Writing this Photo Art Quote post for the blog used to be a bit of a chore… But I find more and more, this time of thinking about art and how it works for our business, and health, and state of mind for creating has been quite interesting. It has forced me to think about the creation process in all areas of art, not just photography. How all artists including photographers become and stay creative.
Which brings us to today’s conversation. The quote is from New York writer Michael Kaninwho won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay and wrote comedy material for comics, actors and movies. Obviously successful but seems to have found the day-to-day part of the job a chore…
“I don’t like to write, but I love to have written.” Michael Kanin
This quote caught my attention because there are times when working on a photo project I just want to toss it out and go on to something new. It usually turns out that these become the finished images that show the most depth and of which I am most proud to have completed. Don’t get me wrong. I love photography! But there are occasions when the work that’s necessary to bring a project to fruition seems like it will go on forever. Of course, there are times when you have yo know when to quit when enough is enough. But when is that?
Our society has become a ‘I want it now!’ creature. Things come to us at the speed of the Internet. (which is really, really FAST! A search on the word ‘photography’ gave this result – About 979,000,000 results (0.66 seconds) ) We have access to more information than ever before and I find that to be a blessing and a curse. A blessing because the access to material and the ability to learn new things is incredible and I embrace it. And, I believe it to be a curse for the exact same reason. It can be difficult to concentrate on a single project when so many ideas are clamoring for attention.
Digital has made it easier than ever to create. The question becomes is it just ‘good enough’ and it’s time to move on? Or can we delve deeper to create something of more lasting value?
I suppose it’s a question for the ages and one we should probably revisit with regularity.
So do you labor enough to take your images to the next level? Or is an image ‘good enough’?
It’s pretty amazing how far the new HDR software from Macphun called AuroraHDR has come. Layers are now available within. An interface that’s pretty straightforward but with lots of control available in many different areas of manipulation.
One of the things I find I really like is the ability to get the most out of the dynamic range in the scene… and still have a very realistic image rather than one that screams HDR!!!!! And, even better presets that will get you close to the final look you want.
I pulled a set of three images from Butchart Gardens in Victoria British Columbia near Vancouver, Canada and thought I’d see how the software worked with these older files from the Leica D-Lux 4 point and shoot camera.
Natural preset.
A bit more ‘tooth’ in this preset. I like what it did to the greenery but not so much the sky. Could be combined with the image above or processed with layers in Aurora to clean up sky area.
Black and white preset… Not bad. No extra processing.
You can be as subtle or as outrageous in your processing as you would like. Shooting multiple images to expand your density range? Try out the program. I think you’ll like it.
Yours in creative Photography, Bob
PS – Get some extra goodies if you buy before February is over 99 bucks for the program and 90 bucks in bonuses. And always a 30 day money back guarantee… Click on the banner for more info.
Down in Scottsdale yesterday to meet up with some photographers and deliver a family portrait. I stopped by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and was reminded of how powerful art can be. I had no idea what was on display but just thought I’d get a quick lift.
Wow! A different experience awaited me within those walls.
Betye Sarr has been creating art about the black experience in the United States for over 60 years. And it was a poignant reminder of how terrible we were as a people. Even to having a constant ‘put in your place’ language that started with children. One piece especially moved me deep to the core.
It was very simple.
A dress hanging from the ceiling.
Hemmed with offending words suspended above a small child’s chair with a small framed portrait of a black child.
Two spotlights.
A corner.
‘A loss of innocence.’
Detail
From ‘Loss of Innocence’ Dress detail showing the repetitive words hemmed into the dress – Tar Baby, Niggerbaby and Pickaninny.
I was moved.
From the SMOCA Description of Betye’s Show
There is a touch of alchemy to Betye Saar’s artwork: transforming the simple and mundane into powerful art. Since the 1960s, her compelling, astute and expressive works reflect on African- American identity, spirituality and the inter-connectedness between different cultures. This timely retrospective brings together recent work as well as historical pieces created over her six decade long career… more
I wonder if I will ever be able to create art that moves people as much as this installation moved me.I think we as photographers can find inspiration from many different places..
How about you? Where do you find inspiration??
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – images were captured with the Lumix LX100. I call this sweet little camera the ‘Pro’s point & shoot’. Solid magnesium body, all necessary exposure controls available on the outside on click stop dials. 24-75mm f1.7-f2.8 Leica lens.
Take an electric guitar. Acoustic guitar. A bass guitar. A small sax… and a large one. Throw in someone who knows how to play the drums. Add in a voice that is pure magic and the namesake of the band. And what do you get?
A really good time listening to Southern Soul!
What is SOUTHERN SOUL? A sweet blend of blues/gospel/americana/r&b with a splash a cayenne pepper.
Saturday night Miller and the Other Sinners performed at Sound Bites Grill and I had the fun job of photographing them for the ‘SBG Wall of Fame’. This group really rocked the house with a bluesy sound that had everyone bouncing in their seats.
Sound Bites Grill Wall of Fame image for Miller and the Other Sinners
I used two cameras for the event.
I used the Lumix GH4 with a 35-100mm Vario f2.8 lens for the individual band member captures. I generally shoot at ISO 3200 in aperture priority with a minus 2/3rds of a stop exposure compensation in RAW. This will generally get me an exposure between 1/60th & 1/100 of a second. Taking the images into Adobe Camera Raw with just a little push up of the shadows slider and a reduction of the highlights I am able to get the entire dynamic range of the scene.
The second camera is the Lumix GX8 with a wide f2.8 12-35mm Vario zoom. These images are of the whole band and used for press releases and marketing. Same basic settings on the camera. A great feature of shooting with these cameras is the Live View function as you are seeing the image as it is being captured so it’s easy to make tweaks to the settings before firing the shutter.
Marketing images are created in color but I specifically do the BW conversion myself so the best quality will be printed rather than someone at the publication just pushing the greyscale button. NIK Silver FX Pro 2 is the go-to software plug-in.
Knowing how the images are going to be used dictates how images are processed. I always try to create the best image file for the job at hand. Remember to ask questions in order to be able to provide the best product.
I’ll bet it’s the same for you and I think today’s quote might help us understand better whether we are… or not.
“A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist.” – Louis Nizer
Am I a laborer, a craftsman or an artist?
At any one time I am one of the three. I suppose it depends on the task at hand. I always aspire to be an artist but at the very least I hope to be a solid craftsman when I make my photographs and artistic images. Sometimes I am just a laborer. And I then try to either elevate the work on the next go ’round or not to perform that particular job again.
How much of yourself do you put into your work?
Laborer? Craftsman? Artist? Which are you??
And why do you think so?
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
Louis Nizer practiced law (successfully) for the rich and famous. In addition he wrote, spoke and advised some of the most powerful people in the world… Here’s another quote that you might not know where it came from and is attributed to Nizer, “When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that four of his fingers are pointing at himself.”
HDR. High Dynamic Range. AKA how to jam a whole lot of light into an image the way our eye would see the scene. I’ve always been a fan. As a matter of fact I was one of the first authors to teach this when I was making videos for Software Cinema. I showed how to use this process to make landscapes and real estate scenes look their best.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a catchy name for it. Nor did I design a software program or cause others to do so on my behalf that did most of the heavy lifting for the HDR process either… Oh well.
Five image sequence, handheld, processed in Aurora HDR software.
Even though there have been many iterations of HDR software it’s been a while since there was a new player with a different interface that included many new possible settings in and easy to understand interface and, wait for it, layers too! The new software is called Aurora and was designed by HDR travel image specialist Trey working in conjunction with Mcphun Software.
I was given the software to play with… And, I like it!
Another 5 image handheld bracket using Aurora HDR software
Same image as above processed differently from same exposures.
It gives you the ability to totally go HDR berserkers! Or, create a very natural scene with full dynamic range. Or somewhere in between so you can have the best of all worlds. An artistic, realistic representation of a scene that DOESN’T SCREAM HDR!!
All images were captured with the Panasonic Lumix GH4
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – At this time Aurora is only available for the MAC platform at the moment
The Imaging USA trade show put on by Professional Photographers of America is always a popular part of attending the annual convention, especially the first day…
This was captured hand held with the Lumix GH4 and the 7-14mm Lumix Vario f4 lens at the bottom of the escalator in the Georgia World Congress Convention Center. Time lapse was processed in camera. Then it was downloaded to Adobe Premiere Pro for some massaging. Video was smoothed out. A little color correction was applied due to the extreme lighting conditions. Titles, slides and music finished off the video.
Thanks to Eric Miller for the use of the music!
Time Lapse Video captured at Imaging USA in Atlanta, Georgia January 2016
Time Lapse can be a great way to tell a story ’cause that’s a pile of people!! Approximately 560 images, with a frame fired every 3 seconds, were captured and combined. Output at 12 frames per second in 4K video.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – See you at Imaging USA in San Antonio next year??
I feel like I’m catching up with an old very good friend who’s been away adventuring. You know, the friend when you first met felt like you’d known each other forever? The friend who’s been away for years but you sit down and begin chatting and it’s like you were never apart and just pick up the conversation where you left off.
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia– by Elizabeth Gilbert
I don’t normally share my personal reading material on the blog but I’m making an exception here because I think you will enjoy this book, find a new friend, and share thoughts with someone who’s art is in creating pictures of environments and stories with words.
Meet my new friend Elizabeth Gilbert.
I met Liz (figuratively) while listening to an interview with her on NPR about her book, Eat, Pray, Love. That night I asked my wife to order up a copy for my Kindle. I just knew immediately that I would enjoy it. I think you will too.
Shared Words from the Book
During the radio interview Liz read a couple passages from her book. I’d like to share a taste of her writing style so you can get excited and find a new friend, if you haven’t already.
“The amount of pleasure this eating and speaking brought to me was inestimable, and yet so simple. I passed a few hours once in the middle of an October night that might look like nothing so much to the outside observer, but which I will always count amongst the happiest in my life. I found a market near my apartment, only a few streets over from me, which I’d somehow never noticed before. There I approached a tiny vegetable stall with one Italian woman and her son selling a choice assortment of their produce – such as rich almost algae-green leaves of spinach, tomatoes so red and bloody they looked like a cow’s organs, and champagne-colored grapes with skins as tight as a showgirls leotard…
“I walked home to my apartment and soft-boiled a pair of fresh brown eggs for my lunch. I peeled the eggs and arranged them on my plate beside seven stalks of the asparagus (which were so slim and snappy, they didn’t need to be cooked at all). I put some olives on the plate, too, and the four knobs of goat cheese I’d picked up yesterday from the formaggia down the street, and two slices of pink, oily salmon. For dessert-a lovely peach, which the woman had given to me for free and which was still warm from the Roman sunlight. For the longest time I couldn’t even touch the food because it was such a masterpiece of lunch, a true expression of the art of making something out of nothing. Finally, when I had fully absorbed the prettiness of my meal, I went and sat in a patch of sunbeam on my clean wooden floor and ate every bite of it, with my fingers, while reading my daily newspaper article in Italian. Happiness inhabited my every molecule.”
From further in the book in the India section…
“The truth is, I don’t think I’m good at meditation. I know I’m out of practice with it, but honestly I was never good at it.I can’t seem to get my mind to hold still. I mentioned this once to an Indian monk, and he said, “It’s a pity that you are the only person in the history of the world to have this problem.” Then the monk quoted to me from the Bhagavad Gita, the most sacred ancient text of Yoga: “Oh Krishna, the mind is restless, turbulent, strong and unyielding. I consider it as difficult to subdue as the wind.”…
“When I ask my mind to rest in stillness, it is astonishing how quickly it will turn (1) bored, (2) angry, (3) depressed, (4) anxious or (5) all of the above. Like most humanoids, I am burdened with what the Buddhists call the “monkey mind” – the thoughts that swing from limb to limb, stopping only to scratch themselves, spit and howl.”
I hope you enjoy this read as much as I have. As this Sunday Photo/Art quote often explores a slightly different path to creativity, may this inspire you to better photography as I believe it has me… Well written words create pictures in the mind. I think having more pictures in your mind enables you to create better images.
Keeping your name out in front of your community is a very important part of running your photography business. This means getting out to networking meetings, getting displays in busy businesses, social media and using every possible way to have people think of you first when the subject of photography comes up.
This story appeared in the Sedona Red Rock News
Press releases can play a big part in this area of your business. Many people say they don’t know what, or how, to write press releases. It is not terribly difficult. you can see some of my press from over the years and get some ideas on writing a proper press releases, that tend to get printed, here.
There are many reasons to send out a release. For example, your business has worked on a charity project raising money for your community. Or, you have trained and received a degree, certification, participated in Imaging Competition or won an award for your photography. Remember these releases need to be written in the third person, contain quotes from others about you and your work and quotes from yourself about what has taken place.
Here’s another article printed about my being named to the World Photographic Cup Team USA in the local entertainment paper Kudos.
In addition to the newspaper articles the story also appeared in the online edition of Kudos. I will also be linking this article on my blog to social media posts and sending out a release on LinkedIn etc. You can see how one event can be leveraged to get lots of exposure.
Remember people need to be touched anywhere from 7-13 times in your marketing before they will begin to remember your name. Get out there. Do good things. Share what you’ve done properly. Earn more business.
Photographing at night can be a challenge. The dynamic range of any camera can be challenged by bright lights in a darkened scene. Trying to make that read properly usually takes some work with and HDR program but sometimes you don’t want to work quite that hard and want to just get a decent grab of a scene.
Before switching to the micro 4/3rds system by Panasonic I was never a fan of any presets on a camera. But after playing with some the results have been impressive. Several Lumix Cameras have presets that can help you with extreme situations. For example, the GH4 has an artistic setting called High Dynamic which can be helpful. The new G7 and the FZ1000 have a setting in the scenic menu called Handheld Night Shot where the camera is basically making multiple exposures and blending them together quickly for you.
Strangely enough I hadn’t tried the Handheld Night Shot preset until a fellow photographer I had recommend the FZ1000 to asked me if I had tried it. When I did I was quite happy with the results. Always fun when others share features that work really well with you. Considering I was shooting this through the window glass and doing a quick test this works. I’ll be trying it under better conditions soon.
This was captured from my hotel room at the Omni in Atlanta during the PPA Imaging USA convention using Handheld NIght Shot setting on camera. Lumix FZ1000
In future posts I’ll be looking at leveraging other presets from the Lumix cameras as well as exploring some new HDR software from Macphun called Aurora…
For infrared conversion of my cameras I use LifePixel. Infrared allows you to put an older camera to use and opens up a new time time of day for productive image creation.
Learn Photoshop in a fun environment. Aaron Nace applies the right amount of fun with easy to understand and follow tutorials. Actions and brushes are included with lessons!
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Platypod has become a great resource for being creative in getting your camera gear easily into unusual places. As an Platypod Pro I get to work/play with the gear even before it comes out. Head over to Platypod, subscribe to the newsletter and you will get special discounts reserved only for subscribers.
“I don’t like to write, but I love to have written.” Michael Kanin
