Patrick Ellis
Photography
Landscapes, abstracts, aerials, nature, and other things that caught my eye.
I’ve long drawn inspiration from the Depression-era Group f/64 photographers and their ethos of “straight” or “pure” photography. With the advent of powerful digital editing tools, I held back from their use, as I was bothered by the too-often cheesy exaggeration they encouraged. I gradually came around to using them to lightly tweak sharpness or color balance, but only in service of presenting a straight shot.
Then I took a phone shot through a grimy airliner window of western Nebraska croplands amid tortured ridgelines. I loved the abstract quilt feel of it, but it was washed-out, fuzzy, low resolution, and utterly hopeless. There was no way I could keep it a straight shot, but I played with it to see what I could pull out. By the time I was done it had become a painterly abstract, and despite my attitudes, I absolutely loved it.
While I continue to do straight shots, often inspired by Edward Weston’s classic California landscapes, I now also pursue abstract and painterly pieces, with digital manipulation and selective cropping to remove context and present a mystery to the viewer.
I am now inspired and learning from the many very talented local photographers I’ve come to know and admire since moving to Gualala.
Directions to Studio #20 at 36000 S. Hwy 1, Gualala:
From the south, on Hwy 1 at mile marker 3.83. We are 1/2 mile north of St. Orres on the ocean side of Hwy 1. First gate after Serenisea.
From the north, on Hwy 1 at mile marker 3.83, 1/4 mile south of Anchor Bay Village on ocean side of Hwy 1, immediately before Serenisea.
Studio Tour Hours
August 23-24 & Aug. 30-31
11 am to 5 pm
Closed Labor Day Monday
No public restrooms
No pets, please
My studio is also open by appointment, year-round.