Article/Interview Topeka Capitol Journal

I recently did an interview with Adrielle Harvey at the Topeka Capitol Journal. We had a discussion about my work at Rocky Mountain National Park. The article ran Sunday in the “Today” section. If you missed the print version you can read it online.

click below:
“Photographer Gets to Know Nature”
http://www.cjonline.com/stories/072907/lif_187675951.shtml

Photo of the Week 7/27/07

Many of you know that i’ve just returned from my Residence at Rocky Mountain National Park. I made it back with over 3,000 photos. As you can imagine it will take me some time to filter through all those images.

My goal at RMNP was to create a photographic essay of the park and it’s visitors. I did some landscape work, a series of portraits, and documented mans relationship with this environment. Rocky Mountain National Park receives over 3.5 million visitors every year. I wanted to better understand why so many people leave their jobs in the cities and their homes in the suburbs to visit this amazing place. Do people respect these areas that have been preserved for our enjoyment and for the enjoyment of generations to come?

In the next couple of weeks I will be posting this photographic essay on my website

The Estes Park Trail Gazette published a feature on my work:

http://www.eptrail.com/pages/02friday/fri06_i_comm.html

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Limited Edition Prints available at these Fine Galleries:

Strecker-Nelson Gallery
406 1/2 Poyntz
Manhattan Kansas
785-537-2099

Leopold Gallery
324 West 63rd Street
Kansas City, MO 64113
816.333.3111

SouthWind Gallery
3074 SW 29th St # 1
Topeka, KS 66614
(785) 273-5994

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PHOTOGRAPHS TO BE FEATURED AT SOUTHWIND GALLERY OF TOPEKA

15TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBIT
WORKS BY OVER 50 OF THE REGIONS PROMINENT ARTISTS

SouthWind Gallery
3074 SW 29th Street
Topeka, KS. 66614
785-273-5994

August 13 – Sept 15

Sept 7th First Fridays Gallery Walk Reception

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6 GALLERY IN LAWRENCE

The grand opening of the new 6 Gallery, 817 Massachusetts in downtown Lawrence, will take place on September 7, from 6 – 9pm. Daniel will have work in the show’s themed exhibit entitled “Thresholds”.

6 Gallery
817 Massachusetts St.
Opening Reception: Sept 7 6-9pm

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CITYARTS GROUP EXHIBIT: LOUIS COPT, PHIL EPP, DANIEL COBURN

CityArts gallery
334 N. Mead in Wichita, Kansas
Sept 5th – Sept 28th
Reception on Sept. 28, 6 – 9pm

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DANIEL W. COBURN SOLO EXHIBIT AT 12 12 GALLERY – RICHMOND VA

Between Earth and Sky – Photographs by Daniel W. Coburn
November 9th – December 16th, 2007
12 12 Gallery
12 East 12th Street
Richmond, Virginia 23224
(804) 233-9957

William Allen White Cabin – RMNP

During my Artist in Residence stay, the National Park Service put me up in the historic William Allen White Cabin. What an amazing place, and what an amazing view from the front porch. I am convinced that there couldn’t have been a more inspiring place to stay on my visit. Several of my favorite photos were made from the front steps. This main cabin was the summer residence of the pulitzer prize winning novelist and his family. Behind the main living quarters, White also had a small cabin where he did a majority of his summer writing. Adjacent to the writing cabin there are two smaller buildings that were used for guest quarters. Unfortunately, it is expensive to maintain all of these old buildings so the park service keeps the smaller out-buildings boarded year round.

Here is an excerpt about White taken from Wikipedia_ a little kansas history :c)

He attended the University of Kansas and worked at the Kansas City Star.

White purchased his hometown newspaper, The Emporia Gazette for $3,000 [1] in 1895. He rocketed to national fame and influence in the Republican party with an August 16, 1896 editorial[2] entitled What’s the Matter With Kansas?.

White developed a friendship with President Theodore Roosevelt with Roosevelt spending nights at White’s Wight and Wight-designed home Red Rocks during trips across the United States (the house is now a museum and is on the National Register of Historic Places)

Heaven on Earth

To say the least it’s been difficult being a black and white photographer working in a place filled with so much color. The wildflowers are in bloom, and in the afternoon, the skies are stormy and dramatic. The evening light in the high country is breathtaking to say the least. I typically keep color photos for myself… I’m selfish thataway. However, I thought I would share some with you today.

It takes a lot for me to make that decision to switch from black and white. These are a few “heaven on earth” moments that were screaming to be captured in living and vivid color.

RMNP – Black and White Landscapes

Being a black and white photographer in a national park_ it’s been difficult to break from the “Ansel Adams” stigma. I have a great admiration for his work, but I find myself searching for a completely different approach to this majestic and sometimes overwhelming landscape. I want to be different, and I want to be very different. So_ I’ve been searching for darkness, shooting scenes that are backlit, going out when the weather is at it’s worst.

Yesterday, I watched as a park interpreter educated children about lightning in the high country. I’ve driven past signs along trail-ridge road that warn of adverse and quickly changing weather conditions. It’s frightening when you wander a little too close the edge of an overlook. A few days ago I was caught in a brief snow-storm_ thats right_ snow in July. I passed a monument at the visitors center that was risen in tribute to those rangers and park officials that had died in the line of duty.

This land is as harsh as it is strikingly beautiful. The National Park Service and its volunteers do a great job of making this monumental place easily accessible to the masses. However, nature can be as equally violent as it is beautiful. Too often, nature reminds us of how.

It is my goal to capture this combination of beauty and power in a photograph. So far it has been a challenge, but a welcome one.

People in the Park

Why do people leave their homes in the burbs to visit our National Parks? Certainly, a tent or a rustic cabin isn’t nearly as comfortable as the amenities of home. So why do families, generation after generation, return to these parks to experience our nations natural wonders? Why do we feel the need to get back to nature?

I am doing a series of portraits, and a photographic essay documenting the diverse population of people that visit Rocky Mountain National Park. Since I’ve been here I’ve discovered that the park is ran mainly by volunteers. What compels people to devote so much of their time and energy in efforts to preserve and protect our natural areas for the enjoyment of others?

I’ve had a great time, and I’ve met some great people. There have only been a few instances when people have refused to have their photo taken. The park service has given me and “official” volunteer uniform so I look pretty legitimate… If you can imagine that. :c)

Boring Disclaimer:
All Images contained in this post are documentary. The following photographs were captured in high traffic areas at Rocky Mountain National Park. The images are not for sale or for commercial/advertising purposes.

Rocky Mountain High

I’m am currently writing you from the public library in Estes Colorado. Finding an internet connection, and communications in general, have been difficult. The William Allen White cabin is great and comes complete with an amazing view of Morraine Park. It’s been a bit soggy, but the photography end of things is going well… the rain doesn’t keep me down. The first photo was shot at Bear Lake, the second from above the tree line.

I’ve had several visitors. Haley made the trip out with me. Russel and Amy Behrends arrived yesterday. I also got a suprise visit from my friends Louis and Phyllis Copt. It’s amazing who you might run into in the wilderness.

Photo of the Week 7/7/07

Hello Everyone,
This weeks photo was captured north of topeka during the hay harvest in mid-june.

See more of my work by visiting the official website:
http://www.danielwcoburn.com

I will be an Artist In Residence at ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK for the next couple of weeks so check my blog frequently for updates and photos.

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LIMITED EDITION PRINTS BY DANIEL W. COBURN NOW AVAILABLE AT THESE FINE GALLERIES:

Strecker-Nelson Gallery
406 1/2 Poyntz
Manhattan Kansas
785-537-2099

Leopold Gallery
324 West 63rd Street
Kansas City, MO 64113
816.333.3111

SouthWind Gallery
3074 SW 29th St # 1
Topeka, KS 66614
(785) 273-5994

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BEYOND MIMESIS

Conceptual Photographs by Daniel W. Coburn will be exhibited in an
upcoming show at Strecker-Nelson Gallery

Beyond Mimesis
June 22nd – July 28th
Strecker-Nelson Gallery
406 1/2 Poyntz Ave
Manhattan, KS

The show will include work by the following artists:
Aaron Brown
Daniel Coburn
Roxanne Graber
Steven Graber
Sally Johnson
Steven Johnson
Lacey Lewis
Joseph Lorusso
Barbara Waterman-Peters
Ann Piper

Public Reception for the Artists
June 22nd 5-8pm

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PHOTOGRAPHS TO BE FEATURED AT SOUTHWIND GALLERY

15th Anniversary Show Extravaganza
August 15, 2007
SouthWind Gallery of Topeka
3074 SW 29th Street
Topeka, KS. 66614
785-273-5994

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DANIEL W. COBURN SOLO EXHIBIT AT 12 12 GALLERY – RICHMOND VA

Between Earth and Sky – Photographs by Daniel W. Coburn
October 26 – November 18, 2007
12 12 Gallery
12 East 12th Street
Richmond, Virginia 23224
(804) 233-9957

Rocky Mountain National Park Artist-in-Residence

The above photo was shot last year on my visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. The work that I’ll bring back this year will differ greatly.

I learned in February that I was chosen to be one of six artists for the 2007 Artist In Residence Program at RMNP. They’ll put me up in a historic cabin located near Morraine park which is in the heart of this wonderful place. I’ll be there for two weeks.

The Assignment:

The stunning scenery of this majestic park attracts over 3 million visitors each year. That means 6 million feet will run, kick, and stomp over the trails and through the streams of this fragile landscape. Documentation is the name of the game_ something that is completely foreign to me.

Why do so many people feel a need to leave their jobs in the cities, and their comfortable homes in the suburbs, just so they can briefly return to nature?

Do people respect the important areas that are preserved for our enjoyment and for the enjoyment of generations to come?

These are questions I will attempt to answer through a series of photographs.

My goal is to photograph people interacting with, and enjoying the majestic landscape and natural wonders of the park. I hope this project will serve as a historical record, and as current documentation of visitors in their direct relationship to the park.

My Strategy:

I am already working very closely with park officials. I have made arrangements to follow park rangers, interpreters and other members of the staff that work intimately with the wildlife, landscape, and visitors of RMNP. I will spend time at the entrance gates and at most of the high traffic areas.

Where most people would prefer a visit when the park is less crowded, I intentionally chose mid-June because the park is heavily congested with people.

Nurturing Creativity:

I hope this project will lead me in a new direction_ pull me from the creative rut I’ve been experiencing. Maybe it will simply remind me why I love the Kansas landscape and why I’m on the current path that I’ve chosen. Wherever this trip takes me creatively, It is sure to be an in inspiring time.