Wednesday, December 16, 2009

We've Moved!

Hey guys... we've officially moved the blog over to a new and improved hosting site, specifically designed for Ryan Notch Photography. I promise to be more active and regular with my posts on the new blog. Make sure to bookmark this location. It resides at:

http://ryannotch.com/blog

Thank you for following my work and adventures and I promise you much more to come!

Friday, October 2, 2009

A Walk to Remember

I set out on a photographic journey in the North Beach or "Little Italy" section of San Francisco with nothing in my holster except for a Holga. The Holga camera is a medium-format, plastic camera that was intended to provide an inexpensive mass-market camera for working-class Chinese in order to record family portraits and events in the early '80s. On this expedition I use it as a tool to give up a little control and incorporate some spontaneity that doesn't and can't exist in my studio work. I came across a poem by George Sterling that was rolling through my mind as I traversed the hills of San Francisco. It goes like this:

At the end of our streets is sunrise;
At the end of our streets are spars;
At the end of our streets is sunset;
At the end of our streets the stars.
Ever the winds of morning
Are cool from the flashing sea--
Flowing swift from our ocean,
Till the fog-dunes crumble and flee.
Slender spars in the offing,
Mast and yard in the slips--
How they tell on the azure
Of the sea-contending ships!
Homeward into the sunset
Sill unwearied we go,
Till the northern hills are misty
With the amber of afterglow.
Stars that sink to our ocean,
Winds that visit our strand,
The heavens are your pathway,
Where is a gladder land!
At the end of our streets is sunrise;
At the end of our streets are spars;
At the end of our streets is sunset;
At the end of our streets the stars.




Friday, May 22, 2009

Sustainability in SF

The idea that sustainability represents encompasses an urgent need, recognized by a growing number of people around the globe, to provide for a positive common future. This sustainability plan has come into being because many people in San Francisco are convinced that there is both a self-interested and an ethical obligation to live in a way that considers the rights to livelihood of future generations and of the other living beings on this planet.

I created the following triptych in conjunction with a larger collaborative initiative that worked to raise awareness of the concept of sustainability and focus on that which we as individuals can do to make a difference. The exhibit is entitled, "Sustainability in San Francisco" and is being featured at the 2009 Spring Show at 601 Brannan St. The opening event was May 21st, but the exhibit will run until June 11th.

Monday, April 27, 2009

A Lesson in Abstraction

Invigorated by the exploration of the spring color abstractions, I spent another afternoon wandering around the city with cell phone camera in hand. This new series is quite a bit more interpretive and demands as much of the viewer as they want to get out of it. Since my typical studio work places much more of an emphasis on refined lighting and finesse of the subject, I enjoyed the freedom and lack of control that the cell phone camera provided me. Without my face being glued to the camera, I was free to be more present in the process. I hope that is evident in the images.



Thursday, April 23, 2009

Product Photography

I have been working on a lot of product shots lately and while not the most excitable work out there, I thought I would share.




Friday, April 10, 2009

Colors and Seasons


Inspired by the changing temperature, the blooming flowers, and the bluer skies, nature pushed me out of the house and mandated an exploratory shoot of sorts. These images were shot with my cell phone camera. The slower shutter speed as dictated by the cell phone in lower light situations allowed for some interesting motion blur. On the whole, these images exist as shot. I made some minor curves adjustments and boosted the saturation a touch, but the strange hues were caused by how the cell phone camera handled different color temperatures outdoors in the changing light of day.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

4x5 Woes

This week was yet another lesson in patience as I delve deeper into the world of the large format view camera. As I diverted from food photography this week to shoot a stock American flag shot, I felt grateful for the fact that I am a pretty patient person when it comes to my photography. I like details and I am a bit of a perfectionist. These characteristics demand patience on a daily basis. This brings me to the infamous flag shoot. I essentially picked the hardest setup possible with a view camera... why? Some might say masochism, others would say I love a challenge. I am sure both are accurate to a certain degree. If anyone is familiar with the view camera and how it functions, creating a focal plane that essentially runs perpendicular to the film plane is especially difficult. Add in the fact that I decided to shoot from slightly above and pivoted sideways on the subject all means that I had entered the 7th circle of hell, photographically speaking of course. Several hours after attempting to capture a single frame I came away with something that I could live with, but was by no means perfect. Will I be able to walk away and let the Sinar win? Probably not, but until the re-shoot... this exposure will have to do.