by successfulbob | fine art photography, graphic design, photography, photography education, photography marketing
You know those little strings you get when you peel a banana??
Banana bowl.
When you ‘pop the top’ on a banana from the stalk end like we have all been taught there are often banana stringy thingys hanging on. Did you know if you slice the banana at the bottom and peel it toward the top you get almost no banana stringy thingys?? How many bananas have we peeled over the years and dealt with the strings when if we had done it in the opposite way they wouldn’t be there?
Banana Art
As we are moving into the New Year let’s take a look at how we do many things within our our businesses. Look at everything with fresh eyes and see if we are dealing with ‘stringy thingys’ in our shooting. Things that we do all the time just because ‘that’s the way we’ve always done them’. Try something new… and/or make sure the way you are currently doing things the best way possible!
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | fine art photography, photography, photography - art quote, photography education
Let’s pick up where we left off in last week’s Sunday Photo/Art Quote where Diego Rivera shared that he got more painting done when he wasn’t actually painting. Here’s another artist that gives us more thought on that subject…
“I think good dreaming is what leads to good photographs.” Wayne Miller
Wayne Miller was a Magnum photographer who also worked for Life Magazine. Mainly known for his series of photographs The Way of Life of the Northern Negro. He was inspired to photograph is own family and produce a book after he was inspired by Edward Steichen’s “Family of Man”art exhibition.
In his quote I think Miller touches on a very important idea. Creation of images starts long before the press of the button on the camera. It starts with allowing your brain to roam free. To connect ideas. To anticipate what might be. Many times we get caught up in the business of photography and forget to allow for the ‘down time’ to allow our mind to help us create new imagery.
I found after I started scheduling time to ‘play’ and mess about with personal projects my images took a step up in creativity with more depth. When there is no pressure to create a specific image you take away the fear of making a less than stellar image but you learn so much more.
Cut some time out of your schedule to dream. Some time to play and see where it takes you…
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | fine art photography, photography, photography - art quote, photography education
Do you see your image in your mind before you push the shutter button??
Should you?
Probably if you want to create more artistic and impressive images. Today’s photo art quote comes from Painter Diego Rivera
“I dream a lot. I do more painting when I’m not painting. It’s in the subconscious.” Diego Rivera
I feel a good amount of pre visualization can move your images to another level.
This brings to mind a thought to spend lots of time with other people’s images and artwork to spark ideas. Just remember that just like a computer GIGO. (garbage in = garbage out) Look to find great imagery and art to study. You will find that some of the ideas will mix and match giving you a whole new way of seeing and creating your photographs.
Arthur Rainville passed on an idea that I try to keep up with. Arthur suggests each night before retiring try to study an artist for about 15 minutes. That could mean quickly reviewing a prolific artist’s entire catalog or studying intimately one or two paintings. You can do this with books, magazines or the Internet. It is amazing how your brain will incorporate things studied just before falling asleep. Arthur is a true photographic artist always trying to push the bounds of wonderful image making. I admire him greatly.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | fine art photography, photography, photography education
I love textures!
If you have followed me for any length of time you know I use textures as elements in creating my photography based artwork. I started collecting textures long before I ever began using them. I would find the ‘found’ collection of elements like piles of leaves, nature grasses, peeling paint and the like and make a photo and save it to the pile. Now I have a rich stockpile of textures to choose from when creating using the process I call ‘Photo-Synthesis’.
While strolling on the beach on Anna Maria Island I happened across this sand formation. Photographed it many different times because even a small difference in the layering of the sand granules or the pattern made by the ridges can make a difference in how the texture will play with the layer below it when using Blend Modes in Photoshop.
Fine sand patterns built by the sea…
While scouting and collecting the sand patterns I found this crab skeleton and there’s something about it…
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | black & white, fine art photography, photography, photography education
Experimenting.
Sarasota.
Sandpipers.
I call these overexposed images ‘sketches’. I enjoy the minimalist detail that comes forward yet still has a story to tell with my camera. I call this image ‘Three on Three’
Sandpipers scurrying on the beach in Sarasota, Florida with snowbirds coming in their direction.
Here it is pushed just a bit further taking away the color and adding a bit of contrast… I see something interesting happening here and I’ll explore this with a larger subject. Maybe with some washes of color…
When was the last time you pushed your camera to do something a little different? Overexposure, underexposure, movement during capture whether zooming or panning or twisting or… Well, you get the idea.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | black & white, fine art photography, landscape photography, people photography, photography, photography education
The Five day Black and White Challenge has been floating around the Internet for the last couple months. The basic premise is that a photographer will post a BW image everyday for 5 days at the same time inviting a new photographer each day to join in the challenge. After being tagged a couple times I jumped in… Here are the 5 black and white photos I posted with the comments. What I thought was going to be a PIA turned out to be pretty cool and I’ve been exposed to a lot of new black and white photography images as a result…
Day 1
This from Monument Valley and the box canyon. I like the Shadowed canyon wall, back
light on the horses and the settling dust that give this image it’s depth.
Day 2
Here’s an image captured on the streets of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
His name is Doc and is a truly wonderful character. He was introduced to me by Dennis Chamberlain
Day 3
Scan from an image taken out of the darkroom soup almost 30 years ago… I sometimes wonder if the images we have on our computers will last as long as this. I was actually quite surprised by how much detail was still available. Print origin 1985.
Day 4
Day 4 came from Italy. BW really adds a timeless fell to this image allowing
all the shape, form and textures to shine through with no distraction from color…
Day 5
Repeating shapes, forms, tones and leading lines from this hilltop town in Tuscan region in Italy close out my 5 day challenge.
It’s always good to accept a challenge to push and get feedback on your image making skills. What have you done lately??
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
