Sean Duggan Blog

Honolulu Harbor Details

Harbor Details [Canon 5D]
March 30, 2009 Honolulu, Hawaii
(click in the image for a larger version)

Mirror, Mirror

Untitled
March 28, 2009
(click in the image for a larger version)

I've been a real stranger to my own blog for the past couple of weeks. I had a busy week teaching in Florida at the Palm Beach Photographic Workshops and then spent another4 days exploring wild, natural Florida and visiting with a friend in the north central part of the state. Tomorrow morning I leave for a week in Hawaii, four days of which will be spent teaching a series of three workshops at Pacific New Media on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu. If you're in the neighborhood, I believe there still might be a few spaces left. More info on the Hawaii classes this week can be found here.

The photograph above is a combination of two image mirrors. An image mirror is created when one photograph is copied and "reflected" next to the original. They are a true gulity pleasure in the digital darkroom and can produce some surpising and very satisfying results.The 2-day class I am teaching in Honolulu this weekend is Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop. This image was created as a lesson in the class and also on a training DVD on the same subject that I am working on. More info on the Creative Collage DVD will be coming after I return from Hawaii.

Next Workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico!

I'm looking foward to returning to one of my favorite cities at the end of April: Santa Fe, New Mexico. I'll be leading a 5-day digital photography and digital darkroom workshop at the world famous Santa Fe Photographic Workshops. Seee the link below for more details on this class. It's already more than half full, so sign up soon if you want to take this course!

The Creative Eye: Digital Photography & Digital Darkrom Essentials
Santa Fe Photographic Workshops
April 27 - May 1

 

Basement Windows

Basement Windows [Canon 5D]
St. Thomas, Nevada  March 5, 2009
(click in the image for a larger version)

Another view from my afternoon stroll through the ruins of St. Thomas. This is the only covered basement among the ruins...filled with dried silt and dirt.  See a previous post for more detailed information on this location.

Next Week in South Florida:
My next class on Selections, Masking & Creative Collage will begin on Monday, March 16, in Delray Beach, Florida There's still room if you want to sign up.

Selections, Masking and Creative Collage
Palm Beach Photographic Centre
March 16 - 19, 2009

I also have upcoming workshops in early April in Hawaii, mid April near Morro Bay, California, and late April/early May in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Check out my Workshops Schedule for more information.

A Reminder of Tree-Lined Streets

St. Thomas, Nevada [Canon 5D]
March 5, 2009
(click in the image for a larger version)

Another view from my afternoon stroll through the ruins of St. Thomas.  Before it was completely flooded by Lake Mead all of the trees were cut down do they would not be a hazard for boaters. A few skeletal stumps remain. See my previous post for more detailed information on this location.

There Once Was a Town...

The Path of Shells [Canon 5D]
St. Thomas, Nevada  March 5, 2009
(click in the image for a larger version)

There once was a town in Nevada named St. Thomas. It was located in an arid valley near the Colorado River about an hour's drive (in a modern car) northeast of Las Vegas. The life span of this small town filled the years from 1865 to 1938. In the mid 1930s as nearby Hoover Dam neared completion, the U.S. Government purchased the town and it's residents began to slowly dismantle their homes, pack up their belongings and move away. In 1936 the dam was completed and water began to fill the valleys, canyons, and flood plains behind it, creating Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake and reservoir in the United States. Two years later the rising waters had reached St. Thomas, gradually flooding the town, and on June 11, 1938 Hugh Lord, the last citizen, rowed away. Not long after, the town was completely covered by the waters of Lake Mead. It would eventually be submerged to a depth of 70 feet.

In the early years of this decade receding lake levels casued by years of severe drought and increased water useage by the nearby Las Vegas Valley began to reveal the ruins of St. Thomas. Today the town site is completely exposed, dry as bone and overgrown with thick stands of six foot high tamarisk brush. Narrow paths dotted with shells lead down into the former lake bed and every so often you come across the foundations of a home, a school, or a hotel. It is a strange and mysterious place, ruins from a not so distant 20th century, of a town sacrificed to the thirst and energy needs of an expanding population. In the coming days I will be posting a series of images from my visit to St. Thomas.

For the technically curious, the above image was processed mostly in Lightroom 2, with a little custom toning applied in Photoshop CS4.

National Park Service info on St. Thomas
Lake's Ghost Town Seen as a Warning  - Las Vegas Sun

Next Week in South Florida:
My next class on Selections, Masking & Creative Collage will begin on Monday, March 16, in Delray Beach, Florida There's still room if you want to sign up.

Selections, Masking and Creative Collage
Palm Beach Photographic Centre
March 16 - 19, 2009

I also have upcoming workshops n early April in Hawaii, mid April near Morro Bay, California, and late April/early May in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Check out my Workshops Schedule for more information.

Desert Highway

 
Desert Highway  [Canon 5D]
Valley of Fire, Nevada - March 5, 2009
(click in the image for a larger version)

I was in Las Vegas this past week at the PMA convention and trade show, leading a half-day hands-on Photoshop class on The Creative Digital Darkroom. On Thursday morning I headed out early to explore the Valley of Fire State Park, where the image above was taken (for the technically curious, this has had only minimal adjustments applied to it in Lightroom). More from the Valley of Fire and another very interesting nearby location in the days ahead.

Upcoming Workshops
And speaking of the days ahead, my next workshop in sunny South Florida is fast approaching and will start on Monday, March 16. There's still room if you want to sign up.  I'll be in another tropical location teaching three short classes in early April in Hawaii, and a third will be offered near Morro Bay, California in mid-April.  The beautiful and incredibly scenic Santa Fe, New Mexico will be the site of a digital photography and digital darkroom workshop in late April and early May. See below for dates, details and links to more information:

Selections, Masking and Creative Collage
Palm Beach Photographic Centre
March 16 - 19, 2009

**Early April Workshops in Hawaii:
Adobe Photoshop CS4: Restoration & Retouching Essentials
Adobe Photoshop CS4: Creative Digital Black & White
The Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop CS4
More Info

Secrets of the Mask: Selections & Masking in Photoshop CS4
Lepp Institute of Digital Imaging
April 18 - 19, 2009

The Creative Eye: Digital Photography & Digital Darkrom Essentials
Santa Fe Photographic Workshops
April 27 - May 1

 

Purple Wall

San Francisco Home [Canon 5D]
February 27, 2009
(click in the image for a larger version)

End of the Line

End of the Line  [Bronica SQA]
August 9, 1992  Virginia City, Nevada
(click in the image for a larger version)

This is a new scan of a neg made back in 1992 in Virginia City, Nevada. Prior to this, the image has only existed on the original neg and on a contact sheet. It's part of my project this year to give some scan love to my substantial film archives from years past. I recently posted a short article to my main web site on this topic. Follow this link to read me about this and another of my 2009 Photo Resolutions.

Las Vegas and the Valley of Fire
I'll be in Las Vegas this week presenting at the DIMA (Digital Imaging Marketing Association) part of the Photo Marketing Association's annual conference and trade show. I'll be making a trip out to the Valley of Fire for a photo walkabout on one of the days of my stay.

Upcoming Workshops:

Selections, Masking and Creative Collage
Palm Beach Photographic Centre
March 16 - 19, 2009

**April Workshops in Hawaii:
Adobe Photoshop CS4: Restoration & Retouching Essentials
Adobe Photoshop CS4: Creative Digital Black & White
The Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop CS4
More Info

Secrets of the Mask: Selections & Masking in Photoshop CS4
Lepp Institute of Digital Imaging
April 18 - 19, 2009

The Creative Eye: Digital Photography & Digital Darkrom Essentials
Santa Fe Photographic Workshops
April 27 - May 1