by successfulbob | photography, photography - art quote, photography education
Is your photography unique?
Do you fully bring your inner self when you create images? If not, then there’s a distinct possibility you are not creating art. You are just making pictures.
Today I dug up a quote from poet, playwright Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde Photo by Napoleon Sarony
“A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperment.” Oscar Wilde
I’ve found my strongest images come forward when I am totally in the moment working on creating an image I really want to see made. Not necessarily because I am getting paid to make the image. But experience that I’ve acquired over the years allows me to bring creative things forward when on paid shoots even though
That’s why personal projects are so important to your growth as a photographer. You get the opportunity to explore, experiment and experience so much more as you create. You then are able to carry those forward into all your photography. I’ve also experienced the cross-pollinating of different genres of photography helping me create better photography. My wedding work helped in the fashion. My commercial work helped inform my wedding images. Playing while creating art images has worked it’s way back into my advertising photography.
So I ask again, “Are you bringing you to your photo shoots?
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | Lumix GH4, musician photography, people photography, photography, photography education
Sound Bites Grill is the new home for Estaban… Turning Sedona into home base is now a reality for guitarist Estaban and his violinist daughter Teresa Joy. They are joined on stage by Percussionist Emilio Santiago. (this guy has the fastest drumming hands I’ve ever seen!)
And they asked me to start documenting and creating images for marketing and promotion. We started out in the Village of Oak Creek about five miles south of Sedona where the red rocks begin. The weather cooperated better than I could have hoped for during our rainy monsoon season. Clouds protected the talent (and me!) from getting overheated, but allowed the sun to keep peaking through to light up the red rocks nicely.
Estaban in front of Courthouse Butte in the Village of Oak Creek Sedona, Arizona
Guitar great Estaban & his daughter, violinist Teresa Joy in front of Castle Rock.
Gateway to Sedona with Estaban and Teresa Joy showing off the sign to their new home base.
The Estaban show live on stage at Sound Bites Grill with Emilio Santiago on Percussion.
I choose to use the Lumix GH4 for this shoot because I would be working on a tripod. The lens which seemed to work for the entire shoot was the Lumix Vario 35-100mm f2.8 at ISO 200. Aperture for the outdoor images was at f11 because the story we are telling is of Estaban making Sedona his home. If I was trying for more ‘artsy’ images I would have chosen a wider aperture. A lot of noise has been made about the GH4 and the fact that it does 4K video. Well I gotta tell ya it’s a hell of a still camera too. I love the touch screen focus. The screen is bright enough to see in almost any light but it also has a live view eyepiece. It’s picked up and extra stop of density and can shoot RAW files at 12 fps (not that I needed that with this shoot!).
Lighting was supplemented with an Ultra Zap 1600 Paul C Buff flash powered with a Vagabond Mini-Lithium battery. It’s great to have studio powered flash in the field! I added a shoot through umbrella and kept it just out of frame. The shoot-through allows to ht the light source closer to the subject which gives softer shadow edge transitions. Here I was trying to make sure the light on the performers was really clean yet natural.
If you like what read on this web site please use the links to Amazon to make your purchase. As an affiliate I receive a small percentage of the sale and it helps support the web site content.
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | landscape photography, Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, photography education
Almost blew off my morning hike today.
It looked like it was pretty socked in and grey with a possibility of getting wet but I went anyway and to mis- appropriate a quote from Robert Frost – “And that made all the difference…”
Castle Rock and small group of Red Rocks in the Village of Oak Creek, Sedona, AZ
The sky behind the red rocks with its storm color deep blue and clearing clouds as the sun sneaked a peek at the rocks led to an interesting photo of this formation. Captured with the Lumix GH4 and the 12-35mm 2.8 Vario lens. I’m really liking the extra stop of dynamic range that has made it’s way into the GH4. Makes taming scenes with high contrast easier. Detail in the deep shadows without loosing the detail in the clouds.
Weather coming in or going out? Get your Butt in gear and go shoot!
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | fine art photography, photography - art quote, photography education
A hand went up in the back of the room at a presentation and someone asked, “What’s your definition of Fine Art Photography?” As it had been a long day I kind of joked with a line borrowed from the late Dean Collins, “Beauty is in the eyes of the check book holder!”
What is Fine Art Photography??
Today’s Sunday Photo/Art Quote is a little more introspection and thought about the question as we photographers tend to agonize over it on a regular basis. So here goes….
Let’s start with some semi-official definitions on Art and Fine Art in general. (Thanks to Jerry Burch for theses links from our email conversation!)
Take some time to follow the links for some more in-depth observation on the subject with the links below. Go ahead… I’ll wait and give you my thoughts below after you poke around on the web. If you find something cool others should see bring the link back here and post in the comments section…
From Collins World English Dictionary
fine art
1. art produced chiefly for its aesthetic value, as opposed to applied art
2. ( often plural ) Also called: beaux arts any of the fields in which such art is produced, such as painting, sculpture, and engraving
From Dictionary.Com
fine art
a visual art considered to have been created primarily for aesthetic purposes and judged for its beauty and meaningfulness, specifically, painting, sculpture, drawing, watercolor, graphics, and architecture.
From Wikipedia
Fine art photography
Fine art photography is photography created in accordance with the vision of the artist as photographer.
Chip Jones Fine Art Photography Blog post
One challenge that many artists face throughout their careers is having a brief, but articulate description of their work at the tip of their tongue. You know, like a two-minute elevator speech that can be expressed in a moments notice when asked. For most people, this might seem like something that’s easy to do. For artists though, this can…. See link for the rest of Chip’s post.
The question you ask about Fine Art Photography is one that has been difficult to answer because there are so many facets to it.
There are photographers in the portrait industry that I consider to be ‘Fine Art’ photographers. Much of their work would stand up to the classic portraits created over the centuries that will still be considered beautiful examples of the best of the genre a century from now. People like Tim Kelly in Florida and Tim and Beverly Walden in Kentucky. Their work is exquisite! Does that make all portrait photographers ‘Fine Art’ photographers? Not by a long shot.
Ansel Adams was what was considered to be a ‘Fine Art’ nature photographer because of the detail and techniques he created and mastered for getting the vision from his head onto paper. I see stunning examples of other Landscape photographers that would definitely fall into the ‘Fine Art’ photography category but that doesn’t make every landscape image created a ‘Fine Art’ piece.
There are stellar images made by photographers creating images using multiple elements from different photos in composites that are museum worthy (see the work of Thom Rouse in Illinois as one example).
I guess I’ve been formulating a more concise answer as I answer your question. So here goes…
‘Fine Art Photography’ to me is defined by the mastery of technique to create an image. Do I consider myself to be a ‘Fine Art Photographer’? Yes I do. Is every image that I create ‘Fine Art’? Definitely not. Each individual work should be judged on its own merits as to it worthiness to be called ‘Fine Art’.
Join the conversation in the comments section.
Yours in Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | charity photography, photography, photography education
The phone rang. I picked up and it was the hospital calling…
We have a stillborn child and a family that needs your special touch.
With that call my stomach falls and I realize I will be photographing a very emotional situation. So why do I also feel a bit of smile and good feeling? Because I’m going to be creating a family portrait with very special meaning that there will never be the possibility to photograph again. These images will help the family through their grieving process.
“How can you know that, Bob?” you might be asking. I know because I’ve done it before and the notes that come from my families letting me know how much comfort they receive from having beautiful photos of their child.
It’s not easy, by any stretch, but being able to give back through the photography medium that has been so good to me is incredible.
Why am I telling you about this? It’s not to brag. It’s to hopefully inspire you to consider performing this service in your hometown. Please click on this link to find out more about becoming an affiliate photographer with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. There is a tremendous need as there are approximately 25,000 cases of pregnancies ending early each year in the United States and currently NILMDTS is only able to serve a relatively small portion of those families. We need photographers. And, as many hands make for a light load, the more photographers available the better.
NILMDTS logo.
Won’t you at least take a few minutes and head to the web site for more information? If you are like me your first thought would be, “I could never do that! I’m too emotional…” Thank goodness I found out I was wrong. It’s a wonderful way to give back to your community.
Yours, In Photography, Bob
