Sunday, January 3, 2010

Arts-Photography Truesdale's passion for photography still going strong - Poughkeepsie Journal

Arts-Photography Truesdale's passion for photography still going strong - Poughkeepsie Journal

Truesdale's passion for photography still going strong - Poughkeepsie Journal

Posted: 02 Jan 2010 11:54 PM PST

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But he'll put up with all sorts of cold to capture an image.

While working on his Adirondack book, he ascended 3,352-foot Ampersand Mountain, weathering temperatures that reached minus-20 degrees and intermittent snow squalls.

He took three pictures before his Hasselblad medium-format camera froze. But he got what he wanted.

"The hard part is hiking three to four miles up a mountain, sweating my butt off, then standing at the summit for three to four hours (for the shot). You start freezing," Truesdale said.

Truesdale shot half the photos in his Adirondack book over 10-15 years, the rest in a year after the book deal was completed.

"I'd backpack alone, five to six days at a time," he said, noting he carried about 80 pounds.

Including his ever-present tripod, Truesdale, who three years ago switched completely to digital, usually totes 50-60 pounds of photo equipment, no matter the conditions.

"I love shooting in storms — snowstorms, rain, mist. It evokes the mood from the spirits of the places. Mist has really been my calling card or signature," he said.

The fact few people are out in such weather is a plus.

"It's more intimate and ethereal for me. I enjoy the solitude of being away from people," said Truesdale, whose actual remote shoots include Patagonia's Futaleufu River.

Patience is key.

"(Sometimes) I sit a full day waiting in the mist for the light to be in the right position. Other times everything just clicks right away," he explained.

Shooting digitally allows him to capture the "full dynamic range of a scene," providing fuller detail of light and shadow, key elements in his photography.

Truesdale currently is negotiating to produce two books on the Hudson Valley.

But even when not working, he's working.

His wife, Marcie, has urged him to hike unburdened by his equipment.

"(But) it's very rare that I hike without a camera. I can't. I feel naked," Truesdale said.

His approach is hands-on; he shoots, prints, mounts and frames his photos, archiving them in a way to ensure 80- to 100-year color retention.

He shares his techniques through workshops, the next Jan. 9 at Mohonk Preserve. That nine-hour program will include discussion about composition, participant shooting, a visit to his studio, review of archiving and the printing and framing of one participant's photo.

"The one thing I hope people retain ... is to not get totally caught up in the technical (stuff) of today ... to keep it more simple and work on developing the eye, rather than getting totally lost in computer mumbo-jumbo," Truesdale said.

Photography is, after all, about getting the shot.

And 10,000 images later, Truesdale's still eager to do that.

He wants to shoot in Alaska and Iceland.

Finding places with different landscape shapes, he explained, "You become excited like a kid again and want to make images."

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