfer for a moment and allow a moment for me to make a picture. I saw a detail in the net that summed up the purpose and process of this business – to find, catch, kill and sell fish. I brought my camera to within inches of the wet net, and made this picture. It is built around a single eye, glazed over in death, staring back through the net at us.
07-AUG-2002
Caviar, Siberia, Russia, 2002
The residents of a small Siberian fishing village welcomed us with tables laden with caviar, served on slices of white bread. Caviar is very small, and when photographed from any distance, it appears very much like jam. Only by moving in as close as my lens allowed could I capture details such as the coloration, texture, and shape of the tiny fish eggs known as caviar. I made these eggs as large as possible, however I also made sure to retain some context for scale. The slices of bread tell us how small caviar really is.
21-APR-2003
Lace, Budapest, Hungary, 2003
The beauty of lace rests in its complexity. To best define the nature of such complexity, I moved to within a few inches of the subect and photographed its intricate detail. To me, this detail speaks of the skill and ingenuity that Hungarian artisans bring to their work. If had photographed this lace from farther back, it is only lace. By stressing its detail, it becomes a work of art.
25-APR-2003
Vestment, Abbey of Melk, Austria, 2003
The wealth and power of the medieval church is symbolized by this ancient vestment woven from golden threads. Instead of showing the entire vestment, I moved in to stress its elegant design and construction, revealing detail that makes it become a more universal symbol of authority. If I had chosen instead to photograph the entire vestment, I would have just produced a literal, descriptive picture of a museum exhibit.
19-APR-2003
Royal Standard, Artstetten, Austria, 2003
On June 28, 1914, a royal standard such as this one flew from a car carrying Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir-apparent to the Hapsburg throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, on a visit to Sarajevo. He and his wife were gunned down by a Serbian nationalist, provoking an international crisis which launched World War I. This flag, with its screaming eagle and vivid colors, was a symbol of royal authority. I moved to within a few inches of it to isolate beak, tongue, feathers, and crown, changing a royal banner into a clash of detail representing the chaos and horror of the assassination.
24-APR-2003
Assassins pistol, Vienna, Austria, 2003
When Gavrilo Princip pulled this trigger in Sarajevo in 1914, he fired what would become the first shot of World War 1 and changed the course of world history. Today this pistol is displayed in Vienna's military museum. I chose not to photograph the entire weapon. Rather, I moved in as close as the glass showcase would allow, and emphasized the details on the silver barrel, trigger, and handle. The name of the pistol's manufacturer, its trademark and patent information, are displayed on the silver steel of this cold, hard, uncomprimising killing machine. Details ignored by history but now revealed and emphasized as accessories to the crime.
24-APR-2003
Death of an empire, Vienna, Austria, 2003
Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand, died wearing this uniform in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, at the hands of an assassin. His assassination triggered World War I, and the 400 year old Habsburg dynasty, along with its empire, perished four years later, changing the map of Europe forever. As the third photo in my sequence of detailed symbols of this event, I concentrate primarily on the damage to the uniform. I emphasized the large gash in the fabric and the faded blood stains still visible after nearly 90 years. The political effects of this assassination are still being felt in the Balkans a century after his murder.
26-JUL-2002
Washed ashore, St. Matthews Island, Alaska, 2002
On deserted St. Matthew Island in the middle of the remote Bering Sea, I found this shredded plastic rope given up by the sea. I saw it as a symbol of the Bering Sea itself -- an ocean known as the "Cradle of Storms." I moved very close to it to detail the richness of its colors and vulnerability. Thankfully, I never experienced the fury of those storms, but by stressing these details, I could at least symbolize their legacy.
21-MAR-2003
Chained monument, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2003
In the center of Santa Fe's historic Plaza, the monument to those who fought in the New Mexico's Indian Wars now must be padlocked to protect it from vandalism. Instead of photographing the entire monument, I chose to picture only the parts that carried the most meaning. I moved close enough to stress the contrast between the silver chain and the green fence, making sure to capture individual drops of water -- residue of a recent rain. I am also close enough to depict engraving on the monument which adds context -- it talks of heros who have died fighting Indians. My search for detail also reveals that the original wording has been edited with a chisel. A derogatory reference to those Indians is now gone, but its scar remains. The watery surface of the fence seems to weep -- a sad commentary on a tragic era.
29-DEC-2002
La Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2002
I made this close-up of a memorial plaque on the tomb of Eva Peron in Buenos Aires' Recoleta Cemetary because of the juxtaposition of floral tributes -- one is real, the other is bronze. To create this contrast, I had remove more details than I included. I only show the edge of the bronze tribute, with its wreath and flame. And I limit the flowers to a simple curve of blossoms, the newest flourishing, the others withering. With this detail, I symbolize the cycle of life itself. When I returned to La Recoleta four days later, the flowers were gone.
17-APR-2003
Bishop, Central Cemetery, Vienna, Austria, 2003
A Bishop strides down the cemetery's main avenue. He has just left a funeral. His purple cape gradually recedes into the distance. For once I did not move in on my subject to capture key detail. This time I allowed the most important detail to diminish in size. In spite of his scale, the Bishop still dominates the picture because his cape contrasts to the green surroundings. Yet I also want him to be dwarfed by this vast burial ground. He seems to be in a hurry to move on with his life, while those he leaves in his wake are not going anywhere.