David Blattel

I think as we all age, we contemplate about a new journey we are nearing. Like the souls of these ships and their crews, who now with spare time on their hands, must be reflecting back on their past travels. The old days, full of trim sails, fair winds, and calm seas.

Here, I am playing with the use of a partially reversed tonal range, to create a new universe, like interring through a portal to a new dimension. A reality where ships have souls.

I’ve been photographing jet streams for the last month, trying to get one I really like.  This was taken yesterday when going for a hike in Topanga State Park in the very late afternoon.  I thought it was a great way to sign off and say it’s been a wonderful journey photographing with the Daily Photo Game guys this last year.  This shot is based off the previous X marks the spot and Joe’s, Statue of Liberty reaching up into the sky. If any of you happen to be in Yosemite over the Memorial Day weekend later this month, you just might see a speck of a person climbing on the wall of El Capitan.   That’s where I’ll be for 10+ days with a couple of fellow climbers.   I’ve had a dream of climbing El Capitan since 1978.  I was with the first group of skydivers to safely jump from El Cap and land gently in the meadow down below.  Our jumps later became known as BASE Jumping.  A word that most people now know.  It took some 24 years later to start learning to climb so I could fulfill my dream, but “better never then late”. (my saying) I’ll be up there celebrating 60 years on planet earth! Enjoy!  

The entire series of images the last few days, and then the shot by Joe of the Capital Dome, reminded me of the Duomo in Florence, Italy.  This dome is the largest brick dome in the world (from what I was told).   This interior shot I took just a few weeks ago, reminds me of  M. C. Escher’s drawings.  Every direction you look there is something else going on and at obscure angles.   On a technical note:  I’ve been blown away by the new camera sensors that enable you to shoot at high ISO’s, and still get extraordinary detail without much of any noise.  Shooting hand held in very low light conditions at a decent shutter speed is pretty awesome.

I took this shot in Venice, Italy last week.  Seeing the trend of shots, shooting through fabric, through screen, well this one is through water. Actually it’s a reflection of buildings in one of the Venice Canals.  I was photographing the buildings when I realized that the reflection in the canal was even more amazing.  Looking at the top windows, you realize how much the water is distorting the image and the tonal range in the buildings is much different in this reflection. then from looking at the buildings directly.  It’s one of my favorite shots from this trip.

  For the next few days I will not have internet access where I am traveling in Italy.   I’ve decided to work off the circular motion I see happening in Russ’s shot.  We were eating at an outdoor cafe in Florence yesterday and I started photographing panning shots of the people and bicycles going by.  I liked this image the best, seeing everything going on and the motion of this non stop city.

I’m basing my photo off of Russ’s “Mini Mall”.  I am jumping a day, since I have to post a day early and I have no idea what Joe is going to come up with. I was on a shoot yesterday in downtown L.A., photographing a group of bankers on a roof top for an Annual Report.  I purposely scheduled them as late in the day as I could get them, hoping for some beautiful light.  Which I did luck out on.  After the shoot my assistant and I were able to hang out on the roof for a good half hour and get some shots with the late afternoon light.  It didn’t last long as overcast skies creeped back in from the coast.  I did get this shot however and I’m  calling it “Maxi Mall”. Where the big time bankers and lawyers get to play wonderful games and shop to their hearts content.

I was in Yosemite this morning, when my alarm went off, reminding me, today was my day to post!  Well here’s my climbing partner, we’ll just call him Mr. Tomatoe Head!  At least it will tie in with Joe’s tomato shot.  The weather today in Yosemite was so beautiful and in the mid to high 70’s.  Very few people in Yosemite, since it’s not really the season for tourists yet.  Although California badly needs the rain, it was one heck of a day.  Yosemite falls is directly behind him and around the corner.  We’re climbing almost directly above the Awahnee Hotel    

Funny thing happened on the way to the beach.  I forgot to bring a polarizing filter!  I ended up trying my polaroid sunglasses.   I could barely cover enough of the lens, but was fortunate enough to pull this shot off.  Whenever I see this image, it reminds me of this incredible trip.   This was along the Napoli Coast, and is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

When I saw Joe’s post, I thought of green and multiple.  Well green energy and multiple solar mirrors is what I came across last weekend driving to and from Las Vegas.  The Ivanpah solar thermal farm is located near the California, Nevada border.  It’s hard to describe how massive the area is for each of the three solar farms and how many mirrors there are.  What your seeing in this photo is one of the farms and 100,000 mirrors!  The tower in the middle is 450 feet in height.  Can you imagine the area this covers!

  The red guitar in Joe’s shot, made me think of what today was- Valentines Day.  Although it’s more orange then red, here’s your Valentine Cloud.  This was from a beautiful sunset that we had a week ago.