Hidden hate

If you've been reading this blog for very long, you know that I live in rural Indiana. Living here and wrangling photographs from what is—let's face it—not the first place you think of when you're looking for places to photograph is something I've been doing for a long time. The quest to find the extraordinary in the ordinary forms the the basis for my book, Close to Home: Finding Great Photographs in Your Own Back Yard. My philosophy has always been to open your eyes to your surroundings and look deeply into the place where you live.

Sometimes that view can be ugly. Because of the recession and the problems in the housing market, there are several homes in the area that have been foreclosed upon—and in some cases, completely abandoned by their owners. I drive by these houses on a daily basis on my commute to work and I've always been interested in learning more about them. Inspired by the launch of Rear Curtain—a new photographic storytelling web site curated by my friends Ray Ketcham, Sabrina Henry and Matt Connors—I decided this weekend to start a photography project to document these homes and perhaps tell a story of economic hardship and loss.

What I found what was a completely different story.

This house was abandoned by its owners about 18 months ago. I don't know how or why it happened. One day they were there; the next they weren't. (If it's been foreclosed, the bank apparently wasn't worried about getting their money out of it, since it's never been for sale or rent.) It sits along a lightly traveled county road, making it an easy target for vandals. All of the windows are broken, the back door hangs open, and it's been through two winters in this condition. Sad that it came to this, no?

But the vandalism has exposed something, at least to me, that many of us might think shouldn't possibly exist at the beginning of the 21st century. Something beyond just trashing an abandoned house. Something ugly.

Pure, unadulterated hate.

The words on that wall are a shocking reminder that we still have so far to go, even in an age where we can be more educated and enlightened than ever before. Darkness still exists, and it's out there. It's in my neighborhood and yours, no matter how things seem on the surface. The fact that these words are inside the house speaks volumes, and it saddens me to know that someone living somewhere near me has these words in their heart. It shows me a wholly different view of "close to home."

Winter in the Canadian Rockies

It's no secret that I love winter. Other folks bemoan the cold and the ice and the snow but as a photographer, I revel in it. Winter gives me many photographic opportunities that simply don't exist during the rest of the year. To walk on an ice-bound lake or pond. To visit places that no longer attract crowds simply because it's "too cold." Did I mention I love winter?

Well, one of my favorite photographers has released a Craft & Vision ebook about one of my favorite things. Darwin Wiggett, a truly gifted landscape and nature photographer, has published Winter in the Canadian Rockies, part of The Print and the Process series at Craft & Vision. Darwin takes us on a journey to some astounding places in Canada using his terrific photographs. Some of the photographs are recent images and some are from the late 80s and early 90s, when he was first starting out as a photographer. Both are beautiful and inspirational.

Following the established format of  The Print and The Process books, Darwin initially shows us a series of images ranging from broad, sweeping landscapes to intimate frozen details of the season. He moves from color to black and white; from bold colors to subdued tones, all of which show us the sometimes different world of winter. He presents his own version of a leaf frozen in the ice, as well as my personal favorite: ice-capped rocks seemingly floating in a smooth, cotton-like water flow.

The Process section of the book goes on to talk about the challenges—and the rewards–of making photographs in the snow and cold, along with some tips about how to keep your camera functioning and yourself comfortable. The biggest takeaway for me, though, comes from the section on cultivating the right attitude. As he says, "Winter is full of glorious rewards; you just need to seek them."

Darwin also offers some excellent practical tips on how to dress properly for winter photography and how to keep your equipment happy (the same as you, keep it warm!), along with some real "insider" tips on winter photography. For example, did you know that if you're handholding filters, such as ND grads, you need to hold them at the top? Darwin tells you why.

Finally, the last section of the book presents Darwin's commentary on each of the photographs from the first section, including exposure and lens data. It's also interesting to see the range of cameras, both film and digital, that Darwin has used over his career.

Craft & Vision's Print and Process series is a great way to learn more about a particular photographer and their photographs that inspire you. For me, Darwin Wiggett's Winter in the Canadian Rockies pays homage to a photographic subject I dearly love and shows us a beautiful place in via his inspirational images.

Special Offer for the PDF Version of Winter in the Canadian Rockies For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code ROCKIES4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Winter in the Canadian Rockies for only $4 OR use the code ROCKIES20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST January 22nd, 2011.