Current Affairs

Someone showed me a very moving blog today while I was at work. It contained some very powerful and compositionally outstanding photographs made during the wild fires in California. If I can get the link I will make another post giving the link, because I think everyone should see just how outstanding these photographs were.

I decided to post one of the photographs I made back in the March. I was heading to class when I got a text saying an 18 wheeler gasoline truck went off the highway. I didn't hesitate one bit in ditching class. I got a few more texts telling me where the accident was. I didn't have my camera with me so I had to fly home to get it. The entire way home I tried to figure the best possible place to get to the accident. In order to get shots like these, I had to run a mile down some train tracks and ended up getting within 50 yards or so of the explosion. It was a pretty sorrow moment taking pictures of a scene that claimed the life of a person.

Here is a link to a website that currently holds my photos in archive. I was able to get the photos I shot online through http://www.masslive.com
I was about 40 minutes late in getting there or I would have managed to sell some photos to the Union News. (our Local news paper)

http://blog.masslive.com/localbuzz/2008/03/photos_
tanker_fire_in_chicopee.html

If I could, I would have flown to California to photograph the fires.

-Fin-

Photography Market

After reading a good article in Shutter Bug last night I am curious to see what photography market people are interested in. The article that I read was geared towards the Fine Art Market. I consider myself a Fine Arts Photographer but I am not exclusively devoted to just that market. So where does everyone stand? What market do you belong to or aspire to belong to?

Possibly New Idea

I have been working on a project for a very reputable client. It has been about two weeks now that I have been working on this project. Now, as far as the "Possibly New Idea" goes, I have created a blog/website exclusively for the client and the web-designer to view the work I have done thus far. It has proven to be an extremely powerful tool in showing the client and the web-designer what progress has been made in the completion of the project. It is a very effective way of doing business. Thats what I am thinking any ways. I will continue to do this in the future for any work I do that is contracted. Even something as simple as portraits.

Coprorate Portrait

I have been working on a project for a local client. I have been shooting some Corporate Portraits. I have been working in a few different directions trying to give some style to these portraits. This is just one of the ideas I have been thinking of. This photo has the same action that I used in the photo of the flower I posted below. From my google search I have found that there are a number of photographers who do ALOT with corporate portraits. It is something I am going to add to the list of things I'd shoot for people/clients.

Copy Rights Revisited

So, I had a thought about this copy right thing I started to talk about a few posts back. I am thinking if I am shooting for a client/paid job that I will include a copy right on the photograph. If they do not approve then it will be removed. As far as my personal work goes I do not think I will include one on my photos.

Testing

I haven't made a post in a few days due to overly busy and jam packed schedule I have had. So, here is a photograph I made last week. I recently started creating actions in photoshop. I have been having quite a blast making and using them. I can thank two people for the idea. One would be my good photography contact and excellent photographer Sharyl Widberg and two my boss at the studio. Both have been an inspiration. So thanks guys!

Ok, now back to this new snazzy photoshop action stuff. Here is a photograph that I shot last week. I did not shoot it like this. It was just a straight photograph when I made it. But I used one of my new top secret, ultra cool, and some what snazzy action to get this image. I have been testing and creating new actions like crazy.

Actions make life alot easier when it comes to editing. You simply hit play and bada bing bada boom in seconds you have what could of taken a few minutes to do. In a nutshell creating an action is simple. Once you have the file open, you just hit the little record button on the actions menu. ( Actions/History box. ) Do all the steps involved that you want as an action. When you are done you just hit the stop button, and there you have it, a photoshop action. Now, go out and create some actions and have some fun!

Copy Rights

In a quick thought, I am really curious to see what people have to say about copy rights and placing a logo, business name, studio name, and or a copy right logo on your photographs. In Fine Arts photography with hand made silver prints you never see people placing studio names or copy right logos on their work.

I am not fond of placing logos on my photographs whether they be digital or hand made prints. What are your thoughts on the idea? But at the same toke, I have had work stolen from websites it was posted on. I just do not think putting a logo on the photograph will keep people from stealing what they want.

Share your thoughts....

On a side note

On a side note, I will be leaving for Boston in six months. A city of unlimited possibilities awaits me. The ability to work in a new and exciting atmosphere only further pushes my desires to be there. It will be a long over due life changing event that is very much anticipated.

Keeping it original

With the advance in digital photography and all the websites that boast so many new photo networks, it is so hard for some people to create a true original style. One particular website that will remain nameless is home to so many photographers that are making work that they are merely just duplicating. It is almost impossible to see any originality and diversity amongst the millions of profiles hosted on that web site. I guess this post is more of a merely long over due venting spell.

For the people that spend hours upon hours conceptualizing their work and constantly exploring ideas that others aren't doing, its rather unfair when people are just using your work as a catalyst to ultimately rip off your visions and just produce the same thing as you and claim it as their own.

END of rant...

Cape Cod, a relfection from the spring.

Summer officially started three days ago. I sit
at my desk in the studio thinking of my time in Province town, MA back in April. That trip was one that will stay burned in my mind for years to come.

On the trip down, I sat in the back of our van, admiring the work of Joel Meyerowitz through his book entitled "Cape Light". I spent the majority of the trip walking in his 30 year old shadow, seeing what he once saw. (which hasn't changed much since my childhood, which I'm also assuming hasn't changed since the days he was walking the streets of Provincetown and the Cape producing photographs for his book.)

It was his inspiration that allowed me to capture some perfect fleeting moments and see my childhood memories in a new perspective. I now have a body of work that replaced my childhood memories of the Cape and Provincetown with a collection of work I hold as homage to Joel Meyerowitz.

What made the trip successful, (outside the massive body of work I created while there) was being asked to write a photographic essay and submit photographs to accompany that essay. The above text in italics is the photographic essay that I wrote for the publication. The photograph to the left (which unfortunately wasn't published in the essay, due to the lack of knowledge of Joel Meyerowitz on the editors end) best shows just how visually inspired I was by Meyerowitz.

If you are unfamiliar with the work of Joel Meyerowitz, I strongly recommend either googling his name or finding your way to a library and or book store. I know Barns and Noble has a huge book that he produced when 9/11 occurred. He was one of the very first photographers to be allowed into ground zero. (being from New York, it only made sense to allow him access.) Knowing this now I'm pretty sure you have seen at least one of his photographs.

So go, now, yes this very second and look him up. He has some rather interesting work aside from what I just wrote about. I do not think you will be disappointed with what you find.

Is it possible to shoot in bad weather?

Is it possible to shoot in bad weather? Well, yeah of course. How else would photographers get some awesome photographs. Whether your a Fine Arts Photographer all the way down to a Portrait Photographer your work can be impacted by the weather.

We have been getting pounded with thunderstorms and flash floods with torrential down pour. This has been making it almost impossible to complete my project in a timely manner. Basically I can not do any work involved in this project. I am left sitting here almost useless. At the same time I am almost positive that my client fully understands that I have no control over the weather and that we both have to just suck it up and deal. Not that I want to do that. The sooner I complete this project the sooner I can move forward to the next project.


This is basically what I have seen over the past two weeks. I cant remember a time in the past 20 something years when we have had as many thunderstorms as this year. I shot this when we first started to get dumped on by thunderstorms. It was pretty thrilling to capture this shot. It was my first successful attempt at photographing lightening.