sjfphotography: *fine art images *natural light portraits *greeting cards


Thursday, January 31, 2013

sheepherder's cabin
 
Tutorial #5 "Adding Sky"
It was a gray, dreary day --spitting snow-- when we visited Las Golondrinas on a photography workshop.  I too a West Texas sky and added it behind the cabin.  Oh, the magic of photoshop!
 
El Rancho de las Golondrinas
Santa Fe, New Mexico
3.9.2012

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

have a chair
 
Tom Jones Equipment Co.
819 Buddy Holly
Lubbock, Texas

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

converse all stars
 
Athletic shoes have come a long ways since the black or white models offered by Chuck Taylor in 1917.  Today Converses are available in bright shades, as evidenced by young man pictured in front of the tattoo parlor on Avenue J.  The Buddy Holly Center recently procured a fifty-year old pair of Converse All-Stars (size 11) owned by Buddy.  I spent my entire basketball career at New Deal wearing Converse All-Stars.  Mine were natural white high tops -- too bad they weren't green to match our school colors of green and gold.
 
my basketball all-stars


Monday, January 28, 2013

street musician
 
This afternoon, outside the tattoo shop next door to the AA meeting place, a young man was enjoying the winter sunshine and strumming his guitar.
 
Avenue J and Broadway
Lubbock, Texas

Sunday, January 27, 2013

holy reflection
 
If attending a Santa Fe Photographic Workshop, there is an option to stay at the former Carmelite monastery located across the parking lot. If that is your lodging choice, be advised it is not a Holiday Inn.
 
Mt. Carmel Road
Santa Fe, New Mexico
9.16.2006

Saturday, January 26, 2013

municipal art
 
If  you are in Anton and want to know what the high school looks like without driving another four blocks, check out the mural on the insurance agency at the end of the main drag.
 
Downtown Mural
Anton, Texas

Friday, January 25, 2013

linny
 
Named after Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), Linny is the newest staff member of the Texas Tech Horticultural Greenhouse.  His compensation includes plenty of mice, a warm bed and lots of attention.  He also assisted in review of the emergency plan.  The original Linnaeus is remembered as the "Father of Taxonomy" for developing the botanical system of classifying plants.
 
Texas Tech Horticultural Greenhouse
Lubbock, Texas

Thursday, January 24, 2013

hog pen
 
When Texas Tech was established in 1923, the College of Agriculture was one of the four schools.  Today while doing a site visit at the former Animal Sciences building, built about 1951,  I discovered something I never knew existed.  Behind the building, known now as the Annex, still remain animal pens.  The juxtaposition of the pens with the tower of the English building show how far the university has come.  What's sad it that these artifacts of Tech's history may soon be lost.
 
CASNR Annex (College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources)
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

a classic in the barn
 
Pickup drivers argue over the virtues of Ford versus Chevrolet, but this owner has kept his vintage Studebaker pickup in the barn.  Who knew Studebaker made pickup trucks?
 
South Lubbock County, Texas
1.29.2011

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

leader of the pack
 
This month's issue of Popular Photography had a black-and-white photo of a gorilla.  That prompted me to look at my gorilla images.  Nothing jumped out from the Kansas City zoo but I found a possibility from the Albuquerque Bio-Park.  The conversion of this color image made an interesting photo.  I like the suspicious look and that the backlighting underscores the "silverback" of the gorilla.
 
Albuquerque, New Mexico
8.15.2009

Monday, January 21, 2013

plantation oaks
 
This original image was taken on a foggy morning in Louisiana.  The oaks are what is left of the Oakland Plantation -- now part of the LSU campus in Alexandria.  I was attempting a tutorial on infrared conversions.  This effect used solarization -- not quite infrared but still an eerie, ghostly feel. (To compare with the original, go to www.sjfimages2011.blogspot.com on October 26).
 
Alexandia, Louisiana
10.26.2011

Sunday, January 20, 2013

abandon all hope

When the congregation of the New Hope Baptist Church moved to their new building in Shallowater, the former church building was abandoned.  Time and elements work on the structure -- the roof sags, windows are missing and an electric fence keeps people out and cows in.  I first photographed New Hope in 2010.  Soon only the tree will remain.


no hope at new hope
 
The former New Hope Baptist Church
FM 1294 west of Shallowater
Lubbock County, Texas


Saturday, January 19, 2013

skoal
 
Never, in my annual Memorial Day trips to Raton, have I visited Schwede's.  "Skoal" here is probably the chewing tobacco, not the Swedish toast.  There's not much nightlife here-- just acouple of bars that are usually just open on weekends.  Maybe next time I'll be more adventurous  and buy a beer from Schwede.
 
Schwede's Saloon
US Route 64
Raton, New Mexico
5.30.2010

Friday, January 18, 2013

the facilities
 
When the Lynn County Court House was built in 1916, jail cells were constructed on the third floor.  Modern amenities included plumbing, but no privacy.  The jail was handily connected via a hallway to the courtroom.  Upon hearing the jailbreak story, and if one looks closely, a blood stain may be seen on the marble wall.  During a jail escape in 1936, a prisoner wrested a gun from the deputy and fatally shot him.  The escapee was soon caught several miles away but the event is part of Lynn County history.  If you're in Tahoka, visit this building on the National Register of Historical Places and ask for a tour.
 
Lynn County Court House
Tahoka, Texas
3.17.2009

Thursday, January 17, 2013


professional gear
 
Today I visited Texas Tech's New Deal Farm, a 900-acre agricultural learning site consisting of  swine, beef cattle, dairy calves, sheep and goat units.  I even saw a llama.  If you visit the hog pens, or even the farrowing nursery with the upteen piglets, you might avail yourself of the rubber boots hanging on the wall outside the door.  The pigs were ankle-deep in muck after the recent rains.
 
Texas Tech New Deal Farm 
Lubbock County, Texas




New Deal Farm, consisting of over 900 acres, a swine unit, beef cattle unit, dairy calf unit, sheep and goat unit, a feed mill, and the Burnett Center (research feedlot)

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

rusty hulk
 
The rusting grain elevator is the largest structure in town. It reminds me of the prow of an ancient battleship sailing westward. And like antiquated battleships, grain elevators are in mothballs -- sidelined and empty -- victims of technology and economy.
 
Nazareth, Texas
11.20.2011

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

ferris wheel
 
Tutorial #4 "Radial Blur"
I took the ferris wheel image from my "Carnival" series and applied the radial blur filter to add a circular motion effect.
 
carnival by night
2004


Monday, January 14, 2013

herb garden
 
Do  dreary days of sub-freezing temperatures make you dream of spring gardens?  Sit by the fireside pondering seed catalogs?  Sometimes the anticipation is better than the actual work.
 
Desert Ridge Resort
Scottsdale, Arizona
10.8.2012

Sunday, January 13, 2013

 A-1 on Avenue A
 
The neglected building with its peeling red paint, broken windows and graffiti always catches my eye as I speed by on the interstate.  Today I visited A-1 Clutch & Brake up close.  Now the graffiti was readable, the strown empty spray cans visible and the air of abandonment evident.  A closer look on the door found advertising for automotive parts long gone.
 

choice of ampions
 
A-1 Clutch & Brake
Avenue A and 8th
Lubbock, Texas




Saturday, January 12, 2013


true love
 
Is the affection Pedro the donkey shows really for Don or for that sack of feed behind him?  Poor Pedro's fence has a "do not feed" sign otherwise everyone would get donkey kisses.
 
 
Gold King Mine and Ghost Town
Jerome, Arizona
10.12.2012
http://www.sedona-verdevalley.com/jerome/goldkingminejerome.html

Friday, January 11, 2013

lunch stop
 
If you plan a wine tour in the Alexander Valley, lunch spots are limited.  Stop by the Jimtown Store to grab a sandwich, browse the tchotchkes and rest your feet.
 
Jimtown Store
Sonoma County, California
10.28.2012


Thursday, January 10, 2013

seed pod
 
Assignment in the backyard with the macro lens:  If, according to Internet articles, crape myrtles can be grown from seed -- then why don't I have myriads of volunteer seedlings around my crape myrtle trees?


Wednesday, January 9, 2013

winter tech-scape
 
The Tech campus is deserted.  No hurrying students scurry across the courtyard toward the Education Building as a cold rain blows in.  If classes were in session,the sidewalks will be filled with umbrella-carrying students wearing Uggs and flipflops.
 
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

chuckwagon cowboy
 
Tutorial #3 "Adding Background to a Portrait"  in improving my photoshop skills. This image of the Block Y Chuckwagon cowboy had a washed out sky and with a few detractors.  Erase the telephone poles, add a background texture and the focal point is now the weathered face.
 

Cowboy Symposium
Lubbock, Texas
9.9.2011

Monday, January 7, 2013

shadow the spotted owl
 
South Plains Wildlife Rehabilition Center
3308 95th
Lubbock, Texas
12.22.2012

Sunday, January 6, 2013


standing on the promises
 
The Saint Teresa of Avila Church is a  Catholic church that sits on a hilltop above the small, rural town of Bodega in Northern California. It was built by shipbuilders in 1859 and is the oldest church still in continuous use in Sonoma County.

This is the product of Tutorial #2 "Adding Layers to an Image."  Scan a hymn from the Broadway Hymnal (you do have one, don't you?) to use as background.  Experiment with overlays, masks and brush selections.

Saint Teresa of Avila Church
Bodega, California
10.27.2012

Saturday, January 5, 2013

straw hat still life  2
with shadows
 
Photo ops are found in strange places.  I suppose straw hats were on my mind because this scene caught my eye as I drove by the bar Taboo on my way to the post office.  Of course I had to shoot through the the gate bars.  This is actually an idyllic composition for the Depot bar scene. 
 
Taboo Bar
1717 Crickets Avenue
Lubbock, Texas

Friday, January 4, 2013

for sale

Looking for an entrepreneurial enterprise?  This hamburger  joint is for sale.  According to the flyer, the price has been reduced $5,000; for $45,000 you can own this place --and that includes the equipment.  I thought the condition of the building lent itself to my new skill of texture layers and to grunge photography.  The grunge movement came out of Seattle and, in photography, refers to rough, gritty images in earth tones which often feature destroyed or gloomy subjects.

Hamburger Joint
1103 E. 50th
Lubbock, Texas

Thursday, January 3, 2013


vintage columbine
 
New Year resolutions include adding new skills.  This photo is Tutorial #1 "Applying Texture to Images" and exposed me to layers, place, blend, overlay in Photoshop.  For the purists, the original image is included.


Columbine
Fort Bend, Colorado
5.22.2009

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

straw hat still life
 
Jordan Winery
Healdsburg, California
10.28.2012

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

north pole
 
I found the North Pole today while driving south in Hockley County.  It was there alongside the railroad track in a muddy cotton field.  Quite a town with the Elf House, Santa's Workshop, a church and assorted houses.  I suppose in the dark -- from a train -- it would appear magical, especially when the Polar Express stops for Santa.  However, the place was deserted.  I suppose Santa and the elves take the first of the year off and bask in the Bahamas.
 
Hockley County, Texas
(between Wolfforth and Ropesville)