I have previously written two posts about dragging one's self out of bed to make early morning sunrise photographs. Those prior two posts can be read here and here. I mentioned I would occasionally post some more images from that one morning.
Back in the beginning of the month, I wrote a post about the benefits to be had by dragging one's self out of bed to photograph in the early morning and how those benefits outweigh the pain of getting out of bed at relatively ungodly hours. The early morning photography from that day motivated me to write that post, which can be read here.
I thought that over several scattered posts I would offer some more images from that inspiring morning.
I also forgot to mention one additional benefit of going out to photograph with friends in the early morning. In addition to having to show up to meet the others, there is also the benefit of a great breakfast with camaraderie following the sunrise....you just have to have friends that know which of the local restaurants are the right ones to go to (thanks Bob).
Lets face it....it is really tough to get out of bed at 6AM on a work day, let alone at 5AM on the precious weekend, even if it is to go out and photograph. Sometimes it is just plain impossible to get up. Nonetheless, every time I force myself up, even if it turns out that there were no interesting photographs to be had, it always ends up just feeling good to have been up before the rest of the world to watch the new day dawn.
However, some days the early awakening is associated with great photos, either because conditions are just right or because the muse speaks. Some days, well, not so much! But it is never predictable........so had I slept in two weekends ago I would have missed this beautiful sunrise over Lake Arthur.
Int my last post entitled "Coincidence?", I compared the style of a portrait of keyboardist Keith Emerson (from Emerson, Lake, and Palmer) to that of the famous portrait of Igor Stravinsky taken by Newman. That post can be read here. I received a few comments, both on this blog as well as on my Facebook photography page.
I had mentioned that since ELP was at their prime in the seventies, some readers might not be familiar with them. Even though it is off topic (hey, it's my blog), I thought that I would post a few YouTube links to ELP performing so that anyone that is not familiar with them might have a look (the sound quality isn't perfect given that the recordings were made in the 1970's):
Here they are performing an acoustic version of Lake's "Lucky Man" in concert in Japan:
And here playing a small portion of their amazing piece entitled "Tarkus", also in concert in Japan:
And finally, playing a portion of their rendition of Russian composer Mussorgsky's classic "Pictures At An Exhibition":
Enjoy!
I am a bit befuddled about themes. Most juried art and photography shows have submission themes. Knowing that such themes are usually loosely interpreted, I nonetheless try to have my submissions demonstrate a clear relationship to the requested theme. While some shows seem to stick to the stated topic, there are still many where I am frequently surprised that, at least in my opinion, many of the accepted submissions don't seem even remotely associated with the submission theme, even with what I view as its loosest interpretation.
This leads to me wonder.... how important are statements of show themes? How important is trying to think of a construct wherein your submission would fit into the stated theme? Is it the artists or the judges job to understand how a submission fits into a stated theme?
No answers here. Just some rambling thoughts .......
As I was leisurely taking some photos the other day, I began thinking about the fact that the images were about to go into my personal collection. I was just having fun, so the pictures weren't serious photographs, but it made me start to think about the images I have that are good (or at least I like them). Those are also in my personal collection. But how do they get to see the light of day? How does one get these photographs to be seen by others who might appreciate them and their message? It doesn't do anyone any good to have them sitting on a hard drive 'living in the dark'.
It seems to me there is only one answer, and that is to get your work 'out there'. The problem is, of course, that getting it 'out there' is hard work! I had always thought that the 'work' (if you can call it that) was in the taking, processing, and printing of photographs. Turns out that is just the preparation involved with getting the artwork ready to 'go out into the world'.
So one of my goals is to try a bit harder to get my images 'out there'. In an effort to do this, I am going to be submitting more of my work to juried shows and magazine submissions. I think many folks don't realize how time consuming and difficult that aspect of 'being an artist' really is!
I frequently photograph at Phipps Conservatory, a small but interesting Botanical Garden in Pittsburgh. One every nice thing about it is that they have several different shows throughout the year. The current showing involves not so much flowers as it does statues. The show, called "Gargoyles" features over a hundred gargoyle statues and statuettes among the flowers. It really was different and enjoyable to photograph them.
Several times over the years that I have been writing this blog I have noted frustration about how hard it is to make a really good photograph in contrast to how easy, particularly in this era of digital photography, most non-photographers think it is. Sure, it can be easy to point a digital camera at a scene and get reasonable sharpness and exposure.....but it is extremely difficult to get a truly stirring image.
You all know the famous photography joke. The one where the photographer goes to a friend's (who happens to be a cook) home for dinner and, when looking at the photographers photos, the friend tells him that they are gorgeous and that he must have a really excellent camera. On the way out the door he tells the host that dinner was exquisite and that she must have really excellent cookware.
So I have felt that level of frustration when work is seen by non-photographers.
But I'm over that now. How so? It all stemmed from the realization that artists of all genres make their art appear easy. For example, a great musician makes the playing of their instrument appear effortless. They make it look easy. But no one ever sees the years of relentless practice and refinement that they went through. No one can tell how many revisions a song went through or how many times it was practiced before being recorded and performed.
So, I guess I should feel good about people thinking it is easy to make good photographs!
On another topic....a few days back I wrote a post entitled "Small Prints". I happen to run across a post by Brooks Jensen on one of his blogs that discussed essentially the same topic that I really enjoyed reading. You can read that here.
What is the best compliment you feel you could receive about your work? Some candidates might be that your work is.....beautiful, gorgeous, looks like a painting, breathtaking....maybe even unusual or different.
I recently received an interesting compliment. I initially didn't think much about it, but, with further contemplation, I believe it is probably one of the finest comments I could have received. Let me preface this story by saying that those who know me or have been readers of this blog know that I am more apt to voice my uncertainties regarding the quality of my work than to report accolades. I decided to post this simply because of the insight that it gave me.
I happen to meet a woman I know that was looking at a photograph hanging in an office. It was a lovely sunset photo and, as one who mainly does nature photography, I certainly have taken my share of sunset photos, and this one was quite nice; in fact I told her that I would have been glad to have taken and displayed it. She responded by saying that, yes, it was a very pretty picture, but that "your pictures make me think".
Isn't that an interesting comment? Sure, documentary or photojournalistic photos should make you think, but I had never really contemplated that as being an attribute of nature photographs. I had mainly considered the mark of a successful nature photograph as making you 'feel' something. And yet, in retrospect, the fact that they should make you think, and that 'making you think' is an important attribute of nature photography is obvious. I had just never really thought about it that way.
Sometimes, an innocent comment can give important insight!
In my last post, I referenced a series of articles on the Luminous Landscape (here and here) which supplemented an even earlier post I had written about an article in Photo Techniques about the effects of diffraction when using sensors with high pixel densities.
In the comments section to yesterday's post, it was pointed out that I had missed another quite enlightening article on the subject by Ctein on The Online Photographer entitled "Why 80 Megapixels Just Won't Be Enough", which gives another viewpoint. Given that not everyone that drops by reads the comments, I thought it would be worthwhile to provide a front page link to that article as well. It is definitely worth reading the whole bunch of these, as well as the readers comments and author responses.
A bit of a short post today, but one that points out some interesting information. On June 12th, I wrote a post about an article that I had read in Photo Techniques Magazine about the role diffraction plays in digital imaging as it related to aperture and depth of field. That post can be read here.
As a supplement to that information, I would like to point out an on-line article written by Ray Maxwell entitled "Why Moore's Law Does Not Apply To Digital Photography", which was published on The Luminous Landscape website. In the article, Maxwell points out that for full frame 35mm sensors we are currently at the highest resolution or pixel density that can realistically be useful because of the diffraction properties of visible light. He also goes on to discuss, as was noted in the Photo Techniques article, that with the pixel size on the Canon 5D MkII sensor, diffraction limitations come into play by f11.
A very interesting and worthwhile read (that also contains some interesting links) and one that supplements and adds to the article I had previously mentioned.
Addenda: Between the time I wrote this post and put it on-line there has already been a rebuttal article written on The Luminous Landscape to the article I have been referencing. That article can be read here. You really have to read these....they provide interesting insights into where we are and where things might be heading.
In my March 19th, 2009 post regarding PDF publishing of photographic projects, I wrote the following :
"In Brooks Jensen's recent Lenswork podcast, which one can listen to here, he extols the virtues of using pdf format e-books to enable photographers to reach a wider audience, while avoiding the fiscal constraints that are associated with publishing a physical book. I was intrigued by this, though I wonder if the constraints are as strong as implied given the newer methods of self-publishing associated with print-on-demand services available from companies like Blurb.
Nonetheless, I found the idea interesting and tried to search around the internet a bit for information about designing and producing a pdf photography book. However, I found very little out there. Now, I know very little about using Adobe Acrobat and suspect that my inability to locate information on this subject may simply be that what is required is a good general book about how to use Acrobat, as opposed to special information on how to create pdf photography books.
So, I guess I am hoping that perhaps someone out there might be able to provide some good resource books or websites on the topic of how to use Acrobat to publish photographic e-books....or at least some place to start obtaining a bit of background knowledge. Anybody want to make suggestions???? "
Though I did get some helpful responses to my query as to resources, there was still a void as to where to start.....particularly if the aim was not so much to learn InDesign or Acrobat as much as to learn what was necessary in order to focus on the type of publishing that a photographer would do.
Well, Brooks Jensen does it again!! He recognized that there is a relative void of information in this niche and put together a very solid training DVD on where to start and how to proceed. The DVD is a direct extension of the workshop he began giving on this subject.
Knowing the quality of everything that comes out of LensWork, I decided to purchase the DVD. At $79 it is a bit steep, but once one receives it, sees the quality of the information, the extremely coherent presentation, and the uniqueness of the product I can say that it is well worth every cent!!! The DVD can be purchased here.
I haven't yet finished the DVD, but am far along into it. It has exactly the type of information I was looking for and clearly is able to get one started making PDFs without any further training. It is also able to point one in the right direction in regards to where to obtain more focused information, if needed. To be more specific, it is not an InDesign training program but tells you what aspects of InDesign you need to know and provides a nice detailed overview of these parts of the program. Perhaps even more importantly, it carefully reveiews how to structure and design a PDF presentation.
Perhaps I will have more to say once I finish the DVD in its entirety. But I can tell you this.....if you have any desire to consider self publishing a photographic PDF and don't have a strong background in how to get the job done, this is clearly a superb way to start. I couldn't have hoped for a better resource. Thanks Brooks!!!
Brooks Jensen was talking to me....directly to me. Well, that's the way it sure felt anyway! I am referring to his recent 'Editor's Comments' in the current issue of LensWork. His thoughts were particularly apropos to me and, I suspect, to many other photographer/artists.
The basic premise of his essay was that perfectionism is at the root of the problem many photographers have with actually finishing a project and calling it complete. The project that is finished opens one's work up to critique and thereby the possibility that it is not 'perfect'. The incomplete project can, of course, still theoretically become perfect work by applying further effort. Ultimately, Mr. Jensen continues, we need to be able to distinguish between 'theoretically perfect and practically superb' if we are to break this cycle that leads us to procrastination. Not a procrastination borne of laziness, but borne of fear.
While he goes on to offer sources of motivation to complete projects, which are also quite helpful and insightful, I found that it was the portion of the essay which clearly defined the issue that really spoke to me. It could very well be a chapter from the classic book 'Art And Fear'.
For me, this essay was very important to read and think about (in fact, I reread it several times)....and just one more reason to subscribe to LensWork if you don't already do so.
In Brooks Jensen's recent Lenswork podcast, which one can listen to here, he extols the virtues of using pdf format e-books to enable photographers to reach a wider audience, while avoiding the fiscal constraints that are associated with publishing a physical book. I was intrigued by this, though I wonder if the constraints are as strong as implied given the newer methods of self-publishing associated with print-on-demand services available from companies like Blurb.
Nonetheless, I found the idea interesting and tried to search around the internet a bit for information about designing and producing a pdf photography book. However, I found very little out there. Now, I know very little about using Adobe Acrobat and suspect that my inability to locate information on this subject may simply be that what is required is a good general book about how to use Acrobat, as opposed to special information on how to create pdf photography books.
So, I guess I am hoping that perhaps someone out there might be able to provide some good resource books or websites on the topic of how to use Acrobat to publish photographic e-books....or at least some place to start obtaining a bit of background knowledge. Anybody want to make suggestions????
OK, so this one isn't about photography! But sometimes I see something that I think would be fun to share. I really got a kick out of this little video about what happens when men mess up and give their spouse/girlfriend a gift that lacks thoughtful input......
Check it out here and have a laugh.
I have previously written several posts about photographer's rights in general, as well as occurrences that have happened to me personally. Those posts can be seen here, here, here, and here.
Here is a post from the Photo Attorney blog discussing the TSA statement that people taking pictures of trains can be questioned in certain circumstances. The discussion ends with the suggestion that unless one is trespassing or there is 'reasonable' suspicion of a crime (defining reasonable is always problematic) the 'suspect' need not comply with questioning. Of course, depending on the situation, this might well be difficult!
Very interesting reading! Maybe we all need to get the "I'm a photographer not a terrorist T-shirt".
Today, a brief break from photography....hey, I'm allowed to do that.
One of the benefits of having teenage boys with great senses of humor around is that they share with you the things they find funny. Sometimes that can be well....not so funny. But this time, when one of them called me down to watch a YouTube video it was really hilarious. At least I thought so.
To appreciate this you have to be a fan of the Bourne series. You know, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and the Bourne Ultimatum. I loved the films. So don't bother watching this spoof if you haven't seen the films as you will just shrug and wonder what it's all about. But if you have seen them....prepare to laugh.
See here.
I was away with my son for the last week, at the national fencing competition which, this year, was held in San Jose, California. Since he was competing, we didn't get to see much of San Jose, but we did get to go out on the night of July 4th.
We went to a large park near our hotel, where they had a music festival followed by fireworks. It was during the fireworks that I noticed something interesting. Needless to say, I was spending my time looking upwards. But when I averted my gaze to the crowd I saw something I hadn't expected. I saw a sea of cell phone LED panels pointed upwards. I don't mean one or two. I mean thousands upon thousands of people using their cellphones to take pictures of the fireworks. It was really quite odd to see.
I am not sure what it means in regards to photography in this day and age, but I thought it quite interesting that the people watching the fireworks were somehow not satisfied until they had documented the event with their cellphone cameras.
One of the things that I have been thinking about lately is how to deal with the idea of making photographs that I know ahead of time are not likely to be among those that I consider to be my best, or even likely to make it into print. I found myself wondering about the importance of making images under these circumstances and, in my mind, ended up comparing this situation to other fields of artistic endeavor, particularly music.
I found myself realizing that this situation surely occurred with even the best of the best. Didn't The Beatles and The Rolling Stones know that the songs they put on the “B Side” of their singles were not their strongest work. (For those too young to remember, ‘back in the day’ bands would release their hit singles on 45rpm vinyl records which had a song on both sides. Typically the ‘A Side’ had the hit single that was played on the radio and the ‘B Side’ had a lesser known work.) Even on full album releases it seemed, at least at the time, pretty clear what the ‘weakest’ songs were. So why put those on the album? Why not wait until a few more ‘good’ songs were written? If it were as simple as this, however, there would be no album that contained ‘filler’.
I think the answer goes far beyond the obvious issue of it being difficult to predict what will become a hit. And I think the answers are directly applicable to photography as well. It just somehow seemed clearer to me when I thought about the issues in the realm of music, perhaps because I am an ‘outsider’ to the field.
Surely there must be times when a musician is pleased with a piece they have written, only to find that most listeners would not categorize it as being among their best work. Similarly, I recently posted about how difficult it can be to predict what images people will find most appealing.
I am sure there are times that a musician feels a need to change something about their style: to experiment a bit, as it were. For me, this immediately brings to mind The Talking Heads and Joni Mitchell. From a photography standpoint, even though landscapes, for example, might be your strongest point, when you are feeling in a creative rut you might well want to do macro or street photography. Does that mean that this 'experimental' work should not be shown? Of course not.
What about the creative process in general? Maybe it simply isn’t possible to collect 14 ‘A Side’ songs at once. What if to generate that many hits you simply have to work through all the other tunes going through your mind first? What if you have to keep ‘practicing’ in order to make hits?
As I have been working through these issues and ideas in my mind a few things have become clear to me:
If you don’t keep practicing photography with vigor, then when the opportunity to take that ‘killer shot’ comes along the results will surely not be as good as they could have been.
If you don’t change your style, at least transiently, in order to climb out of a creative rut, you are doing yourself a creative injustice. Try macro, landscape, street…try playing with a Holga or pinhole camera. And don't hide the work.
Sometimes, to tell a story, not every image will be a ‘Best Of’ shot. (Not every song on The Who’s “Tommy” was a hit.) But each image may well play an important role, acting as a chapter, in delivering a complete and autonomous tale.
Even though you may not be going to a beautiful location, you can never tell when something will catch your eye and the subsequent photographic exploration may turn up something unanticipated.
It may well be that a passing texture or pattern that you make an image of might not stand on its own, but, at a later time, that image might well play an important role in a montage, as a texture blend, or other use.
I am not advocating showing your photographic ‘outtakes’ or what you consider to not be your best work, but surely there are many images that might merit that ‘B Side’; work that might not be one’s “Best Of” but still occupies an important spot in your creative history!
