The Ghosts of Auschwitz-Birkenau will be appearing at the Old Firehouse Art Center in Longmont, CO from September 9th through October 14th, 2011.

There will be an Opening Reception at 6 pm on September 9th, and I will be in attendance.

Here is my artist statement from this portfolio:

“No, it wasn’t Seppi; it was human–quite distinctly human.”

Satan points out that no other creature on the planet would treat another this way…except humans.

I had not intended to photograph during my tour of the camps but after being there a few minutes, I felt compelled. With every step I wondered about the people whose feet had walked in exactly the same footsteps. I wondered if their spirits still lingered there today.

And so I photographed ghosts.

If you haven’t seen these images in person, there is a quality to them that cannot be conveyed by an electronic image on a computer screen.  If you are in the area, I hope to see you next Friday evening.

Cole

You’ve heard me rave about the Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter, the one that I use for most of my images?  My work and a short article was recently featured on their blog.

Click Here to Read the Singh-Ray Blog Entry

Cole

Many people ask me to tell them the “secret” of my black and white conversion.  Here is the secret: great black and white images are not made in the conversion process.  You can buy the most expensive plug-in’s and execute the most complicated processes to convert your images, and it will not guarantee a great image.  There are no shortcuts or simple proceedures.

Okay, so what is the “secret?”

It’s that you must plan for a great black and white image starting with the selection of the scene and then all the way through the processing.  I tell people that it’s 50% the shot and 50% the post-processing.

Taking the Shot:

My style relies on dark images with bright subjects.  It’s this contrast that creates an image that can really jump out at you, so when I go out shooting, I’m looking for these types of scenes.  While there will be many scenes that catch my eye, if it doesn’t have this potential, then I know the shot will not work for me.

Post-Processing:

When I create an image, I have a vision of what it’s going to look like, and generally the original shot doesn’t look anything like my vision of final image.  That’s where the post-processing comes in; using very simple techniques I “create” the image.  I do not use curves, profiles, layers, plug-ins or any sophisticated techniques.  I simply adjust the brightness and contrast and then dodge and burn the image like a painter would paint a canvas.

Above is one of my latest images from England; the Old Wardour Castle.  While it appears to have been shot at night, it was a 30 second daytime exposure.  The key is that I knew in advance what I wanted the image to look like and this vision was realized by underexposing the image and then extensively dodging and burning it to create a night-like scene.

So while the conversion process is important, it’s not really the key to a great black and white image.  What’s most important is that you visualize the image in advance and then take control by creating the image along the way.

Cole

P.S.  For those of you who are still interested in my conversion process, here it is:  First, I shoot in b&w mode and RAW which produces a color image that I convert using the “channel mixer” method.  In Photoshop you choose Image/Adjustments/Channel Mixer.   Check the “Monochrome” box and then adjust the Source Channel color sliders to see how adjusting each color changes the image  (note: some prefer the “Black and White” converter over the “Channel Mixer” method as it offers slightly more control and is a bit easier to use).  That’s it!

I’m still in England, but the visit is nearing the end.  We spent the first week in a extremely small village on the southern coast and visited Stonehenge and several ancient castles.  While there, I did get excited about an image or two and and I’m tentatively calling my new work “The Ghosts of Ancient England.”

The image above was created at the Berry Pomeroy Castle, which is rumored to be haunted…here’s a bit of the castle’s history:

The ruins of Berry Pomeroy Castle, reputed to be one of the most haunted castles in Britain, stand on a steep wooded hillside above the Gatcombe Brook.

It was built in the 15th century as a fortified house for the Pomeroy family, and was later sold to the Seymour family who built a new mansion house within the defences of the original castle.

A plan to further enlarge the house was never completed and the castle was abandoned by the beginning of the 18th Century.

For more of the story, click here.

When I return home I’ll complete these images and hope to have the beginnings of a new body of work.

Cole