A list of those that have inspired me. 1 to 16

First was Tina Stobie [1], a photojournalism student at the University of Missouri at Columbia.  She graduated some time around 1976.  I knew her from 1974 thru 1976.  I watched her work her magic with black and white film.  My interest was created at this time.  I helped set up shoots, watched her develop the prints in the lab.  I was hooked.  I do not know what happened to her.  Her room mates lost touch and my searches for her have ended in vain.  But she was the beginning of my photography journey.  I do not have a citation to share for this person.  But I have found a person with this name living in Colorado that is approximately the right age, I will continue to seek her out.

Next was Chester Danett [2], a Russian immigrant  who was my first photography teacher at Florissant Valley Community College.  He established a foundation of photographic skills and abilities that would carry me through the growing years.  Shooting, using the camera, painting with the light, and developing for a vision.  I repeated the class with him, just to get as much as I could from this unique person.  I do not have a citation to share for this person.

October 4, 1966

Color photographs by Chester Danett (Viacheslav Perventcev), exhibition; biography note 83

found this...

Chester Danett, a photographer, died Monday (Jan. 23, 2006) at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur. He was 89 and a resident of west St. Louis County.

Mr. Danett was born in Russia. In 1919, his family fled to Poland during the Bolshevik revolution. In World War II, he was sent to a German labor camp. After the camp was liberated by Americans, he worked in the U.S. Army headquarters in Germany.

In 1948, Mr. Danett moved to St. Louis and worked for Monsanto, while teaching photography at Florissant Valley Community College. As a photographer, Mr. Danett had 38 one-man shows. In 1966, he had a six-week exhibit, called "Photographs in Color," at the ...

The article cuts off here…but will keep looking

I did find this in my research of him.  Will continue to research more about his life and work.


Ansel Adams [3] and his work was an early icon for me to study and admire.  His work is legendary and his process as complex as his results.  I did not appreciate how complicated it was to produce the work he did, until many years later.

There are extensive citations for this photographer, here is one.

http://www.anseladams.com/


Each of the next grouping have numerous citations, I provide but one path, but there is a rich and deep history of each of them available both online and at the library.

The list of influencing photographers grew as my world expanded.
Sally Mann [4],  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Mann
Diane Arbus [5],  http://diane-arbus-photography.com/
Annie Leibovitz [6],   http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/annie-leibovitz/photo-gallery/19/
Henri Cartier-Bresson [7]    http://www.henricartierbresson.org/index_en.htm

All filled my mind with ideas and concepts as I studied their work and read about their lives and the process they employed as photographers.

As time went on, I grew from a passion for subject matter of the inanimate nature to those of the human form.  My interests in portraiture grew and as much as I strayed, I would return with a vengeance.  I had not gotten to a point of producing stellar work in a consistent manner, but I was getting the occasional fine outcome.  I captured things with great lighting, and the composition just seemed to fall into place.  But it did not happen enough for my tastes.

I took a long break from serious work, and filled the time with family snap shots and a lot of sports shooting, covering softball tournaments, shooting in Busch Stadium once.  I talked with the local Post Dispatch sports photographer as we knelled side by side on the field at Busch Stadium.  He still works the beat.

His name:
Chris Lee [8].   http://stltoday.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=509399&CategoryID=38575

he shared his work process while at a venue such as a professional ball park, and I learned the nuances of lighting in such a place.  It opened my eyes to a whole new world.



Photoshop came into my life a while back, just as Adobe was moving from a number version to the Creative Suites packaging.  I heard of a fellow named:

Scott Kelby [9]   http://scottkelby.com/
If you know anything about Photoshop then you surely have heard the name Scott Kelby associated with it, his methods, his teachings, his amazing skill and ability.





 A local area artist who produces stellar work time after time.  I took on of his studio classes at his home studio and was even more impressed how he produces such fine work with the ease.  He is one who demonstrates that practice can make perfect in many aspects of photography. 

Jim Trotter [10]        http://trotterart.com/ 


When I was looking to expand my area of knowledge I sought out local studios and found one in Maplewood.  Another home grown talent, standing tall at 6'9" I believe, one of the few people I have met that I have to look UP to physically.  Workshops, classes, a brief stint as a contracted sports photographer for his studio, and I continue to stay in contact with him.  His work is consistently good and the art of capturing people with great poses is always an earmark of his images.  Studio Altius is his business.

David J. Cerven [11]  http://www.studioaltius.com/




[12]


Young and dead way before her time.  I continue to find Black and White photography [even in the digital age] my preference.  I think of my shot in B/W first and if color is OK, it is a happy fallout from my shooting.  The work from this young lady before her premature death struck me deep inside.  Her body of work is not prolific, but very moving for me.

Francesca Woodman [13]  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesca_Woodman




I would be remiss if I did not give a shout out to one person who is NOT a photog but plays a critical role in my growth as a photog.  I met Camille at a open shoot at Studio Altius.  She was a fairly new model to the scene, and it was my first time shooting with all that fancy equipment, the Pocket Wizard Triggers [I had strobes but used IR or tethered shooting, a less reliable method] and a plethora of light modifiers.  That was about 8 years ago, and we continue to shoot together, and it is her image from a shoot at my home studio that proudly hangs in the FAB gallery as my entry into the Fall Student Exhibit at SCCC.

She also is a fine vocalist and has performed at  a number of public venues {Arrowhead stadium, the Scott Trade Center to name two} and she is in  a band, and attends just about any Kareoke event she can and does fairly well at them.


Camille [14]   I do not have a specific citation to share for Camille. 



While not a published photog, he is instrumental in my growth as a photog.  Over the years I have spent countless hours at Schiller's Camera Store on Manchester.  And for a long period of time when I was a consultant for IBM I flew home on the early flight out of LaGuardia and got home in time to head straight for Schiller's ....I was there by 8:30am most every Friday morning, and many times had money to spend in the form of cash.  I talked with one individual almost every time, and we bonded over this period and remain in touch.  I was able to bounce ideas and concepts off him, and I found myself making better decision when trying or buying new equipment.  Money does not solve things ....experience and hard work at doing and trying things out, is a much better tool to learning this craft.  A big thanks goes out to:

Scott Darwin [15]  I do not have a specific citation other than Schiller's web site, there are many fine staff people there, and most all are able to help you as a photog to find his/her way thru the maze of equipment and accessories.  Ray Kersting is is another who helps the working pros, he visits many local camera club and organizations as well as studios to help promote all things photography in the name of Schillers

http://www.schillers.com/




And finally the artist I most like is me.  My work is seen and evaluated every day I shoot or review my catalog of images.  I am in a constant state of learning.  I try to never rest my mind when it comes to attention to details.  But the stress of deadlines, limited access, or just life plays havoc with my consistency.  I have bought manual focus lenses to SLOW myself down, to the way life was in the film days.  This has helped.  I find the slower pace produces better work.  But it has a price, not all shoots and clients [subjects] will wait or hold still for that analog type process, so I always carry a fast 50mm AF lens just in case. 

My web site at www.dghphotollc.com has a number of photo ops that I have performed and shared with the world in some small way.    I think knowing your own limits and abilities is important, and as you grow as an artist you can trace your progress through your work.  I go back to past pieces, ones I have kept as special moments, and analyze them for standards against what I know now, how I work now.  Would i have done it the same way?  What might I have done differently?

For digital work, I know my skills at LR and PS have vastly improved, and redoing things generally produces a totally different outcome.  I am never afraid to learn from my past mistakes [or successes]


Doug Hart   [16]

http://www.dghphotollc.com/

FAB today.....

Went by to check things out.  There is a lot of work hanging for the viewing pleasure.

Some pieces to ponder, until you stop by yourself to see.

Loved the COLOR in this section.  

 

OK, so I take some poetic license here, a little self promotion never hurt anyone.   Thanks again to my long time model associate, CAMILLE!

 

I used the shadows to add some drama to an already interesting piece of work.   

And creating some of my own new art is to be understood, right?

 

Thought this was interesting....never know what you are going to see unless you look for it.  And having that camera at the ready is never a bad idea.

busy beaver

As this semester winds down, or I should say RAMPS UP to its crescendo. I pause now to reflect over the past few weeks.

A lot has happened.  First we did our Portrait Critique.  That took some time over two sessions.  We covered the needs for the Final package, the Student Exhibit, and the Narrative.  All large and sufficiently important events in their own right.

And each needing it's own unique concentrated effort on our part to accomplish the task of completion.


Printing at the LAB continues to be a dicey proposition.  My political stance on this is I get the need for monitoring and control that the software provides, but I as a former systems consultant and manager of operations for an accounting staff, cannot understand the inability to FIX the problems that exist.  The maker of the software ....enough.  Business real world standards are not being applied here.

The standout event of my past few weeks was the participation in the SCCC Veterans Day celebration ceremony on Mon. Nov. 12, 2012.

I was able to spend time in the set up and practice session on Friday.  And again on the day of the event on Monday.

What a truly great time to have been a part of this undertaking.  To use the knowledge and skill as a photographer we each brought to the table, and to give back a little to those that have served or continue to serve.

The Student Exhibit was next on the agenda.  For me, I was able to have the kindness of KS in producing a large print in time for the hanging work session.  As my prior attempts were not as I had hoped, my rework of the photo was finally as I had wanted and only the final large print would cap off my journey.  It happened, and I think the result was a stellar outcome.  I hope the model Camille can find time to stop in and see the work we produced.


The Multiples is happening next Monday, 11/19, I have the two posters ready for the critique.  I had so many ideas in my head and charted on my story board, but only a couple made it to the production table.  I did like the end result though, Some clever uses of props and photoshop did the rest.

For the Narrative, there are two potential candidates in the ready as catalogs on my HD>  but I plan to shoot one more to give me a full bevy of choice for my selection to present.  The final output format is another ....I have an idea, which is a bit of a grandiose format, but I think it will play well for the topic.


The days have been filled with as much shooting as I can, when I can, where I can.  I have loaded over 1,000 photos in this time.  Much to review and ponder.

And I continue to build and update my studio equipment.  New Kupo light stands, which are exceptional in terms of quality build and features.  I have a few funds left and my aging strobe collection needs some support.  Paul C. Buff Einstein units with the Pocket Wizard trigger built in modules are on my Christmas list.  The are fully digital controlled, which provides a unlimited degree of light control, and have an industry leading flash duration that is hard to match at 1/13,000 duration.  If you ever need that feature it is hard to duplicate some shots without such a fast duration capability.

And finally, as I grow into using my new D600, the unbelievable file size and its rich detail continues to amaze.  Even small crops produce fine details.  And the ability to shoot at very high ISO with acceptable results [such as sio 3200 in some cases] is a luxury I have never had previously.

I remember the days when I pushed my TRI-X to 800   and then the unheard of 1600, but got pretty crappy results with the grain taking away much of the details.

Working hard today!

For those that are just a casual shooter, doing the typical event coverage at a family event, a birthday party or BBQ you probably do not do much to prepare in the photog area to do your thing, do you?  Right?  You may or may not.  We each have our own way of going about the business of photography.  Serious or casual, there are many levels of performance.

But when you have an EVENT to cover, every photographer who has ever taken this photog stuff as a serious endeavor, knows that preparation and practice are paramount to success.  For you KNOW the day of the EVENT something will happen to throw you a curve.  So first thing, scout out your location.  Know where things will happen.  Know where the light sources are.  Then make a plan to control what you think you MIGHT be able to control.

And then hope for the best, but for sure, have fun and act like you know what you are doing.  This comes from years of doing such things over and over, and KNOWING your equipment inside and out.  What can it do, and what will you be able to do with it.

There is an EVENT coming to town on Monday for our local school, SCCC and our leader Kate has moved us emotionally and otherwise to put our skills to the test.

The Veterans day ceremony will be captured by the Digital 1 class led by Kate Sanker.  She is setting up a photo studio on location to provide free photos for any and  all veterans who want them.  They will be done in an artful and exciting manner. [in my opinion]

I was able to help her today in testing the location for set up and logistics and testing out the shooting conditions with the equipment.  My other contribution was that I owned a Westcott Apollo Orb modifier which was exactly what she wanted to use.  Her unit did not get delivered in time, so my studio came to the plate and loaned it for the shoot.

We met at the lab, packed things up with a lot of help from a DPII student [forgot his name, darn it, and I see him all the time, it's hell getting old ...sorry dud!  wait, is it Mike?  gosh I hope so]

And Brian of course, the ever present man about town.  So a combination of humans and resources got lots of equipment to the right building, we set it up and ....well you can see for your self.....

These are some shots I took, Kate took the main test shots, so you have to turn to her for those to be shared.

Here are a few of mine.

 

I was left alone for a while, so I set up the one strobe, and tested it on this pour soul, but it did not mind, other than being HUNG from the back ground stand.  Exposure gave us a nice starting point.

 

This person was the liaison for the Art Dept rep Kate and the Event.  He graciously posed for some test shots for Kate.  I snuck in my own pops with the strobe as I brought my own PW trigger.

 Here he is only half dressed, a WB tool, but he soon had the Color Checker as well.

 

After the Event contact left, Brian got elevated to ROCK STAR status. and he held down the WB/Color Checker role.   His distant look was part of his persona.  

 

The beauty of this ORB is that its light wraps around the subject matter very nicely.  

Putting a gentle glow on shapes, just by adjusting the angle or position, you can get an infinite number of results.  

I had moved to the far right stage and shot back across to get this profile.  

The light remained as Kate was popping away from her primary position.

 

You can see from me just zooming out to a wide angle the entire scene is presented.

I am still at the same spot as the shot above.

I just changed my 18 - 200mm lense from 200 to something nearer the 18 mark to frame the scene.

One light, a simple but glorious artistic set up.  

The master KS at work, and our Rock Star wannabe, Brian.  

Me just soaking up the fun of all things PHOTOG!

Keep in mind this is in the middle of the day.

The room is brightly lit from lots of sun and overhead lights.

Yet our ability to control these conditions give us the expected and desired results.  

Boy do we learn a lot in our class.

And now we get to use what we learned!

Whatta day!

Did you know we get to elect a PRESIDENT today [kind of ...sort of.....]

So I went to bed early, hoping to feel propelled to wake up early so I could vote early thinking it would be a reasonably light lined situation [boy was I wrong]   Got up early, so that worked well off to a good start.... got to the polling place at about 6:10am.  But a full parking lot did not bode well.  Sure enough after a winding walk thru the building, a massive horde of people in queues according to some arbitrary alpha selection was encountered.  I did my thing and a mere 45 minutes later I was back in my truck.

BACK Home for breakfast and a cup of coffee.

Then a studio shoot that Kate might be using to make some lighting decisions for the Monday Veterans photo shoot.  I set up a Westcott Appollo ORB with my JTL J-160 strobe, my model WANDA, a Nikon D7000 and two different lenses.  A couple of Pocket Wizards and a reflector completed the set up.  Did my thing, set them up in my web site and forwarded the link to KS.

Then started sifting thru my plethora of photos for a Student Exhibit choice.  Found one that I had just taken this past weekend, it looked really good on the screen, so I sized it for a large print and submitted thru my channels to get a large poster and poster board set of prints.  Will ponder them on Wednesday.  Will still go thru other photos for potential candidates.  another job done....

A stop at the eye doctor to pick up two pairs of reading glasses I had taken in yesterday for repair.  Another job done.....


Went to the Library to get a reserved book, TRUMAN.  Should be a good read.  Another job done.

Got some lead shot to use for my light stand weight bags, I have the shells, but they are void of weight.  Now I have 75 lbs of lead in my garage, and will have to break it down into usable pods to insert into my sleeves to hold my lights stands down.  Yet another job done.......


The ORB nearly tipped over today, I really need these things.  BTW, lead is not cheap, in fact I thought they were charging me for GOLD at the prices it was rung up as.  I did NOT check the price at the rack.  OUCH!

But it was needed.  Sand was just NOT going to do it in terms of heavy in small space.

Though I should have done this next mentioned  job, I did NOT, FILL THE TRUCK UP........
gas was $ 2.99  ....I should have filled up.   But I thought it could be lower tomorrow, and I was pretty tired of the all the running around....

so before class, I will check, if not at $ 2.99 or below, that is fine with me.....

 it is still way low and will get petro at some point while it is hovering near the $ 3.00 gal level.   I remember paying $ 3.67  recently, so this is a bit of heaven.



BACK to the WANDA shoot.......Oh, I included the color checker in some of my Wanda shots.

 

This shot has the ORB as the main on the camera high left and a reflector on the right.  Full power on the little J-160 [which produces a solid 160ws] I got a f/11 with ss at 1/250 for iso 200  hand held, using a Pocket Wizard trigger set up.

The ORB was set up as high as I could in this space, and the center was at 84 inches, approx 48 inches from Wanda's face, and the reflector was about 24 inches from Wanda on her left, camera right.  Wanda was in front of a black muslin background, but only 29 inches of separation.  

The ORB did a fine job at this height with the hair, so no hair spot was employed.

A simple and effect set up.  The ORB is a collapsible unit that attaches as an umbrella would.  The strobe slips inside.  So large mono-block units might struggle with such a modifier.   The JTL J-160 is a tiny unit, so it fit nicely, its umbrella slot does not have a lock down screw though, so a bit of slippage was seen.

The coverage from the ORB though was stellar, more directed than a square or rectangle shaped soft box,  and still a soft and gentle high quality light source.  The catch light is large [the ORB is 42 inches I believe] and pleasant in my opinion.

Due to the directional light pattern, there is fall off, which might hinder a full body shot if no other lighting is used.   Half body shots appeared acceptable.

 

You see fine detail on the close side arm, but the arm in the back side is there but shaded.

Due to the black on black nature of the clothing [Wanda has a limited wardrobe, its this black outfit, nude or a robe, I went with the black dress] we do get a bit of bleeding into the background, the reflector positioning might be altered to fix that or a fill light could do the trick as well if available.  Ambient light at the sight could fill this void also.

The facial shading is noticeable but shows high details in most all areas.  The ORB fills under the chin nicely as well.  Overall this modifier is a very good option as a single unit for portraits.  

I have owned it for just a short time and had not really used it at all, as I got it at the same time as I got my Beauty Dish and this is even more appealing when dealing with the human form.  So it has been my weapon of choice til now.

 

OMG, a full range of emotions and other things are going thru my mind

First off, I do not ...well, not normally.....you know, be in the shot, I am the photog, so it is not easy to be here, or there, or in this case, EVERYWHERE.

What do I think of the process.

PLANNING is essential.  Positioning.  I even had some shift and do NOT know why or where the source was.



I took many photos so I have lots of layers to choose from.  Used only 6.  The others were actually very good poses, but bad positions, too much overlay.

As a first attempt to check out the process, it was fun, exhausting, and frustrating and amazing....all rolled into one.  Everyone in my home is asleep, so I had the family room to my self.  Not an ideal spot, but ok as a test site.

I have ideas for my true sessions, and will need help for sure.  I have someone lined up to be an assistant, just need to finalize the days and times and the scene and sketch it out, I called it a story board, what ever it is, it needs the positions, and the proposed end result as a vision.  The steady camera, no zoom creep, so will use a prime lens, lock down the spot, test the lighting, make sure I LOOK at the camera in many of my poses, it does ADD to the drama to see ones face.  And the layers of my positions varied, they should be representative of close, middle and far from the camera position...to show depth.  That is my plan.

Themes, props, lighting, and a good plan.   I am ready to relax, enough for tonight.  Friday, I will do another test run, knowing what I know NOW.

I did not even get into the painstakingly detailed work needed for masking.  But I knew it would be difficult.  This will be a big differential in a good output Vs a mediocre one.   Tight lines, good believable blending of layers.  DETAILS the devil is in the DETAILS

BTW I did not even touch the photos in LR for anything, just dumped them straight into PS ...the new D600 handle the task quite well I feel. 


ISO6400   f/9    1/30    The real test is getting more reasonable specs to the lighting is not over done, and there are still adequate details in the shadows, the faces must be clear and viewable.


So much to think about ......but it was fun.   And took less than an hour to go from camera to final selection, then the masking....OH the masking.....allow plenty of time for that chore.

Well here is is MONDAY OCT 29th and no teacher, so the mice are playing

You have heard me mention the name "Scott Kelby" right?

If you have heard of Photoshop, then you most certainly have heard of Scott Kelby.  If not, then that cave you have been living in needs internet connectivity.

Mr. Kelby is without much argument the most prolific Photoshop user known on this planet.  Yes there might be others equally competent, but this man has shared his knowledge and skills in such a way as to endorse a cult like following.

Back in a day when I first found myself exposed to Photoshop [there was no CS product back then]  he was showing his wares thru many avenues, books, web sites, etc.  His work was simply amazing, he would take a photograph, and then duplicate it entirely digitally without anything in his image being real, all constructed via PS techniques.  It took him months for one image.

 And we whine about spending three or more hours in a lab session just to get one print out

 [ouch that is a social comment on the plight of our current printing issues, 527 error rules our lives right now]

The link is to his site and a blog is within it.  READ IT  LEARN FROM IT  EMBRACE IT.

I was recently looking thru the BLOG and the Oct 24th entry in particular the post was by someone who told his story that captured the evolution and depth of this product, PS.  The statement about this person spending up to 10 hours on a single portrait photo was something that stood out for me. His work is noted through out the posting.  Many photo before and after PS techniques applied.  No he does not go into the depths of what he did per se.  But that this is what can be done, given the time and effort.  You must decided if you just want this EXHIBIT A  a photo right out of your camera, or this EXHIBIT B  a fully worked PS image that will knock your socks off.  These things do not just happen, they take hard work and hours of effort is the point he is making, but, given the end product, this person finds it well worth his time and energy to do the heavy lifting.

http://scottkelby.com/



Enjoy!


Just so you know, I still own and use PS but with LR I find most of my personal work can be performed well enough in LR.  But LR cannot do what PS does.  Likely never will.  These two products exist for different reasons, while they link to each other and compliment each other in so many ways.  PS is the big daddy and will always be the big daddy.  If you want to truly WORK a concept, then PS is the tool you go to.  Yes it will take time, and yes it has a steep learning curve.  But WOW can it do things even your imagination might not be able to exceed.

LR is in full support of you as a photographer.  

PS is in full support of you as an artist.  

That's my story and I am sticking to it!

Who dat Girl?

For those that missed it....


Who dat Girl?

      A big "thank you" goes out to the person whom spoke, the person whom arranged the spoker [yes I meant to say spoker and not speaker, just to see if ANYONE is paying attention?]  and the Digital Photo II class whom allowed outsiders to participate without a peep of "who might you be dude?"

 Spoker:   "Jennifer Silverberg"

It was a great photo show, and discussion.  

To the administrator of the event....Thought the food provided was less than expected [there was NONE!]

This event was a highly educational and entertaining session.  GLAD I WAS THERE!

Besides it was raining hard outside, and it was a safe place to be. 

 I did sneak these shots, and during my stealth I caught  up with a few of the stern glances from KS, sorry, but it is what we do, right? 

Things like this certainly energize one to get out there and want to shoot as much as you can.  

You can find more about our guest speaker at her site, http://www.jsilverberg.com/

See you all WEDNESDAY at class

Portraits.....who dat?

A few of my friends and family whom have graced my sensors recently......but these will not make the final cut for submittal.  

And one that is a  part of my archived past that could not participate:  but I like it...it is HER!

What is most frustrating to me at this time...

I really want to perform at the highest level I can when I do my photography.  But compromises abound.  Time and opportunity are the major obstacles.

Am I in the right place at the right time to have OPPORTUNITY to capture a stunning shot?  It is a combination of skill, anticipation, training, luck, access, knowledge, and probably a bunch of other factors that escape me that go into getting a truly inspirational shot.

Having the base line skill is so very helpful, as is having the best equipment you can afford.  Neither are essential, but certainly very helpful in pulling off a shot under less than ideal circumstances.

Lately it seems the major hindrance to my success is TIME.  Even when I have tried to construct a portrait shoot, the time of the subject is minimal and adds to the stress of the moment and limits my ability to experiment and find that sweet spot of a shoot.

For instance I am working hard [at least I think so] at trying to construct a variety of various shoots with different subjects.

Most recently I finally got a hold of an old friend, who had some assets in his possession that I thought would make for an interesting scene.  These items are a part of who he is now as well as who he was in the past.

After weeks of calling a bad cell phone number, I got the right number, found a day he was off, and he had time to work with me.  We arranged a time and place to do the shoot.  I checked the weather.  Got my equipment ready, charged the batteries, cleaned the lenses and bodies, set up my kits [ what I call my combination of shooting devices, a body, lens, accessories, etc]  I would use three kits, one with a fast lens 50mm f/1.8 for hand held use, one with a variable but high quality piece of glass, a 24-70mm on a tripod, and a 100-300mm on a monopod.

Got set up in my front yard and was ready almost 35 minutes before the appointed time for the arrival of the subject.  He had a short window of availability on Friday.  He had to be somewhere at 12noon.  So we picked 10:300am and would shoot until 11:15am to give him ample time to get to his destination.

I sat as it started to mist just a bit, but the cloud cover gave me beautiful light.  I got out and shot the trees and fall leaves with their near full term color.  Test shots proved rich and lovely in terms of the light as I had hoped.  The mist was very faint, I covered my equipment, it was at ambient temperature, so no fogging would occur, an important lesson that I have learned to account for over the years.

HAVE YOUR EQUIPMENT AT THE SAME TEMP AS YOUR SHOOT WILL OCCUR!

10:30 am comes and goes, how long do I wait to get nervous, 5 minutes, 10?  15?  I know this person well in some respects but not so much lately, is he dependable as he used to be?

15 was my limit for as I could calculate his time was starting to go away.  He lived about 10 - 15 minutes away.  He answered that he was nearly ready and would be leaving soon.  He arrived at my site at 11:05 am.  He was supposed to leave at 11:15am at our original planned shoot timetable.  So I knew I had to work fast, I shot over 200 frames in about 20 minutes, he stayed on until 11:25 and left with ample time for his next task.

Did I get done what I needed?  I think so, this is one time experience helped, and the three separate set up kits helped me gain some different prospectives quickly with few delays. 

But I KNOW that I left some great shots on the floor as they say in Hollywood.  I did not get a chance to work the subject into an iconic position, to get HIM as I know him as well as I might have had I the time to work with him for a pose and position that I could fell my way into.

He was tight and his expressions were tough to feel good about, so I took more shots than I might normally have done, in the hope that I might catch him at ease between the ready aim shoot times.

As I am working the after shoot photos, I find some gems, ones I like, ones that I feel the subject will like, ones others might like, I sure hope this is the case.

Frustrated in that I had a great opportunity, I controlled the where, the light was predicted and it produced the stellar results I had hoped, but the subject was a fleeting moment and I had just 20 precious minutes to work my magic.

This is why we MUST know what we are doing, to make the best of these times.  

My PSA study group co-members share stuff....

I think I have mentioned my membership in PSA and one of it's many study groups.  One of the benefits is the ongoing photog sharing that occurs.  Besides the monthly photo critiques, we pass along words of encouragement, wisdom and share photog information as we accumulate it.

Here is an offering I just got today from a fellow member.

http://www.worqx.com/color/itten.htm

It is about COLOR.  I am still going thru it as well as other links she has given me to ponder.


There is a tremendous amount of depth to this tutorial, so give yourself ample time to sample its wares.



PSA is not the prostate value most men obsess over once they reach the age of 40 but it is Photographic Society of America.

Just thought I would make sure you do not confuse that terminology.

Home Studio FIRST SHOOT Karla

My wife recently suggested we convert our Home theater room into a Studio for my photog use.

While far from ideal in size it did have some distinct features that makes it very much an asset to my photog endeavors.

From my first shoot with a model friend, Karla


I hope it is but one of many more to come.

Studio Lighting on the cheap!

http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/diy-photography-studio-lighting-for-under-200/

Got a couple of spare light stands and a space to install some lighting?  Then this instructional video might open up a new world of studio set up for around $ 200.  Unbelieveable results are shown with the most simple of lighting equipment.


Joe Edelman outlines in his two part video series, even those with no carpentry skills can whip up.


http://www.joeedelman.com/

He loves to shoot PEOPLE, and not in a bad way.  No humans are hurt.  I find him entertaining and engaging in his style and manner.  And his outcomes are stunning.

The American Museum of Photography

http://www.photographymuseum.com/main.html

Worthy of some time to peruse the site....

Chewy RIP 10/8/2012

Our family friend and companion, CHEWY [he had some long winded pedigree name, but we changed it when we got him after he proceeded to chew on just about anything and everything he could, hence the moniker placement] passed this Monday.  

He was not in very good condition for quite some time, but was managing without pain, he was blind in one eye, and nearly so in the other, and started to lose his hearing.  But this past week, he suffered...daily. and we knew the end was near.  The VET advised his time was up due to the pain he was in, so we put him in doggie heaven.  We had him the longest of all of our dogs.    At this time our kennel is empty....

It is a sad time in the Hart home at this time.

All aboard, Diane Arbus is our next stop...

Such an interesting life, and her path thru the back stage world she lived and existed in is simply divine.  We have a movie about her to provide one perspective, but her work stands as the testimony to whom she might have been inside.  She found a sense of reality in everything she saw and touched with her camera.   She took us to places we might not ever knew existed if not for her photographs.

Some thoughts by and shared words from:

DIANE ARBUS

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A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.

Love involves a peculiar unfathomable combination of understanding and misunderstanding.

I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn't photograph them.

I always thought of photography as a naughty thing to do - that was one of my favorite things about it, and when I first did it, I felt very perverse.

Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats.

Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner. Even if you are behind, a sustained look of control and confidence can give you a mental edge that results in victory.

I never have taken a picture I've intended. They're always better or worse.

Nothing is ever the same as they said it was.

I work from awkwardness. By that I mean I don't like to arrange things. If I stand in front of something, instead of arranging it, I arrange myself.

My favorite thing is to go where I've never been.

You see someone on the street, and essentially what you notice about them is the flaw.

The more specific you are, the more general it'll be.

The world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. The hand is the cutting edge of the mind.

Men are but children of a larger growth, Our appetites as apt to change as theirs, And full as craving too, and full as vain.

The thing that's important to know is that you never know. You're always sort of feeling your way.

When you grow up your mother says, 'Wear rubbers or you'll catch cold.' When you become an adult you discover that you have the right not to wear rubbers and to see if you catch cold or not. It's something like that.

My favourite thing is to go where I've never been.

Say it Annie! Annie Leibovitz speaks to us....

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While the following are not directly from her videos that we viewed they support many of the thoughts and concepts we viewed.  

When I say I want to photograph someone, what it really means is that I'd like to know them. Anyone I know I photograph.

A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.

Computer photography won't be photography as we know it. I think photography will always be chemical.

In a portrait, you have room to have a point of view. The image may not be literally what's going on, but it's representative.

Nature is so powerful, so strong. Capturing its essence is not easy - your work becomes a dance with light and the weather. It takes you to a place within yourself.

I am impressed with what happens when someone stays in the same place and you took the same picture over and over and it would be different, every single frame.

Sometimes I enjoy just photographing the surface because I think it can be as revealing as going to the heart of the matter.

It's a heavy weight, the camera. Now we have modern and lightweight, small plastic cameras, but in the '70s they were heavy metal.

My hope is that we continue to nurture the places that we love, but that we also look outside our immediate worlds.

There must be a reason why photographers are not very good at verbal communication. I think we get lazy.

It's hard to watch something go on and be talking at the same time.

When you are younger, the camera is like a friend and you can go places and feel like you're with someone, like you have a companion.

The camera makes you forget you're there. It's not like you are hiding but you forget, you are just looking so much.

At my Rolling Stones' tour, the camera was a protection. I used it in a Zen way.

If I didn't have my camera to remind me constantly, I am here to do this, I would eventually have slipped away, I think. I would have forgotten my reason to exist.

The pictures of my family were designed to be on a family wall, they were supposed to be together. It was supposed to copy my mother's wall in her house.

I feel very proud of the work from the '80s because it is very bright and colorful.

I don't think there is anything wrong with white space. I don't think it's a problem to have a blank wall.

My lens of choice was always the 35 mm. It was more environmental. You can't come in closer with the 35 mm.

Coming tight was boring to me, just the face... it didn't have enough information.

If it makes you cry, it goes in the show.

Quotes by Sally Mann an artist that we studied about in class.

The artists that we studied in class are ones that I have long admired and known about.  Their work is no stranger to me, nor is their life and the path to photographic success.  The words offered are but a glimpse of how THEY have expressed themselves to the world.  I start with:

SALLY MANN

.photographs open doors into the past but they also allow a look into the future. - Sally Mann, Photography Speaks II : 76 Photographers on Their Art by Brooks Johnson (Editor), Chrysler Museum , ISBN: 0893816523 , Page: 134

....I struggle with enormous discrepancies: between the reality of motherhood and the image of it, between my love for my home and the need to travel, between the varied and seductive paths of the heart. The lessons of impermanence, the occasional despair and the muse, so tenuously moored, all visit their needs upon me and I dig deeply for the spiritual utilities that restore me: my love for the place, for the one man left, for my children and friends and the great green pulse of spring. - Sally Mann - Still Time catalogue Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center, 1988

“…the things that are close to you, are the things you can photograph the best…”

“…and unless you photograph what you love, you are not going to make good art.”

“it’s always been my philosophy to try to make art out of the everyday and ordinary…it never occurred to me to leave home to make art.”

 Sometimes I think the only memories I have are those that I’ve created around photographs of me as a child. Maybe I’m creating my own life. I distrust any memories I do have. They may be fictions, too. 

 Like all photographers, I depend on serendipity, and when you’re photographing children there’s often an abundance of it. I would have an idea of what a photograph would look like and then something would happen—a dog might lumber in and become a critical element. I pray for what might be referred to as the angel of chance. 

 When the good pictures come, we hope they tell truths, but truths “told slant,” just as Emily Dickinson commanded. 

 ... if it doesn’t have ambiguity, don’t bother to take it. I love that, that aspect of photography—the mendacity of photography—it’s got to have some kind of peculiarity in it or it’s not interesting to me. 

 If I could be said to have any kind of aesthetic, it’s sort of a magpie aesthetic—I just go and pick up whatever is around. If you think about it, the children were there, so I took pictures of my children. It’s not that I’m interested in children that much or photographing them—it’s just that they were there... . 

 Sometimes, when I get a good picture, it feels like I have taken another nervous step into increasingly rarified air. Each good-news picture, no matter how hard-earned, allows me only a crumbling foothold on this steepening climb—an ascent whose milestones are fear and doubt. 

 I’m so worried that I’m going to perfect [my] technique someday. I have to say its unfortunate how many of my pictures do depend upon some technical error.