by successfulbob | photography
Conductor Russell Fox of the Verde Valley’s thirty – plus piece Sinfonietta said, “We really enjoyed being Eric’s back up band for his classical music debut!”
Eric Miller on guitar during his Classical Music Debut in Sedona, AZ.
Eric Miller a fabulous accomplished guitarist in flamenco, samba, rock and eclectic music emerged into classical music playing Vivaldi’s Concerto for Guitar & Strings. My wife Holly and I have enjoyed Eric’s music for years and are big fans. He’s an incredible talent. What’s very interesting is that while Eric can read music he tends to learn and play by ear. It was a wonderful performance and we applaud Eric’s expanding horizons. If you want to checkout some of Eric Miller’s musical accomplishments you can find some on his link above… I highly recommend his Eclectic Music CD… It’s subtitled Elevator Music for Cool People. With the music composed by and most instrumentation performed by Eric it’s wonderful music to have in your collection.
Anna Han at Emerging Artists concert. Next stop Julliard School of Music in New York City
A huge bonus to us was the second Emerging Artist at the concert, Anna Han, who played Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 AKA ‘The Emperor’ an amazing piano concerto that was Ludwig’s last composition before he started loosing his hearing. Her deft playing with incredible subtleties was nothing short of outstanding. I literally had tears coming to my eyes during portions of the concerto. Oh, did I mention she is just about to graduate high school? Following that she’ll be heading to Julliard School of Music in New York.
The Verde Valley Sinfonietta performs several concerts each year. If you live in or are visiting Sedona you should make it a point to enjoy the fabulous music produced by these dedicated musicians.
Following the concert I overheard a knowledgeable patron of live musical arts say, “You could not have heard a better concert concert anywhere in the world! Fabulous!”
I was not working but wanted to record images for my friend Eric but obviously didn’t want to disturb fellow concert goers. My trusty Lumix GX7 comes to the fore again. I was able to set the camera in silent mode. This allowed me to capture the images with no disturbance to those around me. Very important! I used the 35-100 f2.8 Vario lens for the close ups
All in all a beautiful day….
by successfulbob | kudos, salute to business
I took a shot…
Got to the hotel room went to hook up my speakers to my IPad for some room ambiance and *&%(% I forgot the power cord for my Bose speakers. Darn. Got a couple days in the hotel room and no music. Just on the off chance someone before me might have left a 12 volt power cord in the hotel I asked at the front desk if they might have one… Nope, but they looked real hard and then said, “Let’s look a little more…” Next thing I know the staff are untangling wires from the computer speakers from the office. “Here take ours and please bring them back when you check out.”
Speakers loaned to me by the hotel staff for a couple of days stay… Appreciated!
Service above and beyond. Very much appreciated… Pass the word. Staying in downtown Phoenix?? Check out the Hampton Inn at 160 W. Catalina Drive… PS the Phoenix Art Museum is about a mile away from here… pretty solid museum experience to be had there.
by successfulbob | photography
This Sunday’s Photo/Art quote is from Robert Mapplethorpe.
“The more pictures you see, the better you are as a photographer.” Robert Mapplethorpe
He was a controversial photographer because of his chosen subject matter. (ALERT! if you find the male or female nude figure offensive do not click on this link to Mapplethorpe’s Portfolio. There is some exquisite photography that is not controversial of some of his floral work direct from here as an alternative. Mapplethorpe’s Flower Portfolio.
Robert Mapplethorpe’s exquisite flower photograph Anemone, 1989
I want to take this a giant step further and posit that the more art you view, whether it is photography or oils hanging in a museum, that you will become a stronger photographer the more you study. Now I don’t necessarily recommend that you take it to the level I have… My wife doesn’t want to go to art museums with me any more because I will spend some serious time in front of a painting that interests me. From five to forty five minutes (see Monet blog post) I have been getting to every museum I can to view the Masters of Impressionism like Monet, Classic portraitists like Rembrandt and Renoir to study their portrayal of light and shadow to create form. Looking to understand how colors placed side by side effect one another or a few final finishing strokes turn a nice image into one with deep depth and dimension.
When I see a painting or photograph that captures my attention I’ll view it from 5 feet away. Then move very close to see intimate details. Then go to ten or fifteen feet away to see how the detail i the image resolves into a totally different look. This is what I personally am trying to bring to my image making. You can look at these same images online and in books but you only get a taste of the images not a full meal. There is something about seeing great, and some not so great, works of art up close and personal that really brings them to life.
I supplement the live viewing with artists I haven’t yet had the pleasure to experience in a museum or to refresh my memory of a particular painting or style of painting. I try to view a few new pieces of art several times a week before falling into slumber. I first heard this idea from a fabulous artist/photographer by the name of Arthur Rainville. It’s a great way to have your brain work on new ideas and assimilate color and composition ideas while you slumber. I have seen Arthur speak several times and highly recommend you put him on your list of programs to see.
So back to Mr Mapplethorpe’s quote, “The more pictures you see…”
by successfulbob | commercial photography, Lumix GH3, Lumix Lounge, people photography, photography
Fun shoot!
The Arizona Roller derby girls came to the the Arizona Professional Photographers Association meeting to add a little color for the photographers to shoot. A studio area for attendees to shoot during the convention was set up. The Roller Derby ladies got images to use for their promotion and the photographers got great animated models to put in front of their lenses.
Originally it was scheduled that the derby girls were going to have individual head shots for their promos but I wanted to take it a step further an see what kind of action we could put together. I think we got some ‘Bigger than Life’ images for them to use to promote their sport as well as some individual head shots… Wanna become an AZ Derby Skater? get more info.
Anita Alibi Poses for a head shot.
Ducky Norris enjoys the spotlight.
Simulated action is when the fun begins… These girls know how to put on a show!
More showtime from the derby girls.
Teammates!
It was a pleasure working with the AZ Roller Derby Team. They were really ready to put on a show and I’m certain that translates into great theater and sport in their matches! I’d love to do a full-on marketing shoot with the team!
What are you doing to stretch your education and practice of photography???
Wanna become an AZPPA Member? Get more Info
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography education, photography gear, photography lighting resources
Traveling light these days!
Thought I’d share what my shooting kit is these days for a couple different scenarios. Panasonic Lumix has made me lean and mean these days. My favorite camera for travel and for hiking is the Lumix GX7. It has all the features I like and has an extremely low profile. The screen tilts up and down for low angles or overhead shooting. The screen is quite viewable even in bright sunshine but just in case there is a 90 degree moveable viewfinder. The camera is capable of in-camera HDR or up to a seven stop auto-bracket, in-camera Panorama, and a host of other specialty settings I’ve been enjoying putting through its paces.
Let’s start with the hiking kit as you see pictured above. 45mm Leica DG Macro-Element f2.8 Aspherical lens for going after those close up details like flowers. Added to that the Lumix Vario 12-35mm f2.8 for the medium to wide angle scenic landscapes and the Lumix Vario 35-100mm f2.8 to help compress longer distance scenes or trying to reach a bit further. Note the mini-tripod. I tend to hike more often traveling light which means no full size tripod but with the mini I can place on or lean against a rock, tree, car or fencepost to help steady the camera. Very handy indeed. Of course, a fully charged spare battery is always in the kit. The Westcott twenty inch Five in one which folds to a very manageable 8 &1/2 inches rounds out the equipment list. So I’m covered from 24mm to 200mm – 35mm DSLR equivalent along with a MACRO and it weighs less than four and a half pounds.
Conversely, my DSLR weighs four and a half pounds with a single lens.
Wildflowers captured with the 45mm Macro
For travel I swap out the 45mm Macro for the 7-14mm f4 Asperical lens which covers me from 14-200mm 35mm DSLR equivalent and I the kit is still well under five pounds.
Both kits are supported by the Tenba Mirrorless Mover 20 bag which fits comfortably on my belt and holds all the lenses and gear including spare cards, cleaning cloth, etc.
Yours in Photography, Bob
