The Blog At Ainsworth Images

“I began to realize that film sees the world differently than the human eye, and that sometimes those differences can make a photograph more powerful than what you actually observed.”

Tom Kostes — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:19:01 +0000

Friday, February 3, 2012

“I began to realize that film sees the world differently than the human eye, and that sometimes those differences can make a photograph more powerful than what you actually observed.” ~ Galen Rowell

Understanding the above can give you great freedom in your work and enable one to transform oneself from a mere “picture taker” into a full blown artist. Once you understand the difference between the reality and the image, you can take advantage of that difference to create truly powerful images.

This is an image looking sound down the Oregon coast for a lookout south of Canon Beach, the waves are crashing, the sun is shinning and the sky if full of massive clouds, a photographers paradise!

Enjoy,
Tom

“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition…”

Tom Kostes — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:03:32 +0000

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.” ~ Alan Alda

You cannot create outstanding images with your thoughts or by following a plan in your head. You can develop your technical skills that way, but you need to see and shoot with your intuition and your heart to venture into the rarified air of great images. These are the treasures of your being; that will lead you to your own uniqueness and from there alone springs original work.

There is really nothing “simple” about Haystack rock. It is a whole eco-system in itself, the title refers to the image, Haystack and little else. One of the “wonders of the world“ along the Oregon coast.

Enjoy,
Tom

“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.”

Tom Kostes — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:23:08 +0000

Friday, January 27, 2012

“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.” ~ Basho

Hero worship, no matter how worthy the subject, is a waste of time. Seek what it was or is that makes them special to you. That’s where the real treasure lies and unless you realize it within yourself you will always be less than genuine. You must attain the “honest-to-goodness” goods to become a person of unfeigned worth, capable of great works. To me, that is exactly what Basho is saying in the above quote.

This is an image captured along my beloved Oregon coast, a place of magic and inspiration. I work my hardest to do its majesty justice. It was a very foggy day, because of this the image is almost black and white, but the little bit of color in the water adds to the “feel” of the day.

Enjoy,
Tom

“The artist, and particularly the poet, is always an anarchist in the best sense of the word…”

Tom Kostes — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:09:29 +0000

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

“The artist, and particularly the poet, is always an anarchist in the best sense of the word. He must heed only the call that arises within him from three strong voices: the voice of death, with all its foreboding, the voice of love and the voice of art.” ~ Federico Garcia Lorca

I have been an artist my whole life. I have always considered poetry the purest form of art. That has led me to strive to reveal the poetry within all things in my images. To paraphrase Galen Rowell, I think of my images as my symphonies. I work on each one, from the first visualization, to the final sharpening in post as a complete and complex composition, attempting to express my inner feelings at the time of capture. Like all artists, I don’t always succeed, but when I do, I feel I have given my all.

Here are some wonderfully lit clouds, at sunset, with some blue sky still visible, along with some bare trees.

Enjoy,
Tom

“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place…”

Tom Kostes — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:47:55 +0000

Friday, January 20, 2012

“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.” ~ Picasso

Then the challenge is to bring that emotion to your image so that it grabs the viewer. It what bring life to the image and engages the viewer. You have to have insight, talent and technical skill to carry it off and it takes a lifetime to achieve. You can create great work along the way, but the goal is to constantly improve your ability to communicate your vision.

This is another image that shows nature as a sculptress, this time a relief with great texture on the sand and in the water.

Enjoy,
Tom

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.”

Tom Kostes — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:25:44 +0000

Wednesday, January19, 2012

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” ~ Albert Einstein

Is not all life mysterious? I am mysterious, even to myself, all the creatures we see and hear are mysterious the view thru a telescope is most mysterious. I personally embrace the mysterious and agree with John Muir that “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.“

OK, I’m not saying that this is the most original or creative image in the universe, however, talk about mysterious, look what comes to light as the tide recedes! A whole galaxy of mysterious creatures that live out their own existence beneath the waters, (unless I gather some of those large Mussels and cook em’ up!) Anyway, the mysterious is everywhere you look and if you look with a quiet mind and open eyes even the everyday is full of mystery, just waiting for you to reveal it in you images.

Enjoy,
Tom

“It was exposed forever on the thin emulsion of my mind”

Tom Kostes — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:20:42 +0000

Wednesday,

January11, 2012

“A favorite quote I love to share is this. “It was exposed forever on the thin emulsion of my mind” to which I add, “and a beat of the heart.” There is simply no ISO that can capture that.” ~ Moose Peterson

This is a quote I found over on Moose’s site. (Link) He uses it to explain why he tends not to push the ISO. It’s an important point to me, because it emphasizes an important state of mind for the artist. The artist must feel and experience deeply to create great work. If an image doesn’t come from the heart its a dead image, but there are some moments so special nothing can capture it but the heart itself!

Nature, using her tools of water and wind sculpts wonderful patterns, full of life and motion. Here is one such creation that caught my eye and imagination.

Enjoy,
Tom

“Photography is all about light, composition and, most importantly, emotion.”

Tom Kostes — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:11:54 +0000

Friday, January 6, 2012

“Photography is all about light, composition and, most importantly, emotion.” ~ Larry Wilder

If you don’t feel anything from your images, why would anyone else. You must connect with your image and then use all the resources at your command to project that feeling into your work, then others will connect with it as well.

This is a fantastic rock formation on the beach in Oceanside, Oregon. Here the tide was low enough to allow me capture it at just the angle I was looking for. This was a very low tide, otherwise I would have been neck deep in very cold water!

Enjoy,
Tom

“To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June.”

Tom Kostes — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:12:17 +0000

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

“To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June.” ~ Jean-Paul Sartre

Every time of the year has its delights. To sit by the fire, reading a book in January, perhaps with a nice, warm cup of tea can be enjoyable and restive to the soul. Springtime, of course has its own joys, but seems far away in January, so, to my mind, it’s best to enjoy each season appropriately!

I was tempted to turn this early morning, winter seascape into Black & White, but I really like the pale blue of the sky and thought the image was stronger retaining it. It enhances the overall “moodiness” of the image.

Enjoy,
Tom

“You have done what you could — some blunders and absurdities have crept in. Forget them as soon as you can…”

Tom Kostes — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:37:30 +0000

Friday, December 30, 2011

“You have done what you could — some blunders and absurdities have crept in. Forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” ~ Emerson

This is a great way to start the NewYear, “unencumbered with your old nonsense, serenely and with a high spirit.” It’s also a good way to start your work each day, so it’s kept fresh and new and full of possibility. You can’t fix the past, but what you do in the present will surely affect the future. So today is our key to tomorrow. If we keep that in our mind as we move forward we will shape our tomorrow in very powerful ways. Let do it! Starting today!

Nature is a wonderful Sculptress. You can see it in her rock formations, patterns left in the sand and certainly in this piece of driftwood. Her works are endless and of a boundless variety to those with eyes to see.

Enjoy,
Tom

The Blog At Ainsworth Images

“I began to realize that film sees the world differently than the human eye, and that sometimes those differences can make a photograph more powerful than what you actually observed.”

Friday, February 3, 2012

“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition…”

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.”

Friday, January 27, 2012

“The artist, and particularly the poet, is always an anarchist in the best sense of the word…”

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place…”

Friday, January 20, 2012

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.”

Wednesday, January19, 2012

“It was exposed forever on the thin emulsion of my mind”

Wednesday, January11, 2012

“Photography is all about light, composition and, most importantly, emotion.”

Friday, January 6, 2012

“To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June.”

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

“You have done what you could — some blunders and absurdities have crept in. Forget them as soon as you can…”

Friday, December 30, 2011

Wednesday,

January11, 2012