Mesa Verde - 1963 - Edited

MESA VERDE – 1963

Photo Restorations

I recently uncovered a treasure trove of old family photos my grandmom left behind. From black and white images to color slides to old negatives, I’ve been going through them and restoring a select few. I recently acquired the equipment in my studio to develop old negatives and other mediums and getting all this practice has been helpful … and quite the trip down memory lane.

Restoring Old Slides
Restoring Old Slides

The image below is a photograph my granddad took of a canyon in Mesa Verde National Park in July 1963. This is the original scan:

Mesa Verde - 1963 - Original
Mesa Verde – 1963 – Original

Below is the restored version of the above image:

Mesa Verde - 1963 - Edited
Mesa Verde – 1963 – Edited

But the real story here is that upon developing this old slide, I recognized this canyon. I was there in 2018 and damn near took the exact same photo:

Mesa Verde - 2018
Mesa Verde – 2018

It’s uncanny – we were at the same spot at the same time of day, framed the picture the same and everything. He had better light, though, so I think he took the better photo.

But perhaps the real story here is that I didn’t know my granddad very well, and yet I’ve been told my whole life that he and I are remarkably similar. As I’m developing these old slides and negatives, I’m seeing things through his eyes, and I’m discovering how true that assessment is.

Life is one big road trip, y’all.

Matt & Stevie

SUNSET SESSION WITH STEVIE & MATT

Projects

This is what happens when Plan A doesn’t work.

I was supposed to meet Stevie and Matt for a sunset photo shoot out at Liberty Point. En route, the clutch on Matt’s Harley went out. A few zip ties later and he rigged it enough to get the bike in gear, but there was no way they were going to make it to our shoot location.

Fortunately this happened early enough, and with sufficient light, to initiate a spontaneous Plan B. They were right at City Park in Pueblo, so I hopped in my truck and hustled from Liberty Point to meet them. When I arrived, we were running out of light and time. But Stevie had already found a great spot by a pond in City Park, so Matt pulled up on his bike and we went to work.

Thanks, Stevie & Matt! You were good sports about the situation and I think we walked away with some great smiles and just enough light left to give us some smooth tones for some shots I hope you’re proud of.

Paddling Lake Pueblo

PADDLING LAKE PUEBLO

Updates

To showcase my video work, I’m sharing a video I just completed for my blog Screams from the Trees.

With all the rain and cool temps we’re having, I strapped a few yaks and paddle boards to the old mule and took the crew out for a quick trip to Lake Pueblo State Park. It’s just a fifteen-minute drive from the house – and the kids wonder why we don’t get a pool….