The Rose

The photographer, Duane Michaels once said "photography deals exquisitely with appearances' but nothing is what it appears.”

I have found that one of the most difficult tasks a photographer faces is how to present through this medium what her or she sees and feels about the image being presented to the viewer.  The viewer may already have a preconceived notion or feeling about a given subject – but how do you counter that with a possible different perspective.

Recently, I visited a rose garden and was immediately struck by all the colors and varieties that existed.  As I looked at each of the roses, I became aware of the leaves and how they seem to fold within each plant.  It was if I was looking into a miniature abstract landscape.  It was at that point I decided this is what I wanted to capture.  And, here is my perspective on the rose.

BODY PARTS

The title of this post might be a little deceiving –the body parts I am presenting in this post have nothing to do with human body parts.  A dear friend of mine, who is an artist, once told me with regards to seeing –look at the detail rather than the whole of the image you are trying to create.  Move in close and use the light to define that detail because sometimes the detail is far more interesting than the whole. 

This post deals with the body parts of automobiles of the past.  The vehicles of yesteryear had well defined lines, lots of chrome and distinctive tail lights as compared to those of today which tend to have a more sculptured look with soft lines and very little to distinguish them.  My object is to show some of these design details by focusing on particular sections rather than the whole.  In-other-words,  this post is about shapes, form and design.

Kitchen Still Lifes

The photographer, Elliott Erwitt once wrote, “To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”

Every now and then in order to sharpen my creative skills, I like to create some still life photographs.  Some of these images I plan and others sometimes just present themselves within the confines of my kitchen.  Like the painter you control the subject matter, composition and lighting.  It is probably the easiest way of exploring composition and lighting within an area you control. You do not need expensive lights or a studio to produce this type of photography.  Your lighting equipment can be as simple as window lighting to a small portable LED light.  Your staging area can be the kitchen counter to a small table placed by a window.  Some black and white poster sheets purchased from a craft store can provide simple backdrops.  A piece of poster board covered with aluminum foil can be used to help light and open up shadows.  The rest is up to your imagination –or maybe just the ability to see the items that occupy your every day environment.   

 

Photo Narcissism

Mirrors or reflections act as windows that sometimes combine many subjects within a single image and at other times show things differently where patches of light and distortions seem to create another world or dimension trapped in the glass before you.  Since the 15^th century and the advent of the mirror, artists have gazed into it and attempted to grasp their identities.

I think we all have attempted to make a self-portrait of ourselves –either using a cell phone or a mirror reflection.  It is a simple process –aim into the mirror, focus and shoot.  Well, maybe not that simple –yes, a little planning is necessary.  However, if you have a window behind the mirror where sunlight is reflected on to the mirror –the possibilities can be very unusual.  Here is some of my narcissism I found in the reflections of this other reversed world.

Urban Canvases

I find the world around me a fascinating series of images -a landscape, which includes the buildings, people and all things that are worth observing and recording.  While the painter, writer or musician applies what he sees and hears to interpret this landscape -the photographer is rather bound by his eyes and the eyes of his camera to merely record it.  On the way downtown about a week ago I became aware that many of the brick walls I pass everyday -have become canvases on which some have used to interpret this urban landscape.  I am not sure what the messages are or if they are of great interpretation.  I am only a photographer who has stopped to look and record some of them.