by successfulbob | photography, photography - art quote, photography education
While I wouldn’t trade my time in the darkroom for anything I do appreciate that my darkroom has come into the light via my computer.
Today’s quote from John Sexton about the magic of trying to pull a print and the frustration & fun that lies therein is something that I now experience in working to create my fine art photo pieces in the computer. The difference is I have many more tools available at my beck and call… and the ability to repeat a print much easier. In the past I remember trying to pull a print like one I had already made and with the vagaries of dodging and burning and shifting chemistry making it near impossible to duplicate the exact tones.
Is this a good thing? It’s definitely different but I believe so. The idea is to get the image that is pre-visualized onto a media to share with others. We now have the tools to touch every single tone in an image giving us the ability to really make a print sing! I saw a quote from Ansel Adams in his auto-biography that he wished he could be around in 20 years (published in 1984) to see what others could get from his negatives via electronic means. It wouldn’t be the electronics but the operator that would be making the difference. He said that the images wouldn’t be like his but that people might very well get more from his negatives than he could in the darkroom.
I enjoy the challenge of sharing my imagery… no matter the way it is eventually created. The result is what counts, not the way in which it is achieved.
“For me the printing process is part of the magic of photography. It’s that magic that can be exciting, disappointing, rewarding and frustrating all in the same few moments in the darkroom.” John Sexton
by successfulbob | Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge, photography - art quote
Taking a couple days off with my wife and am in Winslow, Arizona. (Yes, I plan to stand on the corner from the Eagle’s song) So that’s why this photography/art chat is a day late.
The quote comes from Henri Cartier-Bresson the wonderful captured-moment photographer. His thoughts are more easily put into play when you have a camera with you! How many times have you seen a spectacular image but not had a camera with you? I know it’s happened to me on more than one occasion (make that many) because my gear was too heavy to be constantly by my side so I let it behind. Not happening much anymore as I’ve moved to the micro 4/3rd’s format using the Lumix GH3 and Lumix GX7. These cameras are small and my entire shooting kit fits in a small pouch and a camera over my shoulder. Lovin’ it!
So now I’m catching images of fleeting light moments, mini sketches of composition and more that I don’t believe would be seen and picking up more work because I can show people some of my vision of a scene straight out of my camera.
“Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never be scene.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
For those not familiar with the expression ‘busman’s holiday’ it comes from England when the gentlemen who drove the buses would then go on holiday taking those same buses. As a photographer when I go on holiday I take my camera and mke images to please myself, test camera’s capabilities and generally experiment with no thought of whether I am making a mistake. In fact I strive to make mistakes! Therein lies the greatest instruction… See my next post on some of the things I’ve photographed at the gorgeous La Posada Hotel in Winslow.
by successfulbob | photography - art quote, photography education
Think about images that stay with you.
Here’s one of mine. I remember a framed Cezanne print that hung in the dining room when I was growing up. It was a simple table setting called Apples and Oranges done in muted yet attractive colors. Under the table was a shadowy figure and I was always curious what that person was doing there. I found an air of mystery that tended to haunt me after playing back the image in my mind.
Apples and Oranges available as a print here.
Another was from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was an almost life size painting of a bedoin prince in white robes. He was adorned with jewels. The lighting? Exquisite! The rendering by the artist of the metal and details like the hair on his knuckles was stellar. I thought it was possible that I was just amazed by this art because of it’s size. Not true. Upon revisiting this art several times I am continually amazed by this piece.
Moorish Chief at the Philadelphia Museum of Art by Austrian Eduard Charlemont
Oil on panel 59 1/8 x 38 1/2 inches (150.2 x 97.8 cm)
Photographs that captured your attention and keep coming back to visit in your mind. They usually have touched a cord inside of you for one reason or another. I believe that Paul Cezanne has given us twelve words and a thought process that will help us to create better, more memorable images. Start with the emotion and find a way to tell the story more deeply and people will find your images more memorable.
How to get the emotion into your image? I suppose it depends on the emotion you are trying to elicit in the viewer. Happy, sad, love, jubilant, sad, placid, agitated, angry, frustrated (don’t ask flight attendants at the end of a four day run for emotional words)
A quick trip to Wikipedia say about emotion: …Emotion is a subjective, conscious experience characterized primarily by psychophysiological expressions, biological reactions, and mental states. Emotion is often the driving force behind motivation, positive or negative.An alternative definition of emotion is a “positive or negative experience that is associated with a particular pattern of physiological activity.”
I find that images that have shadows have more depth and tend to strike a cord more deeply than those that are brightly lit. Bright colors elicit energetic thoughts. Bright colors with wonderful shadows are even more powerful. Shadows with a soft edge transition tend to be more pleasing than high contrast shadows which tend to jar the viewer. Somber, muted, warm tone colors convey quiet.
The idea here is to begin to think of the emotion first then figure the best way to convey it. Now, how will I create a Tango image that shows all the power and grace of the movement??? Time to start thinking… thanks to Paul.
“A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.” Paul Cezanne
by successfulbob | fine art photography, photography, photography - art quote, photography education
We move back in time this Sunday morning to what I believe was one of the most brilliant minds in history. An artist who pioneered many things and when I need some inspiration to be creative I read some of his work. Leonardo DaVinci wrote extensively and one of his subject was art. He really took things apart visually and today’s art quote gives us something to think about when shooting and doing post production.
“The color of the object illuminated partakes of the color of that which illuminates it.” Leonardo DaVinci
In spite of the stilted language the information is important to consider while we shoot. What color are the surroundings of our subject? If photographing in an area of lawn or surrounded by trees the prevailing color is green. The sun lights the green and according to Leo’s observation the reflection of the green is what lights our subject. I don’t now about you but every time I see a green subject, unless it was Kermit the Frog, it’s a problem because our subject looks to be ill. “But, I love the background and the park!” I know, I know the location is wonderful. So what should be done for pleasing skin tones? We can overpower the light that is reflected from the green by adding flash on our subject. Clean light equals clean skin tones and because we direct the light with modifiers we still get the nice green color of the grass and trees – And save a lot of time and effort in post production from trying to clean up those skin tones.
Speaking of post production, I am doing a lot of art based images and Mr DaVinci’s writing has alerted me to being careful to render scenes being aware of the reflected colors to add realism to the art pieces. Check some of the work I did with images from France…
by successfulbob | fine art photography, photography - art quote, photography education
Providing these quotes to you every Sunday is actually becoming a gift to myself. As I search for quotes that I feel would be of interest I run across many more that give me food for thought. Even more thinking through my reactions and sharing the ideas with you makes me give pause and understand my own thinking on this process of creating art from photography.
I thank you. And, without further ado here’s this Sunday’s art quote.
“Creativity takes courage.” Henri Matisse
Three short words. Maximum impact from Matisse.
I can’t tell you how many times I have walked away from a piece of art because I ‘THOUGHT’ it may not be received well and I might get ridiculed or told that something isn’t the norm. Most of the fear is generated from within and has absolutely no basis in fact. It is important to override the self-doubt of the inner voice that holds you back. And after you have broken through the inner doubt be ready to counter any beginning negativity you ‘MAY’ hear from other. Think about the ridicule and grief the Impressionist Painters were subject to when they first began to unveil this new way of showing the world to itself. Now there entire museums around the world dedicated to the display of this art.
“Why talk about this Bob?” you might ask. “I’m a photographer not a painter.” I say, if we take this career seriously and are beyond just pushing the camera button on P or A or S and taking what our camera gives us we are creating images of artistic intent. What subject and how do they pose or are they framed in the viewfinder. What lens, angle of view. Light and shadow – take what’s there or craft it by adding or subtracting? this doesn’t even begin to think about how the set is staged. What extras do you add or take away? How about post processing? Some? A little? A lot? Adding multiple images?
I ran into a budding photographer on the trail the other day and he said he didn’t want to “cheat” by adding filters or making multiple exposures to record the scene or do extra work in post. Reminds me of myself when I first started. I said the exact same thing until I learned that the camera does not see as the eye does and in order to show the scene as the eye sees it there must be adjustments made. And for sure the camera doesn’t see the way my mind sees. All the additions and adjustments, multiple exposures and post production bring forth what my minds eye sees. And, less and less do I worry about what others may think. I may have finally found the courage that Matisse has spoken of….
by successfulbob | photography, photography - art quote, photography education
Sunday is a great day for noodling around ideas inspired by the photography/art quote I have chosen to chat about. Amazingly it’s already Labor Day Weekend. Where did the summer go. (Guess it’s time to put away the white outfits?)
Today’s quote is from Elliot Erwin who I think expresses the feelings of a lot of photographers, including me, in that if we weren’t doing photography for a living we’d be photographing for pleasure. There is a tendency to at times take this thing that we love, and due to the need to make a living from it because we choose to become professionals it becomes a labor instead of a love.
One way I combat this is to assign myself personal projects. It could be creating a specific new to me type of art with my camera and Photoshop, approaching a person with character and asking to photograph them or just going on a photo hunt for grins.
If you are like Elliott am me grab your camera for a little while this weekend to start playing like you used to when you were still an amateur and bring back the love and leave the labor for another day.
“I am a professional photographer by trade and an amateur photographer by vocation.” Elliott Erwitt
PS Just as I have found to have learned the most when first attempting to create photographic images by experimenting I see my personal projects extending my photography skill-set and adding to the tools in my professional quiver.
