The Format Journal-Assignment 4 Art Exhibit

 

Date: Exhibit August 22 – October 4, 2026 (Opening reception Aug. 22)

Photo Professional: Manor Mill Gallery - Exhibit: Orbit & Origin

Specialty: Fine arts gallery, classes, live music venue, ceramics studio and workshops.

Location: 2029 Monkton Road, Monkton, MD 21111

Manor Mill: The Venue 

By their website:

“Manor Mill is a newly restored, pre-revolutionary grist mill that now houses a fine arts gallery, musical performances, ceramics, yoga and meditation, workshops across all disciplines and organizational retreats. Manor Mill is a community built upon creativity and learning, rooted in history and situated in the most beautiful area of rural Baltimore County in Monkton, MD."

Manor Mill also works in conjunction with The David Niven Theater at Oldfields School, Sparks-Glencoe MD to produce plays using an open call for auditions.

The Interior:

Second and third floors (top two photos) used for mainly for the various themed art exhibits. The areas are also used during the course of these exhibits as various art workshops and art meet-ups.

Second floor (bottom left photo) has an off room area that serves as a guest solo display during the main exhibit. It also includes a kitchen area for any food preparations for openings, staff and workshop needs. 

Third floor addition (bottom right photo) features music guests, lectures, poetry readings, and seminars.

All above photos by Craig Haupt (during revisit Sept 30)

Not Shown. The first floor is designated as a gift shop where artists have art works on a long-term basis displayed for sale as well as cards, jewelry, textiles, ceramics, glassware and other small art gift items.

Basement houses a smaller original stone walled area and with access to a underground well that used to feed the waterwheel. One room with dungeon like vibes is also used for art displays that compliment the atmosphere of the setting.   

As seen from the outside (upper first row-left photo, red siding addition) the first floor houses the ceramics/pottery making room and on the floors above, accommodate in house studio painters and work areas.  

Manor Mill: The Art Exhibit

 This month’s themed art exhibit displayed a mix of media using both floors for the exhibit. Title of Manor Mill Gallery Exhibit: Orbit & Origin-Exploring the Spaces Between Earth, Dreams, and Stars. The Gallery curator for this exhibit is Brad Blair.

                                        Image, Manor Mill invite, downloaded from their social media site

The Manor Mill statement of this exhibition.

“Curated by Brad Blair, Orbit & Origin brings together a blend of artists exploring the mysterious space somewhere between where we come from and where we are headed. Featuring works in a wide array of mediums, this exhibition weaves together visions of the subconscious, dreamlike landscapes, celestial bodies, abstractions, and imagined futures. Some of the pieces are abstract and atmospheric, while others feel more familiar but under a surreal & imaginative lens. Together, they create a sense of movement between past and future, reality and dream, & the known and unknown.”

Artist Lineup: Pamela Crockett, Cindy Mehr, Rashid Cornish, Jason Carroll, Josh Brooks, Michael Scott, Peggy Fox, Stephen Spartana, Tara Gillespie, Terance Hannum, Michael Weiss, & Brad Blair

The exhibit:

        Photos and layout by me, that old art type guy

With 12 featured artists including Brad Blair (curator), I am familiar with 5 of the 12 artists personally and aware of another three from social media connections or other exhibits. For this Art Exhibit journal entry, I focused on two artists, Cindy Mehr and Stephen Spartana.

First Highlighted artist: Cindy Mehr

In her words about this exhibition.

"« Orbit » is what happens after the light enters the world and begins to move and transform. In my paintings geometric patterns, bubbles, tendrils, ribbon-like elements evoke movement as they circulate, loop, or radiate outward. They move through space, almost like energy, or particles caught in an orbit."

                                        Above two photos that were in the show are provided by Cindy, title text by me

For this exhibit, each artist had serval works of art represented. Cindy displayed 6 works of art for this show. This is Cindy on opening night next to one of her pieces. While Cindy enjoys working mostly in a large scale format there were 2 of the 6 works measuring 12 x 12 inches.

She works with oils and collage techniques. 

                                        Photo by Craig Haupt 

Additional note: Cindy Mehr has become a close friend over the years and while our art is different in some respects it is uncanny that when we both participate in an exhibition together our art is paired with one another or in proximity. It’s become a favorite story when we meet viewers of our art.

                                            Photos by: TL-gallery employee, TR-Cindy, BL-Cindy, BR-me

While I love her current work and always feel a bond with her gradation techniques, I had the opportunity to see some of her earlier works for the first time in August at Liriodendron Mansion in Belair, MD. This cubism, fractured style and the toned down pallet drew me in deeper to her imagination, composition and painterly skills.

Two examples of the paintings displayed at her Liriodendron solo exhibit:

      Photos by Cindy and allowed to use. Layout and title text by me

Second highlighted artist: Stephen Spartana

        Shown at Manor Mill's exhibit and image supplied by Stephen, text by me.

In Stephens words about the exhibition

 "Water is an extraordinary compound, notable for its rare ability to expand as it freezes. This series reflects that phenomenon through themes of movement and stillness. Photographed along frozen lakes and stream edges, the images capture organic elements suspended in layered ice—moments where motion is stilled. Light moves across and beneath the surface, revealing a hidden world and creating elegant, evocative icescapes".

 I've also known Stephen for a number of years and while our meetups both socially or at exhibits are not as frequent as they have with Cindy, Stephen and his wife Lisa, have also become good friends. Even before I started to drift into photography again, I found a deep connection to the abstract compositions when seeing Stephen’s photography for the first time. Equally impressed with the layering technique to build the composition. 

        Shown at Manor Mill's exhibit and image supplied by Stephen, text by me. 

Shown below are three additional images of 4 that make up the layers composite to make the finished 'Melting' photo. The fourth layer completes the finished image above.

In his words about the his execution of his layering several images together.    

From Stephen:

"There are always many experiments when I create artwork. For one of the pieces-'Melting', I've attached the original ice photograph, the other 2 images are the work in progress. For this particular series I used 4 different images, experimenting with shape and color, it was done on a Surface laptop using photoshop".

      

                                            All above photos supplied by Stephen 

A next to final note: Brad Blair, Manor Mill Gallery curator and participant of this months exhibit 

Besides working as the Manor Mill gallery curator, Brad is also an established potter and sculpturer working with clay. I have been to a number of shows over the 5 years since Manor Mill's opening and I have always been impressed with the choices of art for each themed show as well as his impeccable eye for layout of the artworks to display. Besides the base material of clay there are the glass eyes and other various materials to embellish his creations. 

Below some of his works    

        All images downloaded from Brad's website with permission. Layout and text by me.

        Supernatural Sorcerer and Striker are in my possession. 

A real final note: My association with Manor Mill

 I wish I lived closer to Manor Mill as I’m extremely fond of art community that works and supports their mission to the arts. I do make a point of attending a number of art themed art exhibitions particularly if I’m familiar with artists I’m connected with, by their art and/or as friends. Have even taken in a couple of music shows, several art group discussions and the bi-monthly artist meet-up critiques.

While most themed shows do not lean towards my style of artwork, I had been asked to be a part of one exhibit featuring surreal/abstract based art in October 2024.

These are a few of my oil paintings displayed at that exhibition.

        Art insert: 'An Extremely Vague Reflection' by yours truly. 

And Brad is in possession of one of my works, 'Cordial Conversation'

___________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

The Format Journal-Assignment 3 David Merino

Date: September 23, 2026

Photo Professional: Drone Workshop at TU, David Merino

Specialty: Lead Multimedia Services, providing technical and creative services to

support faculty instruction and research. Licensed Drone operator.

Location: Towson University Campus,  Science Complex, Towson, MD 21252

Objective:

The class stayed within the confines of Towson University for this photo imaging field visit. This hands-on workshop class was held outdoors on a cool but agreeable overcast day so that the primary subject of learning about Drone operation and photography could be experienced. 

David Merino, as a Licensed Drone operator, provided us with information about the types of Drones and instructions on how to use one. There was the definition between being a recreational user which would not require being licensed and commercial use. Commercial would require the user being licensed by an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate that is required for anyone flying a drone for work, business, or any non-recreational purpose in the United States.

Besides the certification having to be renewed every two years, there are also rules about prohibited locations for flying a drone and elevation restrictions.

David also mentioned the maximum altitude limit set by the FAA of 400 feet above ground level (AGL) for most recreational and commercial drone flights in the United States.

An interesting take about the 400-foot rule was it applied from where you stood and if you were on the roof of a tall building and the drone flew beyond that edge you would automatically be above the allowed footage but would still remain within the rules.

David mentioned the wind element, while his drone can max out a speed 40 miles an hour on a still day, the wind, just 10 miles an hour, can drop the speed down since the drone directs more energy and battery life into stabilizing its body to remain parallel to the surface and the flight pattern. David’s drone has a limit of maintaining its stability when the winds reach 20 mph. This also makes it very important to check the screen for battery life so that a return flight is not jeopardized.

 Most drones use a GPS in the general public arena but there are specialized instances such as the military as an example that use Starlink internet in tandem with GPS.

Photos for Objective: By David Merino-extracted from his Drone video. Layout in DaVinci Resolve editing by Craig L Haupt

Subjective: Plus a little objective

Then there was the hands-on part. David, used exceptionally well worded instructions on how to work the controls of the remote to control the flight of the Drone. As each student received a chance to learn to operate his drone, he provided continued instructions and positive reinforcement to guide us through the lift-off, maneuvers, camera, and touch-down. I took the time, amidst conversations and questions, to watch most classmates touch-down on his landing dish and to quote someone, now lost in history, who said, “we did good”.

It goes without saying, David did have an override remote control in his hands just in case.

I was surprised by how simple the controls to operate the drone were for this introduction. I’m sure there are nuances that need to be mastered but the basic operating system on the remote was relatively simplified.

Of course, the higher the price when purchasing a drone, the more bells and whistles are added. And with that the added complication, accessories, and maintenance that accrues.

David added the Apple tablet set to a stationary vertical position on a tripod for easier viewing of the flight path and landing. He did mention that this set up is only for more controlled situations and that when he travels as he did to the UK and Austria, he only takes the handheld controls. 

Photos by me except the Drone equipment photo: from Amazon sales photo.

Notes:

While I’m very intrigued at the idea of owning a drone and the photo capabilities, that doesn’t mean I haven’t found myself looking downward as I walk with the camera for creative results without one. So, there is a connection between the drone and a sliver of my artistic path.

Note 1: A Simulated Drone Flight.

As with the previous two assignments, I worked with staged set-ups to provide support photos. In this case I lack the drone. So, it seemed a set-up was in order to mimic a drone flight. To be honest, as I looked at the future assignments this may be the last time I do one of these staged set-ups nor do I think they will be of this Blog length. But I shouldn't be held to that. 

As you will see in this one-minute video I tried to simulate a drone flight and with it I reinforced the basic principles of that it can be easy to get the camera up in the air, but it takes practice to master controls, in this case hand holding the camera and switching positions as it traveled around. I tried several attempts using the Canon M50 video camera, but it wouldn’t adjust the focus quickly enough in flight as the elevation changed. Although with failed attempts I was still able to figure out and improve my movements with hands and feet for my flight pattern. I switched to the phone video camera and after a few attempts I was able to get a passable rendition of a drone flight. 

It was processed and YouTube free-stock music added in DaVinci Resolve editing.

Top: Still shots showing some of the layout detail for the video. Bottom: Pencil journey/flow is roughly 15 feet in length. 

Note 2: Photography

There are photos. While I find various subjects to photograph as I learn to use the DSLR camera, there are numerous occasions where I’m training my eyes to look down for overhead shots. There are topics such as the train wheels, but my main focus is finding abstract compositions.

Note3: Art-painting/watercolor

In art, with my creative style of making things up, I have found myself creating artworks that depict overhead views from time to time. These are three examples. There are several more, some as a main design and others that have integrated overhead views within the main design.

Left: oil, 18 x 18 inches  Center: pen & ink/watercolor, 12 x 12 inches  Right: acrylic, 12 x 12 inches.  

Note 4: Aerial Photography

I have a friend, Peter (Pete) Stern, that enjoys photography both underwater and with owning a rear mounted motor & single propeller on the back Leica 'Pusher' plane takes aerial photo images akin to David’s drone photography. I have always held a high esteem for Pete’s photography since meeting him.

For this assignment, Peter kindly emailed me four jpg photos taken from his plane, offering another perspective on aerial photography.

He has a knack for finding the abstract beauty within the landscape he flies above.  

Top left: Wachapreague        Top right: Leafy Sea Dragon       

 Bottom left: Carbon             Bottom right: Island, Pretty Boy Reservoir 

___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

The Format Journal-Assignment 2 Dodge-Chrome

 The Format Journal-Assignment 2

Date: September 16, 2026

Photo Professional: Dodge-Chrome, Inc.

Specialty: Full service digital print service, specializing in large format applications

Location: 11941-L Bournefield Way, Silver Spring, MD 20904

Objective:

In 2009 two separate companies, Dodge and Chrome, oft times sharing the same clients since 1982 decided to merge as one. Each company had similar photo printing services and with other photo services unique to each. They decided to combine their companies’ names since they both had established a client base in the Washington D.C. area and felt this would be a good way to continue the name recognition.

Expanding in the digital world of graphic printing, they offered a wide range of interior/exterior printing, design, fabrication & finishing services.

I was impressed with the printing on metal and glass especially.

And equally impressed with their wide-ranging knowledge of both traditional and non-traditional surfaces, the adhesives to bold them, and solutions to maintain flatness of the base materials with types of wall hanging methods. Each client with an odd request served to expand the company’s knowledge of products on the market and provided another avenue of expertise.  

For installation projects, blueprints from clients are provided for project review, estimated install dates and working up the bids for securing the contract. 

The company not just works with a team of 12 to 14 employees in the digital photography area but employs 3 to 4 individuals’ specificity to install onsite projects.

For large-scale exterior projects, they have a connection to a construction firm that can supply everything from scaffolding to canes with their own installation crews.

 For the class discussion Ann used part verbal discussion and part video presentations. Offering both in-house videos of client based promotional films to showing produced YouTube videos that also served to reinforce the social media importance for product and company visibility. 

 Ann made a poignant statement that rang true with all the companies I trusted to be a part of over my long employment history and my own eight years of owning a cabinet company.

“Clients sometimes bring us a photographic project with unfamiliar requests for materials, surfaces, and install; we consider the type of project, and our challenge is to figure out how it can be solved.”

All photos shown in Objective text are images downloaded from Dodge-Chrome's website. Photo layout and text by me in DaVinci Resolve. 

Subjective: While subjective it includes objective text

Given my years of past experience with construction, installation, scanning, lamination, and framing, the technical processes at Dodge Chrome became more of interest for this visit than the photographic content provided to them.

I was impressed with the layout of the rooms, that even though they were square/rectangle, they seemed to remind me of a half circle. The hallway with the conference room represented the straight-line base of the semicircle. As we started to the right of the conference room, we saw the client and sales-based rooms, then to the scanning areas. 

From camera scanning and computer/s final image processing and proofing we moved to a large sweeping room housing a vast array of printers of various sizes. Small box printers for passport photos to large scale printers to accommodate various materials for each type of job requirement. Of these, some were top fed for the pliable materials and others with stationary with flat beds (for use with printing on glass, wood and metal) with movable belt driven print-jet arms.

From there, we moved to the laser cutting room where braille signage was being cut on an encased laser router and another long bed table with open laser cutter sat to the other side of the room. Included with laser cutter was paired with a secondary metal blade traveling on movable beams. Both pieces of equipment used a vacuum suction system to keep the material flat and/or in place.

Finally, the framing area with trays of prints and papers. Frames were being unwrapped while a laser mat cutter was creating the mats for each job. As we left there, we ended up at the opposite side of the conference room that we started from. Box rooms that I felt had circular motion. 

It was one of the most efficient layouts I have seen, not to discount my wow-effect of the machinery. I loved this business, their commitment, and philosophy.

All photos and layout in Subjective text by me.

Notes:

Note 1. Without the means to produce and install a large format image as Dodge-Chrome has the ability to do, I again turned my sights to creating/building a setting as an example of my work as seen in a large format setting.

The four photos that are included in the 'Baltimore Zoo' signage are mine. They are from a grouping of photos taken at the Baltimore Zoo during my Spring semester Intro to Digital Photograph/Photoshop course, though not included within the assignment's critique. 

Signage: Animal photos uploaded into my DaVinci editing program to lay out the images side by side and added text. Downloaded and converted to a TIFF file to email to Archival Arts, a digital scanning business I work with. Jeff created a print to my size specifications. 3 x 8 1/2 inches. 

Note 2: Since Dodge-Chrome worked with smaller scale signage also, such as ads for windows and interior walls/alcoves, I worked on one more photo as a museum poster

This caterpillar photo was taken in the last week of August just as class started at a friend’s flower garden.

Bricks, Google stock photo. Bottom green section with text, Google stock photo. All other text plus some additional text in 'green section' (AT, The National Small World Museum)by me. 

All layout and composite work to create this as one photo completed by me in DaVinci Resolve editing.

Note 3: For those interested in having their art or photography displayed in a large-scale setting I recommend Baltimore LED Billboard down by Penn Station on Charles Street, ledbaltimore.com. as a free way to have your work displayed.

 The billboard itself is 50 ft high.  

I have had 4 to 5 works (on a rotating display mixed with Ads) shown once a year over the past four years. Those were oil paintings and I submitted photography last month for this, my fifth year. It has been accepted and just await notice on when it will show in the future.

These are three examples of past displays: 

The billboard is in fact vertical and not tilted, it was just hard to get a 'pure vertical' photo by standing on the ground below looking up even with Pitch and Yaw in the editing settings. The LED light display is also a sharp image and those circular lines picked up in the photo, similar to taking a picture of a TV screen creating the moiré effect.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Format Journal-Assignment 1 Roy Cox

The Format Journal-Assignment 1

Date: September 9, 2026

Photo Professional: Roy Cox Studio, Roy Cox

Specialty: Portrait Photography

Location: 12 Emala Avenue, Building A, Middle River, MD 21220

"I never imagined myself as a photographer, and now I can’t imagine myself doing anything else."

- Roy Cox

                                   Roy Cox and some of the camera equipment and staging areas

Objective:

Roy Cox is a professional promotional/commercial/portrait photographer who was born in and still lives in the Baltimore area. His first studio opened in 2002, a small windowless 460 sq ft warehouse space in Middle River. As his photography business grew, he moved into his now 4,200 sf space, still in Middle River, which besides the studio area includes, dressing room, lounge area, office, and hair & makeup room. There are three staging areas, main one and two smaller. There is also room, in another section, to set up special staging projects and a film camera boom for filming videos or wide-angle shots. 

While 65% of his photo business is in-studio, 35% of the business is in the field and at times out of state. Equipment is divided into two categories, one being the stationary camera, lights, backdrops, diffusers, numerous tripods, and props while a separate area houses all the mobile equipment in hard and soft cases for field/off-site photography.

            Samantha-Editorial                  Newspaper-Beauty/Fashion                 Kelly Red -Beauty/Fashion                                                                             Images from Roy Cox Studio

With his focus on “high end promotional and campaign imagery” for portraits there is wide breadth of subjects and business opportunities including individuals, models, artists, actors, bands, sports figures, brands and companies. To date Roy has built a portfolio of over 18,000 people photographed and 1,000 ad campaigns over his career.

With solid foundation and name recognition for promotional photography in the DMV area and beyond Roy has also found time and a personal goal to mentor interns. He strives to impart as much of his career knowledge of portrait photography and firm sense of business acumen to give these interns the strongest foundation possible. 

           Sacred Lox-Beauty/Fashion         Nilah-Beauty/Fashion                      Broken-Promotional

                                                                       Images from Roy Cox Studio

Subjective:

First, I found Roy to be engaging and confident in his personality as he spoke of how his photography and life’s learned lessons, both professionally and personally, were intertwined.

As I reviewed Roy’s website prior to the visit, I was aware that this style of photography was not a career I would seek out. That certainly doesn’t discount the importance of portrait work in the professional realm of Photography.

Yet there was a lot of information that did relate to my learning experience with the camera in manual and photoshop.

I had a smile on my face when Roy mentioned the importance of learning video. I am familiar with videos as I film and upload art diary videos to YouTube. It is not just video as a film tool but learning the editing program. He mentioned DaVinci Resolve and it happens to be the editing program I use.

I didn’t learn video filming for photography, but the knowledge of the editing process allowed me to combine photography images together for this Blog as Blogger/Blogspot does not allow you to place photos side by side unless you learn a certain code format.

I could import JPG images into DaVinci, edit them side by side or other configurations, capture a still shot of the edit and then export the ‘still’ to the class assignment folder to upload into the blog.

Roy also mentioned ‘develop your style’ which I took to heart. As I learn the camera in manual and Photoshop, I am casting a wide net of different subjects to do that very thing, find my style.

Lighting was another key aspect of his talk which I found highly informative as the two staged support photos I’ve included had their share of problems trying to figure out how to light them. His single light answer reinforced my own end-solution of reverting back to using just one light for both photos. Any adjustments to light were completed in Photoshop/Camera RAW.

Questions I had that were answered before I could ask. ISO setting, he used-3000. Was a computer screen set up so clients could see results of the shoot as they took place? Yes, as he showed us the tether stand used for that purpose.

Last thing of note, external hard drives. Roy mentioned his and this should be taken as extremely important as to offset the risk of a computer being hacked and everything on it getting wiped out. Another reason is avoiding using up your computer’s desktop drive space. I have a 5tb external hard drive for my YouTube videos, a 1tb for art and photography, and a 1tb for these Towson photo classes. When I travel with a laptop all photo images are transferred to USB drives or an external hard drive I take with me for backup.

What I was able to learn at the studio will reinforce improving the quality of my creative approach or needed business insight with staging still life photography set-ups and the world of photography in general.

Notes: 

First Note:

My two portrait shots. Since I didn’t have the studio space to set up, I decided to work smaller and with props I could muster around the apartment. I had asked, long-time friend, Miss Rabbit, if she would pose for me. She graciously said she would be glad help out with this portrait project. Not her words exactly, it was more like, yeah, sure.

These are the two. 

Second Note:

While I mentioned portrait photography was not a career goal, that didn’t mean I hadn’t engaged in it and also enjoyed doing it. Below are four shots I took during the Spring semester intro photography course where one of the assignments was photographing people in portrait settings.