by successfulbob | black & white, people photography, photography - art quote, photography education
Sunday Photo/Art Quote – Helmut Newton
What is your job as a photographer?
If portraiture is your genre then showing people at their best is your work. That means you need to be very good at lighting the form to flatter, right? It means being great at photoshop and retouching is an important part of your work, correct? Having the right equipment and knowing the proper settings, that must be most important, right?
While all of the things listed above have merit and are part of the equation. I think if you have Mr. Newton’s quote in mind as the main part of the job then you are probably doing pretty well.
“My job as a portrait photographer is to seduce, amuse and entertain.” – Helmut Newton
I’ve found in the past that if I don’t connect with my subject the final portrait is usually less than stellar. It was when I found this quote from Helmut that I found the words for what my true job is as a portrait photographer. Sometimes just having the words makes all the difference in a career.
I find that it can be interesting to find out about the lives of those photographers that have come before and inspire. Helmut led a VERY interesting life. Born in Berlin, and forced out of Germany to Australia, then spending time in Paris, London, Monte Carlo, and in the United States iPasadenana, California.
© On Gallery Helmut Newton
Check out some imagery* from Newton. He made some very powerful portraits. While don’t suggest that your images move in the sexually charged direction that much of Newton’s work entailed, you can learn a lot for his lighting patterns and the connection he made with his subjects, You know that people are comfortable in front of his lens.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
* Caution: If you are offended by the human form, AKA nudity, you won’t want to follow this link.
by successfulbob | fine art photography, photography, photography - art quote, photography creativity, photography education
Sunday Photo/Art Quote – Eugene Delacroix
One of the original, and leader of French Romantic painters, Eugene Delacroix was quite the prolific artist. That may be an understatement.
That may be an understatement.
I recommend you take a few minutes and head over to the Wikipedia page and view the gallery images there. Be aware that the gallery is only a small sampling of his work. Then poke around the web for more.
“Bob, why should I be studying this painter’s work? I’m a photographer!” The simple answer is that photography is rooted in art. Composition, color, ad the assembly of subject matter is all part of both arts. Delacroix was a master at the use of color and its effects upon a scene and how it interacted with his subjects.
The simple answer is that photography is rooted in art. Composition, color, and the assembly of subject matter is all part of both arts. Delacroix was a master at the use of color and its effects upon a scene and how it interacted with his subjects.
I believe the study of his work, and other artist’s paintings, can inform your work and move it to a new level.
“The artist who aims at perfection in everything achieves it in nothing.” Eugene Delacroix
At the very least we can take Delacroix’s words to heart as in the quote above. These words can pertain to the art we create as well as in our marketing and business. I know of many photographers who spend so much time trying to reach perfection on a piece of art, or a business campaign for that matter, that they hardly ever show their work or move on to the next business idea. They frustrate themselves and deprive the world of their creations.
I remember being in art class as a high school student tearing up art, that according to my instructor Henri Yost, was perfectly wonderful. Had I taken some time away from the work and not felt the need to be ‘perfect’ I might have shared some fine work.
Self Portrait – Eugene Delacroix 1867
Note the color harmony and the sometimes bold, sometimes subtle, brush strokes. The sharper strokes and lines attract more attention, the softer brush strokes work as supporting characters. This kind of study has led me to sharpen parts of my photo images selectively to help lead the viewers attention where I want her/his eye to go.
What other lessons can be gleaned from study of the master artists that came before us??
I’ll leave you to think about it.
Yours in creative Photography, Bob
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by successfulbob | photography, photography - art quote
Sunday Photo/Art Quote – Ernst Haas
Pioneer in color photography.
Ernst Haas was born in Vienna in 1921. His early photographic work on Austrian returning prisoners of war brought him to the attention of LIFE magazine. Offered a job as a staff photographer he declined to keep his independence. At the invitation of Robert Capa, Haas joined Magnum Photographers in 1949, developing close associations with Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Experimenting with Kodachrome film. In 1953 LIFE magazine published a groundbreaking 24-page color photo New York City essay. This was the first time such a large color photo feature was published by LIFE. A 1962 retrospective was the first color photography exhibition held at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
Needless to say, words of wisdom coming from an early icon have a bit of meaning son on to today’s Photo/Art Quote.
“There is only you and your camera. The limits in your photography are in yourself.” Ernst Haas
I believe these few words hold one of the secrets to becoming a better photographer. We need to look inside and learn what we want to create and how to do it. It goes back to something we talk about here in the Successful-Photographer blog, experimentation, and practice.
We also need to be forgiving of ourselves when we aren’t able to create the vision we have inside. Not having forgiveness leads to fear. Fear leads to lack of trying new things because we might not have success right away.
Lose the fear.
Experiment with new ideas and techniques.
Practice the new. Discard the old.
Learn your camera and its capabilities.
Look inside see what you can find to lose your limits.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
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by successfulbob | inspiration, people photography, photography, photography - art quote, photography creativity
Sunday Photo/Art Quote – Paul Caponigro
Funny how things work.
In looking for the Art quote for this week’s post, I came across these words.
“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to create a portrait of who the are.” Paul Caponigro
But, strangely enough, this quote came from a photographer who is best known for landscape work that is imbued with mystical qualities.
Making portraits that capture personality and emotion is an art. No doubt about it. Paul’s quote got me to thinking about photographers who were able to tell deeply personal stories with their imagery in a single image. My name would not be on this list partly because I haven’t deeply worked at creating portraiture. Yes, I made photos of people for business and captured weddings and families over the years but not profound portraits. I think that’s because I don’t wish to share me with the world on too deep a level.
“What the heck are you talking about Bob??”
I believe that a great portrait is a combination of a photographer with deep empathy who is a passionate individual and not afraid to share that makes a great portrait photographer. A great portrait captures the subject but, I believe, is also a reflection of the photographer. And I just ain’t that deep. Still have some exploring to do on that front.
Anyway, I digress. Here are some of the names that came to mind. Yousef Karsch, Parker J Pfister, Tim Kelly, Richard Avedon, Mary Ellen Mark, Diane Arbus, Oscar Lazoya and Steve McCurry among many others.
© Tim Kelly – An exquisite portrait showing the love of a father & son. Emotion personified.
You may notice that all the portraitists I mentioned have varied styles. Apparently there’s more than one way to skin a cat! Maybe you can share some of your favorite portrait artists here. Be it those that are well known or unknown to the rest of the world. I’m curious to see the names on your list.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – Are you creating portraits of your subjects? Or are you just taking pictures?
by successfulbob | photography, photography - art quote, photography education
Sunday Photo/Art Quote – Charles Maring
Met Chuck at a WPPI convention quite some years ago.
Impressed I was then. And even more-so now. He has grown and pushed his skills in tremendous ways. He has been at the forefront of creativity, and I have enjoyed watching his growth. He has leveraged technology to improve his photo and art imagery and expanded his skill set to include video production to rival pro houses. He is a great marketing person; I think you should take a look at the Maring’s website. Notice the plural. I would be remiss in not mentioning the Chuck is part of a team. As they say behind every successful man, there’s a strong woman. His wife Jennifer fulfills that role exceptionally well.
Can you tell I’m a fan of the Marings?
Here’s the quote that I grabbed from his art website that led to today’s post.
“The ability to observe and capture truth with eloquence is an art form that takes instinct. However, even instinct can be honed, and when the experience solidifies one’s sixth sense, it becomes intuition.” Charles Maring This quote continues
I often reference practicing your skills here on Successful-Photographer along with not being afraid to fail as that is one of the strongest ways to learn. I believe what Chuck is referring to in his quote is the ability to push and practice and study until you move to the place where your mind is working so well that you almost don’t even know all the thought that went into the creation of an image.
I’ll ask, to remind you once again, how much have you practiced this week? How much have you studied? Have you pushed enough to make your thought process in creating imagery intuitive?
If the answer is no, time to get on the stick.
Yours in creative Photography, Bob
