Our Neighbors Unmasked

October 3, 2021 Danny Lennox Bronson

In the spring of 2020 while France was in total confinement because of the Covid-19 pandemic a few people in my little village had a wonderful idea. It was to try and create an association to help bring the residents of our town together in simple ways through workshops and community events. They wanted to help build bridges of communication between neighbors and create more community pride. I loved the idea! As part of this effort I was lucky that they asked me to photograph the townspeople with their masks in the square on market day. Every Thursday during the summer of 2020 we would engage with everyone who happened into the square to take their picture. It was a great way for me, a foreigner who spoke no french, to get to know some of my neighbors. Then I got an idea. What if we asked some of our neighbors to pose unmasked and also show us something about them that they are really passionate about, a hobby or pastime that they love…something that defines them in a way that maybe their neighbors would not know about. Their responses would be revealed in the form of a gallery show of portraits titled “our neighbors unmasked.”

Well, on Friday October 1, 2021 the exhibit opened and we had a wonderful little party. Below is the exhibit along with a composite of the 200 portraits that we photographed in the square. I want to say a heartfelt thank you to those who were kind enough to reveal their “passions” and also to those members of our association Yz’Connect for helping to make this all possible. Yzeures rocks!

our neighbors during confinement with their masks…and below, those who revealed their passion.

Confinement en France

April 20, 2020 Danny Lennox Bronson

When I was a kid, I loved walking home from grade school down what was then a country road. Today its a college campus, but in those days it was farm land backed by the distant Pioneer mountains and filled with alfalfa and clover. I loved to hear the meadowlarks and watch red winged black birds playing in that field.

While the COVID-19 confinement has proven hard for many around the world it has given me the unique opportunity to once again experience the simple wonders of springtime. I am confined in a very small village in central France but I can take short walks for exercise. A five minute walk just up the hill and onto a plateau, and I’m in pristine farm land with only a few dirt roads that meander through fields of new crops, spring lambs and isolated farm houses. No traffic, no noise, no people and suddenly I can hear the birds again and smell the lilacs in the fresh air again and re-live my childhood just a little. It inspired me to create this short video, a birds eye view of some of the places I get to walk through every day.

Christmas at Chatsworth

December 2, 2018 Danny Lennox Bronson

Once upon a time in the far away land of Derbyshire was Chatsworth, a beautiful house full of treasure. Each year the Chatsworth staff stitched, wove and built Christmassy bits and bobs to decorate the beautiful house.

This year the rooms and hallways are filled with stories both old and new…Cinderella, Princess and the Pea, Sleeping Beauty, James and the Giant Peach, Mary Poppins and Aladdin and the Arabian Nights to name a few.

Check out the picture gallery. May visions of sugarplums dance in your head!

The Library

Library

Ruby Slippers, Wizard of Oz

Emerald City on the Great Staircase

Sleeping Beauty

James and the Giant Peach

Aladdin and the Arabian Nights

Princess and the Pea

Mary Poppins

The Painted Hall

The Chapel

Chapel Tree

Cinderella

Chapel Statuary

Entryway to the Sculpture Gallery

The Sculpture Gallery

...tis the Season

December 20, 2017 Danny Lennox Bronson

For this years Holiday cards I was inspired to print original images in the darkroom. To give credit where credit is due, many thanks to Steven Louis Ray for the great idea. The time spent in the darkroom was like meditation for me.

These images were made in western Iceland in winter. The solitude and beauty of this place at this time of year is hard to describe. The "ring road" which is the main highway around the Island is so deserted there were several times where I was able to stop in the middle of the road, set up a tripod and make several images over the space of 15-20 minutes, and never see another car. Iceland in the wintertime is the perfect place for a lone traveler to rediscover oneself and see unparalleled natural beauty. "Peace on Earth" just about sums it up, and that is the wish I have for all during this season and in the year ahead.

Film Noir Anyone?

November 17, 2017 Danny Lennox Bronson

I’m lucky to be living in the same town as Blue Moon Camera, a retailer dedicated to analog photography and one of only four venues worldwide who have the alpha release of Ferrania P-30 film in stock. So, I picked up a few rolls this film along with some interesting advice from Zebidiah Andrews at Blue Moon about what I should expect to see in my first images.

Ferrania P-30 is a panchromatic black & white motion picture film packaged for still photography. Its the same film that was produced during the 1960s. Ferrania boasts that it has ultrafine grain and a high silver content. I shot my first roll on a walk in my neighborhood. The weather varied between bright sun and dense cloud, with alternating high and low contrasts. I exposed the film at ISO 80 as recommended by Ferrania and developed it in ID-11 (1-1) for 10 minutes at 20C. The film was scanned on an Epson V500 scanner using the same universal settings for all the shots. While the negatives look good to me, the scans of the low contrast subjects were muddy. These were shot at a local park and needed some level adjustments to make the highlights pop (see below, right). The shots with bright sunlight looked much better but the real test will be printing the negatives in the darkroom.

I also did a preliminary zone density test and found my step V density to be 0.60 above film-base fog, which is optimum for printing with a condenser enlarger. But I’m printing with a diffused-light enlarger so would like to see a little more density in my negatives. Zeb warned me that the shadow detail would be less than what I was used to, and he was right. The shadow areas dropped off pretty fast, but P-30 does have a nice film noir quality to it. It might be a good choice for street photography where high speed is not needed, but where one wants an edgy rendition of tones. I gravitate toward landscape/nature photography and prefer a much broader tonal scale most of the time. I’ll change my ISO on the next roll to 40 and adjust development to try and add more detail in the shadows without blowing out the highlights. Adjusting the exposure/development for more shadow detail might make me like this film a little more. Its certainly worth a try.

Zone system for roll film, part 1

July 8, 2017 Danny Lennox Bronson

The zone system for black and white photography enables you to visualize what the final picture will look like before you make the exposure. Luminance is the many reflective qualities of the subject. Understanding the relationship between the subjects luminances and the way in which those luminance values are rendered by photographic material will make you a better photographer. The procedure consists of accurately measuring those reflective values, visualizing how they should be translated into black and white print values, and then controlling negative exposure and development to achieve the desired result. It is a way to better understand how photographic materials respond to exposure and development, and will help you avoid unpredictable and complicated darkroom manipulations to achieve an optimum print. But the zone system is best when used on individual negatives. With roll film that is not possible. Ideally you would apply unique exposure and development times to each individual picture to achieve the desired print. But where an entire roll is processed in the same solution and for the same time, you have to make a few compromises and adjustments.

For example you can limit the images on a single roll to subjects of similar luminance values. By carrying two or more camera bodies or film backs, one for high-contrast subjects and another for low-contrast subjects and then by developing accordingly, you can create images that better reflect how you experienced and visualized each subject. Here are some ways in which I incorporate the zone system into my workflow when shooting medium format and 35mm film.

In the zone system scale, zone 0 represents maximum black and zone X represent pure white. There is no discernible textural detail in those areas. Zone V represents 18% gray, zone lll good shadow texture, and zone Vlll good highlight texture. All meters will give the f-stop and shutter speed combinations to produce a zone V density at what ever they are pointed at. (If you measure only the bright white fabric in a wedding gown or a black cat in a coal bin and set your exposure accordingly, both subjects will be rendered as the same 18% gray in the resulting 2 pictures) So to produce the true tonal value of the cat and see good textural detail, I would place my metered value of the cat on zone lll, because zone lll represents good visible shadow detail. The cat then must be underexposed by 2 stops from what the meter recommends, so that area will record as a zone lll value in the print. [note: a spot meter is best because you can meter important parts of the scene separately from a distance]

The principle of "expose for the shadows and develop for the highlights" is true as altered development times will enable you to compact or expand the highlight densities of any subject into the printable range of photographic paper without changing the shadow densities.

To begin, you would pre-visualize the scene in terms of tonal values and decide the darkest area of tone where you want to see some detail. You then meter those areas in the scene. In this church interior for example, using the spot meter in a Leica M5, I selected and metered the dark areas on the front of the altar and front of the small pipe organ, and placed them on zone lll to show textural detail in the shadows. That determined my exposure.

I felt an enveloping light and wanted to see the rich detail on the altar and organ while not losing detail in the stained glass windows. It was a sunny day outside and the windows measured a full 6 stops brighter than the shadow areas previously selected for zone lll placement. This put the window detail outside the printable range of the paper indicating that an adjustment be made during development to hold highlight detail in the final print. By reducing the development time of the film I was able to condense the exposure scale by one stop and hold the detail in the windows while leaving the tonal values in the shadows unchanged. Shadow density was determined by the exposure, highlight density was determined by the development.

One thing to remember is our eyes perceive things differently from sensitized film. It's important not to think of your subject only in terms of metered luminance values. You must think in terms of printed tones, how you visualize those tonal relationships, and how they will be expressively translated onto photographic paper. In order to use the zone system effectively it's necessary to first find the effective speed (ISO) of your chosen film using your meter, camera and lenses so you can determine what normal, normal-plus and normal-minus development times are. In part 2, we'll examine a simple test to determine the operational exposure value to assign to a film using your personal equipment.

Zone system for roll film, part 2

July 8, 2017 Danny Lennox Bronson

To visualize and predict the look of an image before exposure it is necessary to know how your film will respond when exposed using your own personal equipment. Here is a test you can do to determine the true speed of your film with your meter, camera and lens.

First, start with an 18% gray card (the Kodak Neutral Test Card is 18% gray which corresponds to zone V of the exposure scale and print value V).

1. Load your chosen film (in 36 exposure length, or 120) into your camera.

2. Place the gray card under constant even illumination, position the camera close enough to the card to fill the frame with gray and focus the lens at infinity. (The infinity focus setting transmits light at full value and will render a featureless area of tone that will record as an even negative density) Use the second full f-stop in the range of apertures on your lens. If it stops down to f16, start with f11.

3. Meter the test surface using the film manufacturers recommended ISO setting and place that reading on step 1 of the zone exposure scale. If the meter indicates f11 at 1/15 second you would set your starting exposure at f11 at 1/250 effectively reducing the exposure by 4 stops to a zone 1 value.

4. Given the above metered value, shoot the following exposure sequence:

1st exp. 1/250 sec. @ f11

2nd exp. 1/250 sec. @ f8

3rd exp. 1/250 @ (halfway between f8 and f11)

4th exp. 1/250 @ f11 again

5th exp. 1/250 @ halfway between f11 and f16

6th exp. 1/250 @ f16

For 35mm users cover the lens and shoot off frames 7, 8 and 9 so they will be blank. Starting with frame 10 repeat the same sequence. Do this twice more to produce four groups of six test exposures with three blank frames in between each group. If you are using 120 film just do one 6 exposure sequence per roll.

In the darkroom remove the 35mm film from the cassette, bring the ends together and cut through the loop in the middle. Double each of the resulting lengths and cut them in half in a similar manner. The blank frames will give you enough leeway to create 4 strips of six exposures. Store 3 of the lengths in a light tight container and process the 4th one in your standard developer using the manufacturers time and temperature recommendations. Fix, wash and dry the film as you normally would. The 3 saved film strips can be used with other developers or if you experience processor errors.

My speed test strip. The 2nd frame measured 0.10 above filmbase+fog...ISO 200 is my new ISO.

4. Examine the processed film strip. You are looking for the test patch that has density just greater than the filmbase-fog. There are 2 ways to accurately determine this. First and best way is with a transmission densitometer. You would measure and record the film base fog density. Then find the patch that measures 0.10 density greater than film base fog.

If you don't have access to a densitometer you can make the following printing test. In the darkroom expose a piece of photo paper to white light and develop it normally to obtain a test patch of maximum black. Next place a blank (filmbase-fog) frame from the film strip into your enlarger and find the minimum exposure that produces a black that matches the previous maximum black patch. Then give that same exposure to 6 other pieces of paper through each of the 6 test strip density patches. Be sure to mark them with the appropriate frame numbers for identification. When dry compare the paper patches to the film base fog patch of maximum black. Determine which frame prints as a discernibly lighter shade of dark gray. Film base fog represents a zone 0 density so this lighter patch represents zone 1 density. If the f-stop used to create the value 1 density is the same as the normal exposure calculation (f11) then the manufacturers ISO speed recommendation is the proper one for you. If it is not the same, the degree of difference will tell you how much you must change the ISO rating of the film to arrive at the effective film speed using your equipment. So in our example, if your film was rated at ISO 400 for the test, the results would look like this...

1st exp. f11 = ISO 400

2nd exp. f8 = ISO 200

3rd exp. f8-f11 = ISO 320f8 = ISO 200

4th exp. same as first exposure

5th exp. f11-16 = ISO 650

6th exp. f16 = ISO 800

My result indicates that I need to change my ISO from 400 to 200 with this film using my equipment. Now that I know the effective film speed for my equipment and workflow, the next step is to test the entire 9 step scale. In part 3 we'll see how to determine normal, normal-minus and normal-plus development times.

Zone system for roll film, part 3

July 8, 2017 Danny Lennox Bronson

Once you have determined the effective film speed for your film and equipment, you need to establish the optimum development time to create a negative that will produce a good range of printable tones. To do this we expose a test length of the entire range from zone l through zone lX. Use the same film but rate it at the effective ISO as determined by the first test, and with the 18% gray card under the same light conditions as before, focus the lens at infinity. Assuming your lens only stops down to f16 and opens to f2.0, a typical exposure series might look like this.

zone l f16@1/125

zone ll f11@1/125

zone lll f8@1/125

zone lV f5.6@1/125

zone V f4.0@1/125

zone Vl f2.8@1/125

zone Vll f2.0@1/125

zone Vlll f2.0@1/60

zone lX f2.0@1/30

Then shoot blank frames until your camera's exposure counter indicates 20 exposures and then repeat this exposure sequence on the remainder of the roll.

In the darkroom remove the film from the cassette, fold the length in half and cut the film into 2 strips. Store the 2nd strip and develop the first strip using the same development parameters used in your previous film speed test. Then print each frame to create reference patches using the same exposure you used in the film speed test to create zone 0 filmbase-fog. [note: your zone l patch should match the density of your chosen zone l patch from the previous test.]

Take note of the density obtained in zone V. Optimum zone V density for a condenser enlarger is going to be somewhere between 0.55 and 0.65 above filmbase-fog, (in a diffusion enlarger 0.65 to 0.75)

If you have access to a densitometer it will simplify the process. You can plot the density curve and easily measure the zone V film exposure to see if it falls into this optimum range. If the density in zone V is in the optimum range for your enlarger, you have found your "normal" development time and the proper ISO speed rating for this film. However, if you find the zone V density to be too high, you can develop the 2nd test strip using a shorter development time (reduce development time by a third) for comparison. If the density is too low, you would increase development (increase by a third) and then fine tune from there. Decreasing or increasing development by one third sounds quite dramatic, but remember, you are primarily modifying the highlight density in your film. The shadow densities are minimally effected by development.

Once you are satisfied that you have your optimum normal development you can shoot a second exposure sequence to test for normal-minus 1 development. Develop that film strip reducing your "normal" development time by one-third. Compare the final printed test patches from that film strip. If the zone Vl patch matches the density of the zone V patch from the normal development you then have your normal-minus 1 development time. For normal-plus 1 you would start by increasing your normal development time by a third and expect to do some fine tuning.

Take careful notes because these tests can be the basis for further refining your workflow. If you change developers or want to explore the qualities of a new film these tests can be a good starting point to ensure consistently good results.

If you shoot 35mm be careful when increasing development ( N+1) times. Increased development produces increased grain, which can be a problem in areas of consistent textureless value such as an open sky.

To sum up, the zone system is a way to gain tighter control of your technical process. It allows you to bring pre-visualized esthetic qualities to life in your prints, even before the exposures are made in the field.

Bergger Panchro400

June 30, 2017 Danny Lennox Bronson

I have been dedicated to Berger fiber-based papers for exhibition printing for years. Their products have always been of high quality so when they announced they were going to make a totally new black and white film emulsion for roll film users it immediately caught my attention. They claim that Panchro400 has a wider tonal range than conventional films. Most companies in the imaging business release beautiful companion images with the release of every new product and Bergger is no exception. I was inspired to see if I could actually see a difference in my pictures.

BERGGER Pancro 400 has two photographic emulsions ( Silver-Bromide/Silver Iodide) that differ in grain size in order to achieve the films promised tonal range. It is a fast, fine grain film that gives good results when exposed anywhere between 100 and 1600 ISO. It has an anti-halation coating that gives it a very high resolution, but requires a water presoak before development to dissolve this layer away.

The box speed is 400 but in my first film speed tests I determined that with my equipment the proper ISO for this film is 200. I chose the developer ATM-49 (diluted 1-1) to maximize the tonal range and produce ultra fine grain negatives, and after my first development tests I settled on a shortened development time of 12 minutes at 24C. The 35mm and 120 versions are actually coated on different base materials. The 35mm film on an acetate base and the 120 film on a PET base with an anti-curl layer. The film base fog was more pronounced on the 35mm version by 0.12 when measured on a densitometer. But I find no reason to change my exposure/processing procedures when switching between the two formats, at least until I can do more extensive testing.

Then I headed to the beach to shoot this film side by side with my old standby (Ilford FP-4 plus). Both films were loaded into separate backs on a Rolleiflex 3003 and shot with the same camera and meter for an accurate comparison. After development, both were scanned on an Epson V500 and the raw scans posted below without any adjustments.

Bergger Panchro400 (left)                                          Ilford  FP-4 plus (right) — Bergger Panchro400 (left) Ilford FP-4 plus (right)

First impressions:

There was more pronounced grain in the Bergger shot. But this is to be expected with a film that is rated 2 stops faster. I was initially surprised with the tonal range when compared to the FP-4 plus version. I expected the Panchro400 shots to have a flat low-contrast appearance and subtle gradation of tones. But on closer inspection I realized that the Berger shot did deliver the extended range as promised. While the shot on the left appears to have more contrast, it actually does render greater tonal detail. It maintains good printable densities in both the shadows (cave entrance) and the highlights (waterfall). The snappy look of the Panchro400 negative is more pleasing to my eye. The delicate detail on the cliff face above the cave is much more defined and the sky rendered a discernibly lighter shade of gray.

Conclusion:

I noticed a pleasing visual difference with Pancro400 with it's extended tonal range. The grain, while slightly enhanced over the FP-4 plus was not a problem for me. But I probably won"t be developing it in Rodinal, at least not in 35mm. In landscape work I tend to like a darker sky than Panchro400 produced, so maybe I will play with a few filters to see how that effects the films overall tonal scale. I think it will be excellent at rendering the delicate tonal differences in rich foliage under even light such as an overcast sky. I also want to see how it handles portraiture under controlled lighting situations. Lately I have been shooting more street photography and taking a camera with me when I go out. The increased speed of Panchro400 is convenient for that purpose, but I need to do more development tests to establish good negatives at higher ISO's in marginal lighting situations, and compare the results with Ilford's HP-5 plus. When I have done that, Panchro400 may well be my new film of choice for those situations requiring more speed. There are lots of possibilities I am really excited to explore with this film.

My observations so far have been on the basis of scans, and the shots below required very few post-scan adjustments to achieve the look I wanted. But for me the real proof of a quality film is how easy it is to make expressive silver prints in the darkroom. I try to keep pretty tight control over negative development to avoid time consuming and costly darkroom adjustments. So the next step for me is to go into the darkroom and print these puppies!

Recommendation:

When I heard that my local camera store (Blue Moon in Portland) received a shipment I immediately picked up a few rolls. About a week later it appeared that they were sold out. So buy some if you can! The possibilities are definitely worth the effort.

Below are a couple more shots from my original beach tests and a few shots of the medium format version.

That "Vision" Thing

February 11, 2017 Danny Lennox Bronson

Discussions of creative photography often end with the advice that to be successful one needs to find his/her unique "vision." We all have one, born of our own set of experiences and vantage point to view those experiences. The trick is converting that uniqueness into visual language that is true to the way we see the world. The good news is it is easy to do, if you have the courage to trust yourself.

I have a dear friend whose daughter is a successful fashion/advertising photographer. She began shooting international ad campaigns for companies like Converse, Fiat and Nike when she was just fifteen years old. Her dreamy color infused photographs of young teenagers just wanting to have fun, expressed the joy, sorrow and emotional turbulence we all experience in these formative years. Companies and editorial clients picked up on her work because it was an honest and genuine expression of her life experience. She is not trying to create work to fit a particular market, she is creating her own market by exploiting her own uniqueness. After high school she declined to go to photo school because she didn't want to change the way she saw her work. She had the courage to trust herself. It's rare for someone of that age to have such confidence in their "vision." You can see her work here... http://oliviabee.com

The recent images on her blog of Katy Perry are stunning!

"Transformative North" online

January 5, 2017 Danny Lennox Bronson

Vatnajökull Ice Cap, Iceland                                          &nbs… — Vatnajökull Ice Cap, Iceland Hellnar Church, Iceland

When I was organizing the images for "Transformative North" I wanted to share the stories and information I had learned about the people, animals and places, along side the photographs. So the exhibit had personal stories and informational panels incorporated into the show. It was a new kind of exhibit for me, one that offered more than a collection of nice photographs of far away places. The show was very well received and it has been my intention to post those extra elements online to share with a wider audience. So finally I have posted the entire exhibit in the first four galleries of this website. Also I have placed a few more panoramic images from recent travels into gallery five. I hope you enjoy them.

Buying a hat in France

October 23, 2016 Danny Lennox Bronson

If you have ever been in a busy store in the USA and had to watch the scowling faces, heavy breathing and annoying body language of those waiting in line behind you, here is a story that might warm your heart.

In Le Blanc, France there is "Françoise" mercerie. It's a little shop that sells among other things fine hats. There is barely enough room for a half dozen people to stand in the shop at the same time. Late one afternoon last week, my friend and I went in to look for a ladies hat. It was a few minutes before Françoise finished with the lady in front of us and gave us her undivided attention. As my friend was trying on the first hat, a nice red one, in walked a pretty young french woman and her 2 small children and stood in line behind us. Moments later an elderly woman and then a tall older man, who looked like he was headed home from work, stepped in and stood behind the others.

Françoise brought out another hat, then another, and I began to fear that soon we would begin to annoy those waiting in line behind us. The red hat came off and on went a gray one with a pretty green band as my friend conversed with Françoise in french. As the red hat went back on the young french woman said she thought the gray one was better because you could wear it with more outfits. Then in perfect english, she complimented my friend at how well she spoke french. The man then said he liked the red one best. It was more stylish. Then out came a black one with a rosette on the side. The young woman immediately said she liked it even better, the elderly woman nodded and the man said the red one was still more stylish. I had to smile because before long, here was an entire shop full of customers helping us choose the perfect hat. In the end we got the black one with the rosette and received a hearty "bonjour and au revoir" with big smiles from everyone as we left the shop.

Les Orgues

October 18, 2016 Danny Lennox Bronson

At first I thought to myself I have been here before, in southern Utah. But even though it rests at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains, this place has a lot in common with Bryce Canyon. It was formed millions of years ago when an arm of the Mediterranean sea covered the area depositing silt and marine material on the sea floor. The "Organ Pipes" were then sculpted by rainwater eroding away the ancient sea bed. Eventually these formations will once again come to rest in the Mediterranean sea.

Catalan "Barques"

October 11, 2016 Danny Lennox Bronson

Barques, Collioure, France — Barques, Collioure, France

The Catalan traditional fishing boats or "barques" ("llaguts" in Catalan), are as old as the Mediterranean civilisation and boast a superb lateen sail, which gives them unparalleled elegance.

Despite its rudimentary simplicity, this sail has worked wonders in the Mediterranean since time immemorial. Greeks and Romans used it in their galleys, and the Barbary pirates equipped their speed boats with them to board enemy vessels.

At the beginning of last century Collioure had a fleet of one hundred "sardinals" (sardine-fishing boats) which employed more than 700 sailors. The port also included over 20 salting workshops, fifteen shippers, coopers...They faded in the '60s with the arrival of more modern and powerful trawlers.

Today, the barques float again on the Catalan coast when sailing regattas are organised.

Melting Away

September 14, 2016 Danny Lennox Bronson

The Arctic is changing and this change is having a dramatic effect on the people and animals who live there. It could also have a catastrophic effect on the world's weather. Melting ice is easy to see and track, but what this effect could mean to our weather, food supply and quality of life is not easily measured. Do you know how many tons of ice, Iceland is losing every year?

We'll discuss this and other topics at an artist's forum and reception this Sunday, September 18th at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 147 NW 19th Avenue in Portland. Forum begins at 9:00am and reception begins at 11:00am. Come and see "Transformative North" and enjoy the photographs, music and refreshments from Iceland and arctic Scandinavia!

Aurora Borealis

August 13, 2016 Danny Lennox Bronson

Iceland is a scarcely populated arctic island with many wild pristine places to view the Aurora Borealis. Even though the northern lights are active year round they are only visible for 8 months of the year. Do you know why?

This and other northern lights images will be part of "Transformative North," my fine art photography show hosted by Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. The show opens August 28, 2016 and runs through November 6, 2016, with an artist reception and forum on September 18th at 9AM, where you can get the answer to this, and other information about Iceland and arctic Scandinavia.

Conversation With A Glacier

August 6, 2016 Danny Lennox Bronson

Exactly one year ago today I embarked on a trip that was transformational. I visited Iceland and arctic Scandinavia. One of the most memorable nights of my life was spent camped alone at the foot of the Fjallsjökull glacier in eastern Iceland. I arrived there at dusk and had just enough time to pitch a tent and finish a sandwich before dark. The next morning I awoke to a frozen lagoon bathed in the light of the early morning sunrise. The magic began to happen as the sun climbed in the sky and the ice on the surface of the lagoon began to melt. As it melted it began to crack and groan as if it were telling me it's story. I spent the morning walking, and listening, and photographing this wonderful place.

I have the chance to share these pictures, and the stories that go with them, this fall at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Oregon. The exhibit opens on August 28, 2016 and runs through November 6, 2016 with an artists forum and reception on September 18th. I hope to see you there!

Wilderness Lost & Found (part 2)

July 30, 2016 Danny Lennox Bronson

Cape Horn Lake 2014                                                                 &nbsp… — Cape Horn Lake 2014 Cape Horn Lake 2016

Two images made at the same spot 2 years apart with just a slightly different angle of view. The one on the left was from a film roll that was lost and spent two winters buried under the snow and two summers laying near a fallen log near the lake shore. The second picture is from a roll that was exposed last week and developed promptly. The lost roll had usable images but suffered damage. Moisture had gotten into the plastic film container and then dried up causing the emulsion to stick to the paper backing. It was easy enough to remove but the textured imprint of the paper fibers had become fused with the emulsion creating a rough textured look. There were also small areas where little bits of emulsion were peeled off with the backing paper.

I think the picture on the left has a real artsy look to it, even though the infrared effect is less pronounced. Kodak always used to say "process film promptly after exposure." I guess this is what they were talking about! Below is my favorite image from this years hike, taken very near the spot where the first roll was lost two years earlier.

Wilderness Lost & Found

July 24, 2016 Danny Lennox Bronson

In July of 2014 Cape Horn Lake was my destination for a day hike. It was a beautiful place with grasses lining the shore, mountains in the background and waterlilies covering its surface. The day was bright and sunny, perfect I thought, for infrared film. The trail meandered along the shore of the lake to its outlet and then disappeared into an area of forested hillsides and open meadows. As I reached the outlet of the lake I sat down on a log to reload my Rolleiflex, but realized after returning to camp a few hours later, that I was missing the exposed roll of infrared film, and that it was probably laying somewhere along our return route, a route with no marked trail. I knew there was virtually no chance of retracing my steps to find it, and I left for home a few days later thoroughly defeated.

In July of 2016 I found myself, along with my sister and brother-in-law, again hiking to Cape Horn Lake. Along the way we joked about how weird it would be if we stumbled upon that old roll of film. At the outlet we stopped for a breather and started looking for the log I sat on two years earlier to reload the camera. There had been a lot of downed timber in that time and the spot did not look familiar. After about 20 minutes with no luck we decided to move on. But I back tracked a few yards to inspect just one last log and when I looked down I saw a dark cylinder with no markings. I walked closer, looked again and realized it was indeed my two year old roll of film! The label had been worn off by two snowy winters and two summers but the black plastic film canister was intact and still sealed. When I get home I'll process it and see what I have, but the condition of the canister makes me optimistic that the outcome will be a good one. I'll post an update in a few days.

photo workshop

April 24, 2016 Danny Lennox Bronson

This week I was really happy that I got to lead a workshop for church communication directors about photography for churches. Places of worship in person are beautiful and inspirational. When photographed the beauty is often lost. The architectural interiors in a church are easy enough, but the problem is, churches usually have people in them and capturing a clear picture is often difficult. Budget limitations often make it impossible for churches to get the best equipment for low light pictures. After spending the morning trading ideas we decided to go on a field trip to capture some images and then practice optimizing them in Lightroom, my favorite image program.

Friday I was able to put some of what we discussed into practice: the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church was in Portland and gave a fantastically animated sermon at Trinity Cathedral. Here are a few images...