JEFF BURTON

ABSENCE OF COLOR

ABSENCE OF COLOR

JEFF BURTON

A PORTFOLIO OF
MONOCHROME PHOTOGRAPHS

VOLUME I

All photographs by Jef Burton

Copyright 2013 by Jef Burton. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, in
any media, electronic or mechanical, including but not
limited to motion picture ilm, video, internet, photocopy, recording, or any other information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing.
Printed in the United States
Frontispiece: Archway, Springdale Cemetery, Peoria, Illinois, 2012

Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have
vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.
Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908 2004)

ROY S SH AV ING M UG, 2012

It is the smallest of things left behind that remind us of those who
have been part of our lives.

BA SK ET W E AV E , 2012
he intricate pattern of this basket made for a wonderful image
and a great diversion on a rainy afternoon. It is amazing what you
can ind to photograph in the bathroom.

ONLY TIME W ILL TELL , 2012

Mankind is obsessed with the concept of time. We spend time,
make time, lose time, and measure time. Just look at the array of
machines humans have developed whose sole purpose is to count
and display the endless progression of hours, minutes, and seconds
of each day. When I saw this antique clock so prominently displayed on the wall of a kitchen, I knew the occupants must have
placed a great deal of emphasis on keeping time.

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SET TING FOR T WO, 2010

A bottle of wine, a couple of glasses, and some studio lighting
created this scene for the camera. It is surprising that the bottle
of wine did not get opened while I worked with the light position
and balance. hat might have made the process a little less stressful.

FRON T DESK, 2012

Vanessa and I toured the quaint town of Bishop Hill, Illinois with
a group of fellow photographers. I spied this quill pen on the front
desk of the Bishop Hill Hotel and was intrigued with the light
relecting through the glass ink container.

THE EGG, 2012

I spent a good amount of time working on the lighting to get just
the right blend of highlights and shading on the classic egg shot.
Most people who comment on this photograph simply want to ask
how I made the egg stand on its end.

TIGER LILIES, 2011

I always enjoy photo walks with the local photography group and
this one took us to the local horticulture garden. hese tiger lilies
sat in a shaft of sunlight as if they were being spotlighted just to
get my attention. It workedand I took this wonderful image of
the lilies in full bloom.

PE ACE LILY, 2012

Today, Im working in the studio to shoot some images of
Vanessas peace lily while it is in full bloom. he rich texture of the
bloom works well in this light.

OA K LE AV ES IN PINE TR EE , 2011
hese oak leaves fell from their host tree not to land on the forest
loor and become compost for the next generation of oak trees, but
to land in a nearby pine tree. Sometimes our plans do not unfold
as we expect.

TR EE ON L A K E MICHIGA N, 2012
While exploring in the Indiana Dunes State Park, this composition presented itself. Summer will be here soon and the shade
from this tree will cool the beach goers from a hot summer sun.
For now, the tree sits in a quite slumber on this dreary day.

FOR EST R ENEWA L , COW LES BOG, 2012

his growth of plants pushes up from the forest loor as the decomposing remnants of past growth return to the earth. For me,
this is an image of the circle of life.

W ILLOW TR EE AT SU NSET, 2012

his willow tree stands just of the highway and is being lit by the
quickly setting sun. As I setup my tripod in the gravel driveway,
the homeowner stoppedmostly to see what I was doing in their
drivewayand chatted as I took images of their tree. hey graciously ofered to let me have this tree, but I declined since I could
not it it into the back of my truck.

PEOR I A , ILLINOIS, 2011

he world class skyline of Peoria, Illinois from across the Illinois
River just after sunset.

NO PA R K ING, 2010
In the warehouse district, there are some wonderful old buildings
and urban decay just waiting for a photo walk adventure. Apparently there is also a parking problem.

UR BA N LIFE , 2010
Regardless of the attempts of man to control nature, it always
inds a way to overcome whatever we throw in its path.

PIPE DR E A M, 2010
here is something appealing in the endless collection of circles
presented to me by a stack of pipes in an alleyway.

T W ELV E MIN U TES, 2012

I imagine a worried car owner looking at their watch trying to calculate how long it will take to get back to this meter before time
runs out and wishing the line they are standing in would move
faster.

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Y IELD SIGN, 2010

If you walk all the way to the end of the alley, you will ind this
sign greeting you and letting you know that you reached the end
of this path and its time to ind another one.

PEOR I A COU N T Y COURTHOUSE , 2012

I wanted an image of the courthouse, but not the same image
that everyone else captures. he setting sun casts some interesting shadows on the side of the courthouse revealing texture and
shapes that most of us never notice.

W ESTL A K E H A LL , 2012
Westlake Hall is the second oldest building on the campus of
Bradley University. his magniicent entrance way lies at the
foot of the clock tower. Imagine the scores of students who have
crossed this threshold.

GLEN OA K PA R K PERGOL A , 2010

his wonderful structure was irst built in 1918 and has undergone
a few renovations. After walking around admiring its beauty and
design, I noticed this pathway leading from one side of the structure to forest, which made a ine image.

BA R N W INDOW, 2012
Who could not wander within eyeshot of this window and wonder
if anyone is peering out at them. After all, does a barn really need
a window?

BIR DHOUSE , 2012

Setting on top of a fence post on a farm in rural Illinois you will
ind this quaint birdhouse. he peeling paint and degraded wood
conjures up memories of my grandparents farm where my siblings
and I spent time playing when we were kids. Perhaps this is the
equivalent of a birds family house where generations gather for
feasts of holiday seeds and to hear stories of how granddad survived a tussle with an alley cat.

WAGON W HEEL , 2012

When I spotted this composition, my irst thought was how many
times that wheel carried a wagon up and down the ramp to the
barn. hen I begin to wonder why it was left in this particular
spot. Not up the ramp or down the ramp just forever in between.

W INDOW IN W INDOW, 2012

How ironic that the newer windows are being protected from the
elements by the old window.

A N TIQU E YA LE LOCK, 2012

I am never really sure if a lock is meant to keep those on the
outside on the outside or those on the inside on the inside. Nevertheless, this wonderful antique Yale lock hanging on the old barn
door caught my attention from far away and begged me to create
its portrait.

A MECH A NICS V IEW, 2012

I came across a backhoe parked in an alleyway with its engine
compartment exposed. I could not help but wonder if this is the
view a mechanic longs for in their sleep.

BISHOP HILL HOTEL ROOM, 2012

Many a weary traveler have sought a place to rest in the Bishop
Hill Hotel and were greeted with this view upon opening the door
to their room.

EBON Y A ND I VORY, 2012

How many hours of entertainment have this old piano provided in
its lifetime? I am sure it still has plenty of life left if it only had a
master to play it.

WA R EHOUSE F UR NIT UR E , 2012

When is the last time you found an old stylish couch in a mostly
abandoned warehouse with a gorgeous light pouring through a
dirty window to illuminate it?

DOOR PU LL , 2012
I am not really sure what to pull.

PULL

DOOR

H A LL OF R ECOR DS, 2012

Yes Mr. Burton, we absolutely know where your records are, but
we are having trouble with our retrieval system at the moment.

CH URCH CEILING, 2011

It is amazing what you ind if you lay down in the aisle of a church
and point your camera to the ceiling.

CON TEMPL ATION, 2012

his statue seemed content to just watch me as I worked on images
of the surrounding area. She seems to stand contemplating just
what I am doing in her world.

CI V IL WA R SOLIDER, 2012
Sometimes the parts are more interesting than the whole. his
solider sits quietly at the base of a large civil war memorial as if he
wants to be unnoticed by the spectators.

THE CRUCIFI X ION OF JESUS, 2012

his hauntingly beautiful representation of the cruciixion of Jesus
lies near the center of St. Marys Cemetery in West Peoria. At the
feet of Jesus are Mary, Mary Magdalene, and John the Baptist.

FOGGY SU NSET, 2011

It is not often that I see a foggy sunset and that alone warranted
this image.

U TA H J U NIPER,
A RCHES NATIONA L PA R K, 2012
I am amazed at how these juniper trees survive in a harsh desert
climate. Although they seem to be dead, at the right moment they
spring to life illing the desert loor with color.

TR EE FA R M, 2012
I love the orderly layout of the trees in this tree farm. Something
that you do not ind in nature but it seems quite natural from this
perspective.

POW ERTON L A K E , 2012

It was cold this morningvery colda bone chilling -10F cold.
Nevertheless, a group of daring photographers braved the elements
and ventured out to Powerton Lake for a photo walk. I used a 10
stop neutral density ilter to get this daytime long exposure.

THE ROA D HOME , 2011

he road home takes many forms and many paths but it is the most
precious journey as it reminds us of from where we came.

QU I V ER SCHOOL , 2011
his old school house once held the hopes and dreams of a myriad
of school children. If only we could know how the lives of those
who played in the yard of this school have unfolded.

ROU TE 91 BA R N, 2012
Everyone who lives in my neighborhood knows the barn on Route
91. It practically has icon status. I waited until the corn crop had
just been harvested and walked out into the ield to get this image
of the barn at sunset.

W INDMILL SU NSET, 2012

Although this windmill has seen its better days, it still stands tall
against the sunset as if to let the surrounding countryside know it
is on guard.

A PPROACHING STOR M, 2011

he smell of rain had already permeated the air as I setup this image of the barn at sunset with the clouds of the approaching storm
looming on the horizon.

CA NOES, 2011
While hiking around the Pennyrile Forest State Park, I wound up
near the docks. It is late in the season and the area is completely
deserted. I found these canoes tied to the dock to keep them from
loating away.

POSEIDON IN TR A INING, 20 08
he sun had just set below the horizon of Lake Michigan and a
young girl toys with idea of commanding the seas. As if obeying
her outstretched arms, the oceans leap forward from their depths
to reach towards the heavens.

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SU NSET STROLL , GR A ND H AV EN, 20 08

here arent many things in this world more enjoyable than a stroll
on the beach on a warm summer evening. his is a perfect time on
the shore of Lake Michigan at Grand Haven. he warm breeze,
the feeling of the sand between my toes, and the gentle roar of the
waves crashing on the shore wash the cares of life away replacing
them with a peaceful calm. When this composition presented itself, there was no other option than to accept the gift and capture
it for posterity.

DELICATE A RCH,
A RCHES NATIONA L PA R K, 2012
his is reportedly the most photographed landmark in the United
States and who would pass up the opportunity to add to the collection of photographs of this icon. It rained on me during the one
hour hike up to Delicate Arch and I sat in the chilly rain for another thirty minutes. Just as I was wondering if this was all worth
it, the sun broke from underneath the cloud cover to the west and
lit the arch with a golden light making it deinitely worth every
step of the hike.

NORTH W INDOW,
A RCHES NATIONA L PA R K, 2012
As with most parts of the country, if you dont like the weather
you just have to wait ifteen minutes for it to change. I was sitting
in the rain about ifteen minutes before seeing this image of the
clearing skies through the North Window Arch.

SA NDSTONE R IDGE ,
A RCHES NATIONA L PA R K, 2012
his cloud formation from the oncoming rain storm matched well
with the ridge of sandstone rising from the desert loor. his is the
rain storm that will ultimately dump rain on me the entire hike up
to Delicate Arch later in the day.

THE SEN TINEL ,

ZION NATIONA L PA R K, 2012
We all piled out of the van as it stopped to wait for oncoming trafic through the one lane tunnel in Zion National Park. I walked
across the street to shoot some images of the canyon but when I
turned around I spied the puf of clouds directly over the Sentinel
mountain peak, and I knew I had to get this image.

THE WATCH M A N,
ZION NATIONA L PA R K, 2012
he Watchman peak as seen from the bridge over the Virgin River
at Canyon Junction in Zion National Park. he glow of the fading
sunset lights the western side of the peak and the clouds overhead.

HOODOO SU NR ISE ,
BRYCE CA N YON NATIONA L PA R K, 2012
he morning sunlight streaming through the valley lights up the
hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park until they seem to glow
bright white.

TR A IN CR A NE , 2012
Ever wonder how they get materials from a train car to a barge or
vice versa? Not only does this crane on the bridge handle moving
material to and from a train car, it makes a really nice perspective
image as well.

HOBO HIGH WAY, 2012

Most people stay in on a cold, foggy, and dreary day. Not me, I
grab the camera and head out to get some cold, foggy, dreary
landscape shots. Be careful kneeling in the middle of the railroad
tracks as this attracts a lot of attention. One helpful fellow in a
pickup truck stopped to ask me if I needed help when he saw me
kneeling on the tracks to get this image.

F U LL MOON, 2010
he Full Worm Moon on the evening of March 29, 2010. his is
called the Full Worm Moon because as the temperature begins to
warm and the ground begins to thaw with the approach of Spring,
earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. he
more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon,
when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full
Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. he Full Sap Moon, marking the
time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it
was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the
last full Moon of winter.