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News from Stephen Penland |
Stephen Thomas Penland | June 17, 1948 - June 6, 2014![]() I will remember Steve for being a kind, gentle and humble man, a professional at every level and possessing a sense of whit and humor both in word and verse that could crack the toughest of political and social issues. Dr. Penland, we will always miss you." -Rollie Geppert Spring, 2013: Refocusing![]() October 24, 2012: A New Gallery![]() Winter, 2011-12: Wind Turbines![]() Fall, 2011: Time to OrganizeI've moved to all-digital photography, and for the first time in my picture-taking life I don't have a film camera. However, I still had file drawers full of film transparencies taken over the last several decades. Whle some were keepers, many were photos that I know would never see the light of day (we all have those, I know), and it was time to downsize. I spent many weeks examining transparancies, scanning those that were keepers, and heartlessly discarding the rest. In the end, I kept about 10%; the rest ended up in the trash. While I have digital copies of the keepers, I also kept the original transparencies, and they still look absolutely wonderful on a light table. The digital files are backed up on three 3-terabyte drives, one of which is a Raid 1 array (two copies on two disks in the same drive). Two drives are kept with my computer, and one drive is kept in a safe deposit box at the local bank. Having one copy kept offsite is key to digital data protection.
After culling and scanning the keepers, I sold my scanner, and with that I left film photography for good. I wrote about this in a blog article. Summer, 2011: HarvestIt's a bit frustrating to see so many photo opportunities of large equipment harevsting wheat all around the area, but find myself inside one of those pieces of equipment and unable to do photography. I wanted to purchase a new camera body (Canon 1D MkIV) to be better able to take photographs of flying birds, and working in the harvest would bring me a bit closer to being able to do tnat. But when a farmer is paying me to drive trucks and haul wheat, I'm reluctant to brinng along a camera and tripod to get some photographs from time to time. So months went by without a good photograph. Perhaps next year I could be allowed to document the harvest rather than haul wheat -- we'll see.
April 4, 2011: End of film? A new Hasselblad H4D-40 camera.I can feel the tide shifting, at least under my feet. I've gotten some great photos with my Pentax 645 gear over the years; it has been my go-to camera for a long time. As I was scanning 645 transparencies along side transparencies from a relatively recently acquired Hasselblad 501cm and several lenses (50mm CFi, 80mm CFE, 120mm CFi, and 180mm CFi), I was impressed by the superior color and resolution of the Hasselblad slides. I've also been dismayed at the decline in availability of film in general, and the loss of some films altogether. In addition, local labs have been calling it quits, with the most shocking personal loss being Ivey Labs in Seattle (fortunately, there are several very good alternatives for photographers in the area). I now send my film to Denver Digital Imaging in Denver, Colorado.
Given these changes, I've said goodbye to my Pentax 645 system. The body and lenses have been dispersed to new owners in Canada and across the U.S. To take it's place, I've taken a step that only rich people, crazy people, or single people can do, and that's a heavy investment in a Hasselblad H4D-40 digital camera and the 35-90mm H lens. I'm not rich, but I am single; whether crazy also applies depends on who you ask. I've seen what this camera can produce in terms of detail and tonal quality, and I'm hoping it will be a great alternative to scanned medium format film. The learning curve is steep. I've gone through the manual several times, and I've practiced using it in the field. My goal is to use it as freely and as easily I might use my Canon digital or old Pentax, and that will just take practice. Fortunately, a lot of the organization of the controls is intuitive. The camera has been around for several years in previous incarnations, so they've had time to smooth things out and make the camera relatively user-friendly. The software (Phocus) to process the Hasselblad RAW files is completely new to me. It has also necessitated the purchase of a new MacBook Pro computer, which fortunately has just come out with major new features that may allow it to take the place of my current laptop as well as my desktop computer. I'm looking forward to receiving the new laptop this week, getting Phocus installed, and actually producing an image on the screen and in print from the new camera. Ultimately, it needs to be a tool that I don't even have to think about because it has become totally integrated into my walk through the woods, my treks across fields, and my drives across the countryside. That's my goal. April, 2011: Trip to the SouthwestI've recently returned from a trip to the Southwest with cameras in hand. My main destinations included Bryce Canyon (first time in winter), Zion (first time), Bosque del Apache (first time), White Sands (first time), Chiricahuas (first time), Saguaro (second time), Joshua Tree (too many times to count), Death Valley (several times), and southern Oregon coast (several times). I'm writing about each destination and including photos in my photography blog; I invite you to take a look. It will be a month or so before I'm finished with the summary of the entire trip.
January, 2011: Winter Trip to the Southwest![]() November 14, 2010: Photo Trip to the Columbia GorgeI had a couple of days over Veterans' Day for photography and had intended to take my camera to the National Cemetery near Auburn, Washington. On my way over the pass, I saw that many of the maples and cottonwoods still had some of their leaves, so I switched my destination to the Columbia Gorge. November 11 is getting very late in the year for fall foliage in this part of the world. However, I had photographed the National Cemetery several years earlier, so I changed my destination to the Columbia Gorge. A summary of my trip (with elements of previous trips thrown in) along with photos is posted on my blog.
October, 2010: Photo Trip to Puget Sound I spent October 5 through 16 in the Puget Sound area visiting many of my favorite places (Mt. Rainier, Kestner Creek, Hoh Rainforest, Second Beach, and Rialto Beach); photos and details are posted on my photograph blog. I also spent a lot of time at various doctor's offices, still trying to keep this old body going until the Pentax 645D is released. I've been hoping for the camera for the last five years, and it appears it will finally be available in the U.S. this December. What a nice Christmas present that would make!
September, 2010: Harvest Time!![]() May 17, 2010: Photography in the Palouse![]() I also intended to spend up to two weeks photographing the basalt cliffs of central Washington. I started at Dry Falls in Sun Lakes State Park, but after one day the truck developed some significant problems (e.g., it wouldn't go). So I returned home after only one day. The truck will be fixed this week, and if I have any of my monthly allowance left (highly unlikely), I may return before it gets too hot and the mosquitoes realize it's feeding time. May 5, 2010: Prints Can Be OrderedAfter weeks of establishing working relationships with professional print labs, ordering test prints, deciding on mounting surfaces, assigning prints to categories based on aspect ratios, and incorporating this into the website, prints can now be ordered. Mounting surfaces that I've chosen include archival paper that can be framed at your favorite frame shop, Colorplak mounts that are wonderfully constructed yet less expensive than traditional glass and frame mounts, canvas wraps, and brilliant aluminum surfaces on the larger sizes. More information is provided on the print page.
I'm always happy to work with clients on special orders. These may include alternative sizes, alternative framing options (some of which are described on the print page), and large orders for corporate offices and institutions. I'm limited in what I can provide in a drop-down menu on this website, so please contact me if you have something in mind regarding one or more of my photographs. March 24, 2010: Trip to Montana![]() March, 2010: Welcome to my new website. I got my first camera in the 1950s, my first computer in 1975, and now finally in 2010 I've combined the two. Thanks to Jack Brauer of WideRange Galleries, I can now share my great love of landscape photography with you through this new website.
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