Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The Craftsman Challenge: Round 4

Benjamin Madison over at Victoria Daily Photo offered a total knockout entry into the Craftsman Challenge. As Petrea at Pasadena Daily Photo wrote in Benjamin's comment section, "We'll have to go back at it, won't we?"

I'll say!

It all started with my lament that it's nearly impossible to get a picture of a Craftsman home that truly reflects the beauty and wonder of the architectural style. Well, never let it be said that my blogging pals pass up a good challenge...

Petrea stepped up here and followed up here, Ben at The Sky is Big in Pasadena added his two cents here, Mister Earl upped the stakes here and here and with a big laugh-out-loud here, Sarah Jane over at Hatching a Patch jumped in with this , GOSP reader Barbra came along with this, and Keith at Gem City Images tried to grab the title of Craftsman Smackdown King with this great shot only to be shaken when Elaine way up north in Willits snuck up with this great shot.

I'm thrilled that my call for photographs of Craftsman homes has spread out of the San Gabriel Valley, through Northern California and now to Canada. We can already see the differences in the way the Craftsman master ethic translated to different regions. I love the stonework in Benjamin's shot. It's very different than the river rock that is so prevalent here.

So it's game on, fellow bloggers. Who else wants to dare try to capture these elusive beauties with the snap of a shudder? I'll say it again: show me your Craftsmans!

Oh, and for those of you new to this madness, check out the details in these posts...

(If I've left anyone out, please let me know!)

18 comments:

Hilda said...

Now this is gorgeous! I really adore the stone — even up to the chimney!

Sharon said...

This one is a real beauty.

dbdubya said...

Beautiful home, but I think the owner should spend a little more time in the garden.

Yakpate said...

I think you may have discovered the secret of getting great Craftsman shots... black and white! Now I realize that the yummy Craftsman colors often distract from the architectural features. This shot, however, makes the beauty of the lines apparent.

I must say, though, that my first reaction was, "Wow, an enchanted cottage!" And I LOVE the yard, especially the pile of stones in the foreground. Tea and cookies, anyone?

Hope said...

This little cottage drew my eye in the thumbnail...and then I realize I've stumbled upon a Craftsman-style smackdown contest or something or other. I've just spent 20 minutes of my lunch looking at wonderful Craftsman homes from So. Pasadena and beyond. I wonder if I might find some specimens here in Knoxville? It would be fun to go on a house hunt!

-K- said...

There's a stretch of these homes in a corner of Santa Monica. I've got to get over there sometime.

Eki said...

It's a beautiful composition, Laurie. Every element and their placement adds to the beauty of the photo.

It's been a while since I visited your blog ... Missed quite a number of great posts ... That waterway is one of my faves.

Anonymous said...

I'm in maybe

pasadenapio said...

It is simply charming.

Petrea Burchard said...

Oh damn. I'll have to slog around Pasadena photographing beautiful homes again.

Tash said...

I'm in, I'm in... I just can't only watch any more. Maybe I'll find something in Long Beach.

BTW - that's a beauty of a photo.

Laurie Allee said...

Hi folks,

Thanks again, Benjamin, for posting such a great example of Craftsman architecture!

Hilda, I'm a big fan of river rock, too.

Yak, I do love the way Craftsman houses look in black and white, but they still lose so much in any photographic representation. This house, for example, has such an inviting porch that you can't really see here. Also, the scale of the home doesn't translate. It's far bigger than what I would classify as a cottage -- but in the image, it looks like something out of a classic fairy tale. Still, all of these different views are bringing forth the gist of this period in architecture -- and I'm so happy to see everyone else's great shots.

Hope, I'd love to see what you can find!

And K, I know exactly which house I'd shoot if I were still on the West side. I'll wait and see if we share a brain on this one...

Eki, so glad to see you. Thanks for the nice words!


PA and Tash, I'm really looking forward to both of your contributions!

DBdubya, I was so taken by that pile of rocks, I didn't even mind the lack of landscaping!

Petrea -- get to work, woman. :-)

Sharon and Pasadenapio, I agree that this one is a real beauty. But then again, I love them all.

Thanks for all the great feedback and conversation, everyone. Until tomorrow...

Jane Hards Photography said...

It's such a delight to see these homes we just don't have a style like this In the UK

Anonymous said...

Do we have a deadline? I have a favorite that even my shutter can't screw up.

Laurie Allee said...

Nah... deadlines are too stressful. I'm happy to keep this challenge going forever. (Think of all the cool houses we'll get to see!)

Benjamin Madison said...

Yours is a real jewel. I read up a bit more on the style in Wikipedia and went out looking for more of these houses. There are MANY of them!

Laurie Allee said...

Benjamin, I'm looking forward to seeing more from your neck of the woods. Yay!

Unknown said...

Is this on Milan? If it is I think my friend used to live there...