Natural frames, Etseri, August 2001

Across the road from "my" home in Etseri is this ruined, abandoned house which gives me very mixed feelings. I hate the thought of some family leaving it after perhaps generations, moving south to find better work and an easier life away from Svaneti. An all too common story, the net result of which will be the extinction of the Svans, absorbed into the Georgians, impoverishing the world. On the other hand, I love finding frames which are part of the photograph. This house has not only been a sad sight for me, but also a rich site to explore and benefit from. Even this bonus - coming from others' misery - is a conflict. But it hasn't stopped me from making the pictures, in every season, colour and black & white, every time I go.

Spiderweb details, Etseri, August 2001

The macro world has utterly alien landscapes if one knows how to see in a different way. Where do the colours come from? Again, refraction, possibly with dust playing a role as well as the web itself. There was no dew, but nonetheless my eyes found things of interest.

Mountains nr Etseri, May 2001

Backlighting offers harsh contrast and loss of detail. But knowing the rules - Never shoot backlit! - is the first step to bending or breaking them successfully.

Dandelion, Etseri, May 2001

Backlit by the sun and in extreme macro for a different look. The colours come, I think, from a diffraction effect of the sunlight through the filaments of the dandelion's seeds.

Proud couple, Etseri, May 2001

This pair, on the other hand, haven't a care in the world. The sun is shining, it's warm, there is food, we have each other and all is good. One of my favourites. When you don't have exotic wildlife to photograph, what can you do with the mundane? Plenty.

Hiding in the woodpile, Etseri, Svaneti, May 2001

As I recall, I took this shot soon after the sacrifice of the ram, and it seems to be about some of the other animals cowering away in fear that they will be next.

Ram sacrifice, Etseri, Svaneti, Georgia, May 2001

Animal sacrifice, as opposed to simple butchery, is still a common practice in the Caucasus, moreso the higher (thus more pagan) one goes. It can be done to "bargain" with God, or in thanksgiving, or in memorial. So this isn't just a pretty picture of a ram; it's a pre-sacrifice portrait. I stayed around from start to finish to make sure I'm a real carnivore, not just a meat-eater who hasn't seen the cost, the process.

Inguri R., lower Svaneti, May 2001

Spring completely transforms the whole country, as I'm sure it does everywhere. The green is so intense, one wonders whether one is seeing it for the first time, every year. I call it Resurrection Season.

Waterfalls, lower Svaneti, December 2000

When we're en route to whichever Svan village we'll stop in, I'm loath to ask Nodar to stop the car for a shot, because there are so many of them that we'd never arrive. But either he stopped here anyway, or I did ask him to. Tripod was necessary for a slow enough shutter speed to blur the water nicely. There are many waterfalls in the mountains, some temporary and seasonal, others large enough to be permanent.

I also remember having to clear away garbage left at the site before I could shoot! This is more than a pet peeve. I always have something to say about this, and know how to make my comments painfully memorable, e.g. "If Georgia is, as the legend goes, the piece of land which God was keeping for himself, how come you guys are defiling it like this?" "Nodar, your people are sick! Here's the evidence! No excuses!" "Hmm, do Georgians LIKE living in a rubbish bin of their own making?" Rant, rant, rant. Gets results, though.

Mountain painting, Central Svaneti, December 2000

Here somehow a non-photographic feel has resulted on the top half of the image, as if on canvas, due to the weather I think.

St George icon, chased silver, museum, Mestia, Svaneti, December 2000

One of the many treasures to be found in Mestia's museum, this icon is many centuries old and interesting because it's dragonless. So it could be him posing before going out to kill the monster, just in case he wouldn't return; or a victory shot afterwards.

Mill, Etseri, Svaneti, December 2000

The inside of a water mill used to grind grain into flour. These are common in Svaneti.

Sun through trees, central Svaneti, Georgia, December 2000

This is one of many pictures which I had rejected years ago when all I had to go by was a print from the negative. A SCAN from the negative, however, is a different story.

Gooseberries on watermelon, Samegrelo, October 2002

A watermelon seemed the natural choice of background for these delicate objects, which I found in the same garden as the dates. Again, minimal focus but enough to show the structural details.

Dates drying, Samegrelo, Georgia, October 2002

I'd never seen undried dates until this greenhouse in rural Samegrelo. So THIS is what they look like! So soft and squishy they could almost fall apart. They'll soon turn dark brown with a natural sugar coating and be magnificently ready to consume.

Peacock feathers closeup, Stony Plain, July 2006

How to capture something different in such a potentially cliched subject? Go for the macro shot again, and get some of the rich detail, not worrying about getting great depth of field. This allows me to concentrate myself and the viewer on what I feel is important in the picture.

Sweet pea closeup, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada, July 2006

Tendrils finding their own way through space.

Flower closeups, Stony Plain, Alberta, June 2006

Two more of the minimally focused closeup. Sometimes soft is best. (G&L, these are from your deck.)

Backlit dew, nr Stony Plain, Alberta, September 2005

A seed head caught in a spiderweb, dew, sunlight. One could hardly ask for more. Never mind that 2 feet away cars were passing occasionally on a rural gravel road - I was oblivious to them anyway.

Flower and dew, nr Stony Plain, Alberta, September 2005

More of the minimally-focused macro idea, with dew as a bonus, a personal favourite of mine in the genre.