Adam Marelli [3] - Classical Art and Photography

I encourage all to view this video.  It's topic of Classical ART and Photography is worthy of your time and effort.

http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/classical-art-photography/

I get a subscription from this site on nearly a daily basis.  The TIPS they provide are varied and very informative.  I find many that support my advancement in the world of photography.

Today, I took the time to watch this lengthy [nearly an hour and half long] video.  But it brought me back to my art days, when I had paint brushes, clay and other mediums in my hands.  Long before a camera.

I enjoyed the very specific manner in which Adam Marelli gives you his view on what the photographer can do to control his / her imagery, to produce outcomes that are better than just the average photo.

It was good to hear that lessons can be learned and practice and experimentation can result in an elevation of our work.

http://www.adammarelliphoto.com/


I will be exploring more about Mr. Marelli as time permits.  His approach to photography is a pleasant blend of the art and process.  His focus on using ones native skill and ability and knowledge to PRODUCE a piece of work is pointed and encouraging for me.

He  is a student of THE DECISIVE MOMENT

ZACK ARIAS: [2] Some one really new for me

I had found this person last week and made it a draft for this week's posting, not knowing we would have the class assignment for a presentation.  In my group, we discussed and reviewed a number of photog artists and I had proposed Zack as our person of interest.  And as it turns out, we look to be going with him.  Funny how things turn out sometimes.

So anyway......

If you do not know me well, suffice it to say I can stay up very late sometimes and do lots of work on various things photo related, taxes for my personal or business, or even take photos in my home studio.  This night in question, it was all things DPII.

I was following a path thru the the world wide web, seeking knowledge, pursuing my craft.

I happened upon a photographer out of Atlanta, GA area.

ZACK ARIAS.  I watched a video of him sharing his plight with Signal and Noise.  It had a soundtrack that was pleasant and being a lover of good music, I pursued that path, it turns out it was his wife and she is a professional and that led me further to another video of Zach doing a challenge of using a really cheap camera with an off camera flash with minimal functionality in a foreign land, with little common language available.

The path I took was simply exciting.

I happened upon the video that started my journey, liking it a lot.  It sets up the common issue most everyone will encounter when they get stuck, and he offers up some solutions to think about, to try.  His message is to find the right path to keep moving and not get stuck with too many details.

http://zackarias.com/uncategorized/signal-noise-produced-for-scottkelby-com/

This is five minutes well spent in my opinion.  And after watching and listening, I then needed to pursue the music that played during the video.  I do that a lot, watching a show and hearing a soundtrack is one of those hot pursuit paths I do a lot.  Many shows spend good money and effort to find that perfect tune to give the viewer a complete experience of audio as well as visual pleasure.

I find that when  tune sticks in my head, I will typically remember the event that occurred when I heard the music.  I guess that is what most producers are going for, to remember their show or product when you run across that song.

That led me to:  What is the song, and who sings it.

It turned out that Zack 's wife Meghan is the writer and artist singing the song.  And she has others that are equally compelling for me, at least.   Check her out.

http://meghanarias.com/

And her blog


http://meghanarias.com/blog/

the song posting is at

http://meghanarias.com/2013/01/16/polly/


And not sure how I got to the next level of fun things, but it happened on my iPad, and the junk at the bottom had a list of videos that might be of interest to me.  So I saw one, with the Zack man again, doing this challenge and it was as I have grown to love about the group that produces these videos.  Educational and truly enlightening about how you can do so much with so little if you have the talent and skill to SEE the image.  The gear can be of minimalist means.

http://www.petapixel.com/2012/07/23/zack-arias-attempts-pro-photos-with-a-cheap-camera/

All in all a bit of time that paid me back exponentially.  I have seen a number of this series, the host is a riot to watch, and seriously down to earth with practical advice on many topics and approaches.  This challenge series is just one of another of his genius offerings.

Zack's web site:

http://zackarias.com/

New Semester - MONTE ZUCKER [1]

School has finally started up again.  It was a long break, too long for those that have the itch for learning burning a hole in their brain.

Taking two courses this semester.  Digital Photo II and Black and White Film Photography I.

So This blog might have items that mix and match the courses, or I might start a new one to accommodate the Film course separately, we shall see how it goes.


Monte Zucker:  I do not remember if I had brought his name up previously, but even if I have, he is worthy of a new posting and mention.

http://www.montezucker.com/

I first got exposed to his work and his methods of portraiture almost 8 years ago.  I was attempting to complete course work in NYIP [New York Institute of Photography, a long distance learning group]  They had him as a keynote guest instructor on their videos.  I retook the course and completed it several years later [my first stint was cut short due to medical reasons, a couple of heart surgeries and cancer, but I am alive and doing fairly well these days]

The course was updated with DVD's and some online work, and I got to see Monte work his magic in setting up simple but stunning lighting for a person.  His concept was to evaluate the facial features first.  And decide which side was the better main light side to work from.  Then he would build his lighting from that point.  Most everyone has a better side.

As my skills as evaluating this are still being honed, I tend to shoot from BOTH sides during a shoot, just to cover all the bases.  I do see that his assessment of a singular good side is very true though.  I find very few people have both sides as worthy of final outcomes for use.

The one thing I learned most from Monte is that finding a style and using it to get consistent results is not a bad thing.  It can be limiting some might argue.  And yes I agree that as artist and practicing photographers we should be able to accommodate a variety of styles and schemes.  We are not hurt by the fact we have a specific concept to produce stellar results.  It is a challenge to get such results when the environment is not ideal for our lighting set up.  Using the tools available to get these results is where we can shine as artists and skilled photographers.

We might not have the strobes or speedlights.  Maybe only a window and a reflector or piece of cardboard.  Making due with the things around us.

The key to success is seeing the image, the fall of the shadows on the face.  The positioning of the subject.  These are classic elements to establishing a style that is fruitfully productive in terms of outcome and easily repeatable for us as technicians of our trade.

So my shot out to those reading this, do YOU have a fall back position for lighting that allows you to get great results time after time?  Do you know which way to point a person's face to get their BEST side?

If you do not or want to learn more about how to up your game in this area, then check out MONTE ZUCKER's educational opportunities.  His efforts are continued by his colleagues  He has passed on from our world, but his work continues through these folks.  They came thru STL last year holding a day long hands on seminar.  it was a very good program, well worth the time and money in my opinion.