Greg Molyneux Photography

New Jersey landscape and nature photography

Public Health Hazard

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Ceramicist and potter, a hooded Jeff Ruemeli smokes the last of his cigarette as he stokes the soda kiln fires in this low key black and white portrait.

Public Health Hazard — 50mm | f/1.4 | ISO 8000 | EXP 1/40

Obligatory Disclaimer Alert: Kids, don’t be like this hobo hipster wizard. Smoking is bad for your health.

This past Thursday longtime pal, ceramicist, glass blower and acoustic romanticist, Jeff Ruemeli, invited us over to the LBI Foundation of the Arts & Sciences to check out this here soda kiln firing he’s been waxing poetic about for weeks. The outdoor oven apparatus—roughly 5 feet by 5 feet by 7 feet (not including the chimney) of what I’m guessing is some kind of volcanic brick—was quite cool; and glowed something fierce in the dark of night as he and his colleague worked diligently to get the temperature up to a balmy 2,300°F.

While I was unable to get a serviceable image of the natural gas kiln itself, I did manage to make this here modest portrait; highlighting the perils of gnarly beards and nasty cigarettes. Both insidious threats to civil society. Hide your children; hide your wife.

Without question I have a fear of portraiture; personal space and comfort issues, damn you to hell. In the future, if I find some subjects I’m comfortable enough with, it’s an area of photography I’d like to explore. As such a speedlite and portrait lens may be in my future. Hooray for cash eating hobbies!

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Photos from the archives

Black and white hemlock pine cone macro photo in square format.
14mm wide angle photo made at sunset over the Cedar Run Dock Road salt marsh. Multilayered clouds fill the sky, backlit by pastel colored clouds as the autumn marsh loses its green color.
Landscape photograph of pastel clouds over marsh at sunset
A blue hour photograph of Dock Road's north marsh on a calm Fall evening. No wind allowed a glassy reflection on the marsh estuary, mirroring the clouds
35mm blue hour photograph with the bay in the foreground and a razor thin strip of Long Beach Island in the background. Panning and a slow shudder brings motion blur into the peaceful, minimalist image.