En Pleine Air

In French, to paint outdoors is to paint “En Pleine Air.” It means in the open air (pronounced, “on plehn air”), but really what it means is to leave your studio, garage or rumpus room (do we have rumpus rooms any longer? I suppose “she sheds” and “man caves” have replaced them. We no longer rumpus together, but separately.) and paint outdoors in real time, capturing the scene as seen, not imagined.

Artistic photographers do this, of sorts. They go to a location and capture the image in real time, but later build upon the settings they made when taking the photograph and interpret the scene further in a darkroom or computer, as they imagined it or to make it a more compelling image, artistically.

Friday, I was up at Lake Tahoe and visited Martis Creek. There’s a struggling aspen grove along the creek which wanders beside CA-267 between Truckee and Brockway Summit. In the grove is a decaying cabin (what will we do when it finally collapses?), a favorite of artists, photographers and people wanting a romantic, rustic location for a family or wedding portrait.

Sure enough, while I was there others arrived to photograph it. I suppose they’d heard the grove was peaking. Besides, it was a beautiful day to be outdoors. Michelle (seen above) was painting her interpretation of the cabin, while a photographer worked through the grove.

My photographic style is photojournalistic. I look for the story within a photo, as in that of Michelle seen above and below, upper left. They each contain lots of information.

Though occasionally, because this site celebrates the artistic, another way of telling the story emerges, as seen at upper right and bottom. In these instances, information gives way to emotion (click to enlarge).

• 

• 

Photojournalism tends to bleed the artsy-fartsy out of one’s photography. Editors want exposition, not art. CaliforniaFallColor.com appreciates both.

If you have information, send it. It feeds our body. If you have interpretation, send it too. If feeds our soul.

• Martis Creek Cabin (7,000′) – Peak (75 – 100%) GO NOW!
• Truckee (5, 817′) – Patchy (10 – 50%)
• Lake Tahoe (6,225′) – Patchy (10 – 50%) – Flashes of bright yellow aspen are passed when driving around the lake, but the forest is mostly green. Willows are lime to orange in color, but not notable. Red and mountain maple are bright red and orange in Tahoe City and along the north and south shores where planted along city streets or in neighborhoods. No Kokanee salmon are running at Taylor Creek. Give Tahoe a week and a half to two weeks.