Stu Jenks' Fezziwig Press: Stained Glass

December 03, 2021

A deep dive into my hard drives, and a few new images as well...

So recently I've been doing deep dives into my hard drives, to perhaps find some images I had overlooked, or reprocess some photos from the past that I can make better. It's been fun.

Here, is a Zippo lighter image, shot at dusk at Council Rocks in Arizona a few years back. (I may need to do more flame tower images here in North Carolina. Hmm.) I popped the color a bit and sharpened the photo a little. I really like this image and this place. It is the place where the Apache chief Cochise lived, and where he made peace with the Americans in the 1870's. I miss Arizona so.

Other old and a few new images are below. If you want a print of anything, reach out.

And may you all have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Love y'all.

Stu.

"Washington Monument 1961, D.C." (c) Image capture Stu Jenks 2021, photographer unknown, from a postcard.

"Crowned Buddha, Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill, North Carolina" (c) Stu Jenks.

Posted at 11:20 AM in Arizona, Art, Black & White Photography, Blue Ridge Parkway, Christmas and Winter Solstice, Composition, Current Affairs, Dartmoor, Faith, Flame Towers, Good Folk, Indigenous People, Mountains, Mountains of North Carolina, Nevada, Night Photography, Nocturnal Photography, North Carolina, Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Prayer, Religion, Sculpture, Sky, Snow, Spirituality, Stained Glass, The Apache Wars, The Road, The Sky, The South, Travel, Valleys, Virginia, Washington, DC, Windows, Women, Wyoming | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 18, 2021

Lazarus and Jesus at Duke Cathedral

Last time I visited Duke Cathedral on campus, I was a child.

A few days ago, I returned with a long lens. From a distance, the glass is lovely but close up using my SLR camera, the Gothic-styled stained glass is down right creepy. Most of the faces had white-all-around eyes. Yikes.

I don't know who looks worse, Lazarus or Jesus.

(Actually, I find the Lazarus window very evocative and quite beautiful.)

Posted at 01:50 AM in Angel/Ghosts, Art, Churches, North Carolina, Other Artists, Stained Glass | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 26, 2021

"The Tree of Life"

Posted at 01:45 AM in Art, Mountains of North Carolina, North Carolina, Other Artists, Religion, Stained Glass, Windows | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 19, 2017

The Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair Installation at Tohono Chul Park

As part of the Dia De Los Muertos show at Tohono Chul Park in Tucson, The Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair Installation is up and ready to go. The opening is Thursday, August 24 at 5:30 p.m.. The show runs until November 8th. Thanks so much to James and Karen for allowing me to be part of this show.

And this post goes out to all those folk who live outside of Southern Arizona, so you all can see and enjoy the piece too. To read the artist's statement for the piece, just click on this link.

Again, thank you everyone for your financial and emotional support this summer. It's been a tough one for me and for many. You all have helped more than you know.

Posted at 01:02 AM in All Souls' Procession, Ancestors, Arizona, Arkansas, Art, Beachs, Birds, Black & White Photography, Buildings, Cactus, California, Canyons, Cars, Colorado, Current Affairs, Deserts, Dying, Emotions, Faith, Family, Flora & Fauna, Forgiveness, Good Folk, Grand Canyon, Grief and Loss, Los Angeles, Louisiana, Love, Mountains, National Parks, Nature, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New Orleans, Oklahoma, Photography, Snow, South Dakota, Spirituality, Tennessee, Texas, The West, Travel, Trees, Tucson, Utah, Virginia, Women, Wyoming | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 14, 2017

Frame Spirals & Rocking Chairs from Holy Week...

"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Tucson, Arizona" (c) Stu Jenks 2017.

"Tumacacori Cross, Tumacacori National Historic Park, Arizona" (c) 2107 Stu Jenks.

Posted at 10:39 AM in Arizona, Art, Churches, Flame Spirals, My Grandmother Nannie's Mirror, Nannie's Mirror, Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Rivers, Stained Glass, The Border, The West, Trees, Tucson, Virginia | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 08, 2016

The Rules Of The Night...

The Rules Of The Night by Stu Jenks.

I've been asked to write for B & H Photo, regarding safety and etiquette when shooting nocturnal photography.

I've made my mistakes in the past. Yes I have. (See the chapter in my book "Flame Spirals" regarding the shooting of “Owl's Head Flame Spiral.” I had a white gas incident where I used too much of the fuel but I had a fire extinguisher at hand. And luckily within seconds, the flames dissipated. Dumb.)

I learned and grew from those mistakes. (See "Altar of Repose" where I created the illusion of the flame spiral, made with a Zippo lighter, being much closer to the lace than it actually was.)

I also changed lighting instruments over the years to be less dangerous. (See "My Ghost Likes To Travel" or "Abajo Mountain Hoop Dance" that were created with large hula hoops with Christmas lights attached.)

And of late, I've gone lighter, making it easier to hike into the wilds or around the cities. (See "Paris Hoop Dance," "Catawba Falls Hoop Dance," and “Avebury Hoop Dance” where I now use swinging strings of battery-powered LED Christmas lights.)

That's the progression of how my lightning instruments have changed in my 20-year career, but it just talks to how I make stuff. It doesn't speak to how to be a good person as I make stuff.

Here are some simple rules that I try to live by when shooting at night.

Rule One: Do no harm. Don't hurt the plants and trees, disturb the rocks, or make a mess on the streets. Go in, get the shot you want, and then leave the land or the cityscape as you found it.

Rule Two: Don't be a jerk. This is a big one and those of you who are jerks don't think you are. But you are nonetheless. You getting that cool shot at any cost. Good folk with morals and values feel guilty when they hurt the land or are loud and obnoxious around other people or burn an old abandoned store to the ground just to get that cool steel wool shot. Many photographers and people in general, feel no shame these days. We live in a very self-centered, shameless culture now. I don't know what to say to change that. Jerks are jerks. Some people just have to get The Shot. Whatever. I'm telling you, your photos are not as important as you think. Nor are you. For the good folk out there, (and I would include most everyone reading this article), just be the good man or woman you are. Be respectful. Be quiet. Be kind. Be generous. Be nice. Not only will you feel better, but your photographs will look better.

Rule Three: I quiet my mind as I unload the truck to go shoot at night. I say a little prayer. I take a deep breath. I close my eyes and meditate for a couple of seconds. I open my eyes in the full moon light and see what I see. I think. I feel. I plan. I throw away that plan and do something else. I breath. I breath again. I take a better photograph than the one I first had in mind. By quieting my mind, I open my eyes.

Rule Four: Bring at least two extra camera batteries. Bring at least two flashlights.

Rule Five: Hiking boots with hopefully good ankle support. Really. Even in the city. I mean it.

Rule Six: Don't fall off a cliff while shooting a shot. (See "Ghost Horses.” Dancing with that hula hoop of light was a little dicey there for a moment. It was a long way down. I almost went. Glad I didn't. My motto now? Don't die dumb.)

Rule Seven: As you load up your vehicle at the end of a shoot or sling your bag and tripod over your shoulder as you prepare to leave, turn back to where you've taken your photos and thank the land. Say it out loud. Say "Thank you." You, as an American, are living in a relatively safe country, where you can walk the city and trek into the woods and out into the desert, and shoot these images without the fear (mostly) of being shot and killed yourself. So show a bit of gratitude and thank the land that gave you this image and this experience. For me, it puts food on my table, but also puts joy in my heart.

Hope this helps, buckaroos. Be good out there shooting at night. Remember, the condition of your body and soul are more important than the pixels stored in your camera.

Love and light,

Stu Jenks
www.stujenks.typepad.com
https://squareup.com/store/fezziwig-press
P.O. Box 161
Tucson, Arizona 85702
[email protected]

Posted at 05:39 PM in Arizona, Art, Black & White Photography, Churches, Coalmine Canyon, Deserts, Emotions, England, Ethics, Fire, Flame Spirals, Hoop Dancing, Love, Native People, Nocturnal Photography, Paris, Photography, Prayer, Prayer Towers, Religion, Stained Glass, The West, Tucson, Utah | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 29, 2013

"Holy, Holy, Holy: St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Cheyenne, Wyoming"

From the desk of Wanda Hughes, St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Cheyenne, Wyoming.

"It appears that this is a depiction of an angel. The stained glass window is titled Holy, Holy, Holy and is in memory of Sarah E. Pierce who died August 24th, 1888. Mrs. Pierce was a popular music teacher. Her students and friends had a benefit musical to raise money for this memorial to her. It features an angel singing. The maker was Cox Sons Buckley, London & New York."

From the desk of me, Stu Jenks, Fezziwig Press, Tucson, Arizona

"I'm going to take this a step further. This angel is Sarah Pierce, the beloved music teacher. The cherubs above her head represent her students. What a wonderful way to be remembered throughout time: as a musical angel in stained glass at a frontier church. If only we all could be so lucky. And thanks to Greta Ward and a friend of hers for contacting St. Mark's to get this information. I have a call into them as well to thank them. Stunning glass. Stunning church."

Posted at 05:52 PM in Churches, Stained Glass, Wyoming | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)