Information
Charles T. Low Photographs
Purchasing
If you wish to consider purchasing any of these Serious Amateur photographs, then please contact me for information about competitive pricing and shipping. I produce much higher resolution versions for printing than those presented here, and offer a full money-back guarantee minus S&H. Drop back once in a while to check for updated content.
Technical
Many of the photos presented here, and the larger versions you see if you click on individual pictures, went through my own humble flat-bed scanner with an inexpensive slide-scanning attachment. As those of you conversant with digital imaging technology know, this doesn't produce anything near adequate reproductions. Others went through different but equally humble treatments. I get much better results when I take my slides in to my photography guy, who has a dedicated slide scanner. I haven't purchased one for myself because of frugality, to put it mildly. Sorry about that. I can't expect you to take my word for it, but all of these photos look great projected - if not, I would't have posted them here! If I ever get into this more seriously commercially...
...and the more recent ones, near the top, are digital from the get-go.
Photographer's Statement
Dontcha' just love these things? Photographers all over like to make wonderful statements about how they see the beauty and unity of everything, and use light to reflect the inner self, etc., etc. Perhaps I display my own ignorance by finding such musings mostly incomprehensible.
I make photographs because I enjoy making photographs. I knew I would the first time I held a "proper" camera in my hands. I can remember where I was and with whom, and what camera it was. (My father's - my mother was showing me the Christmas present she was about to give him, I think.)
I still use a point-and-shooter for some of my photography, but I like fiddling with all of the things to fiddle with on my more "interesting" cameras. Liking to fiddle doesn't seem very grandiose to me.
I also want to create something beautiful and artistic, sure, but I don't paint or dance - I photograph, perhaps because I suffer the delusion that I can, but also because the "fiddling" side of it makes it seem (largely incorrectly) more within my control. I like adjusting a tripod. I like the swishing sound of my cameras making exposures. I like being able to make several exposures with slightly different framing, or angles of view, or depth of field, or with varying exposures. (Can't do that too easily with other visual artistic media!)
I think I was initially drawn to photography for similar reasons to those that draw people to guitar-playing: you can start making photographs - or music - almost immediately. (Contrast this with learning to paint or sculpt, or to play the violin!) Only later does it become apparent that doing it better than average is another matter.
I like wanting and trying to do it better than average.
Often, I most like the gift of "seeing" that photography has helped me with (oh-oh, getting a little artsy-sounding now!) - even when I don't have a camera with me, or when I'm doing something unrelated to photography, I see things a little more actively because of having taken up photography.
Although often, under those circumstances, when I don't have a camera with me, I wish I did.
Thanks for visiting!
Charles T. Low
P.S. I do seem drawn to stumps. I photograph lots of different things, but I do like tree stumps. The shapes and textures appeal to me. I have only one in this collection at the moment, but many more waiting for scanning.
P.P.S. Have a look at my short essay for beginning photographers (but useful for everyone!), Photography Basics.