Ice Fisherman © 2008 Bo Mackison
• 4˚F sunny
• 14 mph southerly winds
• drill a 6 inch round hole in ice two and a half feet thick
• every 10 minutes scoop out the ice forming on the surface
• lose all awareness of feet and hands
• no evidence of fish in this bay, but watch the hole much of the day to make certain
• Recipe for fun times in Wisconsin
• Priceless
Fog © 2008 Bo Mackison
Orchid Show © 2008 Bo Mackison
“The leaves were blackish green and the flower itself was glossy yellow, the yellow of a newly waxed taxi, and it was spattered with hundreds and hundreds of burgundy markings. Staring at the pattern … was dizzying. Staring at it for a long time was hypnotizing.” ~ Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief
Bolz Tropical Conservatory
Olbrich Gardens
Madison, WI
Rocket © 2008 Bo Mackison
Three in a row. Little rocket. Big Rocket. Palm tree.
“I believe everybody in the world should have guns. Citizens should have bazookas and rocket launchers too. I believe that all citizens should have their weapons of choice. However, I also believe that only I should have the ammunition. Because frankly, I wouldn’t trust the rest of the goobers with anything more dangerous than string.” ~ Scott Adams
NASA – Cape Canaveral, Florida
rockets on display
December, 2007
Perspective © 2008 Bo Mackison
My first dip into ‘real’ post-processing, or at least post-processing as more than a corrected exposure or a heightened saturation. This is a first, tentative step into manipulation of a photograph, not to fix it, but to actually make it speak a statement.
I have mined this photo several times – first for a study of composition and contrast, then from a story-telling focus. This third attempt – this third perspective – takes me towards a different place.
I did not think I would try this type of post-processing. I thought it more important to work on very basics, and stubbornly to figure it out on my own. Why I insist on re-inventing the wheel, I’m not quite certain.
When I was faced with one of those ‘life-changing experiences’ last fall, I could no longer do the type of visual arts work I had done for the past 25 years. I tip-toed my way into photography, not willing to entirely delete ‘meaning-making’ from my life. Thus far I’ve been ‘taking pictures’ and creating them by eye. This is a foray into the territory of making a photograph by feel.
I cannot pull myself away from the many textures and layers of this photograph. I feel as if I am taking a class on capturing the nuances of this shot. I once considered doing a 100 photo challenge using a single subject. I don’t think the project’s conceiver meant to take a single photograph and work it a hundred ways, but sometimes I see so many ways I want to experiment with this one image. Not a hundred, but more than one or two.
I have no idea where this leads – I think it’s just another avenue to explore and maybe learn something while enjoying the walk.
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