Hey everybody! We decided to make some changes to our blog scene
so that we could post more often. We have started a blog on blogger

http://www.bethandreece.blogspot.com/

We hope to update this blog weekly with all of our latest goingings ons.
So come and check us out.... themadisons.org will continue to
still be up and with this new link posted right here so you can access the
new blog that way.

The cool program that we have been using to build this blog just couldn't
handle the volume of all our pics.Every time I went to make a new post It
would take at least 4 days with crashing the computer a couple times
each day. (I know what you guys are thinking.....its impossible to crash a Mac)
Well it is possible!!!!!!
I am well versed in all the crashing warning signals. There is the
basic and less intrusive approach of the simple freezing of the screen and
mouse but then there is the approach of the shocking grey curtain that drops over
your desktop with a sign that says "WARNING, RESTART YOUR COMPUTER"
...in three languages!.
Then there is the fuzz that creeps up your screen and eventually couples
with the freezing technique. This was the latest signal that I experienced. And
instead of throwing my mouse across the room in frustrated rage I decided to
take some pictures for the memory albums. (See below). Some of you may be
reminded of me during my freshman year of college and how I would have to
take my desktop PC to my brother in law every other month or so, so he could
clean off the thousands of viruses and get the darn thing to even start up again.
Thanks Mike for the many resuscitation attempts on on "ol' blackie". So as you
can see from my record so far ..... I have a gift.
"The Creeping Fuzz"

Here is a virtual tour of the show installed in the B.F. Larsen
Gallery in the HFAC building at BYU, It gives a good representation
of the space my photographs were displayed in. I really love
how in between the grey walls and the wood walls my work was
displayed "in-the-round". One could stand in the middle of the room
and be encompassed/sourrounded by Japan. 360 view.

*videos on this blog need time to load



The show was made up of 12 smaller photographic scrolls
that were 30" x 40" with a 17" x 27" black and white image,
they were hung in the insets in the gallery.
To see those images in more detail go to my: Photo Blog

Then there were six images that were printed as tripdics
(a single image broken into three separate parts and then
hung next to each other) with each section being 30" x 48".
The larger images were printed silver gelatin in my own darkroom
at home. The images were then dry-mounted on foamcore and then hung on
38" x 90" scrolls.
Here are some stills of those pieces:

"Wedded Rocks, Ise Shi"

"Sacred Bridge, Niko Japan"





"Bamboo Grove"

"Floating Tori, Myajima Japan"


"Floating Shrine, Myajima Japan"
This last one gives a good reference point of the size of the pieces.

My favorite would have to be the"Wedded Rocks" Here is me, not having showered or slept for an
embarrassing long amount of time so happy to finally be showing my family the finished and hung product.


The opening reception was so fun. Thanks to all who could make it out.

Here are some of the movies that we took
of our favorite things in Japan:
-Our daily early morning train rides taken on
a photographers schedule to get the sweet light
-Walking through the tunnels of Tori gates at Fushimi Inari
-Hatchiko Square, the busiest intersection in the world
(please notice how the empty street becomes a sea of people
and then clears completely again)
-And the best....... conveyer belt sushi, where your meal
was priced by how many plates you had stacked up at the
end of the meal



- The tame dear at Nara and Myajima that would bow for a snack
- The Tanuki sightings, (a Tanuki= Japanese raccoon)





-Finally the amazing fall leaves, the Niko Shrine, and MT. Fuji from our cable
car ride in Hokone

We are still going through all the pics but here are some
photos that show what our trip was like. My show is going
to be in black and white so I included some fine art b&w's
to show the flavor of my show:






Here is me shooting with my view camera in the bamboo forest.




Hot steaming Ramen. Yum!!! Me cooking meat Shabu Shabu style.




Thousands of paper cranes. Incredible.


I absolutely LOVE japanese children. Its amazing that I didnt come
home with at least 20.


Myajima's famous Tori Gate during high tide.


Low tide.




Us in a 2.8 mile tunnel of Tori Gates. Going through one way all you see
is red.Going the other way you see a river of Kanji.




The fall leaves were so brilliant and beautiful.

In Nara and Myajima there were tame deer wondering everywhere.
If you bow to them they will bow back, very polite.



The wedded rocks Shinto Shrine in Ise Shi.











Every night I would turn my hotel bathroom into a darkroom and develop my negatives.




Mt. Fuji!!!!

We are working on a short video for this blog and posting fine art pics on the photo blog. So
keep posted. We had the best time, we fell in love with Japan. We are glad to be home
and get in touch with all our loved ones.

Hey everybody we are back!!!!! We just came home from
shooting three weeks in Japan. Beth shot the images for
her graduating photography show. What work! She shot
large format on her toyo field camera and shot digital on
the side. Reece shot lots and lots of digital, using some
really cool lenses that we rented for the trip.
Although extremely fast pace, the trip was amazing.
We were there just to see all the japanese fall colors turn
on the mountainsides. What a great culture, there are so many
beautiful things to see and experience.
We are struggling to get back on US time. The first thing
we did when we got home was go to sleep and we slept for
24 hours straight. We are up for more hours now (even though
they are at strange hours of the day) and we are working hard
to organize the thousands of pictures that we shot.
Once we have gone through the photos we hope to post
the "best-of's" on the blog soon.

My sister Jenny's baby girl Nora brought me some happiness
today..... I saw this picture and giggled the rest of the day.
I hear she puts on an awesome concert.
I love you Nora!

Sorry Jenny and Mix for stealing this off your blog
but It was just to cute not to. Im helping
her get famous, I think we are looking at the next
Nora Jones.

Click here to see Nora's future

Click to Read More...

We got to fly to St. Louis to photograph our dear friend Sarah's
wedding. The wedding was sweet and beautiful. Downtown
St. Louis was a Blast. I was so excited to see the famous Arch a.k.a.
The Gateway to the West.


Some fine art/abstract views of the arch


The wedding... here are some of the photos we took.
Congratulations to Sarah and Ryan!





The Arch and us at night





Click to Read More...

We were so lucky to get to go on a trip with Bethany's parents
at the beginning of september. First we spent a few days
in NY were we got to play tour guides for Beth's parents
and take them to all our favorite spots. We also got to see a
few shows in the evening. It was so fun to be back.

Here we are at the Tavern on the Green for dinner.
Guess mom and dad secretly wanted to be in our shot
to our surprise. Sillies.



We also got to go to some places in NY that we have never been.
Our last day we visited the cloisters an extension of the Met museum.
It was totally serendipitous, so charming.



Then it was off to Oh CANADA.
Having grown up watching and reading Anne of Green Gables
it was always a dream of mine to visit Prince Edward Island.
It was to my joy that it was just as beautiful as I always imagined.
Reece and I went crazy with the photography.






Whale watching in the Bay of Fundy....... Very cold and Foggy.



We didnt see a single whale or even a fish but......
we almost got attacked by the black pearl emerging from the fog.
Rrrrrrrr, matey!


Click here to see more pics of Canada
Make sure to scroll down....
All pictures in "National geographic" were from canada and all
the pictures in the post just below that.

Canada was awesome and thats just "aboot" it.Click to Read More...

We got to take a road-trip up to Washington to visit
our dear friends Kelly and Chuck (as well as the whole
Spangler gang) and their new bouncing baby boy.
Dont worry we didnt try to see if he would really bounce.
Washington is always so beautiful and tempts us everytime
to pick up and move there. We also love washington because
of our dear friends who we always have a good time with.
We ate tastey food, played with baby, visited downtown seattle,
and then got to see a very different part of washington.....

Pretty crazy but totally a good laugh. Thanks to the Taylors
and the Spanglers for a great time.

Some pics taken from my car window on the way home:




Introducing Jack Kenneth Taylor





Click to Read More...

It was Reece's birthday in August. So to keep with the
tradition of big suprise birthdays, Beth threw Reece a
party Japanese style.






Japan and Rice were themes for multiple reasons:
-Reece went on his mission to Japan
-We are going to Japan at the end of October to shoot
my graduating photography show
-Since my nickname is Beans you can guess what
Reece's soon became......Rice. Rice and Beans forever!
-And finally the famous t-shirt.
Reece had a t-shirt that he got years and years ago
that he has worn to threads. It had a happy yellow rice
cooker on it and it said "Have a rice day". For all that know
reece this slogan and image totally fits reece to a T.
(no pun intended) But the T-shirt started going down hill.
There are holes in both armpits
and the neck is totally frayed. I thought that it was time
to get him a new one. I looked everywhere but couldn't
find the same pattern. So I decided to take matteres into my
own hands and make him one. I got on the computer,
created the design, printed it out on ironing transfer paper,
and then ironed the pattern on. Voila!
OLD:

NEW:


It was so easy that I thought, why not make one
for everyone. So I did. Everyone got their own size,
even the babies.




We all had oriental food (mostly chinese I'd admit)
and then we all had Rice pudding from "Pudding on the
Rice" for dessert. We even made a rice pudding cake!

Click to Read More...