Colby Chester Photography: Recently Added Galleries and Collections

Koans

colby4@w-link.net (Colby Chester Photography) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:31:26 GMT

A Koan is a Japanese concept representing a story, dialogue, question, or statement in the history and lore of Zen Buddhism, generally containing aspects that are inaccessible to rational understanding, yet may be accessible to intuition. A famous kōan asks: "Two hands clap and there is a sound; what is the sound of one hand clapping?"
Photographer, mentor, and prolific author of books on fine art photography George De Wolfe introduced me to this approach to creating an image. I do not seek koans; I welcome them.

Portfolio

colby4@w-link.net (Colby Chester Photography) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:52:27 GMT

A sampling of my images.
As with all other galleries on this site, further info including purchase/pricing can be obtained by emailing me at:
colby4@w-link.net.

In Honor of Trees

colby4@w-link.net (Colby Chester Photography) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:22:24 GMT

Trees have captured my attention from the earliest days of my childhood, when they provided refuge and inspired adventures in my young imagination. These images are a sampling of the love I have for some of nature's most magnificent creatures.

Return To Gascony-2009

colby4@w-link.net (Colby Chester Photography) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:05:12 GMT

Each summer for the past six years, my wife and I have returned to Gascony, the area known now as Le Gers, in southwest France. We love its simple life, with its daily markets and slow-paced living, and especially its landscapes. In late spring the farmers seed their crops, primarily feed corn, wheat and sunflowers. By July, the corn is taller than most of the people and the sunflowers are blinding in their rich yellows. The area is known for its Armagnac, the premiere spirit of the region, so vineyards are abundant.

A devastating windstorm ripped through southwestern France last January, toppling nearly 40% of the trees between the Atlantic coast and the city of Toulouse. It will take many years for this damage to be dealt with, yet the spirit of the land and its people cannot be broken. It has a history as rich as any region in Europe and a beauty all its own.

Celebrating Doors

colby4@w-link.net (Colby Chester Photography) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:24:33 GMT

Doors are always revealing. Mexican poet and essayist Octavio Paz has a wonderful saying. "Nunca sabemos si en entramos o salimos" (We never know if we are entering or leaving), which speaks to the magic of doorways.
I have been adding to this collection for several years, and they are part of an ongoing project.

Regarding Chairs

colby4@w-link.net (Colby Chester Photography) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:31:57 GMT

Everyday Things That Catch My Eye

colby4@w-link.net (Colby Chester Photography) — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:14:24 GMT

I carry a camera wherever I go. Not a day passes but I see things that draw my attention within my normal range of view. I still feel the same thrill I experienced when I made my first darkroom print and watched the image emerge from within the developer solution. Now, with the digital revolution and tools such as Photoshop, I can infuse into the image the tones and colors of my emotional response to its content. This is the closest I have come to practicing magic.

Gascony: Now & Then

colby4@w-link.net (Colby Chester Photography) — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:06:11 GMT

We have been summer residents of the Armagnac district of southwest France for several years, and will soon spend most of our time there. From the moment I set foot on that fertile landscape, I felt a kind of deja-vu calling out from the verdant hills and swift-flowing rivers of this history-rich area. These images are part of an ongoing project that seeks to show the villages and surrounding farmlands as they might have appeared a hundred years ago in tinted photographs...

A Glimpse of The Gers

colby4@w-link.net (Colby Chester Photography) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:13:18 GMT

These images were captured from 2006 to 2008, between the months of May and August. The Gers is a department in southwest France often referred to as "Gascony." It is the Armagnac capital of France. Despite modern conveniences, this area remains a museum of the past in its customs, landscapes, and architecture.

The American Southwest

colby4@w-link.net (Colby Chester Photography) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:09:29 GMT

These images were taken in November 2008 in and around Kanab, Utah. The venues depicted here include Zion National Park, Lower Antelope Canyon, the old "Gunsmoke" film set near Kanab, and parts of Staircase Escalante.

Dreams, Dunes, & Devils

colby4@w-link.net (Colby Chester Photography) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 01:24:27 GMT

These images were made during a trip to Death Valley, CA, in February of 2008.

Land of The Incas

colby4@w-link.net (Colby Chester Photography) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:30:11 GMT

My daughters and I visited Peru in March of 2005. As part of that trip we spent a week traveling through the Sacred Valley of the Incas, which includes Machu Picchu.

A Walk In The Winter Woods

colby4@w-link.net (Colby Chester Photography) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:26:08 GMT

These images were made in the winter of 2007, during a walk in the woods surrounding Totoket Mountain, in Northford, Connecticut.

Black & White & France All Over

colby4@w-link.net (Colby Chester Photography) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:09:27 GMT

These images reflect the landscape of Southwest France, particularly Le Gers, also known as Gascony.