Monday, July 30, 2007

something new


untitled, originally uploaded by Joseph Orsillo.

So I decided to try something a little different. Most of my images are usually on the darker side, either literally or figuratively. For this image I wanted to see if I could make something light and cheery. I think the white works well to off set the yellow in this chrysanthemum. I will have to investigate this high key stuff a little further...

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

mourning calla


mourning calla, originally uploaded by Joseph Orsillo.

Ahh, the good old days. I want to say I made this image way back in high school, or maybe it was early in college. I've never had much of a memory. I was much more morose those days and this image represents the type of photographer I wanted to be. I saw the work of J.P. Witkinand was in immediate awe. I guess I never really developed this style but it still fascinates me and who knows, I might just get it one day.

Friday, July 6, 2007

callas and spring


callas and spring, originally uploaded by Joseph Orsillo.

We're going way back now. This shot was captured on black and white film! Remenber that? Its hard to believe, I know, but back in the day photographers used to expose a light sensetive film that had to then be sloshed around in smelly chemicals. And that was just the begining. These so called 'negatives' then had to printed onto a sheet of light sensetive paper which also had to take a nasty chemical bath. In this particular case the negative was a full 8x10 inches and was used to make platinum contact prints. The results (in my opinion) were spectacular. These days I'm able to come pretty close to those results by 'scanning' the negative with my Betterlight, a little magic in Photoshop, and final output to my Epsonon Velvet Fine Artpaper. Oh, and no more stinky fingers...

Moonrise over Zabriskie?

Here's a shot from Zabriskie Point in Death Valley. This was from my first workshop with the Nocturnes group. It’s hard to explain how surreal it feels to walk around in the desert in the middle of the night under a bright full moon. After a few minutes with no artificial light, your eyes become accustomed to the light level and all of a sudden you can see almost as if it was daylight. That was an awesome time for me, and I think the whole experience rekindled my love of photography.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

The French Connection


frenchie_clothed.jpg, originally uploaded by Joseph Orsillo.

Let me tell you a story about a girl named Frenchie. She showed up at our door a little over a year ago and after a few weeks of acting real cute, she made her way as a permanent resident. I had always wanted a longhaired cat (maine coon...), but not until Frenchie showed up did I understand the ramifications. Months of endless mounds of fur being collected every day finally drove us to do the unthinkable. Now she knows how Mr. Bigglesworth felt...


frenchie_nude.jpg, originally uploaded by Joseph Orsillo.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

More from Joshua Tree


Untitled, originally uploaded by Joseph Orsillo.

Now that I have my first post out of the way, I can get down to business. Here's another shot from the Joshua Tree infra red experiment. The sky is really overcast here, but I like the way the muted colors are enhanced in the IR. Plus I really dig the panoramic format. Gotta love that Betterlight!

My first blog entry


Untitled, originally uploaded by Joseph Orsillo.

For my first blog post I thought I would share one of my favorite shots from Joshua Tree National Park. This was my first experience shooting infra red with my Betterlight digital scanning back. The whole trip was a real learning experience for me, but this shot was a turning point. I was trying to shoot the entire day but it was rainy and very overcast, and there just wasn't a good light to work with. I was just about to pack it in for the day when the clouds finally broke and the afternoon sun poured in. I threw my rig together and this is what I got. What do you think?