rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

A while back, a friend had suggested that I create a photograph of the moon, visible through an opening in the roof of a building near the Arizona State University campus. The original conversation involved taking a photograph of the building looking up through the opening, then taking a photograph of the moon and retouch the moon into the opening.

On Christmas Day 2006 I took a walk. Taking my Nikon F, loaded with Ilford Delta 400, and a Nikkor 43~86 zoom lens, I left the house with no real destination in mind. A short time later, I thought about the photograph and decided to walk to the building and take a photograph for the start of that project. When I got there and looked up, there was the cresent moon in just the right position. What a magnificent present for Christmas.

I used a red filter (25A) which would lighten the brickwork a bit, but, most importantly, darken the sky and increase the contrast with the moon. A slight bit of over development during processing to increase the contrast just a bit more and the suggested photo was made, no retouching needed.

DanDickens2

That is magnificent - a kind of Urban Ansel Adams. Thanks for sharing. I did something of the sort - in color - with a Walton County Florida sand dume. Walton County has some 30th foot high White Sand - sand dumes. With a crest of Sea Oats at the top - so there is a wall of sand, a strip of sea oats - Prusian Blue Sky with a full moon in mine. I need to fish that out of my archives and make some prints of the darn thing - Thanks for getting me motivated.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Dan,
Thanks for the compliment and the allusion to one of my few photographic heroes. There is always a bit of Ansel's influence in everything I photograph, especially black and white. Eliot Porter influences my colour work.

I'd love to see that sand dune photo when you find it.
--Bob

DanDickens2

Yes I will post it as soon as I find it - my son and I moved back to Atlanta in August 2012. I just got all my archive disks unpack this past weekend - about 300 DVD and CD's all total. For the time being you are welcome to go to my web folio and see some of the beach work there. Yeah, seems we share some of the same hero's. I had the honor to go do some photography of custom mirrors at Norling Studios in North Carolina (Furniture Market of America) some years back - John Norling was a student of Ansel Adams. Then I also worked for David Johnston Studios way back in high school. David Johnston at 18 years old got to attend a photo session at Warm Springs Georgia - and had a collection of FDR photos never before published. He made a promise to never publish FDR in a wheel chair. The Smith Sonian offered him $165K for his collection of 12 rolls 2-1/4 B&W film - he turned it down because of the promise he made. However, his children never made such a promise - they were not born yet. I understand that when David passes away the children can do with them what they wish. Wonder what they'll be offered then? http://www.dandickensneunoizstudio.com

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Dan,
Nice web site and photos. Thanks for the link. It's now bookmarked. I also appreciate your comments.
--Bob

DanDickens2

Your welcome - thanks for your compliments as well. I love photography - it is truly the best paint brush of our time. But then I like painting as well - inventing also is a lot of fun. More inventions than funds to patent them all.