One more time

What inspired me to say that fiber class was over after my last blog?  With the Tierra Wools Spring Festival on Saturday, I have yet a few more photographs of the fiber ilk to share with you.

It is sometimes difficult to judge when winter has ended and spring has begun, and we shed our winter garb with wild abandon.  Imagine how it feels to a sheep which carries a huge coat around until shearing season arrives.  Below are "before" shots of churro sheep awaiting the shears.

And what I would term a "way after" photograph.  Pillow by Joe Bacon against a noble adobe wall at Tierra Wools in Los Ojos.

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image

Fiber, fiber everywhere

Historical origins of items we consume and use in our modern life of convenience are of real and abiding interest to me.  How in heaven's name, for instance, did someone decide that the bitter pill which is an olive could be brined and made into an absolutely divine treat?  Or that removing the pit and crushing the fruit would make such an incredible silky and delectable oil?  There are so many products, both Old World and New World that we eat, use, and take for granted.

On the surface, other products, such as wool and leather seem a little more obvious and logical.  May I introduce you to Badger, one of Connie Taylor's Navajo-Churro lambs from the spring of 2006?  The colors in his coat are amazing.

Photographing assorted wool products this month and attending the Taos Fiber Marketplace which was held this past weekend, made me think about felt.  It is another mystery product for me, made from animal fiber, but how did someone originally think that matting, pressing and condensing the fiber would make such functional and interesting products?  A huge variety of products from yurts to motor vehicles use felt.

Minna White has started her own line of functional felted products called Lana Dura.  One of the beverage holders, shown below, is perfect for keeping things at even temperatures and is big enough for the tallest bottles of wine or vodka.

The way fibers are felted is totally different from how they are used in a woven product.  Photographing it helps me see how differently the fiber behaves in felt than in a woven piece.   A "Stowe Away" bag from Lana Dura is shown below.  Next to it is a close up of the felt used.   Clicking on the shots produces bigger images for further investigation.

                                                        

                                               

Here is a detail of woven wool.

Fiber class is over for now.  The next fiber floating in the northern New Mexico air will be from the cottonwood trees, as they start their active season.  After all, it is spring and Earth Day!

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image

                              

Fiber runway continues

As promised in last week's blog, I am including several more images from the Taos Fiber Arts fashion shoot at the beginning of the month.

Sometimes, within a particular photo shoot, such as this one and frequently weddings, a photographer is aware enough (and luck is on his or her side) to get a really great portrait which has not much at all to do with the subject matter at hand.  Although in this image, Ashley is wearing a one-of-a-kind felted shawl, this is a lovely portrait.

The "Ashley" here looks completely different, posed against Fred's Ganado red rug.  Double click on the image to see more detail in any portion of the photograph, including her tattoos.

And a final image from the wooden runway outside Taos Fiber Arts.

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image

Fashion week...in Taos?

It is spring.  The wind is blowing, the snow has disappeared below 7,500 feet elevation, and bulbs are out of the ground, ready to produce an abundance of color.  Spring and summer clothing is slowly making its way out of closets, so why not call it "fashion week in Taos?"

I had an extraordinary opportunity to do a product/fashion shoot at Taos Fiber Arts this week.  Owners Julie and Ashley Cloutman were organized, ready, and excited about giving some of their work a whirl on the wood, flagstone, and adobe runways.

The shoot could not have been better.  Ashley is the consummate model, the sun played games giving equal amounts of shadow and softness, and the breeze provided, gratis, that "wind in the hair look".  Note what the mother-daughter team describe as "Zombie couture" felted jeans jacket.

For this image, I wanted to make sure that the tree's shadow did not produce "hatchet" lighting.  With the partly cloudy sky, a nice softness fell on Ashley's face.  Fred Black's "Ganado red" rug, # 168, provides a popping backdrop. 

More "zombie couture" with fill/reflected light courtesy of the white walls

There will be more images from this shoot in next week's blog.  Too many good ones not to share!

Thanks, Julie, Ashley, and Fred!

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image  

Fooling around

Perhaps it is due to the warmer and longer days, or the fact that April has arrived but it is time to be just a tad goofy with the camera.  And it is April Fool's Day.  One never knows what will happen!

For your viewing pleasure, here is part of my office style in all its untidy glory!

In a more traditional photographic note....

...overflowing with roses

Tag, Steve!

until next Monday

DB

a passion for the image