Thursday, December 30, 2010

Year's end in a minor key . . .
Song is "Winter Moon" by Hoagy Carmichael from the 1956 LP "Hoagy Sings Carmichael," featuring Art Pepper on alto saxophone. Thanks to Pat Oates for the Rebecca Kilgore link - which you might have guessed - has led me here.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne


("Sad songs, they say so much . . .")

Monday, December 27, 2010

"The Nocturnes: 20/Ten"
           Chicago - Foggy Day, Clear Night © Philip Coleman

Our latest online exhibit of Night Photography, The Nocturnes: 20/Ten, is now available for viewing here. This show introduces a little diferent format than seen in our previous biennials, in that the final selections by the Jurors was limited to Twenty pieces by Ten artists - "Twenty/Ten."


Why not have a look, or two - and let us know what you think, by leaving a comment below.

(From the desk of The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man)

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Fairytale Nocturne

"The boys of the NYPD choir

Were singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day."
(The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl)

The Pogues - A Fairytale Of New York

A Ghost of Christmas Past . . .

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Friday, December 24, 2010

To Tell the Truth . . .

Guess it all started last Sat'dy night, listening to Dore Stein's tribute to Captain Beefheart, specifically the 19-minutes long, harmonica/blues-laden "Tarotplane" (would R.J. approve?). Anyway, in a tangential sort of way, I would up researching another great harp player fave, and a typeface (Franconia - for a show - more about that later) - as they both appeared on the Butterfield Blues Band's "East-West" LP, from wa-a-a-y back in 1966.


In another roundabout way (and isn't that what the Internet is for?) this led me to this TV clip with Paul Butterfield on "To Tell the Truth" (circa 1965 approx).
East - West, indeed!

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

("Gimme that harp, boy . . .")

Thursday, December 16, 2010

USS Mariano G. Vallejo SSBN 658 - night view


Just a year-end reminder - all donations to the Save Our Sail project are completely tax deductible as the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 approved charitable organization. The MIHPF, the sail's caretaker, is working on a plan to place the 658's sail in a dramatic, accessible site for permanent display.

More information at the Save our Sail project
Web site

Above Night Photo of the USS Mariano G. Vallejo SSBN 658 sail by Tim Baskerville of The Nocturnes at a recent semi-annual AlumNight.

("Free the Sail, from the fence . . .")

Friday, December 10, 2010

Epson Pano Awards


We would like to announce an exhibit showcasing the work of panoramic photographers worldwide, sponsored by Epson. Deadline for submissions is Friday April 15, 2011 - get all the details at the official Web site.

As seen on The Panocturnists Blog

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

NPy (in five words or less . . . )

Instant Karma

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne


("Well we all shine on / Like the moon / and the stars and the sun")

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

A call for Docentry . . .

The Nocturnes need your help – we are once again looking for "a few good docents" for our Eighth Annual Studio Nocturne event at Fort Mason Center - part of the City-wide San Francisco Open Studios – October 23 and 24. We thought we'd ask all "the usual suspects" - if anyone could volunteer to act as docent for a few hours on either Saturday or Sunday. It's always a fun event, a great opportunity to help out, as well as meet a lot of great people, enjoy a lot of great art! This year we return to our new location at Fort Mason Center – Landmark Buidling ‘D,’ Ground Level. Visit
http://www.studionocturne2010.com to see the roster of artists for this year’s event.
Read the Press Release for the event here (PDF) - and, more details on how to sign up for your "tour of duty" can be found here

Sign up today to ‘enlist’ for docent duty, and you can join us for a special opening reception prior to the Studio Nocturne weekend event! Contact us for more details - studio [at] thenocturnes [dot] com


(From the desk of The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man)

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Auto-Nocturne goes 'round and 'round
                                            Mobil by Ed Hamilton
Our latest online exhibit of Night Photography, Auto-Nocturne, is now available for viewing here. Juried by Troy Paiva and Joe Reifer, with a great commentary / conversation / critique of award-winners. Why not have a look, or two and let us know what you think, by leaving a comment below.

(From the desk of The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Auto-Nocturne - 1/24 scale to life-size

From the previous post, thru the intermediate image of the model above, to a life-size installation (actual autos spared from the junkyard) at the San Jose Museum of Art -  its all an "Auto-Nocturne" we think!

Read more about this fascinating piece, "Empire Drive-In" by Todd Chandler and Jeff Stark

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Friday, September 17, 2010

Auto-Nocturne

"In my little town
I never meant nothin'
I was just my father's son . . ."
(Lyrics by Paul Simon)

What's up with The Nocturnes? - well we're on to the next big item on the menu - closing in on the final days for submissions to The Nocturnes' latest online Exhibit: Auto-Nocturne. Just thought we'd show you some fabulous work that Flickr'd into the Auto-Nocturne group (some of what's seen there has been submitted to the Exhibit). Anyway, we definitely think the work of Michael Paul Smith is worth a shout-out here. The craftsmanship (on a couple of different levels, which you'll soon see) and attention to detail is uncanny! His "VistaVision J & L Steel - night glow-1951" (above) reads like an O. Winston Link industrial tableau - without the steam! while "November Snow, Series 2" (below) recalls the tense quietude of a night painting by Edward Hopper.


Now, for the story behind the images - see MPS's description of the "Night-Shoot" of J&L Steel here (BE SURE to click thru!) - see what we mean about craftmanship? You know how some night photographs, with their inherent "un-peopled" stillness take on a stage-like quality, sometimes resembling nothing so much as a diorama - well, Smith has certainly turned that one around, hasn't he? We hope that Mr. Smith will consider submitting work into the Auto-Nocturne exhibit - we think it's just what the doctor (or mechanic) ordered!

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

San Francisco Values, Continued
Night/Light: Bay Area Photographers Take Aim After Dark

Sponsored by PhotoAlliance with San Francisco Art Commission
Opening Reception: 9/16/10 5:30-7:30
Exhibition Dates: 9/16/10 – 1/14/11
Location: San Francisco City Hall, ground floor


"I think I speak for all three Jurors when I say that we were very impressed with the quality, variety (both of technique and subject matter), and technical proficiency seen here. Although, it should come as no surprise, really – as the greater San Francisco Bay Area has historically been a “hotbed” of Night Photography (NPy) – advancing the practice beyond its technical curiosity status, to become one of the most intriguing, mysterious, and poetic genres of photography.

"While almost every photographer has at least attempted a “night shot” at one time or another, a relatively small number have devoted their photographic and creative skills primarily to photographing at night. Steve Harper has pointed out that: “It was not until the mid-1970s, on the West Coast, that night photography became an area of concentrated study.” Pioneering work, and landmark exhibits/publications by such local luminaries as Harper, Richard Misrach, Steve Fitch, Roger Minick, Jerry Burchard, and Arthur Ollman in the mid-to-late 1970s “set the stage” for what was to come. As the 1980s unveiled, Steve Harper was teaching college-level courses in NPy (offered in two parts; coincidentally called “Night Light” – I and II ) and Michael Kenna had recently relocated to San Francisco from England – and, a continuing narrative with the nocturne had begun, in earnest.

"The 28 artists whose works you see here* comprise what is now a third, or fourth, generation of Bay Area Night Photographers, part of a continuum. From the maturing (though still very experimental, experiential) early decades of nightwork, to these post-millennium years – we see a self-renewing sense of wonder, of awe at the magical transformation that comes with each evening’s twilight glow."

Tim Baskerville

Founder/Director, The Nocturnes
September 2010
_______________

* BTW, the exhibit includes some of The Nocturnes "usual suspects" - here, alphabetically:

Linda Fitch

Andy Frazer
Lenny Greenwald
Mark Jaremko
Shawn Peterson
Greta & Manu Schnetzler
Lena Tsakami

Monday, August 09, 2010

Night Photography - Call for Entries

The Nocturnes.com invites all interested artists to enter our 22nd online Night Photography Exhibition, Auto-Nocturne. Deadline for submissions has been extended to September 21, 2010. Juried by Joe Reifer and Troy Paiva of the Pearsonville NPy Workshops, it promises to be another great show of exciting, vibrant NPy of the "Auto" variety!


Image ('59 Chevrolet) Copyright Joe Reifer

All the details are
here.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Sunday, August 08, 2010

NPy (in five words or less)

Dark Night of the Soul

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

("It seems like a character mutation . . .")

Friday, August 06, 2010

Off-Topic (and On, at the same time ...)
  Car No. 578j, Hiroshima (1927)

August 6th marks the 65th anniversary of the first atomic bomb attack over Hiroshima. In Japan, the occasion was marked by solemn memorials by many world leaders, calling for an end to nuclear weapons.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

(Image of F-Line streetcar, from TimBaskerville.com)

Monday, August 02, 2010

Night Photography - San Francisco Values

It's with great pleasure, not to mention civic pride, that I announce my upcoming "Jury Duty" with the San Francisco Art Commission and Photo Alliance for their exhibit, "Night/Light: Bay Area Photographers Take Aim After Dark." I will be acting as a Juror, along with Aimee Le Duc, Gallery Manager, San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery; and Thom Sempere, Executive Director, PhotoAlliance.

Open to residents of the nine-county SF Bay area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma Counties) the exhibit will " . . . explore what happens after sunset and before sunrise. Nighttime images of interest will range from landscapes to portraits, from photodocumentary essays to fantastical narratives. We’ll be looking for technical proficiency, creative innovation, and a wide variety of subject matter." [from the SFAC prospectus]

To be installed at San Francisco City Hall, Ground Level - the exhibition space can accommodate up to 100 photographs. Exhibition dates are September 16 – January 14, 2010

Sounds like something The Nocturnes can rise up to, no? We encourage you to follow this link for all the details. Only digital submissions will be accepted, along with a cover letter,etc. and mail or hand-delivered by August 14, to the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery.


Why not show San Francisco, the local arts community, and visitors to the City, how it's done!

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Night Photography - "South of the Slot"


Announcing the return of our 3-night Workshop at RayKo Photo Center in San Francisco. NPy at locations South of Market (SOMA) including a rare (for most most photograpers, that is) opportunity to photograph the Yerba Buena Gardens complex (pursuing a permit!) after dark! Starts August 12 and continues on the 19th and 26th. You can register online - remember to type in the coupon code EARLY at checkout, to receive $25/off when you sign-up 1-week or more prior to the class start date; or call RayKo at 415.495.3773 for more information, and to register that way.

(Nocturnes Crossing - 100 feet)

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

What's the White Balance, Kenneth?

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

("You wore a shirt of violent green, uh-huh.")

Friday, July 09, 2010

Night Photography, San Francisco Style

As recently mentioned on Joe Reifer's Blog and Andy Frazer's Blog - BTW, those are their links over to the right there - The Nocturnes are holding another of our popular Full Moon Night Photography Workshops in San Francisco and are extending the registration deadline to Friday July 16, 2010. Plenty of room for this, our last San Francisco Full Moon Workshop of the year! All the details, and a registration form are here.


 (Photo by Andy Frazer)
As Mr. Frazer points out, it's a great 'Shop - "for those of you who would prefer to stay close to the San Francisco Bay Area" - and still catch up with some NPy in great locations. Or, as Mr. Reifer calls it - "Learn the history of night photography & shoot with the Nocturnes . . ."

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne


Friday, June 18, 2010

NPy (in five words or less)

"No moon at all . . ."
Nana Mouskouri

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne
("This is nothin' like they told us of")

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Dennis Hopper 1936-2010
Dennis Hopper - actor, director, Hollywood upstart and all-around raconteur - died today, after a long bout with prostate cancer. Just this March he appeared in public, to accept his 'star' on Hollywood's Walk of Fame (he had just taken a fall, smashing his eyeglasses, the day before - something I can relate to . . . ) - bandaged and looking frail, he made it there - but it was bittersweet.
 
 Dennis Hopper, as he appeared in Apocalypse Now (1979)
Hopper was also - a painter, sculptor and - not many people know this - a photographer - who published a book of Night Photography titled "Bucharest Nights" in 2005.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

("This is the way the fucking world ends . . ." - from Apocalyse Now)

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Ancient Nocturne

This image, NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD).
Milky Way Over Ancient Ghost Panel - Copyright Bret Webster

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Warren Bates, Night Photographer

"I'll learn to work the saxophone

I'll play just what I feel
Drink Scotch whisky all night long
And die behind the wheel . . ."
(Deacon Blues by Steely Dan)

A flurry of emails came in late this afternoon - fellow Night Photographer Warren Bates  "died in the place he loved best" - on Route 66, in the great American desert. Ironically, he was killed in his vehicle, hit by an oncoming train. I, like many got to 'know' Warren Bates thru his NPy - in my case, thru The Nocturnes NPy online exhibit, "The Color of Night" in which his "Bagdad Train" (seen below) was a Best of Show award winner. The image, one of our all-time favorites, also appeared in our 1st retrospective: "Best of The Nocturnes Online"



Of the image, the two jurors - Troy Paiva and Larry Thomson - had this say:
Juror one: "The subtle use of added lighting merely helps describe the story rather than become the story itself. I love the double meanings, depth and movement. That little wink of yellow light on the post is just right too..

Juror two: "Wow! I love how this shot portrays the desolation of this place. There's the sign, the light trails and. well, a lot of nothing vanishing off into the distance. Excellent use of motion as the passing light trails imply that Bagdad isn't even a stop along the way anymore . . ."

Read Andy Frazer's blog for more recollections, with a link to the Las Vegas-Review Journal (he worked for them) article about Warren.


That's about all I can say . . .


("Call me Deacon Blues")

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Anthropomorphic Night Photography
Two examples - by Joe Reifer and Troy Paiva, currently appearing in Pearsonville April 24-26, for their second NPy Workshop this season. Looking at these images we're thinking these two have been out in the Mojave - just about the right amount of time!
Look skyward (Trona Pinnacles) by Joe Reifer
 
Joshua Says Go! by Troy Paiva
From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Saturday, March 20, 2010

NPy (in five words or less)

Meet Me On The Equinox
Death Cab for Cutie

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne
(When Spring Hopes . . . Eternal)

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Take in . . . The Panocturnists!










Intake by Troy Paiva

The Panocturnists, our 21st Online Exhibit of NPy (and the reason for the Blog, the Flickr Group, etc.) is NOW LIVE! Have a look-see and leave a comment here - tell us what you think, what improvements could be made, rant if you want!

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Night Photography (in five words or less)

The Panocturnists Online Exhibit


From The [not so] Daily Nocturne
("Think it's time to b r o a d e n our horizons a bit . . .")

Monday, January 25, 2010

Need a few more Nocturnists . . .


Image by former CofM student Roberto Renzetti

Looking for a few more people to round out the Night Photography Course I'm teaching over at College of Marin, Kentfield Campus. You'll need to hurry, tho' - deadline to register is THIS WEDNESDAY, January 27, 2010. Visit the College of Marin Web site for registration and more information. Class runs Fridays from February 5 - March 19. Locations include some of the most scenic spots in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the Presidio and the Marin Headlands.


From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Thursday, January 14, 2010

"Tonight's the night . . . "
(As presented by Neil Young)




Greta and Manu Schnetzler (from our "Studio Nocturne" group) along with myself are pleased to be part of "Selections 2010" (say "Twenty-Ten" - and we're glad that's cleared up!), ArtSpan's prestigious biennial juried exhibition, featuring 20 SF Open Studios artists.

The opening reception is TONIGHT, January 14, 2010, 6:00-9:00pm at California Modern Gallery, 1035 Market Street, between 6th and 7th streets (be sure to bring your 'UrbEx" gear/rig) in San Francisco. From ArtSpan's Press Release: "Free and open to the public with complimentary snacks, poured wine from Artesa Vineyards & Winery, and specialty cocktails with Pernod Absinthe! Please note this is a 21+ event." See you there!

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne