third nature

Retirement

Dalton — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:19:36 +0000

Anyone who follows this blog knows that updates have been sporadic at best over the last year or two. I have decided to officially retire the blog for the time being.

I also deleted my website a couple of months ago in a fit of ennui and have yet to replace it with anything substantial. There are now just a few recent photos and a couple of links on my homepage.

In the wake of the ~~untimely demise~~ sale of Instagram, I’ve deleted that account, and my Facebook account too. If you’re looking for me online, the only reliable way to find me is on Twitter.

Oh, I started a new photolog, but no promises.

More on Ponds, Streams and Swamps

Dalton — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:36:14 +0000

Andy Adams shared one of my photos from Ponds, Streams, and Swamps of Long Island on Flak Photo today. I was a bit hesitant to share these photos at first because this series is still so unformed. After taking most of a year off from photography, I began shooting again in the late spring of 2011 and have been working on these images off and on since then. It’s incredible how quickly time passes. Even still, I’ve only got a handful of images and every roll of film I shoot forces me to reevaluate the series as new ideas push their way in.

Tanglewood Preserve

My original goal was to complete this project within one year of starting it. Looking back, that seems completely unrealistic now, considering everything else going on in my life. Still, I feel like I have a little bit of momentum and I’m pleased with my progress, and I have some definite ideas for where I’d like to go next.

Tanglewood Preserve

Sometimes I worry about repeating myself since all of my photos are basically variations on the same theme, but I still feel like I’m making little discoveries all the time.

Ponds, Streams, and Swamps of Long Island

Dalton — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:06:07 +0000

Here’s a peek at some images I’ve been working on over the last few months.

New Year’s Day, 2012

Dalton — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:18:44 +0000

I have a small tradition where I go out to take pictures on the morning of New Year’s Day every year. I don’t stay up late or drink much the night before, so it’s not hard to get up before the sun rises and enjoy some time to think and take a few pictures on one of the quietest days of the year.

New Years Day, 2012, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

Last year went by much too quickly for me. I threw myself headfirst into my new business, which has been going better than I ever could have expected, but I think I may have lost some perspective along the way. I definitely didn’t spend enough time on photography last year, and I’ve been out of the loop socially, too. I’m not much for resolutions, but I’d like to finish a substantial photo project in 2012, and I’d like to do a better job of keeping in touch with friends.

Instagram and iPhone tools for photographers

Dalton — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:19:44 +0000

I don’t use Flickr anymore, but if you want to keep up with miscellaneous snapshots I post online, you can find me on Instagram by the username daltonrooney. Unfortunately you can’t sign up for the service unless you have an iPhone, but you can still search for individual users via Instagrid. I hope you like dogs.

One of the features that first interested me in Instagram were the retro filters, but I’m definitely experiencing filter fatigue at this point. Every photo on Instagram looks like every other photo on Instagram. It’s great for casual sharing (see those dog photos, above), but I don’t think it’s what I’m looking for when I’m posting more serious photographs. I recently discovered Process, a simple image editing app for iPhone which gives more control over the application of effects, and I like it a lot. Here’s a recent iPhone photo that I edited with Process before I uploaded it to Instagram:

This doesn’t look too far off from the process I use in Lightroom and Photoshop for my “real” photos.

Speaking of real photos, I often use my iPhone to take test shots while I’m out with a film camera, so a lot of what I’m posting to Instagram these days are outtakes from the new series I’m working on. Another great iPhone tool I use is Viewfinder Pro (here’s a review on Luminous Landscape), which allows me to set up my shots on the phone before getting out the tripod and big camera. Viewfinder Pro is something I’d recommend to anyone using a camera which requires a lot of setup, as it has helped me find shots I might have missed otherwise.

One more bonus iPhone app for film photographers: The Massive Dev Chart. This app has a list of just about every film/developer combination in the universe and takes into account things like temperature and dilution to generate a film development profile for you that you can customize and save. I use this every time I develop a roll of film.

Here are a few more recent outtakes from Instagram:

Bodies of water

Dalton — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:34:20 +0000

I took a good long walk in Long Island this weekend and came across some excellent puddles.

Along the firebreak at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

Dalton — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:45:06 +0000

The firebreak at Jamaica Bay runs in a loop that is roughly two or three miles long. I have walked this loop many, many times and find that it has a tranquil, meditative quality. I once saw baby turtles hatching in the sand here, and have been chased by angry geese more than once.

One day I had a flash of an idea: a series of dozens of photos showing essentially the same exact view, over many years, through the seasons. This is about as far as I got; about a year ago I got very busy and I haven’t taken many pictures since then. I am slowly working my way back into things, but I’m starting small.

Quote

Dalton — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 01:45:24 +0000

Camden Hills, Maine, Andrew Wyeth.

“I could probably just paint a hill for the rest of my life.”
— Andrew Wyeth

Two New York City parks

Dalton — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:21:37 +0000

Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Spring Creek Park, Queens

Both taken this February.

Fraction Magazine Holiday Print Sale

Dalton — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 23:55:30 +0000

David Bram was kind enough to invite me to participate in the Fraction Magazine Holiday Print Sale, which features work from a whole bunch of talented photographers. Here’s the photograph I’m offering:

Beach House, Fire Island, 2009. Click for larger view

It’s an 8×10 archival pigment print, in an edition of 10. The cost is $40 plus $5 shipping US, $8 shipping international.

But there’s so much more great work to see! Click on over to the Fraction website and get yourself some photographs.