Gallery 7
Misc B&W Images
Intro

last update 10/21/03

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This series of black & white images consist of images that were part of a special projects in photography class and another photography course in college.

The bursting balloon images were for the special projects class where my theme was stop motion. For the class I took images of water drops (which are found in Gallery 4) and bursting balloons. Because the burst is too fast to capture with a shutter a flash had to be used to freeze the motion. However, in order to time the flash to the burst I had to create a sound activated switch (to this day, the instructor still says he can't believe someone made a sound activated switch for his class ::grins::). The mike was placed directly under the balloon and a coat hanger wrapped in black tape with a pin on the end was used to burst the balloon. If the mike was placed one foot away, then the balloon would've been flat by the time the sound reached the mike, (discovered this in the trial runs). In the first image, confetti was placed inside the balloon on a whim. The result was a unique image where the balloon was peeled back and the confetti didn't have time to move before the flash ignited. The end result was the confetti suspended in air in the shape of the balloon.

The Lick Observatory images were taken from a high vantage point near the observatory. I found a water tower on a nearby peak where I could squeeze through the fence and climb on top for the view. I arrived before sunrise to allow more time to catch the right light. However, I didn't realize how cold it was going to be so I ended up huddling next to a shack on top of the tower until the sun rose. And when the sun began to rise the view was breath taking. Clouds from the cool morning air were layered all around through the trees below me. I stood there in awe as the clouds swiftly moved among the trees. In some cases the clouds moved up the side of the peaks, over them, then down the other side. It was as if they were alive and all had a sense of purpose. On a nearby peak I watched some clouds move like tendrils through the trees. It was a most surreal moment. At one point, while taking pictures I heard a howling from behind me and when I turned and looked, I saw a huge cloud wall approach the water tower. It started from well below the tower and rose well above the tower. I had enough time to cover the camera and huddle in the corner next to the shack. It felt like I was getting battered in a storm. All the images I took that morning couldn't do what I saw justice. I did get a couple good images of the observatory that I liked well enough to use in my college photography class. If you were wondering, the observatory is located on Mount Hamilton near Sunnyvale, California.

Well, enough rambling. I hope you enjoy the images!

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All images & contents copyright © G.A. Trammel 1992 - 2003