Tom Hussey's "Reflections of the Past", 2010

Hussey's image of a woman looking in a mirror
and seeing her younger self.

Reflections of the Past

I would like to say that I am wholly impressed with the composition of these images. And I'm using the term "composition" in two ways. First, I enjoy the causal, everyday settings that these people are placed in.  Daily activities and unassuming positions feel like you are in the room with the individuals as they are going about their day.  Secondly, I'm impressed with the digital composition of the images.  The lighting and color in the reflections match the lighting falling on the individual in the "present day" scenario. The amount of patience and skill that requires is exceptional.

This exhibit was created in 2010 for a pharmaceutical client, Novartis, after they saw his first image. It seems that Hussey's inspiration may have been a continuation of his thesis work which sought to portray a visual, more realistic and thus deeper understanding of the veterans of the Vietnam War.  He procured artifacts, researched correspondence and testimonials and created images that would tell the story of these individuals.  The portraits of the individuals he interviewed are powerful, black and white and very personal.  The eye contact of the individuals almost seems to pierce through time and the camera and they are looking AT you.

Personally, what I can take from this, is inspiration to keep going with my own photography and look for ways to integrate archives and make something tangible that can be shared.

I was first introduced to his work via this article: Elderly People Look At Their Younger Reflections In This Beautiful Photo Series By Tom Hussey.

Other references include
"'ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU... ' Understanding Veterans of the Vietnam Era" by Tom Hussey, thesis paper.
American Society of Media Photographers
American Society of Media Photographers: Best of 2010: Tom Hussey

Photographer Spotlight: Joseph Dovala

Through a recently acquired hobby, I've realized that I have been missing an important part of photography in the past few years.  Researching other photographers and being aware of the technical possibilities, pushing the limits of conventional photography and taking it to greater depths, literally! Even before receiving my Open Water diver certification, I've been looking into the opportunities available to me that may not have been options before.  Underwater photography is high on the list of activities I would like to undertake.

One of the photographers that has peaked my interest is Joseph Dovala.
His images are striking and well composed.  The lighting and coloring can be tricky underwater, but some of his pieces have made strong statements.

"There is an old Dakota Sioux saying,
'We will be known forever by the tracks we leave behind.'
Turns out, it works for underwater, too."
-Dovala's blog

Dovala started his diving in 1967 in California when he was ten and has participated in many types of diving.  He is still in So Cal and dives locally in the Channel Islands.

His professional site is here: http://www.jcdovala.com/
Advanced Diver Magazine did a feature on his work that can be located here: http://www.advanceddivermagazine.com/articles/dovala/dovala.html

Post Processing or In the Camera?

One of the things I've been struggling with over the years is how much post-processing I want to do with my digital photos.  I started learning in a darkroom and the alterations that are made there are usually just seen as "printing" and a more natural evolution of the image.  With digital photos, I'm torn between knowing how much is a "tweak" and how much is serious post processing, moving into the realm of digital art and further from "true" photography?  In considering a subscription with Adobe's Creative Cloud to have access to tools to remove power lines, add a little pop with some saturation, maybe cover up some sidewalk in the corner...I have to question myself; is it still photography or has it become something else?

Currently, I work with many individuals who are digital artists, where all art is created on the screen or heavily manipulated to create effects that would otherwise be impossible to achieve. I find myself wondering if I were to dive into this to clean up my photographs for presentation, at what point does it become "digital art" instead of photography?

One of the websites in which I have been an on-again, off-again active member of is Worth1000. This website has contests that I have used to assist in my inspiration and habits of getting out there to take more photos.  They have a few sections, one for photography and one for photo effects.  There are strict guidelines as to what is permissible as far as digital edits are acceptable in the Photography section.  I have tried to also adhere to these guidelines in my own processing, but I'm wondering if that is somewhat limiting to myself.  I look at the work of other photographers and see that there is much bending to the original capture.  What is the modern-day value to the original capture?

Perhaps it is a by-product of using digital cameras.  The ability to take a lot of pictures quickly as well as the ability to crop, rotate, enhance in the post-processing stage has severely detracted from the painstaking step of composition at the time of capture. Hardly anyone who grew up with access to a digital camera knows what the value of a stand alone light meter or probably hasn't heard of the Zone System.  Are these completely outdated? And to bring up a thoroughly debated question: With all of these digital steps, can photography be considered a fine art?

Left: Image capture      Right: Post-processing enhancements