The Art of Chris Froelich

Bodie Ghost Town is Not as Cool as I Thought (But still cool) I've been itching to go to Bodie since we moved to Carson City. I drive be the road that leads there a few times a year, and it is so tempting. Just 12 miles down that road is a awesome ghost town, how long can it take to get there? How about forever! Road is a very optimistic term. I was in a Suburban and I took about 45 minutes on that road. My greatest joy of the day was dusting the Prius's that were crawling along at 0.5 miles per hour trying to manage with 4 inches of clearance.  I should explain that my main reason for not enjoying the park more is that it was filled with......People. It's hard to get into the mood of a ghost town when there is a thousand other people also trying to get into the groove. The decision to go at the last minute on a Saturday during the middle of July... not well thought out. Every time I was looking to take a photo, a tourist would photobomb me.  I will go back after...

Each year in August, Reno host one of America's best classic car events called Hot August Nights. Thousands of car entheusiasts bring their pride and joy, from Model T's to Mustang Fastbacks, and show them off in various venues around the Truckee Meadows. In honor of that great automobile get-together, I am sharing this portrait of a classic car from Bodie, CA.   Mamiya RB67 ProSD - Mamiya Sekor 90mm C 3.5 - Ilford HP5 film - Ilford Perceptol developer, 15 min at 20C I've been a little burned out lately, but the bug is gnawing at me big time, so I ordered some more film from Adorama, bought some new cameras on eBay, and am ready to get out there.

The combination of pollution in the Central Valley and the atmospherically clear water of Lake Tahoe can really lead to some amazing photos. It's really hard to get the lake with out waves. Mamiya RB67 Mamiya Sekor C 90MM, Fuji Velvia 50 

I love being in the position of amateur photographer. Sure, I have dreams that someday I'll get to the point where people are clamoring to scoop up my limited edition prints, but  right now I'm free to shoot whatever and however I want. I was talking to a photographer a while back who his own gallery and sells his prints in the $500-$3000 range. He has collectors and followers who buy his work, which is gotta be nice. He mentioned that he produces work with a signature look and when a new print represents that "look" it sells well.  For an ADHD photographer like me, that doesn't sound like as much fun as just shooting whatever I feel like. Two months ago, if you had asked, I would have said "monochrome is for me". I love classic black and white landscape photography. Artist like Barry Goldwater (that's right....BG was a world class photographer), Clyde Butcher, and Michael Kenna produce(d) photos I'd love to have hanging on my wall. I also re...

"Where is it written that our sensibilities must be sullied by the seamier side of life along with our intellects? We know the world is a vale of tears.Must art pile it on in yet heavier doses? There was a time when the world thought that the artist was chosen, and that they were on a mission not to tell us what we have but what we might have if we'd only get our act together and see beyond the obvious.Art was supposed to transcend life, not imitate it." Raymond Steiner

Walking through the woods with a camera is a form a meditation for me. We've all heard the phrase "it's not the destination, but the journey". Well, I believe that is especially true when it comes to photography. The worth of the final image isn't dependent on the effort expended. Two of the four following pictures were painstakingly composed over hours, and in one case multiple trips over a period of two weeks. The other two were fleeting moments as I drove or walked by.  The scene caught my eye and I decided to take a quick picture. Can you tell which is which? Probably not, but journeys to the final image made a big difference to me.  Perhaps an even better example are the photos that aren't here. Just today I saw one of the most amazing sunrises of my life, but there is no picture of it. I wish you could have seen it, but it was just too windy, wet, and cold for me to capture it on film. But I was there, with a camera I couldn't use, to witness it...

I am fortunate to have amazing photo opportunities close to home. Bonzai Rock and Sand Harbor State Park are particularly convenient and gorgeous. This photogenic location (I hope you like it, because I go here often) is only about a 20 mile, or 30 minute, drive from my house. It's nice because I can experiment and learn - using multiple trips to see how different combinations of tools, technique, and serendipity affect the final image. These two pictures, for example, while at first appearance my appear very different, they are, in fact, quite similar. Varying only in the film used and the exact spot I stood. Both were taken on relatively calm clear mornings with the same subject and basic compositional elements. I've taken a number of predawn trips up to the lake to this same location and used it as kind of a photo "lab". Not the kind of photo lab where you drop off film and then pick up prints an hour later. In this context, I mean "lab" as in "a pla...