tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90900742658745071262024-03-12T21:00:52.704-07:00MEG ExposuresMultiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-44727389102730941142014-05-08T05:37:00.005-07:002014-05-08T05:43:58.774-07:00SOOMIN HAM: Interpretations Of Grief And Loss<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>In
SOUND OF BUTTERFLY, MEG member Soomin Ham’s current show, Soomin takes
an experimental, yet personal, approach to seeing, understanding and
interpreting </i></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>memories
of grief and loss. The series of portraits reflect her mother’s journey
through life and death, and reveal traces of this journey as Soomin’s
memories and vision uncover a deeper narrative beyond the images
presented. </i></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><br />Below, Soomin answers a few questions about her new work:<br /><br /><b>Your new work has its origins in grief. Tell us about it.</b> On a quiet night one August, I lost someone I loved very much. With my grief, I started collecting the scattered memories that I shared with her. Finding them from family photo albums and in the belongings she left behind was painful, but I found myself feeling even more appreciation for her love, passion, dreams, and other things that she shared with me. She was my loving mother who dedicated her life to her family. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Why do you reference butterflies in your show title?</b> Butterflies were one of my mother’s favorite things, and they also symbolize a new journey for me. Throughout the whole process of putting together this body of work, I was able to understand and embrace my grief by following the path of my mother’s journey.<br /><br /><b>Your work involved a freezer, which is unusual in photography. How did a common kitchen appliance become part of the show?</b> The show is made up of two series. The </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5u2CW1YHBM4HfeJyrdhsDhsDLdwBvZ_XNZJz3-obO2-KUxmM1tblSpOGvRJc6Ehm2Fb_N8rFXI-3rzP0JaGC0d_HZ42zYCSCmVOTMObaWyzDF4CX5TRcE_ctKc6B350YVow7ohwdWSKD/s1600/soominham_02.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5u2CW1YHBM4HfeJyrdhsDhsDLdwBvZ_XNZJz3-obO2-KUxmM1tblSpOGvRJc6Ehm2Fb_N8rFXI-3rzP0JaGC0d_HZ42zYCSCmVOTMObaWyzDF4CX5TRcE_ctKc6B350YVow7ohwdWSKD/s1600/soominham_02.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Soomin Ham</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">FROZEN MOMENT series incorporated images of many special belongings my mother left behind as well as photographs I took of moments that reflect a place and time of my mother’s presence. I placed all of these images in a 4”x4” box in a freezer and then re-photographed each image in a lightbox. The series documents and preserves moments and objects that would have perished, or like memory, would have decayed and faded. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The second series is called BACK TO HEAVEN. What can you tell us about it?</b> This series presents the soft, blurry images of old photographs of my mother. Selected from</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> family albums, the pictures are scanned and printed on rice paper. The rice-paper prints </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">are
stored in water for a period, then washed and dried repeatedly until the
images grow dim. I then placed these prints outside during snowfall,
and re-photographed them just as they began to disappear under the
fallen snow. The whole process of aging the picture is my interpretation
of the cycle of life and fading memory.</span><br />
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<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Soomin Ham</td></tr>
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<br />Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-61429909287694130212014-04-24T13:08:00.002-07:002014-04-27T10:31:14.879-07:00Soomin Ham: Seeing Beyond External Form and Beauty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Soomin Ham's newest work, SOUND OF BUTTERFLY, is on exhibit at Multiple Exposures Gallery through May 11th. Below she shares some thoughts on finding inspiration in </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWzhWFJlnlYeBkvrbp6-Bc0aUTUBEfi8otHhOv3Y8QnuvMB8cNzr6XmV_Z_kgtFq3hUQ3fwPvaMGxgbY2O2V3n4u4dwQ02-DBNS14pBCvxxKkeeKQUf7MqybzC8czpynmG_y6HGC0zjFg/s1600/300dpi_blog01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWzhWFJlnlYeBkvrbp6-Bc0aUTUBEfi8otHhOv3Y8QnuvMB8cNzr6XmV_Z_kgtFq3hUQ3fwPvaMGxgbY2O2V3n4u4dwQ02-DBNS14pBCvxxKkeeKQUf7MqybzC8czpynmG_y6HGC0zjFg/s1600/300dpi_blog01.jpg" height="222" width="320" /></a></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>sacred spaces. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Since the time photography became one of my creative media, I have come to recognize three special places that inspire me to reflect on art and meaning in my life. I would like to share what I have experienced these places, working to capture my thoughts and </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">emotions in my photographs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />When I was a child, I would imagine ghosts in cemeteries and was scared to go there. As I grew older, and as loved ones passed away, the cemetery became a sanctuary, a private place of peace and personal connection. When I was sad or feeling lost, I would drive two hours to the Memorial Park in Seoul, Korea, where my grandmother's grave is. Often I would stay there -- </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">close to what is now also my mother's final resting place --</span> finding comfort and a place of contemplation. Since moving to the United States, I continue to visit cemeteries, walking the quiet paths, reading the stones, curious about the lives of the departed... and finding the same comfort as I had in my own country.<br /><br />The desert is a second special place of inspiration. A trip to India in 1992 was my first experience seeing the beauty of the desert. I was speechless at the threshold of this </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhParrbhB-YJerHvqXqfkNbSjB_F01S4tKJ2Jfiw3rivI_Q35vFojTAdlLPwEDkVAkf5v8Xdb2REfeX4NC3prawlKFXMqZMCpBb836t02iGtNct2CJcmuYUypPChWsSSArMFUZPgWNYdpK5/s1600/soominham_blog02.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhParrbhB-YJerHvqXqfkNbSjB_F01S4tKJ2Jfiw3rivI_Q35vFojTAdlLPwEDkVAkf5v8Xdb2REfeX4NC3prawlKFXMqZMCpBb836t02iGtNct2CJcmuYUypPChWsSSArMFUZPgWNYdpK5/s1600/soominham_blog02.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a>endless space. I was so excited to take a photograph at the beginning, but eventually, I put </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">my camera down, as I wanted to feel the desert's spirit and its silent echo. <br /><br />The Royal Palaces of Seoul are another favorite place for my inspiration. In my childhood, visiting the Royal Palaces with my family offered me a place of wonder. As time passed, these palaces have become places of harmony, spirituality, and nostalgia. Now too many tourists have come and broken the silence of the past, but I still sense the traces of time and find memories of times shared with my loved ones. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />For me, these places of inspiration transcend time and space. Beyond appearances, they leave behind their questions of eternity. For my art life, I choose to develop ideas based on the inspirations that I find in these spiritual places, rather than trying to capture their</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> external form and beauty. They are my private sanctuaries, and I will return to them again and again along the path of my photographic journey.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIXsu6-9fFSrbiAYdf4zBeD9j7fI5G41jj1G_cepqSa4WJxqOiSQMjL3tA5iDURsYx49jN6gaa_ifo6TyI5gYKXgfbIJ6KoVfx4sWHQHq0U-GDPUnfw9yqXU8a_FQ7X6YGzE_imkSiQgL/s1600/300dpi_blog03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIXsu6-9fFSrbiAYdf4zBeD9j7fI5G41jj1G_cepqSa4WJxqOiSQMjL3tA5iDURsYx49jN6gaa_ifo6TyI5gYKXgfbIJ6KoVfx4sWHQHq0U-GDPUnfw9yqXU8a_FQ7X6YGzE_imkSiQgL/s1600/300dpi_blog03.jpg" height="211" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /> </span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-83746874396536454962014-04-02T09:28:00.000-07:002014-04-03T04:04:13.306-07:00Living Yesterday Today<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFBa8-4AOTaQpsiSjlw2uQGwXYOsyIb9DwA5tnX8ZTVevQfUBlzD46NINBNf-5p94dfzGNwkeJkv872n2dEiL_OmYfufnT-S0DdGptwkRWaiK2BZmrSzzJ-o4e9HL4KUhObzdVJd-EA0T/s3200/boy+soldier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFBa8-4AOTaQpsiSjlw2uQGwXYOsyIb9DwA5tnX8ZTVevQfUBlzD46NINBNf-5p94dfzGNwkeJkv872n2dEiL_OmYfufnT-S0DdGptwkRWaiK2BZmrSzzJ-o4e9HL4KUhObzdVJd-EA0T/s3200/boy+soldier.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Boy Soldier (c) Sandy LeBrun-Evans</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>MEG member Sandy LeBrun-Evans is building LIVING YESTERDAY TODAY, a new portfolio filled with images of Civil War re-enactors. Below she shares why finds re-enactors and the battles they fight to be such interesting subjects. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I became hooked on photographing civil war re-enactors completely by accident. Driving home one evening, I noticed a sign on </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Interstate 95 that indicated a re-enactment would take place the next day. I thought, “Why not check it out!"</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOep2pgNfn3WrEH4dTqMc4jKw-x3KnQgOv0JMFZGqcAn3XyTjyi8VVcNM9ynFVwsqieS6Pmxfy1I9tiTH064aFyEDAGmz889t-oHDYh_lHpJDlX1R1qHzBAGQ9vRINZKvSLYI2WHaHpxUD/s3200/cleaning+nails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOep2pgNfn3WrEH4dTqMc4jKw-x3KnQgOv0JMFZGqcAn3XyTjyi8VVcNM9ynFVwsqieS6Pmxfy1I9tiTH064aFyEDAGmz889t-oHDYh_lHpJDlX1R1qHzBAGQ9vRINZKvSLYI2WHaHpxUD/s3200/cleaning+nails.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Readying For Battle (c) Sandy LeBrun-Evans</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was amazed and hooked from my very first visit. Re-enactments include both battles and the re-enactors living, eating, playing as they did during the Civil War period. As I wandered around the camps of the Northern and Southern armies, everywhere I turned there was a vignette of the past.<br /><br />In 2013, the 150th anniversary of some very important battles was commemorated, and a number of battles were re-created, including Antietam/Sharpsburg (the name of battle depended on which side of the war you were on ), Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg and Gettysburg. Each re-enactment provides both a field full of action and a history lesson. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM34TkQG1R0Xy53v7_mKhrQS2DseiK4HMKxTMtVtla7VAMNa6AArh4GtJ6tHhR-OS3pO8xfDGavmnGxYLnZcHJwH1BfsSrDr5wpSbfo5r0g1zXTuR0Zsfjpz1bO3N4eWzzF00OjeMLHs85/s3200/widow.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM34TkQG1R0Xy53v7_mKhrQS2DseiK4HMKxTMtVtla7VAMNa6AArh4GtJ6tHhR-OS3pO8xfDGavmnGxYLnZcHJwH1BfsSrDr5wpSbfo5r0g1zXTuR0Zsfjpz1bO3N4eWzzF00OjeMLHs85/s3200/widow.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">War Widow (c) Sandy LeBrun-Evans</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Interestingly, during many of the battles, just as they did 150 years ago, ladies sit uphill, taking in the scene while garbed in period dress -- all the way down to their underwear! The attention to detail is incredible in everything the soldiers, women and children wear and do. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What draws my attention and my camera the most are the early mornings when everyone is preparing for what's to come and the evenings after the battle. Throughout the camps, they cook, camp, drill and play as if they are truly LIVING YESTERDAY TODAY.<br /><br />I am just starting to work with my images. The most difficult part of the process is trying to make my images look as if they were taken 150 years ago, especially since I am presenting them in color. One solution has been to mute the color and add textures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At every battle I witness, I learn something new, meet wonderful people and see photographs everywhere I turn. I look forward to adding to this portfolio and sharing my</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM34TkQG1R0Xy53v7_mKhrQS2DseiK4HMKxTMtVtla7VAMNa6AArh4GtJ6tHhR-OS3pO8xfDGavmnGxYLnZcHJwH1BfsSrDr5wpSbfo5r0g1zXTuR0Zsfjpz1bO3N4eWzzF00OjeMLHs85/s3200/widow.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></span> work with others. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br /></span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-54966451568483988282014-02-27T06:23:00.000-08:002014-02-27T06:28:08.465-08:00The View From The Street: Q&A With Fred Zafran<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://multipleexposuresgallery.com/artistsZafran.html">Fred Zafran</a>’s new show,</i><b> 7th and H Streets, NW</b><i>, at Multiple Exposures Gallery, is an exploration of the historic Old Downtown neighborhood in Washington, DC. More than a simple depiction of the character of the neighborhood, the images form a psychological </i></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-nqvIDSPwWUgjbOfKJ4VMA8p0jvopHytv4BQjzY_uVVatzyX_rDyVIk-ESM8U48seMQX1VGa2mvs5rGJrVK3RrXUXE1q1T5RSSqR47ywVdzskoIFX-h9XuvCnAvhAAZyElnv2Z2Aqr25/s1600/7&H_03_clear.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-nqvIDSPwWUgjbOfKJ4VMA8p0jvopHytv4BQjzY_uVVatzyX_rDyVIk-ESM8U48seMQX1VGa2mvs5rGJrVK3RrXUXE1q1T5RSSqR47ywVdzskoIFX-h9XuvCnAvhAAZyElnv2Z2Aqr25/s1600/7&H_03_clear.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a>landscape that communicates the spirit and presence of place. Fred offers insights into the joys of street photography and how they led him to this exceptional new portfolio.</i><br /><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Congratulations on the opening of your new exhibition. Would you tell us a little about your photography and way of working? </b>I am principally an urban photographer and most of my work takes place “on the street.” My way of working is to set out with very little equipment… usually just a single camera and lens. I wander the streets observing, listening, trying simply to be present. I find joy in exploring without plan or preconception, remaining open to the unanticipated “stories” that the day may offer.<br /><br />I’m also looking for things — settings, circumstances, people — that typically wouldn’t be found together, but when connected (framed), create a new and stronger narrative. Joel Meyerowitz, a well-known street photographer, has described it as “photographing the relationship between things.”<br /><br /><b>Do you choose specific locations to shoot or do you wander until you see something intriguing?</b> Both really. I remain open to the possible, but at the same time, I’m drawn to settings with extraordinary light. I am always looking for illumination that “textures the darkness” because it is here that light itself imparts its strongest meaning. If I find a spot with extraordinary light, I will explore this location until I find the right vantage. Then I might stop and wait (…and wait some more) until an idea or opportunity presents itself. I could be at a single location observing and waiting for quite some time before I begin to press the shutter. <br /><b><br />Would you share more about your new project and portfolio of work?</b> For a year, I returned repeatedly to the neighborhood surrounding 7th and H Streets, NW, in </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4GckDzl5g3hZJuu460WoDJv1s25zDeS1jgvgSS0bx8siGcjF5s8Z2V79lwx3pB2Qk7BNW3ynpNYIpfGfeXRFTejPu_uLdxI84ue33yJrEOfb6VMbu59p_1DNsWzn6EX3ectitYx_9Gtw/s1600/7&H_51+v3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4GckDzl5g3hZJuu460WoDJv1s25zDeS1jgvgSS0bx8siGcjF5s8Z2V79lwx3pB2Qk7BNW3ynpNYIpfGfeXRFTejPu_uLdxI84ue33yJrEOfb6VMbu59p_1DNsWzn6EX3ectitYx_9Gtw/s1600/7&H_51+v3.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a>Washington, DC. This is the historic "Old Downtown" DC and the corner of 7th and H Streets may be considered its "epicenter." The neighborhood is defined by the intersection of three distinct subcultures – a popular DC entertainment quarter, a Chinatown fading in decline, and a shadow world of those struggling and living too close to the street. <br /><br />There was something about this neighborhood that kept bringing me back, to wander the streets, to explore, with the intent to document what I saw. <br /><br /><b>The images in your portfolio feature people from a number of different vantage points – at street level, from outside on the street looking in, from close and from farther away. Does vantage affect “comfort level” and does this change based upon proximity?</b> In some cases, I’m very close to the people within the frame I’m capturing. Often I will have to react quickly to capture the image envisioned. If I have the time and opportunity, I like to engage, say hello, share a bit about what I am doing… and ask if it would be OK to make a photo. <br /><br />When I shoot from the outside in, I sometimes go to the window, raise my camera and with a gesture, silently ask permission. Often the person will nod and smile and indicate they are OK with the situation. When you get close to people in street photography, you just have to work through any potential discomfort that arises. Connecting with people is part of the magic of street photography.<br /><br /><b>What do you want people to take away from your images? </b>If my images are successful, the viewer will want to come back to look again. Alex Webb, a Magnum photographer and another well-known street photographer, describes less successful photos as “one-note” images – mildly interesting, but you look once and don’t care to come back again. Successful images ask questions, communicate emotionally on multiple levels, and don’t readily yield up their answers.<br /><br /><b>What advice do you have for individuals interested in exploring street photography or improving their street photography?</b> It is helpful to look at the images of master photographers whose work was largely accomplished on the street. Examples include </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbqacTZ8zbOpDw6WB-X8lzK6ET5vPw1ZvXLrznpduxTMk174qMF0Kf9Ub8XHdPKnmoH14HLg5v5qsS8_bWhRiqjbHRHZzWRtqWVRV5e91yDEfYhSn_IBtXcgMj3seutQJ0T_W_ER17r5X/s1600/7&H_63+v2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbqacTZ8zbOpDw6WB-X8lzK6ET5vPw1ZvXLrznpduxTMk174qMF0Kf9Ub8XHdPKnmoH14HLg5v5qsS8_bWhRiqjbHRHZzWRtqWVRV5e91yDEfYhSn_IBtXcgMj3seutQJ0T_W_ER17r5X/s1600/7&H_63+v2.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a>Andre Kertez, Henri Cartier-Bresson. Ray Metzker, Josef Koudelka, Fan Ho, Saul Leiter, Sam Abell, Alex Webb, Joel Meyerowitz, Helen Levitt, Daido Moriyama, and Vivian Maier.<br /><br />However, the most important advice is really to pick up your camera, head out and make photos… and then go out and do it some more. When shooting on the street, go without plan or preconception. Simply wander, be aware, and remain open to the possible. I would also follow Sam Abell’s sage advice to “look for the setting first.” Let the light lead you to the right circumstances, compose, wait, and often the subject will find you.<br /><br /><i>The opening reception for Fred Zafran’s new show, </i><b>7th and H Streets, NW</b><i>, will be held Sunday, March 2, 2014, from 2pm-4pm, at Multiple Exposures Gallery at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Virginia.</i></span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-250860975233307532014-02-15T15:27:00.000-08:002014-02-15T13:01:58.397-08:00The Vicissitudes of a Project <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlPvo1iqZYfmU4Qoq_CbkhokQFx-XRBdwmFdWxBEmQbwXOe9s_eWAMCvPCnUQtztxwzs-uW21JTmFVahttzH8AKphdldl_8VrvqKapdQgRarjdhe0bQ7yDnOmjrMbPMMezhDzfFE9Fb9R/s1600/Cocoon+Series+%25231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlPvo1iqZYfmU4Qoq_CbkhokQFx-XRBdwmFdWxBEmQbwXOe9s_eWAMCvPCnUQtztxwzs-uW21JTmFVahttzH8AKphdldl_8VrvqKapdQgRarjdhe0bQ7yDnOmjrMbPMMezhDzfFE9Fb9R/s1600/Cocoon+Series+%25231.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"> (c) E.E. McCollum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>MEG member <a href="http://multipleexposuresgallery.com/artistsMcCollum.html">E.E. McCollum</a> describes the evolution of a photographic series. </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For the past 3 years, I've been working on a project I call the<i> Cocoon Series</i>. The project started quite by accident when a model I was working with - Katlyn - showed me a tube of stretchy nylon material, six feet or so in length and sewn closed on one end.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"I think you'll like this," she said, and wriggled into it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span> <br />Suddenly,
the figure I saw in front of me was transformed. The fabric stretched
around Katlyn in such a way that the space of the body was made manifest
and Katlyn's creative poses took on a sculptural quality. I was
hooked. Ways to make images of the body in the cocoon kept coming to me
long after that first session.<br /> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfLqW5riLSqOSJ_Nnw6i110Y74vbQ0FyTyZR8XJ97CgdVb-pSM5l6qePNBGTuAhq6mnpZ78d08QdRZzqJ5j1JifVp9DvDORMaW4CbGH641S5HC1Z3a51CNlxVNcz8UxkO80b2ttbnUDqj/s1600/Cocoon+Series+%2523038.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfLqW5riLSqOSJ_Nnw6i110Y74vbQ0FyTyZR8XJ97CgdVb-pSM5l6qePNBGTuAhq6mnpZ78d08QdRZzqJ5j1JifVp9DvDORMaW4CbGH641S5HC1Z3a51CNlxVNcz8UxkO80b2ttbnUDqj/s1600/Cocoon+Series+%2523038.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"> (c) E.E. McCollum</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As
I explored photographing the whole figure, I began to wonder what it
would be like to have two models in one cocoon. Two adventurous models
agreed to try. The two figures together suggested relationship and
contact as the figures wove together. I also began to explore moving
closer to the models and not including the entire figure. My creative
model/partners began to play with the concept of the two together
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">producing images that are by turns beautiful, and odd and unsettling.
We struggle to orient ourselves as we look at them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We
also used fish line to pull the nylon up toward the ceiling,
manipulating the space that the cocoon defines. It seemed to work best
when it followed the contours of the body. Again, the models responded
with such creativity to this new approach and, together with one, we
created what has become the iconic image of the series.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAe1CL4jBh3BnV7hQBOFWlw0tdocmsGImFtU-nAV40mOiokDRG1Yv6ICXUBSupYQxuX8gg2b91PKISp7vvNFlBjSdN1n2eAq0QXHd9_b6yw8kmw66iNatcgvEDJxgDXycP3IQTVkzeQtt/s1600/Cocoon+Series+%23041.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAe1CL4jBh3BnV7hQBOFWlw0tdocmsGImFtU-nAV40mOiokDRG1Yv6ICXUBSupYQxuX8gg2b91PKISp7vvNFlBjSdN1n2eAq0QXHd9_b6yw8kmw66iNatcgvEDJxgDXycP3IQTVkzeQtt/s1600/Cocoon+Series+%23041.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"> (c) E.E. McCollum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With
another model, I shot with a harsher light directed from a different
angle. The result was a more graphic sense of the body and some mystery
as the body disappeared into the shadows. The project went on and
on. We stained the fabric with facial mud and body paint to accentuate
texture. We tore it provide a sense of </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">emergence. I shot a male model and a male/female couple. Each time I think it might be done, a new idea comes to me. <br /> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7vCMsLgo1_0L5GCl5njaXSjs4lUmej1y8VbAgZOSg_lrEkyFKWtvpNMBOxiK2FIEqgyKqMRCVQcEZpq0EOnAbEYDOEPrW9lSwVaUmqNGgk6lN-5zOQs7Gpt83H1ieiIYSKLFo62IHGvb/s1600/Cocoon+Series+%2382.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7vCMsLgo1_0L5GCl5njaXSjs4lUmej1y8VbAgZOSg_lrEkyFKWtvpNMBOxiK2FIEqgyKqMRCVQcEZpq0EOnAbEYDOEPrW9lSwVaUmqNGgk6lN-5zOQs7Gpt83H1ieiIYSKLFo62IHGvb/s1600/Cocoon+Series+%2382.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"> (c) E.E. McCollum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This
is the first sustained artistic project I've done and I've been
reflecting on what I've learned from it. First, I think a sustainable
project needs to be based on something more </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">than
just an idea. I took a class once and a fellow photographer showed her
project for critique. She had decided to do a sustained piece of work
and cast around for an idea or theme, she said. What she showed, at
least in my view, was somewhat lackluster, although the idea itself was
intriguing. I think it's because one can't set out to do a project. The
project has to capture you. The cocoon came along unexpectedly and
captured me emotionally right from the start and that seemed to enliven
the work. There must be something emotional in the mix if you are to
live with a body of work as long as a project demands.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Secondly,
I learned that things change. The cocoon series started as individual
images. Early on, each image with interesting solely in its own right.
The more it continued, however, the more I saw the images relating to
one another with prior images providing </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">context
for the later ones. It took time for it to became a project, in other
words. It developed organically. I also have to remember that the
earlier images are very familiar to me and have lost a little of their
freshness because I have seen and worked with them so much. But that
isn't true of most viewers. As I make a selection of the project for a
publication or show, I try to include images from throughout the
series. The recent ones are of more interest to me because they
represent my growing edge. But you have to have faith in the strength
of the work throughout.<br /><br />Finally, I think you have to have the
dedication to follow the project to its end while recognizing that it's
hard to know when to stop. So far, every time I think I've gotten to
the end of the <i>Cocoon Series</i>, something new has occurred to me. I don't
know how long it will continue, or if the work will grow stale after a
while. Nevertheless, I remain committed to following it to wherever it
needs to go.<br /><br />============<br />Images from <i>The Cocoon Series</i>
will be on display at the Art League Gallery in the Torpedo Factory
from March 13th through April 7th, 2014. Selections from the series can
also be seen daily at Multiple Exposures Gallery in Studio 312 at the
Torpedo Factory. <br /><br />E. E. McCollum can be reached at info@eemccollum.com</span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-6959574692821152512014-02-06T19:40:00.000-08:002014-02-06T19:41:45.050-08:00Refresh <style>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>MEG member Danny Conant shares some suggestions for getting out of a photographic rut. </i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Most of us have had the feeling at times of being stuck or stale in our photographic life. It’s no fun working on something that doesn’t inspire you or hammering away at a piece that </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCbUmmZ4W4IfDM_Ii9CxisrkCRWndO7_XSqmMg05ewSzWSVKioDfpKK-q-4DhJgshUccY5zOlHQ_viij9HefM8nDjN6yIZM4RDMfCoMz5wq8Mpj93Br3b_cdcBlzyXySkbjGi_HSThTfb/s1600/Writing+in+Tuscany.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCbUmmZ4W4IfDM_Ii9CxisrkCRWndO7_XSqmMg05ewSzWSVKioDfpKK-q-4DhJgshUccY5zOlHQ_viij9HefM8nDjN6yIZM4RDMfCoMz5wq8Mpj93Br3b_cdcBlzyXySkbjGi_HSThTfb/s1600/Writing+in+Tuscany.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></i></span>you secretly know you are never going to like. So we need to refresh and get out of that unproductive rut.<br /><br />Over the years I have found some things that have given me a jump-start to pulling out of the rut. If you are feeling uninspired, make time to visit a gallery or museum or studio of an artist. I say make time, not take time, because you will say, “I don’t have time.” I don’t have it either, so I have to make it by perhaps giving up something else. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes it’s better to see a painting exhibit than one of photography. You may come away with some new thoughts after seeing what is driving that particular painter or sculptor or printmaker.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Other suggestions are to do something different even if it is a little uncomfortable and/or take a class to learn something new or challenging. Recently, I took a writing workshop in Tuscany, even though I know nothing about real writing. The first day I struggled along as I wrote the assignment. While that alone wasn’t comfortable, an even more terrifying part came when I had to read what I had written to all of the other accomplished writers. The good news? The earth didn’t open up and swallow me and everyone was too polite to ask why was I in that class. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At the end of the day, I was fine with the whole process. After five days of work, I came away with a new feeling for words. And while I still love my visuals, one day I’m going to </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5phFsHQUpkN8lT6rqyRGbUcvxXOipBxl9IwBbM-9b1qDCj7lx0uwoimj-FeamTtdrkD9tR-Xf2jeidahd8lMT3tkuaAQPxWSfnwh_beKp0cTbEQtn8MgHHj2TvzSzW4dDbzDk2Qqpz8I/s1600/watercolor+workshop.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5phFsHQUpkN8lT6rqyRGbUcvxXOipBxl9IwBbM-9b1qDCj7lx0uwoimj-FeamTtdrkD9tR-Xf2jeidahd8lMT3tkuaAQPxWSfnwh_beKp0cTbEQtn8MgHHj2TvzSzW4dDbzDk2Qqpz8I/s1600/watercolor+workshop.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></i></span>put them both together. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Another favorite inspirational help is belonging to a couple of small low-key groups of like-minded photographers who get together a few times a year to share ideas and work.<br /><br />Finally, when an image is just not responding to me after a reasonable amount of time, I simply let it go. There will be other images. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Overall, I think my main tool for getting out of a rut is my lack of fear of failure. If I am afraid of failing, I won’t try anything new or push my boundaries at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Danny's work can be seen daily at Multiple Exposures Gallery in the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, VA. </i></span><br />
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5phFsHQUpkN8lT6rqyRGbUcvxXOipBxl9IwBbM-9b1qDCj7lx0uwoimj-FeamTtdrkD9tR-Xf2jeidahd8lMT3tkuaAQPxWSfnwh_beKp0cTbEQtn8MgHHj2TvzSzW4dDbzDk2Qqpz8I/s1600/watercolor+workshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></i></div>
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<br />Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-30261147523887714582014-01-03T12:03:00.000-08:002014-01-04T15:26:42.357-08:00No Image Stands Alone <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Multiple Exposures Gallery's newly-minted president,<a href="http://multipleexposuresgallery.com/artistsZafran.html"> Fred Zafran</a>, explains the meaning behind a message. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some time back, as I was traveling the unmarked road that is photography’s exquisitely winding journey, I came across a cryptic sign. It read:<br /><br /><i>“No image stands alone.”</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />At first uncertain, the meaning (and wisdom) of the message gradually became clear. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As our technique and craft evolve along with the opening of artistic sensibility, we find on</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Ad6LF6fNoTIshza0_MhxqZ_PmJJ2W2tuGzF7RV1toPmQ6sfHewZmmNaM78X3ybUUdVKz8qP6xWd5WSwr5LASt8Th2s0cxea4KB7zjRTahxbn7mPeDVywAlVpbdFA-rMxtg6hz2h8KCk6/s1600/FAZ_Spectator_01.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Ad6LF6fNoTIshza0_MhxqZ_PmJJ2W2tuGzF7RV1toPmQ6sfHewZmmNaM78X3ybUUdVKz8qP6xWd5WSwr5LASt8Th2s0cxea4KB7zjRTahxbn7mPeDVywAlVpbdFA-rMxtg6hz2h8KCk6/s320/FAZ_Spectator_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(c) Fred Zafran</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> occasion that our captured images seem, well… expressive, and perhaps even compelling. Maybe others seeing our work have said so too. Now energized, we are driven to create more compelling images, to be open and receptive to finding more.<br /><br />But… as the desire (the need?) arises to communicate an inner intent and deeper narrative through our work, we find that this is no longer possible with a single image (or a series of disconnected images). So, it is within the context of the photographic essay (or project) that this communication becomes possible, and an imperative.<br /><br />Charles Harbutt (Magnum photographer) offers a definition of a photographic essay as a </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZLnVdV-jQDnrNMMbdQY4TEV6OOwXwSbQIvhXi5RIOBN-ElDUOEPFJfvMCew4UmLzB7Gkftpo_WhHgiQZ6W1R-sDcPE4wSaGP3Yeiug4yEAL5ht14mxdJhzDDBnIthAqtKg49vTNI_YH6/s1600/FAZ_Spectator_02.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZLnVdV-jQDnrNMMbdQY4TEV6OOwXwSbQIvhXi5RIOBN-ElDUOEPFJfvMCew4UmLzB7Gkftpo_WhHgiQZ6W1R-sDcPE4wSaGP3Yeiug4yEAL5ht14mxdJhzDDBnIthAqtKg49vTNI_YH6/s320/FAZ_Spectator_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(c) Fred Zafran</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“multi-level picture story that flows primarily from an awareness of the symbolic possibilities of the subject matter.” He notes that this awareness may come either during the shooting or afterwards… but that there is “more vitality” when it comes later (!)<br /><br />Working principally as an “urban documentary (street) photographer,” my approach to image making is to head out on the street with camera in hand, and to remain open to the unforeseen. I have been working on a major project for about 9 months now (I’ll save this for a later Blog post). But what is of interest, is that during the course of this longer-term project, other small narratives not previously conceived, began making themselves known to me.<br /><br />Koji Onaka, an accomplished Japanese street photographer (and student of Daido Moriyama) summarizes well this curious process of discovery: <br /><br /><i>“There’s not a clear concept before taking my pictures. Photography is procedural and I take photographs of what attracts me, and then later this manifests itself as interests. The</i></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> subconscious is at play, the work acts as a reminder of what I’m interested in – it’s what </i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuMDrZeg_HXLDH6pspm_gwE97tnPFBkWn7zOOU_A7y-GohWAzKT4PerRhpotEnLCD1bG0UOXhr5dFmUCyeLHPjJTE9IzOqlimi3wlQ0tvyuMMKrxKIOUF8NeXxox_z61BXh4hnSSDpfue/s1600/FAZ_Spectator_04.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuMDrZeg_HXLDH6pspm_gwE97tnPFBkWn7zOOU_A7y-GohWAzKT4PerRhpotEnLCD1bG0UOXhr5dFmUCyeLHPjJTE9IzOqlimi3wlQ0tvyuMMKrxKIOUF8NeXxox_z61BXh4hnSSDpfue/s320/FAZ_Spectator_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(c) Fred Zafran</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>caught my eye. There’s not something in particular that is my subject. It becomes a process of self-discovery.”</i><br /><br />I will share a recent photographic narrative that appeared as subcontext of my ongoing work, and is becoming a project in itself. The new project depicts the photographer’s “presence” both conceptually and literally as observer and author of the captured scene – a key compositional and psychological element. Although still in the early stages of discovery and development (… and uncertain of emerging direction), I have risked sharing a few images in this Blog post. Maybe this is an examination of the “quantum entanglement” of photographer and the world observed (?) <br /><br />More to follow…</span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-85282243826099788272013-12-28T13:12:00.003-08:002013-12-28T13:14:04.567-08:00Thoughts on Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Should you always remain true to your style? MEG member Eric Johnson shares some thoughts on the topic. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Several times during a recent group show at Multiple Exposures Gallery, I received a particular comment on one of my images, a desert landscape that I shot in Joshua Tree </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQkUVgrPt28uuRDx6OnvA_pfPK_mayYRJuwjQYnN-_-NCiIaE4weOXyYv1Wrh_LcYoY5dGYID4WmrELzoIz8UAOkAE2CEOFfaHbXAj6OyxUthgAlg5N-bwTsKeKKzazAQfnMwquhYvjOI/s1600/Valley+Sunrise.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQkUVgrPt28uuRDx6OnvA_pfPK_mayYRJuwjQYnN-_-NCiIaE4weOXyYv1Wrh_LcYoY5dGYID4WmrELzoIz8UAOkAE2CEOFfaHbXAj6OyxUthgAlg5N-bwTsKeKKzazAQfnMwquhYvjOI/s320/Valley+Sunrise.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Valley
Sunrise, Joshua Tree National Park<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>©Eric Johnson</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">National Park. Viewers who were familiar with my work from previous exhibitions commented that this photo didn’t look like my usual work. People seemed to like it, but it was so different from the urban landscapes that I am so often attracted to, and also different from the content of the <i>Square Meals</i> show that I had at MEG earlier in the year, that several people felt compelled to comment on it. I was a bit surprised by this (and pleasantly so), because when I look through my catalog in Lightroom I find plenty of different genres – landscapes, street shots, abstracts – but I have to admit that the work that I most frequently show in galleries and exhibitions does tend to come from a relatively narrow segment of the types of work I produce. <br /><br />Every photographer should have a style – it is what makes our work distinctive, and it comes from our individual outlook on the world. It reflects how we see, and it comes from within.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bob and
Edith’s Diner, Arlington, VA ©Eric Johnson</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, there is some benefit to breaking out of your usual style once in a while and trying some new things. I recently took classes in portrait photography and studio lighting. These two areas may not have much direct relevance to the type of photography that I </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">typically do, and I don’t really intend to make a major change in the direction of my photographic career, but I took the classes more as a means of expanding my awareness of other photographic methods and techniques, and to experiment with a different way of using light and seeing its impact on a subject. I’m sure that these new techniques and approaches will find their way into my photographic style, even though I probably won’t change the subject matter that appeals to me. But that’s my goal – to keep growing as a photographer while remaining true to my style, but to not get so stuck in one style that I can’t break out of it from time to time.<br /><br /> </span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-78123407783432078902013-11-29T09:22:00.000-08:002013-12-02T13:47:51.571-08:00Blackwater Wildlife Refuge: A Favorite Place To Photograph<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>MEG member Susan Meyers describes a place she returns to time and time again for new photographic images. </i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHq66PmxA3CicJU-OY1jPY8ZvWKrZD9Zh7f0gcYnnoArt3g-MzdxDqIg0Zt4ei9k0ndLyXqR2mpTxNnh3_sVpxbyc6nvRdwnPaqFWD7AJY2UzAD7oQcEnYFExURT3aTqHy947-dcU16mXv/s1600/Afterglow.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHq66PmxA3CicJU-OY1jPY8ZvWKrZD9Zh7f0gcYnnoArt3g-MzdxDqIg0Zt4ei9k0ndLyXqR2mpTxNnh3_sVpxbyc6nvRdwnPaqFWD7AJY2UzAD7oQcEnYFExURT3aTqHy947-dcU16mXv/s320/Afterglow.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(c) Susan Meyers</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We all have our favorite places to photograph. Some close to home and some more distant. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />One of my places is just two hours from home on the Eastern Shore near Cambridge, Maryland. For me, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is the perfect place to indulge in two of my favorite pastimes--photography and bird watching. Together but separate. <br /><br />We usually go several times a year, because Blackwater changes with the seasons. It's the one place you can always be guaranteed to see bald eagles (usually more than one). On one visit, we actually saw over two dozen in an afternoon. Also a great many ducks winter there and large flocks of snow geese. There is nothing quite like a thousand snow geese coming to roost in the late afternoon sunlight, honking away, and circling until one decides to come in for a landing and the rest follow. The sky looks like it's filled with silvery confetti.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgmHuYDqQq9xGKB6EX4JE7ojI-oRARp6mpknililuiydCm6A_pVk4iHhi67Ms7TXYWm-3Km2-N5Vtc4FG6461tr9E11hyphenhyphenP8JVyDyCE3OZwldDnnJzcxqEXteclUh6B2BE5nh_H5naPaw-/s1600/AfterSundown2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgmHuYDqQq9xGKB6EX4JE7ojI-oRARp6mpknililuiydCm6A_pVk4iHhi67Ms7TXYWm-3Km2-N5Vtc4FG6461tr9E11hyphenhyphenP8JVyDyCE3OZwldDnnJzcxqEXteclUh6B2BE5nh_H5naPaw-/s320/AfterSundown2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(c) Susan Meyers</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's a wonderful place any time of the year, but I especially like it in late December, or early January, when the sun sets early, and unless we've had a particularly cold spell, there is still a lot of open water.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've been both a photographer and a birdwatcher since I was in my early 20s, but early on I realized I didn't have the patience to be a nature photographer. About that time, Elliot Porter published "Birds of North America." Some of the photos are still breathtaking forty years later. He built scaffolding, lowered the tops of trees, and indulged in other drastic measures to obtain the wonderful photos in this volume. I lacked the</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span> equipment, resources, and perseverance for this kind of photography. You might find a great blue, or an egret in some of my pictures, but no parents feeding baby cerulean </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span>warblers at the nest. I also have an aversion to heavy camera equipment and huge lenses. So I leave that type of nature photography to others heartier than me. If you are one of these people and do get the iconic eagle photo, I'd love to see it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXjsXjbDdzYTaYlEIgcFPDmAyRy4im_rfTdBj6tGfi54P1V3W4bE2zz2jV4ltan26vsLcTTtNsEYQ5dYEgyctzLmwsxpR9rasO-XIN4avCLg0pWEE9xx3t3JJq64ZV9DQV1kS86nJ8rOs/s1600/Floaters.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXjsXjbDdzYTaYlEIgcFPDmAyRy4im_rfTdBj6tGfi54P1V3W4bE2zz2jV4ltan26vsLcTTtNsEYQ5dYEgyctzLmwsxpR9rasO-XIN4avCLg0pWEE9xx3t3JJq64ZV9DQV1kS86nJ8rOs/s320/Floaters.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(c) Susan Meyers</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What I do take is trees, flowers, water, reflections, and the color of light. You can find that in abundance at Blackwater. Every time is unique and the colors you capture are never the same twice. Just remember, </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span>even if there aren't any clouds, don't pack up and leave as soon as the sun dips below the horizon. Sometimes that is just the beginning. Be patient and you may get a light show the likes of which you can't begin to imagine.</span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-24624162434891070182013-11-23T11:18:00.001-08:002013-11-23T12:13:33.604-08:00HDR - Love It Or Hate It! "<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’m always and forever looking for the image that has spirit! I don’t give a damn how it got made.” — Minor White</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMllS86GJPDSBQNhn4YWmJVcAhmmMnx7m19DX1ijINrX3ApJC-HOEdrmnMqVJOhro18s8ImDXVXDX0WloU6l-mvuszsEG2EVGh6nhPT_50cfuAzcCNo9RgppmzvXXl3yJthI7cYPvOt_v/s1600/C-Final+as+edited+in+PS6.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMllS86GJPDSBQNhn4YWmJVcAhmmMnx7m19DX1ijINrX3ApJC-HOEdrmnMqVJOhro18s8ImDXVXDX0WloU6l-mvuszsEG2EVGh6nhPT_50cfuAzcCNo9RgppmzvXXl3yJthI7cYPvOt_v/s320/C-Final+as+edited+in+PS6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Final HDR Image (c) Sandy LeBrun-Evans</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Most photographers have an immediate reaction to HDR photography: they either love it or hate it. MEG member <a href="http://multipleexposuresgallery.com/artistsLeBrun-Evan.html">Sandy LeBrun-Evans</a> falls in the "love" camp and explains more about her technique. </i></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i></i><br /><br /><b>Why does HDR photography appeal to you?</b> HDR is an acronym for High Dynamic Range, which means that images are composited to extend the dynamic range beyond what our cameras currently can capture. While our eyes can adjust to an image and see the dynamic range, our cameras cannot, so when there is a wide range between light and dark, no single exposure in a camera can capture all of the lights and all of the darks in a scene. By working in HDR, I am able to produce images that include the entire range between light and dark. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwn86gvxCpWan9cxKLwmI9ivnNQLNoXzXsKQlURXVmX8_8JjaW2OHIdpL0XXQdEbl6PtOXNTi7FTBaLNXa1y7EAqWRvoHSmb-SHTDAbjodiBNsPXDtH1FqP51NstOhpg23sLsKh9Te1LmF/s1600/Sandy+Bracket.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwn86gvxCpWan9cxKLwmI9ivnNQLNoXzXsKQlURXVmX8_8JjaW2OHIdpL0XXQdEbl6PtOXNTi7FTBaLNXa1y7EAqWRvoHSmb-SHTDAbjodiBNsPXDtH1FqP51NstOhpg23sLsKh9Te1LmF/s320/Sandy+Bracket.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bracketed image examples, light to dark</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Your HDR images have a very specific look. How did you develop it?</b> I studied HDR for a couple of years before I made an image that worked for me. I took classes from Dan Burkholder and Tony Sweet and I studied Ben Wilmore’s DVDs on the HDR process. Combining what I learned from all three, I then created a “look” and style that I like for my images. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>How do you create an HDR image?</b> To capture all of the lights and darks in a scene, I take anywhere from 3 to 12+ exposures of a single scene. If the scene doesn't have an extreme dynamic range, I set my camera on AV and set bracketing on my Nikon D700 to </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">bracket from 3 to 9 shots (whatever it takes to obtain all of the lights and all of the darks) and shoot. If the dynamic range is extreme, I set my camera to the manual mode and manual focus, bracket by shutter speed, and take as many images as I think I'll need. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pGnTP1VOZOJzGy0BYBh1QvWBRx59sIQqpXtTMEr8fK-j7oTFyuJeyNt60XwFlHArRh46-aT8Ok0GIAhJOlDeVVKg-vKbnGxikS4ebpPOuJ48Qn5HGtxIfBmHBiDmJImCvoAiIKE_90pw/s1600/B-tiff_after_processing_bracked_images_in_Photomatix.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pGnTP1VOZOJzGy0BYBh1QvWBRx59sIQqpXtTMEr8fK-j7oTFyuJeyNt60XwFlHArRh46-aT8Ok0GIAhJOlDeVVKg-vKbnGxikS4ebpPOuJ48Qn5HGtxIfBmHBiDmJImCvoAiIKE_90pw/s320/B-tiff_after_processing_bracked_images_in_Photomatix.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Composite .tiff file ready for final processing </span></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am always on a tripod and I turn off VR (Vibration Reduction) on my lens as VR can cause movement during the capture process. I then blend as many images as required to cover the full dynamic range in Photomatix software and save the processed image as a .tiff file. Finally, I take the .tiff file into Photoshop (I'm currently working in PS6) and finish the print as I desire for my final print.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Do you always shoot for HDR or do you only do so for specific images? </b>I usually always bracket when shooting just in case I think I might need to process my image as an HDR image. You can always spot me — or I should say hear me — because I am the one making that annoying CLICK, CLICK, CLICK... as I capture those 3 to 9 images.</span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-64347988169915384762013-11-05T03:56:00.000-08:002013-11-05T03:56:21.893-08:00In Pursuit Of Beauty
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<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Fred Zafran</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span></span><i>What do beauty, art, Alfred Stieglitz, and MEG have to do with each other? Tom Beck, chief curator at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and the juror of <a href="http://www.multipleexposuresgallery.com/">MEG's current </a></i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://www.multipleexposuresgallery.com/"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span></span></span></span>exhibit,</a> explains: </i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Many think that the beauty of a photograph is a result of having a camera with an exceptionally fine lens or special powers over subject matter. In his 1923 essay (“How I Came to Photograph Clouds”) Alfred Stieglitz said: “I wanted to photograph clouds to find out what I had learned in 40 years…Through clouds to put down my philosophy of life—to show that my photographs were not due to subject matter—not special trees, or faces, or </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">interiors, to special privileges—clouds were there for everyone.” He wanted people to be excited by his creations, not the technique or technology that made them. The photographs that I judged for the exhibition, indeed call attention to the artfulness of the imagery and not the mechanics, a virtue in our technology dominated era. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The success of the imagery selected for this exhibition reveals that beauty is necessary to the photographers. The pursuit of beauty is their way of making images that are true to themselves as artists. “Beauty is the universal seen,” said Alfred Stieglitz. He was defining his approach to making, understanding, and appreciating photographs, and, in a sense, setting a standard for making art photography in the future. The images in this exhibition compare favorably to Stieglitz’s standard. It has been my pleasure to judge this exhibition and discover the beauty in these photographs. </span></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Five Cherries</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>An opening reception will be held Thursday, November 14th, from 6pm-8pm, in Studio 312 at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Exhibit end date: November 24, 2013. </i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div>
Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-53082304965267284152013-10-17T09:16:00.002-07:002013-10-17T09:16:25.335-07:00A Movie Is Worth A Thousand Words...DC Fine Art Photography Fair <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A friend of MEG captured some footage from our experience at the DC Fine Art Photography Fair earlier this month. It was an excellent event and we look forward to its return next year. </span></div>
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<br />Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-41111830009640674652013-10-07T14:21:00.002-07:002013-10-07T14:21:45.262-07:00Taking It To The Streets<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Karen Keating's latest work, STREET PORTRAITS, features images from two Easters -- one in Sicily and the other in Key West. Below Karen shares some thoughts on why street photography is so compelling and what it takes to practice it well.</i></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(c) Karen Keating</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9090074265874507126" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Why is the street such an alluring subject?</b> Most photographers begin their photo interest on the street – practicing camera basics, responding to the scene, and making </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">order out of chaos. The question is what makes some of us stay on the street – gravitating to the unknown? <br /><br />My street shooting is focused primarily on street portraits. My continuing interest and curiosity is people – their ordinary lives and daily rituals. I am not interested in staging shots, nor do I want to work in a studio environment. I want to watch, observe, and spontaneously react to the mixture of light, structure and people as they live their lives. I like to watch, observe, and wait. I do not hide, or use a long lens, often having a short conversation, some times not. The street offers abundant opportunities and challenges. I need to be prepared, to be the perpetual student, and trust that there will be images. I am always richer for the experience of working on the street. <br /><br /><b>Have portraits always been an interest of yours?</b> My graduate school fine art photo thesis was A Colloquy: Mothers and Daughters, which focused on adolescent daughters and their mothers, middle-age daughters with their elderly mothers, and three generations of mothers and daughters. This extensive portfolio focused on capturing moments of the complex mother-daughter relationship. Often my focus is on the relationships, but equally I am interested in the person enjoying solitude.<br /><br />When I am in my city, my environment and I am busy teaching or organizing the program and instructors at Photoworks, my shooting mornings or evenings are in the woods or near the creek in the neighborhood. I seem to need time away from people, finding the light and reacting to the mood of the moment. However, when traveling I almost never take landscape images, but concentrate on watching people and waiting for moments that reveal a sliver of their life or interests or daily ritual. <br /><b><br />The images in your current show at Multiple Exposures Gallery come from Sicily and Key West, two very different locations and cultures. How do the locations you chose to shoot in influence the images you capture?</b> The Sicilians, in preparation for Easter, presented my first look at a religious event and the elaborate preparations and seriousness </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zNuNnYNg992GTo29WYtfrJwcps9LwtCxlWne8fXZXI0tkDFi3udrq0nSWsAAdxhPbpKxAYhtRjRUDRh2PSkvFYfnCNSMWcZUJ_ueP_gd57_nvRLTiegglZuqgY0qbsZvkRWFkGGjDXZX/s320/Keating_PalermoChair%234C0857.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Karen Keating</td></tr>
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</span>of the weeklong affair. Photographers from many European countries and the U.S. flock to several small towns in Sicily to capture the complexity and importance of Easter Week. It is truly photographing a five-day event with Good Friday being a 24-hour non-stop parade of altars throughout Marsala. The enactment and emotions are intense. I am not sure that I knew what to expect and I found the ten days a profound challenge.<br /><br />A year later, I was in Key West for Easter. I have photographed in Key West many times and have found Bahama Village to be my preferred neighborhood. Bahama Village is off</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
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the beaten path of the well-known tourism in Key West. I always prefer to select a section of a city, a neighborhood to concentrate on observing daily life whether it is Havana, London, and Kampala.<br /><br />In preparing for this exhibit the contrast in the two Easters seemed distinct – certainly in my emotional reaction to the two Easters. I do not think that it was the locations alone, but rather the differences in emotions between the solemnity of Marsala and the joy of Bahama Village after Easter services. With any street shooting, there is a combination of the observed emotions and the photographers. I am sure that this is true in most genres of photography.<br /><br /><b>Tell us what you think it takes to be a successful street photographer?</b> I am not certain that being a successful street photographer is any different from being a good studio, landscape or still life photographer. Often I define myself as a documentary photographer gravitating to street portraits. I know that I want to be on the street, observing, watching daily life. Most often I stay still or wander slowly believing that an image will emerge. At all costs, I try to avoid “chasing” images. Sometimes I engage people in conversation, sometimes not. But always the people are aware that I am taking photos.<br /><br />I believe that there needs to be an artistic challenge when shooting – uncertainty, tension, an edge, even butterflies. The anticipation to capture a moment or ever-illusive images is always present. Often when I am on the street, I doubt that there will be any images during that shoot. <br /><br />The chaos of form on the street is always a factor and then there is the experience of “just missing” a moment of significance. In the end, the street photographer must be prepared and react to the moving images and events. Planning or organizing on the street seems to be a sure method for being on the outside of events. The planning aspect is before I take the camera out of the bag and before I load the film. Once on the street, I am eager to find the visual adrenaline while watching the stream of life. It is a combination of these feelings, which keeps image making enduring, challenging, and rewarding to me.<br /><br />STREET PORTRAITS<i> can be seen at Multiple Exposures Gallery at the Torpedo Factory Art Center through October 13, 2013. </i><br /><br />
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Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-74627026714513599772013-10-02T07:51:00.002-07:002013-10-02T07:56:05.218-07:00Daily Contemplative Photography Makes A Difference<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCz0jSpe7AuOhdDObrhGZChYb-3ZXhkT6I07Gw6CdyQmUQ0gv8c4EOoPFoohBQ1OuOrjbIjWyXT1o3bE-KnqfhR2dtOY3a7DtUkarcf2Hy9DsB1hUYsiLsYNzC5jJnyAV8VECTu4GFWZCn/s1600/HendersonC_img_Sentinals.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCz0jSpe7AuOhdDObrhGZChYb-3ZXhkT6I07Gw6CdyQmUQ0gv8c4EOoPFoohBQ1OuOrjbIjWyXT1o3bE-KnqfhR2dtOY3a7DtUkarcf2Hy9DsB1hUYsiLsYNzC5jJnyAV8VECTu4GFWZCn/s320/HendersonC_img_Sentinals.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Colleen Henderson</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>MEG member Colleen Henderson's new show, </i>DAILY DIFFERENCES,<i> highlights the powerful creative convergence that results when contemplative photography is combined </i></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i></i></span>with daily shooting. She shares the backstory below: </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Your new show, DAILY DIFFERENCES, contains images you created over the past five years during periods of deliberate daily shooting. What drove you to begin this project?</b> It was a convergence of two things. A “contemplative photography” class I took on a whim, and my longtime interest in pursuing a “365 Project.” Contemplative photography is a way of stepping back and looking at everyday things, even those that are mundane, with fresh eyes to find beauty within them. At the time, my photographic roots lay firmly in black & white land and seascapes, and night images of DC. When I felt daring, I allowed myself some latitude by exploring in color, but otherwise I followed a predictable path when making my art. My exploration of contemplative photography was meant to push me outside of my comfort zone and continue my creative development.<br /><br />My first assignment was to spend three hours meandering through Cleveland Park, a Washington, D.C. neighborhood, and bring back 10 photographs for “show & tell”. For the first few hours, I wandered, wondering what I could possibly see and capture that was worthy of sharing and would not reveal me as a photographer fraud. But then something happened. Images began to appear before my eyes—faster than I could click the shutter. Over the course of three days I saw—and photographed—my world in ways I’d never imagined.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTT4E8R8ZjjCM4ziS13rtj33Jn-RXQuZgJYRiy9Edea4IvojDIBQtnSnaUllwpIt0sh1P3rknIig9SFZrn_deX_UqB80dONlEWDnuhrcnmQw9_JBR2qRKjCLljYTCm8H6YJ3qHOO7AjPv/s1600/HendersonC_img_Skeleton+Tree.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTT4E8R8ZjjCM4ziS13rtj33Jn-RXQuZgJYRiy9Edea4IvojDIBQtnSnaUllwpIt0sh1P3rknIig9SFZrn_deX_UqB80dONlEWDnuhrcnmQw9_JBR2qRKjCLljYTCm8H6YJ3qHOO7AjPv/s320/HendersonC_img_Skeleton+Tree.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Colleen Henderson</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Where does the 365 Project come in?</b> About the same time, I’d been toying with the idea of a embarking on a “365 Project,” a concept that can be traced back to Jim Brandenburg, a National Geographic Society photographer. In the late 1990’s, Jim challenged himself to </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">make
one photograph each day for 90 days. The results were published in a
1998 book, <i>Chasing the Light</i>. The images and concept really struck a
chord with me and I imagined embarking on a similar project some day. In
addition to making images, I also teach fine art photography, and one
day I suggested to the members of a class that they consider undertaking
a 365 Project. As fate would have it one student embraced the idea and
invited (read: challenged!) me to join her. The timing was right, and
besides, how could I refuse? The rest is history.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>You’ve taken this project much further than 365 days. What’s kept you going?</b> I’ve been shooting daily images and sharing them on Facebook on and off for 5 years now. The rewards have been manifold. I have many new images that otherwise would not have been made, but I expected that. What I didn’t foresee was the impact it’s had on my photography. I see and compose better. I judge less and reveal more. I have more clarity of purpose. I better understand light, and how the camera records it. I’m more mindful of my immediate surroundings. And I’m more playful, confident and creative. <br /><br /><b>Do you set out to shoot each day or do you always have a camera with you and just photograph something when it strikes you?</b> It varies, but more often than not, my shots are something I capture as I go about my daily business. <i>Coffee and Cream</i>, one of my </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span>favorites from the series, was taken when I noticed the juxtaposition of two coffee cups on my counter. Another well-received image in the show captures cherries on a plate in my kitchen. Others, such as <i>Skeleton Tree</i> and <i>Sentinels</i> were taken out in the field during dedicated photo shoots, the former during a workshop I was running in Charleston, South Carolina, and the latter during a sunrise shoot at the U.S. Capitol.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rJbjMSSZ3n_XC7NQt3jnZ7-s9K_d-8lDtbvxeiQsuilLwxB-atl8AukguUE_J1K74Ut7Dql5-Y7ygYztnWXPJ8-UtOQVAKUN3jBVKJYeknNLr2p6-IvfKsMLDlSL8DCht3DHOE2ithjy/s1600/HENDERSON+COFFEE.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rJbjMSSZ3n_XC7NQt3jnZ7-s9K_d-8lDtbvxeiQsuilLwxB-atl8AukguUE_J1K74Ut7Dql5-Y7ygYztnWXPJ8-UtOQVAKUN3jBVKJYeknNLr2p6-IvfKsMLDlSL8DCht3DHOE2ithjy/s200/HENDERSON+COFFEE.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Colleen Henderson</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><br />Do you ever worry about running out of material? </b>Not if I stay true to the teachings of contemplative photography. There is always something to capture if we open our minds and eyes to the beauty around us. We can even capture the same thing multiple times, but in different ways, which fosters our creativity. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><b>Your show includes framed fine art prints and beautiful, limited edition, hand bound, books that showcase your images. Why did you opt for that format?</b> I’ve been studying the art of bookmaking for 15 years and wanted to combine my passion for photography with my love of creating small, handmade books. There’s something about holding an image in your hand that’s much more intimate than simply viewing it on a wall, behind glass, and I wanted to create that experience for people. The books are made of Italian silk, smooth gray suede, and handmade Bhutanese paper, all of it bound together with a special Coptic stitch that allows the book to lay flat when open. The books are available in limited editions of five. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">DAILY DIFFERENCES <i>is on view at Multiple Exposures Gallery at the Torpedo Factory Arts Center in Alexandria, VA, through October 13, 2013. </i></span><br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i></i></span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-78927677419265058852013-09-27T12:47:00.000-07:002013-09-27T12:47:00.155-07:00A Fascination With Old Cemeteries<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIh9PC1tfvRIQPwnq6sj5ZPM6a30zpXWV40ugMH4fQ9aBBFtXncfx8M-4uKbeiqpekdRlxQeloPHJpQhiA_PJJHlYYE4lTWAhv_QbU74gKl81axgljrDbhVSA2BmXN4hcUSqyG8pcsR-OY/s320/_MSB7464-Edit.jpg" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(c) Michael Borek</span></td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">MEG member Michael Borek shares his fascination with old cemeteries and what he found on a recent trip to Buenos Aires. </span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am fascinated by old cemeteries, but I am scared of places that are overrun by tourists. I am from Prague, Czech Republic, and I used to love to go to the old Jewish cemetery in downtown when it was still behind the Iron Curtain and hardly any visitors set foot there. However, that cemetery changed immensely after the fall of Communism and going there now feels like being at Times Square. Even though the scenery is still nice and pleasantly bizarre, it is impossible to enjoy it quietly with the never-ending stream of tourists.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiZ0ItAbvnhaUKocs1dItJ1ThNPtgwj5NJhvShxQ0ViXCyxAgimMNwl_0E9Bwi8-IUrcvCCEcU_2qurzSLcP9Z7xYHTqJCdNhcEEWbOHRWo-HoYn0ANtPZ2zlwdcJOsBJuVF39PR6fFUH/s1600/_MSB7471-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiZ0ItAbvnhaUKocs1dItJ1ThNPtgwj5NJhvShxQ0ViXCyxAgimMNwl_0E9Bwi8-IUrcvCCEcU_2qurzSLcP9Z7xYHTqJCdNhcEEWbOHRWo-HoYn0ANtPZ2zlwdcJOsBJuVF39PR6fFUH/s320/_MSB7471-Edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I was preparing for my trip to Buenos Aires, many people and guidebooks recommended visiting the Recoleta Cemetery. I usually don’t like to visit “must-see” and touristy places, so I was hesitant. I am glad that my curiosity prevailed. The cemetery covers 14 acres, and, if one steers clear of the tomb of Eva </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Peron and several other luminaries, the experience can be quite private. The whole necropolis feels like a city within city and there seem to be even little “neighborhoods” with their own atmospheres. It is a true <i>memento mori</i> with grandiose tombs with beautiful Art Nouveau and Neogothic architecture in various stages of disrepair, interspersed with rotting flowers or always fresh plastic flowers, dust, spider webs, and condensation on the windows, rendering everything even more mysterious. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4Y2xgwjLDxmRcgGFh8VA_H_COA9QfSE0Jqu8X32Tlbw0eCtJusb7NNyIzMyzlc7NqqudKGqPGFtY2CiZTQdo2WfvR3gbXElFsCmK3_rJ8OpXrpVm8yb-LJlMu-f5dppvHcbn6MjZznob/s320/_MSB7478-Edit.jpg" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(c) Michael Borek</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In most of these pictures, I tried to capture the sense of transience I felt there. However, there is one photo that is quite different. I became fascinated by a photograph on a tomb of a woman who died in 2010. Next to her traditional black and white portrait that one would expect on a tomb, there is a color picture of her and what I suppose was her car, a Ford </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Edsel, taken in 1958. There is no question that the car is the most dominant part of the </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLVxtuKrzG30dafWRD86Y1xfz3TbiiSmmUFOnSZ3fyKIJR4bMddASApY6YWzO-Tzv8eXsS9-AQgl0ZfeYDzAssTZuOdQlB8AlQIUmrSdTDnzJyxguuGWm2GC6sJeZtWhyphenhyphenWTbLwExoFQ6b/s320/_MSB7468-Edit.jpg" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(c) Michael Borek</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">picture. And in case some viewer did not understand what he was viewing, there is a caption under the photograph with the woman’s name and the model of her car. Even though this photograph is visually different than the rest of the pictures I took at this cemetery, it seem to complement the others with its postmodern suggestion that a person should be remembered by her beautiful car. </span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-32998445001470286422013-09-14T08:07:00.001-07:002013-09-15T17:35:23.629-07:00A Journey of Transition <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>MEG member Blake Stenning shares the story behind a signature image and his transition from film to digital photography. </i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EzkYLp4cz7_S61dhd4Ca0ubVWC0pkaYWW9feQpq_tPqeBNKuniPm5KyFR_RIFL2AIcA0zjVW083z8urnCjp4seNTO6_QHjrrQ4J2_0R96k5qutDcQBZ1TiJooWttfqQxt6j8TksUPaVf/s1600/BStenning_Passageway.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EzkYLp4cz7_S61dhd4Ca0ubVWC0pkaYWW9feQpq_tPqeBNKuniPm5KyFR_RIFL2AIcA0zjVW083z8urnCjp4seNTO6_QHjrrQ4J2_0R96k5qutDcQBZ1TiJooWttfqQxt6j8TksUPaVf/s320/BStenning_Passageway.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Blake Stenning</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />In the summer of 2009, my wife and I had the opportunity to travel to Malaysia to visit friends living in Kuala Lumpur. During the several weeks that followed, we explored the country’s diverse cities, lush jungles, and exotic islands, and discovered a land rich in history and culture. It was a truly inspiring journey for me, both personally and as a photographer.<br /><br />At the time, my primary camera was a tripod-mounted, medium format Mamaya 645 film camera. While the picture quality was vastly superior to 35mm film, it required a deliberative process of manually adjusting focus, aperture, and shutter speed, based on exposure readings I made using a hand-held spot meter. The equipment was bulky and heavy, and I was concerned that it would be too cumbersome for overseas travel. However, I had recently purchased a digital SLR camera and began to consider whether I should take that instead. While the image resolution could not compare to my Mamaya, it did seem to be an ideal travel camera as it was both smaller and lighter, and could be used sans tripod. It also featured programmable exposure settings that would allow me to react to situations far more quickly and intuitively. In addition, a single pocket-sized CF card could hold the equivalent of 20 rolls of 120 film. The decision was made, I would go digital.<br /><br />Over the next 17 days we encountered a vast array of unique and unusual landscapes, cityscapes, people, and cultures – and I photographed them all! While it would be impossible to capture my entire experience of Malaysia in a single image, there is one I made that came close. The scene unfolded outside a small Buddhist temple in the ancient port town of Malacca. I was drawn to the large carved circular portal on the exterior wall and began to compose my shot. As I raised the camera to my eye, a small woman hurried past down the darkened corridor that led to an interior courtyard. As I watched her, it occurred to me that when she reached the end of the passageway her figure would become a stark silhouette framed against the brightly lit background. The result would make a far more interesting photograph, so I paused and waited for the precise moment when all the elements within the viewfinder would align, and made this photograph.<br /><br />“Passageway” became the signature image for my exhibition, <i>Malaysia Journeys,</i> which hung at Multiple Exposures Gallery in February 2011. To me, it captures the duality of this magnificent land; ancient and modern, foreign and familiar, religious and secular. But it also represents a transition of sorts: from darkness to light, and from film to digital.<br /><br />A selection from this series will be on display this fall at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD. For more information, please contact Blake Stenning at: blakestenning@yahoo.com.<br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-56040341044381583112013-08-15T07:55:00.001-07:002013-08-15T07:55:33.145-07:00The Impact Of Our Choices<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><i>MEG member <a href="http://multipleexposuresgallery.com/artistsSislen.html">Alan Sislen</a> illustrates the impact of different choices behind the camera. </i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Before and
after the photographer presses the shutter release, there are many, many
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdZyWqtPwzny8AWair6UQACOHQ9uCLoA2TpmwBdAtV8GIs7m9404v-SbcHSYcGTu_AyzOYBi1T1eflXMGeHecWSUrxvs1tvz3e6m9bvupNLkB-fTiaWasafDLMbVA55hiMj0IEdXKiv4f/s1600/Alan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdZyWqtPwzny8AWair6UQACOHQ9uCLoA2TpmwBdAtV8GIs7m9404v-SbcHSYcGTu_AyzOYBi1T1eflXMGeHecWSUrxvs1tvz3e6m9bvupNLkB-fTiaWasafDLMbVA55hiMj0IEdXKiv4f/s320/Alan.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">Alan in the field</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">choices which impact what photograph will be made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are processing and printing choices that
can have a critically important impact on the final photograph, and there are other
planning decisions, such as deciding on the location, the best time of year,
time of day, ideal weather conditions, etc.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In this blog post I’d like to concentrate on
just a few of the many choices that are consciously made behind the camera, so
that the photographer is in control of the photograph created in the camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a recent trip to the Columbia River Gorge
in Oregon, I made photographs of a number of waterfalls, which I will use as
examples of just some of the photographer’s choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b>Camera capabilities</b></span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The choices made
depend on the capabilities of your camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cameras with manual controls and multiple lenses or zoom lenses, have
the most choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Point and shoots have
fewer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, with a an understanding
of the built-in shooting modes of point and shoot cameras (like action, sports,
flowers, portraits, landscapes, etc.) you can be in more control than you first
might imagine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, in the
“sports” mode, the camera will pick a high shutter speed to try to minimize the
blur of fast moving figures, whether a sports photo or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the “flower” mode, the camera will choose
a large f/stop so background objects will be out of focus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ever present cellphone has a camera with fewer
shooting control choices, but more immediate processing choices, using “apps.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For
interchangeable lens cameras (SLRs, DSLRs, etc.) with manual controls, before
shooting, you need to consider: </span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Which lens to use</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>The focal length of lens or zoom position</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>The shutter speed</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Which f/stop to choose to help control what’s in
focus, and what’s out of focus</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Focal length</b> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Below are four
photographs of Multnomah Falls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notice
how different the photographs are, based on the lens and zoom choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those technically oriented, the focal
lengths ranged from 22mm to 116mm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In addition
to the lens and focal length choices, notice how the rock in the last image
looks much larger that the image to its left. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The position of the photographer and the
camera, plus the choice of lens and focal length can impact the perspective of
the elements in the photograph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Telephoto lenses compress the elements and wide angle lenses make the
foreground elements appear larger relative to the rest of the scene.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0WDNU9pgpuO3eb11t-IKcsWFen6lL37mGfstjnWdeEwLA9AHoeMJgBH1dg6R8gWQHfVa3vSUTuJzHbR_IF7z4PzaeyyTNINjuy8XjiQCwvcdUK3uCXJ-jRgOtVnI_70aSOFuHXljq1I7/s1600/Alan+Multnomah+All+Four.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0WDNU9pgpuO3eb11t-IKcsWFen6lL37mGfstjnWdeEwLA9AHoeMJgBH1dg6R8gWQHfVa3vSUTuJzHbR_IF7z4PzaeyyTNINjuy8XjiQCwvcdUK3uCXJ-jRgOtVnI_70aSOFuHXljq1I7/s400/Alan+Multnomah+All+Four.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Click Image To Enlarge</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Shutter speed</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A related
choice was the shutter speed used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
very high shutter speed would have “stopped” the water, so that you could have seen
the individual droplets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I choose
relatively long (slow) shutter speeds (around 1/6th of a second) to provide a
more silky look to the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a
conscious choice, but another photographer might have approached it differently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should be noted, that using a tripod was
necessary to take the longer exposures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If I had handheld at 1/6<sup>th</sup> of a second, everything will have
been blurred, ruining the shots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, to
make these photographs the way I intended, a tripod wasn’t a choice, it was a
necessity.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Depth-of-field</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In all cases
I decided that the more that was in focus, the better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Understanding the impact of different focal
lengths on depth-of-field enabled me to maximize the range of what was in
focus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>f/stops of 5.6 (for the most wide
angle focal length) to f/11 (for the medium telephoto focal lengths) were used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those choices determined what would be in
focus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the more knowledgeable, you
might ask, “Why not use even larger numbered f/stops, like f/16 or f/22 to
maximize the range of focus.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer
is that diffraction begins to slightly degrade images as the f/stop number gets
larger, so you don’t want to use an f/stop larger than you need to accomplish
your objective.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In addition
to focal length and f/stop, here are just a few of the other choices,
regardless of camera:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span> Position of the camera (height)</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Position of the light source – front-lit,
side-lit, back-lit</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Composition<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>- What to include, what to exclude, including foreground, etc.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Aspect ratio/orientation – make a vertical,
square, horizontal or panorama photograph?</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Camera position</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here are a
few examples of Elowah Falls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The focal
lengths were very similar at 28mm, 24mm and 32mm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the position of the camera and the
distance to the falls made a big difference in the composition and what was
included and what was excluded in each composition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While you might prefer one photograph to the
others, it is really the intent of the photographer that determines the
photograph you ultimately see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
photographer’s desire then narrows the choices which are used to get the
desired result.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJjGGhfvscS8iMancE3Th9AivD6p25gq8-mi0DpPEulKZ0w2Na8aNZutslAjih7Jo0GApntJOQCuWXDkccBPI7VopUgvHweP78yyHuAbmvAXFAVJgsItL3jqXbHw_ckvO8p0JuAE830Ye/s1600/Alan+Elowah+All+Three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJjGGhfvscS8iMancE3Th9AivD6p25gq8-mi0DpPEulKZ0w2Na8aNZutslAjih7Jo0GApntJOQCuWXDkccBPI7VopUgvHweP78yyHuAbmvAXFAVJgsItL3jqXbHw_ckvO8p0JuAE830Ye/s400/Alan+Elowah+All+Three.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Click Image To Enlarge</b></td><td class="tr-caption"><b> </b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Take time to experiment</b> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To be in
control of the final photograph, the photographer has to make many
choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Choices before<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the shot is taken, and choices after.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowledge, experience and experimentation make
it easier to make those choices.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Maybe in
another blog post we’ll discuss post-shooting choices; things like:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span> Is the photograph best processed as a color or
black and white?</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Is further cropping, dodging and burning
desired?</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Do I want a “straight” photograph or something
more “artsy?”</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Do I want to modify the colors, the saturation
the contrast?</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>What is the optimum print size for a particular
photograph?</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alan Sislen
has been a MEG member since 2005. Information about Alan and his photography
can be found at <a href="http://www.alansislenphotography.com/">www.AlanSislenPhotography.com</a>.</span></i></div>
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</span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-91742847693549128412013-07-17T12:51:00.001-07:002013-07-17T12:58:26.158-07:00The Setting Comes First<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>MEG member Fred Zafran shares some teachings that have helped him become more patient, open and and receptive whenever he's behind the lens. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We all begin the same way.<br /><br />We first pick up a camera because we want to “take pictures of things that interest us” … most often of family, friends, events and places we have been. We take pictures to create a record. We want a nice memory of what we have seen. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Sometimes, however, having been moved by a particular image, we begin to wonder why… and begin to think that perhaps there can be more to our photography. As our interest grows and sensibility deepens, we move beyond taking pictures of interesting things to making images about subjects that intrigue us.<br /><br />With newfound energy, we set out in hopes of making wonderful images. We search for subjects to capture… to create beautiful images, compelling images, truthful images, all emotionally moving. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyBf60JmfPJBw_mS_ZTQqekAEfosm3JTL81F1q-AekobSBEG6aJeEoCuV8ueBpLN2rz5Pp5GDvnhEqCrP_QlCiulc766wRJabMyIK3al0Z7Nxpo7WbYSQPS7Wnpq_Ml_1WtWxVLKKrTuR/s1600/Sam+Abell_Pears+in+Window_Moscow.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyBf60JmfPJBw_mS_ZTQqekAEfosm3JTL81F1q-AekobSBEG6aJeEoCuV8ueBpLN2rz5Pp5GDvnhEqCrP_QlCiulc766wRJabMyIK3al0Z7Nxpo7WbYSQPS7Wnpq_Ml_1WtWxVLKKrTuR/s320/Sam+Abell_Pears+in+Window_Moscow.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">“Pears in Window, Moscow” Sam Abell. © National Geographic Society, 50 Greatest Photographs.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />After much shooting and too many uninspired pictures, we begin to realize… this really isn’t so easy. Yet we continue, we push through, and we reach a threshold of serious pursuit and commitment to our photography. <br /><br />But what now? Where to turn? Does anyone have a roadmap? Putting aside the many technical aspects of our craft for the moment, let me consider the more “creative-expressive” aspects of our art.<br /><br />It is at this point in our journey, if we listen carefully, many of photography’s greatest teachers quietly guide us. As I listen, I hear them say… let our pursuit of the subject fall away and allow the setting to come first. Compelling images come to visit more often when we are patient, open, receptive.<br /><br />With this in mind, I wanted to share a few insights from a number of wonderful photographers who have influenced my work and continue to challenge and guide my efforts. <br /><br /><b>Sam Abell</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“I take photographs from the back to the front, and that’s different from most people, who approach the act of photography from subject first.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />“When I teach photography, I teach not seeking the picture, but seeking the setting. There’s always a subject, but there’s always a setting… and the two have to harmonize or work in some dynamic way.”<br /><br />“The world is highly chaotic in visual terms. It’s out of control, really, visually. I don’t know how you can take pictures without composing and waiting.”<br /><br /><b>Alex Webb</b> <br />“My most basic process as a photographer is to wander, allowing the camera and my experiences to lead me where they will.”<br /><br />“I try to arrive initially in a situation, or a place, with as few rational preconceptions as possible… I make an effort to be as open as possible to alternative possibilities, possibilities that may contradict what I rationally might expect.”<br /><br /><b>Joel Meyerowitz</b><br />“My interest all along has not been in identifying a single thing, but in photographing the relationship between things.”<br /><br />“If you choose to only make objects out of singular things, you get copies of objects in space. I didn’t want copies of objects. I wanted the ephemeral connections between unrelated things to vibrate.”<br /><br /><b>Yusuf Karsh</b><br />"My quest in making a photograph is for a quality that I know exists in the personality before me.” <br /><br />“I'm looking for what I sometimes call 'the inward power,' and I am more anxious to capture that, or at least interpret it to my own satisfaction, than I am to create the facsimile of an interesting figure with no depth of soul."<br /><br /><b>Henri Cartier-Bresson</b><br />“I craved to seize, in the confines of one single photograph, the whole essence of some situation that was in the process of unrolling itself before my eyes.”<br /><br />“To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms which give that event its proper expression.”<br /><br />These are insightful and motivating writings! But how best to bring these teachings to life in our own work? Best guidance perhaps, is to get out and photograph, do it again, and then as often as possible. But still, is there a common thread, a way of working, and can we dig deeper?<br /><br />One of Minor White’s greatest achievements, according to Ansel Adams, was to demonstrate that photographs “can point beyond themselves.” For Minor White, the photographer is able to convey and evoke feelings about things and situations and events which “for some reason or other…cannot be photographed.” <br /><br />This was startling to me (…and the veil began to lift a little)! I’ll close this Blog post with my humble attempt to tie it together. <br /><br />Extraordinary images emerge from an (intuitive) awareness of the symbolic possibilities of the subject matter, and this becomes possible only, when we don’t pursue the subject. Instead, might it not be better to proceed without preconception and remain open to the unforeseen? <br /><br />That’s it for now. I leave you with this nice quote from Walker Evans in 1974: <br /><br />“The thing itself is such a secret… and so unapproachable.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-21439473273838035262013-07-12T09:07:00.000-07:002013-07-12T09:07:05.591-07:00On Photobooks<i>MEG member <a href="http://multipleexposuresgallery.com/artistsHyde.html">Tim Hyde</a> is both a fine art photographer and a collector of fine art photography. In another installment in his series on collecting, Tim explains why investing in photography books is a good way to get started. </i><br />
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One way to begin a photography collection is to buy photography books. "Photobooks" are less expensive than prints, easier to store, easier to “show and tell,” and allow a collector to experience a larger measure of an artist’s work. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpCsT-zTQIvvPLJSll_MqubZ20HWfd84_lXW8hF-eNuL7QLaV_9W3bC08AMhyphenhyphen9ad53YXPL92C5RVKBc1OLXjgArD_7kOyROtkQPYX0MC6ReAKgjkMFHrkmyP7O4P-2Z0qZbStCufStt_D/s1600/Hido+House+Hunting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpCsT-zTQIvvPLJSll_MqubZ20HWfd84_lXW8hF-eNuL7QLaV_9W3bC08AMhyphenhyphen9ad53YXPL92C5RVKBc1OLXjgArD_7kOyROtkQPYX0MC6ReAKgjkMFHrkmyP7O4P-2Z0qZbStCufStt_D/s320/Hido+House+Hunting.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><i>House Hunting </i>by Todd Hido</td></tr>
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They also are a great way to begin serious collecting. You can spend a few tens of dollars on an artist’s monograph and both acquire something of growing value AND get better sense of what it is like to live with a particular photographer. Then, when you are more certain of your affection for a body of work (and perhaps when you can better afford it) you can buy one of the artist's photographic prints. <br /><br />Photobooks have taken off in recent years as fine art collectibles. Today, auction houses list them along with photographic prints, and there are many specialty booksellers—both online and bricks and mortar bookshops—that focus primarily on photobooks. As a rule, the editions are so small—in the low thousands or in many cases, hundreds—that their rarity is a given.<br /><br />I bought a copy of Todd Hido’s <i>House Hunting</i> a few years ago when it was first published. He was a new artist I had never heard of, but the book’s publisher was Nazraeli, a highly-regarded fine-art press. I loved the work, so I picked it up for about a $100. Today, if you can find it, it would cost almost $1,000.<br /><br />There are a couple lessons in this example. Books published by known fine-art publishers, such as Nazraeli or Aperture or Twin Palms (and there are plenty of others), are quality productions. They are selected by keen and educated eyes and are generally published in small numbers. Each of these is important in predicting how a photobook’s investment value might grow.<br /><br />Here are a few rules about collecting books:<br /><br />· Signed books are always more valuable than unsigned, and if they are dated in the year they are published, all the better. Inscribed and signed is best of all. <br /><br />· As with all rare books, “price clipping” (cutting off the price of the book) will depress the value, as will any kind of “remaindering” marks. <br /><br />· First edition means everything (though one can pay a small fortune for second or even third edition of a few of Ed Ruscha’s early books or Robert Frank’s <i>The Americans</i>, so there are exceptions).<br /><br />Coming soon in a new blog post – information about small presses and self-publishing.Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-10435361478738082542013-06-22T11:08:00.001-07:002013-06-22T12:19:15.799-07:00 "What Would Sudek Do?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>MEG member Michael Borek shares a connection with famed photographer, Josef Sudek. Is that why he named his new show, </i>What Would Sudek Do? <i>Get the details below. </i><br />
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When I was a teenager growing up in Prague, I used to see a one-armed man in a shabby coat schlepping a tripod and a large-view camera. A friend told me that it was Josef Sudek, a famous Czech photographer. I—a young and fledgling photographer—bought a book of his pictures and immediately fell in love. I was smitten with the photographs Sudek had taken through the windows of his studio. They were simple and beautiful.<br />
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I wished I were able to take such pictures. But I felt that Sudek had a competitive advantage. While I lived with my parents in an anonymous, uninspiring, Communist-built housing project, Sudek’s surroundings were clearly poetic. He had only to point his camera and release the shutter to create his beautiful art. Many years later, when I finally visited Sudek’s studio, I realized how wrong I was. This place was not at all poetic. No photographer would be inspired to take pictures there. At least, not before Sudek did it so masterfully. Sudek had an unmatched ability to notice sublime details, to include what is important, and to eliminate what is not. He created his own world in which the surrounding are only supporting actors.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfQ74kmbyXEjBRjTYsBBtkEZEg7FvF2ydvmqq7Gf_5x6oS6CMcW6TlT8B1Jl094HQlFFaujTd9Hq9e_B-k_rI68LelyEWbXDox-iEz7pSuGViQ_m2pp5FGBld80tuthQ8pMjCsQOOLfKV/s1600/What+Would+Sudek+Do%3f+%237291.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfQ74kmbyXEjBRjTYsBBtkEZEg7FvF2ydvmqq7Gf_5x6oS6CMcW6TlT8B1Jl094HQlFFaujTd9Hq9e_B-k_rI68LelyEWbXDox-iEz7pSuGViQ_m2pp5FGBld80tuthQ8pMjCsQOOLfKV/s320/What+Would+Sudek+Do%3f+%237291.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Now, many photographers imitate his style. Even though I borrowed his name for the title of this exhibition, and as a Czech photographer I may have a little of Sudek in my DNA, I hope that I am not one of them. Rather, in this exhibition, I attempt to inspire viewers to reflect on the beauty that can be found in the places they see every day and no longer even notice. Or, to borrow from Thoreau, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” So whenever I end up in seemingly uninspiring places that feel visually dull, I think of the old maestro’s dilapidated studio, open my eyes a bit wider, and ask myself: What Would Sudek Do?<br />
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I printed all these photographs in small sizes (5” x 7.5”) for two main reasons. First, this is an homage to Sudek’s work, and most of his photographs were small contact prints. Second, lately I have felt that the works of contemporary photographers are often huge for no obvious reason other than they can be. As if bigger automatically means better. Some of these giant photographs remind me of the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgen62OMBurHX6kQH_t7mCVg-KKxOkDmydCx3AxRJYLO4RVtRB3OmJUyGPDffGTDXE8Hr9In69EUO3XIoe8HQ1FfDNOP7W53AuTgCKfkf-vq-T3q7cL8QyY_Sw76JPJXmz2LXpEFdHhXqag/s1600/What+Would+Sudek+Do%3f+%237123.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgen62OMBurHX6kQH_t7mCVg-KKxOkDmydCx3AxRJYLO4RVtRB3OmJUyGPDffGTDXE8Hr9In69EUO3XIoe8HQ1FfDNOP7W53AuTgCKfkf-vq-T3q7cL8QyY_Sw76JPJXmz2LXpEFdHhXqag/s320/What+Would+Sudek+Do%3f+%237123.jpg" width="320" /></a>callouts in newspaper articles that summarize the whole article, so that there is no reason even to bother to read it – particularly given our short attention spans and the many things competing for our time. These little prints are not meant to be contrarian. Rather, I hope that their size will entice the viewer to come closer and spend some time with them, instead of skimming them as a “summary” from a distance.Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-68085844135583394562013-06-19T14:40:00.000-07:002013-06-19T14:40:16.794-07:00Keep your eyes (and mind) open!
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho28Ij26Q6sg2heQfGL2NRuydKwPZiJsMB-hp_s6ae2lL62s1ZJHZ5vFVpu4RTltltqlvWPgDlRRHDft3YnJoz8uk8PZecWre8t2YW-hiPw7AaN29FV9RLvqUAExH0S_hZeJjYbdlWKNVC/s1600/Salton+Sea+%281+of+5%29.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;">Attracted to desolate areas? MEG member Eric Johnson shares his experience in two virtual ghost towns in California. </span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho28Ij26Q6sg2heQfGL2NRuydKwPZiJsMB-hp_s6ae2lL62s1ZJHZ5vFVpu4RTltltqlvWPgDlRRHDft3YnJoz8uk8PZecWre8t2YW-hiPw7AaN29FV9RLvqUAExH0S_hZeJjYbdlWKNVC/s1600/Salton+Sea+(1+of+5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The area around the Salton Sea in southern California has
long held an attraction for many photographers for its collection of
semi-abandoned towns and its atmosphere of post-apocalyptic desolation.<span> </span>The Salton Sea was formed in 1905 when
springtime flooding breached irrigation canals along the Colorado River,
inundating approximately 900 square </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho28Ij26Q6sg2heQfGL2NRuydKwPZiJsMB-hp_s6ae2lL62s1ZJHZ5vFVpu4RTltltqlvWPgDlRRHDft3YnJoz8uk8PZecWre8t2YW-hiPw7AaN29FV9RLvqUAExH0S_hZeJjYbdlWKNVC/s1600/Salton+Sea+%281+of+5%29.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho28Ij26Q6sg2heQfGL2NRuydKwPZiJsMB-hp_s6ae2lL62s1ZJHZ5vFVpu4RTltltqlvWPgDlRRHDft3YnJoz8uk8PZecWre8t2YW-hiPw7AaN29FV9RLvqUAExH0S_hZeJjYbdlWKNVC/s320/Salton+Sea+%281+of+5%29.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></span></span></i></span></span>miles of the Imperial Valley.<span> </span>Development around the new lake began in the
1920s, making the Salton Sea a popular tourist destination for people from
nearby Palm Springs and Los Angeles.<span> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Increasing agriculture in the Imperial Valley led to
decreased water inflow into the lake.<span> </span>At
the same time, prehistoric salt beds under the lake increased its salinity, and
the shore of </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNVzVcP1cH7kVvAPSm9uFT5mlP4wHMZiv41mfM1FXi99rrJjrk6kawe0FUJGFZkPyFEWatiEMTIJiwaiJchVU9DomLpmDgLZC0Wwbt-94-BQ_1RnJ-TU8ljmYfIBtJytvyd095gWX5-7-/s1600/Salton+Sea+%282+of+5%29.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNVzVcP1cH7kVvAPSm9uFT5mlP4wHMZiv41mfM1FXi99rrJjrk6kawe0FUJGFZkPyFEWatiEMTIJiwaiJchVU9DomLpmDgLZC0Wwbt-94-BQ_1RnJ-TU8ljmYfIBtJytvyd095gWX5-7-/s320/Salton+Sea+%282+of+5%29.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></span></span>the lake began to recede, leaving behind an inhospitable,
salt-encrusted landscape.<span> </span>All of these
environmental changes made the Salton Sea less viable as a tourist destination,
and the towns around the lake began their decline.<span> </span></span></span></span></div>
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a side trip to two of these towns, Bombay Beach and Salton Sea Shores.<span> </span>I went with the intention of photographing
some of the decaying structures in these soon-to-be ghost towns, and I
certainly found what I was looking for, spending most of my brief visit there
photographing abandoned residential and commercial buildings.<span> </span>Each of the two towns has an odd mixture of
occupied and abandoned blocks, with the blocks near the water being generally
deserted, and the blocks closer to the roads into and out of town more populated.<span> </span>However, despite clear signs of human
habitation (cars in driveways, well-tended yards) in the more lived-in sections
of town, I did not see more than two or three people the entire afternoon.<span> </span>That may be attributable to desert dwellers’
reluctance to go out in the mid-afternoon sun, but whatever the reason, the
whole area was eerily quiet, which even in the occupied parts of town.<span> </span>This quiet only accentuated the feeling of being
in a ghost town.<span> </span></span></span></span></div>
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Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-72173168626477784542013-05-24T11:05:00.000-07:002013-05-24T13:23:45.887-07:00Finding Your Lost Mojo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Clifford Wheeler</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>As MEG member Clifford Wheeler describes, taking a new class or embarking on a new project can<span style="font-size: small;"> he<span style="font-size: small;">lp<span style="font-size: small;"> you get <span style="font-size: small;">your creative mojo back if it's </span></span></span></span></i></b></span></span><b><i>been dulled by the demands of daily life.</i></b><br />
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A few years ago I had the opportunity to take a seminar class with a Master Photographer and Educator with whom I had studied in college three decades ago. It seemed like an opportunity too good to pass up, especially since his was a voice that kept coming back to me through the years across occasions and experiences.<br />
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Once the class began I soon realized that I would be subjected to something I hadn't encountered in a long time — homework. Lesson #1: If I had been making a conscious effort to create artwork, to make time in my life to actually do the work on a regular basis, then the idea of homework would not have felt so foreign. I seemed to have gotten into some sort of rut over the years where little time was designated to anything other than making a living. Now, I appreciate how limited my energy levels are and that time must be budgeted no differently than finances.<br />
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The parameters of the course were as follows: plan a project, execute the workflow, and produce and exhibit the results. One thing about the creative process is that quite often what we first conceive as a plan can often take on a life of its own. Depending on how you interpret the results of the work in progress, we often produce a body of work quite different from the one originally conceived. Lesson #2, Evaluation of progress is impossible without the use of “work prints!” Careful analysis of the aesthetic events revealed is paramount to connecting with your intent, and establishing a direction forward.<br />
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For this class project, I chose to create a collection of photographic portraits using some rather archaic tools. I knew from experience that these tools would create the kind of image I wanted, and I suspected they could get me where I wanted to be very efficiently.<br />
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Portraiture is different than simply pointing a camera at something and capturing an image. It’s dependent on a dynamic that requires cooperation and collaboration between the subject and the photographer. This was the variable I was counting on for these pictures, because I planned on keeping almost everything else within the confines of the image area consistent.<br />
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<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Clifford Wheeler</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To get started, I set my view camera up in a parking space right next to the warehouse building that housed my studio and pointed it at the north-facing wall. I needed a subject and found an auto-body technician named Ray enjoying a smoke break next door and I encouraged him to spend his break in front of my camera. The resulting image was surprisingly satisfying, and it spurred me forward.<br /><br />In reviewing my work prints (see Lesson Two), one issue was immediately obvious. My little kettle grill, which always sat on the sidewalk next to my studio door, was visible the left side of the image. Keeping in mind the lesson that all objects within an image area should serve or reinforce the subject, I moved the grill for subsequent shots because it added nothing to the image. For the next two months, when the light was right, I'd round up some suspicious-looking character who was friendly enough to hang with me for a few moments to complete the project.<br /><br />The portfolio came together nicely and as I spent time with it, I figured out why the class had been called Beyond The Image, a title I could not for the life of me figure out when I started taking the class. When the images were finally exhibited and I saw them hanging on the wall, I realized that the first photo I had taken was in early autumn, and Ray was wearing a t-shirt. The last photo I took was in November of Richard, and he was wearing a down jacket. When I hung the photo's, the chronological progression revealed something truly extraordinary and quite “Beyond The Image” — seasonal environmental change! The only visual change from the first photo to the last photo (besides the faces) was the the incremental bulk of the subject's outerwear.<br /><br />Lesson #3: For cool stuff to happen, you have to be working! </span></span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-31458834861301711612013-05-17T10:21:00.000-07:002013-05-17T10:21:41.643-07:00Drive By: Abandoned Towns and A Lesson Learned<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sandy LeBrun-Evans learned a big lesson when developing </span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Drive By: Utah Preserved In Time</span><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, her latest show at Multiple Exposures Gallery. Below Sandy talks about shooting in abandoned towns, what makes her feel jittery when out there alone and a lesson she'll carry with her forever. </span></i><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i></i></span><br />
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<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Sandy LeBrun-Evans</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>In this series as well as your prior show, <i>Forgotten</i>, you feature abandoned buildings and towns. What catches your eye and makes you stop as you are driving by? What makes a scene worthy of the time you spend photographing it? </b>While driving by, I'll just see something that makes me pull over or even drive miles to turn around so I can go back and photograph it. If I don't turn around, the image will haunt me. <br /><br />Before planning a trip, I Google "abandoned places/towns" in the state where I"ll be. Once I'm there, I'll travel to the areas I found on the Internet, but I also will find gems just driving by.<br /><br />What makes the scene worthy of my time is what I see through my lens. I have stopped places and pulled out the camera and tripod, looked through the viewfinder and then decided, "not so much." Other times when I look through the viewfinder, it's a definite "yes!" and I will work that scene. What makes it worthy is that it moves my spirit in some way, something that I think is tied to feelings about what used to take place there before it was abandoned. If I'm looking at a subject and wondering "Who cooked in the kitchen? Who hitched that wagon to the horse? Who put that fence around the house and watched the children run through the yard?" then I'm probably going to be moved enough to photograph it. </span><br />
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<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Sandy LeBrun-Evans</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I actually view abandoned places differently now than I did even just a few years ago. Given our challenging economic times and people very close to me losing their
homes in the housing crisis, I wonder a little more about why something was abandoned. Was it by choice? <br /><br /><b>Are there people in these towns or are they truly abandoned? How far are these locations from towns or cities that are thriving? </b>Thompson Springs had 39 people in the 2010 census. I would say there are even fewer now. I met a man named Spydr Mike when he stopped by while I was photographing there. He gave me his card which read "SPYDR MIKE AND FRIENDS, Local Artists." He makes spiders out of things he finds, but he would love to have the money to reopen the abandoned cafe in town. Another person I met told me about the ghost that haunts former boardinghouse and its attached bar. Unfortunately, I did not see the ghost. I think Cisco is totally abandoned, but there could be some homeless people living in some of the abandoned cars and buildings. <br /><br />There are few thriving cities in the areas where I traveled. What supported most of the abandoned areas I photographed were mines that closed and roads that bypassed their towns. From what I have read, I-70 bypassing Cisco and Thompson Springs was the downfall of these two towns. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Are you alone when you shoot these buildings and towns? Do you ever feel uneasy?</b> My husband was with me in Utah, but he stays in the car while I wander around the empty buildings and towns. I thank him for this because it is not easy traveling with a photographer. I have been spooked while out shooting, but usually it's by dogs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cisco was a little scary this visit. The number of abandoned cars had really risen. It appeared to be a dumping stations for things and I just felt I was not alone. I didn't wander much by myself there. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>You mentioned you returned to Thompson Springs, an abandoned town that you photographed a few years ago. Did you notice any changes or has it stayed the same in its decay?</b> I noticed lots of changes in both Thompson Springs and Cisco. It was not in my plans to return to Southeast Utah and visit Thompson Springs and Cisco, but I just did not find what I was looking for in Southwestern Utah. Beautiful parks, but I was not finding any great abandoned images. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-e7ahROjQTzW3ydERLf_A1B29uZwkE9vIf6z6SbO4px3MTFc6bIdQFMiV806xfAp5FRl_xC8moNqstuSaMYya7xecIqX3GdXxU59ZftI24dfI8e2cXro2i3W40c-IAueRZWTe_46JKpk/s1600/Lebrun+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-e7ahROjQTzW3ydERLf_A1B29uZwkE9vIf6z6SbO4px3MTFc6bIdQFMiV806xfAp5FRl_xC8moNqstuSaMYya7xecIqX3GdXxU59ZftI24dfI8e2cXro2i3W40c-IAueRZWTe_46JKpk/s320/Lebrun+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Sandy LeBrun-Evans</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I did find many changes in both towns. In Thompson Springs, my favorite motel was boarded up and I could not walk through and photograph. The cafe had a lot morejunk in it and the photograph I had taken two years ago could no longer be composed. In Cisco, many buildings had completely fallen down and I just had an eerie feeling that it was no longer safe to wander around. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This brought me to a very big lesson learned on this trip -- shoot, shoot, shoot; don't miss an angle or light; stay in a place until you feel you have worn that town out photographing it because it may be your last chance to do so. You cannot always go back and reshoot!<br /><b></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>What is your process when you shoot? Are you working on a tripod? What types of lenses and apertures do you typically use</b>? On this trip I travelled light: tripod, Nikon D700 with two lenses (28-300 and a fisheye), Lumix converted IR camera, and, of course, my iPhone. When traveling, I usually try and shoot on a tripod as I know I have to get the image right because I cannot go back the next day and reshoot. I always shoot a minimum of three bracketed images of my subject. If I am inside a dark building, I will shoot up to 20 bracketed images. I try and capture the image so I don't lose any detail in the highlights and lowlights. Typically, my aperture is set anywhere between F11 to F22.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The works in this show were printed on canvas and covered in resin. Where did you learn to work with resin? Is it easy or hard to do? What is appealing to you about working with resin? </b> I saw a lot of work encased in resin in galleries out West and really wanted to try the process. Whenever I saw a resin-coated image in a gallery it pulled me in and I thought the process would make the images of abandonment in this show really shine. To learn how to do it, I spoke with a fellow photographer, I Googled and watched videos on YouTube on how to work with resin, and then I experimented. I did two test images, one on paper and one on canvas and coated them with resin. I liked the finished resin-coated image in canvas best, so I decided to present my show on canvas. It is not an easy process because of the toxicity of the resin. I wore a mask and worked by an open door with a fan pulling fumes out of the house. <br /><br />.<i>Please join Sandy and the rest of Multiple Exposures Gallery for an opening reception on Sunday, May 19th from 2pm-4pm at MEG</i><i> (Studio 312, Torpedo Factory Arts Center, Alexandria, VA).</i> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-18311370644440684372013-05-10T09:37:00.002-07:002013-05-10T09:37:58.797-07:00Memorializing Freedom In Tibet: New Work By Danny Conant<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Religious symbolism, alternative processes and beautiful imagery – Danny Conant’s new show has it all. Danny shared some thoughts below on her new series, </i>Once Tibetan, The Wheel Turns<i>. The series is on exhibit at MEG through June 16, 2013. </i></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8blGaPPfNsMF55qunkY0I_tIO0WW0zTwDF6BgdBHjX-3cmIGOMyc9DRQEbV8iHBu383zmMjECsqwAjVDrLWJoPcsBZiMS-ccUZ0sew-I49uVVdrgnSap4tbarHhpYuoZ5yVimRUGkrZ-8/s1600/Buddha+of+the+Rock.Conant.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8blGaPPfNsMF55qunkY0I_tIO0WW0zTwDF6BgdBHjX-3cmIGOMyc9DRQEbV8iHBu383zmMjECsqwAjVDrLWJoPcsBZiMS-ccUZ0sew-I49uVVdrgnSap4tbarHhpYuoZ5yVimRUGkrZ-8/s320/Buddha+of+the+Rock.Conant.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><i>Buddha of The Rock (c) Danny Conant</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Your new show features work from Tibet. When were the images captured? </b>I’ve traveled to Tibet five times and the images in this show were taken during my fifth trip in 2011. They were captured in Eastern Tibet, which is the home of the Kham Minority.<br /><br /><b>The photographs reflect religious symbols and imagery. Why did you focus on religious expression? </b>I was inspired by Ai Weiwei’s exhibition at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. Weiwei is a Chinese activist artist whose work spoke of the lack of freedom. For Tibetans, there is a serious lack of freedom as the Chinese try to destroy their culture. Tibetans are very spiritual and their religious symbols are very important to them. To me, these symbols signify hope for the continuance of the Tibetan culture and the future of the people.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZcbtgPYxRWuDprRfH1W8DSb_DQd7ESX4TzFzjN4OMxnTrOuoo2TJqLhA0mQG4nOIAJqpG_C0imZavtL9EV9y3UUCdZyM8Z4UdzOoI273BQpxKklb9k7Q_2x44fj_lk4ScXAfrDVHy7xl/s1600/Danny+Conant.Wheel_of_Mercy.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZcbtgPYxRWuDprRfH1W8DSb_DQd7ESX4TzFzjN4OMxnTrOuoo2TJqLhA0mQG4nOIAJqpG_C0imZavtL9EV9y3UUCdZyM8Z4UdzOoI273BQpxKklb9k7Q_2x44fj_lk4ScXAfrDVHy7xl/s320/Danny+Conant.Wheel_of_Mercy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><i>Wheel Of Mercy (c) Danny Conant</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJUHHfQDP0wQXye2IPDTICIB0VSsjj2xB2Nf-HZI9t1eelw7XLVRovYLzYkc3WXI5vaMgoYVrQEDYUA1Si_FZskKF7fcEbXYWMfCIRrXmtF_K5r53AVzPoTONhGletk7L_hLrD8F3boiz/s1600/Danny+Show+Wall.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJUHHfQDP0wQXye2IPDTICIB0VSsjj2xB2Nf-HZI9t1eelw7XLVRovYLzYkc3WXI5vaMgoYVrQEDYUA1Si_FZskKF7fcEbXYWMfCIRrXmtF_K5r53AVzPoTONhGletk7L_hLrD8F3boiz/s320/Danny+Show+Wall.jpg" title="Once Tibetan, The Wheel Turns @ Multiple Exposures Gallery" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Once TIbetan, The Wheel Turns @ Multiple Exposures Gallery</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>While you started with your photographs as your base, you used an alternative process to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art for the show. Would you describe your process</b>? I begin by printing my images on a special film using archival pigment inks. Next, I prepare a wooden panel of birch by sometimes coating it with encaustic gesso or applying pastels or just sanding and applying the image to let the wood grain show through. The panel is the coated with a gelatinous sauce and the film placed emulsion side down and rolled with a brayer. The film is lifted off and the inks remain. Then many coats of an encaustic medium, basically hot wax, is brushed on and colored wax and or an oil stick are added.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I chose to use an encaustic medium on the photographs because it reminds me of the yak butter that is used in so many ways by Tibetans. Yak butter is used to make small images for offerings in the monasteries, to fuel lamps, for food, and as a coating on the nomad’s tents for rain protection. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><i>Please join Danny and the rest of Multiple Exposures Gallery for an opening reception on Sunday, May 19th from 2pm-4pm at MEG</i></span><i> (Studio 312, Torpedo Factory Arts Center, Alexandria, VA).</i> <br />
Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090074265874507126.post-65749095477333595322013-04-25T06:08:00.005-07:002013-04-25T06:08:42.240-07:00It's All About Color! <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>MEG member Susan Meyers shares some insights into her new series, </i>It's All About Color<i>, as well as some thoughts on getting out of your comfort zone with your photography. </i>It's All About Color <i>is on view at Multiple Exposures Gallery through May 6, 2013.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Your new show <i>It’s All About Color</i> has been described as a real departure for you. How so?</b> This work is different for me in two ways. First, it’s intensely colorful, which is something I’ve never presented before. Pre-digital, I worked mostly in black-and-white with some subtle hand coloring. I never did any color darkroom work. Since converting to digital photography, my photographs have been in color, but in most instances, still strongly monochrome with maybe a few pops of color.<br /><br />Second, the images are much more abstract than anything I have done in the past. My comfort zone has been capturing images of places and things. Moving to the abstract was a big change. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLREQC0eD-YkVPb8Wz8qMjtiHN2Vx-AWP4_XnggKVuJ_1akX11rFAJ98tIhLsqUikOS0aP1WiJnl8keOBCQRcVQZvfELouGpyPIa61jmW52llnQZiGHyIe4t2OKi6fcBC9KgOCZrvz3Z0/s1600/Waves+and+Ripples+-+Susan+Meyers.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLREQC0eD-YkVPb8Wz8qMjtiHN2Vx-AWP4_XnggKVuJ_1akX11rFAJ98tIhLsqUikOS0aP1WiJnl8keOBCQRcVQZvfELouGpyPIa61jmW52llnQZiGHyIe4t2OKi6fcBC9KgOCZrvz3Z0/s320/Waves+and+Ripples+-+Susan+Meyers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Susan Meyers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzslHiMoRMBq0PpG9pw7juE2rmY9iEe37aJa49NcLjZI8ydmfoFDARZ8VXpyOsTwZ290N9hlBSnjF0tmFwbiD23jTKdD-_92WDHpVez6UfL-OZQdAJEyCcU4Xsldxkdqkfk2RonQhpAczV/s1600/Rainbow+Blur.Meyers.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzslHiMoRMBq0PpG9pw7juE2rmY9iEe37aJa49NcLjZI8ydmfoFDARZ8VXpyOsTwZ290N9hlBSnjF0tmFwbiD23jTKdD-_92WDHpVez6UfL-OZQdAJEyCcU4Xsldxkdqkfk2RonQhpAczV/s320/Rainbow+Blur.Meyers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Susan Meyers</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><b>What sparked this creative shift?</b> During a visit to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, I saw an exhibition of work by glass artist Dale Chihuly and was taken by the beauty of his work. I knew my two-dimensional camera wasn’t capable of capturing the full complexity of his three-dimensional work, but I still wanted to convey what my mind’s eye was seeing. Rather than simply record the installations, I focused on the color, light, movement, shape and texture of small sections within the larger whole to capture what I was feeling. <br /><b>Now that you’ve ventured into intense color and abstracts, will you do more work in this area?</b> I hope so. But this series came as a total surprise to me. I had no idea that the Chihuly show would have this impact on me when we decided to drive to Richmond for the day. A friend went to see the show and came back with many positive things to say about it and my sister-in-law has been working in glass for many years. So the trip to see the show just sort of evolved into a family outing.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Once there, I just went with it. Some of the installations took up entire rooms. From the start, I knew I’d be focusing on small areas. Because it was a low-light situation, the movement and flow in the pictures just came naturally. There are additional photographs from that day that I haven’t had time to work with yet, so I still need to go back and see what other little “treasures” I might have hiding. This is also the first time I’ve used some of the special effects available in Photoshop in any serious way (only two images in the current show were manipulated).</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don’t like to use a tripod, and find that the more equipment I carry and the heavier it is, the fewer photographs I take. So, this type of work seems like a natural progression for me.<br /><br /><b>What advice can you give photographers interested in moving out of their comfort zones? What is the benefit of trying something new?</b> We’re living in an exciting time in the history of photography. It has never been easier to experiment or try new ideas. Once you have a camera and a chip, the sky’s the limit. </span><br />
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<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">(c) Susan Meyers</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’m especially excited for the kids of today. Many of us had cameras as children, but in my case, and I’m sure many others, I was dependent on how much my parents were willing and able to support my interest. We were limited by how many rolls of film our parents would buy and pay to process. Now, most families have computers and once you have a basic set up, there is no limit to the number of pictures you can make at a very low or no cost. And, because it costs nothing, there's no reason not to experiment. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Try some crazy idea. If it doesn't work you don't have to show it to anyone. Just as photography emancipated painters and gave us Picasso and Dali and Pollock, I wonder who digital photography will give us. </span>Multiple Exposures Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327999745004956193noreply@blogger.com0