Curt Miller's Photography Gallery - "The Lobby"

2006-03-03T19:06:00.000-08:00

Arbor Hill - Albany, New York
c 2006 Curt Miller

This neighborhood, as viewed from the tenth floor of the New York State Education Department, is my favorite area for photography in the city. Watch this space for more pictures from Arbor Hill.

2006-03-01T17:51:00.000-08:00

Florida (Massachusetts) Wetland
c 2006 Curt Miller

I was sorting through boxes of workprints the past few days and this one popped out at me as one of the most beautiful pictures I've ever made. I took it about seven years ago in northwestern Mass. with my 1958 Baby Rolleiflex on 127 size Efke 100 film, processed in PMK pyro. The camera I made this with was the first serious camera I ever used, starting in the autumn of 1963.

2006-02-27T18:26:00.000-08:00

Trees, Dusk - Schodack, New York
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-26T15:53:00.000-08:00

Tree in Courtyard, Williams College - Williamstown, Mass.
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

Comptroller's Building - Albany, New York
c 2006 Curt Miller

In the end, it's all about the light, isn't it?

2006-02-22T15:28:00.001-08:00

Going Home (for the first time) - Albany Medical Center
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-21T16:29:00.000-08:00

Beaver Pond - Pittsfield, Massachusetts
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-20T07:13:00.000-08:00

On the Ellis Island Tourboat
c 2006 Curt Miller

Trinity Church, Lower Manhattan
c 2006 Curt Miller

The above photos are the pictures I from which I made my first exhibition quality inkjet prints. Both images were made with my Leica on color negative film. My pro-lab processed the negatives and made high-res scans on their Fuji Frontier. I converted the images to B&W using channel mixer and made the other typical editing manipulations like contrast, sharpness, etc. I then printed them using my Epson 2000P with continuous inking, using the "black ink" setting in the printer driver. The final prints were made on Epson Watercolor paper and are stunning.

An interesting note on the picture of Trinity Church: when I was a kid, my dad worked in the building to the left of the church. His office was somewhere just above the head in the picture of the athlete. I can remember going there often and looking out the window into the churchyard cemetery below. At lunchtime, we would walk through the cemetery and visit the graves of such notables as Robert Fulton and Alexander Hamilton (one of my heroes). The tall building above that one at the upper left of the picture is the Bank of Nova Scotia, which stands just east of the South Tower of the ill-fated World Trade Center. When all the dust settled, airplane seats were found on the roof of both of these buildings and both were covered in the debris from the collapse, as was the church cemetery.

2006-02-19T16:23:00.000-08:00

Purple House - Pittsfield, Massachusetts
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-18T07:06:00.000-08:00

US Route 20 - Nassau, New York
c 2006 Curt Miller

While I see myself as a traditionalist in my photographic descriptions of the world, I am a strong devotee of minimalism as well. Philip Glass, for instance, is one of my favorite composers. Photographic description, too, can be minimalist in approach and achieve a significant end by communicating mood or intent. I consider this picture to be one of the best I've ever made because it conveys my sense of mood and of place. At its essence, photography is a most personal form of communication.

2006-02-17T19:11:00.000-08:00

Academy Park - Albany, New York
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-17T18:51:00.000-08:00

Old Rocker on Old Porch - Ithaca, New York
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-16T18:25:00.000-08:00

Corning Tower - Albany, New York
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-15T16:36:00.000-08:00

A Study in Perspective - Albany, New York
c 2006 Curt Miller

(It's actually the underside of a pedestrian walkway roof)

2006-02-14T17:54:00.000-08:00

Colonial Theatre Undergoing Restoration - Pittsfield, Massachusetts
c 2006 Curt Miller

The twenty-one million dollars going into this magnificent turn-of-the-twentieth-century theatre is well spent. The theatre will provide a venue for a variety of performing arts. The picture was made with my Leica O-Series camera with a 50mm/3.5 lens on color negative film, developed and scanned at a one-hour lab. I desaturated the image in PhotoShop and then toned it sepia.

2006-02-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

Winter Woods - Richmond, Massachusetts
c 2006 Curt Miller

I made this picture on color negative film in my 1924 Leica replica with a 50mm lens. The negative was scanned and desaturated in PhotoShop using Channel Mixer, leaving just a hint of blue in the ice. It was then toned selenium using Color Balance. This is a great example of the opportunities presented by a hybrid workflow.

2006-02-12T19:41:00.000-08:00

"Breadhead" - New York, NY
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-12T19:30:00.000-08:00

Life is Good, Bryant Park - NY, New York
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-12T19:10:00.000-08:00

Homeless in Bryant Park
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

"Eye to Eye in Midtown" - New York, NY
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-12T15:05:00.000-08:00

Summertime, Union Square - New York City
c 2006 Curt Miller

Today's record snow made me think of warmer days when I haunt my hometown with my Leica.

2006-02-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

Old Maple on South Mountain Road - Pittsfield, Mass
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

Wild West Ranch - Lake George, New York
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-10T16:01:00.000-08:00

Bold Ailanthus (Tree of Paradise) - Winter,
Arbor Hill View - Albany, New York
c 2006 Curt Miller

2006-02-09T17:22:00.000-08:00

House on Swan Street - Albany, New York
c 2006 Curt Miller