New Portfolio Site

I launched a new mini portfolio site the end of last week. Here is the link.

Portfolio site.

Rock Bottom

Annie Leibovitz in need of financial help.

Toys: A photographers dream.

I have always had a passion for certain cameras. One camera in particular that has stole my heart and grasped my attention is the Hasselblad 501CM. This camera is the Ferrari of Medium Format cameras. In recent years, Hasselblad cameras have become adept to the technological changes the medium is gone through. This particular camera has a film back. However, you can purchase a digital back that can fit on the body. I do not know the exact amount for the film back, but I can tell you this, it is just as expensive as your car.

Hasselblad 501CM

Here I am being seen using one of the these precious pieces of happiness.

Life is good: But not the economy.

 

I saw this sign today in the window of a Life is good retailer. Yet another sad and tragic end to a once thriving retail chain.

What do you do when?

What do you do when your Name is already registered as a dot com and it prevents you from building a new portfolio site? This is a dilemma I am facing right now. I am more than welcome to suggestions if any one would to offer one. Thank you.

Film Still Lives On: Kodak Announces Ektar 100 sp 120 Film.

While most people are throwing their analog (film) cameras in the closets to to make room for their new digital cameras. Kodak has announced this week that they will be producing 100 speed Ektar 120 format color negative film. What does this mean? This means that some pros wont be ditching their Mamyias, Hassalblads, or other medium format camera they are currently using. While there are a lot of pros who abandoned film altogether, the ease of renting or leasing a pro meduim format camera has become significantly easier, there are still those eclectic group of photographers who are dedicated to film. The second biggest group of photographers who could benifit from film, are students. Students still get the chance to expierence film in wet labs and darkrooms around the world. A vast majority shoot using meduim or large format. 4x5 is the preferred camera of choice. Next up are the dedicated Holga users. The photographers that are "married" to their Holga cameras as a few people have mentioned to me.

Why still use film? Well film is fun. Film is tangible. Loading a roll of film into your camera is not the same as shoving a memory card into your camera and turning it on. Holding those negatives in your hand represent your creativity and your vision. Plus, just because you shoot film, that doesn't meant you need to run out and buy an entire darkroom. You just need to simply scan your film and print your photographs digitally. This gives you more freedom to take those negatives and scan them into photoshop and do some post-processesing that you couldnt do with film 20 years ago. I do not think we will be seeing an end to film for a while. Even though I stated in a post below that film is seemingly on its way out, it isn't going any where just yet.

Your Portfolio: What you need to know.

Your portfolio speaks volumes about your photography and should be designed to sell your work, your vision, and most importantly, your photography/s. There are a few things that you should keep in mind.

• You portfolio should be a cohesive body of work that shows your most recent work. You don't necessarily want to be showing photographs you made 5 or even 10 years ago. Even as little as 2 years ago. Your growth as a photographer and artist tends to change and evolve as you learn new processes. So keeping your most current work and projects in your portfolio is a good idea.

• Do not be repetitive. Time and time again I see the work of other photographers that have a repetitive image in their portfolio. By this I mean they have a series of photographs that look the same. A portfolio is supposed to contain a cohesive body of work that shows your attributes and shows the strongest images you make. Having a group of images that all look the same isn't a cohesive portfolio. There needs to be a little bit of diversity in your portfolio. You need to show your style, not necessarily the same images. This may seem to be a little bit of a challenge. If you find it a little difficult to create or update your portfolio, the best and most helpful thing you can do is seek out the help of professional or and educator in the industry. Finding a mentor is also a very helpful idea. They can assist you by looking at your work and giving you the best advice possible on which images you should use.

• A strong portfolio should consist of 15-20 photographs. Anything more and it becomes a little time consuming to view all the work. It will also help you in controlling the potential repetitiveness that can occur.

• Sometimes having a few portfolios is also a good idea. You might have a lot of diversity that could be separated into smaller portfolios. This is a good idea to implement if you are setting up a website and want to have a few portfolios or galleries listed. Always keep in mind, your portfolio is designed to be put in front of an audience. You don't want to be putting weak images into the eyes of potential clients.

• Once your portfolio is constructed the next and some what daunting task is to get it out there for people, clients, and the world to see. It is essential to have some sort of web presence now a days. Even if it is a Flickr account, a simple blog, or a full on website that was designed by a web/graphic designer, you need to be able to pull up your portfolio on command and show it to people when its requested. Even a little shameless self promotion never hurt. Simple emails introducing your self and your work is always a good idea.

So get out there and start putting your work together into a cohesive portfolio. Keep these ideas in mind when you are mulling over your photographs. Good luck!

Fashionably New Tones: Working with cool tones.

It is very rare that I will use cool tones in my photographs. I try and stay closer to warm tones whether that is how I am shooting or post processing my photographs. I have never really found a use for cold, cool, or blue tones in much of my work. However, a shoot last night gave me the opportunity to give my self a push in a new direction with the use of some cool tones. These are a few of the photos from a portrait shoot last night.

 

 

 

Steet Photography: Joel Meyerowitz

I came across this video of Joel Meyerowitz shooting on the streets of New York City. It gives the viewer some insights into how a prominent and well respected photographer approaches his subject matter and makes his compositions. Enjoy!

Here are a few videos about Henri Carte Bresson

Nikon News: D90 Tutorials

Nikon has been just pumping out the greatness these past few years. Photographers new and old are making their way to the stores to purchase some of the newest models that are being introduced to the consumer. Nikon's newest and so far greatest achievement, (at least in my mindset) the D3X is one amazing piece of equipment. But you don't have to take my word for it. You can see reviews and articles about it in almost any photography publication on the market. The steep price tag might place fear in the hearts of some amateurs, but for some professionals the upgrade is worth every penny spent.

The D90 is a much loved fairly new D-SLR that was released this past year. One of the features I love the most is they sell it as a kit with a VR (Vibrant Reduction Lens) this lens would allow you to shoot past 1/30. In case you are shooting with out a tripod, or forgot your tripod this lens is very beneficial for controlling slight camera shake. The attention this camera is commanding and the rising popularity has give me an idea to put together a few helpful tutorials that can help you get a better understanding of the camera if you are new to D-SLRs or if you have upgraded to the D90.

The first of the tutorials comes from Nikon Usa.
D90 Tutorial

D90 Tips

These next few videos should give you a great idea on how yo use the D90 if you are unfamiliar with a D-SLR. Or if you are looking to pick up a few new tricks and tips for your new upgrade. Enjoy!

Photographic Resource Center: Boston, MA

The Photographic Resource Center at Boston University is major Exhibitor of all things photography. The PRC offers you the ability to become a member. Being a member of the PRC give you opportunities that other galleries and educational institutions do not offer you.

Check out the current exhibition. PRC Student Exhibition.

What can film do that digital cant?

A lot actually. Film still offers the ability to do things in camera that digital does not. These photographs, (minus the toning) were produced in camera as you see them. Digital photography is a great resource for the instant gratification of the image. Analog photography is a much more tangible medium. In an analog photograph like these ones, the photographs was made in camera, processed, and then printed in the darkroom. Where as if this was shot using a digital camera, it would take a much longer period of time to manipulate the image to resemble what film was able to do. A photograph printed in the darkroom holds a much stronger value being produce from a tangible and concrete object, such as a negative. Not just the aesthetic look and feel of the image, but for the fact that you can hold in your hands what your eyes and creative mind have been able to produce. Shoot film before it is dead!!!!

Shepard Fairey: The worst possible timing.

This past Friday while Shepard Fairey was on his way to his first ever solo-exhibition he was arrested on charges of graffiti stemming back a number of years. *Shepard Fairey's Arrest*
Some of you might be saying, "who the hell is Shepard Fairey? and why am I reading about him on your site?" Well Shepard is the man behind the Iconic Barack Obama campaign poster. He is also the legend who started Andre the Giant has a pose. The also Iconic stickers seen through out the world. Much like a photographer, Shepard is a visual artist whos work is very influential. As early as I can remember I have seen the Andre the Giant stickers all over. I think that it was a very poor choice to make an arrest on the night of a major career achievement.

Shepard Fairey on Exhibit.

Shooting film in the digital era.

There is no doubt about it, shooting film is freaking fun. Film allows you to create a concrete and tangible object. Holding the film in your hands gives you a sense of empowerment. You are in complete control over what will be on that film. You will be in complete control over the photograph when you are making the print. In this case. I was in complete control when I took the film from post-processing to the scanner and made these photographs digital. Analog photography, the traditional form of exposing negatives, developing them, making photographs using an enlarger and watching that image appear on the paper in the darkroom, is a very quickly fading practice. Digital photography is making massive strides forward in the advancement of the medium. Film companies are folding up, closing the doors on the photography industry. Companies can not compete against the demand of digital photography. The sense of instant gratification over powers the anticipation of waiting to see the image appear as you are processing or making your prints. Some people are still producing fine arts photographs by using traditional methods such as tintypes and other processes from the early birth of photography. The demand to collect and have traditional silver and c prints in museums, private collections, and galleries is still very high in demand. As much as the industry is changing, there is still a passion for film.

 

I photographed an up and coming Illustrator from Holland, Ron Schuejt. Ron’s Portfolio

 

All of the above photographs were shot using Kodak Tri X 400 speed film. Scanned and then processed digitally. Film still has a place in my heart. It always will. I began my career as a photographer using nothing but film. It does make me stop and think, I am living during the next major historical turning point in the photography medium. I, like hundreds of other people are anxious to see what comes next. So get out there and enjoy the days of film before it is long gone and most places wont develop your film and prints if you can not do it yourself. 

Francesca Woodman: Young Photographers Vision.

After showing some of my personal projects to a few people today, I was introduced to the work of Fracesca Woodman. The photographs I showed reminded the person viewing them of her work. There were qualities in my photographs that were indirectly reminiscent of the young artists work. My project differs more ways than it compares to her work. But the aesthetic look and subject matter had some small similarities to them. I found her work to be captivating and intriguing.

Francesca Woodman was born in 1958. Her black and white photographs, mainly consisting of herself and female models, still today commands a lot of attention. Francesca ended her life at age 22 when she commited suicide. Her photographs recieved and still do receive a great deal of attention.

Francesca Woodman: A Biography

Rodney Smith: A legend.

Rodney Smith: A Legend

Reflection Part II

 

Contemporary Photographer: Dinh Q. Le

Today I had the chance to view the contemporary photographs of Dinh Q. Le. Le is a brilliant photographer. His work is nearly indescribable.

Each photograph is a combination of photographs mixed with a mat-weaving technique that was taught to him during his childhood by his aunt. The photographs are large C prints that are cut up and woven together to form the images you see. Infused in each photograph is a piece of his cultural identity.

Here is a link that provides a great deal of biographical information on the artist:
Dihn Q Le

New: A few conceptual photographs.

I have been trying a few new things the past few weeks. Here are a few examples.

Simple Photos