2018: A Good Start to the Photographic Year

As I mentioned in my last blog entry, I opened the New Year on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala.  Since then, I've spent time in Antigua and Guatemala City.

While I haven't had time to go through all of the photographs I shot, I thought I'd share a few that I've had time to process.

My feet in the black sand of the Pacific coast.  Technically this was shot at the end of 2017, but not processed until I returned from the beach in January.

My family and I had a wonderful breakfast at the Saberico Restaurant in Antigua, Guatemala.  Michael, the owner told us he uses organic and sustainable food.  Everything was also delicious.  This is an amazing restaurant that you don't want to miss.  In addition, I discovered that it had much to offer photographically. The bicycle and lemons were begging for a photo. (You can click on photos in this blog for a larger image).

A wider view of the same scene.

Eggs ready to be made into breakfast at the Saberico Restaurant.

These boots stuffed with plants are at the entrance to the Saberico Restaurant.

Agua Volcano from the rooftops of Antigua.

Antigua chimneys are unique to Antigua and the surrounding area.

Whenever I can, I like to photograph the windows at El Sitio in Antigua.  El Sitio promotes the arts and culture in Antigua.  It is also the site of my first international photographic exhibition a couple of decades ago.

I hope you've enjoyed a few of my first images of the year.  I assure you that there will be more to come.

You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com.

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This blog has been named one of the top 75 fine art photography blogs on the planet.

 

Men on a Bench

Men sitting, relaxing and socializing on a bench while the world goes on around them.... It's something that seems to happen everywhere -- in small towns and big cities.  It's also a subject for street photography.  Below are a couple of the images I captured this January in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala.

 

You can view my website at:  tombellart.com.

The Thing on the Bus

Sometimes, I think my photography blog is as much about the paranormal as it is about photography.  Whatever the case, when my photogaphy and I come across something strange or inexplicable, I publish it on the blog.  Having a camera, and taking photographs, ensures that you don't miss out on what's going on around you....even if it takes years to notice.

Tonight, I was going through  photographs stored on my hard drive that I took years ago.  When I don't have current photographs to work on, I  often find older images that I've missed to work on as possible fine art images.  The entrance to the Gresham Hotel is one image that has been ignored for eleven years, until I came across it again tonight. 

On my walk, I passed by the Gresham Hotel just to see if it was still there.  I had stayed there 22 years earlier, as a college student, while studying communications in Europe.  It was just as I  remembered it.

Another image is that of a tourist bus in London, taken only minutes after the image of the hotel. While the photo below lacks the aesthetic to be a fine art image, it certainly tells a story, as you will see from the zoomed-in view of the shot. The unaltered photograph of a London double decker bus was taken on June 11, 2002 at 4:07 p.m. (according to EXIF data stored with the image.)  I had been visiting the British Museum, and was on the way back to an underground station when I photographed a bus stopped in front of the well-known James Smith & Sons Umbrella Shop  (http://james-smith.co.uk/). 


A London double decker tour bus in front of  the James Smith & Sons Umbrella Shop on New Oxford St., London

The photo of the bus was shot just a few minutes after that of the hotel.  The image sat on my hard drive, and was transferred to other computers over the years as the old computers became obsolete.  I haven't viewed the photo since it was new, until tonight. However, as I zoomed in on portions of the photograph in Photoshop, I became clear that one of the passengers on the bus was not the usual sightseer.

Behind the driver, a hooded or cloaked sinister-looking gray figure, facing the back of the bus, arms crossed, seems to be turned and looking over its left shoulder at the camera.  More than likely, it is the driver's jacket or over-shirt, folded in such a way that details take on human or sub-human form.  If so, however, I'm amazed at how easy it is to make sense out of an inanimate form and make it seem something out of a horror movie.

The Thing on the Bus looks over its left should directly into the camera, as if caught by surprise.  Eyes, nose and mouth are easily visible under the cloak.

I don't know what the Thing on the Bus is.  I do know, however, that I  don't want to come across it again.  If you have any thoughts on the matter, please post below.

You can view my fine art photography blog at:  www.tombellart.com.

Dubs and the End of the World

Some of you have asked me to combine my last two posts about my friend Dubs McClusky to make it easier to read in one setting.  I've edited it under the title Dubs and the End of the World.  Here it is:

Dubs and the End of the World

My best friend, Dubs McClusky was at the house the other day.  Dubs is really more than a friend: he's a confidant, someone I can trust with my darkest secrets (he thinks a dark secret is one you tell at night); he's someone who will keep refilling his glass with my most expensive single malt whiskey without feeling the need to ask for permission about something so trifling.  I've known Dubs for more than twenty years, and if nothing else he's consistent (especially with my single malt).  Not being a photographer himself, he always tries to say something nice about my work, despite the fact that there's not an artistic bone in his body.

"I love your pictures, but they would look so much better in color.  You know, color pictures are just so much more colorful."

Worshiping the Maximon by Tom Bell.  Copyright 2012.  All rights reserved.  The Maximon embodies Mayan mysticism.  By the way, this one's in color for Dubs.

"It's a matter of preference, Dubs.  Some people really love black and white images."

"I know, but they stopped making movies in black and white because people like 'em in color more."  He poured another glass and looked silently pass me for far too long.

"Something wrong, Dubs?"

"I'm worried, Tom," he lamented.  "They're saying the end of the world's only a month away."  He took a big gulp and stared deeply into his glass. "You know about that Mayan end-of-the-world stuff, don't you?  I mean your wife is from Guatemala and speaks Spanish and stuff."

"Right, Dubs.  I also have some friends who are archaeologists.  They say there's nothing to worry about."

I saw a glimmer of hope in Dubs' eyes.  "You know, I saw a Three Stooges where the guys were archaeologists.  They found Rootin' Tootin's mummy."  He smiled deeply as his thoughts went back to the movie short of long ago.

"That was in black and white, by the way," I noted.

Magic by Tom Bell.  Copyright 2012.  All rights reserved.  

He nodded, as if I had revealed something important, then he was lost again. "The world can't end before Christmas.  What about the presents!  This Mayan stuff is serious business!  By the way, there's just a little left in the bottle; you don't want any do you?"

I picked up the bottle and poured the rest into his glass.

"You should keep this 15 year old Scotch all the time," he noted.  "Its really good."

"I bet."

"But what if it really is the end of the world?  What then!"

"Well, Dubs, I'm really looking forward to it.  If it's really the end of the world, it's the best event a photographer could hope for."

"What do you mean?"  The confusion on his face intensified.

"Can you imagine having something like that to photograph?," I asked.  "Every photographer in the world will be looking for the best angle, that fine art shot that defines the moment!  It's going to be something great!"

"Huh?"

"Mine will be in black and white!"

"But you said those archaeologists say there's nothing to it."  Dubs was almost in tears.

"What do they know?" I said.

"Really?  But.... you said...."

"I know what I said.  But this is it, Dubs.  My wife told me not to tell you.  But this is it..."

His eyes were huge. "Noooo.  You're just playin' with me aren't you."

"Sorry, Dubs."

Silence.  Dropped jaw. Owl eyes.

"Listen, Dubs, if I were you, I'd enjoy it since there's nothing we can do. Why don't you buy a case of this single malt. Make it a couple of cases and you'll get a discount.  Since you won't have to pay it back, use your credit card and buy a  couple of cases of the 18 year old stock.  I can store it and we can drink to the end of the world anytime you want.  We'll show those archaeologists!"

His mouth was still agape.

I wasn't sure if I should slap him slightly, but I decided to speak instead.  "It's okay, Dubs.  I promise that the last photograph I take as the world ends will be of you."

"Okay," he said after a while. He hesitated, "...but would it be okay if you did it in color?"

___

After about a week, I'm still waiting on the cases of 18 year-old stock I thought Dubs might deliver.
I shouldn't have played with his  mind like I did.  But,  I saw it as a way that he might partially reimburse me for some of the many bottles of 15 year-old single malt he's more than helped finish while sitting with me at the table over the years.

Dubs stopped by again just a few minutes ago.  "Hey, let's have a drink," he said.  "I want to ask you some more questions about that Mayan prophesy stuff."

"Okay," I said softly.  "Let's talk.  But I'm out of whiskey.  I just haven't had time to stop by the liquor store."

He stared at me and squinted for a while. "You know, Tom. I don't recall ever stopping by when you didn't have whiskey.  But, right now, I'd drink about anything."  His look was almost deathly.

"Something wrong, Dubs?"

"No, not really. I know your wife knows about this Mayan end-of-world stuff and all.  She has a real pretty voice when she speaks that Spanish.  But maybe she's wrong about it being the end of the world."

"She's never been wrong before, Dubs."

He looked at me seriously.

"Never," I intoned. 

He hesitated.  "Yeah, I know."

"You know, I've got a bottle of 12 year old rum," I offered. "It's one of the most most popular in Guatemala, and it's the Baktun edition."

"Back-toon," he said in an accent that made him sound southern. "Is that something like the rerun of a cartoon?"

"Well, sort of," I offered. "In this case, a Baktun is a Mayan period of time.  We're on the last one.  It ends on December 21.  That's the last day."

"A period of  time?"

"Yeah, it's about 400 years long.

I opened the bottle of rum and poured each of  us  a snifter.

"Hey, this is good," he said.  "A toast to the Back-toon!"

I lifted my glass.  "Yeah, drinking to it only ensures that it's gonna happen.  That's cosmic law."

"Huh..."

"Yeah, the end of the world.  It's okay. We've lived a long time.  It's time for creatures from some other universe to occupy our space!"

"What!"  He downed every drop in his snifter, and I quickly poured him another one.

"Sorry, Dubs," I apologized, "but it's time on this Earth for creatures that will appreciate 18 year-old Scotch, those that are more spiritually developed."

"What... I appreciate 18 year-old spirits.  I appreciate them a lot!"

"I know, Dubs, but I suggested you bring over a couple of cases, especially since it's the end of the world and you won't have to pay the credit card bill.  You  haven't done a thing!"

His eyebrows shot up.  "Why?  So we can toast to the end of the world again and again?"

"Yeah, but you can also toast against the end of the  world."

"Huh..."

"That's right.  That's what the Crystal Skull told my wife."

"The Crystal Skull?..."

I photographed this Crystal Skull in the  Popol Vuh Museum in Guatemala City.  My wife knew one of the curators who gave us special access, so this is one of the only photographs in existence of this particular crystal skull.  The red on the eyes, nose and mouth, is Cinnabar, a mercury compound used by the ancients for mystical purposes.  Since there's no backlight, I'm not sure why it glows.

"Yeah, there's a very special Crystal Skull at the museum in Guatemala City.  It might be hundreds of millions of years old, maybe billions, or even trillions.  No one is sure.  It told my wife that if enough people toast against the end of the world with very good whiskey, it might not happen.  It's eyes glowed red, and it told her. It told her in Spanish."

"Are you sure!" Dub was aghast.

"I photographed it as it was telling her how to prevent the end of the world."  I went to my files and pulled out a print of the Crystal Skull and handed it to him.

"It's real, he said, looking intently at the photo, "it's real. That means we can do something about the end  of the world!"

"That's right," I said.

"Okay!," he was almost yelling.  "I'm going out to buy a case right now. Call all our friends.  We're going to do some  toasting!"

"That's great," I smiled.  "I'll call some of  my buddies, you call some of yours. We'll meet here for a toast in an hour."

"That's great," he vocalized almost at the top of  his lungs. "Maybe the world's not goin' to end."  Then he paused with a puzzled look on this face

"What is it, Dubs?"

"You know, I don't want to sound like a kill-joy, but if the world doesn't end, I'm going to have to pay the credit card bill for all that whiskey, aren't I?"

I looked down in sympathy.  "You're right, Dubs.  The skull said it might be a problem.  Maybe it's better that the world just ends to make way for the more advanced beings."  I almost sniffled.

Dubs' again looked like a deer caught in headlights.  "Wait a minute," he said.  "Make those calls.  I'm off to the liquor store."

"Good call, Dubs," I said.  "The skull knows how to throw a party."

"Wow," he exclaimed as he went  out the door, "maybe you won't have to take that picture of me as the world ends, after all.  Maybe you can take a picture of me drinking against the end of the world!"

"Sounds good to me," I said.  "Just go out and get those cases of 18 year-old single malt before it's to late!"

You can view my website at www.tombellart.com.

A Video of Fine Art Photography from Guatemala

I did a presentation last year for which I created a video of my fine art photography of Guatemalan people and places.  Click on the little triangle in the video screen to watch.  If you enjoy it, please let your friends know.







You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com

Also you can use this code for a 25% discount on artwork from my website:  VCMYEX
The discount is for photographs and artwork only, and does not apply to framing, mats, etc.
The code is good until October 1.

More Street Photography - From the Files

The two images below have been on my hard drive unprocess for six years.  I've taken lots of photos of the same lady over the years.  Every time I visit Chichicastenango, she's always on the cathedral steps at pretty much the same place.    When I'm bored, I go back to the files to see if there's something that has potential.    These two images fit that category.

Flower vendor.  Chichicastenango, Guatemala. You can click on the photos for a larger view.

Flower Vendor.  Chichicastenango, Guatemala.

You can view my website at:  www.tombellart.com
 

Shooting Close to Home

I live in rural southern Illinois, only two hours away from St. Louis, Missouri.

Usually, I take the city for granted.  I pass through going to the airport several times each year, or attend an event.  I seldom think of it as a photographic opportunity -- not because it has nothing to offer, but rather because I've seen it thousands of times.  However, with my children's teenage cousin visiting from Spain, we viewed the city through the eyes of tourists a couple of weeks ago. We went to the top of the Arch and toured the museum.  We walked along Laclede's Landing and took in the sights.  We searched for a good restaurant and did lots of tourist things.  But this time I brought my camera and took a few moments to look for something more than a snapshot.

Here's a shot of the Jefferson National Expansion Monument (better known as the Gateway Arch) from one of the cobblestone streets at Laclede's Landing.

The Arch from Lacledes Landing

 It just goes to show that we shouldn't take what we already know for granted.  There's good photography everywhere, even in your own backyard.

From my Website to Bauhaus and Back!

Last week, I totally redesigned my website.  The idea was to provide an attractive, user-friendly gallery.  The site skipped the homepage altogether and went directly to the gallery.

My original homepage design is back!

After multiple questions about what happened to my old homepage, it's back!  The gallery is still new and far more user-friendly than the previous one, but the classic look of the original homepage is back.  I agree with the complainers:  the old homepage still works best as a gateway to the new gallery.

Let me know what you think.

http://www.tombellart.com/

The Strange Connection Between Twins

This is another post that has little to do with photography or Photoshop.  However, my twin brother, Bob, and I, who are the main characters in this story, are both photographers. We care deeply about achieving "art" in our photographs. We are also living proof of the strange connection between twins.  As before, this story is just too good not to tell.

In a little less than a month, this is the second strange coincidence that has occurred to me, both defying odds, and proving to me that there is more to life that we can understand.  My brother was not involved in the first incident.  However,  this coincidence is just as true and almost as amazing as the last one I reported.  Please see my entry of a few weeks ago: Mystery of the Miracle Frisbee.  You will understand that there is more to life than meets the average eye. 

An ambulance took my 88 year-old Mom to the hospital a little over a week ago.  It turned out to be a heart attack. She's still in the hospital recovering.  We're hopeful that her recovery will be complete.  The prayers of all who read this are appreciated.

My older brother was at the hospital immediately.  I was able to be there within a few hours.  My twin brother Bob was on a job in Alabama.  We didn't see him until late the following day.

Let me say at the outset that Bob and I are very different identical twins.  We're not the ones who dress alike and call each other every day.  I don't trip when his shoe lace is untied.  We do have a few similarities: we both like old movie serials and old time radio. We also take our photography seriously.  I had last seen him at Thanksgiving, and before that it had been at least two years. 

When Bob arrived at the hospital, I greeted him and he almost immediately went to check on our Mom.  My phone rang and I moved to the hallway to take the call.  It was my wife, checking in to see how my Mom was doing.  I paced around the hallway as I talked.  After a few moments, while still on the phone, I felt a bump on my wrist.  I turned and my brother was holding out his arm to show his wrist watch.  "Same one," he whispered.

I finished the call in a couple of more minutes, then took notice that he was indeed wearing the same watch as me.  Now, this might not be so hard to believe if it was a common timepiece you might pick up at Wal-mart or the local department store. But this is a 21 jewel, automatic movement, black face, see-through skeleton case back, black rubber strap, diver's watch, Invicta model 9110.

My brother Bob on the right of the inset.

As we talked, we discovered that we both had purchased our watches online within about a month of each other, for pretty much the same reasons.  We both wanted a rugged watch that would hold up to being dunked under water.  Neither of us wanted a battery powered watch because we've both had batteries die at inopportune times, only to have the water seal fail after the battery was replaced.  Also, neither of us likes a metal band.  The watch we bought had to be aesthetically pleasing and reasonably priced.  To be honest, that still leaves a lot of watches from which to choose.  Each of us could have chosen from hundreds or even thousands of watches from dozens of different brands.  However, we both choose exactly the same watch.  We were able to document it because we both brought our cameras to the hospital.

I know it's not impossible, but it's also extremely improbable.  I know you've heard of twin connections or coincidences before.  This is another one.  Feel free to post your thoughts.

You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com.

Paintings of Antigua, Guatemala

I though I'd post a few more paintings from my recent trip to Guatemala.  You can click on the images for a larger view.  Navigate between the images with the left and right arrow keys. Press the escape key to return to the blog screen.

Agua Volcano from Antigua, Guatemala.

Cart, Hotel Quinta de las Flores.  Antigua, Guatemala.

Antique Chair.  Hotel Quinta de las Flores, Antigua, Guatemala.

You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com

2nd WPGA Black & White Awards

I was surprised to learn that I have received  First, Second, and Third place awards in the Worldwide Photographic Gala Awards (WPGA)  2nd Edition B&W Photography Awards.  Additionally, there was also a Special Mention of the Jury.

 Loyal readers of my blog will remember the very first photo I ever published on this blog back in November of 2009.  In my first entry Learning Photoshop and my Dog have a Lot in Common, I wrote a sort-of-true story about my dog, Mr. Watson. The photo posted along with it was the one that won first place in the category of Animals and Wildlife.  Upon seeing the photo, a professional photographer wrote to me: "I feel I can communicate with this animal from his portrait."  Needless to say, you can see the intelligence in his eyes.  For more on that, be sure to read the 2009 entry.


Mr. Watson.  First Place in Animals and Wildlife category

The other two winners are a landscape and a street scene I photographed several years ago in Slovakia.  I waited until last year to process the images as black & white photographs.

Old Bratislava Street.  Second Place in Cityscapes and Street Photography category.

Holy Cross Chapel Landscape.  Third place in Landscape category.

The Special Mention of the Jury was the Arch of Santa Catalina in Antigua, Guatemala.

Arch of Santa Catalina, Guatemala.  Special Mention of the Jury (Cityscapes).

Congratulations to all the winners.  You can see them here.

My website is at:  http://www.tombellart.com/.

You Can Go Back - For Photographs

Everyone was away from home, so I decided to take a drive, camera beside me, to see the old Pomona General Store.  It was only forty minutes away, with nighttime and stormy skies approaching.  The last time I'd been there in the 1980's, the store was a tourist attraction on the way to a natural bridge formation in the Shawnee National Forest.  I remembered it fondly as a functioning piece of history, that still served sandwiches and Green River soda from an old-fashioned fountain. That was then. Now, it is a very different place.  As I pulled up, it was obviously both neglected and well-kept, with customers a long-forgotten memory. Flowers were in a bed on the porch, but it was also grown up around the building.  I was lucky in that the light was dramatic end-of-day light, with even more dramatic storm clouds in the background.  It was perfect for both black & white and color efforts. 

Click on each image for a larger view.  Use the browser's back button to get back.

After a few minutes the light was gone, and I drove home.  I had gone back, though, to a place that still exudes the character of another time.  I suppose this place will still be here in another thirty or fifty years, maybe longer.  I hope so; otherwise, it will be a very lonely and desolate spot. These are the type of places made for photography.

You can view my web site at http://www.tombellart.com/

PX3 - People's Choice Award

I just received word that my "Mayan Women" series won 2nd place in the Portrait category of the Prix de la Photographie, Paris (PX3) People's Choice Awards.  Congratulations to all the winners.

You can see all the People's Choice Award winners at:  http://px3.fr/winners/2011/public.php

My website is at:  http://www.tombellart.com/

PX3 - Views of Antigua, Guatemala

UPDATE:  I just learned that eight other entries are also official selections, in addition to the series below.

I was pleased to learn this morning that the jurors of the Prix de la Photographie, Paris (Px3), have named my Views of Antigua series as a "Px3 Official Selection for 2011."  The jury's final selection will be announced next week.

You can find the Px3 at px3.fr. 

My website is at: tombellart.com.

Portrait & People WPGA Awards Announced

I received word this morning that I'm a Gold Award winner in the Worldwide Photograhic Gala Awards Portrait & People competition.  I'm also a finalist in the Pollux Awards to be announced later in March.

Mayan Beauty



Congratulations to all the winners and participants!

You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com/.

The Price of Gas: A New Conspiracy Theory (with Photographic Proof)!

An ordinary day, what appears to be the usual commute to the office:  Who would think I would uncover the greatest dastardly scheme to befall the innocent American consumer!

I leave home for work, then four minutes later as I’m going by the local convenience store, I have an irresistible urge to use the bathroom -- unusual to say the least.  I rush in only to find a line of people at the restroom doors  -- again, unusual at just after 7:00 in the morning.  Some of them are jumping up and down and muttering lines such as,  “Hurry up, I’ve really got to pee.” 

“Wow,” I say to myself, as the line grows behind me,  “who would think there’s such a line for the bathroom.”

Finally, I use the facilities, then like everyone else who had been in line, I leave with some snacks and a drink.  I’m already stopped, so I fill the car up with gas before getting back on the road.  At this particular place, unleaded is going for $3.39 a gallon, six cents cheaper than some of the stations only a couple of miles away.

I pull back onto the road, then, glancing through the rear view mirror, the answer to the bathroom queue is revealed to me on the electronic billboard announcing the price of gas.  It’s a conspiracy to make people pee!  I know, I know, you think I’m some kind of ranting loon like Mel Gibson in the Conspiracy Theory movie; actually, you think I make him look sane. But it’s true and the proof is reflected in my car’s rear view mirror.  I’m on to them and they can’t stop me from telling the truth.  As I’ve told you before in by blog, always carry a camera.  Who would think it could prove the greatest mad plot of the twenty-first century?



This is proof that you should always carry a camera. 
 A conspiracy is revealed in the photograph

“Oh, just a coincidence,” you say.  A mirror image of the word "pee" on the gas price sign -- just a coincidence?  I think not!  If the price had been $3.45 instead of the ever-so-clever $3.39, the hoards wouldn’t have been stopping to empty their bladders.  They also wouldn’t have been leaving the store with sodas, coffee, beef jerky, and pricey reflective stickers of Justin Bieber.

Now, we must ask just how widespread is this conspiracy.  Are there hundreds, even thousands of convenience stores with the secret to the billboard that will subliminally force us to pee, then buy all sorts of unneeded food and trinkets as we leave the store?

I demand an investigation.  Who is behind this sinister manipulation and what is next on their agenda?  Look in the rear view mirror at your convenience store and let me know if this insidious conspiracy has reached your neighborhood.  Warn your neighbors, friends, and family before it’s too late.  Contact your elected officials. And when you feel the urge to pull into a convenience store to use the bathroom --resist.  That’s when you know they’ve gained control of your mind.

Let’s stop this mad conspiracy.  If you pee, the bad guys win. Please don’t pee! 

You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com/.

Boredom Can Save Images from Oblivion

It's 8 degrees Farenheit outdoors at my home in Illinois.  I'm off work because snow and ice have closed down the College where I work. 

It's really a perfect time to go through my archives of old photos that weren't good enough for me to take a second look at until I  got bored.  Sometimes, they're just not interesting in color, so I take the time to imagine them in black & white.  That's when I see the mistake I made in putting them aside in the first place.

Arch of Santa Catalina, Antigua, Guatemala

El Sitio, Antigua, Guatemala

Lily Pond, Antigua, Guatemala



The three images above sat on my hard drive for years before I took a serious look.  I'll be more careful before I put away images.

You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com/.

Some of my more recent images are on my National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) portfolio:  http://www.photoshopuser.com/members/portfolios/view/gallery/1263242.