I started 3D scanning aspects of Windgrove with a drone. In processing, the first step is creating a point cloud (data) and most people ignore it and move onto making a solid mesh. Peter was looking over my shoulder and immediately loved the look of Windgrove’s Peace Garden as a point cloud. So I went with this above sketch as a test. Click it to see a large version. I would love to see this type of look in a real-time environment. The following photo of myself along with my identical triplet brothers and a swarm of 200 drones begins to explain the process. Continue reading Point Clouds of Windgrove
Banjo Frogs… Yup. Banjo Frogs. What else could they be?
Banjo Frogs are only in Eastern Australia. Too bad. I can’t think of a better name for them. Here is – I mean HEAR – what you up-yonder have been missing. This video is all about sound, so turn it up. I just literally stuck my camera in the bog at the side of the road. No editing, no nothing.
Daily Routine, 19th Century Farming Part Two

How many farmers over the last few centuries have gotten up in the morning and said they were headed out to their studios? They work with primary natural and analogue materials, they wanted to make stuff that the local community liked and needed, and they hoped that their creations would bring in enough profit to maintain their family. I never thought that a farm might be a studio. My 2-month studio here at Windgrove is 65 acres, 2.8 million square feet. What is that worth? I love it. No roof. Great ventilation. Every day’s activity depends on the weather. A major aspect of my work here is taking photographs from 8 locked-down camera stations numerous times a day. Each photo becomes a layer in a potential 2-month exposure. Following is a fun 3 minute video of my daily chores of feeding and watering my camera stations. I do this 1-3 times a day. Continue reading Daily Routine, 19th Century Farming Part Two
Tech Head Toolbox and Basecamp done.
Why the Title?
The word “long” has a long history in photography: long lens, long exposure, etc. It seemed weak. “Slow,” however, added in new territory that is important to this project and residency. The U.S. movement of “Slow Foods” comes to mind. Slow Foods speaks of different attitudes, focus, and priorities related to agriculture, food preparation and consumption. In the geologic and rugged cliff setting of Windgrove Tasmania, the word “exposure” also takes on new meaning. As well, an individual can be exposed to new ideas. Much of this work comes directly from scientists, artists, and writers working in the territory of Deep Time.
Slow Exposure is about my simple attempt to slow down and use a different rhythm to observing, reflecting, and making images. It is about being a student again. If the Slow Food movement is a reaction to Fast Foods, then Slow Exposure is reacting to the glut of the usually malnourished imagery in social media: Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, texting, and so on. (No offense to my friends who post amazing images and are the exceptions to the trillions of images online.) The above image is an early test exposure from camera station #6.
Digital Windgrove and 19th Century Farming, Part One

“Make hay while the sun shines.” – an old saying that is probably so old that most people haven’t heard it. It’s probably that my childhood included working on family farms in the mid-west of the U.S., but I am loving this daily situation where if I want this big computer to render for hours, the sun needs to be shining. The saying is now “It’s sunny?! Hit the render button.” Continue reading Digital Windgrove and 19th Century Farming, Part One
Finally. The Holy Grail, but this shot isn’t it.

Tech Stuff. Amongst the time lapse community, the term “Holy Grail” refers to a continuous shot that goes smoothly from full sun to the deepest star filled night with no hitches, glitches, bumps, or dissolves. It is really hard to do – hence it being called the Holy Grail of time lapse shots. At long last I have joined the ranks of Holy Grail-ers. Continue reading Finally. The Holy Grail, but this shot isn’t it.
Embracing Jet Lag

Instead of fighting jet lag, I went with it and photographed stars for 5 straight nights. It happened to be a new moon, so the sky was dark, and Tasmania has little light pollution. This, along with crystal clear weather made for a perfect setting. And I learned enough about the southern skies that I can forgive Orion for standing on his head here. Continue reading Embracing Jet Lag
“Oh dear…. What have I signed up for…..”
For a number of smart reasons, upon landing in Hobart Tasmania after 39 hours of travel, I wanted to spend the first night in a hotel and just crash. My host, Peter, thought this wise too, because Windgrove is far from Hobart – plus we have a day of errands to load up supplies. However, he didn’t want me to book any-old hotel. He wanted to book the hotel for me and so, of course, he went and booked one of the newest and trendiest hotels in Hobart… Continue reading “Oh dear…. What have I signed up for…..”
Dividing Line
This post marks the break between two trips to Tasmania. Everything below this post (earlier) is about the first trip, December 2015 – March 2016, Understanding Standing Under. Everything above this post is from the current trip November 2017 – January 2018, Slow Exposure. Continue reading Dividing Line
“Going Down?” Yes.
“Testing, Testing, 1,2,3…” After almost 2 years of being dormant, this blog is going to become active. The sequel begins. I am headed back down to Tasmania in mid-November for 2 months of work. You are reading this post, most likely, because you got an email from WordPress. I just wanted to give you a heads up. Continue reading “Going Down?” Yes.
Looking Around Check Box. Accomplished
Done.
Tag-Along Series: Post Script
Tag-Along Series #8: The End
Well the Pest is finally leaving New Zealand. One less invasive species for them to monitor. In a few months Ms. Biodiversity will also leave and at that point all monitoring can stop. No more wildlife will be disturbed. Maryland, on the other hand, should start a watch…
Here are a few last tag-along images. Continue reading Tag-Along Series #8: The End
A Volcano Alone and Separated From Love
One more Volcano post. A sad one. This is Mt. Taranaki who is basically isolated from all the other volcanos. He is at rest on the coast near New Plymouth. He lost at love and some think he is waiting for revenge. Continue reading A Volcano Alone and Separated From Love
Pictures of Volcanos
Yes, I know. There are volcanos everywhere and we have all seen them, but I have never spent any quality time with volcanos so my last hurrah of a trip down-under was to tramp for 3 days around the bottoms, middles, and definitely the tops of active volcanoes. Tongariro has 3 of the most famous ones in NZ and I visited all three which are in a nice tight group. So, pictures of volcanos are a dime a dozen, but these are my dozen (actually a baker’s dozen). Continue reading Pictures of Volcanos
The LOTR Checkbox is Finally Checked
Finally I can come home and people under 30 will respect me. I saw some locations for a famous film series today. Not sure, but here I think someone lost a finger here, someone found a ring, and a little whimpering fleshy pale guy who likes to crawl around the ground made his appearance nearby. Black Gate must be close by… and some really really bad guys. Continue reading The LOTR Checkbox is Finally Checked
Tractors of the Whangamomona Republic
I should probably just stop this post here with the title and photo, but you can’t make this stuff up. Continue reading Tractors of the Whangamomona Republic
Len Lye Pilgrimage
I flew to New Plymouth today to finally see, after a lifetime, the Len Lye Center and Museum. Artist/Animators don’t get much respect in the states, but here in New Zealand they have honored him with this huge amazing museum to house his archives, works, and created a research library for scholars to study his career. Continue reading Len Lye Pilgrimage
Tag-Along Series #7
The tag-along series is winding down. Time to say good-bye. This is Emily and 3 of her Fulbright teacher cohorts on a hike. Minneapolis, Oakland, LA, and Baltimore are represented here. Continue reading Tag-Along Series #7
One Tree
There is a small isolated wind-swept island in the middle of Wellington Bay. It is most renown for being a quarantine for arriving passengers and then later for diseased animals. There is this one tree, totally contorted by the environment, that sits on the highest hill. If I was going to be here for a number of seasons I would turn it into my “Monet Haystacks” and head out there in all environments to photograph it. Continue reading One Tree
If I played guitar I would use a portable drill, too.
and I would definitely have the cow bell.
Rhysonic is the name. He has his own Vimeo channel with some clips of him playing bells, tubes, and other things.
Wellington: Baltimore Inner Harbor’s Aspirational Peer
Academia regularly uses the term “Aspirational Peer.” When planning, institutions will list who they think their peer institutions are, but they will also make another list of institutions they aspire to become – something to shoot for and communicate their most important values. This post is for Lee Boot who loves oceans, sailing, humanity, and cities. He also has visions and limitless energy to make Baltimore the best. This is a seed to plant that Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, should be one of Inner Harbor’s aspirational peers. Continue reading Wellington: Baltimore Inner Harbor’s Aspirational Peer
Still Loving the Caution Signage, Part 3
I call this caution sign, “Caution! Powerful Cel Tower with 6 Bars of Strength! Duck and Cover!” Always remember that you need to use exclamation points when describing caution signs in New Zealand.
Or maybe, just maybe, there is a new caution sign designer and just a smidgen of vanishing point perspective is working its way onto the signs. NO! Could this possibly be that there is a cross walk up ahead? 3D!
If you don’t want to go home, it probably isn’t.
It has been a great run, but I am winding down and headed back up-yonder in less than two weeks. Sure it’s been great, but it will also be nice to be back home. After settling into Wellington with Emily for the last 3 weeks and working remotely on an IRC project, I am taking the last weeks to experience the North Island. Volcanos appear to be on that list…
Ohio, Tasmania, and World Heritage Areas
Numerous Tassies, when attempting to explain Tasmania to me, used the example that Tasmania is about the size of Ohio. I took the time and did a pretty good job of comparing their sizes. Since many of you who are actually reading this blog have a personal relationship to Ohio, I thought you might enjoy the following in trying to visualize just how much of Tasmania is totally wild. Untouched.
… like everybody else
Moon Rise to Start the Week
Still Loving the Signage. Part 2
This might be my favorite image so far. I love this down-under signage. How much better is this “Go” then our “Proceed With Caution”? Who wouldn’t want to simply GO? So, this post is a sequel to the first one. Continue reading Still Loving the Signage. Part 2