From the Desk of Thomas Ott

I woke up one morning and decided to build a life instead of making a living. 
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B+W

 

Ants in my pants

Ants in my pants! Well not really, they're on the ground!

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Filed under  //   Ants   B&W   film  

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Big Bend Adventure

The ongoing rock study in Texas.  Took these when I was out in Texas/Oklahoma in October 2009.  Boy did I enjoy driving US 90 all alone.

       
Click here to download:
Big_Bend_Adventure_tags_Texas_.zip (22103 KB)

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Filed under  //   Big Bend   BW   Film   Park   Rock   Self-portrait   Texas  

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A Summer Barbecue 2009

Some photos from a summer barbecue in 2009. Good friends, good food, good times. Life is good like that. Simple joy.

       
Click here to download:
A_Summer_Barbecue_2009_Vernon_.zip (13971 KB)

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Filed under  //   2009   B&W   Barbecue   BBQ   Film   Life   NJ   Summer   Vernon  

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13/365 Coffee for 2010!

First things first on a brand spanking new year!  My first cup of coffee and a self portrait for the 365 project!  Hard to believe I'm 13 images in, ahead of the crowd.  This project is flowing from me, its almost a Zen-like experience.

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Filed under  //   2010   365   365days   BW   Coffee   New Year   Zen  

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Does the Camera matter?

Its often said that the camera doesn't matter in making a great photograph, rather its the composition and your eye that creates the memorable image.  To that end, many people argue that no one asked Picasso what kind of brush he used to make his paintings.  While on the surface this argument sounds compelling, it isn't entirely correct.  Materials and tools do matter very much in the creation of your ultimate image.

As someone who shoots film, the type of film and lens I use do affect the quality of my image.  I wouldn't use E100VS film and a 500mm lens if I was shooting people portraits, much like a wood carver wouldn't use a machete to carve a small figurine.  Further, if I developed my own B&W film, the type of developer I use would also affect my ultimate image.

Granted, someone can use E100VS film and a 500mm lens to shoot people portraits but it would be for the creation of his/her specific artistic vision, in which the tools and materials really do matter to create the images.  What truly matters, in my opinion, is the creative process.  What media you work in, how you manipulate the image, what type of film used, etc all matter in the creation of that one special image.  This process requires the artist to contemplate what type of materials to input, the tools use to mold the image, and all the relevant pieces to build that final image.

Philosophically, the abstract concept that a little box has the ability to capture light really doesn't matter in itself, it could be a manual SLR, DSLR, medium format, etc but rather its your eye, composition, tools and materials you use that do matter greatly to your ultimate image.

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Filed under  //   B+W   composition   film   musings   philosophy   photography  

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Mother and Son

Here's one of my wife and son, taken in our front yard (Summer 2009).

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Filed under  //   B+W   Mother   personal   Photography   Portrait   Son  

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Rock Study 1

This shot was taken at Silas Condit rock a few weeks ago and then toned with GIMP. 

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Filed under  //   B+W   personal   photography   rock  

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Behind the locked door

Shot in my town at the football field.

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Filed under  //   B+W   personal   photography  

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