Sunday, August 4, 2013

2013.8.4

N E W S

THANK YOU once again to Le Journal de la Photographie for posting my photo, Camp Site. Le Journal has chosen my work 5 times; with 2 portfolio showings and 3 individual photographs.



Unfortunately I was not as lucky when it came to another recent exhibition. My portfolio of 15 images from the Overhead Projections series (including Jaws, above) did not qualify for acceptance in the F-Stop Magazine Portfolio Edition Call for Entries. Over 260 artists submitted work for the final show of 12 collections. Tough competition.

S E E I N G


I grew up about a half-mile from this location and it's safe to say that I've driven past it thousands of times. It was only recently that I happened to drive by it again and actually "see" the image Half Street. While it's true that we overlook the obvious sometimes in our lives, it can also be said that an image doesn't reveal itself to you until you're ready to see it.

In this case, the visual pun of the Half Street image is that the photo is divided into halves. Up close the bottom half is a textural wall of cracks, peeling plaster and the disintegrating Half Street stencil. Above it, the rhythmic pattern of bricks is interrupted by three unevenly spaced windows, each with its contents appearing as abstract expressionist compositions.

W H Y
Why I like this photo — it's the kind of image that gets created when you stumble upon it. Driving and walking around downtown St. Louis, looking for something to photograph and I see a mural of the Arch peeking out between buildings. Standing in the parking lot and panning a bit to the left enabled me to compose the image the way I saw it. The geometric layout cuts the photo in half and in half again. The blue sky echoes the blue paint of the faded rendering. The brick wall in the upper right hand corner balances with the brick wall in the lower left hand corner. The buildings in the flattened, painted cityscape across the bottom, are at the same height and proportion as the actual buildings on the left, continuing the horizontal movement of the image. Finally, the protruding security light punches a hole in the white wall and sits perfectly centered under the archway. My favorite kind of see it, shoot it, share it photograph.  

L E T T E R B O X
Two more images from the Letterbox series. Someday these images will all come together in a collection.




V I  E W S
Parking lots continue to hold my attention as potential large canvases and handball courts seem like stages to me.




H O L G A
I still find images that I think are perfect for this plastic lens, including this homemade Deals on Wheels sign.



J U S T  F O R  F U N
It's not often that you get to see the steam from a fire breathing serpent so close up.


(click on any image to see the slide show)

Sunday, July 7, 2013

2013.7.7

N E W S 
The French website Le Journal de la Photographie, posted a mini portfolio of images from my 2009 exhibition When is a Doll, not a Doll. See the post here. Le Journal has featured my photos three other times in the past, including the post on Found Landscapes in 2011 seen here.


Ken Allen Studios in New York, craftsmen of fine art printing, recently selected my Found Landscapes series as a top 10 finalist in their online Call for Entries.

V I E W S
During the month of June, I revisited my Letterbox and Found Landscapes series and explored the possibilities of extending the collections with newly created photos.







T H E   B U S I N E S S   O F   A R T


Creating a photograph that you want to keep and exhibit is only part of the business of art. Getting your work shown is a time-consuming effort that involves, among other things, research, archiving, management, expenses, acceptance and rejection.
     For the first six months of this year, the Larry Torno Photo numbers are as follows: 46 photographs have been submitted to 10 Calls for Entries, resulting in 13 images shown in 5 exhibitions, with 18 images in 3 shows still awaiting decisions. It's a lot of work but it's what I want to do.

J U S T   F O R   F U N
I took my turtle to the playground today but as it turns out, it's for pedestrian use only. We were very disappointed and walked home slowly; our heads hung low.




See you at the next posting on Sunday, August 4. Of course, you're welcome to drop by as often as you like and please pass the link on to anyone you think will appreciate my blog and photos. Thank you for visiting
(click on any image to see the slide show)

Sunday, June 2, 2013

2013.6.2

N E W S - EXHIBITIONS
Recently, I had the good fortune of exhibiting some of my photos on two of my favorite sites: Lenscratch (considered one of the 10 Photography Related blogs you should be reading by Source Review, Wired.com, Rangefinder and InStyle Magazine), and F-Stop Magazine (an online photography magazine featuring contemporary photography from established and emerging photographers from around the world).




(F-Stop chose 3 of my images for their True / False exhibition.)


V I E W S - NEW WORK
I watch a lot of movies and am struck by the letterbox format with long, panoramic set locations. With that in mind, I went out looking for the next scene in a Larry Torno film.
     See you at the next blog post on Sunday, July 7(click on any image to see the slide show)








Sunday, May 5, 2013

2013.5.5

In April I spent a week at my childhood home helping my father recover from an extended hospital stay.
     During that time I revisited the past and discovered that some things have not changed since I moved out 36 years ago.
     See you at the next blog post on Sunday, June 2(click on any image to see the slide show)

My father continues to quietly display my mother's love of angels.

A prayer gets repeated and reposted on the kitchen bulletin board.

Mom's pin cushion remains where she left it, 9 years after her death and many years more since she quit sewing.

My favorite chairs are still my favorite chairs.

An envelope can last a long time but a phone number changes.

Where art and utility meet.

Pride and accomplishments deserve to be shared.

Barbasol, Aramis and English Leather retain their aromas.

Even in a closet, typewriter keys gather dust.

Rotary phones still work and ring loudly.

A Remington Roll-A-Matic is the original retro style.

Dad never gave away my brother's Roy Rogers Rodeo Ranch.

True love lasts forever.




Sunday, April 7, 2013

2013.4.7

N E W S - EXHIBITION


Found Landscape #22 was selected to appear in The Kiernan Gallery online exhibition and catalog, Abstraction. The exhibition runs from March 27 - April 27, 2013.

This image is 30" x 20" and is available from the Bruno David Gallery. New photos in this series (originally titled Focal Point) have been added to my website Larry Torno Photo.

V I E W S - NEW WORK

I continue experimenting and learning with my Holga lens. Along with the traditional photography, I've been exploring a new idea of multiple exposures of the same subject, presented in a contact sheet format. Whether I'm standing stationary or changing progressive views, I discover the continuity of content, and the fluidity of changing form, in large, panoramic prints.
     See you at the next blog post on Sunday, May 5(click on any image to see the slide show)