by successfulbob | photography - art quote, photography education
Two quotes grace today’s Sunday Photo/Art Quote. Since they are from the minds of sixth graders I will not try to expand on their thoughts because I don’t want to color your interpretation of their words…
“Art is your emotions flowing in a river of imagination.” Devin, Los Cerros Middle School, 1999
Art is the colors and textures of your imagination.” Meghan, Los Cerros Middle School, 1999
Simple changes of words, tremendous change of meaning. I invite you to start the conversation here…
Yours, In Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge, photography
These bad boys do blend in. This was taken during a hike in Sedona with my Lumix GX7 and 35-100 f2.8 Vario Lens. It reached out pretty far and rendered the animal tack sharp. I like how there are so many different textures in the scene.
We see the ‘Trickster’ as the Native Americans refer to them, on a regular basis. This is from Wikipedia – “The name “coyote” is borrowed from Mexican Spanish coyote, ultimately derived from the Nahuatl word cóyotl, meaning “trickster”.[10] Its scientific name, Canis latrans, means “barking dog” in Latin.[11]”
The ‘Trickster’ AKA coyote during dawn hike in Sedona, Arizona
Part of that I believe comes from how coyotes hunt and the fact they have a dual voice-box capable of making many sounds and seeming like there are multiple coyotes when there is only one. The calls a coyote makes are high-pitched and variously described as howls, yips, yelps, and barks. These calls may be a long rising and falling note (a howl) or a series of short notes (yips). These calls are most often heard at dusk or night. You can learn more about the Coyote here.
Your in Photography, Bob
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…”
