FREE Wallpaper for Your Desktop!

The Disciples

Eight of my most popular photographs are now available as beautiful and FREE wallpapers for your desktop! Each image is optimized for your particular display resolution.

Please visit my new Wallpaper page, select your desired photograph and display resolution, and follow the instructions for saving to your desktop. Enjoy!

Exhibition News

Joshua Trees, Indian Summer Sky

Joshua Trees, Indian Summer Sky was juried into the international Black & White exhibition at the Center for Fine Art Photography. The exhibition will run from August 28 through September 26, 2009 at the Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, Colorado. Michael’s photograph was one of 51 selected from 2200 international entries.

Additionally, Burned Pinyon Pines in Fog was juried by René de Guzman (Senior Art Curator at the Oakland Museum of California) into the international exhibition Glimpses in Time: 2009. This marks the second year in a row that Michael’s work has been accepted into this exhibition. The exhibition will run from July 3 through July 31, 2009 at the Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland, California.

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

Workshop Announcement – Introduction to Large Format Photography

Large Format Photographer

This workshop is now FULL!. Please email Michael to be placed on the waiting list.

I will be teaching an Introduction to Large Format Photography class on the weekend of August 1-2, 2009, in the beautiful Eastern Sierra. If you’re curious about the format, or already own the camera but aren’t sure that you’re using it correctly, this workshop is intended for you! At the completion of this intensive two-day workshop, you will be able to competently and efficiently compose, focus, and expose your own photographs with a large format view camera. The cost for this workshop is only $295 per person, but the space is limited to four photographers. Act now to ensure your spot at this workshop.

Click here for more details and registration. Please let me know if you have any questions, and thanks for looking!

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

Ultrachrome Inks for Sale/Barter

I have a set of 220ml genuine Ultrachrome inks (not K3!) for sale/barter. They can be used in an Epson Stylus Pro 4000, 7600, or 9600. These ink carts were taken from an Epson 7600 which was converted to non-Epson inks, and are in various states of fullness (noted by weight and ‘feel’). A new/full Epson UltraChrome cart weighs 13.9 ounces (including cart. weight).

MIS Eboni Black (Matte Black;UT7-T5448-UTK): new/unopened. Retail $69.95. Asking $50 plus shipping. This can be used as a direct replacement for Epson Matte Black. It is more neutral (less warm) than Epson’s Matte Black and achieves slightly better Dmax. This ink will not harm an Ultrachrome printer.

MIS Eboni Black (Matte Black;UT7-T5448-UTK): 12.0 ounces (“feels” nearly full). This can be used as a direct replacement for Epson Matte Black. It is more neutral (less warm) than Epson’s Matte Black and achieves slightly better Dmax. This ink will not harm an Ultrachrome printer. No reasonable offer refused.

Epson MK (Matte Black) T5441: 11.6 ounces; “feels” near full. No reasonable offer refused.

Epson LK (Light Black) T5447: 10.9 ounces; “feels” more than ¾ full. No reasonable offer refused.

Epson Cyan T5442: 7.1 ounces; “feels” like 20% or less remaining. No reasonable offer refused.

Epson Light Cyan T5445: 12.7 ounces; “feels” full. No reasonable offer refused.

Epson Magenta T5543: 7.2 ounces; “feels” like 20% or less remaining. No reasonable offer refused.

Epson Light Magenta T5446: 10.2 ounces; “feels” about ¾ full. No reasonable offer refused.

Make ANY reasonable offer on the partial carts of Eboni, LK, LC, and LM, and
you can have the less-full C, M, carts for free.

Thanks for looking and considering.

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

Photo, picture: Mojave Yucca

Mojave Yucca (Yucca schidigera)

The Mojave Yucca is one of the most ubiquitous plants in the Mojave Desert. Looking at this photograph, you might think that these thread-like filaments would make great thread, rope, and sandals. Native Americans also thought so, and that’s exactly what they did with this plant.

Is this an “abstract” photograph? A lot of photographers use this term loosely enough that they end up designating many straight photographs as “abstract”. I define as abstract only those photographs which challenge me to the point that I cannot identify the object(s) photographed. When subjects are not completely representational but easy to identify (like my photograph of this Mojave Yucca), I term them “extracts” (I “extracted” only this portion of the Yucca from the more representational full view of the plant).

What do you call it?

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

Photo, picture: Frosted Cottonwood Leaves and Grass

Frosted Cottonwood Leaves and Grass Mini-Print

Frosted Cottonwood Leaves and Grass, seen here as a Mini-Print (8″ wide print, 11×14″ mounting/matting, ready-to-frame).

As with many of my photographs, this photograph stayed buried in my files for about 1.5 years before it was unearthed and released. Why? My subconscious photographic vision tends to precede my conscious understanding of the photographs I make. Huh? Simply put, it takes me while to come to grips with my photographs. I work on gut instinct and photograph immediately when I’m beckoned to and ask questions later. After I’ve developed my film, the photographs often don’t look as I had hoped they would, and often too short a time span between the time of the photograph and my first printing of it tends to tie me too emotionally to the image. I was there; I saw and photographed it; it was a great moment; it must be good. Not so.

I like to let time lapse so that I can revisit my photographs later – after I’ve well disconnected myself from the actual experience. It’s only this way that I’m able to judge my images from a bit more of an unbiased base. As a photographer, it’s all too easy to be in love with every photograph I make (I work hard at my photography; why shoudn’t I?). As a photographic artist, only ruthless analysis and editing of my photographs will separate the wheat from the chaff.

Mini-Prints: All photographs on my website are now available as 8″ Open Edition Mini-Prints. All rectangular/panoramic photographs are printed to 8″ on the their longest side, and square images are printed to 6″. Open Edition Mini-Prints are hand-signed and made using the same top-quality archival materials as my Limited Edition prints, and all arrive mounted/matted and ready to be inserted into off-the-shelf 11×14″ frames. Best of all, they’re an outstanding value at only $50 each. To purchase, select any photograph and click the “purchase a print” link found beneath it, then select the 8″ Mini-Print option. Please be sure to add the $1 mounting/overmatting “Display Option” to your print selection.

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

NEW Photographs, NEW Mini-Prints

Oaks, Grasses, and Light

NEW Photographs: I am excited to announce the release of twenty-eight new photographs. Please see the New Work portfolio to view them.

NEW Mini-Prints: Recessionary times call for recessionary measures.

I am excited to announce that all photographs on my website are now available as 8″ Open Edition Mini-Prints. All rectangular/panoramic photographs are printed to 8″ on the their longest side, and square images are printed to 6″. Open Edition Mini-Prints are hand-signed and made using the same top-quality archival materials as my Limited Edition prints, and all arrive mounted/matted and ready to be inserted into off-the-shelf 11×14″ frames. Best of all, they’re an outstanding value at only $50 each.

To purchase, select any photograph and click the “purchase a print” link found beneath it, then select the 8″ Mini-Print option. Please be sure to add the $1 mounting/overmatting “Display Option” to your print selection.

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

Abusing Camera Gear in the Field

Photographer Guy Tal photographs The Maze

Outdoor photographers often subject their gear to poor environmental conditions: rain, wind, sleet, snow, blowing sand, and blowdowns. Blowdowns? My camera(s) have been blown over by strong gusts of wind more times than I care to remember. But I’ve been fortunate. I’ve yet to have anything break (beyond use) in the process, and all my gear has continued to work just fine despite its injuries.

About one year ago, while at California’s Amboy Crater, one of my lensboards was not securely fastened to the front standard of my 4×5″ view camera (my hasty mistake), and thus my Schneider Apo-Symmar-L 120mm lens went crashing onto the basalt surrounding the crater. No glass was shattered, but the front element of the lens was pitted in two locations. No worries; I mounted the lens back onto the camera, and proceeded to make this photograph. Don’t let anyone tell you that a scratched and/or pitted front element signals the end of a lens, because it doesn’t.

Moments after making the above photograph of good friend, writer, and photographer Guy Tal, we were in the eye of a thunderstorm downburst. From out of nowhere, winds kicked ferociously through our camp, sending our personal effects in all different directions. Despite having roughly fifty pounds of ballast hanging from my tripod (large rocks stuffed in my backpack), my rig was no match for the swirling winds. Guy and I watched as my Chamonix 045-N view camera, mounted with my already abused Schneider Apo-Symmar-L 120 mm lens, went smashing violently into the ground. A testament to both the camera and lens quality, both survived almost entirely unscathed. No broken ground glass, no additional pits on the front element. One of the rear standard’s rails was slightly bent, but it was perfectly usable afterwards. We then spent the next ten minutes chasing down equipment and effects that had blown in all compass directions away from our camp.

As an outdoor photographer, I don’t believe in babying my gear. They’re just tools to help me create my art, and if the tools get damaged in the process of having great experiences and making great photographs, then I’m all for it! Besides, I’d have no stories to tell around the campfire.

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

Photo, picture: Elaterite Butte

Elaterite Butte

Here’s another one from my journey into The Maze. We had several days of amazing weather.

Click on the thumbnail for a downloadable 1200 pixel wide version for your desktop. Enjoy!

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.

Photo, picture: Weather Over The Maze

We were running Jasper Ridge (between Jasper Canyon and Shot Canyon) when this beautiful weather started to move in on us. We were a bit of distance from the vehicle and safety from the weather, so it wasn’t unusual for Guy to try to encourage us to evacuate the ridge while we still had a chance (I’m a risk-taker, so I wanted to absorb every bit of that wild weather from our high perch!). Steve’s calculations (based on the time it takes for thunder to follow lightning) indicated that the center of the cell was just five miles to our east. We still had time to shoot and be in awe.

As Guy and I kept photographing from our perches, Steve made his way back to my truck parked at Chimney Rock. When we finally caught up to him – hiding from the light rain on the lee side of my truck – he informed us that my truck’s antenna was buzzing. No sh*t, it was buzzing big-time, so I finally got a little nervous (even though nobody’s hair was yet standing and no one had that particular metallic taste in their mouth). We quickly got in the truck and insulated by the tire rubber. What a memory!

This photograph is available as a 1152 pixel wide desktop wall paper. Click on the thumbnail for the enlarged view to download.

You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Michael E. Gordon. For additional photos and information, please visit his official website.