Looking Away

In two weeks our city hosts the annual Festival of the Photograph.  Once again some of photography's brightest and best will mingle with professionals, amateurs, artists, and admirers of the art form - and once again I am a mixture of emotions.  As I peruse the program it becomes clear to me, as it did last year and the year before - that as much as I love this art form, I feel strangely out of step with the trends that drive photography in general, and the majority of my fellow photographers in particular.

As in years past, the event showcases a variety of still images shot at the very highest level.  Thought provoking, heart-rending, shocking, and breath-taking though the images are, they also reflect a general but unmistakable trend toward the raw, painful, gritty depiction of the human condition.  Aside from some spectacular nature photographs, many of the images showcased by the headliners in this year's festival capture humanity unadorned, unmasked, unlovely, and at times inhumane.  Fleshy Coney Island grandmothers stuffed into too-small bikinis, a hog slaughter, children fighting, a soiled flag, a man's fist flying into a woman's face, all moments that are real enough, but far from filling me with, well, anything, they make me want to look away.

Really, when is enough enough?

Perhaps it is a certain rebellious spirit that compels me to buck the prevailing trends. Perhaps it is because our media drenched society seems so hopelessly addicted to a steady diet of anger, shock, and humiliation. Perhaps I am just so weary of bloodied bodies, empty hearts, fearful eyes, and crushed spirits all placed on public display, that I have simply seen enough and so I am sitting this one out.

Psychologists and motivational speakers tell us that what we focus on we become.  Like the guy driving down a desert highway who somehow manages to wrap his car around a lone telephone pole, we tend to follow the direction of our eyes, both in life and in spirit.

So what if our eyes sought out beauty?  What if we decided to study the nuance of color, the stillness of a flower, the curve of a woman's back or the regal mystery in her gaze?  What if we allowed human beauty to wash over us with such abandon that we felt cleansed by its transformative power?  Would our world begin to reveal its treasures to us?

Last weekend, with a model whose natural allure is very much a reflection of her inner beauty, I created a series of rather out-of-fashion photographs.  I call it "Woman and a Green Box" - wherein she explores  some treasures discovered in an old abandoned trunk, including a green box filled with jewelry. First she discovers, then plays, then dances, and finally adorns herself in its contents. Slowly she invites the viewer to join in her private delight.  If this series moves you to forget all that is harsh and embrace all that is lovely, then perhaps it may be the start of a new reality.  I can picture that - can you?

Looking for a Professional Photographer? Beware the Green Square!

Maybe I'm biased, but I believe everyone should have their own photographer just as one has a dentist, or perhaps a massage therapist, or a tailor.  A photograph can be very personal, and should be a rich, memorable experience.  That said, finding your professional photographer is not easy.  There is a sea of misinformation, and I am about to help steer you in the right direction.

Imagine you are choosing a surgeon for, say, lasik eye surgery.  You shop around, you ask others who have done it, you make a few calls.  Finally you sit down with the doctor and ask, "How long have you been doing lasik?" and he says, "Oh, about two years, but I have always had a passion for surgery ever since I was thirteen.  So finally a couple of years back I decided to quit my job as a financial advisor and went out and bought this machine.  Hell, I don't have to do anything.  I just turn it on and it does all the work.  Listen, I don't really do this for the money, so I'll do your eyes for less than half the cost of  the guy you were thinking about.  OK, so, let's set up your surgery..."

Thankfully, there are laws protecting the public as well as the integrity of the profession from people like this.

Not so in the world of professional photography.  Anyone who has a decent camera can call themselves "professional" and you would be astonished at just how many of these types of photographers are out there.  Those of us who have trained, apprenticed, studied the masters, shot, developed, printed, photoshopped, trained some more, studied some more, in short, those of us who took it seriously as a profession, have a name for these "overnight pros" who buy $10k worth of gear, take a weekend glamor workshop, and hang out a shingle...  They're the "green squares" - so named because what they know about photography often amounts to little more than setting their complex machine on automatic, or the "green square" setting...  Then to justify the gritty, off-center, out-of-focus, over or underexposed images  they deliver, they refer to themselves as "street shooters" or one who "shoots in a photojournalistic style." Yes, there are legit street shooters and photojournalists, and they too can easily spot a novice or hobbyist. 

There is no law preventing anyone from hanging out a shingle that says "professional photographer."

Photography used to be a high entry barrier profession.  It required study, skill, dedication, a mastery of both the art and science of the profession.   As cameras became more and more sophisticated, the entry barrier was lowered, and consequently, more and more people are calling themselves "professional photographers."  Often they shoot anything they can find for next to nothing (or sometimes completely for free) because they don't know what they don't know and they have no real skin in the game.  It's not really about the subject - it's about them...   You don't want to trust your wedding, or portrait, boudoir, or above all a figure/nude photo shoot to one of these...  

There is another trend in the digital photography age - GWCs - Guys with cameras.  That's what models call the guys who hire them by the hour to shoot them nude.  There are even "workshops" in which the instructor will set up the lights and pose the nude model while "students" line up for their turn to shoot their very own centerfold (rather like shooting fish in a barrel...)  Some of these photos will end up in their portfolios, even though they had little to do with anything except pointing and clicking.  They are not photographers. They are hobbyists getting off.  Run, don't walk, from these guys.

Shop carefully for your professional photographer. Get references.  Ask them where they trained, where they've worked. Ask them how long they have been doing it.  Finally, look at their portfolio, and don't be shy about asking questions.  Above all - remember that you truly do get what you pay for.

And now, a word about models.  Everything I have described above has spawned another little industry, the "professional" model.  A young woman with a lovely face and nice body, perhaps some ego, and stars in her eyes can be easily fooled into thinking that simply showing up for a shoot with one of these guys, and taking off their clothes under the lights means that they can now advertise as professional, right?

Professional art models - those who have also studied dance, art history, body placement, and all the rest - know that their input is a valuable part of the photo shoot.  They take their work seriously.  They aren't there to feed their egos and they certainly are not there to entertain the photographer.  They want to make art and they can smell a GWC a mile away, just as a serious photographer knows when a "model" is there to work or to show off her body or make a fast buck.   

The bottom line is this - be aware that in the world of photography there is this weird little other-world that is neither artful nor professional.  If you're an aspiring model and are serious, don't get mixed up with these guys, or if you do, at least go in with your eyes open.  If you're an aspiring professional photographer, decide if you want it bad enough to study - really study to master the craft (and not at one of the point and shoot "workshops.")  If your photo shoot is all about you, you're probably better off keeping it as a hobby.  

Now the good news!  When a photographer who really knows his or her profession collaborates with an art model who really knows his or hers, ART can happen, as in this lovely "figurine."  If your photographer moves in this orbit, you can be sure that you, the subject, are in good hands.  If his portfolio reflects his hard work and you like it, you're on your way.

 The photo to the left was taken by British photographer Keith Cooper. The model, Holly, also British, is a full-time art model who seriously works at her craft, knows art and the human form,  and who works in close collaboration with the photographer.  The result  speaks for itself.  (So eager am I to create some works in a lush Pre-Raphaelite style - a style to which Holly is ideally suited, that I am contemplating a trip to Britain.) 

Remember - "Going green" may be good for the earth - but not for your photographer.  Beware the green square and enjoy your photo shoot!

That giant super moon!

Moon over Burkina Faso

Did you see it the other night?  That super moon?  In our neighborhood the sky was completely overcast...

But my mind raced back to another magnificent moon in Kindi Kombou, Burkina Faso, by any measure one of the remotest places on earth.  Two months ago I was there to see my son's humanitarian work,  photograph its progress, and to enjoy a peak father-son adventure. Earlier, it had taken us ten hours from the nearest city to reach Kindi Kombou, the last four of which were by motorcycle along a dusty road and finally a goat path through the desert until we reached a tiny village.  Understand that it is a tiny speck of earth so small and so isolated that it is not recorded on a map. As far as the world in concerned, it isn't even there.

But the moon was there, and at 3AM it awoke me. I stepped outside our mud hut and gazed out over a desert so bathed in moonlight that  I could have set out walking in any direction and rely completely on its light.  In an environment so punishing and unforgiving as this, I was taken with the deep and tranquil beauty of this place.  With the harsh spotlight of the sun turned away for a time,  I began to  understand why Daniel risks life and limb to come here.  By the garish light of day I could only wonder why he endures such thankless hardship.  By the glow of the moon I could begin to see what his creative mind must envision - a garden here.  A flowing well there.  Women resting.  Children playing.  A better life. 

We are both involved in creative endeavors.  Mine is behind a camera striving to create beauty.  Daniel's is working to turn sand into soil, to coax life out of desolation.  We do what we do not so much by what drives us as by what leads us.  That is the difference between an entrepreneur and a dreamer; between a merchant and an artist.

Can we ever really separate who we are from what we create?  Would we ever want to?  I have come to know that the best we can give another person - and this world - is our honest self. In the end, it is all we really have. That is why it isn't what we do in our work that matters only, but what our work does inside us.  

Back home in my studio, I find that Mondays are always the hardest.  Each week I face the harsh reality that beauty isn't selling these days.  The loudest voices, the brightest lights, and the biggest guns tend to command the world's attention.  Monday morning is my weekly dawn - the end of the soft nights of the soul.  I know that Daniel must feel that way too from time to time.

Yet I am heartened by one of my dear mentors who spent a great deal of his life in the public spotlight.  He once told me, "The longer I live the more I realize that life's most important moments are rarely in the spotlight. The really important dramas almost always happen in the wings, where few people notice.  It may be a quiet moment in which a person forgives another, and helps create a nourishing space for that person – or perhaps just a time when we are there for someone who needs us - those are the moments that matter most.”

Kindness has fallen out of favor in these last days before the poles shift and the Mayan calendar ends and a second axial age begins (sorry... a bit of wishful thinking there...) - well, new age wishing  notwithstanding, it HAS fallen out of favor and we are the poorer for it.  The clouds have moved in and we have lost our way and so we rush, pushing and shoving toward any light that catches our eyes.  It seems the brighter the light, the faster we rush to follow it, forgetting that even the darkest clouds eventually move on.

The artists and the givers are the healers of the world and the bringers of hope.  We must remember that in even the darkest nights when we feel we're not even on the map, we can look up and know the moon is there.  We must remember that.  We can step out and rely on the light we see.  After all, like the moon, our light is really reflected light and anyway it is the only light we have.  

But it is enough.

"Naked in Pittsburgh"

I just learned that "At Her Bath" will be among the works at the annual art show "Naked in Pittsburgh" at Pittsburgh's Red Door Place. The show opens June 1.  If you're in Pittsburgh, mark your calendar!  Details to follow!

Morning Tea

Here is a glimpse into one of our morning rituals.   I always make sure that when my wife steps out of the shower there is a pot of hot tea waiting for her.  Her father's roots were Welsh and he was particular about how his tea was prepared.  She inherited his love of tea prepared in the British tradition.  Here are a few of the particulars she insists upon:

A good British brand of tea (our favorite is PG Tips - 3 sachets to a pot.  Loose tea is usually best, but if you're going to use teabags, we have found PG Tips to be delicious)  Lipton is a very bad word in our house...

Use China.  My wife swears that a ceramic pot and cup just doesn't hold the heat in the same way as  china.  The pieces below were made by Villeroy and Boch.

Warm the pot.  I always swirl some boiling water in the pot and pour it out before adding tea and water.

Bring the water to a full boil.  "Almost boiling" won't do it.  After adding water to the tea I cover it with a cozy to keep everything hot.

Let it steep for four minutes.  Some say three, but we both like it a little more robust.

Use milk.  It cuts the tannins and makes the tea velvety smooth.  Sugar to taste.

If the tea is too strong, just add a little boiling water to the cup.

That's it!  Enjoy!

Model: Brenda

Are you blushing?

A long-time friend and psychologist Mark Leary has done some considerable research on the subject of blushing - what it is, why we do it, and what it means in our everyday lives.  Dr. Leary states that it goes back to the earliest days of our evolutionary journey and serves a very specific tribal function.

Blushing warms the skin and gives off a glow that is somehow connected to deep emotions, from embarrassment to passion.  Artists have sought to capture this natural healthy glow through various glazes, brush strokes, various mixtures, and other techniques.  For the photographer it is more elusive.  Photoshop can help, but the skin's natural warmth is difficult to capture.  With this in mind, I have chosen to share with you a figure study from a favorite model whose skin, though fair, seems to glow with warmth when she is under the studio lights.  Her passion for her work is apparent in both the thoroughly professional/creative expertise she brings as well as an accomplished dancer's surrender to her feminine spirit as she expresses what cannot be put into words.

I have finished the photograph in sepia, but have allowed the natural blush tones of her skin to show through.  The result is subtle, but I believe it captures something of her essence - the life that animates her movements and warms the room whenever her photographs are on display.

Model: Katy_T

Lighting the Nude (Part One) - It's only Natural!

Perhaps the most oft-asked question I get from women who are considering posing for an artistic nude (or semi-nude or a boudoir session) is, "Do you photoshop?"  The answer is, of course YES.  Just as makeup and hair help to create a finished look, post production is vital to creating a lovely, satisfying photograph.  On average, I spend about two-four hours in post for every hour of shooting - sometimes longer.

But perhaps the most important consideration - and the one in which I have invested years of training - is lighting.  The artful arrangement of light and shadow during the shoot can determine whether a photograph is fit for an art  gallery or an auto repair garage.

Light modifiers are among a photographer's most important tools.  I like to think of light as an artist's brush and frequently employ a number of modifiers to get just the right effect.  Large light domes, strip boxes, spot grids, reflectors, kickers, flags, diffusers, gels, - these all are tools that I use to create the painterly effects that separate an artistic nude from more ordinary cheesecake shots flooding the market.   Because the human nude is perhaps the most challenging of all art forms, it matters all the more that lighting is paramount.

That said, now and then we stumble upon a scene in which nature has done much of the work for us.   The photos below are the perfect example.  The scene is the bay window of our bedroom, facing east.  The soft effect produced by the early morning sun shining through our blinds (Silhouette, made by Hunter-Douglas, for those of you who are curious)  created an exquisite presentation of diffused light.  I immediately grabbed my camera and then awakened my favorite model to ask if she would indulge me once again (after 35 years of marriage, she is quite used to me by now!)  She chose some early morning stretches, and I chose to use only the light coming through the window - no reflectors or strobes of any kind.  The photographs below are, for the most part, unretouched.  Only a slight diffusion filter was used to create a slight glow around the body.  Notice the soft gray shadows that the shrubs make on the blind, balancing the scene and gently leading the eye to the subject.

Model: Brenda