Web Profiles

www.taosphotographs.com/index.php
William Davis is an old school photographer with an old school website. Much of the work are images made from transparencies which Davis began shooting in the 1960s. He turned to black and white in the '70s because of dissatisfaction with the process of making prints from slides. "Now," he told me, "with digital I can make beautiful prints from them the way I always envisioned." I jumped into the Historical Images section and began a journey through the '60s from Manhattan, New York, to Manhattan, Kansas, with stops along the way. You'll find echoes of Walker Evans' FSA photographs (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fedtp/ftcole06.html) in many of these images, proving that the '60s were not just tie-dyed dancing bears. Davis applies this same sensitive documentary style to the Taos images found in his "Taos Classics" and "Taos and Southwest" collections. Don't miss "Moonlight and Stars," which like all of the images on this site have detailed captions and are available for sale. Complementing some of the old school images is the computer-enhanced "Midnight Madonna" that was shot on film, but reversed after scanning. On his homepage, Davis says, "I have never wavered in my feeling that above all photography is a form of magic." All I can say is, thanks for being such a talented magician.

© 2005 William Davis, All Rights Reserved

www.cambridgeincolour.com/home.htm
I have a fascination with the college town of Cambridge, England, the way I don't with Boulder, Colorado. Perhaps an Englishmen would feel exactly the opposite. But not Sean McHugh, who says Cambridge is "uniquely scenic, however, in low-light it comes alive with a moody atmosphere that brings out its charm and character." On this site, he has captured many Cambridge scenes using long exposures during twilight or moonlit conditions "taking the viewer to magical places which visitors seldom see." Not only does McHugh show you what this means in his Gallery, but includes information on how he does it in the Techniques section. I'll let you read that and focus on his elegantly formal imagery.

You can look at the achingly beautiful images one at a time on an à la carte basis or all-you-can-eat as a slide show. Either way you'll be treated to gracefully composed images abounding in the subtle yet dramatic color of Cambridge in twilight and the wee small hours. When you open an image in the Gallery you can use navigation arrows to move back and forth without leaving that window. The best part is that as you click the forward arrow each new image that's presented is more gorgeous than the one before it. I found myself catching my breath more than once when clicking that forward arrow. McHugh is truly a painter with light and shows that shooting images when others don't can yield extraordinary results. Whether examining small details or grand vistas, McHugh shows that he is truly a master of low-light photography. The fact that these images are also for sale is truly a bonus.

© 2006 Sean McHugh, All Rights Reserved