by successfulbob | photography - art quote, photography education
Wanna be a better photographer?
Don’t show people your less than stellar images.
Here’s the quote from John Sexton that inspires today’s photo/art quote…
“A photographer needs to be a good editor of negatives and prints! In fact, most of the prints I make are for my eyes only, and they are no good. I find the single most valuable tool in the darkroom is my trash can – that’s where most of my prints end up.” John Sexton
I agree with this quote 100%! in places where you are trying to entice clients, or buyers of art to your work. The exception is in an instructional situation where you are looking for feedback. You can’t learn if you are not willing to make mistakes and learn from them. And many times there are mistakes to be made. Lord knows, I’ve made them and continue to do so. Where the problem is when you step out of the educational realm and share almost every thing you shoot with the world. For example, blog posts sharing a session with 20 images trying to show everything rather than 1-2 fabulous images from that shoot. Or web sites that have just too many examples of what you are trying to share with people. Volume does not necessarily equate with quality. As my friend Skip Cohen always coaches, “If an image is not an image that would get you a job all by itself it shouldn’t be on the web page.” OK that was loosely quoted but you get the idea! (check his web site for lots of marketing and photography ideas!)
Remember I said I still make mistakes??
Time for me to tear apart my commercial web site apart and start tossing older and not the best images I have to offer.
How about you?
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – John Sexton is a wonderful Black & White image maker. If you’d like to see 17 more quotes by John Sexton curated by John Paul Caponigro look here
by successfulbob | Lumix GH4, Lumix GX8, Lumix Lounge, musician photography, people photography, photography education, photography gear
Here are the ‘Wall of fame’ images for Sound Bites Grill from last Saturday night.
Leroy Miller Blues rocker
Grant Ferguson Blues guitar.
All files were captured with approximately the same settings on two different cameras with the Lumix 35-100mm f2.8 lens. Even though I worked with the Lumix GH4 for most of the captures I had brought the new Lumix GX8 to test in these lighting conditions and both of these were captured with the GX8… HMMMM food for thought.
Camera settings. 1/80th to 1/100th sec. f2.8 ISO 3200 Aperture Priority – 2/3 stop Exposure Compensation. Files then opened in Adobe Camera RAW and shadows opened a bit and highlights pulled down just a bit. The art effect was created using multiple texture images, Blend Modes and Layer Masks in Photoshop a process I call Photo-Synthesis.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | imaging competition, photography, photography competition, photography creativity, photography education
Received a nice piece of mail the other day celebrating the images from my Artist case at Professional Photographers of America (PPA). It was the certificate indicating that I was named a Silver Medalist in the International Imaging Competition.
The Silver Medalist certificate from the Artist Competition
There’s a new triangle on my ribbons. Once you have earned a degree from PPA you are charged to wear the ribbons and degree designations to all PPA and PPA Affiliated events. As former President Ralph Romaguera once said. “When you see people wearing these ribbons and medals don’t be intimidated, they indicate permission to ask questions and talk about photography!”
Earning the Silver Medal also made me an Elite Photographer for the following year because I have earned and Imaging Degree along with a Photographic Craftsman Degree and earned the Certified Professional Photographer designation. The Elite Photographer Award is only given to a few photographers in any year. I find myself extremely fortunate and thankful…
Here are the images from the submission…
Sarasota Polo Magazine Designs
Keeping Watch
One Point One Five Seconds
Sandhill Cranes
by successfulbob | photographers health, photography education
I’ll remind you that I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. I am just sharing ideas that have worked for me over the years. Please consult a health professional before trying anything shown here…
Back pain can put a real hitch in your giddy-up! It can make work miserable if you can even do it depending on your injury.
In the first installment Photographers Health Back Part One we talked about learning, or at least reviewing, the proper way to pick up, carry or move heavy objects. We also discussed proper shooting form to prevent injury. Lastly we looked at an exercise program to strengthen your body to help prevent injury.
Photographers Health Back Part Two I introduced you to Pete Egoscue. He developed a series of exercises and stretches into a program to help you become, and stay, Pain Free. I highly recommend checking out his programs. If you have severe problems he has clinics available to test and give you very specific instructions on how to get back into shape. I have never used the centers but the books have been a real help to me.
The Miracle Ball Method kit.
Today I want to share one more alternative exercise idea. And maybe exercise is the wrong word to use for this. It’s called The Miracle Ball Method by Elaine Petrone. It uses squishy balls placed properly while your body sinks into them. Using your body weight and proper breathing are the keys to helping your body realign itself. The kit contains two Miracle Balls and an exercise guide that runs you through steps. Elaine was a dancer who suffered debilitating pain in her back and injured a leg. After trying all the traditional methods including chiropractic, accupuncture, doctors etc she was getting no relief. After research she came up with this program.
Here’s a description in better words than I have… “The work itself is simple. Take a sore back: By resting your aching back on the grapefruit-sized balls and letting your body sink into them, you’re unworking the muscles that hurt. Pain and tension drain out of the body. Petrone shows how proper breathing (which she demonstrates) works in conjunction with a range of unexercises that call for placing the balls under the back, head, knees, hip, elbow-wherever there’s pain-and then resting, rolling, or rotating on them. She points out that relief can come in surprising ways: Lower back pain may be helped by placing the ball under your neck, or a bad knee might be helped by hip work. It’s a revolutionary program of relief, from head to toe.”
Your in Creative, and Healthy, Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photographers health, photography education
** ** I am not a health professional. I do not play one on TV and I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn Express. Please consult your doctor or health professional before adding exercise routines to your lifestyle.
Starting in part two I share things that can help after you’ve sustained a back injury. Of course seeing your doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist should be your first stop to get diagnosed and begin the healing process. I’ve worked with all of the above health professionals at one time or another. It wasn’t until I worked with my physical therapist that I began receiving instructions on proper exercise techniques and exercises for proper stretching and care of that marvelous mechanism called the spine. (see here for part one)
When it hurts it can be excruciating…
So how do we help it to stop hurting?
Proper exercises to align all those bitty pieces back into the space they were meant to be. One system that I found to be extremely helpful was from Pete Egoscue. There are clinics around to help you with this but I found his books and careful application and paying strict attention to the instructions to be quite helpful. This book was recommended by a massage therapist. Pain Free – A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain
Egoscue and his writing partner Roger Gittines share very specific exercises and body position to get you re-aligned and I’ve found them to be extremely helpful. They are so sure of themselves the obligatory message like you see at the top of this page with a legal disclaimer about seeing a doctor etc… is omitted. He urges readers, “who feel they need the disclaimers protection and counsel to close these covers and leave the pages unread. My working principle as an author and exercise therapist is that the most important consultation is the one a person has with him- or herself. Any disclaimer that suggests otherwise does a great disservice.”
IN the introduction They go on and share a philosophy I believe in, “Being pain free takes personal effort and commitment. It doesn’t come from a pill bottle, a sugeon’s knife, a brace or in specially designed mattresses, chairs and tools…. The following pages show you the way. It does not involve high-tech medicine or elaborate physical therapy routines.”
He shares his views on how the body operates and gives you simple directions on how to get it back to your optimum condition.
A More Advanced Option
Another book by the same authors take you to another level of conditioning and exercises to support specific sports. The book is fulll of common sense advice. There’s a little over twenty easy, effective exercises that help to strengthen, stretch and relax your body which gets you back into proper alignment and form. I have used this book also and find it effective in prevention of injury. Here’s the link… The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion
Final Thoughts for This Post
It’s not magic. It takes some time, thought and attention to not end up with pain from working as a photographer. I hope you’ll look into the prevention of injury. But if you get injured I hope you will look into ideas that allow you to do most of the work and healing yourself with the guides I’m sharing with you in these posts. The next installment of Photographers Health Back share another way to help yourself heal in the quickest way possible with as little outside intervention as possible.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | art books, fine art photography, photography - art quote, photography books, photography education
What are your goals when you make a photograph?
I came across this quote from Robert Farber (see his work here) and thought it was worth a share and some thinking on this Sunday morning.
“I try to create emotion through a mood, an appreciation for what’s there – something people walk by every day and don’t see.” Robert Farber
I don’t now that I have a concise thought like this about my photography.
I don’t have much more to say so I’ll end on this note and ask for your thoughts while I spend time thinking about my goals in creating images.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – Here’s a link to some of Farber’s books, many of them quite reasonable, if you want to expand your photo library.
