Sean Duggan Blog

Francisca in the Salt Mines

Francisca in the Salt Mines [Holga]
Maras, Peru / July 11, 2005
(click in the image for a larger version)

The salt mines near Maras, Peru were originally constructed by the Incas and are still being worked to this day. Each salt pool is worked by a family. There are over 5000 such pools on the terraced mountain side. The source of the salt is a small mineral spring that bubbles out of the mountain and is channeled into different levels so that it flows into the many terraces that hold the thousands of small salt pools.

The woman in this photo is named Francisca. She stands in the ankle-deep salty water, barefoot, and scrapes the salt into piles with a small hoe. She is lucky in that her pool is near the main path at the top of the terraces (pictured on the left side of the image). Those with plots lower down the mountain have to carry the heavy bags of salt all the way to the top.

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If you live in the Monterey, California area, I will be teaching a 1-Day, hands-on computer lab class at the Monterey Adult School on Dec. 10, 2005

Photoshop for the Photographer: Essentials

Call  831-373-4600 for details.

Approaching

Approaching [Holga]
July 11, 2005 / Peru  (click in the image to see a larger version)

Taken on a desolate stretch of road high in the Andes near the Maras salt mines. I was intrigued by the mystery of the approaching vehicle appearing out of a cloud of backlit dust. A true "point-and-shoot" photo...I just held the camera out the window of the car. I also like the reflections of the mountains on the hood of the car.

My usual uneven toning treatment has been applied to this image.

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If you live in the Monterey, California area, I will be teaching a 1-Day, hands-on computer lab class at the Monterey Adult School on Dec. 10, 2005

Photoshop for the Photographer: Essentials

Call  831-373-4600 for details.

Turlock Sunset

Turlock Sunset, Thanksgiving
(click in the image for a larger version)

Normally I am not that big on sunsets. Perhaps I should clarify that: I truly enjoy and appreciate them in person, but I am not that big on making photographs of them. But sometimes, the light, the place and the subjects in the foreground all come together in such a way that the image is hard to resist. That was the case here...taken at the end of Thanksgiving day while we were visitng my brother in Turlock, a town located in California's great central valley.

**Attention Holga lovers...more Holgavision from Peru is coming this week.

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If you live in the Monterey, California area, I will be teaching a 1-Day Workshop at the Monterey Adult School on Dec. 10, 2005

Photoshop for the Photographer: Essentials

Call  831-373-4600 for details.

The Explorer

The Explorer [Holga]
July 12, 2005

Taken at Machu Picchu the same day as the previous image, but early in the morning. Everything about this man was perfect...the long coat, the bag slung across his back, the hat...everything. He looked as if he had stepped into the scene from an earlier time.

In the past several days I have scanned a lot of Holga images from the July Peru trip, so more will be coming in the days and weeks ahead. Stay tuned!

Self Portrait at Machu Picchu

Self Portrait at Machu Picchu [Holga]
July 12, 2005

This was taken at Machu Picchu earlier in the summer at the end of a very long and tiring day. I had been there since before dawn, climbed all over the place, photographed a lot, and had even scaled the steep Huyana Picchu lugging a heavy Bogen tripod (bad idea; next time I'll leave the heavy tripod at the bottom of the peak or take a lighter model). I was slowly walking out of the site, savoring the scene, and I took this shot in the final moments of the late afternoon light before the sun sank behind the mountains. (the "teeth" in the upper right are a distinctive "signature" light leak that my camera had during this trip).

Another Holga shot from Machu Picchu is on the schedule for tomorrow.

Inside Outside

Looking Back (through the window), Hoosick Falls, New York
Early October, 2005

This is a single exposure looking in through a window. The result is a combination of what can be seen inside and the outside view that is reflected on the window glass.

The Snowmobile and the Stone

The Snowmobile and the Stone, Ghent, New York

From my early October wanderings in upstate New York.

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Digital Black and White Workshop: Feb 6 - 10, 2006

Coming up in early February, I am teaching a week long workshop at the Lepp Institute of Digital Imaging in Los Osos, California. The workshop is on digital black & white techniques and covers a range of topics for getting the best black & white images using Adobe Photoshop CS2. The Lepp digital darkroom lab is one of the best I have ever taught in. Each student has access to an Epson Stylus Photo 2200 as well as a Nikon 35mm film scanner. Additonally, large format Epson  printers are also available. One day during the week will be spent practicing camera and exposure techniques at a nearby location. Los Osos is located on the southern edge of Morro Bay on the beautiful central California coast. Check out the Lepp site for more details.

Santa Fe Station Relic

Santa Fe Station Relic
(click in the image for a larger version)

This relic has been parked on the track near the old Santa Fe train station for years. I love the observation deck at the top of this car. This image is actually a composite of two separate exposures, one for the top and one for the bottom, designed to increase the available pixel dimensions of my camera.

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Digital Black & White Workshop: Feb 6 - 10, 2006

Coming up in early February, I am teaching a week long workshop at the Lepp Institute of Digital Imaging in Los Osos, California. The workshop is on digital black & white techniques and covers a range of topics for getting the best black & white images using Adobe Photoshop CS2. The Lepp digital darkroom lab is one of the best I have ever taught in. Each student has access to an Epson Stylus Photo 2200 as well as a Nikon 35mm film scanner. Additonally, large format Epson  printers are also available. One day during the week will be spent practicing camera and exposure techniques at a nearby location. Los Osos is located on the southern edge of Morro Bay on the beautiful central California coast. Check out the Lepp site for more details.

Tragedy and Comedy

Tragedy and Comedy, July 2005

Chalk graffiti seen on an old gate in Ollantaytambo, Peru.

Attention Adobe Camera Raw users: Adobe has just updated Camera Raw from version 3.2 to 3.3. The latest version is classified as a public beta, but it does offer support for some new cameras, so if you have one of those cameras you might want to check it out. The update is free, and can be found at the Adobe site.

Museé Morpho

Museé Morpho
(click in the image for a larger version)

This photo is actually about a year old. It popped back up on my radar screen today when the Maine Photo Workshops asked if they could use it in an ad and for the cover of their Summer 2006 catalog (I will be teaching in 2006 at the Maine Workshops, as well as the Santa Fe Workshops, but dates have not yet been set).

For the curious, the only Photoshop work in this image is some minor contrast, brightness and toning adjustments. The selective focus was created by using a Lensbaby, a very cool lens that allows the user to flex and extend it manually to move the focus "sweet spot" around. If you appreciate what I call the "beauty of the blur" then you should definately check out a Lensbaby.