New Images

At age 70 now, I've had a good time experimenting as an amateur photographer and "pseudo-artist-in the-making”. When I reach 80 I'll have developed further, and I should really begin to master the secrets of art by 90. By the time I'm 100, I hope to achieve an economy of expression… "revealing the truth by not making it explicit", as great artists do. But my final goal will only be reached around 110…

...then I'll switch to painting!

Craig Toms, Amateur Photographer

Autumn Leaves, Whitewater Preserve

December 2024

Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas, October 14, 2024

"Pike Street Nocturne"

"At the Fish Market"

2024 CVDCC "WOW Competition" Entries (3)

The Elephants Knees, Anza Borrego

Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara

Soft Boulders and Sky

April 2023

Sundown, Bombay Beach

February 2024

East Jesus Beauty

Burrowing Owl, Imperial Valley

February 2024

Imperial Valley Geothermal

Streets of Calipat

February 2024

Abandoned Shoes, Bombay Beach

Sunset View, Mount Signal

Shoreline Treasure, Bombay Beach

"Bodhisattva of Compassion"

China - Jin Dynasty (1115-1234)

"Souvenir Shop"

July 2023

"Time Traveler"

August 2023

"Sunrise, Big Morongo Preserve"

November 2022

"Autumn Light, Big Morongo"

November 29, 2022

"A Walk In The Woods"

November 2022

"November Morning, Big Morongo Preserve"

November 2022

"Live Better! Drive a New Car!"

August 2023

"Dreamtime Return"

August 2023

"Granada Theatre"

August 2023

London Bridge, Early AM

January 2023

Night Reflections, London Bridge

January 2023

"Self Portrait: Homage to Magritte"

December 2021

"Blood Moon Tableau"

Joshua Tree National Park

October 2021

Note: This photo was taken mid-day with an iPhone. The eclipsed moon (from an earlier image) was added, plus the nighttime treatment. The rock actually exists!

"Moonrise, Imperial Sand Dunes"

"Cafe Des Beaux-Arts"

November 2022

"Sunlight in a Quiet Room "

August 2022

Bath House, Lotusland Estate

August 2022

"Distant Chocolate Mountains"

January 2022

"Agave, Shadows and Light"

August 2021

"Lifting Fog"

Hope Ranch, CA

August 8, 2021

"After The Storm"

Hope Ranch, CA

October 5th, 2021

"The Best Kind of Solitude"

Hope Ranch, California

August 11, 2021

"Santa Rosa Plateau"

May 2015

"Sunrise, Wonderland Ranch"

Joshua Tree National Park

June 23, 2017

"Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara"

1973

"A Perfect Desert Dawn"

Rancho Mirage, CA

June 18, 2020

My Daily Pandemic Walk at Dawn

June 2020

Rancho Mirage, CA

Frozen in Flight

July 2020

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I've been experimenting with a kind of "Ironic Mininalism" project I assigned myself. Here's the brief, what I was aiming for broadly, which I met to a greater or lesser extent: - Say as much as possible with as little as possible - Lots of negative space, texture or repetition, simplified subject, bare essentials - Colors, vibrant or subdued, complementary - Appears real, looks "in-camera" - except there's an impossible element... - Off-kilter element creates a question, an immediate reaction in the viewer's mind - The image must ask / say / demand something: "Deal with THIS!" "What does it mean?" "Oh that's funny!" "Is this real?"

Restoration Work

In the last few months, with some of the new digital tools available now, I've taken more of an interest in old photo restorations. I use a combination of Lightroom, Photoshop and Topaz software, usually in about that order, but with considerable back and forth. Each image has it's own needs, so it's a matter of choosing the right tools for the job. These photos are digitized from original 35mm slides, family photos taken mostly in the 50's and 60's. It makes for a fun and rewarding project, as each photo is a kind of puzzle to be solved.

Every so often a flash of "graphic joke" inspiration strikes and I get to work. Am upgrading software skills a bit and having fun with politics too. "The views expressed are solely the owner's". Here's a few you images might enjoy:

Dark Sky Images

Award Winning Images

Below are images that have been judged in one or more Photographic Society of America recognized competitions. Judges representing the Coachella Valley Desert Camera Club (CVDCC), the Southern California Council of Camera Clubs (S4C), and the Coachella International Exhibition have reviewed and awarded each image as detailed:

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