Park Studies, Spokane, WA

Manito Park, Duncan Garden, study, Approx. 18x122, © Dennis DeHart, 2012

Liberty Park, study, 18x114, ©Dennis DeHart, 2012

Rainbow

Rainbow, Archival Pigment Print, From the series At Play, Dennis DeHart, 2012

Red Door Drive Thru

Red Door Drive Thru, Archival Pigment Print, Photographed in Prescott, Arizona, 2004

At Rest

At Rest (Working title) Digital Capture, From the series At Play, 

© Dennis DeHart, 2012

Thinking About Plants

Tree Curl, Photographed in the Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica

http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/media/magazine/articles/27-1-slowlife-plants-in-motion.aspx?page=4

In botany, morphology is the study of plants’ form and structure; physiology deals primarily with plants’ functions. The shapes, growth patterns, and environmental influences of plants can often result in a truly arresting form. But a closer look reveals that there is function as well. Here a tree’s unique shape of the branches is a direct result of its mountainside location. The photograph, taken in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica, documents the tree’s energetic struggle to compete with other plants in an environment limited by such resources as sunlight and water.-Dennis DeHart

Tech Talk: Tools and Process

Today I was doing some technical tests with my 4x5 Field Camera and a Leaf Digital Back. I have been curious about using this combination for a while and am trying deduce if it is worth my time and energy to employ in aspects of my project, Rambles in the Park. I am currently using a manual Graflok adaptor for the digital back. The process is more akin to shooting with film in terms of focusing, replacing the focusing back with the digital back, and the like. Needless to say, it is very process oriented, and won't change unless I pony up and buy a sliding back adaptor that is 5x more expensive than the manual back.

A self described homeless woman from California with her 9 month old son. I was doing technical tests and she proceeded to sit down in front of my camera and nurse and knit. 

I have an assortment of 4x5 lenses that vary in quality. This morning I was using a Fujinon 90mm lens from perhaps the late 70's . In the past I have used this lens for black and white work and have suspected that the coating/color of the lens was off a bit for color work. After doing some tests this morning, I discovered that the shutter does not work with the digital back below a 1/15 of a second (see below) I also discovered a purplish halo on the subject in certain combinations. 

detail: note purple halo around the babies face

Some people enjoy the process oriented aspects of the view camera. Several of my students embrace the process of large format. I feel this combination is a great way to teach students to slow down and visualize. For me, working with the 4x5 (and film) for Land of the Stratus was rewarding, though I purposely chose to work with the camera, so as to slow down and go back to the basics. 

An exposure at 1/8 of a second with a Leaf Back

My plan is to keep testing this combination for the sake of knowledge, experimentation, and education. At this point, I think investing in a high quality wide angle lens for the the Mamiya 645 DF may be a more practical solution for my current workflow. At some other juncture, perhaps myself or one of my students will find the ideal project to employ this combo. I feel there is a potential, for the right project, to use this hybrid combination of tools and techniques. 

4x5 with Leaf Aptus Digital Back, 90mm lens, F8, 1/15 second, 50 ISO (note no color distortion on this image)

Emmit DeHart's Self Portrait

Emmit's self portrait will be included in Grand Foulard's artist in residence project with the van Goghhouse Zundert. http://www.vangoghhuis.com

Kiyomi (Coco) is included in Fraction Magazine, Issue 38 - May 2012 - The Fourth Anniversary

http://fractionmagazine.com/

Hoola

Hoola, From the Series At Play, © Dennis DeHart, 2012

sLowlife at the Montshire Museum of Science

sLowlife, September 15-November 25, 2012

No Culture Icons

Found some of my At Play images on this site. For the record, NCI does not have anything to do with the developing of my work. While I am flattered that they posted some of my images, NCI technically did not ask for my consent. 

No Culture Icons is a mail order Photography lab based in Central Leeds, UK, set up by the founders of the No Culture Icons Collective dedicated to providing a professional photographic service.

As well as being a Film Lab, we also run an Arts collective, so we're also a promotional tool for your photography! We have a 'Developed by No Culture Icons' section + Flickr page on our site where we show off both our developing and your photography (at your consent)

Winter Ravine

Winter Ravine, Color Photography, Winter 2012, ©Dennis DeHart

Duck Love

Duck Love, Color Photography, © Dennis DeHart, 4.12

At Play Featured on Lenscratch

http://www.lenscratch.com/2012/04/dennis-dehart.html

Lenscratch is a blogzine that explores contemporary photography and offers opportunities for exposure and community. Considered one of the 10 Photography-Related blogs you should be reading bySource Review, Wired.com, and InStyle Magazine. Founded and Edited by Aline Smithson

Gnomes and Friends

 Point and Follow, Edition Archival Pigment Print, From the Series At Play, 

© Dennis DeHart, 2012

Gnomes and Friends, Edition Archival Pigment Print, From the Series At Play, 

© Dennis DeHart, 2012

Rabbit

Rabbit, Digital Capture, At Play, 3.12, © Dennis DeHart, 2012

Artist Statement (Re-edit, March 31, 2012)

Nietzsche wrote "maturity consists in having found once again the seriousness one has as a child at play." Twenty years after reading this, the quote seems even more apt as I observe and participate with play in my own children's life. The series places the context of nature at the forefront of consciousness, while framing nature play as integral to childhood development and education. Family and community are central to At Play. I draw inspiration from personal and cultural myths, family stories, homes, travels, and the backyard. All the photographs were taken in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho) USA.

SPE 2012

Spe 2012 with Flounder Lee, Linda Adele Goodine, Patrick Craig Manning and Dennis DeHart

Dennis DeHart, Alison Carey, Myra Greene, and Michelle Evans

New Promo Cards for SPE in San Francisco

4x6 promo cards for At Play

CEPA Gallery's Eleventh Biennial Art Auction

Counting the Waves and A Still Life

Counting the Waves, From the series At Play, © Dennis DeHart, 2012

Still Life Study, © Dennis DeHart, 2012

Pacific Northwest Photography Viewing Drawers at Blue Sky Gallery

   

Pacific Northwest Photography Viewing Drawers, photos Tricia Hoffmam

My series, At Play, is included in the Pacific Northwest Photography viewing drawers at Blue Sky.

Historical Bonneville Dam

8.18.1936. Bonneville, Dam Construction

http://www.bpa.gov/power/pl/columbia/4-gal-1.htm

In the mail today, my finished, final, done, completed; Land of the Stratus book.

Olmsted Project/Visualizing Works in Progress with Prezi

Works in Progress.
Rambles in the Parks; Olmsted’s Distant Effects in the Pacific Northwest.
Photographs by Dennis DeHart.
Special thanks to Joan Hockaday's book, Greenscapes, WSU Press

SPE Dance Picture Via Stone

SPE Dance Photo (Year?) including Henry Horenstein, Mark Klett, Lawrence McFarland, 

Jim Stone, Myra Greene, Kathleen Robbins, and Dennis DeHart