Hello from Santa Monica!         The long days of summer are pretty much gone now. The nearby beaches, once crowded with tourists, have returned to their native state of peaceful solitude as the ocean mist of fall begins to roll in. It's been an incredibly busy past few months for me. With travel to Washington state, Utah, Minnesota, Florida and the Caribbean along with a bunch of projects that I've been working to complete in and around Los Angeles, I've definitely been pushing some personal and artistic boundaries. Some of this will shortly translate into new work that I hope to release over the coming months.         As always, I have a dozen or so projects currently anywhere from the drawing board to the final stages of darkroom work. Most notably I'm working on a still life series of abstract forms created using dyed candle wax and ice water. I also have some architectural work shot in various locations over the past few months that's close to being ready for release.         I spent a great deal of time shooting in and around Salt Lake City back in the middle of June. While this mostly involved a lot of nature photography up in the mountains surrounding the city, I also had the opportunity to shoot a bit along the shores of the Great Salt Lake. One of the more interesting spots I happened across was an old, abandoned power substation that had been used to store the remnants of a defunct amusement park. Combined with the fact that the power substation also appeared to have been used as a makeshift shelter by transients, the whole area provided some nice photographic opportunities. These shots, featuring the power substation itself and an old burned out railcar dumped unceremoniously just outside, along with a few others from the area, will be released to my online galleries in the coming weeks. Theater Seats - Great Salt Lake, Utah, 2006 - Burned Out Railcar - Great Salt Lake, Utah, 2006 - Temple of the Birds - Great Salt Lake, Utah, 2006 - Cowbell with Passion - Venice Beach, California, 2004 -         This image was captured one Sunday afternoon on Venice Beach, not too far from where I live in Santa Monica. For those of you unfamiliar with the culture of Venice Beach, it's a truly eclectic area, filled with street performers, local artists, cafes, skateboarders, graffiti paint and a real gritty organic vibe that creates a heavy contrast against Brentwood, Bel Air and other areas just to the north. It's one of my favorite places to wander about with a camera because you're always apt to find something interesting and unique in that area. Pretty much every weekend you'll find a drum circle of local bohemians and others form on a sandy stretch of beach between the boardwalk and the Pacific ocean. The group starts off small but usually attracts hundreds by the time it disbands. People use bongos, entire drum sets, African drums, buckets, maracas, random car parts and pretty much anything else they can find that makes a sound. The guy in this particular photograph was contributing enough cowbell for at least three people, beating with a frenetic pace that fed the rest of the circle with an incredible energy that brought several dancers flaying about in a flurry of arms, legs and dreadlocks. I've always felt that this image really captures the spirit and euphoria of the energy in that drum circle. This print is currently on display in my online "Faces" gallery. Best Regards, Walt Jones Why am I getting this email?! You've received this email because you signed up for the quarterly Liquid Image Photography newsletter. If you decide that you'd prefer not to hear about all of the exciting things going on, please send mail from this email address to news@liquidimagephotography.com asking to be unsubscribed.